Yuuuuuuletide Recs!
Dec. 28th, 2013 10:15 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
brigdhI'm going through the Archive by fandom alphabetically, and have so far only reached the N's. But here are my recs for the first half of the alphabet!
Fandoms include: 16th Century RPF, 19th Century RPF, The Addams Family, Ancient History RPF, Appalachian Murder Ballads, Brave, Candle Cove, The Cat Who... series, Cinderella, Cotillion - Georgette Heyer, Emma - Jane Austen, Gentlemen of the Road - Michael Chabon, The Lost Prince - Frances Hodgson Burnett, Mahabharata, Maru, Mean Girls, Moby Dick, Swordspoint
First, I'm again reccing my own AMAZING AMAZING stories, which I am so lucky to have three of:
The Robber Bridegroom, Swordspoint, Richard, G rated, 2k. He hoped his mother never found out. She'd sent him to the city to become a swordsman, not a highway robber.
Waning Season, Swordspoint, Richard/Alec, M rated, 2.3k. Someone is looking for St Vier and a dangerous secret. Unfortunately for him, Alec Campion finds him first. (Well, almost.)
On Lightning, Which Occasionally Strikes Twice, Gentlemen of the Road - Michael Chabon, M rated, 7.7k. Our heroes take a journey by sea, which they have cause to regret, and come to the tent of the feathered man, where they learn their fortunes and more.
All The Pleasures Prove 16th Century RPF, Kit Marlowe/William Shakespeare, T rated, 1.8k. Kit pours some wine into a new cup; the man sits down. His fingers are also stained with ink.
“Master Shakespeare, I have a grievance against you.”
The man smiles. “I thought you might.”
This is excellently witty, clever, and hot. As is appropriate for these two guys!
The Not Entirely Accurate Chronicle of John Polidori, Genius Physician and Brilliant Writer, and His Rather Less Distinguished Companions, 19th Century RPF, Lord Byron, Percy Shelley, Mary Shelley, John Polidori, John Polidori, T rated, 1.2k. Byron and Polidori travel to Geneva, in what Polidori is certain will be a legendary journey. He's right...but perhaps not as he expects to be.
Oh God, this story is hilarious. And should be any story that includes the game "Try and find a place here that I haven't put my penis in."
College First, The Addams Family, G rated, 10.3k. Wednesday struggles to feel comfortable with her identity as an Addams and a mother, while living in a world that is far too normal.
Wednesday goes to college, has children, moves back home and all along the way tries to figure out who she is and where she fits. It's just as serious and funny and morbid as Wednesday should always be.
Hunting the Phoenix, Ancient History RPF, Antinous/Emperor Hadrian, T rated, 4k. This is not what Antinous was born for.
A really excellent look at desire and power and choice, and written so thoughtfully and beautifully.
Rose in June, Appalachian Murder Ballads, T, 5k. For all it was such an inconvenient place to live (what with the zombies, and all) even now I'm dead I can't quite bring myself to leave.
AHH what a wonderful story! This is one of the most low-key zombie apocalypses I've ever read; most of the focus is just on regular people trying to make their way. And also there is female friendship and rescues and complicated feelings and an excellent use of the songs it's based on (though you can totally read this without knowing the songs as well).
Expertise? Brave, G rated, 1.1k. Merida didn't try to become an expert in dealing with the supernatural.
Someone else called this MERIDA'S ACCIDENTAL MAGICAL DETECTIVE AGENCY, and yes: perfect. Funny and charming and I can so see this happening to the characters.
I am writing this from aboard a pirate ship. Candle Cove, T rated, 3.5k. Please send help.
I looooove the Candle Cove stories every Yuletide, and this is a deliciously creepy expansion of the mythology. Very scary, but with a subtle, creeping horror, just as it should be.
The Cat Who Owned a Library, The Cat Who... series, G rated, 3.3k. It's late fall 400 miles north of anywhere, and the library's new exhibit seems to be plagued with troubles. Qwill and his Siamese detectives are determined to get to the bottom of things. (Or possibly Qwill is determined to get to the bottom of things, and the Siamese are more interested in finding new bookshelves to nap on.)
