yuletide IS HERE!!!
Actually, it's been here since Christmas, but I've kind of fallen into the archive and couldn't find my way back out. God, there were some brilliant and amazing stories this year, and I am so in love with all the people who have been reviewing my two contributions.
So here, have some recs:
Artemis Fowl
Not to Seek Her for a While - Artemis, gen. This is, in my head, EXACTLY what happened after the fifth book, when Artemis returns from Hybras with stolen magic and one of Holly's eyes. I love how this is a different Artemis than any we've encountered - this is an Artemis as close to peace as he'll ever be. He's trying his best to have a "normal childhood" for Angeline - and has no idea how to deal with younger siblings, after fourteen years as an only child capable of getting away with everything but murder. He's come to peace with the faery world, but isn't above trying to wheedle faery technology out of Foaly. The mention of the strain between Butler and the Fowls just breaks my heart, as does Angeline still believing that Butler and Artemis are insane until Arty (not Artemis, and the author is fully aware of that lovely distinction) proves them right. I love the relationship between Artemis and his mother, and just how very like his father Artemis tends to be.
Arthurian Legend
Concerning the Wine which was Spilt at the Feast of Saint Ignatius . . . - Arthur & Morgan, gen. Oh, if only all of Malory was like this - I'd have gotten through Morte d'Arthur a lot easier. This is an utterly gorgeous and in-depth look at characters that are easy to confine to stereotype, and how they're all pawns in a delicate balance. I love Arthur's almost unquestioning devotion to Morgan, and how he loves his kingdom too much to be lead into her temptation. I love Gawain's sweetness (which is in such contrast to the bullheaded and bumbling portrayal he gets in later sources) and the intelligence he shows when he finds Arthur in the woods. I love how Morgan is mysterious and loving and fierce by turns, and how she breaks Arthur's heart a dozen different ways but only tries to kill him to make him stronger. I love Arthur paying tribute to his sister's strength of will, and the hint of Arthur/Guinevere/Lancelot at the end. Beautiful and epic, just as Arthurian Legend should be.
Arthur Conan Doyle - Sherlock Holmes
The Case of the Broken-Hearted Liar - Holmes/Watson, R. Okay, occasionally I am just shallow and need to rec good porn. And this fantastic Holmes/Watson story could certainly qualify. But oh, this is so much more than blisteringly hot smut - this is well-written, completely in-character blisteringly hot smut. With an actual case to solve, to boot. The author's Watson voice is dead-on, and you can just feel Watson's caring (like another overprotective doctor I could name). And Holmes is at his brilliant, manipulative best - because while Watson is a temptation, and a fascinating one at that, Holmes is ever searching for the next mystery, the next high.
Bible - Old Testament
Wild Honey - David/Bathsheba, David/Jonathan. David on the impossibilities and surprising nature of love. Really, it's not as pretentious as that - it's gorgeous, with an older David falling for a woman in the moonlight and remembering another person he first fell in love with by moonlight. It's David, reflecting on what a king is and what a shepherd is, and how he used to keep them seperate. And it is David - beautiful, fallible, beloved David - loving Jonathan even as he begins to love Bathsheba. And Bathsheba isn't some ornament for David's bed - she is quick-witted and surprisingly intuitive, because there are people in their hearts that neither wish to speak of, and she doesn't let David forget it. Gorgeous, gorgeous prose, with a very apropos lyrical style to it.
Blues Brothers
Hard-Headed Woman of Mine - Elwood, gen. This fandom is so small, but so rich in potential and character that this story is such a welcome addition. This is Elwood Blues, and why he doesn't have a woman in his life. It's why a car is better than a woman any day, and why brotherhood means telling your big brother he's being a complete moron - because the right car will never let you down, and brothers don't let each other marry the wrong kind of woman. I love how Camille is never named - keeping her anonymity from the movie intact - and the relationship between Curtis and Elwood. The author has just nailed the banter between Jake and Elwood perfectly, especially Elwood's ridiculously in-character "you stupid dick". And oh, the underlying of the Howlin' Wolf and Taj Mahal song "She Caught the Katy" is just the cherry on top.
