Yuletide 2012 Recs
Enemy Mine (1985): How to Survive on a Desert Planet
An AU exploration of the original film, in which a human and a Drac, from species in the middle of a war, crash land on the same planet. "But after battling the elements and each other, the two stranded pilots gradually realize that the only way either of them will survive is to overcome their undying hatred."
This was my gift! I loved it! It ships the main characters in kind of a platonic but life-bond way, which is wonderful, and it diverges from the canon of the movie at the most important moment for it. It studies the characters really well and shows a wonderful side to their relationship developing. You don't have to have seen the movie to read the fic, and I would wholeheartedly recommend it, and would have even if it wasn't my gift.
Onto other reads…
* Fire on the Mountain
Johnny has always been passionate about music. One Christmas morning, he and the Devil face off.
I was curious about what was going to come out of this song's nomination and I think this is a decent story. It has some interesting background stuff, not just for Johnny, but also for the mountain area he lives in.
* A Trip to Lancre
The Patrician is invited to attend the coming of age ceremony for the princess of Lancre. He sends Sam Vimes instead.
This was a fun little story of the Vimeses visiting the Lancre castle. Sybil had some good interaction with the various witches, which I enjoyed.
* The Importance of Being Mostly Human
Susan takes Young Sam on as a student, and upon meeting him, realizes that he shouldn't exist. She decides to investigate.
The writer seemed to have nailed the Discworld writing really well, and I enjoyed seeing the plot pull together. The side characters that popped up were also nice to see, and she wrote them well. And Lobsang and Lu-Tze showed up, and I rather like them, so.
* Going It Alone
Some walked the path to a witch's door with fearful desperation; some walked it with false bravado, and some with foolish daydreams. Esme walked it with a tent, and set it up on the lawn.
A nice piece about young!Granny. It was short but I enjoyed seeing some of her before she went by, well, Granny. The writing handled the material well.
* mist behind and light before
A re-imagining of Cinderella: Once upon a time (for time runs in all directions and to all places), a brother and sister lived on a beautiful planet full of babbling brooks and tall, purple-green rakka trees, far from the center of the Empire.
This was a nice blend of fantasy and science fiction, and I really loved the addition of a sibling to the Cinderella tell. I think the author did a great job building up the characters and fleshing them out along with the world around them, and it was an enjoyable read.
* Magic and Mothers
Cinderella is determined continue her secret study of magic, in spite of her stepmother's attempts to stop her. Twenty years earlier, another mother and daughter have the opposite argument.
This was told through letters and diary entries and I really loved the way the story was built into a world that viewed magic in a semi-complicated way. It was also really nice to see how the author pulled the two timelines together at the end. You could tell a lot about the characters just through their writings, which was very nice.
* Granite
A loose re-telling of 'King Thrushbeard' in which the princess has more issues with marriage than with pride and in which a king truly must watch what he says -- or everyone will face the consequences.
I really enjoyed this story. The fairy tale isn't one I'd heard of before, so it was interesting to see played out. I think the author did a good job of laying out the system of magic in the universe. The characters were particularly interesting because they don't have the usual human biology. And I also think the author developed them well.
* Defiance
The princess's defiance comes at a great cost.
A ghost story that left me feeling a little melancholy, but it was appropriate to the tone of the piece. The suspense built up well, and even though the characters weren't named, we learned a decent amount about them in what we heard them say and saw them do.
* Three Sisters, Bound
A tsar orders his sons to unleash arrows into the world. Each woman who finds one of the arrows must marry the son who shot it. Vasilissa is the first, and she finds the palace to be an uneasy place, and her sisters hard to grow close to.
I enjoyed this story, and its emphasis on the sister relationship above the new wives and their husbands. The three sisters were all interesting to get to know, and I liked how the story set out with Vasillissa's normal life progressing into the royal one. The magic was also nice to see, as I'm not really failiar with Russian tales. Some fantasy violence.
* Girls Glanced Lovelier
"Neither of us can ever marry for love," a prince says to his sister. They're both concerned about their futures in the kingdom. The balls held so the prince may meet a woman turn out to be much more in Princess Lara's favor.
