Yuletide 2017 recs

[kate_nepveu]

As usual, I dumped everything into my ereader pre-reveals, so this was all read anonymously. I'm organizing things a bit differently this year, because I found myself making these connections as I was rereading and taking notes, and this might make it easier for people to find things? So it's fandoms with multiple stories first, and then single-fandoms stories organized thematically. Remember, these are all last December's stories, so for open canons that means: Rivers of London, pre-Lies Sleeping; The Good Place, the middle of S2; and Murderbot, after only the first novella.

Aaronovitch, Rivers of London (3)

Pride of London (3063 words) by Jadesfire
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Rivers of London - Ben Aaronovitch
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Peter Grant (Rivers of London), Thomas Nightingale
Summary: "Not exactly a welcome committee," Nightingale muttered under his breath. // As we got closer, I could see across the drawbridge to the floodlight walls. // "I think they might be a bit distracted," I said. "By the elephant."

Very fun, very canon-like bit of casefic.

Know Where You Stand (6626 words) by Sixthlight
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Rivers of London - Ben Aaronovitch
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Peter Grant & Sahra Guleed
Characters: Sahra Guleed, Peter Grant
Additional Tags: Post-The Hanging Tree, Canon Relationships, Male-Female Friendship, mild comics spoilers
Summary: Sahra Guleed is the third-most qualified Falcon officer in the Met. This is not her fault, but – somehow – it’s still her responsibility.

I've stopped reading canon, but I keep up with spoilers, and as of when it was written, I could see this happening, and I really like her voice.

warp of water, weft of stone (10776 words) by jediseagull
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Rivers of London - Ben Aaronovitch
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Peter Grant/Thomas Nightingale
Characters: Thomas Nightingale, Peter Grant (Rivers of London), Varvara Sidorovna Tamonina, Molly (Rivers of London)
Additional Tags: cosmic horror, (kind of), Case Fic, Dark with a happy ending
Summary: The demi-monde is at peace. // Thomas Nightingale, however, is not.

Not my ship but that aspect is minor and it's a good, dark futurefic / casefic.

Fraimow, "Suradanna and the Sea" (2)

The Captain and the Shore (12385 words) by neveralarch
Chapters: 6/6
Fandom: Suradanna and the Sea - Rebecca Fraimow
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: The Captain/Suradanna
Characters: The Captain (Suradanna and the Sea), Suradanna (Suradanna and the Sea)
Additional Tags: Minor Character Death
Summary: It takes a few decades to really get to know a person. Especially when they keep changing; especially when they're unsure of themselves.

Ahh this is such a great meaty sequel to a great story! Read them both immediately, please.

Suradanna and the Sea of Stars (1026 words) by DeCarabas
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Suradanna and the Sea - Rebecca Fraimow
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Suradanna/The Captain (Suradanna and the Sea)
Characters: The Captain (Suradanna and the Sea), Suradanna (Suradanna and the Sea)
Additional Tags: Post-Canon, Immortals in Space
Summary: Change is a constant, like the seasons and the tides.

And here is a lovely little vignette set far in the future.

Leckie, Imperial Radch & Provenance (2)

Ah, remember me (I used to live for music) (5099 words) by lurknomoar
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Imperial Radch Series - Ann Leckie
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Justice of Toren, Original Characters, Justice of Toren One Esk, Justice of Toren One Esk Nineteen | Breq
Additional Tags: Canon-Typical Violence, Non-Graphic Violence, Radchaai culture and Radchaai entertainment, Gratuitous references to melodramatic musical theatre, Skel
Summary: A drawn-out annexation, a hammered dulcimer, an old-fashioned entertainment titled Sovereign of Tavern Dancers and the story of how One Esk first found its voice.

This is great backstory; the shift from the Lieutenant who prompts the singing to One Esk is particularly effective.

Personal Space (1017 words) by neveralarch
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Provenance - Ann Leckie
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Garal Ket | Pahlad Budrakim/Tic Uisine
Characters: Tic Uisine, Garal Ket | Pahlad Budrakim
Additional Tags: spider mechs, Touching
Summary: Tic leaves a bubble of space around Garal. Garal wonders if e should be offended.

The most adorable fic possible about being touched by spider mechs.

Lee, Machineries of Empire (5)

Meditative Aids (10879 words) by karanguni
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Machineries of Empire Series - Yoon Ha Lee
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Vauhan Mikodez
Additional Tags: Case Fic, Drug Use
Summary: When Mikodez had told his parents, I am going to enrol in the Academy, they had every last one of them looked at Mikodez with faint amusement and beleaguered tolerance and cautioned him that the Andan were, honestly, terribly pedantic in their own boring way, and did he really think, Miki, that he had the patience to withstand endless discussions on the philosophy of aesthetics? // 'Shuos Academy,' Mikodez had qualified, patiently.

Mikodez at the Academy, with lots of highly satisfying worldbuilding and character development!

Games for Two Players (3168 words) by weakinteraction
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Machineries of Empire Series - Yoon Ha Lee
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Ajewen Cheris/Shuos Alaia
Characters: Ajewen Cheris, Shuos Alaia
Additional Tags: Bittersweet Ending
Summary: Alaia and Cheris's relationship, from Alaia's point of view.

Same as above, except for a character who barely exists in canon in the first place.

