Still on the Quest

Here we are again, another year, another request for the ( New Avengers... )


I recently reread Terry Pratchett's Nation and I got to ( thinking )


( Without a Clue )

( And then there's Tris. )

I read everything from angst to farce, every rating, gen, het, and slash, serious or silly, and I love a good fandom trope done with the glee it deserves. I'm generally good with humor or brightfic, but I do have some things I'm wary of on the more serious end of the scale. Dark!heroes need to be written exceptionally well for example, with the barest of twists from canon characterization (more like shadowy than actually dark, if that makes any sense), and I'm awfully fussy about genderbent characters, because it's so difficult to manage it without losing the essential nature of the character and still having the new gender feel like it wasn't plastered on. I squick on incest, pederasty and torture, unless the perpetrators are clearly bad guys and even then I don't want details, thanks. I've never seen a story labelled "hatesex" that I wanted to click through to read, and I'm wary of secretive adultery although I'm perfectly happy with cheerful non-monogamy when everyone knows the score. I generally want comfort with my hurt, and for this yuletide I truly do want an hopeful ending if you've delved into the angst bucket.

Thank you!

I actually wrote something lately! Then I went and submitted the things I wrote to and couldn't tell anybody about any of them except for my brilliant beta janeturenne. Of course, the good thing about giving is that you receive too, so let's start with the prezzies I got:

For Holmestice I was given Most Peculiar which is a lovely character study of Watson by lelek.

For Yuletide I was given In This House Everything Is Twice, by Jay Tryfanstone, which is based on the book The Children of Green Knowe by Lucy M. Boston.

( And then there were the things I wrote for other people: )

Had a wonderful Christmas, spent with a friend, decorating a tree, eating turkey, watching a movie and going out to see the pretty lights. (oooh, ahhhh!) And then spent this morning adding a bunch of treats to Yuletide Madness before the archive for that closes.

And yay, the static page URLS are going to stay good! So I can start compiling my Yuletide recs.

First of all, of course, is the story that was written for me.

In this house, everything is twice, a lovely atmospheric piece based on the Green Knowe books by L. M. Boston. I adore this fic to pieces. It has the most amazing detail and descriptions in it, and an element of ambiguity that lets me reread and reread without ever quite deciding what has happened. I'd say it's haunting, but somehow that word is never quite appropriate for Green Knowe. Beautiful beautiful beautiful, and I am overwhelmingly grateful to the person who wrote it for me.

But that's not the only good fic in the collection. Here's the list of all the fandoms if you want to browse, and of course I'll add my favorites below as I find them. (Now that I have time to read!)

( read on, oh, my brave hearts! )

Written for: beautifulside in the Yuletide 2008 Challenge


Thanks to clevertoad for the beta, cuthalion for the encouragement, and lothithil and izhilza for the canon check!


*** 1

( The first time that Charles Parker ever saw Lord Peter Wimsey, he admitted much later, he thought the man was an idiot. )

Written for: Mary Crawford in the Yuletide 2008 Challenge

( The ship had docked nearly half an hour before and the terminal was overflowing with reunions. )

Written for: mayhap in the Yuletide 2008 Challenge





She'd seen him at Oxford, of course, and even had spoken to him once, but he'd seemed like such an idiot compared to his uncle that she hadn't pursued the acquaintance. A Viscount could afford to scant the work, a future writer needed to do things right. But stuck here in the Underground, waiting for the air raid to be over, he seemed much different. It wasn't just the uniform, Hilary decided, when the all clear finally sounded and he invited her to join him for some coffee. He'd grown up somwhere along the way.

But the uniform didn't hurt.

Written for: Dejana Talis in the Yuletide 2008 Challenge



A Tiger is Fierce, a Tiger is Loyal,

A Tiger is always a friend to a boy.

A Tiger is Brave, a Tiger is Noble,

A Tiger is never reclusive or coy.

If you meet a Tiger, prepare to be awestruck,

For Tigers are wonderful, peachy and keen,

Their Teeth are as sharp as an icicle hanging,

Their Claws stay in use, so they're constantly clean.

A Tiger is Captain of all he can see;

So bow to the Tiger if you would be free.

"Okay, I sang the song. Now will you let me go?"

"Do the dance, first!"

Written for: Ashcat in the Yuletide 2008 Challenge



Love didn't make breakfast, Sophie already knew, and it certainly didn't clean houses (or castles!) So she extracted herself carefully from Howl's arms and found her dressing gown, and went down to the kitchen pump to wash her face and get ready for the day. But as Calcifer cooked the bacon (and noisily consumed the rind) and Markl and the Witch of the Waste (who must have another name) wandered sleepily in the direction of the table, she wondered if it was only her nights that would be different now.

Then Howl woke up and decided to teach her Magic.