Bones
Curriculum Vitae - Angela, gen. Four jobs Angela Montenegro has held in her life, and how they help her at her current position in the Jeffersonian. Much less formulaic than it sounds. I adore the interactions between Angela and Hodgins (which rings especially true to their relationship in canon), and Angela and Zack. I love how the wide range of jobs reflects Angela's adventurous spirit - I can see her taking off to Rome to take photos for National Geographic very easily. And it's such a little tiny detail, but the author has just nailed Booth's voice and friendly relationship with Angela that's got a dimension completely different from their interactions with anyone else. It's not romantic, not sexual, and not just-friends, and I love how the author's included it here.
Carnivale
Digger of Holes in the Land - Ben, gen. What happens to Ben Hawkins after what everyone thought was the final battle. I don't like Ben at the best of times, but this author manages to capture all the things I do find fascinating about him - his connection to Justin, his unwilling protege role with Lodz, his banter with Samson as an equal, his crazy obsession with Sofie - and combine them with some dream sequences and dialogue that I could swear came right out of DK's head. Ben's description of what it's really like to heal - like being inside someone's skin - is just so shivery good and Campbellian that I just want to watch "Los Moscos" again for Justin perverting that skill by visualizing himself as Ben. And Ben's urge to run, to become like his father in just one more way, is so palpable and well-written that I want to hug him. Dirt and all.
Casino Royale
Hardly Chastened - Bond/OMC, R. You know, it should be damn near impossible to write a m/m sex scene including James Bond. This author pulls it off with style, showing how far Bond will go in getting himself back in M's good graces. This is Bond with something to prove, a need to fuck someone over in the worst way possible, and a target who unfortunately fills all those qualities. And this is a Bond still completely in character - still in charge, leaving them sweaty, panting, and begging for more. Brilliant job.
Criminal Minds
Bread is to Stone as Fish is to Serpent - OMC, gen. Twisty, turny, and just plain dark, like the show itself. I will not ruin the surprise ending, but trust me, you'll be reading this one twice. Suffice it to say, this has a few things to say on the subject of the personal habits of profilers, that old axiom about the sins of the father is only half true, and even the UnSubs are trying to feed Spencer Reid.
Greek Mythology
Ionic, Doric, Corinthian, Agony - Ares/Aphrodite, R. The real story of Ares and Aphrodite, told in a gorgeously modern, yet very bardic style. How they met, what the reactions of the family were, and how it all fell apart. I love the sly, witty humor, and the conversational tone. The style is just brilliant, and the very American Gods-esque ending is so apropos. This story is just fifteen different kinds of awesome.
Hairspray (2007 movieverse)
(And My Heart's) Keeping Time - Maybelle/Corny. Dude, this pairing would never be possible if James Marsden hadn't spent virtually all of the 2007 movie staring moonstruck at Queen Latifah (and really, who can blame the guy?). It adds a whole new dimension to not only Corny (who has no character at all in the musical except for singing "The Nicest Kids in Town" and "It's Hairspray"), but Maybelle as well, as a woman who's got friends of the opposite race, too. And this author captures that dynamic perfectly. I love their interaction, the way Corny won't let Maybelle steamroller right over him like she does most people. And oh, the way Corny just can't seem to keep his mouth shut around her. Fantastic and playful.
Independence Day
Our Endless Work Down Here in Paradise - Tom/David, R. After the world is saved, the work doesn't end, and I love the gradual build of the relationship between still-President Tom Whitmore and Big Damn Computer Genius Hero David Levinson. The author has continued the epic tone of the movie in Tom's speeches, and I loved how David's constant need to voice his opinions made him an ideal advisor. The shift in their relationship from a friendship forced upon them by the end of the world to a need-based physical connection is interesting, and could have come off as really cheesy or forced. And it's a testament to the author that it doesn't.
