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rarefemslashexchangeThere are no unmatchables. Assignments will go out in the next few days.
Sign-ups are closed!
Dec. 27th, 2025 10:09 pmrfemod posting in rarefemslashexchangeSign-ups are now closed. Matching will be run and there will be an update once the emails to the unmatchables (if there are any) are sent out.
Yuletide!!!
Dec. 27th, 2025 09:25 pmsnickficYou guys, I love Yuletide. So many things I can read, I got great gifts, people are reading what I wrote... incredible. Here, have some recs.
First, my gifts:
Endless Night, True Detective: Night Country, Danvers/Navarro, 4.6k. My author took my prompt "what if the sun didn't come back" and ran with it. Great apostalyptic vibe here, and my shiiiiip. <3
The Inheritance of Imogen Dearborn, Kyle Murchison Booth Stories, Booth/Ratcliffe, 13!!!!!k. Booth needs Ratcliffe's help with an acquisition at a decaying house in the country, and things get weird, as they so often do around Booth. I freaking love this fandom's dedication to casefic*, and this is a wonderful example of a case that's great on its own merits and all the better because the relationship growing around the edges. <3 <3 <3
(*I'm developing the theory that the KMB stories are basically the perfect canon for producing casefic: the canon is already a series of casefics, already in prose, and they're nearly all pretty short. Put that all together, and writers have the perfect model to work from.)
And now for the other fics I've loved so far:
boot error, Companion (2025), Iris gen, 2.6k. Iris confronts life without an operating system. It was great to see Iris here, trying to figure out exactly what it means to be a person when one's whole personality is made of code.
Written in squid ink, Kraken - China Mieville, Billy/Dane, 3k. Not everyone in the Church of the Kraken was blessed with a tattoo in squid ink, but Dane was one of the lucky few, and at a young age too. I loved seeing an interpretation of soulmate marks specifically for this canon, and I loved all of Dane's weird fantasies and fetishes and imagined acts of religious devotion, and how they all got tangled up together.
Touching the Moon, My Sister and the Prince, Marie gen, 4k. This is how it happened; and what happened, after. The canon is a short film that is incredibly compelling considering it's two actors on one set for a single scene. You should watch it and then read this structurally creative and heartwrenching answer to the question of what came next.
Hunger, Dragonriders of Pern, Kylara/Lessa, 2.7k. Both Lessa and Kylara are Searched for Nemorth's final clutch. This Kylara feels exactly right to me: scheming, focused on her own desires and ambitions, fully aware of her own strengths and at least some of the weaknesses of others, and above all with an eye for opportunity. And the actual events, brief though they, promise a very interesting future for this version of canon. :D
The day the riders came, Dragonriders of Pern, OC gen, 1.8k. What if the dragons of Pern and the Impression bond were anything *but* benevolent? Or, alternately: what if the dragons were Lovecraftian horrors? This gets so dark in the best way, and the last line is a knockout punch.
First, my gifts:
Endless Night, True Detective: Night Country, Danvers/Navarro, 4.6k. My author took my prompt "what if the sun didn't come back" and ran with it. Great apostalyptic vibe here, and my shiiiiip. <3
The Inheritance of Imogen Dearborn, Kyle Murchison Booth Stories, Booth/Ratcliffe, 13!!!!!k. Booth needs Ratcliffe's help with an acquisition at a decaying house in the country, and things get weird, as they so often do around Booth. I freaking love this fandom's dedication to casefic*, and this is a wonderful example of a case that's great on its own merits and all the better because the relationship growing around the edges. <3 <3 <3
(*I'm developing the theory that the KMB stories are basically the perfect canon for producing casefic: the canon is already a series of casefics, already in prose, and they're nearly all pretty short. Put that all together, and writers have the perfect model to work from.)
And now for the other fics I've loved so far:
boot error, Companion (2025), Iris gen, 2.6k. Iris confronts life without an operating system. It was great to see Iris here, trying to figure out exactly what it means to be a person when one's whole personality is made of code.
