gensplosion | Entries tagged with yuletide

FANDOM: The Ten Stupidest Things I've Heard Since Richard III's Remains Were Identified, Richard III - Fandom, British Royalty RPF, 15th Century CE RPF
FIC LINK: R is for Richard
AUTHOR LINK:

McTabby
RATING/WARNING(S): Teen, none.
WIP?/WORD COUNT: 2774 | Complete
MAIN CHARACTERS: The Archaeologist, The Actor, The Ricardian, Tudor Osteologist.
FIC SUMMARY: How further revelations about Richard III's remains inspired a cunning plan and got everyone in trouble with the Bosworth 1000th Anniversary Committee of 2485

RECCER'S NOTES: The fandom that swept Yuletide 2013 based on the errors made in reporting when Richard III’s remains were discovered. A very funny fic about what happens during a live TV broadcast when people from the future turn up. Things hadn’t gone well apparently... You’ll never look at the young Prince George in the same way again!

liadt

FANDOM: Rentaghost/Pokemon
FIC LINK: A Load of Balls
AUTHOR LINK:

greyknight
RATING/WARNING(S): All ages
WIP?/WORD COUNT: 4529
MAIN CHARACTERS: Timothy Claypole, Nadia Popov, Hazel the MacWitch.
FIC SUMMARY: Mr Meaker wants the ghosts to come up with some product ideas for Christmas, but there is an unexpected problem with Claypole's idea.

RECCER'S NOTES: A fic that perfectly encapsulates the comedy chaos of old kid’s TV show 'Rentaghost'. Mr Meaker wants to know what new money making idea the spooks have come up with and Mr Claypole’s is one where small monsters are kept in balls. Naturally, they escape and cause havoc. Everything you remember is squeezed into the fic including the Meaker’s neighbours and, of course, don’t go into the cellar!

There are a few formatting issues, but as the author explains at the end it was written as a last minute pinch hit while dealing with real life dodgy plumbing. A fitting situation in which to write 'Rentaghost' really!

liadt

FANDOM: Derkholm Series - Diana Wynne Jones
FIC LINK: To the Moon
AUTHOR LINK:

Moontyger
RATING/WARNING(S): General audiences
WIP?/WORD COUNT: 2255|Complete
MAIN CHARACTERS: Mara, Elda, Claudia, Ruskin, Felim, Olga, Lukin
FIC SUMMARY: Elda's class has a class reunion.

RECCER'S NOTES: A lovely freindship fic set post ‘The Year of the Griffin’ where Elda hosts a reunion at her family home. There are nice thumbnail portraits of the characters showing how their lives have progressed since they left University.

liadt

FANDOM: Emelan - Tamora Pierce
FIC LINK: and remember who I am
AUTHOR LINK:

labellementeuse
RATING/WARNING(S): General audiences
WIP?/WORD COUNT: 4790|Complete
MAIN CHARACTERS: Trisana Chandler, OCs
FIC SUMMARY: Can Tris fit in, and does she really want to?

RECCER'S NOTES: Have you been waiting years for Pierce to write her Tris goes to Lightsbridge book? This fic detailing Tris’ early weeks at Lightsbridge helps to fill the gap. The summary sounds potentially gloomy, but there is a heart warming ending. Reminds of how much I used to love reading going-to-uni novels.

liadt

FANDOM: Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell - Susanna Clarke
FIC LINK: A Necklace of Broken Promises
AUTHOR LINK:

Kaesa
RATING/WARNING(S): General audiences.
WIP?/WORD COUNT: 10,865 | Complete
MAIN CHARACTERS: Jonathan Strange, Gilbert Norrell, The Lady of the Castle of the Plucked Eye and Heart, Henry Lascelles, Original Characters.
FIC SUMMARY: While travelling in Faerie, Strange and Norrell encounter Henry Lascelles. He is half-conscious, ill, and murderous, and he has made a powerful enemy

