#yuletide 2022

[unofficialyuletide]

/in denial about September being like two days away

/in denial about Yuletide Schedule dropping

SO YEAH. It’s (almost) the most wonderful time of the year again!

2022 Yuletide Schedule:

Nominations: Mon 19 Sept to Thurs 29 Sept Sign-ups: Fri 14 Oct to Sat 22 Oct Assignments out by: Mon 24 Oct Default deadline: Sun 11 Dec Assignment deadline: Sun 18 Dec Reveals: Sun 25 Dec

[traincat]

Happy Yuletide! I got two amazing gifts I need to rec. :)

The Geas (Flash Thompson/Kaine Parker, rated T, 13k)

A spell gone awry. A man he knows very little and likes even less. What happens when Scarlet Spider has Agent Venom in his space 24/7? Either they find a new way to relate or someone is going to meet some very painful consequences.

The tags say it all! Forced proximity but make it about agency! This is such a brilliant take on Kaine and his views on intimacy and romance and ownership and ugh it's so good. Thank you to my author for putting all my Kaine thoughts into this one fic, like, when I say it's exactly what I wanted, it's exactly what I wanted. Totally beautiful look at Kaine and Flash and there's also dreamsharing. I don't think I said either of those things were some of my favorite tropes but my author just knew. Go read it!

Meet Me at Our Spot (Johnny Storm/Peter Parker, rated T, 2k)

But once he knew who the man behind the mask was, there was no real reason to keep it up, was there? He could just — go hang out with Pete somewhere that wasn’t in the middle of the Hudson.

This combines two of my favorite Spideytorch staples, the Usual Place Christmas meetups and Johnny's time in the Negative Zone, into something totally new and original. It plays with Johnny's insecurities in a really interesting way and how Peter just gets him. I loved it so much. Thank you to my author!

[theroseandthebeast]

Yuletide 2022 Recs, Batch Four

16 recs for A Knight’s Tale, Knives Out, Last Night In Soho, Little Women, Marvel/MCU/Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and Malevolent (podcast)

of sorrows two, one perfect joy

Geoffrey Chaucer/William Thatcher - And William. His pen flows, when it comes to William. Allegories and dream visions, poetic license, metaphorical chicanery. All of it to say: I’m falling for you. I may have already fallen. It’s too late for me.

my heart is melting, my hands are weak

Marta Cabrera/Ransom Drysdale - By all accounts, she shouldn’t have been there; they’d known for a week that a horrible stormfront was due to drift through the northeast, and Marta had meant to be off the property before the weather got really bad.

But things had progressed faster than anticipated, the snow and wind around Harlan’s house initially mild enough that they didn’t realize how bad it was getting. By the time it registered – when Joni and Meg arrived laden down with presents, stomping clumps of snow from their shoes and huffing about how bad the roads were – it was too late.

Playing to Win

Marta Cabrera/Ransom Drysdale - Meg doesn't call in time, so Ransom has a lot longer in the diner to convince Marta of his idea and move his stones into place.

healing touch

Marta Cabrera/Ransom Drysdale - Marta visits Ransom in prison.

The Gap Year

Sandie | Alexandra Collins, Eloise "Ellie" Turner - It’s funny how it’s only after death that Sandie learns to live again.

zombie (what's in your head)

Theodore "Laurie" Laurence/Amy March - “I think that deep down inside, you’re a romantic,” Laurie said. “Maybe everyone is. Maybe that’s why so many people are miserable.”

“I think that right now, a lot of people are miserable because there are things out there that are actively trying to kill and eat them,” Amy said. (zombie!apocalypse!AU)

Happy

Theodore "Laurie" Laurence/Amy March - “Anything interesting from the girls?” Aunt March says. They’re in the drawing room of the hotel, and Amy still has the letter from Jo held tightly in her hand. She carefully places it down on the writing desk.

“Oh, not much Aunt March,” Amy says, turning the information over in her mind. Beth is ill…and they’re not sure what to do, and mother has been called. “Beth is sick,” she says.

Awkward

Katy Chen/Xu Xialing, Katy Chen & Shang-Chi - It wasn't that Katy was ashamed of her relationship with Xu Xialing. She was, in fact, rather proud of herself for locking that down. In a world of superhero tens, Xialing was an eleven. Brains, beauty, an entrepreneurial spirit combined with a hard work ethic—Xialing had it all.It was just awkward.