Written in squid ink, Kraken - China Mieville, Billy/Dane, 3k. Not everyone in the Church of the Kraken was blessed with a tattoo in squid ink, but Dane was one of the lucky few, and at a young age too. I loved seeing an interpretation of soulmate marks specifically for this canon, and I loved all of Dane's weird fantasies and fetishes and imagined acts of religious devotion, and how they all got tangled up together.
Touching the Moon, My Sister and the Prince, Marie gen, 4k. This is how it happened; and what happened, after. The canon is a short film that is incredibly compelling considering it's two actors on one set for a single scene. You should watch it and then read this structurally creative and heartwrenching answer to the question of what came next.
Hunger, Dragonriders of Pern, Kylara/Lessa, 2.7k. Both Lessa and Kylara are Searched for Nemorth's final clutch. This Kylara feels exactly right to me: scheming, focused on her own desires and ambitions, fully aware of her own strengths and at least some of the weaknesses of others, and above all with an eye for opportunity. And the actual events, brief though they, promise a very interesting future for this version of canon. :D
The day the riders came, Dragonriders of Pern, OC gen, 1.8k. What if the dragons of Pern and the Impression bond were anything *but* benevolent? Or, alternately: what if the dragons were Lovecraftian horrors? This gets so dark in the best way, and the last line is a knockout punch.
Poem: "Tenacity, Creativity, and Bravery"
Dec. 27th, 2025 11:02 pmysabetwordsmithThis poem is spillover from the October 3, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by prompts from mama_kestrel and see_also_friend. It also fills the "There are many flavors of outcasts here." square in my 10-1-23 card for the Fall Fest Bingo. This poem has been sponsored by a pool with fuzzyred. It belongs to the Eric the Elven King thread of the Polychrome Heroics series.
( Read more... )
mama_kestrel and see_also_friend. It also fills the "There are many flavors of outcasts here." square in my 10-1-23 card for the Fall Fest Bingo. This poem has been sponsored by a pool with fuzzyred. It belongs to the Eric the Elven King thread of the Polychrome Heroics series.( Read more... )
Birb!
Dec. 28th, 2025 05:08 amvriddyTo PROVE that I am able to make a post without a single mention of K-9 (oh no I already failed), please enjoy pictures of the bird friends I made at the park yesterday :D
I call them magpies because that's what the black and white and beautiful blue-tinted tail colouring makes me think of, but I don't actually know. They are birb. And they are friendly!
One of them came to hang out with us when we took a little break, just sitting there, all puffy and chirping whenever we stopped paying attention to it. Really, surprisingly chill and friendly! I guess people around there are not jerks to them too much.
I know the quality of my pictures is terrible, but that's to encourage everyone to use their Power Of Imagination! I'm actually providing a great public service 😌
( Picture of a not a bird friend, at the same park )
Also I'm no longer the only person posting for K-9 out there :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D And they write a PoV I'm less comfortable with (FOR NOW) and that is just AWESOME. Happy times!!! 🥳🥳
I call them magpies because that's what the black and white and beautiful blue-tinted tail colouring makes me think of, but I don't actually know. They are birb. And they are friendly!
One of them came to hang out with us when we took a little break, just sitting there, all puffy and chirping whenever we stopped paying attention to it. Really, surprisingly chill and friendly! I guess people around there are not jerks to them too much.
I know the quality of my pictures is terrible, but that's to encourage everyone to use their Power Of Imagination! I'm actually providing a great public service 😌
( Picture of a not a bird friend, at the same park )
Also I'm no longer the only person posting for K-9 out there :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D And they write a PoV I'm less comfortable with (FOR NOW) and that is just AWESOME. Happy times!!! 🥳🥳
On the fanfiction front...
