kate_nepveu | Yuletide 2013 recs

I'm getting my Yuletide recs up early this year! . . . by which I mean earlier than last year, by a whole two days. (Well, it was the 21st before I started reworking my organization scheme on the fly and His Pipliness needed soothing back to sleep, twice. Close enough.) But these are still recs for last year's Yuletide.

Despite the timing, these are all pre-reveal recs: I clipped everything that looked vaguely interesting into Evernote and read it that way, with "anonymous" listed as every author. (In fact I am cutting and pasting so fast now that I am not even registering the author half the time . . . ) There are 59 of these, if my tag count in Evernote is correct, so they are broken down into cut-tagged categories for your convenience; there are headers inside that match the cut-tags for skimming purposes. I am sorry for the lack of detailed discussion, but I hope the headers and my comments give you an idea of whether you want to read the story anyway. Feel free to comment if you'd like more information.

Anime & Movies: Brave, Disney Princesses, E.T., Galaxy Quest, Out of Sight, The Princess Bride, Princess Tutu (2)

Expertise? (1114 words) by lalaietha
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Brave (2012)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Merida (Brave), Hamish (Brave), Hubert (Brave), Harris (Brave), Fergus (Brave)
Summary: Merida didn't try to become an expert in dealing with the supernatural.

Adorable and quite plausible.

Four Things that Weren't Adequately Covered in Mulan's R.A. Training (4541 words) by NaomiK
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Disney Princesses
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Characters: Fa Mulan, Aurora (Sleeping Beauty), Snow White (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs 1937), Ariel (The Little Mermaid), Tiana (Princess and the Frog), Rapunzel (Tangled), Belle (Beauty and the Beast 1991), Merida (Brave), Cinderella (Cinderella 1950), Jasmine (Aladdin)
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting
Summary: Mulan is a Resident Assistant on a dormitory floor at a college. Gosh, some of the students on her floor come from really screwed-up families.

This is really charming.

I'll Be Right Here (3933 words) by Annie D
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Elliott (E.T.), Gertie (E.T.), Original Characters
Additional Tags: Post-Canon
Summary: Years after E.T. went home, Elliot still remembers.

This is a well-rounded, satisfying future fic.

SMOF (3226 words) by hollimichele
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Galaxy Quest (1999)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Brandon Wheeger, Fred Kwan, Laliari (Galaxy Quest), Mathesar (Galaxy Quest), Original Characters
Additional Tags: fandom is just a goddamn hobby, usually
Summary: In this fandom, there are things you don’t talk about.

Perfectly captures the delight of the movie. (Be sure to read the zine, too!)

Gary and Celeste, what do they know about anything? (728 words) by seren_ccd
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Out of Sight (1998)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Jack Foley/Karen Sisco
Characters: Jack Foley, Karen Sisco, Buddy
Additional Tags: Yuletide Treat
Summary: What if they did take a time out? Karen Sisco and Jack Foley throughout the years.

This is a very true-to-canon epilogue, funny and bittersweet.

The Prince and the Pirate (7662 words) by LookingForOctober
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Princess Bride (1987)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Buttercup/Westley
Characters: Buttercup (Princess Bride), Westley (Princess Bride), Humperdinck
Summary: True love. Pirate treasure. Fencing. Fighting. Captures. Escapes. Life and death. Pursuing happiness. // Getting away from Humperdinck wasn't so easy after all. // This is an AU in which Buttercup was the maid of all work who became a pirate and Westley was the prince. Some of the genders of other characters have also been changed, but other than that, the world is more or less the same.

Even in the movie, Buttercup could definitely use some more agency (the book is worse), so this role-swap of post-canon hits the spot.

The One You Earn (1151 words) by autumndynasty
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Princess Tutu
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Ahiru | Duck/Fakir
Characters: Fakir (Princess Tutu), Ahiru | Duck, Mytho (Princess Tutu), Rue (Princess Tutu)
Additional Tags: Character Study, Fairy Tales, Hopeful Ending, Post-Canon Fix-It
Summary: The best endings are the ones your earn and Fakir is determined to earn theirs, no matter what form it may take. A story of having your cake and trying to eat it too.