Five Times People Thought Katy and Shang-Chi Were Together and the One Time They Were

Katy Chen/Shang-Chi, Katy Chen & Shang-Chi - It's easy to look at the relationship between Katy and Shang-Chi and get the wrong idea. Sometimes they even do.

The Darkest Evening of the Year

John/Arthur Lester - After everything, Arthur and John share time in the winter.

growing pains

John & Arthur Lester - It took Arthur two weeks to actually propose the idea. He’d expected it to take another two at least to convince John to try it, but John had only hesitated a moment before asking Arthur if he was sure.

In answer, Arthur had retrieved the rope..John has trouble settling into his new body, and Arthur decides to tie him up in an attempt to ground him in it.

merry and bright

John & Arthur Lester - In New York, Arthur and John visit a Christmas festival together.

an oft-repeated dream 

John/Arthur Lester - John makes a habit of waking Arthur up from his nightmares.

Eventually, Arthur gets to repay the favour.

Faroe's Waltz

John/Arthur Lester - Arthur dreams of pain and wakes to music: the opening strains of a melody, left incomplete.

Guess This Makes Me the Godfather

John/Arthur Lester/Peter Yang - After sharing dinner, Arthur invites Peter up to have a drink with him and John. But as it turns out, it's that time when John's new body has a hard time being human, and it's not whiskey he's thirsty for.

Got Those Hooks into You

John/Arthur Lester, John & The King in Yellow - Arthur is a toy, a lever for the King in Yellow to pull in his latest bid to get his other half back.

[ponderosa121]

The annual Yuletide tradition of frantically making last minute edits to your story only hours before the exchange fics unlock.

[gabolange]

Yuletide reveal! This was my first Yuletide despite twelve zillion years in fandom, and it was great fun.

move into the future (bring it all back) (Wheel of Time)

Summary: Nynaeve does not stay on the road for dreams.

Nynaeve character study, Lan / Nynaeve, background Moiraine / Siuan. 5K words, all audiences.

Written for @coaldustcanary. Many thanks for a wonderful beta by @holdouttrout. (Guessed in no time at all by @sapphoshands because I am nothing if not predictable.)

[thirtysixsavefiles]

Pairing: Kim Kitsuragi character study Length: 2k Tags: Teen, living cities, Police, Microaggressions, Corpses, Choices, Character Study, Smoking

Revachol knows Lieutenant Kim Kitsuragi of the RCM, even this far from his usual grounds. The detective is worried; he has not been able to connect with his supposed partner from the 41st Precinct for going on two days now. The detective’s erstwhile partner is upstairs blitzed out of his mind, while Kim Kitsuragi smokes and contemplates a dead man in a tree.

Out on the edges of everything The Pale expands, sparking with stray pieces of the past and the future and the ever-shifting present. Revachol listens. There will be choices to make here, soon, places where the past bleeds into the present into the future. In these times, in these places, the past can carry as much weight as the present. Kim is no exception. He has made his own choices.

Written for Yuletide 2022.

[rallamajoop]

Dracula canons in Yuletide 2022

Unsurprisingly, in the wake of that whole Daily Dracula thing, there were a lot of Draculas nominated for this year's Yuletide exchange this year ‒ not just a lot of Dracula characters, but whole different adaptations of the novel. And being that kind of terrible Dracula-nerd, I figured I'd make a list and share some notes on which-version-is-which. Now, I've only seen about half of these, and can't speak to what all the other folks who actually nominated them loved about them, but I'll take any excuse to ramble on about different Dracula-adaptations at this point, so here we go.

We've got a couple of movies, a couple of telemovies, a TV series and even a musical to cover here, so I'm just gonna put them all in chronological order, starting with the novel.

Dracula - Bram Stoker (Novel 1897)

Nominated characters:  Abraham Van Helsing  Arthur Holmwood  The Correspondent  Dracula  John "Jack" Seward  Jonathan Harker  Lucy Westenra  Lucy Westenra's Mother  Mina Murray Harker  Mr. Hawkins  Mr. Swales  Quincey Morris

Damn, Daily Dracula has done it's thing: folks have nominated basically everyone. (Well... except Sister Agatha. GDI, where's Sister Agatha, people?! Has that 2020 Moffat/Gatiss version put everyone off?)

