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Yuletide Recommendations!
Dec. 31st, 2018 08:28 pmYuletide season has been full of delights this year! I've had more time than usual to take a good look through the collection, too, so I feel like I've come across even more wonderful fic than I've had the chance to in previous years. I haven't exhausted the collection yet (the joy will be spread into January!) but I wanted to share some of my favourites from my reading thus far.
To start with, there is my gift, a wonderfully atmospheric piece of post-canon for one of my favourite films.
What Dreams May Come (Crimson Peak; M; Edith Cushing/Thomas Sharpe, Edith Cushing/Alan McMichael)
I also loved this fic in a similar vein. Both authors have a wonderful hold on Edith's character, I think. I felt like I was spending time in her company, something I can't get enough of.
'til Death (Crimson Peak; G; Edith Cushing & Alan McMichael, Edith Cushing/Thomas Sharpe)
I find a good Wodehouse fic a treat that can't easily be matched, and this year's offerings were excellent. I haven't read the longer of the two Jeeves fics yet but I am very much looking forward to doing so, based on the first few paragraphs. This one was all the literary sunshine one could hope for from a Wooster narrative:
And Baby Makes Three (Jeeves - P.G. Wodehouse; G; Bertie Wooster, Reginald Jeeves, Dahlia Travers, Angela Travers, Madeline Bassett)
The single Psmith fic made my heart skip. It takes the characters' relationships as they stand following Leave It To Psmith and does something wonderful with them. It's romantic and happy and full of perfect character moments and it's just a joy to read.
With Love, Psmith (Psmith - P.G. Wodehouse; N/A; Mike Jackson/Rupert Psmith, Mike Jackson/Phyllis Keeble, Rupert Psmith/Eve Halliday)
More joyful reads:
Letter From Father Christmas (The Father Christmas Letters - J.R.R. Tolkien; G; Father Christmas, North Polar Bear | Karhu, Ilbereth) This reads so much like one of Tolkien's originals. It's delightful.
Sun, Sea, Sangria (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams; G; Arthur Dent, Ford Prefect) Ford and Arthur on an 18-30 clubbing holiday. Arthur is as uncomfortable as you might expect, Ford is in his element. It is perfectly in character and made me smile the whole way through.
Birth Day (Treasure Planet; G; Amelia/Delbert Doppler) A post-canon look at Amelia and Delbert starting a family. Fluffy, adorable, all the good things.
Set Sail (The Road to El Dorado; G; Chel/Miguel/Tulio) The tag 'shenanigans' sums this one up pretty well. A heartily welcome look at the continuing adventures of El Dorado's intrepid heroes. Cute and funny and fun. Also features Chel as a pirate captain!
Tea For Two (North and South - Elizabeth Gaskell; T+; Margaret Hale/John Thornton) A sweet moment between newlywed John and Margaret.
Romantic reads (in descending order from mostly fluffy to heart-aching):
Eternal Verities (Wives and Daughters - Elizabeth Gaskell; G; Molly Gibson/Roger Hamley) A thoughtful, wonderfully written take on Mrs. Gaskell's unfinished novel. Molly is beautifully characterised.
Untitled 19-39 (History Boys - Bennett; T+; David Posner/Donald Scripps) Charts the course of Scripps and Posner's relationship post-play, although it does deviate from canon a fair bit. It's beautiful and hopeful. Posner and Scripps deserve this.
companioned still (Strange Meeting - Susan Hill; T+; John Hilliard/David Barton) A stunningly beautiful duo of missing scenes.
Reads about twisty, dysfunctional relationships (romantic or otherwise):
Hinky Dinky Parlay Voo? (Blackadder; Explicit; Edmund Blackadder/Kevin Darling) Set in the 1920s, several years after the final episode of Blackadder Goes Forth, this fic manages to capture and ramp up the underlying melancholy of the series. The tension between Darling and Blackadder is as palpable as ever - but this time it ends in sex! Huzzah and hurrah!
you dug me out of this shallow grave (The Two Faces of January; T+; Rydal Keener/Chester MacFarland) A moody, atmospheric piece that imagines a different fate for Chester MacFarland following the events of the film.
