Yuletide!
A (belated) Merry Christmas from me to all who've been celebrating! I hope the end of December is treating you all well.
This Yuletide was a great one for me -- I got TWO fics that I loved, and found a lot of other stories I enjoyed, some of which I'm reccing here.
First, my wonderful gifts:
May I be used (4904 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Affinity - Sarah Waters
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Ruth Vigers/Selina Dawes, Ruth Vigers/Selina Dawes/Margaret Prior, Margaret Prior/Peter Quick
Characters: Ruth Vigers, Selina Dawes, Margaret Prior, Peter Quick
Additional Tags: Consent Issues, on all sides, Lies and the liars that tell them, Spiritualism, Gender Play, (not very nice gender play), and what's any story without some, Fake astral projection, Drug Addiction, Power Dynamics, Domination, occasional submission too I suppose, Sadism, Epistolary, Stream of Consciousness, Victorian Christian notions of the path to quote unquote redemption, twisted about 50 degrees to the left
Summary:
The spirits, I know, suffer for me just as Margaret does, and just as I suffer for them: for whose would they be, if they did not?
THIS FIC. It's all I've been wanting for this fandom for years and more -- as relentlessly sinister as the canon itself, unflinching and sharp in its psychological depth, and beautifully written. I'm honestly floored and I'm praying the author is going to write more for this canon, because holy hell.
Jean Valjean's Education (1214 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Les Misérables (Movie 1952)
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Genflou/Jean Valjean
Characters: Genflou, Jean Valjean, Javert (Les Misérables)
Additional Tags: Catboys & Catgirls, Prison, Voyeurism, Public Masturbation, Yuletide Treat
Summary:
Genflou waved him closer as soon as the guard was gone. The lashes would still happen-Jean had overheard enough for that, at least. But Genflou seemed strangely tense, his tail quivering a little as he stared at Jean.
“Jean, it is time to add to your education,” he said at last. His hand rested on Jean's knee.
I love the 1952 adaptation of Les Mis in all its strangeness, and I love the OC Genflou, who takes it upon himself to give Jean Valjean an ~ education (yes, this is in the movie). Here they are catboys and it's glorious. (Javert, however, is a dog. As is only right and proper, and also glorious.)
And now for some other recs, by no means an exhaustive list of everything I've read and enjoyed:
Going Clear (1352 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Famous Blue Raincoat (Song)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Additional Tags: Yuletide Treat
Summary:
Jane comes by with a lock of his hair.
I'm not usually that interested in fic based on songs, but this is a lovely, imaginative take on the difficult love triangle and the song's narrator's own role in complicating matters.
Fine and Tantalizing; Brave and Wild (2219 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Hedda Gabler - Ibsen
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Hedda Gabler/Eilert Lovborg, Judge Brack/Hedda Gabler
Characters: Hedda Gabler, Eilert Lovborg, Judge Brack
Additional Tags: Pre-Canon
Summary:
Hedda Gabler is learning what it means to be desired, even if she cannot find desire within herself.
Into the Sky (2088 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Hedda Gabler - Ibsen
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Hedda Gabler/George Tesman
Characters: Hedda Gabler, George Tesman
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Space, Sexism, Pre-Canon
Summary:
She’d had the misfortune of growing up in one of the few backwards sectors of the galaxy, one where women were expected to bear children and nothing more.
(Hedda Gabler pre-canon, space AU.)
Hedda Gabler is one of my favourite Ibsen plays, and I was so pleased to find two excellent fics for it this Yuletide, both of them showcasing Hedda's situation and (to say the least) complicated character sharply and perspectively. The first one is a tight, almost claustrophobic study of her interactions with Eilert and Brack; the second one is set in space, adding stark irony to the trappings of her life -- she could go anywhere, except she can't.
Games Day (3131 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Arthur Dent/Ford Prefect
Characters: Ford Prefect, Arthur Dent, Zaphod Beeblebrox
Additional Tags: Aliens, Gladiators, Humor, Cousins, Interplanetary Travel
Summary:
Ford and Arthur are in danger of seeing a sporting event from far too close up.
On a trip to the planet suitably named New Trafford VI, Ford and Arthur become a little too acquainted with the local Gladiatorial Games. Great character voices and tone, hilarious and snappy, and the slashy moments are very sweet.
Bars Like This (2862 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Les Misérables (Dallas 2014)
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Javert/Original Character, implied Javert/Valjean
Characters: Javert (Watts), Original Male Character(s)
Additional Tags: Bathroom Sex, Shame, Repression, Facials, Voyeurism, Yuleporn
Summary:
He's on his knees. He's on his knees on the dirty floor of a public restroom in a seedy bar, and it should be a nightmare but he's so aroused he can hardly breathe.