But, moving onto the adaptations-

1. Dracula (Movies - Hammer) (1958-1974)

Nominated characters:  Dracula  Lawrence Van Helsing | J. Van Helsing  Lorrimer Van Helsing

Okay, yes ‒ this nomination was me. Look, Peter Cushing's Van Helsing was being reincarnated into whole new eras and having confusing chemistry with Christopher Lee's Dracula long before anyone ever thought to do the reincarnation-thing with Mina, and I want all the fic about it, is that so wrong? (Or, you know, the excuse to write some myself. Or really anything about these versions of the characters interacting ‒ I'm not picky!)

2. Count Dracula (1977)

Nominated characters:  Abraham Van Helsing  Jonathan Harker  Mina Harker  Renfield

One of the two British telemovie Dracula adaptations to come out of the 1970's (the 70's was a BIG decade for Dracula). This one was the more faithful to the novel ‒ too faithful, if anything, since some new ideas or creative storytelling could have gone a long way to distract from the limitations of the budget. That said, I did like their Dracula: the costuming isn't much to write home about, but he has enough presence to elevate every scene he's in (and, I mean, if you're going to get one thing really right in a Dracula adaptation...)

3. Dracula (2006)

Nominated characters:  Abraham Van Helsing  John Seward  Lucy Holmwood  Mina Murray

Yet another British television Dracula, this time one where Arthur Holmwood is tricked into helping bring Dracula to British shores by a vampire-worshipping cult, in the mistaken belief the Count can somehow cure him of congenital syphilis. No, really! Seriously though, my biggest disappointment with this one was it didn't go wild and weird enough ‒ the sad soap opera life of Arthur & friends just can't hope to compete with all that high-gothic camp, and 90 minutes just isn't time for all these ideas to breathe. But it must be said, Marc Warren makes a surprisingly compelling Dracula, and his one big vampire-sex-scene with Lucy is... quite something. Basically, I can definitely see why someone might want fic about these versions of the characters ‒ there's lots in this universe left to expand on.

4. Dracula: l'amour plus fort que la mort - Ouali (2011)

Nominated characters:  Jonathan Harker  Poison  Satine  Sorci

Well, okay. This one is, er, a French musical version? XD God, do I love the stuff you'll find nominated for Yuletide! So: not a version I'm familiar with, but going by this one summary I found, what we have here is one of the (MANY) post-1991-Coppola-version rip-offs where Mina is a reincarnation of Dracula's wife... but also one where Dracula hasn't spoken since his wife's death, and now employs three very gloriously campy servants to speak for him (Poison, Satine and Sorci, from the noms above). As someone who doesn't speak a word of French and knows this thing only from 5 minutes on youtube (I mean, the whole show's up there, though the quality's not great), these three are great value, and I can totally see why someone would nominate them for Yuletide.

5. Dracula (TV 2013)

Nominated characters:  Lucy Westenra  Mina Murray  Alexander Grayson | Dracula  Jayne Wetherby

A short-lived TV series reimagining of Dracula, where the Count shows up in London posing as an American steampunk inventor called Alexander Grayson, and yet another of the (many) post-Coppola versions where Mina is the reincarnation of Dracula's tragically-dead-wife, etc. Admittedly, this is an adaptation I know only by its reputation as the show that that finally gave us lesbian!Lucy (!!!) only to have her turn around and sleep with Jonathan for dubious plot reasons (theFUCK?) ‒ but I'd be the last to judge anyone who enjoyed it as a guilty pleasure and/or just wants to run away with the characters and let them have some real fun.

6. Bram Stoker’s Van Helsing (2021)

Nominated characters:  Abraham Van Helsing  Arthur Holmwood  John Seward  Lucy Westenra

Huh. Well, okay. First point: the poster is a lie ‒ this actually seems to be a fairly-straight, (very) low-budget film adaptation of the novel ‒ just one that starts about when Van Helsing arrives (ie, when Lucy is already very ill). So, more drawing-room-drama than Hugh-Jackman-material. Have not seen it, but have a trailer! Now you know just about as much about it as I do.

Honourable mentions

In the "do I even count this?" bonus round, we've also got the 2016 Van Helsing TV series (nominated characters: Axel Miller and Catherine) ‒ a show set post-vampire!apocalypse and starring a Van Helsing descendant. There's also a character called Van Helsing nominated for the Kyuuketsuki Sugu Shinu | The Vampire Dies in No Time manga, and a "Dracula Vance" nominated for a video game called Panilla Saga, about whom google will tell me nothing very illuminating. Ah, well. Seriously though, the total number of different Van Helsings nominated in this year's Yuletide must be some kind of record.