Case-fic! Delightful, cat-filled case-fic, just as sweet and lovely as the books (which I totally adored as a child).
Noire, Cinderella, T rated, 9.8k. In which Cinderella has long since moved out when her father remarries, there's something odd about his new wife and the political landscape is complicated.
So, this is Cinderella/Step-mother. But not in an incestuous way! This story is really well-done, with nice worldbuilding and a wonderful buildup of tension to the romance.
Wien, Cinderella, T rated, 3.1k. An unstoppable force meets an immovable object. Or a criminal's love story.
A criminal AU! In which Cinderella and her well-loved little brother are car thieves, and the Prince is a member of a rival gang, and there is sneakiness and costumes and snark and basically everything is delightful and wonderful.
The Birds and The Bees, Cotillion - Georgette Heyer, G rated, 4.3k. In which Lord Legerwood has a conversation with his son, with predictable results, and Kitty provides Freddy with enlightenment.
Various people are uncertain that Freddy actually knows what marriage entails, and so they try to teach him. This is by far the funniest story I've read yet this Yuletide. I love it so much.
Now Eros Shakes My Soul, Emma - Jane Austen, Jane Fairfax/Emma Woodhouse/George Knightley, E rated, 11.1k. Emma discovers that once again, she has been unaware of her own feelings in a matter of great importance. But with the support of the husband with whom she enjoys a mutually passionate and loving relationship, perhaps she can fulfill all the parts of herself.
YES IT IS F/F/M POLY FIC EVERYTHING I HAVE WANTED. And, uh, also it is wonderfully written and so true to the characters and historically accurate and captures Austen's voice and has hot sex and is just generally wonderful in all sorts of ways!
Most Fervently, The Lost Prince - Frances Hodgson Burnett, Marco Loristan/The Rat, M rated, 10.3k. “You’d a horsefly on you,” Rat explained. “Oh drat, it’s moved to... stay still, close your eyes,” and the touch came again, over his cheek, a swift pressure of cool skin.
And with the touch Marco felt as if the contentment, the heavy peacefulness, having been a calm and solid stillness within him, now rose up in a sudden wave, a gust, a gush of pleasure, sweeping over and around him, no longer warm but hot, taking his breath away.
It's mpreg/heat cycles fic combined with an Edwardian novel! And yet somehow it works so well! This is sweet and touching and so well-written.
An amiable and fortunate daughter, Mahabharata, Dushala, M rated, 2.4k. "Here, however, is one part in excess of the hundred, intended for giving thee a daughter's son. This part shall develop into an amiable and fortunate daughter, as thou hast desired."
This story gives Dushala (the sister of Duryodhana & co) a voice and her own perspective, and uses it to drive home the senselessness of war. Excellent story.
Documents from the Praying Mantis Incursion, I am Maru/Maru Desu, G rated, 1.3k. When the Mantisian Empire plans a military operation against the Human-Feline Symbiosis that includes Maru, things do not go as planned.
A hilarious, epistolary-style account of the long-running battle between cats and mantises (mantii? mantes?). Also, it has a character named Mantibelle. How can you not love that?
(Let Me Put My Love) Into You, Babe, Mean Girls, Regina George/Cady Heron, E rated, 1.1k. A Thursday afternoon finds Regina and Cady in the girls' bathroom.
This is totally a PWP, but it's an awesomely hot, well-done PWP! I highly approve.
The Queen of Rokovoko, Moby Dick - Herman Melville, Ishmael/Queequeg, Ahab/Starbuck, M rated, 2.6k. A divinely decreed orgy, a ship full of eager men, 200 barrels of sperm oil ... and a captain they decided not to invite. What could possibly go wrong?
There are orgies and hilarious diversions into whale science and polyamory and the whole thing is a happy-ending AU to the novel. Everything about this is hilarious and charming.
