more things of the season
First, happy birthday karakara98! I still miss the time when we were roommates, sometimes. You're a wonderful friend, and I hope you have an excellent birthday!
Second, here are some more Yuletide recs!
Mother-Tongue, Beowulf. In the style of Seamus Heaney's translation, the Beowulf story reimagined as the deeds of women's heroism. Thanks to tarimanveri for the pointer.
Gamol-leac. From the sublime to the ridiculous in Beowulf-fic. Look upon this fic. Now look upon me. Thanks to tarimanveri and lowellboyslash for the pointer! I'm still laughing.
Unexpected Gift, Brother Cadfael. A semi-unexpected gift for tarimanveri - a story of Olivier and Hugh.
La Chanson de Mont Gisard. It's a chanson de geste!! Baldwin the Leper-King of Jerusalem rides out against Saladin in 1177. I'm pretty sure I know who wrote this one, but if I didn't, I'd want to meet them, because it is a note-perfect chanson de geste, and it is brilliant.
A Lie Agreed Upon, Mad Men. There are a lot of Mad Men fics this year, but this was my favorite. It's mostly from Betty's POV, and it's unsettling in the ways that the show is at its best: its emotional truth, its way of showing the stifling effects of 1960s gender expectations, and the way that the characters are closed off from themselves and each other.
Lieutenant Bennet's Visit, Pride and Prejudice in the Temeraire universe. It's Pride and Prejudice and Dragons!
The Shoreline of Wonder, Nation. The beauty of this story is in the details.
Five Trades Worth Making, Settlers of Catan. Yes, really. I never would have looked twice at this if it weren't for lowellboyslash's recommendation, but this story turned out to be amazing. It's about women's lives and the pain of survival in a frontier society. Stories like this are the best thing about Yuletide: the way that people's creativity can make utter magic out of the most unlikely source material.
Thou'lt Come No More, Slings and Arrows. The other Slings and Arrows fics this year were all sex and no Shakespeare, which meant that I wasn't that into them. But this one is sweet - it's Oliver's last visit to the theater, with an adorable bit of Frank-and-Cyril along the way.
To Hear Sleigh Bells In The Snow, Sports Night. I loved this show, and this is my favorite of the fics from it this year. It's got the Sorkin tone down pat - snappy wordplay dialogue, the character who seems to be upset about one thing but is really thinking about something else.
It's a Wonderful Life, Stephanie Plum. There's a chicken truck and a Santa suit and misunderstandings and all of the hilarious chaos that you'd expect from a Stephanie Plum story.
Second, here are some more Yuletide recs!
Mother-Tongue, Beowulf. In the style of Seamus Heaney's translation, the Beowulf story reimagined as the deeds of women's heroism. Thanks to tarimanveri for the pointer.
Gamol-leac. From the sublime to the ridiculous in Beowulf-fic. Look upon this fic. Now look upon me. Thanks to tarimanveri and lowellboyslash for the pointer! I'm still laughing.
Unexpected Gift, Brother Cadfael. A semi-unexpected gift for tarimanveri - a story of Olivier and Hugh.
La Chanson de Mont Gisard. It's a chanson de geste!! Baldwin the Leper-King of Jerusalem rides out against Saladin in 1177. I'm pretty sure I know who wrote this one, but if I didn't, I'd want to meet them, because it is a note-perfect chanson de geste, and it is brilliant.
A Lie Agreed Upon, Mad Men. There are a lot of Mad Men fics this year, but this was my favorite. It's mostly from Betty's POV, and it's unsettling in the ways that the show is at its best: its emotional truth, its way of showing the stifling effects of 1960s gender expectations, and the way that the characters are closed off from themselves and each other.
Lieutenant Bennet's Visit, Pride and Prejudice in the Temeraire universe. It's Pride and Prejudice and Dragons!
The Shoreline of Wonder, Nation. The beauty of this story is in the details.
Five Trades Worth Making, Settlers of Catan. Yes, really. I never would have looked twice at this if it weren't for lowellboyslash's recommendation, but this story turned out to be amazing. It's about women's lives and the pain of survival in a frontier society. Stories like this are the best thing about Yuletide: the way that people's creativity can make utter magic out of the most unlikely source material.
Thou'lt Come No More, Slings and Arrows. The other Slings and Arrows fics this year were all sex and no Shakespeare, which meant that I wasn't that into them. But this one is sweet - it's Oliver's last visit to the theater, with an adorable bit of Frank-and-Cyril along the way.
To Hear Sleigh Bells In The Snow, Sports Night. I loved this show, and this is my favorite of the fics from it this year. It's got the Sorkin tone down pat - snappy wordplay dialogue, the character who seems to be upset about one thing but is really thinking about something else.
It's a Wonderful Life, Stephanie Plum. There's a chicken truck and a Santa suit and misunderstandings and all of the hilarious chaos that you'd expect from a Stephanie Plum story.