I liked seeing a Cinderella tale from the royal person's perspective, and royal siblings instead of just one person was interesting. And the relationship showed developing between Ella and Lara was very nice to see. They felt like individual characters.
* come away, o human child
The fairies of Sleeping Beauty's original story speak to the king and queen after the princess has awakened from her slumber.
A short, spooky tale, made even more eerie by being in the second person as the fairies speak to the king and queen. They tell them about what they set in motion by giving their daughter to the fairies' protection for sixteen years. More in line with the original story than the Disney.
* Into Something Rich and Strange
A retelling of the Little Mermaid -- Tales repeat themselves over and over across time. They change their shapes, sometimes drastically, but you'll know them when you see them. Which is to say it was an accident. A very, very, unlikely accident. Or possibly it was inevitable. Maybe that amounts to the same thing.
A science fiction retelling of The Little Mermaid. Levi and Elena are scientists working on a treatment for fixing the injuries of comatose patients. It was such an interesting story. The lead-up to the plot was fantastic, and it the ending kind of blew me away -- it was more than I was expecting, in a good way.
* skin still gold
Some say magic is a blessing; others consider it a curse. A queen caught into royalty while trying to help her family, the children she pushes away from her, a spirited nephew, and some other familiar figures all come together in this story.
This was a really interesting twist of Midas and Rumplestiltskin and some other familiar fairy tales. There was a bit of mystery as to what was going to happen to Mina, the miller's daughter, and a wonderful interlude from Red Riding Hood -- I especially liked the wolf in this tale. I would recommend this for a fun read.
* Building the Castle of Roses
Sleeping Beauty in space -- but not at first. Rose is born into a world where the population is controlled so thoroughly that she's taken from her parents. She's built and tutored into a space program like nothing we have.
The world building in the background was interesting. Rose and the doctor she studied under the most had some good character moments too, and we got some nice glimpses at the other people in the program as well. I found the whole concept intriguing.
* Santa Claws is Coming to Town
Partway into filming his 2012 Christmas special, Michael Bublé had the sudden shocking realization that there was a dinosaur in his studio audience.
This was hilarious and adorableeee, read it.
* Keep Your Head Down
Scenes from Michael Bublé's Crazy Love tour.
This was also hilarious, though not adorable. It was just equally absurd and so funny.
* The Frame of Things
Though she was the perfect distillation of the stage--all machinery and no depth--she had something like a heart, if a heart was the metaphor for a hidden spring of constancy and desire. Lady's hidden spring was always hungry.
V is a scholar and programmer working on creating an AI capable of portraying Lady Macbeth -- as Lady Macbeth has been portrayed through the ages, and as a compilation of all of those people, as well as the AI's own creations. This was sweet and interesting and I really liked it.
* Give the World a Shape
“It’s a diplomatic mission of sorts--not for the crown, but for the Royal Society, actually. It’s The Nation. They’re trying to revoke their membership in the society and deny us access to the island.”
This was a nice piece with Daphne and Mau, although it still made me sad like the end of the book did. Warning: Racism, eugenic theories spouted by a scientist.
* Backwash
Daphne journeys back to England, and Mau remains behind.
A post-canon look at Mau and Daphne and how they're handling their first few days apart. It made me tear up again.
* Journeys End in Lovers Meeting
Viola and Sebastian have always been fond of a good jest. On this occasion, they make a bet that involves their spouses.
This was a cute fic. It showed some nice character details and had some interesting post-canon speculations, and it was funny, too.
* as we drifted towards the storm
It’s happy, but it isn’t the ending. His sister returned to him, and yet sometimes she is a stranger at the edges, shadowed and uneasy in the half-light.
A good exploration of Viola/Cesario's duality and how it not only affected her, but also the people around her, and how everyone in the group was drawn together and affected by each other's presence. It was a thoughtful and enjoyable read.
* Deep with the First Dead
Before a shipwreck on the coast of Illyria, Olivia mourns the death of her brother. And then time passes.
A really nice look at what Olivia's life in the year before the play started was like. I enjoyed seeing some speculation on how she mourned her brother and adjusted to heading a household on her own. She meets Cesario at the end, and it's interesting to see how her character changes in that moment.