Dec. 27th, 2025 10:48 pmsettiaiWhile they're all hidden right now since the archive is still anonymous at the moment, the fics that I wrote for Yuletide this year have put me at 799 fanworks total on the AO3. And, me being me, I very much want to post #800 sometime before the end of the year.
I'm not sure if I can pull it off or not, but I'm really leaning towards trying to get it posted on Monday. The very first fic that I posted online went up on 12/29/2000, so it seems kinda fitting to post #800 exactly 25 years later.
We'll see if I can pull it off? I have enough WIPs that I should be able to finish something that isn't for an exchange that I can go ahead and post publicly that day. Theoretically, at least.
I'm not sure if I can pull it off or not, but I'm really leaning towards trying to get it posted on Monday. The very first fic that I posted online went up on 12/29/2000, so it seems kinda fitting to post #800 exactly 25 years later.
We'll see if I can pull it off? I have enough WIPs that I should be able to finish something that isn't for an exchange that I can go ahead and post publicly that day. Theoretically, at least.
December-January Movie PTW List
Dec. 27th, 2025 09:35 pmbluapapilioUsing my movies boardgame.
I completed 4/5 movies from my last challenge, the highest rated was booksmart at 4/5 stars. Not the funnest challenge, coulda been better but I'm not in the biggest mood for movies tbh.
Avatar:
Action (Tremors)
Skill: If you land on a tile you don't like: roll a dice, if even go forward one tile, if odd go back (doesn't work on the trap tile)
Roll #1
Heree we go again, a 7 which is the trap tile so I had to go back. Oh, a 12 now, ok. Prompt: weapon on the cover. I am going to chose based solely on the prompts versus my feelings because nothing will get chosen otherwise. Alright, there's a gun on the cover of Dust Bunny.
Roll #2
A 7, prompt: favorite genre (fantasy). ('24) The Little Mermaid,
Roll #3
A 4, generate from PTW tile. #64, Trunk - Locked In.
Roll #4
A 5, prompt: horror element. Beyond Loch Ness,
Roll #5
Reward: Flight of the Living Dead.
Movie PTW List:
[Thriller/Fantasy/Action] Dust Bunny
[Horror/Fantasy] '24 The Little Mermaid
[Thriller] Trunk - Locked In
[Mystery/Sci-Fi/Horror] Beyond Loch Ness
[Horror] Flight of the Living Dead
I completed 4/5 movies from my last challenge, the highest rated was booksmart at 4/5 stars. Not the funnest challenge, coulda been better but I'm not in the biggest mood for movies tbh.
Avatar:
Action (Tremors)
Skill: If you land on a tile you don't like: roll a dice, if even go forward one tile, if odd go back (doesn't work on the trap tile)
Roll #1
Heree we go again, a 7 which is the trap tile so I had to go back. Oh, a 12 now, ok. Prompt: weapon on the cover. I am going to chose based solely on the prompts versus my feelings because nothing will get chosen otherwise. Alright, there's a gun on the cover of Dust Bunny.
Roll #2
A 7, prompt: favorite genre (fantasy). ('24) The Little Mermaid,
Roll #3
A 4, generate from PTW tile. #64, Trunk - Locked In.
Roll #4
A 5, prompt: horror element. Beyond Loch Ness,
Roll #5
Reward: Flight of the Living Dead.
Movie PTW List:
[Thriller/Fantasy/Action] Dust Bunny
[Horror/Fantasy] '24 The Little Mermaid
[Thriller] Trunk - Locked In
[Mystery/Sci-Fi/Horror] Beyond Loch Ness
[Horror] Flight of the Living Dead
Communities
Dec. 27th, 2025 09:12 pmysabetwordsmithThe City That Refused to Stay Dying
This Indiana city is no longer defined by what it lost, but by what its residents are building today.
Instead of waiting for a master plan or a single catalytic investment, Keen began assembling homes and vacant parcels one by one. He helped launch the Portage Midtown Initiative and the South Bend GreenHouse, restored neglected homes, cultivated community gardens, and supported local builders learning to tackle small projects themselves. He often refers to these lots collectively as his “farm.”