The modern-day setting of the Dallas production lends itself perhaps even better to Javert having ill-adviced sex in seedy bars than canon era does (if you've seen Ed Watts in his long leather coat, I'm sure you will agree), and this is a hot, intense snapshot of him trying to deal with his perplexingly complicated feelings in a rather unhealthy way.
I can dream my future, I can feel my nature (1122 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Nightcrawler (2014)
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Louis Bloom/Nina Romina
Characters: Louis Bloom, Nina Romina
Additional Tags: Dubious Consent, Sexual Coercion, Breathplay, POV Female Character
Summary:
Lou and Nina are a match, hunger for hunger.
An excellent take on both characters, as unnerving and bleak as the movie itself.
Shone Round Him O'er the Dead (3380 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Ann Smiley/George Smiley, Bill Haydon/Ann Smiley, George Smiley & Peter Guillam, George Smiley & Bill Haydon, George Smiley & Karla (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy)
Characters: George Smiley, Ann Smiley, Karla (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy), Bill Haydon, Peter Guillam
Additional Tags: Missing Scene, Infidelity, Betrayal, POV Outsider, POV Multiple, Implied Sexual Content, Yuletide, Yuletide 2015, Character Study
Summary:
George Smiley: spy, husband, cuckold, and friend, each part indivisible from the others. The whole is kind, pathetic, clever, weak, dangerous-and wounded, again and again, from 1945 to 1973.
George Smiley as seen through other people's eyes, all of the shifting POVs revealing in their own way. Sad and moving and beautiful.
Magpies (4389 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Relationships: Bill Haydon/Jim Prideaux
Characters: Bill Haydon, Jim Prideaux, Connie Sachs
Additional Tags: University, Betrayal, Grief/Mourning
Summary:
One for sorrow; two for joy.
Jim and Bill and secrets, never to be told.
All of the TTSS stories were lovely (though I have yet to read the 30k one), but this in particular spoke to me -- the sense of fatality throughout is so poignant, and so is Jim's helpless, eternal love.
Bridges (1208 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Tintin (Comics)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Archibald Haddock/Tintin
Characters: Archibald Haddock, Tintin - Character, Bianca Castafiore
Additional Tags: Curtain Fic, Domestic, Yuletide Treat
Summary:
An interlude during The Castafiore Emerald
Sweet, shippy, and tender, with a perfect Haddock voice.
Never Let No One Man Worry Your Mind (5538 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Singin' in the Rain (1952)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Cosmo Brown & Don Lockwood, Cosmo Brown/Other(s)
Characters: Cosmo Brown, Don Lockwood
Additional Tags: Queer Gen, Queer History, vaudeville, Chicago, Friendship, Drag Queens, Queer Themes, Mistaken for Being in a Relationship, Queer Culture
Summary:
"Cos! Thank God you're alive, I thought my double act was about to become a single," Don said. "Where have you been?"
"In jail," Cosmo whispered back, "Happy birthday."
Don clapped him on the shoulder. "Thanks; you're a little late, but... in where?"
"Keep your voice down," hissed Cosmo, just as a hail of applause blew the curtain back and practically deafened him. "In jail."
Backstory fic with a vivid sense of time and place, and a wonderful Cosmo-Don friendship.
A Deal with a Bulgarian Devil (10065 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Spy (2015)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Susan Cooper/Rick Ford
Characters: Susan Cooper (Spy 2015), Rick Ford, Rayna Boyanov, Nancy B. Artingstall, Elaine Crocker, Aldo (Spy 2015)
Additional Tags: mission!fic, Rick always just gets in the way, So many insults, Everyone swears a lot, SO MUCH HANDWAVING WHERE SPY STUFF IS CONCERNED, Just gals being pals, Susan and Rayna BroTP, Action, Adventure, Spy Stuff, fake tourists, Tropical setting, Susan gets Continental, Frenemies
Summary:
Post- Movie
Rayna cuts a deal with the CIA that forces Agent Cooper to travel to the Cayman Islands on her behalf to retrieve some personal property and some incriminating evidence that may or may not help the CIA bring down a notorious money launderer that is a known associate of Rayna's.
Susan's life is entrusted to Rayna's protection as she endeavors to keep the CIA's side of the deal.
The fic could have used a SpaG beta, which is also implied in the author's notes, but I enjoyed it a ton nonetheless; all the shenanigans, insults, and crazy situations definitely rang true to the movie for me and made me laugh out loud several places.
Hope you found something you'll like, and if so, please let the authors know!