Several Spoonfuls of Sugar (1322 words) by misura
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Machineries of Empire Series - Yoon Ha Lee
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Vahenz afrir dai Noum/Inaiga Zai
Additional Tags: Epistolary, Yuletide Treat
Summary: Would anyone truly object to living in the Year of the Pecan and Banana Muffin, Month of the Milk and Carrot Pudding, Day of the Shortbread? I wonder. (Vahenz, Zai & the new calendar)

More letters from Vahenz! Just perfectly balanced.

Root and Bough and Branch and Leaf (2149 words) by Gileonnen
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Machineries of Empire Series - Yoon Ha Lee
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Characters: Ajewen Cheris, Neshte Khiruev, Original Character
Additional Tags: Calendrical Heresy, Canon-Typical Body Horror, The Delicate Dance of Military Protocol, Lingering Ghosts, Nascent Free Will, Heraldic Symbolism as Intimidation Tactic
Summary: When Cheris and Khiruev discover a scoutmoth drifting in space, they immediately suspect a trap. Instead, though, they find a message of hope.

Short sharp look at some consequences post-canon; if you like the tags, check it out.

Hexarchate Board Game Club (1071 words) by tonepoem
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Machineries of Empire Series - Yoon Ha Lee
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Kel Cheris, Shuos Jedao, Nirai Kujen, Shuos Mikodez
Additional Tags: Board Games, Monopoly (Board Game), Games, Meta, Cheris may be just slightly out of her depth, Yuletide Treat, Crack
Summary: Jedao sighed and rolled the dice. He advanced his piece to the Citadel of Eyes, which was an eye-searing red. "I could have sworn that wasn't one of the standard properties," he said as he painstakingly counted his stash of Monopoly money. "I owe you how much for all those stupid resorts you built, Shuos-zho?"// The fourth player, Mikodez, smirked at Jedao. "You owe me H$2,057," he said. "Pony up."

This is the most beautiful, amazingly cracktastic thing.

Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables (3)

Keep a little of it (1532 words) by redgear
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Anne of Green Gables - L. M. Montgomery
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Anne Shirley, Matthew Cuthbert
Summary: There is still some place left in Avonlea for fairies.

A good year for Anne fic! First, what if one of Matthew's silences was about fairies?

Putting the Baby to Bed (1663 words) by Elennare
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Anne of Green Gables - L. M. Montgomery
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Gilbert Blythe/Anne Shirley
Characters: Bertha Marilla "Rilla" Blythe, Anne Shirley, Gilbert Blythe, Susan Baker
Summary: “Thus it came about that Mrs. Blythe, when she returned home two nights later and asked Susan where Rilla was, was electrified by Susan's composed reply. "She's upstairs, Mrs. Dr. dear, putting her baby to bed."” (Rilla of Ingleside) // Anne learns about Rilla's war-baby - and she has questions for Gilbert.

Next, a nice Anne POV on the mentioned bit of Rilla.

Wonderland (2868 words) by Rina
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Anne of Green Gables - L. M. Montgomery
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Rilla Blythe & Jims Anderson, Rilla Blythe/Kenneth Ford
Characters: Rilla Blythe, Jims Anderson
Additional Tags: Slice of Life, Winter, Snow, World War I, Misses Clause Challenge
Summary: Good things happen when it snows, even during wartime winters.

Finally, a fluffy sequence of snowy days with Rilla and Jims.

Pierce, Emelan (2)

Four Times Niva Hated Everyone and Everything (And One Time She Didn't) (2065 words) by mayasilver
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Emelan - Tamora Pierce
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Dedicate Lark/Dedicate Rosethorn
Characters: Dedicate Rosethorn, Dedicate Lark, Dedicate Crane
Summary: “Would you like to be my partner?” the woman asked. “I believe Dedicate Brook said we were to start with introductions.” // I would rather run through a field of poison ivy, Niva thought. // I would rather run through a field of poison ivy buck-naked, Niva thought. // I would rather run through a field of poison ivy buck-naked in the middle of Hearth Moon chased by wolves, Niva thought. // “I—er—yes,” Niva said.

Rosethorn's POV here is perfect. (It's a little awkward that Lark doesn't have a name, but we don't have one in canon for this period, so I get where the author was coming from.)

a problem shared (2133 words) by laurel_crown
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Emelan - Tamora Pierce
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Niamara Bancanor, Jorality Bancanor, Daja Kisubo, Niklaren Goldeye
Additional Tags: Misses Clause Challenge
Summary: Dilemmas are discussed, and solved (with the aid of some tea).

Nice snippets of working together.

Pratchett, Monstrous Regiment (3)

Nightgowns (1996 words) by Evandar
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Monstrous Regiment - Terry Pratchett
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Maladict/Polly Perks
Characters: Maladict, Polly "Ozzer" Perks
Additional Tags: During Canon, Vampire Mating Habits, Attempted Seduction, Misses Clause Challenge
Summary: There are no nightgowns, underwired or otherwise, in the Borogravian military. Somehow, Ozzer manages to find the next best thing while facing off against Zlobenian cavalry and ends up kicking their captain in the fork while wearing a petticoat. // It’s close enough. Possibly too close, because when Mal sees her dripping wet from the rain and plastered in sheer white cloth, her brain blanks out and – for a moment – her instincts purr.

Fun Mal-POV on falling for Polly.

Unconventional Weapons (3221 words) by feverbeats (archive locked), general audiences
Summary: "There are three things I think we need to win this," Polly said carefully. "Because they worked before, and this time we're a lot smarter."

Two satisfying stories about how Polly might continue, post-canon, this one-archive locked . . .