This is an enjoyable, thoughtful take on post-canon.

The Cat in the Castle and Other Stories (6642 words) by oxfordRoulette
Chapters: 5/5
Fandom: Princess Tutu
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Ahiru | Duck & Fakir & Mytho & Rue, Ahiru | Duck/Rue, Princess Tutu/Fakir, Mytho/Fakir, Mytho/Rue
Characters: Ahiru | Duck, Fakir (Princess Tutu), Mytho (Princess Tutu), Rue (Princess Tutu), Mr. Cat, Drosselmeyer, Princess Tutu - Character
Additional Tags: Illustrated, Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Fairy Tale Style
Summary: An illustrated look at obscure legends and fairy tales from throughout the world.

Five fairy tales given the Tutu treatment, with a lot of nice resonances and connections.

TV: Endeavour, Elementary (4), Fraggle Rock, The Middleman (4), Twin Peaks

There's an Endeavour crossover with Rivers of London in the book section: A Perfectly Human Monster (5144 words) by Philomytha.

The Evolution of Reptiles (7708 words) by Fahye
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Elementary (TV)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Characters: Jamie Moriarty | Irene Adler, Joan Watson (Elementary)
Additional Tags: Magical Realism
Summary: "You could at least pretend at some small talk before you pull out the crayons," Moriarty says.

A bunch of good Elementary fic this year, though of course it's all as of the middle of S2. Here's a slightly magic-realist take on Moriarty, through Joan visiting her in prison, which has an excellent voice for her.

Team The Best Team (5715 words) by neveralarch
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Elementary (TV)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Marcus Bell/Alfredo Llamosa, Marcus Bell/Ms. Hudson, Marcus Bell/Ms. Hudson/Alfredo Llamosa
Characters: Marcus Bell, Alfredo Llamosa, Ms. Hudson (Elementary), Joan Watson (Elementary), Sherlock Holmes
Additional Tags: Polyamory, Canon Character of Color, Trans Female Character
Summary: Marcus gets along really well with Holmes' friends.

Perfectly delightful.

A Life Undiscovered (3286 words) by girl_wonder
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Elementary (TV)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Joan Watson (Elementary), Ms. Hudson (Elementary), Alfredo Llamosa, Sherlock Holmes
Additional Tags: Misses Clause Challenge, Chromatic Yuletide, Alternate Universe - Fusion, Alternate Universe - Daemons
Summary: Joan Watson navigates her new situation. HDM fusion.

I love daemon AUs, and these character studies are excellent.

The Iron and the Spark (12494 words) by lilacsigil
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Elementary (TV), Batwoman (Comic)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Kate Kane/Maggie Sawyer
Characters: Joan Watson (Elementary), Sherlock Holmes (Elementary), Kate Kane, Maggie Sawyer, Marcus Bell
Additional Tags: Case Fic, Background Femslash, Crossover
Summary: When Watson and Holmes are hired to find the missing Kate Kane, the case quickly becomes complicated and dangerous.

I don't know the crossover fandom, but I didn't feel I needed to since it's from Joan's POV. And it's a nice meaty story, very enjoyable.

Do What You Wanna Do (2798 words) by Meltha
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Fraggle Rock
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Gobo Fraggle, Red Fraggle, Mokey Fraggle, Wembley Fraggle, Boober Fraggle, The Storyteller (Fraggle Rock)
Additional Tags: mildly scary, Humor, Yuletide 2013
Summary: Boober runs into the last thing he wants to find as he's doing his beloved laundry.

My childhood! *clutches story to chest* This is perfect.

Epiphany (1360 words) by Raven
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Middleman (TV)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Tyler Ford/Wendy Watson
Characters: Wendy Watson, Lacey Thornfield, Tyler Ford, Noser (The Middleman), The Middleman
Additional Tags: Christmas, Epiphany, Zombies
Summary: "Hey, what do I get my boss for Christmas-Epiphany-general-festival-of-expressing-love-through-capitalism-whatever?"

A bunch of good Middleman fic this year. Here's a sweet little holiday-gift-giving story to start.