Janet Evanovich - Stephanie Plum series
The War at Home - Steph, gen. Honestly, with one minor addition, this is what I hope happens at the end of the series somewhere down the line. Basically, Ranger dies and leaves Steph control of RangeMan, Joe takes off, and Steph, Connie, Lula, and Tank are left to deal with a rapidly escalating mob war. This is Steph having to finally grow up, and realizing along the way that there are holes you can fill and there are holes you can't. So you do what you can. The author has totally nailed the suspense and signature humor of the series, and the scene with Steph and her mother at the end is just fantastic. Because no matter how old you get - coffee cake and a pep talk from Mom still work wonders.
Jeff and Michael Shaara - Civil War Trilogy
Mavourneen - Mira Hancock, Winfield Scott Hancock, and Lewis Armistead - and all permutations thereof. AIEEEE! This is MY Yuletide gift, and it is brilliant and heartbreaking and lovely and sad and bittersweet and gorgeous and EVERYTHING I WANTED. AND OMG THE TITLE! I apologize for the capslock, but I've never encountered anyone who likes this series enough to fic it - besides me and Carla, that is.
Anyway, the Shaaraverse is comprised of three novels: "Gods and Generals" (you may have possibly seen the not-so-good movie adaptation), "The Killer Angels" (inspiration for the movie Gettysburg and the Joss Whedon series Firefly), and "The Last Full Measure" (which is crazy-long and no one's made into a movie yet). It traces the American Civil War from the year leading up to the firing upon Fort Sumter through to the South's surrender at Appomatox, in the voices of some of its most influential generals. My favorite of which are Major General Winfield Scott Hancock (Union), and his doomed best friend, Brigadier General Lewis Addison Armistead (Confederate). Win and Lew, in the novels, have a paralleling plotline, starting at a dinner party Win's wife Mira threw for the departing soldiers before the war. Lew vows never to raise a hand to Win, or God should strike him dead. Needless to say, God calls his bluff, and Lew must lead Pickett's Charge against Win's Second Corps at Gettysburg.
This story takes place prior to "Gods and Generals", giving us a brilliant look into the life of the Hancocks before the war, when Lew is still a Major and Win still a Captain. In the novel, a possible threesome is more than hinted at - Mira and Win are married, Mira is shown to deeply care for Lew, and Win and Lew's closer-than-brotherhood is pretty much pounded into everyone's heads any time either of them is mentioned.This story takes that dynamic and spins it a bit further, in a gorgeously rendered Mira-voice. I adore the little details of this story - certain looks or movements that remind Mira how much she still loves Win; Lew's signature teasing humor and underlying sweet nature; the Hancock's elder child, Russell, staying up late to hear "Uncle Lewis" and his father tell stories; Mira's love of both types of cookie, and both men; Lew and Win stretching out by the fire like little kids, and Mira losing propriety and sitting down beside them.
Just go. READ. I can't say it enough.
Jekyll
Now and Then - Katherine, gen with a slight Katherine/Tom and Katherine/Hyde bent. Sparse and lyric and beautiful, this story gives us such a window into honestly my favorite character in the series. You've got to look out for this girl. I love her strength and efficiency, and especially her secretive nature: "You've kept my secrets, and you've kept his. And you've even managed to keep a few of your own". Katherine was such an enigma in the show that the backstory the author has invented could very well be true. I always regretted not seeing enough of Katherine in the series - because her interaction with Tom (and especially with Hyde) told you both so much about her, and not nearly enough.
Mad Men
Your Life Has Not Been Trademarked (Some People Have Real Problems) - Don, with mentions of Don/Betty, Don/Midge, and Don/Rachel. A day in the life of Don Draper, with his perfect house, perfect wife, perfect kids, perfect mistresses, perfect career - and the perfect lie he's created for himself, because he's not really Don Draper, now is he? The author perfectly captures Don's chameleon abilities, and the scary ad parallels to his life. And oh, how much do I love the ending? A LOT.