An AU exploration of the original film, in which a human and a Drac, from species in the middle of a war, crash land on the same planet. "But after battling the elements and each other, the two stranded pilots gradually realize that the only way either of them will survive is to overcome their undying hatred."
This was my gift! I loved it! It ships the main characters in kind of a platonic but life-bond way, which is wonderful, and it diverges from the canon of the movie at the most important moment for it. It studies the characters really well and shows a wonderful side to their relationship developing. You don't have to have seen the movie to read the fic, and I would wholeheartedly recommend it, and would have even if it wasn't my gift.
Onto other reads…
* Fire on the Mountain
Johnny has always been passionate about music. One Christmas morning, he and the Devil face off.
I was curious about what was going to come out of this song's nomination and I think this is a decent story. It has some interesting background stuff, not just for Johnny, but also for the mountain area he lives in.
* A Trip to Lancre
The Patrician is invited to attend the coming of age ceremony for the princess of Lancre. He sends Sam Vimes instead.
This was a fun little story of the Vimeses visiting the Lancre castle. Sybil had some good interaction with the various witches, which I enjoyed.
* The Importance of Being Mostly Human
Susan takes Young Sam on as a student, and upon meeting him, realizes that he shouldn't exist. She decides to investigate.
The writer seemed to have nailed the Discworld writing really well, and I enjoyed seeing the plot pull together. The side characters that popped up were also nice to see, and she wrote them well. And Lobsang and Lu-Tze showed up, and I rather like them, so.
* Going It Alone
Some walked the path to a witch's door with fearful desperation; some walked it with false bravado, and some with foolish daydreams. Esme walked it with a tent, and set it up on the lawn.
A nice piece about young!Granny. It was short but I enjoyed seeing some of her before she went by, well, Granny. The writing handled the material well.
* mist behind and light before
A re-imagining of Cinderella: Once upon a time (for time runs in all directions and to all places), a brother and sister lived on a beautiful planet full of babbling brooks and tall, purple-green rakka trees, far from the center of the Empire.
This was a nice blend of fantasy and science fiction, and I really loved the addition of a sibling to the Cinderella tell. I think the author did a great job building up the characters and fleshing them out along with the world around them, and it was an enjoyable read.
* Magic and Mothers
Cinderella is determined continue her secret study of magic, in spite of her stepmother's attempts to stop her. Twenty years earlier, another mother and daughter have the opposite argument.
This was told through letters and diary entries and I really loved the way the story was built into a world that viewed magic in a semi-complicated way. It was also really nice to see how the author pulled the two timelines together at the end. You could tell a lot about the characters just through their writings, which was very nice.
* Granite
A loose re-telling of 'King Thrushbeard' in which the princess has more issues with marriage than with pride and in which a king truly must watch what he says -- or everyone will face the consequences.
I really enjoyed this story. The fairy tale isn't one I'd heard of before, so it was interesting to see played out. I think the author did a good job of laying out the system of magic in the universe. The characters were particularly interesting because they don't have the usual human biology. And I also think the author developed them well.
* Defiance
The princess's defiance comes at a great cost.
A ghost story that left me feeling a little melancholy, but it was appropriate to the tone of the piece. The suspense built up well, and even though the characters weren't named, we learned a decent amount about them in what we heard them say and saw them do.
* Three Sisters, Bound
A tsar orders his sons to unleash arrows into the world. Each woman who finds one of the arrows must marry the son who shot it. Vasilissa is the first, and she finds the palace to be an uneasy place, and her sisters hard to grow close to.
I enjoyed this story, and its emphasis on the sister relationship above the new wives and their husbands. The three sisters were all interesting to get to know, and I liked how the story set out with Vasillissa's normal life progressing into the royal one. The magic was also nice to see, as I'm not really failiar with Russian tales. Some fantasy violence.
* Girls Glanced Lovelier
"Neither of us can ever marry for love," a prince says to his sister. They're both concerned about their futures in the kingdom. The balls held so the prince may meet a woman turn out to be much more in Princess Lara's favor.