This approach can work in many cities.
This Indiana city is no longer defined by what it lost, but by what its residents are building today.
Instead of waiting for a master plan or a single catalytic investment, Keen began assembling homes and vacant parcels one by one. He helped launch the Portage Midtown Initiative and the South Bend GreenHouse, restored neglected homes, cultivated community gardens, and supported local builders learning to tackle small projects themselves. He often refers to these lots collectively as his “farm.”
This approach can work in many cities.
Yuletide 2025 recs
Dec. 27th, 2025 08:15 pmalchemiseStarting with my amazing gift! OMG, I honestly thought no one would ever choose my prompt for in-universe documents about the mall in Possibly in Michigan (1983). I didn't know what that would even look like, just that I wanted it. But my author did and it's amazing!
Two, Seven, Eight (1817 words) by Anonymous
Fandom: Possibly in Michigan (1983)
Characters: Sharon (Possibly in Michigan), Janice (Possibly in Michigan), Worldbuilding (Possibly in Michigan), Prince Charming (Possibly in Michigan), Original Characters
Additional Tags: Canon-Typical Violence, Cannibalism, Workplace Comedy, Documentation, Epistolary, the major character death is off-page but a guy getting killed and eaten is sure what happens in this movie
Summary: The Beachwood Place Mall is not a great work environment.
Other stories I've loved so far:
Madalena's Ballad of Vast Success (1264 words) by Anonymous
Fandom: Galavant (TV)
Characters: Madalena (Galavant), Brief ensemble Galavant cast appearance
Additional Tags: Character Study, Inspired by the song What Am I Feeling (Galavant), Original music composition, Post-Canon
Summary: Madalena stood on her balcony, in her castle perched high on a cliffside overlooking her vast and endless empire. "This is the best life has ever been. Everything I wanted is now mine... Yet sometimes it seems that there's something out there that eludes me, something I can neither buy nor take. But that's crazy! Who would dare deny me? Deceive or defy me? None at all! Well, almost none!"
Busman’s Holiday (1294 words) by Anonymous
Fandom: Knives Out (Movies)
Characters: Benoit Blanc (Knives Out), Phillip (Knives Out), Original Characters
Additional Tags: Epistolary, Murder Mystery, Archaeology, Benoit Blanc can’t leave well enough alone, Murder, Detectives
Summary: While on holiday in Crete, Benoit Blanc stumbles across a murder in a sleepy coastal village. He probably shouldn’t get involved — he is, after all, on holiday. Oh, who is he kidding.
No Time To Dial (1813 words) by Anonymous
Fandom: Knives Out (Movies)
Relationships: Benoit Blanc/Phillip (Knives Out)
Additional Tags: Wake Up Dead Man - Freeform, Phone Conversations, They're In Love Your Honor, Spies & Secret Agents, flirting with your husband, Outrageously, Faux Jealously (Mostly Faux), Father Jud Is Adorable And Everyone Knows It, Offscreen Violence and Derring-Do
Summary: Benoit Blanc catches his long-suffering husband up on the murder mystery with the adorable twinky priest.
The Last of the Gentleman Sleuths (3465 words) by Anonymous
Fandom: Knives Out (Movies)
Characters: Benoit Blanc (Knives Out), Phillip (Knives Out)
Summary: A case is closed.
ma knew best (1330 words) by Anonymous
Fandom: Sinners (2025)
Relationships: Bo Chow/Grace Chow, Annie/Elijah "Smoke" Moore, Mary/Elias "Stack" Moore, Annie & Grace Chow
Additional Tags: Origin Story, Past/Present/Future, period/canon appropriate racism (segregation), school days, Mary is mentioned but does not appear, canonical MCD acknowledged
Summary: Everything Lisa Chow knows about her parents and their friends, she learned from her mother.
the (un)magnificent lives of adults (3329 words) by Anonymous
Fandom: Sense8 (TV)
Relationships: Wolfgang Bogdanow/Kala Dandekar/Rajan Rasal
Additional Tags: Post-Canon
Summary: Kala and her cluster wrestle with what their new normal means.