The Dual Proficiency Protocol (2451 words) by victoria_p
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Middleman (TV)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Wendy Watson, Noser (The Middleman)
Additional Tags: Best Friends, death-defying adventures, Derring-Do, Humor
Summary: "So, this happens to you a lot?" "Oh, you know, just on days that end in y."

And then Wendy and Noser being friends and having Middle-tastic adventures, because Wendy's friends being prohibited from knowing the truth about her employment chafed on me more and more as the season went on.

Baby, You're Much Too Fast (3411 words) by entwashian
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Middleman (TV)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Roxy Wasserman, Ida (The Middleman), The Middleman, Wendy Watson
Summary: Roxy Wasserman has a problem. Ida (reluctantly) helps.

A very funny odd-duo casefic.

the reflective refractive blues (10091 words) by shinealightonme
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Middleman (TV)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Wendy Watson, Lacey Thornfield
Additional Tags: Parallel Universes, Mirror Universe, Doppelganger, Female Friendship, Female Character of Color, Case Fic
Summary: The Mirror universe isn't done with Wendy yet.

Finally, a long fix-it for the Mirror 'verse.

Dweller on the Threshold (39743 words) by Nemo_the_Everbeing
Chapters: 7/7
Fandom: Twin Peaks
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Dale Cooper, Albert Rosenfield, Audrey Horne, Harry Truman, Dennis "Denise" Bryson, Tommy 'Hawk' Hill, Big Ed Hurley, Margaret "The Log Lady" Lanterman, Sarah Palmer, Major Garland Briggs, The Man from Another Place, Laura Palmer, Maddy Ferguson, BOB (Twin Peaks), MIKE (Twin Peaks)
Additional Tags: Series Spoilers, Abstract Mention of 'Fire Walk with Me', Some mention of canon relationships, Canon Character of Color, Canon Gender Queer Character, Fanon Gay Character, Canon Typical Violence, BOB Being Himself, Possession, Resolution for the Final Episode, Body Horror, Psychological Horror, Just sort of a Blanket Warning for Canon Typical Horror, Audrey Being a Badass, Albert Being a Badass, Harry's Poor Coping Mechanisms, White Lodge, Black Lodge, Philip Gerard Has a Name, Attempts at Lynchian Levels of Weirdness, Albert Audrey and Denise Go on a Road Trip
Summary: On April 3, 1989, Audrey Horne turns up at the Philadelphia FBI field office looking for Albert Rosenfield. She has a story to tell, a business card, and a request for assistance. Over the next few days Albert discovers supernatural science projects and the reason why even forensic specialists should keep up their firearms training, Denise Bryson has a car and the will to use it, the Bookhouse Boys really ought to subcontract more, and Harry Truman has a serious problem on his hands: // BOB is out, and eager for fun. He wears a smile; everybody run.

The only reason I didn't put this above the cut is because I haven't watched the series since it ended, and so I can't vouch for the canon-compatibility of it. But I don't actually care, because it's 40K of post-series fix-it, with a huge cast of characters, and Audrey and Albert being badasses, and very canon-typical levels of creepy and weird, and it's just really fucking impressive. (Also does a nice job of seeding context as to how things stood at the start of the series, for people like me.)

Books: Code Name Verity, Cotillion, Doctrine of Labyrinths, Emelan (Circle series) (2), Five Hundred Kingdoms, Gentleman Bastards (2)

Nobody's Angel (2703 words) by tiboribi
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Code Name Verity - Elizabeth Wein
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Characters: Anna Engel, Julie Beaufort-Stuart, Georgia Penn, Amadeus von Linden
Summary: The secret diary of Anna Engel

I still haven't read Rose Under Fire, so I was limited in what fic I could read this year; but I really wanted more about Anna after Code Name Verity, and this is just right.

The Birds and the Bees (4280 words) by Lbilover
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Cotillion - Georgette Heyer
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Kitty Charing/Freddy Standen
Characters: Kitty Charing, Freddy Standen, Lord Legerwood, Lady Legerwood
Additional Tags: Humor, Regency Romance, Romantic Comedy
Summary: In which Lord Legerwood has a conversation with his son, with predictable results, and Kitty provides Freddy with enlightenment.

