Getting these recs out before reveals, or bust (it might be bust)

[st_aurafina]

I passed the New Year by drinking half a bottle of champagne left over from Christmas and falling asleep. I am all class.

Re the horrifying bushfire situation, lilacsigil and I are currently
- not on fire
- very worried about people in fire areas
- may be on fire later in the summer
- having conversations on evacuation procedures and hating that this is our life now

It's rough, and I'm surprisingly upset by all the climate change deniers flushing out of the woodwork as the country burns. (This is a surprise because I know they're out there, I know what their agenda is, and there are better things to blow my mental cope on than their bullshit. And yet it still upsets me.)

I am seeking solace in Yuletide - so many good fics. (And also so many fandoms I've never heard of, which is great. Fandom is a big, sprawling land of people who love things, and it heartens me.) I have nowhere near read everything I want to, and have barely dipped into the Madness collection, but I want to get some recs out before reveals later today.

My gifts
I was so lucky this year!! Two in the main collection and a tiny gem of a treat from Madness:

Moonbase Theta, Out (Podcast)
An Evening in the Garden (Rated General, Roger Bragado-Fischer/Alexandre Bragado-Fischer)
A lovely gem of a moment, set before Roger goes into space to live on Moonbase Theta. Just so sweet and gentle and romantic.

A Discovery of Witches (TV)
In a Witch's Blood (Rated Explicit, Diana Bishop/Matthew Clairmont)
A whirlwind party at Sept-Tours, with Diana and Matthew negotiating vampire society. Sweet and romantic and hot.

The Watchmaker of Filigree Street (book)
Interweave (Rated Explicit, Keita Mori/Thaniel Stephenson)
I am so glad to have gotten fic for my favourite read of 2019 and this is wonderful: perfectly in character, perfectly hot. Synaesthesia, ropes and clockwork. So good.


Recs:
Imperial Radch: (Shut up, I'm reccing all three fics because they're that good.)
High Above the Trees (Rated G, Breq and Awn Elming)
One of the best Awn Lives AUs I've come across, and an excellent, excellent picture of life with the Rrrrrr.

Worthy of Attention (Rated G, Gem of Sphene and Translator Zeiat)
Gem of Sphene and Translator Zeiat, tremendously weird in all the right ways, and also a surprisingly dark look at what it's like to be a Presger-grown translator. (Are they Significant? Zeiat doesn't actually know.)

Still Left in Want of Mercy (Rated Teen, Mercy of Kalr)
Mercy of Kalr POV, and it's so good! Seivarden is a mess, but a very Seivarden mess, and Mercy of Kalr helps her figure out some things. Also, I got a great Seivarden song out of this fic, too, which I greatly appreciate.

The Exorcist:
Little Church Mouse (Rated G, Mouse)
Some lovely backstory for Mouse, filling in the space between where we see her in flashbacks, to where we see her in the series.

The Middleman:
The Rock Star Reunion Irrelevancy
A really fun, punchy hair rock case, with lots of clever one liners. (Sweet child o' mine, Dubbie!)

Bake-off RPF/Untitled Goose Game:
To Do In Tent (Rated G)
Just the best definition of 'soggy bottom' ever. Clever and funny and full of terrible (excellent) puns. Puns and buns.

Sandman Comics:
An Explorer of Delirium (Teen, Delirium of the Endless)
From Yuletide Madness, appropriately. Joyful and a bit terrifying, as a Delirium story should be.

Russian Doll:
Commence! (Rated Teen, Nadia and Alan)
A lovely 'what happens next' story, as Nadia and Alan visit their friends, and try to piece together what actually happened to them.

Batwoman (TV):
Stir and Cook Slowly (Rated General, Mary Hamilton and Kate Kane)
This has a Jewish Kate Kane approaching Beth's yarzheit, and Mary trying to find a place as Kate's sister.

Anne of Green Gables:
Altogether Too Queenly (Rated Teen, Katherine Brooke/Anne Shirley)
I love Katherine, and this gives us some relationship history that really suits her character, and an excellent inner voice that really suits Katherine's character.

