Yuletide 2017 Recs (1)
I feel as if I've hardly read anything yet, but I think that's in part because I read a couple of longer stories, which cut down the totals for that brief window where it works out. But that promises a lot of fun catching up to do over the next few weeks (provided the planets and stars align etc. etc.).
In the meantime, including my (3!) gifts, here are my first gleanings:
A Very Good Year (3690 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: 'Allo 'Allo!
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Otto Flick/Helga Geerhart
Characters: Helga Geerhart, Otto Flick, René Artois
Additional Tags: Light BDSM, Bad Jokes, French Resistance, Catchphrases
Summary: The Gestapo try to infiltrate the Resistance, while Michelle (of said Resistance) plots to derail the German war effort by deploying a secret weapon: wine.
All René wants is a quiet life, though he may regret that wish...
CN: Contains humorous depictions of Nazis, end-of-the-pier sex jokes, some details of an affair. There's some light kink, too, which goes a fraction further than canon.
Pitch-perfect 'Allo 'Allo, with a plot so rightly daft I'm surprised canon hadn't already used it.
A Mile of Marchpane (3218 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Archer's Goon - Diana Wynne Jones
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Awful Sykes, Erskine (Archer's Goon), Nan Hathaway (Archer's Goon), William Hathaway (Archer's Goon), Venturus (Archer's Goon), Shine (Archer's Goon), Hathaway (Archer's Goon)
Summary: Hathaway's children, Will and Nan, discover the red typewriter, which has been stowed away in the 16th century for safe-keeping. When their sticky misadventures lead to Nan's disappearance, Will summons help. It arrives in the form of Time-travelling International Master Criminals Awful and Erskine, whose malefactory careers are currently being hampered by a brotherly curse which means they cannot commit any wrongdoing that leads to more harm than good ...
A post-canon look at Awful, Erskine, and Howard's dynamics and it's so much fun, and properly inventive - and even hints at what happened next on that spaceship. Most Yuletides bring a (usually excellent) AG fic, and I think this is one of the best yet. It even has Quentin's typewriter!
Soothing (1447 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Cadfael Chronicles - Ellis Peters
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Aline Beringar & Hugh Beringar & Brother Cadfael
Characters: Brother Cadfael, Hugh Beringar, Aline Beringar
Summary: A scene from the end of St Peter's Fair. After all is said and done, there is more that wants soothing than burns.
Quietly lovely Cadfael missing scene.
Mordre, She Wroot (8040 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Canterbury Tales - Geoffrey Chaucer
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Wife of Bath, Second Nun, The Host (Canterbury Tales), Pardoner (Canterbury Tales), The Summoner (Homestuck), Clerk (Canterbury Tales), Prioress (Canterbury Tales)
Summary: At least one pilgrim will not make it to Canterbury.
Amazing casefic in which the Wife of Bath gets to play detective, and it's a joy. I mean, just look at that title. It's been a while since I studied the General Prologue and it was still like an unexpected and delightful meeting of some very old (and distinctive) friends.
Rescue (4813 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Daughters of Mannerling - M.C. Beaton, The Grand Sophy - Georgette Heyer
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Charles Rivenhall/Sophy Stanton-Lacy, Henry Bromford/Eugenia Wraxton
Characters: Charles Rivenhall, Sophy Stanton-Lacy, Eugenia Wraxton, Henry Bromford, Mannerling
Additional Tags: Evil Stately Home, Sophy is relentless, Friendship is not required for a rescue
Summary: Sophy Rivenhall and Eugenia Bromford are on just good enough terms to avoid any unseemly gossip. So when Eugenia writes to Sophy begging her to join a house party at the beautiful Mannerling estate, Sophy and Charles know something is wrong.
My gift - a marvellous piece in which Sophy thoroughly bests the sinister Mannerling.
Rock Crystal (100 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Daughters of Mannerling Series - M. C. Beaton
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Mannerling (Daughters of Mannerling)
Additional Tags: Yuletide, Yuletide Madness Drabble Invitational, Genus Loci, Yuletide Madness 2017, Drabble
Summary: Mannerling has a voice
Also for me, in the Madness collection, a drabble illuminating Mannerling's dark origins - lovely!
