Yuletide recs

[nerakrose]

Happy Yuletide all! I come bearing RECS. first, my own two gifts:

keeping up with the katayamas (1843 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Fence (Comics)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Nicholas Cox/Seiji Katayama
Characters: Nicholas Cox, Seiji Katayama
Summary: Seiji brings Nicholas home over winter break -- to keep him from backsliding on his fencing progress, of course. But Seiji's parents may have gotten other ideas...

This is basically perfect - Seiji and Nicholas being so fencing obsessed they barely know what dating is or the fact they clearly are (in the eyes of Seiji’s parents anyway). One of the things I loved the most about the novelisations is how clearly supportive Seiji’s parents are and how much they love their son, and it shone through here so wonderfully.

Five Times Daniel Is Sure He’s Awake and One Time He Is Not (2119 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Interview with the Vampire (TV 2022)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Lestat de Lioncourt/Louis de Pointe du Lac, Armand/Daniel Molloy (mentioned)
Characters: Daniel Molloy, Lestat de Lioncourt, Louis de Pointe du Lac, Armand
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Lestat's 21st century careers, POV Outsider, POV Daniel Molloy
Summary: The Vampire Lestat, the billboard reads. Debut Single Out Now.

I asked for something funny - basically for all the ridiculousness to be brought forward because much as I am in my feels about everything vampire chronicles, I also think they’re hilarious and I wanted something that reflected that, and this is therefore also perfect in that it gave me exactly what I wanted :D blending some book canon with the AMC show for maximum fun times.

And here’s what else I’ve been reading and loving from this year’s Yuletide:

Hills of the North Rejoice (1680 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: God's Own Country (2017)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Gheorghe Ionescu/Johnny Saxby
Characters: Gheorghe Ionescu, Johnny Saxby
Additional Tags: Post-Canon, sheep farming, the lovely Yorkshire weather, Yuletide Treat
Summary: Love and sheep farming in a cold climate.

This is so GENTLE and LOVELY. Art about a year after canon, Johnny and Gheorghe are still finding their feet but they are working together and listening to each other and trying to make this work, and it’s so wonderful - just the right balance of sweet and melancholy.

In Her Blood (1346 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Ocean's Eleven Trilogy (Movies), Ocean's 8 (2018)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Danny Ocean/Rusty Ryan, Danny Ocean & Debbie Ocean, Lou Miller/Debbie Ocean
Characters: Debbie Ocean, Danny Ocean, Rusty Ryan
Additional Tags: Danny Ocean Lives, Siblings, Banter, Post-Canon, Heist, Liars and Thieves, Fashion & Couture, Family Feels, Con Artists, Yuletide Treat
Summary: "You would've loved it.""I did, actually."

Perfect!!! I love this franchise so damn much and this is a perfect vignette, kind of canon divergent from the end of ocean’s 8. Lovely.

Breaking Even (1311 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Ocean's Eleven Trilogy (Movies)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Danny Ocean/Rusty Ryan
Characters: Danny Ocean, Rusty Ryan
Additional Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Pining, Getting Together, Getting Back Together, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Movie: Ocean's Eleven, Post-Movie: Ocean's Eleven
Summary: Breaking like a fever, like a floe.

Perfect balance of bittersweet and lovely ♥ Rusty POV fics are often bittersweet, full of pining and longing as Danny and Tess have their on-off thing (it’s not quite my preference re: characterisation but it works) and this has that in spades, but also all the loveliness of reciprocated feelings.

Unspoken Declarations (2314 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Shetland (TV)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Characters: Jimmy Perez, Duncan Hunter
Additional Tags: Paperwork, Middle Aged Introspection
Summary: Sometimes paperwork is worth a thousand words

This is so lovely - and can be read as shippy and gen both, depending on what you read into it, much like the series itself imo. And this was just so subtly done, using paperwork as the framework for describing a decades long relationship and how it has changed and evolved. Absolutely wonderful

Heuristic Analysis (10965 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Murderbot Diaries - Martha Wells
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Summary: Three makes some choices.

I don’t usually read murderbot fics, but I saw this summary and couldn’t resist clicking through - after Network Effect I wanted to know more about Three, who really seemed to be floundering with its newfound free will but (much like murderbot?) resilient. This probably isn’t what I expect from canon, but it doesn’t matter - it’s lovely and insightful (and I had to laugh at the idealistic students who clearly didn’t know what they were doing) and I think, a very plausible outcome.
I particularly liked the closing lines, a perfect nod to canon!

Parole (4644 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Temeraire - Naomi Novik
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: William Laurence/Napoléon I de France | Napoléon Bonaparte
Characters: William Laurence, Napoléon I de France | Napoléon Bonaparte
Additional Tags: Captivity, Seduction, Sharing Clothes, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence
Summary:

Laurence woke with a start, and for a long moment did not recognize his surroundings. The cabin was filled with light, but it was not his, and his berth was startlingly unmoving; no hammock at all.

He sat up, and met Napoleon’s eyes. The emperor was sat again at the table, over papers and maps, and some unrepentant air about him declared as well as if he’d said so that he had been watching Laurence as he slept.

“Ah, you are awake.” His eyes again roamed Laurence, up and down, with an appreciation that made Laurence’s cheeks heat. “You look much better.”

If Napoleon had been on the French dragon transport in Crucible of Gold.

This slayed me in so many ways - I am obsessed with Laurence’s crush on Napoleon (that battlefield scene in Black Powder War anyone?) and Napoleon’s obsession with Laurence in turn. And this! Is like the author reached into my brain and distilled what they found into this delicious nugget of a fic. It’s so sensual and seductive and has all the framework necessary for Laurence (if he were genre savvy maybe) to be the heroine in an 80s rape fantasy romance novel - to be able to give in and enjoy himself under the cover of being taken advantage of. Maybe not this Laurence in this fic, but the tension is there, and the added D/s vibes to boot just made this even more perfect. I can’t stop thinking about this fic.

Comments

[lynnenne]

Oh, I read that Daniel fic last night! So funny. :)

[nerakrose]

Yes!! I’m very pleased 😊