Yulllllletiiiiiiide!

[measured_words]

I am always so excited and delighted with the things that Yuletide produces!

This year I got two gifts - one in each collection. Both are character sketches of Shirley Wilson from In The Flesh. I knew I could trust the rest of the fandom to ask for lots of fic for the main characters/pairings, but I am a lover of minor characters, and I love Shirley. She's so earnest and well intentioned even if she is not always the absolutely most competent.

Anyway! My gifts!

never too quickly, never too slowly (1084 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: In the Flesh (TV)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Shirley Wilson, Philip Wilson
Additional Tags: Character Study
Summary:

Shirley Wilson does what she can.

This is my main assignment gift this year - I would say it is basically about Shirley getting in in the world as it is, and trying to hold on to the things that she still has that are important to her while figuring out how to get on with life.

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The Wide, Wide World (100 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: In the Flesh (TV)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Shirley Wilson
Additional Tags: yumadrin, Drabble, Yuletide, Yuletide Treat
Summary:

Shirley was a PDS Community Care Officer.

A lovely little drabble, also about Shirley getting on in the post-PDS world, looking at why she started and why she continues doing what she does.

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I also have a pile of other recs I've accumulated - I am going to group them into two sections: one that are fics I have stumbled across on my own or have been recced to me informally, and then a second batch that are re-recs I've found from more formal sources (recs posts, the recs collection, and such) but that I endorse completely!

Group one - Independently Discovered awesomeness!

A Worm Will Turn (16042 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 16/16
Fandom: Arkham Horror (Board Game)
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Characters: Daisy Walker, Mandy Thompson, Tommy Muldoon, "Ashcan" Pete, Trish Scarborough
Additional Tags: Canon-Typical Violence, Body Horror, Lovecraftian
Summary:

Hideous murders are taking place right as the city of Arkham is preparing for the spring festival. Mandy Thompson saw it all coming, and with her fearless librarian friend, as well as the federal agent new in town who harbours her own agendas and a cop too good for the local police force, must find a way to stop an ancient horror from worming its way into their world.

Arkham Horror is probably my favourite board game, and I love all the story-potential it has. This fic makes excellent use of all of the elements of the game: the characters, scenarios, locations, items, mechanics, etc. The resulting story is excellent! I love how the characters come all together, how they all have their strengths and more-or less work together to figure out what is happening and try to stop it! If you like horror, I also think this can be easily read without knowing the game or any Lovecraft - it stands on its own.

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Sword (100 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Arthurian Mythology
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Merlin/Nimue
Characters: Merlin, Nimue
Additional Tags: Yuletide Treat, Drabble
Summary:

Merlin saw Nimue once more before the end, and asked her what she meant by it.

A wonderful little drabble that leaves us with a fascinating question to consider.

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Escargots (9429 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Benjamin January Mysteries - Barbara Hambly
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Rose Vitrac January, Olympe Corbier, Gabriel Corbier, Abishag Shaw, Augustus Mayerling, Madeleine Mayerling, Zizi-Marie Corbier, Original Characters
Additional Tags: Case Fic, Mystery, Character(s) of Color, Historical, New Orleans, POV Female Character, Poison, French Food, Chromatic Yuletide, Yuletide
Summary:

Rose was not one to offer platitudes for a man she hadn't known, to a man who hadn't cared about him. "What killed him?" she asked instead, for she couldn't think of any reason why Shaw would be telling her about this if it had been a natural death.

"Poison's our best guess." He paused, as if considering how to most gently say what was coming next. "He took his final meal at the Hotel Iberville last night. So as you might imagine, I got a pressin' need to speak with your nephew, Gabriel Corbier."

This is a story I beta'd, and I am reccing it whole-heartedly even though I'm not really familiar with the fandom, because it is a really cool casefic, and I found the characters really interesting even without really knowing the canon. It uses minor characters who are apparently sidelined in one of the books, and get to have their own mystery to solve here. Very well done!

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From Hardship Born (1753 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Books of the Raksura - Martha Wells
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Pearl/Ember, Jade/Moon (Raksura)
Characters: Pearl (Books of the Raksura), Ember (Books of the Raksura)
Summary:

Ember finds his place in Indigo Cloud.

This is a great story about Ember finding his place in Indigo Cloud, and how he and Pearl work, and *why* they work. We don't see a lot of them in the canon, as he is really only introduced int the last book. He does appear in the first short story collection that was released tis year though, and I think this fits exceedingly well with what we see of him there. I like getting a different and more in-depth view of Pearl as well, and I liked the portrayal of her in this very much.

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On Needs, Desires, and Callings, A. Damal (3237 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Death of the Necromancer - Martha Wells
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Canon Relationship(s)
Characters: Arisilde Damal, Isham, Nicholas Valiarde, Madeline Denare, Edouard Viller
Additional Tags: Drug Addiction, Pre-Canon, Kind of a Case Fic, Character Study
Summary:

A day in the life of the greatest sorcerer in Ile-Rien.