The Libertines (1969 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Devil's Cub - Georgette Heyer
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Dominic Alastair/Mary Challoner, Justin Alastair/Léonie de Saint-Vire
Characters: Mary Challoner, Justin Alastair
Additional Tags: Yuletide
Summary: Mary and the Duke of Avon: a night at the theatre with Don Juan, a reformed rake and a revolutionary.
Sharply done bit of interaction between Mary and her father-in-law (one of the best bits of the novel is definitely their encounter at the inn, and this is beautifully more of the same). Its morals may be a bit pointed perhaps, but it's very well done.
Ranger's Responsibility (1144 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Dungeons and Dragons (Cartoon)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Hank "the Ranger"/Sheila "the Thief"
Characters: Hank "the Ranger", Sheila "the Thief", Venger "the Force of Evil", Dungeon Master (Dungeons and Dragons Cartoon), Tiamat "the Dragon" (Dungeons and Dragons Cartoon)
Additional Tags: Missing Scene, Canon Compliant, Realm Angst, almost Hank/Sheila
Summary: A little follow-up to Dragon's Graveyard
Sweet and fun tag for The Dragon's Graveyard. It feels exactly right.
Who Can Make It a Torment (3197 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Northanger Abbey - Jane Austen
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Catherine Morland/Henry Tilney
Characters: Catherine Morland, Henry Tilney
Summary: “No man is offended by another man’s admiration of the woman he loves; it is the woman only who can make it a torment.”
-- Henry Tilney, Northanger Abbey, Vol. II, Ch. IV
In a way, Henry is right. In another, more accurate way, he's entirely incorrect.<
Catherine and Henry get their own little Gothic adventure - this is great!
Forevermore (2282 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Sapphire and Steel
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Silver & Sapphire (S&S)
Characters: Silver (S&S), Sapphire (S&S)
Summary: "Right now, my best guess is that the robot is possessed, but I could be wrong."
Gorgeous short piece involving an unusually creepy robot, with lovely Sapphire & Silver interaction. (My treat!)
light your way, but that is all (16011 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 6/6
Fandom: Sapphire and Steel
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Sapphire (S&S), Steel (S&S), Lead (S&S), Silver (S&S), Original Character(s) - Character
Additional Tags: Assignment Fic, reliable narrator, Yuletide 2017, Elemental Weirdness, Mystery, Supernatural Elements, Worldbuilding
Summary: A lighthouse, a storm, a telephone, an empty island. And a fantastic tale from a mysterious stranger to tie all of it together. What better way to spend your last moments of existence?
Long, glorious and weird in all the right ways for S&S, I loved this.
A Well-Made Play (4299 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Sprig Muslin - Georgette Heyer
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Sir Gareth Ludlow/Lady Hester Theale, Sir Gareth Ludlow & Lady Hester Theale & Hildebrand & Amanda, Mr Hildebrand Ross & OFC
Characters: Sir Gareth Ludlow, Lady Hester Theale, Mr Hildebrand Ross, Miss Amanda Smith | Mrs Neil Kendal, Miss Gertrude Gerhardt (OFC)
Additional Tags: Epistolary, Regency Theatre, Hijinks & Shenanigans, Who are we kidding I had a lot of fun with this one
Series: Part 1 of Other Peoples' Letters
Summary: or, Diverse Correspondence From Many Interested Parties
For some, the happy ending might involve quietly living a virtuous life, or at least going to lots of parties. For others, it should involve mistaken identities, mysterious strangers, talented actresses, dead chickens, and a good excuse for a holiday at the end.
Post-canon epistolary fic that is delightful fun in all the right ways, full of canon-appropriate hijinks. It's pretty much the Sprig Muslin fic I've always wanted to exist.
A place of calm and order (1178 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Talisman Ring - Georgette Heyer
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Tristram Shield/Sarah Thane
Characters: Tristram Shield, Sarah Thane
Additional Tags: coming home, Domestic
Summary: Sir Tristram, despite being a great collector of antiquities and artworks, prided himself on having a comfortable home. He hadn't thought much about what would change when he brought Sarah into it, but he had vaguely expected some kind of feminine housewifery to settle into effect. He had not expected her to completely overset the household just by her arrival.
This is a wonderful canon tag, with perfect interaction for Tristram and Sarah. (There is one historical nitpick plotwise, but the characterisation is perfect and charming enough to make up for it.)
