Recs For All Occasions

Peter Darling - Austin Chant

binding with briars, my joys & desires (1100 words) by Laliandra - Peter Darling/James Harrington (Hook)

Post book Peter/James written for MEEEEEEEE. A lovely look at their relationship and the way they build a life together, with added WWI-era poetry feels, and a subtle cameo from one of my favourite fictional poets of the era.

in a cottage by the river (1143 words) by Anonymous - James Hook/Peter Pan

Another great look at their post-canon relationship.

He’s Peter Pan, who fears nothing, except for the part where this isn’t Neverland and he’s Peter Darling, really, who in fact fears an awful lot of things but most of all losing the hope he’s tentatively formed of an actual life for himself.

A Charm of Magpies Series - K. J. Charles

Highwire walking (10597 words) by TheWrongKindOfPC - Ned Hall/Crispin Tredarloe

A lovely, long look at Ned and Crispin's relationship shortly after the end of their book. I felt like this really captured the characters well, and nicely picks up and ties off some not-entirely-resolved threads from the end of their story.

Society of Gentlemen - K. J. Charles

Mr Webster's Wager (27385 words) by Fahye, emilyenrose - Gabriel Ashleigh/Francis Webster

In which Ash and Francis make a somewhat different wager. This story gave me so many more Ash feels than I ever even suspected I had! I just really adore the characterization of him here, the way he falls for Francis and the way he fights for him at the end.

Think of England - K. J. Charles

Playacting (2635 words) by kitmarlowed - Archie Curtis/Daniel da Silva

Delightful undercover honeypot mission shenanigans! I love watching Daniel show off his skills, and also watching him admire how much better Archie has become at the subterfuge necessary for their chosen career.

The Chronicles of Chrestomanci - Diana Wynne Jones

Adjusting One's Charm (2868 words) by Rosencrantz - Christopher Chant/Millie

Christopher and Millie in the first months of his time as Chrestomanci and the lead up to their wedding. I love Christopher - he's one of my favourite fictional characters of all time - and I find him by turns impossibly endearing and hopelessly infuriating, much as Millie does, I think. He is both of those things in equal measure in this story, which is wonderfully funny and sweet.

Millie's Fate (2866 words) by allyndra - Christopher Chant/Millie

This is such a great character study of Millie. So much of her life has been outside her control, that it's entirely understandable that she'd hate feeling trapped and not in control of her own choices. I love her conversation with Christopher and Conrad about how you can never entirely control your fate, but you can totally make contingency plans.

Eleven Echoes (1611 words) by russian_blue - Mordecai Roberts/Miss Rosalie

Mordecai|Tacroy character-study. There's a lot of great stuff here about choices and consequences and the way redemption has to be earned. I especially liked this bit:

Nobody told him to do it. And that was the worst part: because if he could choose his path then, he could have done it all along.

He just hadn't.

Blood & Smoke Series - Tanya Huff

Lock Me In Your Pocket (6460 words) by torakowalski - Tony Foster/Lee Nicholas

Coming out is hard, and Lee is really rather bad at it. I spent most of this fic wanting to shake some sense into Lee, and then give him a hug, and then shake more sense into him. He's awkward and uncomfortable and afraid, and so wrapped up in his own discomfort and worry that it takes him much longer than it should to notice the effects his choices are having on Tony. But, bless him, he gets there in the end, in a most endearing way.

Points Series - Melissa Scott & Lisa A. Barnett

Maneuvers (1031 words) by anthean - Nicolas Rathe, Philip Eslingen, King of Thieves

A delightful bit of post-Fairs' Point characterization. Great dialogue and a great feel for the way Nico and Philip's relationship contributes to the tentative trust forming between the Points and the Guard.

Canterbury Tales - Geoffrey Chaucer

Mordre, She Wroot (8040 words) by sistermagpie - Wife of Bath

The Wife of Bath as amateur detective. I would have loved this story just for the title alone, but it is also completely delightful in it's own right.

The Secret Garden

An Abiding Magic (11397 words) by dasyatidae - Colin Craven/Dickon Sowerby, Mary Lennox/Original Female Character, Mary Lennox/Susan Ann Sowerby

A slightly time-adjusted story in which Colin, Mary and Dickon grow up and follow their interest in the Magic of nature and healing into the field of medicine and psychiatry and open a progressive asylum at Misselthwaite Manor. This really sounds like it shouldn't work, and yet it really, really does. I love it when fandom surprises me this way.