This is very funny in a canon-compatible way.

Open Mouth, Insert Foot (3389 words) by rapacityinblue
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Doctrine of Labyrinths - Sarah Monette
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Kay Brightmore & Vanessa Pallister, Kay Brightmore/Mildmay Foxe, Felix Harrowgate/Murtagh | Ferrand Carey
Characters: Kay Brightmore, Murtagh | Ferrand Carey, Mildmay Foxe, Felix Harrowgate
Summary: Ferrand Carey, the man least comfortable with open displays of emotion, is ordered by Vanessa Pallister to discover if her husband is sleeping with anyone. (And fix it, if he's not.)

Fun multi-POV post-canon story. (The Kay/Mildmay is one-sided.)

(There's another story with good Mildmay voice, Cabbages and Kings (2685 words) by rapacityinblue, but I'm so hazy on the end of canon that unfortunately I can't tell if it makes any sense. ETA: hah, see what I mean about c&p'ing things so fast I'm not registering author names? Of course it's also got good voice, it's by the same person.)

Dear (1600 words) by KiaraSayre
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Emelan - Tamora Pierce
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Sandrilene fa Toren, Briar Moss, Trisana Chandler, Daja Kisubo
Additional Tags: Epistolary
Summary: A selection of letters to and from Trisana Chandler during her four years at Lightsbridge.

Tris-at-Lightsbridge and epistolary, i.e., entirely up my alley, and with really great details (that mage name!).

Conflict Resolution (2158 words) by grim_lupine
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Emelan - Tamora Pierce
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Sandrilene fa Toren, Trisana Chandler, Briar Moss, Daja Kisubo, Vedris fer Toren
Additional Tags: Epistolary, POV Outsider, N Things
Summary: Three times Sandry handled things her foster-siblings’ way, and one time she went with hers.

Another epistolary story, this time about that other topic of great fannish fruitfulness, Sandry as the Duke's heir. This includes a really nice range of characters from the overall series.

Scrambling (3270 words) by NYCScribbler
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms - Mercedes Lackey
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Summary: When Siegfried and Leopold run into complications on a quest, it's up to the ladies to save the day.

The Sleeping Beauty is my favorite of this series, and this is a fun look at the characters and another fan-wrought assessment of how this form of magic might affect people with different identities, here a trans person.

The Goddess of Suffering Scam (4266 words) by Edonohana
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Gentleman Bastard Sequence - Scott Lynch
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Jean Tannen, Father Chains, Locke Lamora, Calo Sanza, Galdo Sanza
Additional Tags: Don't Have to Know Canon, No Spoilers, Con Artists
Summary: In the early days of the Gentleman Bastards, Locke impersonates a self-flagellating acolyte of the Goddess of Suffering, and Jean stands by as the muscle in case the mark catches on. You know what they say about the best-laid plans.

Exactly what it says on the tin.

a glass poured to air (1717 words) by Raven
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Gentleman Bastard Sequence - Scott Lynch
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Sabetha Belacoros/Locke Lamora, Locke Lamora/Jean Tannen
Characters: Locke Lamora, Sabetha Belacoros, Jean Tannen, Lamor Acanthus
Additional Tags: Spoilers, The Republic of Thieves
Summary: There comes a day months afterwards, almost enough to begin counting in years, when Locke Lamora stops in front of a mirror and says, "Lamor Acanthus."

In case you missed it in the tags: spoilers for Republic of Thieves, and also won't make any sense without it; but it was just the story I needed after that book.

Books: Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (2), Lady's Not for Burning, Lymond Chronicles (2), Mageworlds, Mary Russell

A Necklace of Broken Promises and Regrets (10865 words) by Kaesa
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell - Susanna Clarke
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Jonathan Strange, Gilbert Norrell, Henry Lascelles, The Lady of the Castle of the Plucked Eye and Heart, Original Characters
Additional Tags: Fairies, Footnotes, Post-Canon
Summary: While traveling in Faerie, Strange and Norrell encounter Henry Lascelles. He is half-conscious, ill, and murderous, and he has made a powerful enemy.