Fandoms include: 16th Century RPF, 19th Century RPF, The Addams Family, Ancient History RPF, Appalachian Murder Ballads, Brave, Candle Cove, The Cat Who... series, Cinderella, Cotillion - Georgette Heyer, Emma - Jane Austen, Gentlemen of the Road - Michael Chabon, The Lost Prince - Frances Hodgson Burnett, Mahabharata, Maru, Mean Girls, Moby Dick, Swordspoint
First, I'm again reccing my own AMAZING AMAZING stories, which I am so lucky to have three of:
The Robber Bridegroom, Swordspoint, Richard, G rated, 2k. He hoped his mother never found out. She'd sent him to the city to become a swordsman, not a highway robber.
Waning Season, Swordspoint, Richard/Alec, M rated, 2.3k. Someone is looking for St Vier and a dangerous secret. Unfortunately for him, Alec Campion finds him first. (Well, almost.)
On Lightning, Which Occasionally Strikes Twice, Gentlemen of the Road - Michael Chabon, M rated, 7.7k. Our heroes take a journey by sea, which they have cause to regret, and come to the tent of the feathered man, where they learn their fortunes and more.
All The Pleasures Prove 16th Century RPF, Kit Marlowe/William Shakespeare, T rated, 1.8k. Kit pours some wine into a new cup; the man sits down. His fingers are also stained with ink.
“Master Shakespeare, I have a grievance against you.”
The man smiles. “I thought you might.”
This is excellently witty, clever, and hot. As is appropriate for these two guys!
The Not Entirely Accurate Chronicle of John Polidori, Genius Physician and Brilliant Writer, and His Rather Less Distinguished Companions, 19th Century RPF, Lord Byron, Percy Shelley, Mary Shelley, John Polidori, John Polidori, T rated, 1.2k. Byron and Polidori travel to Geneva, in what Polidori is certain will be a legendary journey. He's right...but perhaps not as he expects to be.
Oh God, this story is hilarious. And should be any story that includes the game "Try and find a place here that I haven't put my penis in."
College First, The Addams Family, G rated, 10.3k. Wednesday struggles to feel comfortable with her identity as an Addams and a mother, while living in a world that is far too normal.
Wednesday goes to college, has children, moves back home and all along the way tries to figure out who she is and where she fits. It's just as serious and funny and morbid as Wednesday should always be.
Hunting the Phoenix, Ancient History RPF, Antinous/Emperor Hadrian, T rated, 4k. This is not what Antinous was born for.
A really excellent look at desire and power and choice, and written so thoughtfully and beautifully.
Rose in June, Appalachian Murder Ballads, T, 5k. For all it was such an inconvenient place to live (what with the zombies, and all) even now I'm dead I can't quite bring myself to leave.
AHH what a wonderful story! This is one of the most low-key zombie apocalypses I've ever read; most of the focus is just on regular people trying to make their way. And also there is female friendship and rescues and complicated feelings and an excellent use of the songs it's based on (though you can totally read this without knowing the songs as well).
Expertise? Brave, G rated, 1.1k. Merida didn't try to become an expert in dealing with the supernatural.
Someone else called this MERIDA'S ACCIDENTAL MAGICAL DETECTIVE AGENCY, and yes: perfect. Funny and charming and I can so see this happening to the characters.
I am writing this from aboard a pirate ship. Candle Cove, T rated, 3.5k. Please send help.
I looooove the Candle Cove stories every Yuletide, and this is a deliciously creepy expansion of the mythology. Very scary, but with a subtle, creeping horror, just as it should be.
The Cat Who Owned a Library, The Cat Who... series, G rated, 3.3k. It's late fall 400 miles north of anywhere, and the library's new exhibit seems to be plagued with troubles. Qwill and his Siamese detectives are determined to get to the bottom of things. (Or possibly Qwill is determined to get to the bottom of things, and the Siamese are more interested in finding new bookshelves to nap on.)
Case-fic! Delightful, cat-filled case-fic, just as sweet and lovely as the books (which I totally adored as a child).
Noire, Cinderella, T rated, 9.8k. In which Cinderella has long since moved out when her father remarries, there's something odd about his new wife and the political landscape is complicated.
So, this is Cinderella/Step-mother. But not in an incestuous way! This story is really well-done, with nice worldbuilding and a wonderful buildup of tension to the romance.