I'd also be remiss not to mention that the original 1872 Carmilla is also nominated, as is the excellent 1970 Hammer adaptation The Vampire Lovers. And rounding out our list of Victorian vampire lit, some weirdo has also nominated Varney the Vampire, but that one really needs its whole own post...

[que-de-metal]

HI EVERYONE! The anon period is over and I'm very excited to finally show you all my very first Yuletide fic!

Fair winds! - 6k words - Pre-canon Linebeck of Phantom Hourglass fame and his past with the ferocious pirate Jolene.

Aboard the Mothula, an old-fashioned cog with an oversized cannon and a butterfly on her sail, Linebeck shared quarters with a crew of war-hungry pirates and their ruthless captain. Thankfully, this was the last day he would ever spend with them.

Yuletide was just wonderful. It was my first time writing for a fic exchange. I reunited with a nostalgia fandom. My recip was lovely. My gift was incredible.

I hope there are some Linebeck fans out there who can find and enjoy this fic :) Phantom Hourglass is one of my favourite Zelda games, I could talk about it for hours.

[blithers]

I didn’t sign up for Yuletide this year for various reasons, but I did end up writing a treat for the lovely @aimlessglee instead.  I loved the book The Blue Sword growing up, and it was great to have a reason to revisit this story and these characters.

Shade to Those Who Seek It Rating: Mature            Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply                                       Category: F/M                                              Fandom: Damar Series - Robin McKinley                                         Relationship: Corlath/Harry Crewe    Characters: Corlath (Damar), Harry Crewe                                              Additional Tags: Kelar Ships It, Developing Relationship  Words: 8701         

Summary: Corlath does not wear Harry’s sash in her absence, and does not propose to her immediately upon her return.  A slower courtship ensues.

[diana-fortyseven]

FOUR Hitman fics in this year's Yuletide collection! THIS IS NOT A DRILL!

Two of them are for meeeee (but you're allowed to enjoy them too!)

[brendaonao3]

Author: Brenda Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Edge of Tomorrow (2014) Rating: General Audiences Word Count: 1835 Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: William Cage & Rita Vrataski Characters: William Cage, Rita Vrataski Additional Tags: Post-Canon, Post-War, POV Rita Vrataski, Friendship, Bill needs a hug, and a nap, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Bill & Rita Both Have PTSD, Getting to Know Each Other Summary: After the war, Rita pays Bill a visit.

***

Yaye, I can finally post a link now that reveals are here! Please enjoy almost 2k of Rita & Bill bonding over their mutual PTSD :D

[unofficialyuletide]

Yuletide 2022 is Upon Us

Nominations are open!

FAQ's, schedules, how-to's, and all the nuts and bolts are addressed, answered, and available at the post on the admin comm.

Eligibility Rules can be found here

Evidence Post is here, if your nominated fandom is hard-to-find or borderline.

Nomination coordination is happening here. RPF coordination is happening here.

And the Fandom Promo Post is here, if you want to browse for a new hyperfixation or entice others to join your fandom of one.

[laughingpinecone]

Yuletide recs

...in the nick of time! First my beloved gifts:

Nasteb Encalada-Bernal and Exilus Bücher (in progress, intended for the Revacholian Journal of Literary Entroponetics)

(1037 words) by Anonymous Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Disco Elysium (Video Game),Tlön Uqbar Orbis Tertius - Jorge Luis Borges Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Characters: Steban the Student Communist, Echo Maker (Disco Elysium) Additional Tags: Marginalia - Freeform, Academic Writing Summary: The Inframaterialist Reading Group takes on the Revacholian Academic Press.

Amazing combo of the boys’ actual writing and their banter as they compose it, both sides delightful!

Game of Worlds

(652 words) by Anonymous Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Tlön Uqbar Orbis Tertius - Jorge Luis Borges Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Additional Tags: Documentation, Sports Summary: An encyclopedia entry for "Ballsport" (Volume I, Ablurt to Banir).

BALLSPORT. This is funny as heck, poetic and visionary at once.