Baker, Beekeeper, Sergeant, Spy (2913 words) by aunt_zelda
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Monstrous Regiment - Terry Pratchett
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Maladict/Polly Perks, Tonker Halter/Lofty Tewt
Characters: Polly "Ozzer" Perks, Maladict, Magda "Tonker" Halter, Tilda "Lofty" Tewt, Igorina, Alice "Wazzer" Goom
Additional Tags: Post-Canon, Beekeeping, Spies & Secret Agents, Established Relationship, Misses Clause Challenge, Yuletide 2017
Summary: In which Polly trains bodyguards, has dinner with Mal, founds a spy network, and muses on the hierarchy of bees.

. . . and this one not.

Rayyan, "Lady in Furs" (painting) (2)

Potsunder Allgemeine, 13/24/579 (563 words) by laughingpineapple
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Omar Rayyan - Works
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Lady in Furs (Omar Rayyan - Works)
Additional Tags: Animal Abuse, Newspapers
Summary: Her calm stare pierced through the portrait in the paper's morning edition.

One of two very cool extrapolations about the embedded painting, this one shorter and chillier . . .

From the beast she pulls a lover (3900 words) by psychomachia
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Omar Rayyan - Works
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Lady in Furs (Omar Rayyan - Works)
Additional Tags: Misses Clause Challenge
Summary: It would be sad, of course, to see such an illustrious family fall by the wayside, but there were plenty of careers a young girl of her background could have – and there was always marriage.

. . . and this one longer and almost fantasy-of-manners.

Stevenson, Nimona (2)

don’t wanna be broke (3419 words) by hollimichele
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Nimona (Webcomic)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Ballister Blackheart/Ambrosius Goldenloin, Ballister Blackheart & Nimona
Characters: Ballister Blackheart, Ambrosius Goldenloin, Nimona
Additional Tags: Slice of Life, constitutional democracy for dummies, being a person is hard
Summary: Probably things would be more complicated once they actually had an election. Or if the monster came back.

Post-canon logistics and growth, totally my jam.

you better watch out, you better not cry (3318 words) by meguri_aite
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Nimona (Webcomic)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Ballister Blackheart & Nimona, Ambrosius Goldenloin & Nimona, Ballister Blackheart/Ambrosius Goldenloin
Characters: Ambrosius Goldenloin, Ballister Blackheart, Nimona
Additional Tags: Canon Compliant, Christmas Special, no science was hurt in the making of this story, (irreparably anyway)
Summary: “If our Santa says she isn’t Nimona, we have to believe her,” Ballister says calmly. “Ginger biscuits, anyone?”

Starts gently, then gets that wacky energy, but remains sweet.

Wells, Books of the Raksura (2)

Home (4141 words) by Elasmo
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Books of the Raksura - Martha Wells
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Characters: Shade (Books of the Raksura), Rise (Books of the Raksura), Consolation (Books of the Raksura), Kethel (Books of the Raksura), First (Books of the Raksura)
Additional Tags: Misses Clause Challenge
Summary: It turned out that living like people instead of monsters required all sorts of skills and tools. Cleaning required soap, and some inkling of how to apply it. Consolation’s flight, having been raised by monsters, not people, had none of the requisite skills.

Aww, learning to person and be a society; exactly the kind of thing I read these for.

The Distant Sky (40946 words) by fallintosanity
Chapters: 11/11
Fandom: Supernatural, Books of the Raksura - Martha Wells
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Characters: Sam Winchester, Dean Winchester, Moon (Books of the Raksura), Malachite (Books of the Raksura), Kethel (Books of the Raksura), Stone (Books of the Raksura), Chime (Books of the Raksura), First (Books of the Raksura), Jade (Books of the Raksura), Merit (Books of the Raksura), Lithe (Books of the Raksura), Consolation (Books of the Raksura), Rise (Books of the Raksura)
Additional Tags: Crossover, Canon-Typical Violence, Angst
Summary: Moon is supposed to be avoiding Consolation, but a mishap during a visit to Opal Night puts Consolation in danger. Moon and Malachite have to navigate a city stranger than anything either of them have ever seen to rescue her. // Sam and Dean, newly reunited after Dean's miraculous return from Purgatory, investigate reports of mysterious disapperances and cattle theft near Cleveland. But the case turns out to be far more complex than they thought when an enemy they believed dead resurfaces, and they must ally with strange and dangerous creatures to protect all of Cleveland from their common enemy.

Honorable mention to this, which came out in November 2018, because it's a nice long plotty story! Disclaimer: I beta-read the Raksura bits.

Wells, Murderbot (5)

Terra Nova (7448 words) by winterhill, teen and up
Summary: This is the whole sorry story of how I cracked my governor module. It’s not a great story. I fell in a hole and there was a lot of snow.

Let's start the Murderbot stories with this one, which is exactly what it says on the tin, and great.

The Exchange (5814 words) by winterhill
Summary: Murderbot hitches a ride on a starliner, makes a friend, and saves space Yuletide.

A couple stories about Murderbot doing a fannish exchange; this one is third-person and features Murderbot dealing with a ridiculously upbeat AI, which is always fun.

Sanctuaryfest (1653 words) by yhlee
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Murderbot Diaries - Martha Wells
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Murderbot (Murderbot Diaries), Cargo Transport Bot (Murderbot Diaries)
Additional Tags: Meta, Humor, Fluff, Fanfiction, Holiday Fic Exchange, Yuletide Treat
Summary: Murderbot finds itself writing for a fic exchange.