Two, Seven, Eight (1817 words) by Anonymous
Fandom: Possibly in Michigan (1983)
Characters: Sharon (Possibly in Michigan), Janice (Possibly in Michigan), Worldbuilding (Possibly in Michigan), Prince Charming (Possibly in Michigan), Original Characters
Additional Tags: Canon-Typical Violence, Cannibalism, Workplace Comedy, Documentation, Epistolary, the major character death is off-page but a guy getting killed and eaten is sure what happens in this movie
Summary: The Beachwood Place Mall is not a great work environment.
Other stories I've loved so far:
Madalena's Ballad of Vast Success (1264 words) by Anonymous
Fandom: Galavant (TV)
Characters: Madalena (Galavant), Brief ensemble Galavant cast appearance
Additional Tags: Character Study, Inspired by the song What Am I Feeling (Galavant), Original music composition, Post-Canon
Summary: Madalena stood on her balcony, in her castle perched high on a cliffside overlooking her vast and endless empire. "This is the best life has ever been. Everything I wanted is now mine... Yet sometimes it seems that there's something out there that eludes me, something I can neither buy nor take. But that's crazy! Who would dare deny me? Deceive or defy me? None at all! Well, almost none!"
Busman’s Holiday (1294 words) by Anonymous
Fandom: Knives Out (Movies)
Characters: Benoit Blanc (Knives Out), Phillip (Knives Out), Original Characters
Additional Tags: Epistolary, Murder Mystery, Archaeology, Benoit Blanc can’t leave well enough alone, Murder, Detectives
Summary: While on holiday in Crete, Benoit Blanc stumbles across a murder in a sleepy coastal village. He probably shouldn’t get involved — he is, after all, on holiday. Oh, who is he kidding.
No Time To Dial (1813 words) by Anonymous
Fandom: Knives Out (Movies)
Relationships: Benoit Blanc/Phillip (Knives Out)
Additional Tags: Wake Up Dead Man - Freeform, Phone Conversations, They're In Love Your Honor, Spies & Secret Agents, flirting with your husband, Outrageously, Faux Jealously (Mostly Faux), Father Jud Is Adorable And Everyone Knows It, Offscreen Violence and Derring-Do
Summary: Benoit Blanc catches his long-suffering husband up on the murder mystery with the adorable twinky priest.
The Last of the Gentleman Sleuths (3465 words) by Anonymous
Fandom: Knives Out (Movies)
Characters: Benoit Blanc (Knives Out), Phillip (Knives Out)
Summary: A case is closed.
ma knew best (1330 words) by Anonymous
Fandom: Sinners (2025)
Relationships: Bo Chow/Grace Chow, Annie/Elijah "Smoke" Moore, Mary/Elias "Stack" Moore, Annie & Grace Chow
Additional Tags: Origin Story, Past/Present/Future, period/canon appropriate racism (segregation), school days, Mary is mentioned but does not appear, canonical MCD acknowledged
Summary: Everything Lisa Chow knows about her parents and their friends, she learned from her mother.
the (un)magnificent lives of adults (3329 words) by Anonymous
Fandom: Sense8 (TV)
Relationships: Wolfgang Bogdanow/Kala Dandekar/Rajan Rasal
Additional Tags: Post-Canon
Summary: Kala and her cluster wrestle with what their new normal means.