RECCER'S NOTES: Another Strange and Norrell post-canon story. This fic places them in a tale that is inspired by fairy folklore. The footnotes at the end are a good read and Norrell’s wig gets a mention too. The summary does make the fic sound like it’s going to be full of violence and gore, but it isn’t.

liadt

FANDOM: Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell - Susanna Clarke
FIC LINK: The Heirs of English Magic
AUTHOR LINK:

bobthemole
RATING/WARNING(S): General audiences/ End of book spoilers
WIP?/WORD COUNT: 7844
MAIN CHARACTERS: Arabella Strange, Lady Pole, Stephen Black, Sir Walter Pole, John Segundus, King George III
FIC SUMMARY: In the aftermath of Strange's and Norrell's departure from England, who is entitled to be a magician?

RECCER'S NOTES: The author has constructed a very believable set of events for what happened next to the characters post-canon. This strong fic comes off as polished, considered and not a word is wasted.

liadt

FANDOM: Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell - Susanna Clarke
FIC LINK: City of Salt and Time
AUTHOR LINK:

Eccentric_Hat
RATING/WARNING(S): General Audiences, post-canon
WIP?/WORD COUNT: 10,857 | Complete
MAIN CHARACTERS: Jonathan Strange, Gilbert Norrell.
FIC SUMMARY: England’s first two magicians of the modern age are somewhere near Venice.

RECCER'S NOTES: A high quality fic where Strange and a reluctant Norrell go in search of the Ward of Venice. The female OC is well made and one I would like to meet in future fics. I felt sympathy for Norrell’s fear and fears in this, as well as recognising them as ones partly of his own imagination. Norrell also commits two generous acts of kindness over the course of the story:) The author is an expert on Venice, but uses their knowledge wisely and doesn’t fall into the trap of turning into a regurgitated wiki entry.

Highly recommended.

liadt

FANDOM: Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)
FIC LINK: Partners
AUTHOR LINK:

dbskyler
RATING/WARNING(S): All ages.
WIP?/WORD COUNT: 1329| Complete
MAIN CHARACTERS: Jeff Randall, Marty Hopkirk.

FIC SUMMARY: Jeff knows how to handle Marty.

RECCER'S NOTES: This fic is so good it made me overlook that its theme is sport. Dbskyler conveys Marty’s infectious passion for football skilfully. A fun, missing scene exploring what Jeff and Marty might do with their leisure time when there are no cases to solve.

liadt

FANDOM: Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell - Susanna Clarke
FIC LINK: The Magicians and the Revenants
AUTHOR LINK:

Lalaith
RATING/WARNING(S): General Audiences, Violence, Post-canon.
WIP?/WORD COUNT: 4946 | Complete
MAIN CHARACTERS: Jonathan Strange, Gilbert Norrell, John Childermass.

FIC SUMMARY: Three practical magicians stymie the onset of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.

RECCER'S NOTES: The tale takes the form of letters from a curate to his sister about the odd happenings in his parish, complete with footnotes. This could work for a reader who fancied reading a zombie tale set in Regency England and wasn’t overly familiar with JS&MN. Lalaith writes C19th English well and the thumbnail portraits of the three characters are accomplished.

thisbluespirit

FANDOM: Spooks (MI-5)
FIC LINK: Notes on an Exile
AUTHOR LINK:

delgaserasca
RATING/WARNING(S): G | None
WIP?/WORD COUNT: 2962
MAIN CHARACTERS: Malcolm Wynn-Jones, Colin Wells

FIC SUMMARY: "Before he leaves, Colin debates over whether or not to write a note."

For three months in 1998, Colin is sent to work at the Manchester office. Malcolm sends him tea.

RECCER'S NOTES: Wonderful, low-key but heart-warming* friendship piece for the two desk spooks, as Colin goes into exile and misses Malcolm. There are so many lovely little Spooks-y details in here (the Manchester officers wonder if Colin is a mole, peeling off the front of postcards, and tea, and bugs etc.), all on top of the delightful handling of the two and their friendship, as a briefly-referred-to incident from their past is explored and expanded, and then even a happy ending. Gosh. (Well, for the moment. It is Spooks, after all.)