Those Who Know Secret Things (4669 words) by Arsenic - Mary Lennox/Dickon Sowerby

A beautiful story about unconventional choices and secrets that are secret because they're precious, rather than because they're shameful.

I don't think I've ever read Secret Garden fic with this much uncle Archibald in it before, and I really love how he's characterized here and how his and Mary's relationship is shown.

Devil's Cub - Georgette Heyer

The Libertines (1969 words) by GloriaMundi - Dominic Alastair/Mary Challoner, Justin Alastair/Léonie de Saint-Vire

In which Mary has opinions about the casual mistreatment of women by men and totally calls her father-in-law on it. Mary going conversationally toe-to-toe with the formidable Duke of Avon is so great, and I love the explicit acknowledgement of the period-typical misogyny that usually goes unremarked upon and is often replicated in regency romances.

Kate and Cecelia - Caroline Stevermer & Patricia Wrede

Sorcery & Sebastian, or A Most Magical Season (16437 words) by meretricula - Kate Schofield/Thomas Schofield, Cecelia Tarleton/James Tarleton

A completely genderswapped but still epistolary retelling of Sorcery & Cecelia. Really interesting and cleverly done.

Mary Russell - Laurie R. King

Tapping On the Window With Your Thimble (1066 words) by voleuse - Sherlock Holmes/Mary Russell

A sweet, well-characterized coda to "The Marriage of Mary Russell."

Suradanna and the Sea - Rebecca Fraimow

This is a charming and unique short-story published at The Fantasist with a wonderfully compelling but not always entirely sympathetic protagonist.

Suradanna and the Sea of Stars (1026 words) by DeCarabas - Suradanna/The Captain

Suradanna and the Captain in space. Still trading, just from different ports.

The Captain and the Shore (12385 words) by neveralarch - The Captain/Suradanna

A fantastic, long fic that feels like a perfect sequel to the story. I love the characterization of Suradanna and the Captain and their relationship to each other and to the people around them.

The Course of Honour - Avoliot

This is an Original Fic novel published on the AO3 earlier this year. It's queer, arranged-marriage space opera and it's completely delightful.

Fundamental Theorems (1576 words) by blue_spruce - Kiem Tegnar/Jainan nav Adessari

This is a lovely follow-up that captures the feel of the characters delightfully, and highlights exactly how head-over-heels in love Kiem is with Jainan, and how much he adores watching his husband show off his hard-won skills and intelligence.

Misunderstandings (1176 words) by Eluvia - Jainan nav Adessari/Kiem Tegnar

In which Kiem keeps doing nice things for Jainan and Jainan assumes he must be working up to apologizing for something, but can't figure out what Kiem has done this time. Completely adorable.

It's Yuletide season!!

I couldn't let myself go to bed without getting my Yuletide recs out there. Part of the joy and challenge of Yuletide is getting recs out before the author reveal, thus the lack of authors on the recs. As such these recs are hasty and shorter than is my wont and, of course, no authors are listed. I'll edit and link back to this post after the reveal to reflect authoral attribution.

It's once again a fabulous season for the small fandoms, so fabulous that I've put my recs behind a cut for length.

ETA: Edited to include author names.

In Which A New Child Comes to the Forest by loligo - A.A. Milne - Winnie the Pooh books -- In which a now grown Christopher Robin brings his own son to the forest where he used to play. A lovely little story about parents and children and how we all need our own little corner of the 100 Acre Woods.

Trousers by kadrin - Blackadder -- A silly baudy little story that reads like it could be a lost episode from the Elizabethan years. "Lord Edmund Blackadder was concerned about the state of his tights."

Four Yules for Jane Brailsford by ekaterinn - Caroline Stevermer - College of Magic Series -- A glimpse of four moments in the life of Jane Brailsford. This is the kind of character-centric fic I love, just these little slices of time that cut straight to the heart of the character. Also, I love this fic just for existing. This is one of the fandoms I was really hoping would spawn fic this year.