🎬December Movie Wrap-Up
Dec. 27th, 2025 08:20 pmbluapapilio
Dangerous Animals ('25): It might seem heavy-handed to some, like the part where she makes a joke that the worst spot on a dick is the man(?), and the part where the shark didn't attack her for some reason but then attacked the bad guy, but IDC, she and her boyfriend survived and that's more than most shark movies. If you didn't guess, the dangerous animals in question turned out to be men, not sharks. I'm not going to rate it because I skimmed some parts (like the part where she did things to her thumb to escape the cuff, ick). Honestly I'm not sure I was in the mood to watch this and that's why I skipped through.
Thirteen Lives ('22): The movie adaptation for the Thai cave rescue. I don't remember feeling so uncomfortable for the water scenes in the mini-series, I actually had to skip through most of them because they were too claustrophobic. It showed the Seal's death in explicit detail, too. The mini-series definitely fleshes out the characters more, especially the Thai ones but this adaptation had a lot of tension and fleshing out of the non-Thai characters. The boys are barely shown in the movie adaptation whereas we follow them a lot in the mini-series. I just found that while this was in production, another movie adaptation of the rescue came out and now I'm curious (it's higher rated, too). That's three adaptations! 2/5
A Perfect Getaway ('09): Multiple red herrings and a mid-movie twist. I skimmed because I'm so frickin' tired I can't handle too much tension, so I'll keep it on my PTW.
Booksmart ('19): Some scenes really made me laugh, some made me WTF and others made me think. I'm glad I watched it! 4/5 stars
Lady Bird ('17): So this came out 2 years before Booksmart, I didn't realize Beanie Feldstein was a main character in them both. I ended up having to DNF a third of the way through, I just wasn't connecting enough. I do relate to the resentment and even self-harm that resulted from it that Lady Bird was feeling towards her mom.
🥳
Dec. 28th, 2025 03:05 amgoodbyebirdMy favorite thing about birthdays is emotional blackmail, so my birthday wish is you watch the pilot for Interview With The Vampire.
If you already have, my wish is you post about your Christmas tree if you have one. I'd love to hear about your favorite decoration - especially if it's old or you made it as a kid! - see a picture even.
Love y'all ❤️
If you already have, my wish is you post about your Christmas tree if you have one. I'd love to hear about your favorite decoration - especially if it's old or you made it as a kid! - see a picture even.
Love y'all ❤️
a handful of Yuletide recs
Dec. 27th, 2025 06:06 pmisisDecember has been busy-busy for me between Yuletide preparation (as a mod) and Yuletide preparation (as a participant who also took on a pinch hit), but now, ahh, everything is done and I can reap the rewards!
My awesome gift (5-minute fandom: British Airways "May We Haveth One's Attention" Safety Video):
A British Original: Discovering Haddersford House and Its Residents (2248 words, gen)
Summary: A magazine article from the world where characters in costume drama occasionally come to life of their own--and stick around after the cameras stop rolling and the crews have gone home.
I really had no idea what to expect from this request (just that I had to have something about this marvelous video!) and I love how it's played with an absolutely straight face. Also, there's a nod to Planet Vancouver, hee!
Speaking of the ridiculous played straight, this is understandable (and hilarious) with only osmosis knowledge of The Godfather:
An Offer You Can’t Refuse (Unless You’re Lactose Intolerant) (1008 words, Godfather movies, gen)
Summary: On the day of his daughter’s guinea pig’s wedding, Don Vito Corleone received a request he could not immediately refuse.
Absolutely the best Godfather fic ever.
The rest of my recs really do require canon knowledge, but I know many of you know these canons:
Memories Are Made of This (4002 words, Northern Exposure, Ed Chigliak-centered ensemble gen)
Summary: “So this is Cicely,” Ed said, gazing wide-eyed up and down Main Street. “Where’s the rest of it?”
This is wonderful - like an episode of the show, warm and funny and a little bit off-kilter.
Hoar and Hound (2236 words, Cadfael Chronicles, Brother Cadfael-centered gen)
Summary: On a frigidly cold December night, Cadfael follows a trail through the abbey grounds.