I already recced this story and the next at the Tor.com reread, so I'll just say what I did there, that this feels like a very plausible extension of the book.

Of Five Adventures That Occurred During The Reign Of The Raven Barista. (1224 words) by Lanna Michaels
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell - Susanna Clarke
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: William of Lanchester & The Raven King
Characters: The Raven King, William of Lanchester, Catherine of Winchester, Gilbert Norrell, John Childermass, Arabella Strange, Emma Pole, Thomas of Dundale, Jonathan Strange, Martin Pale
Additional Tags: Yuletide 2013, Yuletide Treat, Crack Fic, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shop, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Modern: Still Have Powers, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, 5 Things, Magic, english magic, William Of Lanchester Is So Done With Your Bullshit, Espresso Is The Spell John Uskglass Is Doing, #Yuletide Chat Challenge 2013, Snorkels
Summary: Cracky coffee shop AU with magic!

And this is a lot of fun.

The Soldier's Not for Leaving (2303 words) by adiva_calandia
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Lady's Not For Burning
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Jennet Jourdemayne/Thomas Mendip
Summary: 1400, more or less, and a day later, to be precise. // The soldier, the lady, and her dog watch the moon rise. Because there is life beyond the pyre -- but it's going to take work, and time, and love, to keep it going. // A helpful spell might not go amiss, either, if the right one comes along.

I'm very conflicted about this one. The language and characterization is great, but as the last line of the summary suggests, Jennet is actually a witch in this, and I object to that quite strongly. But if you feel the same as me, you can just stop reading when Thomas falls asleep?

Twa Turtledoves, and a Cockerel in Clover (1265 words) by Jay Tryfanstone
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Lymond Chronicles - Dorothy Dunnett
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply, Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Francis Crawford/Christian Stewart
Characters: Christian Stewart, Francis Crawford
Additional Tags: Yuletide Pinchhit, Yuletide 2013, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence
Summary: She had been trying, with some success, to allow Francis laughter.

I don't remember canon well enough to judge this on all levels: but it's beautifully written and I loved Christian, so I was happy to read it.

A Meeting of the Minds (2417 words) by yunitsa
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: 16th Century CE RPF, Lymond Chronicles - Dorothy Dunnett
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Christopher Marlowe, Francis Walsingham, Francis Crawford
Additional Tags: Stealth Crossover, Queer Gen
Summary: In which Kit Marlowe is sent to recruit a visiting nobleman, and finds himself recruited in turn.

I love this look at an elderly Lymond.

Young-Wandering-Time (856 words) by Malkin Grey
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Mageworlds
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Llannat Hyfid
Summary: Llannat Hyfid has some choices to make . . . but staying home isn't one of them.

Llannat was one of my favorites of the series, and this look at her origins makes me really happy (and also wish I had time to re-read all the books right now).

More Enjoyable Than a Partridge, with or without Pear Tree (1437 words) by brutti_ma_buoni
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Mary Russell - Laurie R. King
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/Mary Russell
Characters: Sherlock Holmes, Mary Russell
Additional Tags: Christmas Party, Domestic
Summary: It is an early Christmas in the Russell-Holmes household, and mild tedium leads to unwise domestic celebrations.

Gets the voices just right.

Books: Miss Marple, Nero Wolfe, The Outsiders, Pern, Queen's Thief, Rivers of London (3), Robot (Asimov)

Murder at the Fête (3010 words) by Vyola
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Miss Marple - Agatha Christie
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Jane Marple
Summary: When murder strikes unseen, only Miss Marple can sort through means, motive, and opportunity to reveal the killer.

Impressively successful pastiche.

Twice Removed (3730 words) by astolat
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Nero Wolfe - Rex Stout
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Archie Goodwin/Lily Rowan
Characters: Archie Goodwin, Nero Wolfe, Lily Rowan, Saul Panzer, Inspector Cramer
Summary: "I fully recognize it's beneath you," I told him, having given him a sketch of Lily's problem. "The necklace is only worth a measly twenty or thirty grand, and it's not as though you've ever considered yourself in Miss Rowan's debt — " // "Grrh," Wolfe said, so I took it that my point had been made and moved on.