Wien, Cinderella, T rated, 3.1k. An unstoppable force meets an immovable object. Or a criminal's love story.
A criminal AU! In which Cinderella and her well-loved little brother are car thieves, and the Prince is a member of a rival gang, and there is sneakiness and costumes and snark and basically everything is delightful and wonderful.
The Birds and The Bees, Cotillion - Georgette Heyer, G rated, 4.3k. In which Lord Legerwood has a conversation with his son, with predictable results, and Kitty provides Freddy with enlightenment.
Various people are uncertain that Freddy actually knows what marriage entails, and so they try to teach him. This is by far the funniest story I've read yet this Yuletide. I love it so much.
Now Eros Shakes My Soul, Emma - Jane Austen, Jane Fairfax/Emma Woodhouse/George Knightley, E rated, 11.1k. Emma discovers that once again, she has been unaware of her own feelings in a matter of great importance. But with the support of the husband with whom she enjoys a mutually passionate and loving relationship, perhaps she can fulfill all the parts of herself.
YES IT IS F/F/M POLY FIC EVERYTHING I HAVE WANTED. And, uh, also it is wonderfully written and so true to the characters and historically accurate and captures Austen's voice and has hot sex and is just generally wonderful in all sorts of ways!
Most Fervently, The Lost Prince - Frances Hodgson Burnett, Marco Loristan/The Rat, M rated, 10.3k. “You’d a horsefly on you,” Rat explained. “Oh drat, it’s moved to... stay still, close your eyes,” and the touch came again, over his cheek, a swift pressure of cool skin.
And with the touch Marco felt as if the contentment, the heavy peacefulness, having been a calm and solid stillness within him, now rose up in a sudden wave, a gust, a gush of pleasure, sweeping over and around him, no longer warm but hot, taking his breath away.
It's mpreg/heat cycles fic combined with an Edwardian novel! And yet somehow it works so well! This is sweet and touching and so well-written.
An amiable and fortunate daughter, Mahabharata, Dushala, M rated, 2.4k. "Here, however, is one part in excess of the hundred, intended for giving thee a daughter's son. This part shall develop into an amiable and fortunate daughter, as thou hast desired."
This story gives Dushala (the sister of Duryodhana & co) a voice and her own perspective, and uses it to drive home the senselessness of war. Excellent story.
Documents from the Praying Mantis Incursion, I am Maru/Maru Desu, G rated, 1.3k. When the Mantisian Empire plans a military operation against the Human-Feline Symbiosis that includes Maru, things do not go as planned.
A hilarious, epistolary-style account of the long-running battle between cats and mantises (mantii? mantes?). Also, it has a character named Mantibelle. How can you not love that?
(Let Me Put My Love) Into You, Babe, Mean Girls, Regina George/Cady Heron, E rated, 1.1k. A Thursday afternoon finds Regina and Cady in the girls' bathroom.
This is totally a PWP, but it's an awesomely hot, well-done PWP! I highly approve.
The Queen of Rokovoko, Moby Dick - Herman Melville, Ishmael/Queequeg, Ahab/Starbuck, M rated, 2.6k. A divinely decreed orgy, a ship full of eager men, 200 barrels of sperm oil ... and a captain they decided not to invite. What could possibly go wrong?
There are orgies and hilarious diversions into whale science and polyamory and the whole thing is a happy-ending AU to the novel. Everything about this is hilarious and charming.
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no subject
Date: 2013-12-29 09:17 am (UTC)(but thanks for the shakespeare/marlow and noire and merida story because i skipped them and they're, in order, cleverly hot / gorgeously hot / adooooorable).
no subject
Date: 2013-12-29 08:06 pm (UTC)Am glad you liked them! I'm trying to finish my own sweep of the archive before I go back and read your recs, but I'm looking forward to them!
no subject
Date: 2013-12-30 10:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-12-31 04:46 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-01-01 06:16 pm (UTC)Also, your recs rock! I'm trying to make my way through any I have any passing familiarity with.
no subject
Date: 2014-01-01 11:57 pm (UTC)I hope you find some stories you enjoy!