And my faves in the collection, in random order, for: Disco Elysium, Tlön Uqbar Orbis Tertius, Thalasso Hobbyer, A Study in Emerald, The Left Hand of Darkness, Untitled Goose Game/Piranesi, Night in the Woods, Ghost Trick, Russian Doll, Earthsea, Majora’s Mask, Transistor, Le Città Invisibii, The Fall

Truth Will Out

(12125 words) by Anonymous Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Disco Elysium (Video Game) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Harry Du Bois/Kim Kitsuragi Characters: Harry Du Bois, Kim Kitsuragi, Original Characters Additional Tags: Case Fic, Gay Bar, Pining, Post-Canon, Homophobia, The LGBT Community in Revachol, Transphobia, Canon-Typical Violence Summary: A gay bar. A murder. A case that hits too close to home.

beautiful casefic with feelings (for Kim and other matters)

Meticulous Attachment

(4057 words) by Anonymous Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Disco Elysium (Video Game) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Harry Du Bois/Kim Kitsuragi Characters: Harry Du Bois, Kim Kitsuragi Additional Tags: Established Relationship, Post-Coital, Dialogue Heavy Summary: Harry fucks up toast, Kim does not gossip about his exes, and great Void-touched truths are discussed.

intense Kim being Kim, with all his anxieties

one cigarette, down to the filter

(2020 words) by Anonymous Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Disco Elysium (Video Game) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Characters: Kim Kitsuragi, Revachol (Disco Elysium) Additional Tags: living cities, Police, Microaggressions, Corpses, Choices, Character Study Summary: Revachol knows Lieutenant Kim Kitsuragi of the RCM, even this far from his usual grounds. The detective is worried; he has not been able to connect with his supposed partner from the 41st Precinct for going on two days now. The detective’s erstwhile partner is upstairs blitzed out of his mind, while Kim Kitsuragi smokes and contemplates a dead man in a tree. Out on the edges of everything The Pale expands, sparking with stray pieces of the past and the future and the ever-shifting present. Revachol listens. There will be choices to make here, soon, places where the past bleeds into the present into the future. In these times, in these places, the past can carry as much weight as the present. Kim is no exception. He has made his own choices.

Guardian

(10664 words) by Anonymous Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: No.23 Diorama of Prayer Ruins and Guardians - Thalasso Hobbyer Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Characters: Guardian of The Prayer Ruins (Thalasso Hobbyer) Additional Tags: Two girls and their giant shark-creature, Harm to Children, Implied / background child death, Implied Background Character Death, Description of injury to animal (canonical only), Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Grieving, food insecurity Summary: When Gannet first met the monster, she meant to eat it.

I’d play this video game but it’s also extremely lovely as a very solid short story. the real deal, non-rushed and all

The Striped Leg

(8994 words) by Anonymous Chapters: 2/2 Fandom: A Study in Emerald - Neil Gaiman,Cthulhu Mythos - H. P. Lovecraft,Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Characters: John Watson, Sherlock Holmes, Grimesby Roylott, Helen Stoner Additional Tags: Implied/Referenced Abuse, Case Fic, Mystery, Story: The Adventure of the Speckled Band, POV John Watson, Referenced Body Horror, Arthur Conan Doyle Pastiche Summary: The Adventure of The Speckled Band, set in the world of A Study In Emerald.

What it says on the tin, with lots of care for the worldbuilding and retooling of the original story!

empty hands

(3677 words) by Anonymous Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: The Left Hand of Darkness - Ursula K. Le Guin Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Genly Ai/Therem Harth rem ir Estraven Characters: Genly Ai, Therem Harth rem ir Estraven Additional Tags: Reunions, Genly is an idiot but he's trying his best, Post-Canon Summary: I had not told anyone in Estre I was coming. I hadn’t known how, or what I would say. In Gethen there is no fear of being turned away, left standing at the gate. There will always be a welcome in a hearth, for a person with a shadow.

I am not really looking for fixits in TLHOD fic but the simplicity of this one worked for me, and I love everything about its Gethenian soul in every little facet

Tlön, Mlejnas, Mundus Mutabilis

(4428 words) by Anonymous Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Tlön Uqbar Orbis Tertius - Jorge Luis Borges,Voynich Manuscript - Anonymous Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Additional Tags: Worldbuilding, Archaeology, Hronir, Secret Brotherhoods Summary: Three tales and two poems exploring the consequences of the events described in Borges' story.

hold still my beating heart, this one takes Borges and goes one step further. choo choo!