This entry was originally posted at http://miss-morland.dreamwidth.org/130818.html. You may comment there, if you like.
This Yuletide was a great one for me -- I got TWO fics that I loved, and found a lot of other stories I enjoyed, some of which I'm reccing here.
First, my wonderful gifts:
May I be used (4904 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Affinity - Sarah Waters
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Ruth Vigers/Selina Dawes, Ruth Vigers/Selina Dawes/Margaret Prior, Margaret Prior/Peter Quick
Characters: Ruth Vigers, Selina Dawes, Margaret Prior, Peter Quick
Additional Tags: Consent Issues, on all sides, Lies and the liars that tell them, Spiritualism, Gender Play, (not very nice gender play), and what's any story without some, Fake astral projection, Drug Addiction, Power Dynamics, Domination, occasional submission too I suppose, Sadism, Epistolary, Stream of Consciousness, Victorian Christian notions of the path to quote unquote redemption, twisted about 50 degrees to the left
Summary:
The spirits, I know, suffer for me just as Margaret does, and just as I suffer for them: for whose would they be, if they did not?
THIS FIC. It's all I've been wanting for this fandom for years and more -- as relentlessly sinister as the canon itself, unflinching and sharp in its psychological depth, and beautifully written. I'm honestly floored and I'm praying the author is going to write more for this canon, because holy hell.
Jean Valjean's Education (1214 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Les Misérables (Movie 1952)
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Genflou/Jean Valjean
Characters: Genflou, Jean Valjean, Javert (Les Misérables)
Additional Tags: Catboys & Catgirls, Prison, Voyeurism, Public Masturbation, Yuletide Treat
Summary:
Genflou waved him closer as soon as the guard was gone. The lashes would still happen-Jean had overheard enough for that, at least. But Genflou seemed strangely tense, his tail quivering a little as he stared at Jean.
“Jean, it is time to add to your education,” he said at last. His hand rested on Jean's knee.
I love the 1952 adaptation of Les Mis in all its strangeness, and I love the OC Genflou, who takes it upon himself to give Jean Valjean an ~ education (yes, this is in the movie). Here they are catboys and it's glorious. (Javert, however, is a dog. As is only right and proper, and also glorious.)
And now for some other recs, by no means an exhaustive list of everything I've read and enjoyed:
Going Clear (1352 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Famous Blue Raincoat (Song)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Additional Tags: Yuletide Treat
Summary:
Jane comes by with a lock of his hair.
I'm not usually that interested in fic based on songs, but this is a lovely, imaginative take on the difficult love triangle and the song's narrator's own role in complicating matters.
Fine and Tantalizing; Brave and Wild (2219 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Hedda Gabler - Ibsen
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Hedda Gabler/Eilert Lovborg, Judge Brack/Hedda Gabler
Characters: Hedda Gabler, Eilert Lovborg, Judge Brack
Additional Tags: Pre-Canon
Summary:
Hedda Gabler is learning what it means to be desired, even if she cannot find desire within herself.
Into the Sky (2088 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Hedda Gabler - Ibsen
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Hedda Gabler/George Tesman
Characters: Hedda Gabler, George Tesman
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Space, Sexism, Pre-Canon
Summary:
She’d had the misfortune of growing up in one of the few backwards sectors of the galaxy, one where women were expected to bear children and nothing more.
(Hedda Gabler pre-canon, space AU.)
Hedda Gabler is one of my favourite Ibsen plays, and I was so pleased to find two excellent fics for it this Yuletide, both of them showcasing Hedda's situation and (to say the least) complicated character sharply and perspectively. The first one is a tight, almost claustrophobic study of her interactions with Eilert and Brack; the second one is set in space, adding stark irony to the trappings of her life -- she could go anywhere, except she can't.
Games Day (3131 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Arthur Dent/Ford Prefect
Characters: Ford Prefect, Arthur Dent, Zaphod Beeblebrox
Additional Tags: Aliens, Gladiators, Humor, Cousins, Interplanetary Travel
Summary:
Ford and Arthur are in danger of seeing a sporting event from far too close up.
On a trip to the planet suitably named New Trafford VI, Ford and Arthur become a little too acquainted with the local Gladiatorial Games. Great character voices and tone, hilarious and snappy, and the slashy moments are very sweet.
Bars Like This (2862 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Les Misérables (Dallas 2014)
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Javert/Original Character, implied Javert/Valjean
Characters: Javert (Watts), Original Male Character(s)
Additional Tags: Bathroom Sex, Shame, Repression, Facials, Voyeurism, Yuleporn
Summary:
He's on his knees. He's on his knees on the dirty floor of a public restroom in a seedy bar, and it should be a nightmare but he's so aroused he can hardly breathe.