Madeline L'Engle - Austin/Murry/O'Keefe Families
A Song By Starlight - Meg & Charles Wallace, gen. Someone brilliantly and bittersweetly has managed to channel Madeline, because this is the most beautiful story I have ever read. It fits perfectly into the Time Series, right between "A Swiftly Tilting Planet" and "Many Waters", and it just nails the author's voice so well. The author has taken these characters that I've loved since I was ten and "horrible" like Meg, and placed them on a beautifully and naturally crafted path that makes you go "yes, that's what happened next". Meg, even in her twenties and a mother to two children, is still that so-Meg mix of insecure and brilliant, and Charles Wallace, while he's grown tall, hasn't quite left that headstrong little boy who should remember he "does not know everything" behind. It begins very much like "A Wrinkle in Time", with Meg up in the attic worrying herself during a storm and coming down to the kitchen for cocoa with Charles Wallace. The middle and end evoke "A Wind in the Door" and "A Swiftly Tilting Planet by turns, with Kything and going Within, and passing the important tests. I won't spoil the actual ending, but this story leaves you with such a gorgeously aching feeling, as the books themselves do, and retains the "whistling in the dark" feel of the series itself.
M*A*S*H
Redeployment - Hawkeye/BJ, R-ish. And oh, this hits me right in the screwed-up snarky doctors and the married doctors who love them too much for their own good kink (I have a newfound love for House/Wilson, I've always loved Hawkeye/BJ . . . it explains so much). San Francisco, a free clinic, and a chance meeting post-Korea are just the beginning. I love the little heartbreaking details - Hawkeye having another breakdown, BJ's failed marriage, infidelity not counting if BJ didn't initiate it, Hawkeye not wanting to forge BJ's signature - and the ending is just right. It cuts off before "and then they done sex", and it's absolutely perfect, because you know all you need to know about Doctors Benjamin Franklin Pierce and BJ Hunnicutt.
The Mighty Ducks
The Shots You Don't Take - Connie/Julie, R. Okay, I don't usually go for femslash, but this? Is fantastic and so in-character. Because girls are girls, even when they're cutthroat hockey players. I love how the author has created such a believable Connie voice, and how to her, Julie is still "The Cat", even at the '98 Olympics. I love the teamwork and tentative friendship and relationship between them. And I love that no matter where you go, what you do, you're still a Duck. This is another one of those movies that defined my childhood, and it's nice to get this completely different look at it.
nip/tuck
And All The Roads - Sean/Christian. And it's like the author KNOWS ME. First, the title is from Oasis's "Wonderwall", which is my default best-friends-turned-lovers song. Second, it's written in a fantastic mid-S5 Sean voice. The boys get mistaken for gay yet again, and this time, it's not Christian who bats his eyes at the misinformed person and snuggles Sean. Christian's still mid-sexual crisis, and I love Sean's nonchalance in figuring out - oh yeah, maybe Christian IS the reason he's never felt happy with anyone else. This is a more mature Sean than we've seen for a while, and I love it.
Neil Gaiman - American Gods
In Symbols - Gen. This is Loki at his most cunning and dangerous - and it is so easy to forget just how painful Loki's betrayals can be. I loved the beginning, with patient Loki awaiting the slaughter of the Norsemen by Odin's side. I loved Laufeson (and like Neil, this author knows the truth in names) and Baldur and the mistletoe, innocuous and deadly. And oh, that ending, when it all comes together so perfectly in a very Neil-esque way. Winter is the season of shadows, after all.
Profit
Help Wanted - Gail, gen. And OH GAIL, HONEY. *squishes her* Gail Kohner is probably my favorite female on Profit, because of all the potential she has. She's not screwed up like Joanne or Bobbi or needy like Nora or Connie. No, Gail is brilliant and awesome because she's genuinely a good woman who's starting to see the world the way Jim Profit sees it. The author has captured Gail's signature quirks, her captured-bird mannerisms and stuttering whenever Profit pushes her a little further into fellow-sociopath-hood. I love the way she codes her want-ad reading and actually thinks Profit won't notice. I love how she comes in early not because she's dedicated (even though she is), but because she wants to spend as little time in Profit's office with him there as possible. I love the very apropos cobra/mouse metaphor for the relationship between Profit and Gail, and how in the end, Profit gets what he wants anyway.