One Knife to the Heart (and One at Your Back) (Jupiter Ascending; T+; Kalique Abrasax/Famulus)
A Certain Riddle of the Sphinx (Jupiter Ascending; M; Kalique Abrasax/Famulus)
The tag for Kalique Abrasax/Famulus did not disappoint. Two absolutely delicious fics for my favourite scheming space royal and her brother's deadly, furry secretary. The best Jupiter Ascending pairing, obviously.
Had They Been Drinking? (Black Books; T+; Fran Katzenjammer, Bernard Black)
Tonight (Black Books; Explicit; Bernard Black/Fran Katzenjammer, Fran Katzenjammer/Manny Bianco)
Two perfect fics for the wonderfully dysfunctional world that is Fran and Bernard's friendship in its early days. Both of these capture the spirit of Black Books wonderfully, both have sharp writing and a feel for the characters. 'Tonight' also has a great twist at the end.
Five times Jamie threatened to quit his job (The Thick of It; T+; Malcolm Tucker, Jamie MacDonald) Clever and funny, the spot-on voices for Jamie and Malcolm make this fic something special.
Sunday tea (Revolutionary Girl Utena; T+; Himemiya Anthy & Shinohara Wakaba) In this case, the relationship isn't dysfunctional and twisty but, it's Utena, everything going on in the background is. This story captures the tone of the series really well. It's wonderful to see Anthy and Wakaba interact in a way that feels true to the characters.
All Set for Extinction (Ex Machina; T+; Ava/Kyoko) I kind of want this author to write an entire sequel for Ex Machina.
And, lastly, the uncategorisable:
The Darkplace Christmas Special (Garth Marenghi's Darkplace; G; Thornton Reed, Rick Dagless, Liz Asher, Lucien Sanchez, Dean Learner, Garth Marenghi) If you know Darkplace, you already know you want to read this. It is as good as it sounds. I especially love Dean and Garth's commentary on the making of the episode.
To start with, there is my gift, a wonderfully atmospheric piece of post-canon for one of my favourite films.
What Dreams May Come (Crimson Peak; M; Edith Cushing/Thomas Sharpe, Edith Cushing/Alan McMichael)
I also loved this fic in a similar vein. Both authors have a wonderful hold on Edith's character, I think. I felt like I was spending time in her company, something I can't get enough of.
'til Death (Crimson Peak; G; Edith Cushing & Alan McMichael, Edith Cushing/Thomas Sharpe)
I find a good Wodehouse fic a treat that can't easily be matched, and this year's offerings were excellent. I haven't read the longer of the two Jeeves fics yet but I am very much looking forward to doing so, based on the first few paragraphs. This one was all the literary sunshine one could hope for from a Wooster narrative:
And Baby Makes Three (Jeeves - P.G. Wodehouse; G; Bertie Wooster, Reginald Jeeves, Dahlia Travers, Angela Travers, Madeline Bassett)
The single Psmith fic made my heart skip. It takes the characters' relationships as they stand following Leave It To Psmith and does something wonderful with them. It's romantic and happy and full of perfect character moments and it's just a joy to read.
With Love, Psmith (Psmith - P.G. Wodehouse; N/A; Mike Jackson/Rupert Psmith, Mike Jackson/Phyllis Keeble, Rupert Psmith/Eve Halliday)
More joyful reads:
Letter From Father Christmas (The Father Christmas Letters - J.R.R. Tolkien; G; Father Christmas, North Polar Bear | Karhu, Ilbereth) This reads so much like one of Tolkien's originals. It's delightful.
Sun, Sea, Sangria (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams; G; Arthur Dent, Ford Prefect) Ford and Arthur on an 18-30 clubbing holiday. Arthur is as uncomfortable as you might expect, Ford is in his element. It is perfectly in character and made me smile the whole way through.