And this is first-person and delightfully sweet. Disclaimer: I beta-read this. (On closer look they were gifted to the same person, so that explains that!)

The Ship Who Vidded (4389 words) by actonbell
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Murderbot Diaries - Martha Wells
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Characters: Murderbot (Murderbot Diaries), Cargo Transport Bot (Murderbot Diaries)
Additional Tags: Sanctuary Moon, Artificial Intelligence, Androids, Storytelling, Fans, Unreliable Narrator, cargo transport bots also watch the entertainment feeds, Fandom, Holiday Fic Exchange, Yuletide Treat, Yuletide
Summary: I might have sat there forever or at least until my power cells ran down if the cargo bot hadn't started talking to me again. It was bored out of its mind. Well, obviously it didn't have a mind, which was part of the problem. It was a sophisticated bot with a lot of processing ability and almost nothing to process. There was no cargo to check, all its routes were automated, the ship was sturdy enough that it didn't have to constantly monitor for chances of minor accidents, and while it had access to the entertainment feeds, it had nothing like my wealth of stories and shows and music downloaded from company satellites, all in much higher quality. It didn't care if I felt empty and confused and didn't know what to want but also didn't want anyone else to tell me what I wanted. As far as it was concerned I was a hitchhiking servant bot, and it was time for me to pay up.

This is a neat exploration of how bot communication might differ. (Not sure why it's rated Mature.)

#101: "An Inevitable Conclusion; But With Makeouts" (2103 words) by Raven
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Murderbot Diaries - Martha Wells
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Dr Mensah, Murderbot (Murderbot Diaries)
Summary: After Murderbot makes a run for it, Dr Mensah decides she's going to watch Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon from the beginning.

I love Dr. Mensah and this look at her work and family from her POV.

The Good Place (8)

Hell Takes All the Credit (5914 words) by burglebezzlement
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Good Place (TV)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Tahani Al-Jamil/Eleanor Shellstrop
Characters: Eleanor Shellstrop, Tahani Al-Jamil, Chidi Anagonye, Janet (The Good Place), Jianyu Li | Jason Mendoza, Michael (The Good Place), Bea (The Good Place)
Additional Tags: The War for the Afterlife, in the manner of a sitcom, The Actual Good Place, Shrimp, Party Planning, Swearing, Future Fic
Summary: It’s a selfish schemer, an empty-headed socialite, a dummy from Florida, and a tortured genius against the Afterlife. // The Afterlife isn’t going to know what hit it.

I would really like to see this as a future for the show, at least the overall resolution (the lead-up having naturally been Jossed in various ways).

Operation: Seduce Michael (2328 words) by blithers
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Good Place (TV)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Michael (The Good Place), Eleanor Shellstrop, Chidi Anagonye, Jianyu Li | Jason Mendoza, Tahani Al-Jamil, Janet (The Good Place), Bad Janet (The Good Place)
Additional Tags: Attempted Seduction, Bad Flirting, Podfic Available
Summary: If at first you don't succeed, send a different cockroach.

Extremely silly and in-character; per tags, no actual seduction occurs.

Janet@12358W (Status = Happy) (1517 words) by dbskyler
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Good Place (TV)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Jianyu Li | Jason Mendoza/Janet (The Good Place)
Characters: Janet (The Good Place)
Summary: In which Janet assigns herself (status=happy).

Really great Janet POV.

Care and Feeding of Your Janet (1173 words) by samalander
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Good Place (TV)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Janet (The Good Place)
Additional Tags: Yuletide Treat, Metafiction, Comedy, user manual, Computer Viruses, absurdity
Summary: Please read this guide carefully before activating your Janet.

Delightful.

Neighborhood Experiment, Take 483 (1051 words) by pollitt
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Good Place (TV)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Chidi Anagonye & Eleanor Shellstrop, Chidi Anagonye & Jianyu Li | Jason Mendoza, Janet & Michael (The Good Place), Tahani Al-Jamil & Chidi Anagonye, Tahani Al-Jamil & Eleanor Shellstrop, Jianyu Li | Jason Mendoza & Eleanor Shellstrop
Characters: Michael (The Good Place)
Additional Tags: Transcribed, reboots, Mission Report
Summary: Michael tries to make sense of what's worked (some), what hasn't (lots), and what to do next (try, try again).

Great Michael voice.

Attempt 472 (2448 words) by soupytwist
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Good Place (TV)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Tahani Al-Jamil/Chidi Anagonye/Eleanor Shellstrop
Characters: Eleanor Shellstrop, Chidi Anagonye, Tahani Al-Jamil, Jianyu Li | Jason Mendoza
Summary: Some of Michael's reboots work better than others.

I feel extremely robbed that this isn't canon.

Version #218 (2225 words) by darthjamtart
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Good Place (TV)
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Tahani Al-Jamil/Eleanor Shellstrop
Characters: Eleanor Shellstrop, Tahani Al-Jamil, Michael (The Good Place), Janet (The Good Place)
Summary: Fuck, Tahani even smells good. Like the kind of perfume Eleanor would have shoplifted if she hadn’t already been escorted out by security.

I also feel extremely robbed that this wasn't a whole episode. (I'd have rated this Teen and Up, myself.)

A Little Bit of Knowledge is a Superfluous Thing (267 words) by misura
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Good Place (TV)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Jianyu Li | Jason Mendoza/Janet (The Good Place)
Characters: Janet (The Good Place), Jianyu Li | Jason Mendoza
Additional Tags: Fluff without Plot
Summary: Jason and Janet spice up their love life. (That was a joke.)