The Cunning of the Goose is Immeasurable; Its Mischief Infinite

(1133 words) by Anonymous Chapters: 1/1 Fandom:Untitled Goose Game (Video Game),Piranesi - Susanna Clarke Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Characters: Piranesi | Matthew Rose Sorensen, The Other | Valentine Andrew Ketterley, Goose (Untitled Goose Game) Additional Tags: Crossover, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Prequel, Yuletide, Yuletide 2022 Summary: Entries for the Fourth Month in the Year the Albatross Came to the South-Western Halls.

what it says on the tin, with a Piranesi pov that works deliciously well with the premise

after the catacombs

(1366 words) by Anonymous Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Night In The Woods (Video Game) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Mae Borowski & Selma Ann "Selmers" Forrester Characters: Mae Borowski, Selma Ann "Selmers" Forrester, Candy Borowski Additional Tags: Poetry, Nightmares, Minor Existential Angst, Yuletide 2022 Summary: "Rubble and the stench of charcoal overpowering, as we tried to understand how the catacombs became." Mae is struggling to reach out to her parents for support after the events of the game. Selmers doesn't quite understand how to be a poetry assistant, but it works out for everyone in the end.

Selmer doing what she does best.

these two lanes will take us anywhere

(2408 words) by Anonymous Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Night In The Woods (Video Game) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Mae Borowski & Bea Santello Characters: Mae Borowski, Bea Santello Additional Tags: Friendship/Love, Post-Canon Summary: Bea and Mae do a practice run of their roadtrip, and kind of don't talk about things, but kind of do.

laser-focused Mae&Bea character piece!

True Love Is... Taking Your Husband's Cat To the Vet

(5701 words) by Anonymous Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Alma/Cabanela/Jowd (Ghost Trick), Cabanela & Sissel (Ghost Trick), Missile & Sissel (Ghost Trick), Cabanela & Missile (Ghost Trick) Characters: Cabanela (Ghost Trick), Sissel (Ghost Trick), Missile (Ghost Trick), Alma (Ghost Trick), Jowd (Ghost Trick) Additional Tags: Established Relationship, Threesome - F/M/M, Post-Game: Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective, taking your husband's cat to the vet, Slice of Life Summary: There is no sound in the world quite so unmistakable as the sound of a cat throwing up at two in the morning. It sounds a little bit like trying to drag a carrot backwards through a colander, or what it feels like to step in something wet and gross when wearing really thick socks that are instantly soaked through by the wet gross thing, or, if you’d prefer no poetry, hgek-gek-gek-gek-GLAGH. It is a sound that is as impossible to sleep through as a gunshot. It is a sound that has just woken Inspector Cabanela of the Special Investigation Unit up for the second night in a row.

The Cabanela vs Sissel of it all. Incredible cat shenanigans

Get a Clew

(1571 words) by Anonymous Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Russian Doll (TV 2019) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Nadia Vulvokov & Alan Zaveri Characters: Nadia Vulvokov, Alan Zaveri Additional Tags: Mythology References, Banter, Post-Season/Series 01 Summary: Nadia and Alan disagree about who's Ariadne.

the character voicessssss... they’re so good

Shelter from the Storm

(3981 words) by Anonymous Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Earthsea - Ursula K. Le Guin Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Vetch & Yarrow (Earthsea) Characters: Yarrow (Earthsea), Vetch (Earthsea) Additional Tags: Spells & Enchantments, Comfort Food, Wizards, Bats Summary: Yarrow finds a lost creature in a storm.

perfect cozy small-stakes fic that takes all the time it needs and is lovable every step of the way

Elegy of Peace

(1424 words) by Anonymous Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask,The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Characters: Link (Legend of Zelda), Lulu (Legend of Zelda), Goron Elder, Deku Butler Summary: Before leaving Termina, he has one final task. Three masks remain to be returned to their rightful places

I needed this. The coda MsM was missing

i genuinely love to hear your thoughts

(1228 words) by Anonymous Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Transistor (Video Game) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Mr. Nobody | Man Inside Transistor/Red Characters: Red (Transistor), Mr. Nobody | Man Inside Transistor Additional Tags: Pre-Canon, Established Relationship, Songwriting, Slice of Life Summary: Red’s cheeks feel warmer than before. She’s never shared unfinished material with anybody—not even Sybil. She’d always thought it would cast a curse, doom the song to die before its first breath. If it dies, she thinks in the quiet of her lonely apartment, then let it be with him.

unmistakable Transistor mood, the voices and feelings are so them 

The tracery of a pattern so subtle

(2355 words) by Anonymous Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Le città invisibili | Invisible Cities - Italo Calvino Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Kublai Khan & Marco Polo Characters: Kublai Khan, Marco Polo Additional Tags: Pastiche, original cities, Ruins, Yuletide, Yuletide 2022 Summary: The Khan allows Marco to begin his journey back home. Or: four cities, and their ruins.

hot damn yet another year yet another Invisible Cities masterpiece. The theme and framing of this one are particularly dear to me

unreliable narratives

(1016 words) by Anonymous Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: The Fall (2006) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Alexandria & Roy Walker Summary: Roy and Alexandria part ways.

