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Yuletide 2024 recs
Dec. 29th, 2024 10:08 amA couple niche things I've loved from the collection, currently each sitting at only around 20-some hits.
( Fandoms: Girls5eva, A Dark Room, A Guide for Young Ladies Entering the Service of the Fairies, The Queen's Thief, Alice in Borderland )
Fun fact: recs 3 and 4 have the same last three digits of their url, which tripped me up when I was double-checking my links! What were the chances?
There are 10^3 = 1000 different possible combinations of last three digits, so 1000^5 different combinations for the 5 recs I gave. The probability that they were all distinct (as I expected when using this heuristic to double-check I didn't copy the same url twice) should be 1000 * 999 * 998 * 997 * 996 / 1000^5 = 99.003%. That this didn't happen (at least two numbers were identical) is the inverse of that, 1%. Wow, less rare than I thought but still unlikely. Another Yuletide miracle?
( Fandoms: Girls5eva, A Dark Room, A Guide for Young Ladies Entering the Service of the Fairies, The Queen's Thief, Alice in Borderland )
Fun fact: recs 3 and 4 have the same last three digits of their url, which tripped me up when I was double-checking my links! What were the chances?
There are 10^3 = 1000 different possible combinations of last three digits, so 1000^5 different combinations for the 5 recs I gave. The probability that they were all distinct (as I expected when using this heuristic to double-check I didn't copy the same url twice) should be 1000 * 999 * 998 * 997 * 996 / 1000^5 = 99.003%. That this didn't happen (at least two numbers were identical) is the inverse of that, 1%. Wow, less rare than I thought but still unlikely. Another Yuletide miracle?
FFFX 2023 Recs
Mar. 6th, 2023 10:25 pmI have a few recs from this year's ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
fffx collection - starting with my wonderful gift!
not harm but harmony
Fandom: Genshin Impact
Pairing: Kaedehara Kazuha & Kamisato Ayato
Wordcount: 13k
Notes: Could not have asked for more perfect character voices and interactions for these two! Ayato gets to do what he does best (scheme and overthink) and Kazuha gets to do not only what he does best (wander and philosophize) but also what he rarely gets to do in canon (make swords).
As for the rest: I didn't intend this to be a themed list, but somehow my recs this year are dominated by the amazing female narratives I've been encountering, so let's call that a loose topic.
Rainy night
Fandom: Six of Crows Series - Leigh Bardugo
Pairing: Kaz Brekker/Inej Ghafa
Wordcount: comic
Notes: Gorgeous, moody art with many close-ups of hands and hair and caretaking. Supremely soothing and cozy.
Wordcount: 5k
Notes: Excellent Beth voice - analytical, chess-focused, but also late enough in canon that she knows how to receive support from those around her, and I love that for her.
Adept
Fandom: Original Work
Relationship: Magic Wielder/Warrior Bodyguard magically bonded to them
Wordcount: 12k
Notes: Great, skillful world-building with a tidy, fast-moving plot. Featuring hidden gender tropes and magical bonding under duress.
fffx collection - starting with my wonderful gift! not harm but harmony
Fandom: Genshin Impact
Pairing: Kaedehara Kazuha & Kamisato Ayato
Wordcount: 13k
Notes: Could not have asked for more perfect character voices and interactions for these two! Ayato gets to do what he does best (scheme and overthink) and Kazuha gets to do not only what he does best (wander and philosophize) but also what he rarely gets to do in canon (make swords).
As for the rest: I didn't intend this to be a themed list, but somehow my recs this year are dominated by the amazing female narratives I've been encountering, so let's call that a loose topic.
Rainy night
Fandom: Six of Crows Series - Leigh Bardugo
Pairing: Kaz Brekker/Inej Ghafa
Wordcount: comic
Notes: Gorgeous, moody art with many close-ups of hands and hair and caretaking. Supremely soothing and cozy.
Fandom: The Queen's Gambit (TV)
Character: Beth HarmonWordcount: 5k
Notes: Excellent Beth voice - analytical, chess-focused, but also late enough in canon that she knows how to receive support from those around her, and I love that for her.
Adept
Fandom: Original Work
Relationship: Magic Wielder/Warrior Bodyguard magically bonded to them
Wordcount: 12k
Notes: Great, skillful world-building with a tidy, fast-moving plot. Featuring hidden gender tropes and magical bonding under duress.
Fandom: Scholomance - Naomi Novik
Relationship: Liesel Mueller/Alfie Cooper Browning
Wordcount: 12k
Notes: I adore Liesel and this exploration of her character and backstory does a difficult character justice. The shape of her story arc is so strong and deliberate, like she is.
Relationship: Liesel Mueller/Alfie Cooper Browning
Wordcount: 12k
Notes: I adore Liesel and this exploration of her character and backstory does a difficult character justice. The shape of her story arc is so strong and deliberate, like she is.
fffx Recs, part 2!
Mar. 10th, 2022 11:21 pmUnfortunately, this is the end of the time I had allotted for reading before creator reveals, but I'm happy to have found so many gems in what I managed to get to. It's been a wonderful exchange, and I hope you'll enjoy these fics as much as I did! (This tag has my earlier recs.)
The Lych Yew Gambit [Harry Potter] Mature, 13k words
From my best side, darlings [Breakfast on Pluto] Mature, 5k words
Silence [Hikaru no Go] General Audiences, 9k words
The Lych Yew Gambit [Harry Potter] Mature, 13k words
He never meant to stay in Wiltshire, but for the past ten years Yefim Zelenyj has been fixing up an old cottage, staunchly ignoring the obviously supernatural occurrences in his garden, and sleeping with the ill-tempered boarding school teacher who drops by on holidays. Now it’s the spring of 1998 and the final battle of a war far beyond his understanding is poised to bring death to his doorstep–and Yefim is determined to keep what’s his.Absolutely gorgeous. The original character felt more alive and tangible to me than the cast in canon, and the writing was so lush and lyrical I had to sit on my hands to not quote the entire thing in the comment box.