This is the cutest??!?

And now, for the solo stories!

We start with basically original works: space exploration; Japanese folklore; Tiptree transposed to historical fiction; magical realism about lemons; travelogue & food writing; cat herders!; contemporary art feuds; historical fantasy in the form of a museum catalogue; and horror in the form ditto.

(see also the two stories above for Rayyan, "Lady in Furs" (painting))

7:55:46 AM, EDT (1090 words) by ohtempora
Summary: A planet, a recently deceased spacecraft, and an astronomer walk into a bar.

This is unabashedly sentimental and I am here for it. *sniff*

Five Views of Mt Fuji (6685 words) by Quillori
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: ???? | Taketori Monogatari | Tale of the Bamboo Cutter
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Additional Tags: 5+1 Things, Don't Have to Know Canon
Summary: So what did happen the elixir of life? Surely it's not the sort of thing you can just burn, and it's gone.

A wonderful set of varying reactions/follow-ups to the original tale (summarized in the author's note), with impressive stylistic range and a really great ending.

The Locust (2223 words) by skazka
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: And I Awoke and Found Me Here on the Cold Hill's Side - James Tiptree Jr.
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Original Male Human/Original Male Alien
Additional Tags: Alien Sex, Localized Apocalypses, Early Modern Xeno, Size Difference, Epistolary, 16th Century CE, Plague
Summary: Letter of Fr. Francisco Nadal to Fr. Bartolomeo Strozzi, 1588.

What if the original story, with all its creepy disastrous eroticism, but the POV character is a 16th c. Jesuit?

The Properties of Lemons (1066 words) by RobberBaroness
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Unknown Armies
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Additional Tags: Canon-Typical Violence, Magical Realism, Lists, Don't Have to Know Canon
Summary: Why accept a lemon in exchange for telling the future? Here are a few possible reasons.

I have no clue about this canon but it's true, you don't need to know it, and this is great fun. "4. The Romans displayed their citrus fruits as symbols of wealth and status. Even today, if you encounter a being who dates back to the glory of the Roman Empire, you may be able to earn their respect through this simple display of luxury."

Invisible Banquets: A Tasting Menu (4875 words) by yhlee
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Le città invisibili | Invisible Cities - Italo Calvino
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Additional Tags: Worldbuilding, Pastiche, Food
Summary: Cities and banquets; banquets and cities.

I'm sure this is better if you know canon, of course, but I haven't got around to it yet and found this wonderful (in both senses): imaginative, precise, with a distinct narrative voice.

Riders of the Purring Sage (2906 words) by Edonohana
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: EDS "Cat Herders" (Commercial)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Original Cat Character(s)
Additional Tags: Western, Don't Have to Know Canon, Read the Author's Notes, Yuletide Treat
Summary: The cat herders were men and women forged on the unforgiving anvil of the desert and hammered into shape by soft-furred paws.

An adorable glimpse from an alternate universe in which cats were the animals herded across the desert in the American west.

Color Theory (2257 words) by blahblahwhy
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Vantablack pigment feud RPF
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Stuart Semple, Anish Kapoor
Additional Tags: Epistolary, Unconventional Format
Summary: True black looks like Nothing. It looks like a hole in the fabric of space.

Like the source events, this is "a conceptual performance piece about accessibility, elitism and community," and it's very clever and entertaining, too.

On Daemons in Royal Portraiture (2991 words) by La Reine Noire
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Lyra Belacqua, Pantalaimon, a mess of portraits
Additional Tags: Daemons, minutiae - Freeform, Scary English Monarchs, Not So Scary English Monarchs, Portentous Heraldry, Portraiture, Ephemera - Freeform, Accidental Art History
Summary: Excerpts from the catalogue for an exhibition held at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford shortly after the events of The Amber Spyglass.

I love fiction that takes the form of other kinds of documents, and the depth of worldbuilding and the accuracy of the format here is really excellent. (All you need to know is daemons, really.)

Underworlds: The Life and Afterlife of Richard Upton Pickman (4737 words) by CenozoicSynapsid
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Cthulhu Mythos - H. P. Lovecraft
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Richard Upton Pickman
Additional Tags: Modern Art, Gallery Notes, Ghouls
Summary: Explore the life, works and enduring influence of Richard Upton Pickman, a controversial artist of the early 20th century. This exhibition includes several paintings never before displayed in public, including all of Pickman's graphic, unsettling "horrors" currently remaining in North America. The Boston Globe called Underworlds "stomach-turning food for thought"— but decide for yourself! Young children may find Pickman's paintings frightening; parents are advised to consider carefully before allowing them to proceed // This program serves as a guide to the exhibit. Audio versions for your mobile phone are available at the Parrington museum website.

A brilliant deepening of the original story, example of dramatic irony, and lesson in art history. Please note that it contains off-screen child murder. (Knowing that the original is Lovecraft is honestly probably enough background.)

And now for casefics, all of which are excellently meaty and canon-like! In the following fandoms: Sayers, Wimsey/Vane; Weir, The Martian; Wrede and Stevermer, Kate & Ceceila; Kagan, Mirabile; Padua, Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage.