CUTE Alexandria narration, you tell him!

[theroseandthebeast]

Yuletide 2022 Recs, Batch Five

17 recs for Master & Commander, Midsommar, Nope, Only Murders In The Building, Peacemaker, Persuasion, Point Break, Pyre, Ready or Not?, Severance, The Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty, Transistor, and Under the Banner of Heaven

Cadential Motion

Jack Aubrey/Stephen Maturin - “I’ll be frank with you, Captain, it’s a relief to finally have you in my chair. I was beginning to worry that you didn’t trust my expertise.”

Aubrey and Maturin discover that their first impressions of one another were borne out of some misunderstandings.

Hasaeti 

Dani Ardor/Pelle - Dani learns about the ongoing responsibilities of the May Queen, deepens her relationship with the land - and finds her throne.

Beyond The Stars

Angel Torres, OJ Haywood - It'd been seven months since they last spoke, but who's counting?

Making wishes is a sucker’s game, but at least there’s cake

Mabel Mora & Oliver Putnam & Charles-Haden Savage - Mabel isn’t celebrating her birthday because she stopped doing that when she was 8 years old. Charles and Oliver find a way to be there for her anyway.

Portrait of the Artist

Theo Dimas/Mabel Mora, Mabel Mora & Oliver Putnam & Charles-Haden Savage - Winter brings back memories for Mabel, but also the opportunity to make new ones.

I'm Feeling This

Adrian Chase/Christopher Smith - Adrian doesn't have feelings but he does feel things. He feels a lot for Chris. More than for anyone else.

I Must Go Up From The Seas Again.

Anne Elliot/Frederick Wentworth - It sounds bitter to say that he's still not over his ex who wouldn't uproot her entire life, leave her entire support system behind, and go be a trailing spouse for five years in a place with no career prospects for herself.

Of Duty, and A Path Not Ridden

Anne Elliot/Frederick Wentworth - Two years after Miss Anne Elliot declined to marry Captain Frederick Wentworth of His Majesty's Navy, an opportunity arises for the captain to renew his suit.

come as you are

Bodhi/Johnny Utah - Johnny goes to Mexico, and there's one more Ex-President.

The Ultimate Ride

Bodhi/Johnny Utah - Even reeling from the shock that Johnny jumped out of the plane without a parachute to tackle him mid-air and point a gun at his head, Bodhi has never felt more connected to anyone.

Because Bodhi’s been chasing the ultimate ride his whole life and one look into Johnny’s eyes as they fall to earth together makes it crystal clear that Johnny is already there.

Constellations of the fall

Oralech/Volfred Sandalwood, Volfred Sandalwood/Tariq - Terrible starlight shines on Oralech as he lays dying on the northern slopes of Mount Alodiel. The same truth hangs over Volfred and Tariq, who are left to mourn. All they have is their memories and the warm embrace of failure.

A Smudge of Red

Daniel Le Domas/Grace Le Domas - "Funny story. Not really. But. Yeah. We were all adopted, Alex and Emilie and me, but I guess the old folks thought—rightly so—that baby me couldn't exactly play, uh, any board game. But Alex and Emilie were toddlers when their papers came through and they joined the family, so they did it, and I hadn't blown up yet by then, so. Yeah. Got left out of that one. A lot of goat sacrifices, though. To make up for it. Not fun. But, hey, I'm still in one piece. I guess."

"Great," is about all she can come up with. "I'm being asked some awkward questions, but glad I can blame it on your all being adopted and not on demons or whatever the fuck."

"Ah. The proper authorities." He grimaces."And hospital personnel, yeah." Her chair creaks. It's uncomfortable and noisy, and not making this conversation any easier.

all you are

Helena Eagan & Helly R. - In a dream, Helly meets Helena.

r/severed

gen - Welcome to r/severed! This is a subreddit to discuss the experience of severance and provide advice and support to fellow severed people (and friends and family).

Dear and Beloved

Tang Fan/Wang Zhi - Wang Zhi and Tang Fan are a lot more candid in their letters to each other than they are in person. One thing leads to another, until they have no choice but to admit what they really want.

i genuinely love to hear your thoughts

Mr. Nobody | Man Inside Transistor/Red - Red’s cheeks feel warmer than before. She’s never shared unfinished material with anybody—not even Sybil. She’d always thought it would cast a curse, doom the song to die before its first breath. If it dies, she thinks in the quiet of her lonely apartment, then let it be with him.

