Yuletide reveals! (And Saturnalia stuff too...)
So I haven't even had a chance to really crack the archive (I've basically been busy or lazy for a week straight), so I haven't talked about Yuletide at all, which is a shame because YULETIDE ROCKED MY WORLD THIS YEAR. I mean it was really great all around. No offense to other years, but this was the least anxiety I had about writing for Yuletide, and it was just all around fantastic. So, first, my wonderful gifts which you should ABSOLUTELY READ RIGHT THIS SECOND.
My main gift was:
We Were After Ever (1600 words) by galfridian
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: All Our Yesterdays - Cristin Terrill
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Finn Abbott/Marina "Em" Marchetti
Characters: Finn Abbott, Marina "Em" Marchetti, Nate Shaw
Additional Tags: Minor Character Death, Implied/Referenced Suicide
Summary:
After James's death, Finn and Marina try to move forward. But pieces of the erased timeline survive and begin seeping into the new one, invading her mind.
JESSSSSSSSSSS. My beautiful soulmate galfridian got matched to be my writer this year! I basically figured it out the first week or so after matching, because when you talk as much as we do and talk about writing a lot, and fandoms a lot, it's really hard to keep that secret. She tried, but I Veronica Mars'ed that shit. And that's fine! The element of surprise here wasn't who my writer was, it was which fandom she was going to write because she could have easily written for three of my six requests.
And what a lovely beautiful magical surprise it was! First off, let me take this opportunity to recommend this book because I know very few have read it and really no one in my circle of friends besides Jess and me. If you like YA novels and TIME TRAVEL and non-obnoxious love triangles (ikr, who even knew that could exist in YA), and female protagonists who experience awesome character growth and a good, easy, quick and fun read, THEN READ THIS BOOK. AND THEN READ THIS FIC IMMEDIATELY AFTERWARDS. Or just read the fic because even if you don't know the canon, it is SO BEAUTIFUL. Jess' ability to turn a phrase so poetically has killed me for years now and this is absolutely no exception. It is in-character, heartbreaking but hopeful and just so damn gorgeously written. Just read it because you will NEVER EVER regret it.
I also got a Yuletide treat (which was totally unexpected):
and the wisdom to know the difference (1869 words) by Missy
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Evil Dead (2013), Evil Dead (Movies), Evil Dead - All Media Types
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Characters: Mia (Evil Dead), Ash Williams
Additional Tags: Developing Friendships, First Meetings, Past Drug Use, Drug Addiction, Demonic Possession
Summary:
"God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.” - The Serenity Prayer
Aaaaaahhhhhh! I was so excited to see this! You have no idea! It's a crossover between the new Evil Dead and the original films, and it fit my prompts (that I didn't think anyone would want to fill) PERFECTLY. It has that characteristic Ash Williams snark, and it meshes the two worlds of the different films PERFECTLY. Highly recommend, A+++++++, if you know these canons at all, you should definitely read. DEFINITELY. If my treat author ever reads this, THANK YOU AGAIN! I loved eeeeeeeeeeverything about this!
So, see, two great gifts perfectly written to my likes and wants, right? Yuletide can't get much better than that, can it? Well, hold on to your butts, because...
I WROTE THIS FOR muir_wolf!!!
my heart is a weapon of war (3127 words) by weasleytook
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Sharknado (2013)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Nova (Sharknado)
Additional Tags: Backstory
Summary:
If you can get swallowed whole by a shark and live to tell the story, you can do anything.
Funny world, isn't it? Jess gets me, and I get Marie! I mean, obviously I was going to offer Sharknado no matter who requested it, and I knew Marie was going to request it. But every year I think I'm going to get assigned to someone I know: I NEVER DO. AND THEN I DID THIS YEAR. And I was so excited that I literally jumped up and did this spastic twirly dance of celebration when my match e-mail came in. I WAS SO EXCITED. I usually spend all of the writing period having anxiety attacks because well, lbr, I have never even gotten an assignment with a Yuletide letter or much in the way of prompting so that makes it harder for me personally. But also I have never gotten an assignment where I was already planning a fic for that person in my head. I WAS STOKED. I actually wrote the intro an hour after I got the assignment and I never once had a panic attack about it like I normally would. I have known Marie for like four years now, so that probably helped a little because I know what she likes but also... NOVA. NOVA IS EVERYTHING.
