serephemeral

In an effort to actually post here (rather than dusting this place off once a year and then letting the dust collect again), have some Yuletide recs! 

Fic I Received 

Tanakh, Megillat Ester/Book of Esther
The Book of the Queens of Old Earth in Exile - 13k, f/f, T

This fic has my whole heart! It was the Esther/Vashti dislike-to-lovers near-rivalmance in SPACE that I longed for, in ways that I didn't know I longed for. Case in point: humanity is living on an alien planet, having been taken by the Psyn, a species of giant ant-like aliens. GIANT! ALIEN! ANT! EMPRESS! XRXIS! (I now long for a whole book unto itself about alien ant empress Xrxis.) Anyway, this story is just -- exquisite and perfect and so, so Jewish. The way Jewishness gets woven into the worldbuilding is masterful and glorious - I won't spoil too much, but I was shrieking in delight to my empty house on my first read-through. My spouse, after reading this story, exclaimed "I want a whole novel -- a trilogy! -- of this!" and I heartily agree. It's just so, so good. 

The Citadel - 2.5k, gen, G

This is likewise an utterly delightful treat and a delightful take on Esther and Vashti in space! Featuring delightful moments of Esther and Vashti developing a relationship, working together, and being wonderfully competent, with hints of the broader story of Esther playing out in the background. And cyborgs! (Vashti's everything in this fic is so great for me, particularly the last line). 

Main Yuletide Collection 

6th Century BCE Poet RPF
Song - 2.6k, f/f, T 
Snippets in the life of Sappho. Lovely. 

Ancient Greek Religion and Lore 
a thing of beauty, golden - 2.2k, NR, f/m 
Aphrodite/Hephaestus catching feelings for each other in sweet, sharp, and aching ways. 

Ancient Greek Religion and Lore + The Iliad-Homer 
The Arc Towards the Sun - 5.4k, f/m, M 
Gorgeously written Andromache/Hektor piece - the prose here is breathtaking. I went in curious (Andromache/Hektor aren't a particular interest of mine) and came out wrecked and longing for more. Just breathtaking. 

A Study in Emerald 
(Note: A Study in Emerald is a short story by Neil Gaiman - it also Sherlock Holmes/Lovecraft canon-divergent crossover AU fic. It had been ages since I read it, but I was excited to dip my toes into the Yuletide offerings this year, and I was not disappointed!)  

The Assam Adventure - 4.5k, m/m, T 
John and Sherlock, fighting eldritch horrors, just two bros being wildly in love and wildly grasping at hope. The tone of this is spot-on. 

beneath closed eyelids I do not cease to guard this - 2.4k, m/m, T 
John has feels about Sherlock and their life fighting eldritch horrors and dreams of another world. 

Crimson Peak 
what desire will make foolish people do - 5k, multi (f/f, f/m, ot3), T 
Sad hopeful hot ot3 feels. A most excellent what-if fic.  

Galavant 
Madalena and the Dark Dark Evil Wings - 1.6k, gen, G 
Madalena, with WINGS, great wordplay on D'Dew, and the best sort of flashy-yet-deep character moments. 

Killing Eve 
Aprés-Mois Le Deluge - 3k, f/f, M 
I don't even go here! I've seen a single episode of Killing Eve -- keep meaning to actually watch the show -- but became instantly enamored with Eve/Villanelle and so periodically read fic. This one made me feel all the things even though I barely know the characters. 

The Good Place 
Free Netflix Subscription - 10k, f/f, T 
Tahani/Eleanor soulmate reboot fic. "Welcome! Everything is gay!" I didn't want this reboot to end! 

The Great (Not-A)Robot Uprising - 1k, gen, T 
A slice of the Janets' group chat, complete with otter gifs! So enjoyable. 

Untitled Goose Game 
The Adventure of the Horrible Goose - 2.7k, gen, G 
The Horrible Goose meets Shelock Holmes (Conan Doyle-verse). Honk! 

Untitled Multifandom Goose Fic - 4.2k, gen, G 
The Horrible Goose wreaks havoc in multiple universes. A delightful romp! Honk! 

Yuletide Madness 

Hymn to Demeter - Homer 
The Six-Part Symmetry of Desire - <1k, f/m, T 
Lovely Hades/Persephone poem with a seasoning of powerful Persephone. 

Legally Blonde 
Pink Stiletto Spiky - <1k, gen, T 
Elle Woods: Vampire Slayer. What, like it's hard? 

Old Town Road Music Video 
Betsy Lou - <1k, gen, G 
Lil' Nas X and Billy Rae Cyrus take on gentrification. 

The Little Mermaid 
Back - <1k, gen, G
Haunting, short Ariel character study. 

The Sixth World - Rebecca Roanhorse 
Silver Lining - <1k, f/m, G 
Maggie gets a cold; Kai is there to offer snuggles. 

Untitled Goose Game 
Do Not Touch The Props - <1k, gen, G
When a Horrible Goose meets a community theatre production, HONK! happens. 

to do: annoy the tree - <1k, gen, G 
The Horrible Goose unleashes itself on Hogwarts. 

to do: Write A Yuletide Gift for Alasse_Irena - <1k, gen, G
A Horrible Goose's recitation of Beowulf. I cackled out loud!