Grown Men Do Things Together by kattahj - Coupling (UK) -- Jeff expounds his theory on how straight men watching straight porn together is inherintly a little bit gay. Drop-dead hilarious and the author captures Steve's voice perfectly.

Too Young, Too Old by vongroovy - C.S. Lewis - The Chronicles of Narnia -- What's it like to go back to being a boy when you still can distantly remember being a grown man and king? A perceptive look at the awkward place Edmund finds himself in in The Vogage of the Dawn Treader.

Faith by fanaticalone - C.S. Lewis - The Chronicles of Narnia -- Uncle Andrew dreams of Narnia and finds his way home. More than any other piece of Narnia fic I've ever read this story captures the spiritual feel and the faith at the heart of the books.

A Donne Deal by bronze_ribbons - Dorothy Sayers - Lord Peter Wimsey Series -- Peter and Harriet go to dine with the Honourable Freddy Arbuthnot and his wife Rachel. There is banter and wordplay and Donne and a little bit of a mystery thrown in.

Whither Thou Goest by niahm_sama - Dorothy Sayers - Lord Peter Wimsey Series -- Peter and Harriet's first Christmas together, snowed in at Talboys. A lovely evocative story that wondefully captures the feel and voices of Sayer's universe and characters.

Dear Friends and Ruin by mctabby - Frances Hodgsen Burnett - A Little Princess -- This is the kind of gem I look forward to finding in Yuletide. The story of Sarah's father and his friend Tom, in India and before. It's about love and friendship and the road to ruin and it's absolutely perfect.

Theseus and Ariadne Try Again by Vanzetti - Indiana Jones -- Marion Ravenwood has always been my favorite of Indy's love interests; she complements his strengths and has absolutely no time for his weaknesses. Here, Marion and Indy meet again, on the island of Crete, just in time for a German invasion. A great adventure in classic Indy style.

Even Later by sanj - Into the Woods -- The Ever after of the ever after. A short, perfect coda to the play.

Bed by jjtaylor - Laurie R. King - Mary Russell Series -- Holmes and Russell's changing relationship as shown in a series of moments on the periphery of sleep. Understated and lovely, only slightly marred by a somewhat abrupt ending.

Foolproof by millefiori - Lois McMaster Bujold - Vorkosigan Series -- Despite his best efforts, Ivan just can't keep himself from worrying about By Vorrutyer. The premise is a little forced but the conflicted Ivan point of view is priceless.

The Talent of Imose by shusu - Lois McMaster Bujold - Vorkosigan Series -- I love this story more than words can say. An Ivan-centric story that takes some of the most compelling loose ends left dangling around the Nexus and runs with them. A complex, twisty and tightly-paced plot, coupled with a stellar Ivan characterization makes this story a true delight from start to finish.

From Mathematics Further Off by fox1013 - Madeleine L'Engle Novels -- The mathematics of Meg's life. A lovely piece of character-exploration.

The Murmuring of Bees Has Ceased by gritkitty - Patrick O'Brien - Aubrey/Maturin Series -- Stephen's bees and a run in with some rather misguided French privateers make for a perfect little glimpse into Jack and Stephen's relationship and the value they place on each other.

Every Good Girl Does Fine by kissmeagain - Peanuts -- Every year it seems like there's one story that stands out as the piece everyone's reccing. This seems to be the one this year, and it's totally worth every rec. Yes, this really is Peanuts fic; not only that but it's the Peanuts gang all grown up. It's the story of Patty and Marcie's senior year of high school, so perfectly told I can see it all happening. They may be older but they are still utterly and completely themselves, from Patty's overdramatic gestures to Marcie's unflappable "sir"s and everything in between.

Two Must Be Twain by lyra_sena - Historical RPF -- It's Shakespeare/Marlow in iambic pentameter. Really, do I need to say any more?? Utterly and completely brilliant.

Istanbul (Not Constantinople) by widget285 - Singin' in the Rain -- Don and Cosmo in the vaudeville days. A great look at their relationship and what keeps them together, with dialogue that simply sparkles.

In Bloom by ladyvyola - Stage Door -- A late night conversation between Jean and Terry that could have been written by Edna Ferber herself. The dialogue is razor sharp and I can almost see Ginger Rogers and Katherine Hepburn delivering the lines.