Crossposted from Dreamwidth. Please click through to comment. -- Current comments:
In the meantime, including my (3!) gifts, here are my first gleanings:
A Very Good Year (3690 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: 'Allo 'Allo!
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Otto Flick/Helga Geerhart
Characters: Helga Geerhart, Otto Flick, René Artois
Additional Tags: Light BDSM, Bad Jokes, French Resistance, Catchphrases
Summary: The Gestapo try to infiltrate the Resistance, while Michelle (of said Resistance) plots to derail the German war effort by deploying a secret weapon: wine.
All René wants is a quiet life, though he may regret that wish...
CN: Contains humorous depictions of Nazis, end-of-the-pier sex jokes, some details of an affair. There's some light kink, too, which goes a fraction further than canon.
Pitch-perfect 'Allo 'Allo, with a plot so rightly daft I'm surprised canon hadn't already used it.
A Mile of Marchpane (3218 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Archer's Goon - Diana Wynne Jones
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Awful Sykes, Erskine (Archer's Goon), Nan Hathaway (Archer's Goon), William Hathaway (Archer's Goon), Venturus (Archer's Goon), Shine (Archer's Goon), Hathaway (Archer's Goon)
Summary: Hathaway's children, Will and Nan, discover the red typewriter, which has been stowed away in the 16th century for safe-keeping. When their sticky misadventures lead to Nan's disappearance, Will summons help. It arrives in the form of Time-travelling International Master Criminals Awful and Erskine, whose malefactory careers are currently being hampered by a brotherly curse which means they cannot commit any wrongdoing that leads to more harm than good ...
A post-canon look at Awful, Erskine, and Howard's dynamics and it's so much fun, and properly inventive - and even hints at what happened next on that spaceship. Most Yuletides bring a (usually excellent) AG fic, and I think this is one of the best yet. It even has Quentin's typewriter!
Soothing (1447 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Cadfael Chronicles - Ellis Peters
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Aline Beringar & Hugh Beringar & Brother Cadfael
Characters: Brother Cadfael, Hugh Beringar, Aline Beringar
Summary: A scene from the end of St Peter's Fair. After all is said and done, there is more that wants soothing than burns.
Quietly lovely Cadfael missing scene.
Mordre, She Wroot (8040 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Canterbury Tales - Geoffrey Chaucer
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Wife of Bath, Second Nun, The Host (Canterbury Tales), Pardoner (Canterbury Tales), The Summoner (Homestuck), Clerk (Canterbury Tales), Prioress (Canterbury Tales)
Summary: At least one pilgrim will not make it to Canterbury.
Amazing casefic in which the Wife of Bath gets to play detective, and it's a joy. I mean, just look at that title. It's been a while since I studied the General Prologue and it was still like an unexpected and delightful meeting of some very old (and distinctive) friends.
Rescue (4813 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Daughters of Mannerling - M.C. Beaton, The Grand Sophy - Georgette Heyer
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Charles Rivenhall/Sophy Stanton-Lacy, Henry Bromford/Eugenia Wraxton
Characters: Charles Rivenhall, Sophy Stanton-Lacy, Eugenia Wraxton, Henry Bromford, Mannerling
Additional Tags: Evil Stately Home, Sophy is relentless, Friendship is not required for a rescue
Summary: Sophy Rivenhall and Eugenia Bromford are on just good enough terms to avoid any unseemly gossip. So when Eugenia writes to Sophy begging her to join a house party at the beautiful Mannerling estate, Sophy and Charles know something is wrong.
My gift - a marvellous piece in which Sophy thoroughly bests the sinister Mannerling.
Rock Crystal (100 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Daughters of Mannerling Series - M. C. Beaton
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Mannerling (Daughters of Mannerling)
Additional Tags: Yuletide, Yuletide Madness Drabble Invitational, Genus Loci, Yuletide Madness 2017, Drabble
Summary: Mannerling has a voice
Also for me, in the Madness collection, a drabble illuminating Mannerling's dark origins - lovely!
The Libertines (1969 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Devil's Cub - Georgette Heyer
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Dominic Alastair/Mary Challoner, Justin Alastair/Léonie de Saint-Vire
Characters: Mary Challoner, Justin Alastair
Additional Tags: Yuletide
Summary: Mary and the Duke of Avon: a night at the theatre with Don Juan, a reformed rake and a revolutionary.