Birth Day (Treasure Planet; G; Amelia/Delbert Doppler) A post-canon look at Amelia and Delbert starting a family. Fluffy, adorable, all the good things.
Set Sail (The Road to El Dorado; G; Chel/Miguel/Tulio) The tag 'shenanigans' sums this one up pretty well. A heartily welcome look at the continuing adventures of El Dorado's intrepid heroes. Cute and funny and fun. Also features Chel as a pirate captain!
Tea For Two (North and South - Elizabeth Gaskell; T+; Margaret Hale/John Thornton) A sweet moment between newlywed John and Margaret.
Romantic reads (in descending order from mostly fluffy to heart-aching):
Eternal Verities (Wives and Daughters - Elizabeth Gaskell; G; Molly Gibson/Roger Hamley) A thoughtful, wonderfully written take on Mrs. Gaskell's unfinished novel. Molly is beautifully characterised.
Untitled 19-39 (History Boys - Bennett; T+; David Posner/Donald Scripps) Charts the course of Scripps and Posner's relationship post-play, although it does deviate from canon a fair bit. It's beautiful and hopeful. Posner and Scripps deserve this.
companioned still (Strange Meeting - Susan Hill; T+; John Hilliard/David Barton) A stunningly beautiful duo of missing scenes.
Reads about twisty, dysfunctional relationships (romantic or otherwise):
Hinky Dinky Parlay Voo? (Blackadder; Explicit; Edmund Blackadder/Kevin Darling) Set in the 1920s, several years after the final episode of Blackadder Goes Forth, this fic manages to capture and ramp up the underlying melancholy of the series. The tension between Darling and Blackadder is as palpable as ever - but this time it ends in sex! Huzzah and hurrah!
you dug me out of this shallow grave (The Two Faces of January; T+; Rydal Keener/Chester MacFarland) A moody, atmospheric piece that imagines a different fate for Chester MacFarland following the events of the film.
One Knife to the Heart (and One at Your Back) (Jupiter Ascending; T+; Kalique Abrasax/Famulus)
A Certain Riddle of the Sphinx (Jupiter Ascending; M; Kalique Abrasax/Famulus)
The tag for Kalique Abrasax/Famulus did not disappoint. Two absolutely delicious fics for my favourite scheming space royal and her brother's deadly, furry secretary. The best Jupiter Ascending pairing, obviously.
Had They Been Drinking? (Black Books; T+; Fran Katzenjammer, Bernard Black)
Tonight (Black Books; Explicit; Bernard Black/Fran Katzenjammer, Fran Katzenjammer/Manny Bianco)
Two perfect fics for the wonderfully dysfunctional world that is Fran and Bernard's friendship in its early days. Both of these capture the spirit of Black Books wonderfully, both have sharp writing and a feel for the characters. 'Tonight' also has a great twist at the end.
Five times Jamie threatened to quit his job (The Thick of It; T+; Malcolm Tucker, Jamie MacDonald) Clever and funny, the spot-on voices for Jamie and Malcolm make this fic something special.
Sunday tea (Revolutionary Girl Utena; T+; Himemiya Anthy & Shinohara Wakaba) In this case, the relationship isn't dysfunctional and twisty but, it's Utena, everything going on in the background is. This story captures the tone of the series really well. It's wonderful to see Anthy and Wakaba interact in a way that feels true to the characters.
All Set for Extinction (Ex Machina; T+; Ava/Kyoko) I kind of want this author to write an entire sequel for Ex Machina.
And, lastly, the uncategorisable:
The Darkplace Christmas Special (Garth Marenghi's Darkplace; G; Thornton Reed, Rick Dagless, Liz Asher, Lucien Sanchez, Dean Learner, Garth Marenghi) If you know Darkplace, you already know you want to read this. It is as good as it sounds. I especially love Dean and Garth's commentary on the making of the episode.