Like, IDEK what you've been doing with your life if you haven't seen the silliness that is Sharknado but you should get on that. NOVA IS THE BEST THING. So writing backstory and futurestory for her was SO FUN. I LOVED IT.
And the response was everything I wanted AND MORE. All I wanted was to make Marie happy and ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED. The rest was just icing on the cake because I was able to give Marie what she wanted. (And what icing it was, not a hugely popular fic by most standards, but I got recced several times and I was not expecting any of that. Mostly because I figured Sharknado fans were expecting crack and silliness and I did not write silly cracky fic so, what up. Thanks Sharknado fans for appreciating Nova and all her badassery. If you liked this fic, it was all HER really. Nova was my muse!)
And then on like Christmas Eve, I dashed off this thing as a treat:
you can't go back, same way you came (1935 words) by weasleytook
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Cabin in the Woods (2011)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Author Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Characters: Dana Polk, The Director (Cabin in the Woods)
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Ending
Summary:
This time, Dana pulls the trigger.
Not the greatest response in the world, but the recip seemed to like it and that's what matters, right? YEP. THAT IS WHAT MATTERS. I'm pretty pleased with it considering that I literally wrote it in less than a day, and it was super fun. So all in all, I'm pleased!
TO SUM UP: YULETIDE I LOVE YOU.
I should also take a moment to talk about the last Saturnalia ever at sheldon_penny! I stg I wasn't even going to sign up but then a bunch of people from the olden days (y'know, 2009) decided to sign up and I was like: FINE I WILL TOO. And I'm so glad I did for one last Saturnalia hurrah!
Why, you ask? Because after FOUR YEARS OF REQUESTING SPY AU I GOT SPY AU FOR SATURNALIA, GOD BLESS EVERTYHING BUT MOSTLY THE BEAUTIFUL ishie FOR FULFILLING MY FOUR YEAR DREAM OF SPY AU:
Sleep Like a Shark Does (2198 words) by ishie
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Big Bang Theory (TV)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Penny (Big Bang Theory), Sheldon Cooper, Rajesh Koothrappali
Summary:
The brief was short, only a single sheet of paper. Listed on it were: name, location, objective. A photo array would be clipped to the inside of the folder as well, but things didn't make it as far as that.
YOU GUYS. SERIOUSLY. IT'S PERFECT. THERE IS ONLY ONE THING WRONG WITH THIS FIC AND THAT IT'S NOT HOW THE SHOW REALLY IS. I WANT TO LIVE IN IT FOREVER.
Thank you Ish, I adore you and this and everything. (And I'm running out of words because I just checked the clock and I have to leave soon or I would gush even more... BUT I LOVE YOU SO MUCH.)
And then I wrote for galfridian (lol, ikr? we did Saturnalia assignments before we got our Yuletide matches, so everything is one big ol' circle this year):
all we can do is keep breathing (9502 words) by weasleytook
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Big Bang Theory (TV)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Sheldon Cooper/Penny
Characters: Sheldon Cooper, Penny (Big Bang Theory)
Additional Tags: Grief/Mourning, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Loss, Virtual Reality, Friendship, Pre-Relationship
Summary:
When Sheldon suffers a sudden and shocking loss, he becomes addicted to a virtual reality world that only Penny can pull him out of.
There's just... idk, so much more I wanted to do with this story that I didn't get to do??? But it was oddly cathartic writing it and dealing with my own issues in the midst of it, so even if it's not my favorite story ever, it still means something to me that I can't even put in to words? IDK GUYS I AM BEING WEIRD RN.