* well, definitely heart-warming for Spooks at least...

thisbluespirit

FANDOM: Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
FIC LINK: Of Five Adventures That Occurred During The Reign Of The Raven Barista
AUTHOR LINK:

lannamichaels
RATING/WARNING(S): G | None
WIP?/WORD COUNT: 1224
MAIN CHARACTERS: Gilbert Norrell, The Raven King, William of Lanchester, Catherine of Winchester, Jonathan Strange, John Childermass, Arabella Strange, Emma Pole, Martin Pale, Thomas of Dundale

FIC SUMMARY: Cracky coffee shop AU with magic!

RECCER'S NOTES: This is one of those AUs that you'd imagine couldn’t and shouldn’t be done - until someone pulls it off like this, and it’s completely brilliant. It shouldn't work, but it's clever and funny and wonderful, and it does. I don’t know where to start – Norrell coming early not to buy coffee, Jonathan’s Tumblr tags, the Raven Barista . . . just go read it!

thisbluespirit

FANDOM: Sapphire and Steel
FIC LINK: Daisy Bell
AUTHOR LINK:

usernamegoeshere
RATING/WARNING(S): Teen | Canon-typical horror, ghosts, death
WIP?/WORD COUNT: 32,278 words
MAIN CHARACTERS: Sapphire, Steel, Silver, Diamond, Radium, Original Characters

FIC SUMMARY: In 1979, Sapphire and Steel arrive at the Howard Street Hospital to investigate a time break. They have a chance encounter with the receptionist, Daisy. In 1999, Diamond, Radium, and Silver arrive at the Howard Street Hospital to investigate a time break. They have a chance encounter with the receptionist, Daisy.

RECCER'S NOTES: Sapphire and Steel is the most beautifully weird TV show I have ever encountered (as one TV guidebook described it: “There are many ways of holding a TV audience... Total lack of explanation is not supposed to be one of them.”) and also one of the most interesting fandoms for fic, as authors each try in their own way to interpret those mysteries and transpose that sense of otherness in the mundane to their writing, and nobody does it quite the same way, so I’m hoping to rec some more S&S before I’m done here.

Anyway, this fic one of the best examples - it’s marvellous, long, plotty, completely true to canon-weirdness (if you can say such a thing) and sharply characterised, with every bit of Sapphire-Steel-Silver interaction a delight. Plus – always a huge bonus for me – not only does it include Silver but it brings in some additional ‘operators’ from the opening credits, and explores just how strange they might be. And if you don’t know the series, but you like exploring the weirdness of time or enjoy ghost stories, why not give it a try? It’s a glorious fic and you really won’t know any less than those of us who have watched the canon, honest…

thisbluespirit

FANDOM: Adam Adamant Lives!
FIC LINK: The Very Happiest Place on Earth
AUTHOR LINK:

ArisTGD
RATING/WARNING(S): G | None
WIP?/WORD COUNT: 2675
MAIN CHARACTERS: Adam Adamant, Georgina Jones, William Simms

FIC SUMMARY: Adam, Georgie, and Simms are on holiday, but will Adam's desire for a quiet day ever be fulfilled?

RECCER'S NOTES: Because Adam Adamant Lives! is a thing of adorable adorableness and pure distilled 1960s-ness, and this fic captures all of that perfectly. Adam, Georgie, and Simms try to have a holiday, and while Georgie and Simms manage to make the most of Disneyland, Adam tackles villains as usual, with the added humour of seeing one of the series’s typical improbable plots only in glimpses between rides. Anyway, it’s heaps of fun, and every bit as delightful as the show.

thisbluespirit

FANDOM: Chalet School Series – Elinor M. Brent-Dyer
FIC LINK: The Avenues of Time
AUTHOR LINK:

thankyouturtle
RATING/WARNING(S): Teen | Ghosts
WIP?/WORD COUNT: 4343
MAIN CHARACTERS: Mary-Lou Trelawney, Verity-Ann Carey

FIC SUMMARY:

RECCER'S NOTES: A Yuletide or two ago, I idly asked for a Chalet School story about Mary-Lou that either dealt with her relationship with her stepsister Verity, or had her having Indiana Jones-style archaeological adventures, and I got this, which has both, and is marvellous.