221b Baker Towers:
Full House, (Not rated)
221b Baker Towers is a shared Sherlock universe that reimagines the original characters as POCs living on a council estate in London. (You can read more about it at this tumblr: 221b Baker Towers: About.) This fic is fantastic, imagines Watson as part of a three generation family speaking Pashto round the dinner table, imagines Sherlock as trans, and puts together an excellent casefic of marginalised people. It's really well developed, and I would watch this series if it were in my TV.

Ugh, such a good Yuletide. I'm still reading.

Comments

[ysilme]

I passed the New Year by drinking half a bottle of champagne left over from Christmas and falling asleep. I am all class.
Sympathies! Was it still drinkable after being open for so long? I've only ever used champagne open so long for cooking.
Glad to hear you're not affected personally by the fires, but I'm so very sorry you're affected by it, and that it's happening at all. I sincerely hope your year turns out better than feared, and that good things will happen in spades. *hugs*

[st_aurafina]

Yeah, it was actually not too bad? It still had bubbles and everything.

Thank you - I hope you have a good 2020 too.

[musesfool]

Happy New Year!

I'm glad you're not on fire but I'm sad so much of your country is (both literally and metaphorically).

[st_aurafina]

Same to you! <3

Yeah, it's a weird mix of literal and metaphorical catastrophe, it's quite tricky to process in the old brain pain sometimes.

[musesfool]

Also, thank you for the rec. <3

[rhoda_rants]

Happy New Year!

And please do not catch on fire, it looks scary over there. :(

*squeals* You found a Sandman fic!!! That is AWESOME!! *bookmarks immediately*

[st_aurafina]

You too! And yeah, planning on not catching alight. It is scary.

Yes, there is a tiny wonderful Sandman fic in the Madness collection. It's so good.

[dirty_diana]

Happy New Year! Hurray for not being on fire! I have hardly touched Yuletide so far but perhaps tonight is the night.

[st_aurafina]

Happy New Year to you, too! Yeah, it's - December is a lot, you know? I'm just glad I got to read and rec at least some things before reveals.

[mab_browne]

I had to work today so passed New Year's eve sober and mainly asleep.

I'm sorry that you're potentially affected by your country's fire catastrophe. Best wishes that your plans will never need to be more than that.

Thanks for the Yuletide recs. I think I might go check out the Anne of Green Gables one. :-)

[st_aurafina]

I'm sorry that you're potentially affected by your country's fire catastrophe.

Thanks - I'm sorry the smoke is blowing across the strait to NZ. It's intense, man.

I think I might go check out the Anne of Green Gables one. :-)
There were quite a few! I was torn on which one to post, but I'm really the most fond of spiky Katherine.

[libbi]

Goodness, the fire situation sounds so frightening! But being prepared is probably the best thing to do right now.

I haven't looked at Yuletide at all yet. I haven't actually read fic in a while-I think fic reading is going to be part of my resolutions this year. Thank you for taking time to rec some! ♥

[st_aurafina]

Thank you - yeah, we have to be ready to go, we're in a very rural area. It's scary, but we have an amazing volunteer fire brigade, they're superheroes.

That's an excellent resolution! I go in fits and starts with reading fic, but yuletide is a good time for me to just put my head down and motor through the archive.

[sholio]

Happy new year! I have been thinking worried thoughts about you and lilacsigil. I'm very glad you are not (currently) on fire, and very sad that so much of your country is.

[st_aurafina]

*hugs hugs* So far, so good! I feel okay about the season so far - there was a grass fire in a nearby town and I could not believe how fast they got 16 trucks to one location. Our CFA is amazing, especially considering they're volunteers.

You stay safe too, at the other end of extremes. At least we don't have bears. And wolves. Oh my!

[sperrywink]

Happy New Year. Glad you are not on fire (And hopefully won't be on fire in the future), sorry about the fires ravaging your country, and sorry there are so many idiots out where you are too. I wish there were someplace we could all go to escape them, although I guess I use Dreamwidth to achieve that, at least virtually..

Enjoy Yuletide. I haven't even begun going through it yet... maybe as I ring in the new year after catching up on my flist.

[st_aurafina]

Thank you! I keep thinking we need to establish a fandom nation somewhere like the Antarctic, and all live in domes or something. It would be perfect. (It wouldn't - it would devolve into in-fighting and cannibalism in days, but I can dream.)

[china_shop]

Re the horrifying bushfire situation

I've just been looking at photos and video, and omfg! *SO MUCH HUGS AND MOAR HUGS*

Stay safe!