Another excellent pastiche of a classic mystery series.

Dawn Goes Down To Day (13250 words) by Sharksdontsleep
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Outsiders - S. E. Hinton, The Outsiders - All Media Types, The Wire
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Johnny Cade/Dallas Winston
Characters: Johnny Cade, Dallas Winston, Ponyboy Curtis, Bob Sheldon, Randy Adderson
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, The Wire - Fusion, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Supernatural Elements, Canonical Character Death, Mentions of Suicide, Canon-Typical Violence, Canon-typical swearing, Hurt/Comfort
Summary: The new kid drops into the chair closest to Johnny. “Pass me that worksheet, will ya,” he says, with a twang that says he’s not local. // Johnny and Dally, in Baltimore.

Something like a fix-it, and a very interesting take on their relationship and how it (and they) might change under other circumstances; The Wire content is minimal. Disclaimer: I beta-read this.

Pieces of the Whole (5258 words) by astrokath
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Dragonriders of Pern - Anne McCaffrey
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Characters: Original Characters
Additional Tags: Character Death, Weyrlings, Impression, Dark
Summary: Your dragon is with you for life, and loves you for life, no matter how badly you screw up. How do you adjust to that? // What if you can't?

Impressive worldbuilding.

on hairpins (2832 words) by Lirazel
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Queen's Thief - Megan Whalen Turner
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Attolia/Eugenides (Queen's Thief)
Characters: Attolia (Queen's Thief), Eugenides (Queen's Thief), Costis (Queen's Thief), Eddis (Queen's Thief)
Summary: When the citizens of Attolia complain that the Thief of Eddis is a terrible influence on their queen, they have no way of knowing the truth of their own words.

Cuuuuuuuuuuuute.

The Abigail Kamara Approach to Policework & Magic (1482 words) by moriann
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Rivers of London - Ben Aaronovitch
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Peter Grant & Abigail Kamara
Characters: Peter Grant, Abigail Kamara
Additional Tags: Brutalist Architecture, Women Being Awesome, Towards the Industrial Use of Magic, Future Fic
Summary: Real magic is not cool; it’s a pain in the arse. Not to mention bloody hard to learn. And you’ll be stuck learning it from guys who’d pretend they’re walking encyclopedias of magic when the truth is they’ve been mostly bumbling along, because they’re unaware of the many, many ways they are wrong. Seriously, I’m talking from experience here.

Abigail is the best.

Folly To Be Wise (6661 words) by Philomytha
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Rivers of London - Ben Aaronovitch
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Characters: Thomas Nightingale, Peter Grant, Lesley May
Additional Tags: Case Fic, Ghosts, World War II, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Ettersberg
Summary: Where ignorance is bliss, 'tis folly to be wise.

Excellent, extremely canon-reminscient casefic set sometime around the second or third books.

A Perfectly Human Monster (5144 words) by Philomytha
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Endeavour (TV), Rivers of London - Ben Aaronovitch
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Characters: Endeavour Morse, Fred Thursday, Jim Strange, Thomas Nightingale, Mason Gull
Additional Tags: Crossover, Case Fic, Episode Related, Magic
Summary: The 'opera phantom' killer is aiming for a bigger target than Morse.

I don't know Endeavour at all, but I enjoyed this for an outsider's perspective on Nightingale pre-canon.

A Woman's Touch (2289 words) by sath
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Robot Series - Isaac Asimov
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Susan Calvin
Additional Tags: Case Fic, Robot/Human Relationships
Summary: When a U.S. Robots employee is caught trying to steal a prototype robot, Susan Calvin is asked to find out what had caused the man to become so emotionally attached to a machine.

Like canon, but better.

Books: Temeraire, Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England, Tortall (Immortals), The Westing Game (3), The Wheel of Time, Young Wizards

Call and Response (2252 words) by Grey_Bard
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Temeraire - Naomi Novik
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Perscitia & Temeraire
Characters: Temeraire, Perscitia
Additional Tags: Epistolary, Dragons, Humor, University, Cambridge, 1870's, Futurefic, non-human protagonist
Series: Part 1 of With an eye to the future...
Summary:Dragons, higher education and excerable poetry... // Excerpts from the historic correspondence of Vice Chancellor Emeritus Perscitia OBE PhD PhD and the dragon Temeraire, circa 1870.