The Dust They Leave Behind

Jeb Pyre/Bill Taba - When to move on, and what to take with you.

[ponderosa121]

Yuletide 2022 Recs

Usually I manage to rec before reveals, but the end of 2022 was a scramble. I still have a couple fandoms to read in, but here are some of my favs from Andor, the Black Phone, Breakfast Club, Collateral, Cowboy Bebop, Die Hard, Gattaca, The Good Place, Midsommer, Oceans 8 & 11, Prey, Scream, She-Hulk, Only Murders in the Building, and The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent.

Starting, as always, with the wonderful gifts that I received!

Prey (2022) - Clever Runner by keerawa - Gen - 2.2k - POV of the Predator as it recognizes and appreciates Naru's skills. This has such a wonderful non-human POV that makes the canon so much richer!

Collateral (2004) - One Mistake Away by bluspirits - Max/Vincent - 1.2k - A delicious little PWP/TWT that highlights the differences between them and how murky each of their motives are. I love this movie so much, and this slides really well into the canon.

Andor - The Entire Yuletide Collection - I'm straight up recommending all four fics. They're all engaging in different ways and I enjoyed them all greatly. (If you can only read one though, I'd suggest salvage by quadrille, it's Maarva POV and an achingly beautiful character study.)

The Black Phone - pricking the garter by skazka - Gen. - 1.6k - Holy crap, this fic. It's a pre-canon character study of the Grabber that is so deeply darkly clever and, as another commenter called it "casually insidious". If you don't know what the title is referencing, do as I did, and look it up after you read the fic.

The Breakfast Club - a good place to hide by dreamerfound - Bender/Brian - 3k - A lovely moving in together fic that feels wonderfully effortless.

Cowboy Bebop (tv) - Cupid Cakewalk by virusq - Spike & Jet - 2.5k - Fake marriage hijinks? I'm sold. A super fun read with all the banter that makes their odd-couple relationship a delight.

Cowboy Bebop (tv) - Midnight at Jet's Bebop Cafe by Elasmo - Spike/Jet pre-relationship. - 1.6k - An AU that's a bit more canon divergent than anything, so felt perfectly in-character and one of those fics which I could so very easily picture every scene in my head!

Die Hard 4 - When I'm Like This by eleanor_lavish - John/Matt - 7.5k - I'll never get sick of this ship and all the ways people write them getting together post-canon. This one's a lovely PTSD recovery fic with bedsharing.

Gattaca - Ulysses and Ozymandias in the Labyrinth by Serenade - Vincent/Jerome - 1.3k - Perfect for canon, and just beautifully melancholy.

The Good Place - Where No One Knows Your Name by tjs_whatnot - Gen - 1.7k - The summary of "An infinite Jeremy Bearimys later, Janet moves on" hooked me immediately, and it's a wonderful character piece for Janet.

Midsommer - Hasaeti by joy_shines - Dani/Pelle - 3.4k - This fic really stuck with me. On the surface it's ritual sex with light femdom, but along with being richly written, it pulls off a really masterful shift in maintaining the right voice and feel for the character/canon as Dani's character evolves.

Ocean's 11 (&8) - The Entire Yuletide Collection - Again, going to cheat by recommending them all, but there are three quick fun reads in the set!

Scream - Let Me Die This Little Death by GotTheSilver - Billy/Stu - 3.1k - Oh gosh, this fic was very good. Some heavy dubious consent, but an excellent take on the power dynamics and fucked up deliciousness of this pair.

She-Hulk (TV) - I Heard That by Angie13 - 1.6k - Jen/Matt - A quick read with a hilarious premise: what if Matt can hear Jen breaking the fourth wall. Super fun!

Only Murders in the Building - Portrait of the Artist by Jubileen - Mabel/Theo, gen - 3.7k - A really lovely post S2 fic that's part character study and part developing relationship. I found it to be a perfect blend of melancholy and humor and emotional resonance.

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent - Nick and Javi Make (Another) Movie by millepertuis - Nicolas Cage/Javi Gutierrez - 5.6k - Okay, besides the fics I received as gifts, this might be my top rec. It's so clever and so fun to read. If you've seen the movie, please read and enjoy this story which could (and should) be the sequel

[cicaklah]

the wonderful wonderful @diana-fortyseven wrote me the steak side of DREAMS for yuletide, thank you so so much, it was such a deep and lovely erotic delight!!!