Sharply done bit of interaction between Mary and her father-in-law (one of the best bits of the novel is definitely their encounter at the inn, and this is beautifully more of the same). Its morals may be a bit pointed perhaps, but it's very well done.
Ranger's Responsibility (1144 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Dungeons and Dragons (Cartoon)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Hank "the Ranger"/Sheila "the Thief"
Characters: Hank "the Ranger", Sheila "the Thief", Venger "the Force of Evil", Dungeon Master (Dungeons and Dragons Cartoon), Tiamat "the Dragon" (Dungeons and Dragons Cartoon)
Additional Tags: Missing Scene, Canon Compliant, Realm Angst, almost Hank/Sheila
Summary: A little follow-up to Dragon's Graveyard
Sweet and fun tag for The Dragon's Graveyard. It feels exactly right.
Who Can Make It a Torment (3197 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Northanger Abbey - Jane Austen
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Catherine Morland/Henry Tilney
Characters: Catherine Morland, Henry Tilney
Summary: “No man is offended by another man’s admiration of the woman he loves; it is the woman only who can make it a torment.”
-- Henry Tilney, Northanger Abbey, Vol. II, Ch. IV
In a way, Henry is right. In another, more accurate way, he's entirely incorrect.<
Catherine and Henry get their own little Gothic adventure - this is great!
Forevermore (2282 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Sapphire and Steel
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Silver & Sapphire (S&S)
Characters: Silver (S&S), Sapphire (S&S)
Summary: "Right now, my best guess is that the robot is possessed, but I could be wrong."
Gorgeous short piece involving an unusually creepy robot, with lovely Sapphire & Silver interaction. (My treat!)
light your way, but that is all (16011 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 6/6
Fandom: Sapphire and Steel
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Sapphire (S&S), Steel (S&S), Lead (S&S), Silver (S&S), Original Character(s) - Character
Additional Tags: Assignment Fic, reliable narrator, Yuletide 2017, Elemental Weirdness, Mystery, Supernatural Elements, Worldbuilding
Summary: A lighthouse, a storm, a telephone, an empty island. And a fantastic tale from a mysterious stranger to tie all of it together. What better way to spend your last moments of existence?
Long, glorious and weird in all the right ways for S&S, I loved this.
A Well-Made Play (4299 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Sprig Muslin - Georgette Heyer
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Sir Gareth Ludlow/Lady Hester Theale, Sir Gareth Ludlow & Lady Hester Theale & Hildebrand & Amanda, Mr Hildebrand Ross & OFC
Characters: Sir Gareth Ludlow, Lady Hester Theale, Mr Hildebrand Ross, Miss Amanda Smith | Mrs Neil Kendal, Miss Gertrude Gerhardt (OFC)
Additional Tags: Epistolary, Regency Theatre, Hijinks & Shenanigans, Who are we kidding I had a lot of fun with this one
Series: Part 1 of Other Peoples' Letters
Summary: or, Diverse Correspondence From Many Interested Parties
For some, the happy ending might involve quietly living a virtuous life, or at least going to lots of parties. For others, it should involve mistaken identities, mysterious strangers, talented actresses, dead chickens, and a good excuse for a holiday at the end.
Post-canon epistolary fic that is delightful fun in all the right ways, full of canon-appropriate hijinks. It's pretty much the Sprig Muslin fic I've always wanted to exist.
A place of calm and order (1178 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Talisman Ring - Georgette Heyer
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Tristram Shield/Sarah Thane
Characters: Tristram Shield, Sarah Thane
Additional Tags: coming home, Domestic
Summary: Sir Tristram, despite being a great collector of antiquities and artworks, prided himself on having a comfortable home. He hadn't thought much about what would change when he brought Sarah into it, but he had vaguely expected some kind of feminine housewifery to settle into effect. He had not expected her to completely overset the household just by her arrival.
This is a wonderful canon tag, with perfect interaction for Tristram and Sarah. (There is one historical nitpick plotwise, but the characterisation is perfect and charming enough to make up for it.)
Crossposted from Dreamwidth. Please click through to comment. -- Current comments: