yuletide | Yuletide 2017, rec list #1

Wanted to post some recs before author reveals, and I know I'm very last-minute. Happy New Year to you all ♥ well, those of you for whom it's a new year, that is! :)

give me a place to stand

Fandom: Guy Gavriel Kay - Ysabel

Character(s): Melanie, Kim Ford, Meghan Marriner, Dave Martyniuk, Ned Marriner

Summary: "'Perhaps it has sometimes happened to you in a dream that someone says something which you don't understand but in the dream it feels as if it has some enormous meaning-either a terrifying one which turns the whole dream into a nightmare or else a lovely meaning too lovely to put into words, which makes the dream so beautiful that you remember it all your life and are always wishing you could get into that dream again.'

-C.S. Lewis, The Lion, The Witch, And The Wardrobe"

Rec: This piece is a lyrical, beautifully layered exploration of two major themes of change: the alterations that have to happen on Melanie's return to her home in Canada, having acquired a great deal of odd experience, several new acquaintances and three very unexpected inches in height, and the changes in Ned's family dynamics and how those take place from a partially external viewpoint. "Mirth, merriment and Marriners", as per Dave, intricately woven together with memories, menorahs and Montreal, and all of it excellently written.

First Past the Post
Fandom: K. M. Peyton - Prove Yourself A Hero
Character(s): Peter McNair, Jonathan Meredith

Relationship(s): Peter McNair/Jonathan Meredith

Summary: The wind had blown away the last of his hangover, the sun was warm on his back, and the day was shading from brand new to delightfully fresh. All he needed now was breakfast, a proper breakfast, not one of those anaemic poached egg and margarine on toast city affairs but a full on fry up.

Rec: This was a treat written for me in a fandom that, to the best of my knowledge, has never had any published fanfiction before, despite being nearly 50 years old, so that alone would be enough to make me squee. On top of that, however, the story itself is pitch-perfect - so much so that it could very nearly have been written by Peyton herself - with not an anachronism in view, bringing both young men to life as young adults in a way that gels wonderfully with the subtle undertones of the original novella.

A Discussion of an Announcement in the Society Pages

Fandom: Tamora Pierce - Emelan
Character(s): Berenene, Daja Kisubo, Briar Moss, Sandrilene "Sandry" fa Toren, Vedris fa Toren

Relationship(s): Daja Kisubo/Sandrilene "Sandry" fa Toren

Summary: In which there are mixed reactions to the posting of the banns.

Rec: A delightful Regency romance AU version of the entire world of Emelan, focused around the forthcoming wedding of Sandry and Daja, and how their friends, family and acquaintances respond to the announcement of the fact. I love the way each character has been translated and transmuted into this setting (including especially the "character" of Winding Circle itself!), even the ones only mentioned in passing such as Rosethorn. It's beautifully done, and even the aspects that would be anachronistic in a standard Regency historical novel don't feel at all out of place, which is a definite and admirable achievement.

Nightgowns

Fandom: Terry Pratchett - Monstrous Regiment
Character(s): Maladict(a) "Mal", Polly "Ozzer" Perks

Relationship(s): Maladict(a)/Polly "Ozzer" Perks

Summary: There are no nightgowns, underwired or otherwise, in the Borogravian military. Somehow, Ozzer manages to find the next best thing while facing off against Zlobenian cavalry and ends up kicking their captain in the fork while wearing a petticoat.

It’s close enough. Possibly too close, because when Mal sees her dripping wet from the rain and plastered in sheer white cloth, her brain blanks out and – for a moment – her instincts purr.

Rec: I adore the interactions between our leading pair here, most of all. Mal and those predatory vampiric instincts that *aren't* about the b-vord... (and them not working to seduce Polly!), all the details she takes in and all the long-established routines of life as a vampire... It really is amazing work.

The Mess That You Wanted
Fandom: D.E.B.S. (2004)

Character(s): Amy Bradshaw, Lucy Diamond, Scud

Relationship(s): Amy Bradshaw/Lucy Diamond

Summary: The D.E.B.S. had so many rules. Amy took refuge in them once upon a time, let them add structure and what she thought was certainty to her life. It turns out heists are more of an art. And maybe it's not just that, maybe it's Lucy by her side, but she finds it exhilarating.

Rec: This is my gift for 2017, and it's an adorable portrayal of what a slice of life could be like for Amy and Lucy if Amy decided to go "bad", and it's perfect! Because, as I've commented, of course Amy would be distracted by art even in the midst of preparing a heist. Of course Scud would be the snarky but affectionate little brother who gets in the way of their flirting on purpose. And of course Lucy would pay far more attention to Amy's face than to any object she chose to take if she decided to switch sides (so to speak)! ♡