I liked seeing a Cinderella tale from the royal person's perspective, and royal siblings instead of just one person was interesting. And the relationship showed developing between Ella and Lara was very nice to see. They felt like individual characters.
* come away, o human child
The fairies of Sleeping Beauty's original story speak to the king and queen after the princess has awakened from her slumber.
A short, spooky tale, made even more eerie by being in the second person as the fairies speak to the king and queen. They tell them about what they set in motion by giving their daughter to the fairies' protection for sixteen years. More in line with the original story than the Disney.
* Into Something Rich and Strange
A retelling of the Little Mermaid -- Tales repeat themselves over and over across time. They change their shapes, sometimes drastically, but you'll know them when you see them. Which is to say it was an accident. A very, very, unlikely accident. Or possibly it was inevitable. Maybe that amounts to the same thing.
A science fiction retelling of The Little Mermaid. Levi and Elena are scientists working on a treatment for fixing the injuries of comatose patients. It was such an interesting story. The lead-up to the plot was fantastic, and it the ending kind of blew me away -- it was more than I was expecting, in a good way.
* skin still gold
Some say magic is a blessing; others consider it a curse. A queen caught into royalty while trying to help her family, the children she pushes away from her, a spirited nephew, and some other familiar figures all come together in this story.
This was a really interesting twist of Midas and Rumplestiltskin and some other familiar fairy tales. There was a bit of mystery as to what was going to happen to Mina, the miller's daughter, and a wonderful interlude from Red Riding Hood -- I especially liked the wolf in this tale. I would recommend this for a fun read.
* Building the Castle of Roses
Sleeping Beauty in space -- but not at first. Rose is born into a world where the population is controlled so thoroughly that she's taken from her parents. She's built and tutored into a space program like nothing we have.
The world building in the background was interesting. Rose and the doctor she studied under the most had some good character moments too, and we got some nice glimpses at the other people in the program as well. I found the whole concept intriguing.
* Santa Claws is Coming to Town
Partway into filming his 2012 Christmas special, Michael Bublé had the sudden shocking realization that there was a dinosaur in his studio audience.
This was hilarious and adorableeee, read it.
* Keep Your Head Down
Scenes from Michael Bublé's Crazy Love tour.
This was also hilarious, though not adorable. It was just equally absurd and so funny.
* The Frame of Things
Though she was the perfect distillation of the stage--all machinery and no depth--she had something like a heart, if a heart was the metaphor for a hidden spring of constancy and desire. Lady's hidden spring was always hungry.
V is a scholar and programmer working on creating an AI capable of portraying Lady Macbeth -- as Lady Macbeth has been portrayed through the ages, and as a compilation of all of those people, as well as the AI's own creations. This was sweet and interesting and I really liked it.
* Give the World a Shape
“It’s a diplomatic mission of sorts--not for the crown, but for the Royal Society, actually. It’s The Nation. They’re trying to revoke their membership in the society and deny us access to the island.”
This was a nice piece with Daphne and Mau, although it still made me sad like the end of the book did. Warning: Racism, eugenic theories spouted by a scientist.
* Backwash
Daphne journeys back to England, and Mau remains behind.
A post-canon look at Mau and Daphne and how they're handling their first few days apart. It made me tear up again.
* Journeys End in Lovers Meeting
Viola and Sebastian have always been fond of a good jest. On this occasion, they make a bet that involves their spouses.
This was a cute fic. It showed some nice character details and had some interesting post-canon speculations, and it was funny, too.
* as we drifted towards the storm
It’s happy, but it isn’t the ending. His sister returned to him, and yet sometimes she is a stranger at the edges, shadowed and uneasy in the half-light.
A good exploration of Viola/Cesario's duality and how it not only affected her, but also the people around her, and how everyone in the group was drawn together and affected by each other's presence. It was a thoughtful and enjoyable read.
* Deep with the First Dead
Before a shipwreck on the coast of Illyria, Olivia mourns the death of her brother. And then time passes.
A really nice look at what Olivia's life in the year before the play started was like. I enjoyed seeing some speculation on how she mourned her brother and adjusted to heading a household on her own. She meets Cesario at the end, and it's interesting to see how her character changes in that moment.