False Pretences (27442 words) by drayton
Chapters: 8/8
Fandom: Lord Peter Wimsey - Dorothy L. Sayers
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Harriet Vane/Peter Wimsey
Characters: Harriet Vane, Peter Wimsey
Additional Tags: casefic, Yuletide Treat
Summary: Shortly after her honeymoon, Harriet makes an unexpected discovery while working on a joint mystery novel with her colleagues.

With meta about mystery-writing and contemplations about marriage!

Siding Springs (6600 words) by alessandriana
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Martian (2015), The Martian - Andy Weir, The Martian - All Media Types
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Mark Watney, Melissa Lewis (The Martian), Beth Johanssen, Rick Martinez (The Martian), Chris Beck, Alex Vogel
Additional Tags: Ares III has terrible luck, Case Fic
Summary: "Oh, hey, Vogel, you've got a telemetry update, and Commander, there's a space weather advisory for the crew." // "What does it say?" Lewis asked, coming to stand behind Johanssen. // "Hmm... we're going to be passing through the tail end of a comet debris field starting this afternoon, so there will be a slightly increased chance of micrometeoroid impacts." // Slightly increased? Yeah, it’s Ares III. Our luck is just not that good.

Very nerdy, as this canon should be.

A Conundrum of Charms (9662 words) by genarti
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Kate and Cecelia - Caroline Stevermer & Patricia Wrede
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Kate Schofield, Walker, Reardon, Cecelia Tarleton
Additional Tags: Epistolary, Case Fic, Extremely low-stakes case fic, mediocre embroidery, Friendship, Family
Summary: Dear Readers, When a scullery maid in the Tarleton household finds a charm bag under her mattress, it's certainly enough mystery to liven up our days -- especially since Cecy is expecting, and can't work magic until the child is born! Luckily, we adore a mystery. And our ladies' maids, Reardon and Walker, are no slouches themselves at helping us sort out pickles. Love, Kate and Cecy

I especially love the little details that, were this a story written as a true Letter Game, would be cues for the next writer to pick up and run with!

Birds of a Feather (5061 words) by LookingForOctober
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Mirabile - Janet Kagan
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Ilanith, Susan (Mirabile), Annie and Leo's kid, Annie Jason Masmajean
Summary: Over a decade post-book, a problem with hummingbirds threatens an important ecosystem on Mirabile.

Complicates the biology of canon in excellent ways.

Fair White Wings of Imagination as Bases of Profound Physical Inquiries (4933 words) by Lyrstzha
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Ada Lovelace, Charles Babbage, Isambard Brunel, Minion
Additional Tags: Adventure, Steampunk, Mathematics, Engineering, Alternate History, Footnotes, Geniuses, And yet more foonotes, Always plan on rats, Yuletide 2017, Yuletide, Humor, Victorian Science Fiction, Historical
Summary: The Extinction Equation predicts our Dire Doom! Which is to say, the Empire doesn't make mathematical sense, according to the Engine. But surely the amazing powers of three geniuses can save us all! // Wherein There is a Tragical Conclusion Marvelously Averted by the Powers of Science, With Interesting & Curious Anecdotes of Eccentric and Distinguished Characters Fully Illustrating a Variety of Instructive and Amusing Scenes as Performed Within and Without the Remarkable DIFFERENCE ENGINE.

Exactly what it says on the tin.

Next, cozy and/or lovely canon-ish moments: Addison, The Goblin Emperor; Lackey, Kethry & Tarma books; McKinley, Spindle's End; Turner, The Queen's Thief; King, IT; Helprin, Winter's Tale.

Lessons (1410 words) by Trismegistus
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Goblin Emperor - Katherine Addison
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Kiru Athmaza, Telimezh (The Goblin Emperor)
Additional Tags: Slice of Life
Summary: They were all of them learning it as they went along... // In which two of Edrehasivar VII's nohecharei set out to solve an unforeseen problem.

A small moment, lovely in its thoughtfulness.

Close as Clasped Hands (3370 words) by inlovewithnight
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Valdemar Series - Mercedes Lackey
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Kethry & Tarma shena Tale'sedrin
Additional Tags: animal husbandry, Horses, the poorly-kept secrets of Velgarth theology
Summary: Late spring on the Plains is a gentle season.

A peaceful, meditative interlude, very relaxing and heartwarming.

safe with us (1350 words) by polkadot
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Spindle's End - Robin McKinley
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Katriona & Rosie
Characters: Katriona (Spindle's End), Rosie (Spindle's End), Peony (Spindle's End)
Summary: There were times during the day that Katriona went as many as three hours without thinking of the fate that hung over their house like an executioner’s sword suspended at the highest point of its swing.

An interlude that gets the voice and all the little details exactly right.

A Needle, A Thread (9185 words) by jibrailis
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Queen's Thief - Megan Whalen Turner
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Costis/Kamet (Queen's Thief)
Summary: Goats are purchased, a plot is uncovered, and Costis Ormentiedes is in love.

This is really charming and snuggly, even if you don't ship them.

all the nameless that keeps us rising despite (3984 words) by younglegends
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: IT - Stephen King
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Beverly Marsh/Richie Tozier/Stanley Uris, Beverly Marsh/Richie Tozier, Richie Tozier/Stanley Uris, Beverly Marsh/Stanley Uris
Characters: Stanley Uris, Richie Tozier, Beverly Marsh
Additional Tags: Underage Drinking, Spin the Bottle, Fooling Around
Summary: When Stan went over to Richie’s house after dinner to tutor him for their math test tomorrow he thought he knew exactly what he was signing up for.

A lovely sweet moment of connection between the three of them, only a tiny bit bitter by virtue of the point in canon.