It’s mainly a story of Mary-Lou encountering a self-pitying ghost (“again!” ♥) while trapped underground and how she deals with it in the way only a Chalet School girl could (with plenty of brisk common sense, although not without compassion) with elements of her relationship with Verity-Ann wound into it, including a plausible reason for why they always insisted that they weren’t stepsisters but sisters-by-marriage. And don't you just want to know what happened in Peru?

thisbluespirit

FIC LINK: Turnabout
AUTHOR LINK:

roseveare
RATING/WARNING(S): Teen | Blood, Injury, Guns
WIP?/WORD COUNT: 6419 words
MAIN CHARACTERS: Sid Halley, Charles Roland, Marina Halley

FIC SUMMARY: 'I'd been held at gunpoint before, but it was one area that experience didn't make any less daunting.' Set a few months after 'Under Orders'.

RECCER'S NOTES: The great thing about both these fics is the relationship they focus on, which is an unusual and appealing one – Sid’s a private detective and ex-jockey while Admiral Charles Roland is his father-in-law, except that his friendship with Charles outlasted his marriage.

You don’t need to know the fandom (I didn’t the first time), as this fic is not only beautifully written but also helpfully covers the development of their relationship from initial dislike to the point now where Sid regards Charles as the person he values most in the world – just as he’s in danger of losing him. It's all deftly done, and true to canon, where the depth of the emotion always remains unspoken but understood between them.

FANDOM: Sid Halley series – Dick Francis
FIC LINK: Unbreakable
AUTHOR LINK:

edonohana
RATING/WARNING(S): Teen | Violence
WIP?/WORD COUNT: 2401
MAIN CHARACTERS: Sid Halley, Charles Roland

FIC SUMMARY: Sid never meant to bring trouble back to Aynsford.

RECCER'S NOTES: Whereas the other fic covers the whole of Sid & Charles’s relationship, this one snapshots a moment in which (again) Sid’s detective work brings trouble to Aynsford and Charles, but the unspoken understanding they have between them is enough to enable them to turn the tables on a criminal.

espresso_addict

FANDOM: Rivers of London series
FIC LINK: Folly To Be Wise
AUTHOR LINK:

Philomytha
RATING/WARNING(S): Teen | Canon-like horror
WIP?/WORD COUNT: Complete | ~6,500 words
MAIN CHARACTERS: Thomas Nightingale, Peter Grant, Lesley May

FIC SUMMARY: Where ignorance is bliss, 'tis folly to be wise.

RECCER'S NOTES: Builds on the fallout from Ettersberg to yield an atmospheric ghost story that feels just like a missing case from canon. There are also interesting insights into Nightingale's youth & the history of magical practice in this universe. Philomytha is always worth reading and it's been a treat watching her fall headlong into a new fandom.

dirty_diana

FANDOM: Marvel / Captain Britain and MI:13
FIC LINK: Five Times Faiza Hussain Meets a Superhero
AUTHOR LINK:

muccamukk

Muccamukk
RATING/WARNING(S): Teen / none
WIP?/WORD COUNT: complete / 3700 words
MAIN CHARACTERS: Faiza Hussain

FIC SUMMARY: What it says on the tin. Featuring characters from Captain Britain, New Excalibur, Wisdom, and Captain Britain and MI:13.

RECCER'S NOTES: Faiza first appeared in the short-lived Captain Britain and MI:13, where the lifelong superhero fangirl turned into an Excablibur-wielding magic user. Working alongside some of her favs Faiza never lost that adorable giddyness, and this is a could-be-canon look at how she got there.