(Ooh, Imperial Radch recs! \o/)

[st_aurafina]

It's all very biblical down our end, isn't it? We're okay for now - hope you are safe too, from the various things smiting NZ too.

They're all good Radch fics - such bounty!

[nachodiablo]

Glad that you're safe and sound for now!

[st_aurafina]

Thank you! So far, so good!

[maia]

The fire situation sounds terrifying. It must be rough, indeed. Sending best wishes to you, and everyone affected.

[st_aurafina]

Thank you - it's not fun, but it is part of life if you're rural now. I just gotta knuckle down and deal with the fact. And we're safe for now, at least. No fires here yet.

[thisbluespirit]

*hugs*

I'm glad yuletide is providing a distraction!

[st_aurafina]

It is the best distraction!

[vass]

♥ Thank you for the rec.

I'm so sorry this is your life right now. Scott Morrison should be put on trial.

[st_aurafina]

It was such a good fic! My heart is aglow.

I didn't know about the fanon thing with the Rrrrr - I kind of imagined them... large? Like, Falcor-sized? Kind of like Dougall from the Magic Roundabout? So sleek and wearable was quite a lovely surprise.

ScoMo is - well. The words are not very nice words. But I saw someone on FB telling him to come down to the fires and fucking make sandwiches for the fireys, which was heartening. I know he won't, but I know people think he should.

[schneefink]

Happy New Year! And please keep being not on fire!

[st_aurafina]

Thank you! I shall endeavour not to be on fire!

[undeadrobins]

I've never heard of 221b Baker Towers, but I'm intrigued by the About page on Tumblr and might have to go have a read...

[st_aurafina]

I love the nebulousness of the concept - it's such a good, loose, mostly visual thing, and it really pleases me that it is becoming a Yuletide staple.

[undeadrobins]

I'm very much drawn to 'universes' rather than specific characters or plots, so this is exactly the type of thing that interests me!

[lurkingcat]

I'm glad you're not on fire. I've been following the news from Australia and was wondering how you were both doing. If I could send some of our soggy weather your way I would.

Oooh, fic recs - thank you!

[st_aurafina]

Me too, omg! I am on the other side of the state, and we're still pretty green and damp from late spring rain, so it's not dire yet. But the risk is there.

I would take your soggy weather and gladly share some of the heat!

You're welcome for the recs.

[tamsin]

I'm glad you and lilacsigil are safe! I hope you'll stay that way.

[st_aurafina]

Thank you! And yes, I hope so too.

[copracat]

I'm very glad you are not on fire.

[gwyn]

I'm so glad to see your update--I keep worrying about the people on my flist Down Under, and I'm just so enraged about the deniers and people who are doing nothing about this. I am keeping everything crossed you and lilacsigil will remain safe--and for some damn rain.

[st_aurafina]

Snowy snowy icon, yay!

Thank you - yeah, the deniers are so depressing, especially when they jet off to places with clean air. (Our PM took off to Hawaii because he's all class.)

We've got our plans in place, and having evacuated once means that at least we know what to do in practice too.

[unavee]

Happy New Year! I'm glad you and lilacsigil are not on fire.

I passed the New Year by drinking half a bottle of champagne left over from Christmas and falling asleep. I am all class.
Heh, that sounds not too bad actually.

[st_aurafina]

Yay, same to you! And yes, may we continue not to be on fire in 2020.

[adafrog]

Glad you're okay for now. Good recs.

[st_aurafina]

Thank you! And you're welcome.

[laurenthemself]

- not on fire
- very worried about people in fire areas
- may be on fire later in the summer
- having conversations on evacuation procedures and hating that this is our life now

Mood.

[st_aurafina]

I saw a post on facebook demanding #ScottyfromMarketing come down and make sandwiches for the fireys, which is giving me life.

[laurenthemself]

I cannot believe people are like 'what do you expect him to do, turn up with a fire extinguisher?'

No, I'd just like him to be the leader of the country, which is his job, but it seems that's too much to ask.

[fred_mouse]

Many neat looking Yuletide fics, thank you!

And 'The Watchmaker of Filigree Street' is one of my favourite ever books -- I picked it up in an aeroport bookshop after promising myself I wasn't going to read fiction on the plane, getting to the aeroport and realising what an error I'd made.