But the important part is that Jess was happy! And a happy Jess is a happy Lisa!
And Merry Saturnalia and Happy Yuletide to all! (And someday I will get around to actually reading other people's fics. The ones I beta'ed were great so I assume the rest were too!!!)
My main gift was:
We Were After Ever (1600 words) by galfridian
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: All Our Yesterdays - Cristin Terrill
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Finn Abbott/Marina "Em" Marchetti
Characters: Finn Abbott, Marina "Em" Marchetti, Nate Shaw
Additional Tags: Minor Character Death, Implied/Referenced Suicide
Summary:
After James's death, Finn and Marina try to move forward. But pieces of the erased timeline survive and begin seeping into the new one, invading her mind.
JESSSSSSSSSSS. My beautiful soulmate galfridian got matched to be my writer this year! I basically figured it out the first week or so after matching, because when you talk as much as we do and talk about writing a lot, and fandoms a lot, it's really hard to keep that secret. She tried, but I Veronica Mars'ed that shit. And that's fine! The element of surprise here wasn't who my writer was, it was which fandom she was going to write because she could have easily written for three of my six requests.
And what a lovely beautiful magical surprise it was! First off, let me take this opportunity to recommend this book because I know very few have read it and really no one in my circle of friends besides Jess and me. If you like YA novels and TIME TRAVEL and non-obnoxious love triangles (ikr, who even knew that could exist in YA), and female protagonists who experience awesome character growth and a good, easy, quick and fun read, THEN READ THIS BOOK. AND THEN READ THIS FIC IMMEDIATELY AFTERWARDS. Or just read the fic because even if you don't know the canon, it is SO BEAUTIFUL. Jess' ability to turn a phrase so poetically has killed me for years now and this is absolutely no exception. It is in-character, heartbreaking but hopeful and just so damn gorgeously written. Just read it because you will NEVER EVER regret it.
I also got a Yuletide treat (which was totally unexpected):
and the wisdom to know the difference (1869 words) by Missy
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Evil Dead (2013), Evil Dead (Movies), Evil Dead - All Media Types
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Characters: Mia (Evil Dead), Ash Williams
Additional Tags: Developing Friendships, First Meetings, Past Drug Use, Drug Addiction, Demonic Possession
Summary:
"God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.” - The Serenity Prayer
Aaaaaahhhhhh! I was so excited to see this! You have no idea! It's a crossover between the new Evil Dead and the original films, and it fit my prompts (that I didn't think anyone would want to fill) PERFECTLY. It has that characteristic Ash Williams snark, and it meshes the two worlds of the different films PERFECTLY. Highly recommend, A+++++++, if you know these canons at all, you should definitely read. DEFINITELY. If my treat author ever reads this, THANK YOU AGAIN! I loved eeeeeeeeeeverything about this!
So, see, two great gifts perfectly written to my likes and wants, right? Yuletide can't get much better than that, can it? Well, hold on to your butts, because...
I WROTE THIS FOR muir_wolf!!!
my heart is a weapon of war (3127 words) by weasleytook
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Sharknado (2013)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Nova (Sharknado)
Additional Tags: Backstory
Summary:
If you can get swallowed whole by a shark and live to tell the story, you can do anything.
Funny world, isn't it? Jess gets me, and I get Marie! I mean, obviously I was going to offer Sharknado no matter who requested it, and I knew Marie was going to request it. But every year I think I'm going to get assigned to someone I know: I NEVER DO. AND THEN I DID THIS YEAR. And I was so excited that I literally jumped up and did this spastic twirly dance of celebration when my match e-mail came in. I WAS SO EXCITED. I usually spend all of the writing period having anxiety attacks because well, lbr, I have never even gotten an assignment with a Yuletide letter or much in the way of prompting so that makes it harder for me personally. But also I have never gotten an assignment where I was already planning a fic for that person in my head. I WAS STOKED. I actually wrote the intro an hour after I got the assignment and I never once had a panic attack about it like I normally would. I have known Marie for like four years now, so that probably helped a little because I know what she likes but also... NOVA. NOVA IS EVERYTHING.