Reward (2471 words) by Eccentric_Hat
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Winter's Tale - Mark Helprin
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Beverly Penn/Peter Lake
Characters: Peter Lake, Beverly Penn, Harry Penn
Additional Tags: References to a canonical character death
Summary: Peter Lake is thinking about the past.

It's been ages since I read this book, but this is really beautiful and makes me want to reread and see what I think of it now.

Finally in this quasi-chronological tour of closely-canon-aligned stories, we have epilogues & other post-canon goodness, for: Cho, Sorceror to the Crown; Morgenstern, Princess Bride (and it's definitely the book, not the movie); Jemisin, Broken Earth; Novik, Temeraire; Novik, Uprooted; Vernon, Digger; Jupiter Ascending; Ocean's Eleven.

Delicate Matters (1536 words) by rosefox
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Sorcerer to the Crown - Zen Cho
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Prunella Gentleman & Mak Genggang
Characters: Prunella Gentleman, Mak Genggang
Additional Tags: Pregnancy, Advice, Motherhood, mother figure, Yuletide, Misses Clause Challenge, Chromatic Yuletide
Summary: Most ladies, upon finding themselves in a delicate condition, would turn to their mothers for advice. Prunella Wythe's mother being unavailable, she turns to the nearest available substitute: Mak Genggang.

These two! "Children become smarter by consuming the brains of their parents," Mak Genggang said dryly. // "What, do they really!" Prunella said. "Then it is fortunate Zacharias and I have so much to spare."

The Proposal (2043 words) by rosefox
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Princess Bride (1987), The Princess Bride - William Goldman, The Princess Bride - Simon Morgenstern
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Fezzik/Inigo Montoya
Characters: Fezzik (Princess Bride), Inigo Montoya
Additional Tags: Wordplay, Flirting, Cultural Differences, Size Difference, Post-Canon, Missing Scene, Marriage Proposal, Rhyming, Fluff and Humor, Fluff, Yuletide
Series: Part 1 of The Fighter Grooms
Summary: Fencing, fighting, liniment, proposals, awkwardness, true love, sausages.

"Morgenstern now spends twenty-six pages on Inigo and Fezzik discussing every particular of the wedding, including where to have it (they decide on Guilder as a convenient neutral location), when to have it (seven of those pages explain the relative virtues of spring, summer, fall, and winter weddings, with digressions into the weather patterns of the villages where Fezzik and Inigo grew up), whom to invite, what accoutrements to have, where to acquire them, and so on and so on."

For the Last Time (4801 words) by estelraca
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Broken Earth Series - N. K. Jemisin
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Tonkee Innovator Dibars/Hjarka Leadership Castrima
Characters: Tonkee Innovator Dibars, Hjarka Leadership Castrima
Additional Tags: Post-Apocalypse, Grief/Mourning
Summary: Tonkee and Hjarka have watched worlds end, time and time again. At least this time they are together as they face it.

An excellent epilogue; I'm particularly struck by the way it starts with Tonkee's tight focus on one thing and then widens out.

First Blood (1325 words) by brutti_ma_buoni
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Temeraire - Naomi Novik
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Lady Allendale, Jane Roland
Summary: In which Lady Allendale is set a challenge by the Admiral, and proves herself an able lieutenant

I remain sad that canon didn't show us the two of them working together, so this was especially welcome.

Now Is Found (the Fairest of Roses) (5828 words) by riverlight
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Uprooted - Naomi Novik
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Agnieszka/The Dragon | Sarkan, Agnieszka/Kasia (Uprooted)
Characters: Agnieszka (Uprooted), Kasia (Uprooted), The Dragon | Sarkan
Additional Tags: Post-Canon, Epistolary
Summary: It’s not as simple as “happily ever after,” no matter what happens in all the stories.

A very careful, satisfying epilogue that does justice to the worldbuilding, the characters, and their relationships.

Comparative Theology (3163 words) by Sour_Idealist
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Digger (Comic)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Digger-of-Unnecessarily-Convoluted-Tunnels, Jhalm (Digger), Murai (Digger), Shadowchild
Additional Tags: Religion, Character Study
Summary: "If God did not exist, it would have been necessary for man to invent one." // A man, a girl, a wombat, and a demon pray, or try praying, to four different gods.

Two great post-canon stories from this author; I like this one a smidge better, but Anything That Talks, which focuses on Murai and Jhalm, is also great.

Something Borrowed (7435 words) by miss_pryss
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Jupiter Ascending (2015)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Jupiter Jones/Caine Wise
Characters: Jupiter Jones (Jupiter Ascending), Aunt Nino (Jupiter Ascending), Caine Wise, Stinger Apini
Summary: Jupiter discovers that the one thing Caine Wise wants most in life is to be a pretty pretty bride on his wedding day. And she sets out to make that happen. // Look, I'll be frank: this is over 7000 words of pure self-indulgence. My only hope is that it scratches an itch for my recipient as well.

This is exactly what it says on the tin and it's very good at it.

The Last of the American Girls (7904 words) by kaydeefalls
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Ocean's (Movies)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Danny Ocean/Tess Ocean, Danny Ocean/Rusty Ryan
Characters: Tess Ocean, Rusty Ryan, Danny Ocean, Linus Caldwell
Additional Tags: Road Trips, Male-Female Friendship, not exactly poly but not exactly not, Misses Clause Challenge, POV Female Character, Bisexual Male Character, seeing America by way of art museums, and hopefully not robbing them blind Rusty, three to six months, kind of ignores 12 and 13
Summary: She's a sucker for all the criminals breaking the law. The Tess&Rusty road trip fic everyone's been clamoring for.