Your Pearly Whites - Profit/Gail. And oooh, the Gail-voice in this is so tightly wound and well-crafted that you can practically HEAR Lisa Darr stuttering her way through this. And you know how I mentioned in the previous rec about how I love Gail for jumping through Profit's hoops and realizing it's good to help him get what he wants? This story takes that theme and just makes it fifteen times better.
RENT
Some Life That We've Chosen - Mark, Roger, Collins, and Benny, gen. Pre-series fic that is OMG just like the musical. I can really see this as exactly what the Boho Boys did and said before April and that half-a-year-of-withdrawal. The author's Mark-voice is so perfect - his casual one-liners that you almost don't expect out of such a nerdy kid, and the familiar push/pull of his friendship with Roger. Collins is the best anarchist EVER, and I love his bantering with Mark in the beginning. Roger, withdrawing into his room, being a total jerkass, but still going to Cindy's wedding with Mark like a good fake-boyfriend. And Benny. Oh, Benny - so loveably sardonic and still human, before he sold his soul to the man and Alison Grey of the Westport Greys. But I mainly love Mark and Roger, and all the little facets of their friendship - Mark's terrible driving, Roger's cheerful dragging of Mark to shows, the entire ending at Cindy's reception. And oh, the dialogue is just spot-on for each of the boys, and I love Maureen's little cameo.
RPS - Fry/Laurie
Pretendses - Stephen Fry/Hugh Laurie, of course. Oh, BOYS. I've recently gotten into the loveliness that is Fry/Laurie due to falling head over heels for Hugh again in House, falling for Stephen again on Bones, and rewatching them both in Blackadder. And while I'm not exceedingly well-read in this fandom, I don't think I've ever read such a fantastic Hugh voice, all trademark snark and playfulness. I love the tone - so conversational and in-your-face with the "let's just skip right over this, shall we?" - and Stephen's crazy writing spree in Paris hits me right in the "yeah, I know what THAT'S like" bit of my brain. The icing on top of the cake is Hugh and Stephen watching Blackadder in French, and Stephen reading Hugh's newborn daughter to sleep. Oh, lovely.
Sandman
Fiddler's Went A'Courtin' - Fiddler's Green, gen. Gilbert, at some point in time after "A Doll's House" and before "The Kindly Ones", realizes he's fallen in love with Rose Walker. So he does what any good gentleman would - he courts her, as she deserves. Honestly, this story shouldn't work, because Gilbert is a PLACE and Rose Walker is an immortal anthrophomorphic phenomenon, but it does. I adore the care Gilbert takes with Rose, the dreams and the chocolates, and the completely different care he takes when encountering Desire. A beautifully sweet and true-to-canon story.
Carve His Oddly Familiar Path - Dream, gen. Thispicks up right where Sandman 75 leaves you off - with the Endless meeting the new Dream. And oh, it's written in such a Neil-esque style, with the quotes and the section intros and the dead-on character descriptions. I especially love the first section, where Daniel shows how he is not Morpheus at all, but still knows his family rather well. Very fitting that the author has Desire speak first, though it should be Death, because the Endless are nothing if not creatures of justice. Daniel's memories blend with the narrative in a gorgeous way, especially the bits about the Corinthian and being responsible for the Dreaming in the way Morpheus was not. Exactly what I needed after that section of "The Wake".
Tanya Huff - Blood Ties
Blood in the Water - Mike, Vicki, and Henry, gen-ish. Set in the TV-series universe, after Mike sells Henry out to Javier Mendoza and Henry is drugged with the Iluminacion del Sol. So dead-on in character, with a reluctantly-making-amends Mike, a history-minoring pissed off Vicki, and Henry, who's not sure when the hell Detective Mike Celluci became one of "his". And ooh, I just love oh-so-hetero Mike getting strangely turned-on by Henry sealing the bite and later, "passing out in a manly fashion".