The modern-day setting of the Dallas production lends itself perhaps even better to Javert having ill-adviced sex in seedy bars than canon era does (if you've seen Ed Watts in his long leather coat, I'm sure you will agree), and this is a hot, intense snapshot of him trying to deal with his perplexingly complicated feelings in a rather unhealthy way.
I can dream my future, I can feel my nature (1122 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Nightcrawler (2014)
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Louis Bloom/Nina Romina
Characters: Louis Bloom, Nina Romina
Additional Tags: Dubious Consent, Sexual Coercion, Breathplay, POV Female Character
Summary:
Lou and Nina are a match, hunger for hunger.
An excellent take on both characters, as unnerving and bleak as the movie itself.
Shone Round Him O'er the Dead (3380 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Ann Smiley/George Smiley, Bill Haydon/Ann Smiley, George Smiley & Peter Guillam, George Smiley & Bill Haydon, George Smiley & Karla (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy)
Characters: George Smiley, Ann Smiley, Karla (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy), Bill Haydon, Peter Guillam
Additional Tags: Missing Scene, Infidelity, Betrayal, POV Outsider, POV Multiple, Implied Sexual Content, Yuletide, Yuletide 2015, Character Study
Summary:
George Smiley: spy, husband, cuckold, and friend, each part indivisible from the others. The whole is kind, pathetic, clever, weak, dangerous-and wounded, again and again, from 1945 to 1973.
George Smiley as seen through other people's eyes, all of the shifting POVs revealing in their own way. Sad and moving and beautiful.
Magpies (4389 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Relationships: Bill Haydon/Jim Prideaux
Characters: Bill Haydon, Jim Prideaux, Connie Sachs
Additional Tags: University, Betrayal, Grief/Mourning
Summary:
One for sorrow; two for joy.
Jim and Bill and secrets, never to be told.
All of the TTSS stories were lovely (though I have yet to read the 30k one), but this in particular spoke to me -- the sense of fatality throughout is so poignant, and so is Jim's helpless, eternal love.
Bridges (1208 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Tintin (Comics)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Archibald Haddock/Tintin
Characters: Archibald Haddock, Tintin - Character, Bianca Castafiore
Additional Tags: Curtain Fic, Domestic, Yuletide Treat
Summary:
An interlude during The Castafiore Emerald
Sweet, shippy, and tender, with a perfect Haddock voice.
Never Let No One Man Worry Your Mind (5538 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Singin' in the Rain (1952)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Cosmo Brown & Don Lockwood, Cosmo Brown/Other(s)
Characters: Cosmo Brown, Don Lockwood
Additional Tags: Queer Gen, Queer History, vaudeville, Chicago, Friendship, Drag Queens, Queer Themes, Mistaken for Being in a Relationship, Queer Culture
Summary:
"Cos! Thank God you're alive, I thought my double act was about to become a single," Don said. "Where have you been?"
"In jail," Cosmo whispered back, "Happy birthday."
Don clapped him on the shoulder. "Thanks; you're a little late, but... in where?"
"Keep your voice down," hissed Cosmo, just as a hail of applause blew the curtain back and practically deafened him. "In jail."
Backstory fic with a vivid sense of time and place, and a wonderful Cosmo-Don friendship.
A Deal with a Bulgarian Devil (10065 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Spy (2015)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Susan Cooper/Rick Ford
Characters: Susan Cooper (Spy 2015), Rick Ford, Rayna Boyanov, Nancy B. Artingstall, Elaine Crocker, Aldo (Spy 2015)
Additional Tags: mission!fic, Rick always just gets in the way, So many insults, Everyone swears a lot, SO MUCH HANDWAVING WHERE SPY STUFF IS CONCERNED, Just gals being pals, Susan and Rayna BroTP, Action, Adventure, Spy Stuff, fake tourists, Tropical setting, Susan gets Continental, Frenemies
Summary:
Post- Movie
Rayna cuts a deal with the CIA that forces Agent Cooper to travel to the Cayman Islands on her behalf to retrieve some personal property and some incriminating evidence that may or may not help the CIA bring down a notorious money launderer that is a known associate of Rayna's.
Susan's life is entrusted to Rayna's protection as she endeavors to keep the CIA's side of the deal.
The fic could have used a SpaG beta, which is also implied in the author's notes, but I enjoyed it a ton nonetheless; all the shenanigans, insults, and crazy situations definitely rang true to the movie for me and made me laugh out loud several places.
Hope you found something you'll like, and if so, please let the authors know!
This entry was originally posted at http://miss-morland.dreamwidth.org/130818.html. You may comment there, if you like.