Everything about this is great, the voices and the art and the tone and the way their relationship changes. (Insert my standard rant here about poorly served Tess is by canon.) (Also, this is the tiniest thing, but of course Lou hates Rusty.)

Moving further away from canon, we have stories that are extrapolating, extending, or crossing-over canon in delightfully imaginative ways: Stout, Nero Wolfe in the present day; Calvin and Hobbes, as Calvin and Hobbes; and Byatt's Possession crossed with Abbott's Flatland.

new phone who dis (1031 words) by Frostfire
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Nero Wolfe - Rex Stout
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Archie Goodwin, Nero Wolfe, Saul Panzer, Fritz Brenner, Inspector Cramer (Nero Wolfe)
Additional Tags: Epistolary, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Humor
Summary: me: Target went home. Staking out the building until further notice. / me: where is your phone? / me: we are not doing this again.

This is EXACTLY how it would be if Rex Stout were still alive.

The Anachronistic Calvin and Hobbes (1281 words) by mayhap
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Calvin & Hobbes, Philosophy RPF, John Calvin and Thomas Hobbes - Nina Matsumoto
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: John Calvin & Thomas Hobbes
Characters: John Calvin, Thomas Hobbes (Philosopher)
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Fusion, Philosophy, Crack Treated Seriously
Summary: John Calvin has a chronologically-impossible friend. It had to happen.

This is high-density excellence, here.

On the Nature of a Side (2315 words) by UrsulaKohl
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Possession - A. S. Byatt, Flatland - Edwin A. Abbott
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Maud Bailey/Roland Mitchell, Original Female Character/Original Female Character, Original Female Character/Original Male Character
Characters: Maud Bailey, Roland Mitchell, Christabel LaMotte
Additional Tags: Crossover, Yuletide, Romantic Friendship, Epistolary, Mathematics, Poetry
Summary: Once one has uncovered a set of nineteenth-century letters, one is forever an expert upon such discoveries, even if they entail the mathematical fantasia of a person such as Agnes Hart, niece to the famed educator Edwin Abbott Abbott.

There is so much about this that's good in a really small space, it's incredibly impressive.

And to end, three stories that I mentally grouped as dark delights: A Dark Room (video game); King, Dark Tower series; Bronte, Jane Eyre.

Red Tide Is Over (2052 words) by chasesstarlight
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: A Dark Room (Video Game)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Characters: Wanderer (A Dark Room), Original Characters
Additional Tags: Worldbuilding, Post-Apocalypse, Original Character Death(s), POV Outsider
Summary: After the world falls apart, the survivors do their best to rebuild their home in the dust.

Look, I have played this game and I have enjoyed it greatly, but this is 100% accurate about the POV reversal, in the way fanfic is so good at.

You Take Your Choice At This Time (546 words) by Edonohana
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Dark Tower - Stephen King
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence
Summary: Ka is a wheel; its one purpose is to turn.

This is a tiny, tantalizing AU, rich with implications both backward and forward.

Epilogue (3353 words) by havisham
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Jane Eyre - Charlotte Brontë
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Jane Eyre/Edward Rochester
Characters: Jane Eyre, Edward Rochester, Bertha Mason
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Character Death, Mental Health Issues, Yuletide Treat
Summary: Not everything, Jane learns early on, is real.

This is wonderful and creepy; I love the way it uses ambiguity until (to my reading) almost the very end.

(See also the last story in the original works section, Underworlds: The Life and Afterlife of Richard Upton Pickman.)

And that's all for 2017! If you like, please comment, or at least hit the kudos button!

Comments

[rosefox]

Aw, thank you for reccing my fics!

[kate_nepveu]

thank you for writing them!

[genarti]

Thank you for the rec!

And thank you also for the long list of fic, some of which I remember enjoying at the time but some of which I didn't read and definitely want to now. :D

[kate_nepveu]

I'd be surprised, seemed like every story I read, there you were in the kudos and comments--I was definitely admiring you (and Becca!) for it!

[genarti]

I was pretty good about commenting for the fics I did read, but as usual I ran out of steam partway through the archive. Every year I tell myself firmly that THIS time I'll read all the way through, and every year I am optimistically lying to myself. So there are all kinds of things in fandoms I didn't make it to!

[kate_nepveu]

Well, I hope you find something you like!

[jainas]

Thank you for the recs, I had missed some of those!
My "To read later" list is growing faster than I can follow... And it's about to get worst! :D

[kate_nepveu]

Oh, it's a constant problem, but I'm glad it's a pleasant one!

[larryhammer]

I still reread "Five Views of Mt Fuji". Every gift I've gotten from Quillori has been excellent.

[kate_nepveu]

I'm very bad with usernames but I thought that sounded familiar!

What a noble public service

[jesse_the_k]

I hope you have as much fun reading as you do reccing, and thanks for sharing your thoughts.

Re: What a noble public service

[kate_nepveu]

I sure do! Thanks.

[espresso_addict]

Thanks for these; there were a few brilliant ones here I'd overlooked.

[kate_nepveu]

Yay! Glad to hear it.

[lokifan]

Thanks for the recs! Excited to read that Lark/Rosethorn later and omg Color Theory is everything I hoped it would be!!

[kate_nepveu]

woo! glad to hear it.