Faiza knows who she is, of course, everyone does. "No thank you, Captain Britain," she says, pleased with how grown up she sounds, even if her voice is high and shaking a little. "I can get back by myself."

Captain Britain's lips purse, and she hovers a little closer. "Are you sure?" she asks. "I can fly you right back to the window. Wouldn't you like to fly?"

thady

FANDOM: The Middleman
FIC LINK: The Injurious Internet Meme Incursion
AUTHOR LINK:

musesfool
RATING/WARNING(S): PG
WIP?/WORD COUNT: one-shot | ~ 1,300 words
MAIN CHARACTERS: Wendy Watson, The Middleman, Ida (The Middleman)

FIC SUMMARY: "Ida, are you infected with weaponized internet memes?" "Bitch, I might be."

RECCER'S NOTES:

This is hilarious. And it could have fitted in well with the tv series. Love how the characters sound like themselves even when quoting memes.

isabelquinn

FANDOM: Friends
FIC LINK: Between Spaces
AUTHOR LINK:

voleuse
RATING/WARNING(S): T
WORD COUNT: 1021
MAIN CHARACTERS: Rachel Green, Monica Geller, Phoebe Buffay

FIC SUMMARY: Yarn, scrambled eggs, and an absence of snowballs. Rachel Green learns about being a grown-up. Set during the first season of Friends.

RECCER'S NOTES: I really love Rachel's character arc throughout the earlier Friends seasons, where she gradually finds her feet. This fic captures it so beautifully, and it also manages to pin down the general atmosphere of those earlier episodes. The characters and their interactions are dead on. This is exactly the sort of friendship fic I love to read over and over <3

thady

FANDOM: Sleepy Hollow
FIC LINK: Elinor and Marianne
AUTHOR LINK:

Yahtzee
RATING/WARNING(S): PG-13
WIP?/WORD COUNT: one-shot | ~ 2,500 words
MAIN CHARACTERS: Ichabod Crane, Jenny Mills, Abbie Mills, Frank Irving

FIC SUMMARY: “Here’s what I figure,” Abbie said. “You need to catch up to modern culture. But you should catch up in stages. By degrees. Even Mark Twain was a little too far ahead for you, so let’s take it back a step. We’ll start you off with what’s closest to your time period, and move forward a few decades at a time until you’re back in the groove.”
So she starts Ichabod with a novel Corbin gave her long ago: Sense & Sensibility.

RECCER'S NOTES:

This is tagged as pre-het, but I didn't see this here.
At the core of the story is the relationship between the Mills sisters. I love their relationship here. They ring very true to me.

The Espresso Addict

Diary & multifandom recs

gensplosion!

Entries tagged with yuletide

Ten Stupidest Things I've Heard Since RIII's Remains Were Identified: R is for Richard by McTabby

Rentaghost/Pokemon: A Load of Balls by greyknight

Derkholm series: To the Moon by Moontyger

Emelan: and remember who I am by labellementeuse

Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell: A Necklace of Broken Promises by Kaesa

Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell: The Heirs of English Magic by bobthemole

Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell: City of Salt and Time by Eccentric_Hat

Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased): Partners by dbskyler

Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell: The Magicans and the Revenants by Lalaith

Spooks | MI-5: Notes on an Exile by delgaserasca

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell: Of Five Adventures That Occurred During The Reign Of The Raven Barist

Sapphire & Steel: Daisy Bell by nemo_the_everbeing

Adam Adamant Lives!: The Very Happiest Place on Earth by Aris Merquoni

Chalet School: The Avenues of Time by thankyouturtle

Dick Francis's Sid Halley series: Turnabout by roseveare & Unbreakable by edonohana

Rivers of London: Folly To Be Wise, by Philomytha

Marvel 616, Five Times Faiza Hussain Meets a Superhero , by muccamukk

The Middleman: The Injurious Internet Meme Incursion, by victoria_p (musesfool).

Friends: Between Spaces

Sleepy Hollow: Elinor and Marianne, by Yahtzee.

The Espresso Addict