Give me all the dragons in more modern settings, pushing for equal recognition! (Ooh, and it's part of a series, too, I'll have to read that now.)

The Time Traveller’s Guide: Important Additional Information (1722 words) by lost_spook
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England - Ian Mortimer
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Summary: Because there are always some people who seem to need the obvious spelling out to them…

I haven't read the source, but I have to rec anything that includes "Also, on the related matter of Shakespeare: yes, it has been done before. Whatever it was you were thinking. . . . We have a plaintive sonnet from the Bard himself requesting our Tourists to cease their attentions."

The Pony's Tale (1276 words) by Mardy
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Immortals - Tamora Pierce
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Cloud (Tortall), Skysong (Tortall), Tahoi (Tortall), Veralidaine Sarrasri, post-Wild Magic, pre-Wolf-Speaker
Summary: No company, no apples, no decent grass. Behind her, the infant immortal's chewing of horsehair continued unabated. And no kicking, trampling, or biting. Lovely.

Cloud was one of my favorites in the Immortals series, and this snippet from her POV is great.

Compensation (3769 words) by thelittlestbird
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Westing Game - Ellen Raskin
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Josie-Jo Ford, Turtle Wexler, Sam Westing
Additional Tags: Bechdel Test Pass
Summary: Judge Ford remembers her chess games with Sam Westing, and tries to pay forward some more old debts.

Three great Westing Game fics this year! This is a character study of Judge Ford, how her chess games with Sam Westing might have gone, and how her chess games with Turtle might go.

The Game's Afoot: Five Games Alice Introduced Turtle To (2472 words) by kinetikatrue
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Westing Game - Ellen Raskin
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Turtle Wexler, Alice Wexler-Deere, Angela Wexler, Denton Deere, Theo Theodorakis
Summary: Myst, Magic, Go, geocaching, Apples to Apples - Turtle and Alice through the years in five games.

Here's another look at Turtle in the future through games, this time as an aunt.

The Theodorakis Guide to the Heirs of North America (3649 words) by galaxysoup
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Westing Game - Ellen Raskin
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Chris Theodorakis, Theo Theodorakis, Josie-Jo Ford, Shirley Staver, Turtle Wexler, Sydelle Pulaski, Denton Deere, Flora Baumbach
Additional Tags: Character Study, Post-Book(s), Canon Disabled Character
Summary: In which life happens, as life is prone to doing.

And this is another future fic, a lovely, thoughtful one from Chris's POV that gives the reader a look at many of the other heirs.

Wisdom and Power (1618 words) by russian_blue
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Wheel of Time - Robert Jordan
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Nynaeve al'Meara, Tam al'Thor, Egwene al'Vere, Mistress Barran
Additional Tags: Backstory
Summary: Creator grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; power to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.

Nynaeve's first, unrecognized at the time, use of the One Power. Great character voice.

Get Me To The Church On Time (1875 words) by hollimichele
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Young Wizards - Diane Duane
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Carl Romeo/Tom Swale
Characters: Carmela Rodriguez, Kit Rodriguez, Nita Callahan, Dairine Callahan
Additional Tags: everybody loves a wedding
Summary: Well, there were supposed to be flowers.

Tom and Carl's wedding, with perfect narrator voice and funny and touching bits in the appropriate quantities.

(There's a Calvin & Hobbies fusion in the comics section: Wizards in Winter (2440 words) by vibishan.)

Comics: A-Babies v. X-Babies, Batwoman, Calvin & Hobbes (2), Gunnerkrigg Court

I Always Need to be Sure of You (3025 words) by zarabithia
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: A-Babies Vs. X-Babies
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Bucky Bear, Steve Rogers, Clint Barton, Kate Bishop, Pizza Dog Plushie
Additional Tags: Accidental Star Wars Crossover, References to Clint's Terrible Childhood, Accidental Toy Story Fusion, POV Third Person, Present Tense
Summary: Five times that Bucky Bear knew he was Steve's favorite toy.