A lovely, thoughtful portrait of the abbey and of Cadfael. The way he quietly assesses the needs of the people (and creatures) around him is perfectly in tune with canon.
Dis Manibus (1364 words, Frontier Wolf, Alexios/Cunorix, Alexios/Hilarion, G)
Summary: Alexios goes out to make an offering to the shades of the dead, but he does not go alone.
This is lovely and tender and measured, and has something of Sutcliff in the descriptions. For me Alexios/Hilarion only works if it honors the close friendship between Alexios and Cunorix, before things went bad - and this is perfect.
We Greet the Peoples of the Tower (1717 words but heavily illustrated; Chants of Sennaar, gen)
Summary: There are some oddly regular scratch marks on a wall in the Alchemists' level...
Basically this is a fangame (though the game part is optional; the first set of chapters are illustrations with glyphs as in the game, and the second half holds the translations), a whole new level in which the Monster goes seeking the other peoples to assert he is a human and their brother. It's a moving story that fits with the game themes, and it's just very cool!
Actually, if you've played Chants of Sennaar, I recommend all the Yuletide works for the game as the fandom has clearly brought its A-game, they're all great. (The one above is just extraordinarily so!) And there are two Madness works I haven't even looked at yet!
My awesome gift (5-minute fandom: British Airways "May We Haveth One's Attention" Safety Video):
A British Original: Discovering Haddersford House and Its Residents (2248 words, gen)
Summary: A magazine article from the world where characters in costume drama occasionally come to life of their own--and stick around after the cameras stop rolling and the crews have gone home.
I really had no idea what to expect from this request (just that I had to have something about this marvelous video!) and I love how it's played with an absolutely straight face. Also, there's a nod to Planet Vancouver, hee!
Speaking of the ridiculous played straight, this is understandable (and hilarious) with only osmosis knowledge of The Godfather:
An Offer You Can’t Refuse (Unless You’re Lactose Intolerant) (1008 words, Godfather movies, gen)
Summary: On the day of his daughter’s guinea pig’s wedding, Don Vito Corleone received a request he could not immediately refuse.
Absolutely the best Godfather fic ever.
The rest of my recs really do require canon knowledge, but I know many of you know these canons:
Memories Are Made of This (4002 words, Northern Exposure, Ed Chigliak-centered ensemble gen)
Summary: “So this is Cicely,” Ed said, gazing wide-eyed up and down Main Street. “Where’s the rest of it?”
This is wonderful - like an episode of the show, warm and funny and a little bit off-kilter.
Hoar and Hound (2236 words, Cadfael Chronicles, Brother Cadfael-centered gen)
Summary: On a frigidly cold December night, Cadfael follows a trail through the abbey grounds.
A lovely, thoughtful portrait of the abbey and of Cadfael. The way he quietly assesses the needs of the people (and creatures) around him is perfectly in tune with canon.
Dis Manibus (1364 words, Frontier Wolf, Alexios/Cunorix, Alexios/Hilarion, G)
Summary: Alexios goes out to make an offering to the shades of the dead, but he does not go alone.
This is lovely and tender and measured, and has something of Sutcliff in the descriptions. For me Alexios/Hilarion only works if it honors the close friendship between Alexios and Cunorix, before things went bad - and this is perfect.
We Greet the Peoples of the Tower (1717 words but heavily illustrated; Chants of Sennaar, gen)
Summary: There are some oddly regular scratch marks on a wall in the Alchemists' level...
Basically this is a fangame (though the game part is optional; the first set of chapters are illustrations with glyphs as in the game, and the second half holds the translations), a whole new level in which the Monster goes seeking the other peoples to assert he is a human and their brother. It's a moving story that fits with the game themes, and it's just very cool!
Actually, if you've played Chants of Sennaar, I recommend all the Yuletide works for the game as the fandom has clearly brought its A-game, they're all great. (The one above is just extraordinarily so!) And there are two Madness works I haven't even looked at yet!