This is my perfect Arisilde fic. It was written for flamebyrd - we made very similar requests, with the difference that she asked for something hopeful, and I asked for something dark (we we request twins - I was the evil twin). I saw this in the archive and was glad when it was for her, because I knew I would be much more likely to enjoy a fic written to her tastes than she would be to enjoy one written to mine, so this way, we both win. having read the story, which deals with a lot of the same themes of addiction that I asked for without backing away from the negative effects, still manages to center on how, above all, Arisilde is a person so incredibly filled with honest kindness... Just writing this summary is making my feels all well up again. If you have read any of the later Ile-Rien stuff, you need to read this fic. It *is* kind of a case fic, but of course it is Nicholas's case, reflecting *his* life destroying obsessions...

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this done, day comes up new (10125 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Star Trek: Rihannsu - Diane Duane
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Ael t'Rllaillieu/Aidoann t'Khnialmnae
Characters: Ael t'Rllaillieu, Leonard McCoy, Arrhae t'Llhweiir, t'Hrienteh, Romulan Commander, Aidoann t'Khnialmnae, Assorted Rihannsu
Summary:

Ael t'Rllaillieu and some of the women she has loved.

Technically I'm cheating here - I did find this is a recs collection, BUT! the fandom doesn't appear on the fandoms page because of how it is wrangled, and I want to make sure people see it if they like ti! Anyone who is a fan of the Rihannsu books really ought to read this fic - it reads like it was crafted by Dian Duane. It captures that great interplay between recorded history and the unfolding of people's lives beautifully. There are parts of it that made me cry. The ending is wonderful. Ael here is perfect, as are all the other characters who appear. It is a perfect coda to the series. I'm a little in awe of it, to be honest!

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No One May Point a Pistol At You But Me. (100 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Sovay (Traditional Song)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Sovay, The True Love (Sovay), A Highwayman
Additional Tags: Yuletide Madness Drabble Invitational, Drabble
Summary:

Another encounter.

A madness drabble about another highway robbery. Very cute!
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Would She Could Make Of Me (1376 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Venetia - Georgette Heyer
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Jasper Damerel/Venetia Lanyon
Additional Tags: Marriage, Marriage Proposal, Married Life
Summary:

For the most shocking match of the season, Lord and Lady Damerel defy all expectation.

A post-canon fic exploring how Venetia and Damerel get to go on making each other happy, with bonus letter form Aubrey. Very cute and sweet!

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The Wheel of the Year (5183 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Witch of the Westmorland - Stan Rogers (Song)
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Knight/Witch
Characters: Knight (Witch of the Westmorland), Witch (Witch of the Westmorland), Owlet (Witch of the Westmorland), Raven (Witch of the Westmorland)
Additional Tags: Magic, Paganism, Yuletide 2014
Summary:

Kissing doesn't last - and neither does magic. The seasons turn, and the Knight goes back.

This is one of my favourite songs ever, and I am pleased to see if get such a fantastic story! The whole thing felt very mature to me, and I love how it explores the changing dynamics of the relationship between the witch and the knight as the seasons themselves change. The writing is also very evocative with excellent use of symbolism.

Group two - Rec Corroborations!

My Body, My Temple (15200 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Mummy Series, The Mummy (1999), The Mummy Returns (2001)
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Anck Su Namun/Imhotep
Characters: Anck Su Namun, Imhotep (The Mummy), Seti I of Egypt, Nefertiri
Additional Tags: Ancient Egypt
Summary:

"She belongs to her country, now, to its gods". Anck-su-Namun enters Pharaoh’s palace intending to dedicate her heart and body to Egypt incarnate, but finds herself derailed by a different god and man.

This is a Anck-su-namun's story, and it is a telling I can completely believe resulted in the character we see in the movies. It is very compelling and gave me a lot more sympathy for her than I had previously. Also, parts of it are super hot, and the descriptions of Seti's palace, the temple of Osiris and the ceremonies are all wonderful.

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إن سرقت، اسرق جمل، وإن عشقت، اعشق قمر (8068 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Mummy Series
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Evy Carnahan O'Connell/Rick O'Connell
Characters: Evy Carnahan O'Connell, Rick O'Connell, Alex O'Connell
Summary:

The first thing that Evy does, upon coming out of the desert, is sleep for what feels like a week.

The second thing she does is get married.

Another Mummy story - stealing from the author's notes, the title translates as "If you steal, steal a camel, and if you love, love (someone as beautiful as) the moon.". This is about Evy, and her relationship with Rick, and later with her son Alex, and her beautiful enthusiasm for her family, for learning, and for life. This really captures her spirit, I think, and is wonderfully descriptive as well. It follows through many years, taking them through WWII and beyond to future possibilities!

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More Lovely and More Temperate (3517 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Slings & Arrows
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Ellen Fanshaw/Geoffrey Tennant
Characters: Geoffrey Tennant, Ellen Fanshaw, Anna Conroy, Nahum, Frank (Slings & Arrows), Cyril (Slings & Arrows), May Silverstone
Additional Tags: Theatre sans Argent
Summary:

Life goes on after New Burbage.

A post-series fic, focusing mostly on Geoffrey, but with cameos from everyone else in Montreal and with his and Ellen's relationship at the forefront. Anna makes them start a new theatre program, and Geoffrey gets something out of it he was really not expecting. This is very much about theatre and found family and making the one with the other. I want to believe in this future!