Just as adorable as the source (which is saying something).

There's a Batwoman crossover with Elementary in the TV section: The Iron and the Spark (12494 words) by lilacsigil .

Hello Operator, Please Give Me Number Nine (3066 words) by Starlingthefool
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Calvin & Hobbes
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Susie Derkins, Death - Character
Additional Tags: Nerdiness, Deus Ex Machina, Calvinball, Ingmar Bergman references, This is creepier than I intended it to be, Death as a character
Summary: The lesson here, Susie thinks, is that tricking Death is tricky business. How do you outwit the personification of oblivion? Chess, obviously, won’t be the answer. // Or: Susie plays Calvinball with Death.

I didn't find this particularly creepy, but it is a great concept well-executed.

Wizards in Winter (2440 words) by vibishan
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Calvin & Hobbes, Young Wizards - Diane Duane
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Calvin (Calvin and Hobbes), Hobbes (Calvin and Hobbes)
Summary: The advertisement is a spiky red impact bubble on the back of his box of Chocolate Frosted Sugar Bombs. Mail in just five box tops for your very own HOW TO BE A WIZARD KIT* .

Calvin takes the Oath and goes on Ordeal. This is exactly how that would be.

Trickster Tales (1441 words) by magistrate
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Gunnerkrigg Court
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Ysengrin (Gunnerkrigg Court), Coyote (Gunnerkrigg Court), Àjàpá (Yoruba folklore)
Additional Tags: Non-Western mythology, Non-Western folklore, Tricksters
Summary: Àjàpá the Tortoise comes to Gillitie Wood.

What it says on the tin; lovely and welcome.

Miscellaneous: A Dark Room (game), "Jolene" (song), Minesweeper, Space Vehicles anthropomorphic

this isn't ours. (1510 words) by voksen
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: A Dark Room (Doublespeak Games)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Builder/Wanderer (A Dark Room)
Characters: Builder (A Dark Room), Wanderer (A Dark Room)
Additional Tags: Pastiche
Summary: but if you fixed it, it could belong to both of us.

If you've played A Dark Room, read this immediately.
If you haven't, go play it—but not the iOS app!—and then come back and read this.

Summer Rain (9652 words) by abluestocking
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Jolene (Song) - Dolly Parton
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Jolene/Narrator ("Jolene"), Narrator ("Jolene")/Man ("Jolene")
Characters: Jolene, Narrator ("Jolene"), Man ("Jolene")
Additional Tags: Mercenaries, Warring Factions, Applied Politics, High Fantasy
Summary: Even before Jolene ran into an assassination attempt in a dark alley, it had been a long evening and an even longer day.

This is only slightly related to the song, honestly, but it's a pretty great original sword-and-sorcery story with a lesbian mercenary captain.

An Anthropological Summary of Households in the Area Under Consideration (2111 words) by Juanita_Rainbow
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Minesweeper
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Original Characters
Summary: As compiled by the Sweepers Co-operative as an annexe to their annual Sweeper Survey and Report, regarding hold-out areas within the Minelayer Dominion.

This is the kind of off-kilter brilliance that I love out of Yuletide.

Wishing you a peaceful future from the earthlings (442 words) by jadelennox
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Space Vehicles
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Voyager 1 (Space Vehicles)
Additional Tags: Sestina, Poetry, Science, space
Summary: It's not like there's a line painted in the empty
saying, "Last exit for the Oort Cloud. Time to go."

Evokes a genuine sense of wonder; overlook the typo in the first line.

Multi-crossover: Gravity + various

Five Women Ryan Stone Met On the Road (And One Man She Technically Never Did) (4302 words) by xenakis
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Gravity (2013), Sleepy Hollow (TV), Orphan Black (TV), The X-Files, Elementary (TV), The Heat (2013)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Ryan Stone, Matt Kowalski, Abbie Mills, Cosima Niehaus, Dana Scully, Joan Watson (Elementary), Shannon Mullins
Summary: All things considered, the fact that the late Lieutenant Matt Kowalski has taken up residence on the backseat of her car is not the most debilitating of her PTSD symptoms.