Like, IDEK what you've been doing with your life if you haven't seen the silliness that is Sharknado but you should get on that. NOVA IS THE BEST THING. So writing backstory and futurestory for her was SO FUN. I LOVED IT.
And the response was everything I wanted AND MORE. All I wanted was to make Marie happy and ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED. The rest was just icing on the cake because I was able to give Marie what she wanted. (And what icing it was, not a hugely popular fic by most standards, but I got recced several times and I was not expecting any of that. Mostly because I figured Sharknado fans were expecting crack and silliness and I did not write silly cracky fic so, what up. Thanks Sharknado fans for appreciating Nova and all her badassery. If you liked this fic, it was all HER really. Nova was my muse!)
And then on like Christmas Eve, I dashed off this thing as a treat:
you can't go back, same way you came (1935 words) by weasleytook
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Cabin in the Woods (2011)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Author Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Characters: Dana Polk, The Director (Cabin in the Woods)
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Ending
Summary:
This time, Dana pulls the trigger.
Not the greatest response in the world, but the recip seemed to like it and that's what matters, right? YEP. THAT IS WHAT MATTERS. I'm pretty pleased with it considering that I literally wrote it in less than a day, and it was super fun. So all in all, I'm pleased!
TO SUM UP: YULETIDE I LOVE YOU.
I should also take a moment to talk about the last Saturnalia ever at sheldon_penny! I stg I wasn't even going to sign up but then a bunch of people from the olden days (y'know, 2009) decided to sign up and I was like: FINE I WILL TOO. And I'm so glad I did for one last Saturnalia hurrah!
Why, you ask? Because after FOUR YEARS OF REQUESTING SPY AU I GOT SPY AU FOR SATURNALIA, GOD BLESS EVERTYHING BUT MOSTLY THE BEAUTIFUL ishie FOR FULFILLING MY FOUR YEAR DREAM OF SPY AU:
Sleep Like a Shark Does (2198 words) by ishie
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Big Bang Theory (TV)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Penny (Big Bang Theory), Sheldon Cooper, Rajesh Koothrappali
Summary:
The brief was short, only a single sheet of paper. Listed on it were: name, location, objective. A photo array would be clipped to the inside of the folder as well, but things didn't make it as far as that.
YOU GUYS. SERIOUSLY. IT'S PERFECT. THERE IS ONLY ONE THING WRONG WITH THIS FIC AND THAT IT'S NOT HOW THE SHOW REALLY IS. I WANT TO LIVE IN IT FOREVER.
Thank you Ish, I adore you and this and everything. (And I'm running out of words because I just checked the clock and I have to leave soon or I would gush even more... BUT I LOVE YOU SO MUCH.)
And then I wrote for galfridian (lol, ikr? we did Saturnalia assignments before we got our Yuletide matches, so everything is one big ol' circle this year):
all we can do is keep breathing (9502 words) by weasleytook
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Big Bang Theory (TV)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Sheldon Cooper/Penny
Characters: Sheldon Cooper, Penny (Big Bang Theory)
Additional Tags: Grief/Mourning, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Loss, Virtual Reality, Friendship, Pre-Relationship
Summary:
When Sheldon suffers a sudden and shocking loss, he becomes addicted to a virtual reality world that only Penny can pull him out of.
There's just... idk, so much more I wanted to do with this story that I didn't get to do??? But it was oddly cathartic writing it and dealing with my own issues in the midst of it, so even if it's not my favorite story ever, it still means something to me that I can't even put in to words? IDK GUYS I AM BEING WEIRD RN.
But the important part is that Jess was happy! And a happy Jess is a happy Lisa!
And Merry Saturnalia and Happy Yuletide to all! (And someday I will get around to actually reading other people's fics. The ones I beta'ed were great so I assume the rest were too!!!)