From my best side, darlings [Breakfast on Pluto] Mature, 5k words
Patrick "Kitten" Braden and her best friend, Charlie, emerge from a small town on the border of Northern Ireland into the vast and perplexing world of the 1970s, and try their best to follow their dreams.Captures the film perfectly, along with Kitten's sweet, whimsical brand of strength. Everything down to the chapter titles feels so true to the source material, and left me with the same feeling of... startled optimism.
Silence [Hikaru no Go] General Audiences, 9k words
Once upon a time, Hikaru said, "I might tell you, someday."To be honest, I probably missed some of the full effect of the story since I don't know the canon well, but even without that, it was still a deft, tragic exploration of a relationship that's not quite holding together.Akira has spent a long time waiting for someday.
fffx Recs, part 1!
Mar. 6th, 2022 11:46 pmPhew, I've finally met my commenting goal of 10% of the collection and need a bit of a break. Inspired by others creating rec posts as they read through exchanges, here are some of my favorite finds in the fffx collection so far. (Please consider this post with my gifts as part 0 of my recs, as they were all so incredibly good!)
Clarion [DC Extended Universe] Explicit, 16k words
Mindset [Original] Teen, 6k words
The Tough Get Going (out of town) [Angel the Series] Mature, 10k words
Before They Were Famous [The Old Guard comics] Teen, 6k words
fffx collection so far. (Please consider this post with my gifts as part 0 of my recs, as they were all so incredibly good!)Clarion [DC Extended Universe] Explicit, 16k words
Clark’s halfway around the world when he hears the delicate crunch of Bruce Wayne breaking his back.I'm not familiar with the canon events referenced, but I thought this was well written and made excellent use of Clark's powers, both as Superman and pretending not to be.
Mindset [Original] Teen, 6k words
The moon was a malnourished sliver, a whip-thin white slice; beneath it and off to one side, the Moon was lit up like a city. Stars competed with aeroplanes, jets, passenger rockets, fairy light flickers on a backdrop of blue. A busy night. The spaceport bustled.I think it's best going into this one unspoiled, but the writing is eerie, evocative, and mind-bending.Command needs an agent to infiltrate the unreachable. The missions take their toll.
The Tough Get Going (out of town) [Angel the Series] Mature, 10k words
In the aftermath of the Beast's attack, Wesley and Lilah decide to get as far away from Los Angeles as possible. That decision has consequences that change things for them, those they left behind and possibly the whole world.I don't remember this canon well, but I love the characterization of Lilah and Wesley here, and how the end of days makes a surprisingly good team out of them.
Before They Were Famous [The Old Guard comics] Teen, 6k words
Five people Andy saw before they were famous.
I've only seen the movie, and that was a while ago, but I still found the story enjoyable. There were a lot of fascinating ideas about how one would move through history as an immortal.
fffx Reveals!
Feb. 27th, 2022 08:23 amI can't believe it's finally upon us! fffx is such a strange beast of an exchange. The creation period alone is 7 months, so with nominations, sign-ups, and the anonymous period, the exchange is active for more time in the year than it isn't. This time around, we got assignments way back in August, so it feels almost surreal that gifts have finally been exchanged.
As someone who doesn't usually receive treats, I was blown away to receive three incredible gifts:
this sharing is what we both now need [Genshin Impact] Explicit, 5k words
Old Stars [Genshin Impact] General Audiences, 12k words
Living Just [Alice in Borderland] Explicit, 11k words
I was planning to make this my last exchange for a while, but right now I'm just a little caught up in the exchange magic. Time to go check out the other works in the collection!
fffx is such a strange beast of an exchange. The creation period alone is 7 months, so with nominations, sign-ups, and the anonymous period, the exchange is active for more time in the year than it isn't. This time around, we got assignments way back in August, so it feels almost surreal that gifts have finally been exchanged.As someone who doesn't usually receive treats, I was blown away to receive three incredible gifts:
this sharing is what we both now need [Genshin Impact] Explicit, 5k words
Xiao asks Morax to punish him. Morax obliges.A smutty zhongxiao fic involving caning, D/S, and that deep understanding and care between Zhongli and Xiao that makes the pairing perfect:
Old Stars [Genshin Impact] General Audiences, 12k words
"Times have changed." Zhongli smiled, nostalgia evident in his eyes. "Liyue Harbour is but a memory of the past. Perhaps the name Liyue is an old-fashioned one, but I always have loved the city dearly. No matter what face it takes on, at its heart, the city will always be Liyue to me in some form. And that is why I named the teahouse after it."A plotty zhongxiao fic that makes excellent use of outsider POV. Set in a cozy teashop AU that nevertheless manages a mindblowing exploration of Genshin lore. I seriously had shivers by the end.The owner of Liyue Teahouse is traditional, refined, and seemingly older than he looks. As for how old… quite a bit older than expected, as one of his regulars comes to find out.
Living Just [Alice in Borderland] Explicit, 11k words
Kuzuryu joined games every three days, like everyone else.
Not only are the games a refreshing change from the reader fics that make up the rest of the fandom tag, not only did the author somehow manage to intuit my deep love for contract bridge, but it is also such an in-character exploration of a rarepair I never expected to receive, literally the first in its tag.
I was planning to make this my last exchange for a while, but right now I'm just a little caught up in the exchange magic. Time to go check out the other works in the collection!
