Carol of the fics: a Yuletide 2012 fic rec post
Well, Yuletide hit me like a bat outta hell (this is perhaps a misuse of the metaphor but w/e). I mean, there are soooooooooo many fics! I’d never watched a Yuletide go live before so the sheer size of it sorta shocked me. Aaaaanyway, I figured a rec list might be in order! Also my darling Sunny requested it, and she is nothing if not the loveliest of enablers. I hope this helps you feel a bit better bb *hugs*
(Somehow this ended up being more "fics I want to read" than "fics I've read," but I'll edit it as I go through them, so it's a start.)
My other rec posts can be found here. This will be updated as I read more fic. Organized alphabetically by fandom.
The full Yuletide 2012 archive is here.
→Fic I've read * = extra highly recommended
Adventure Time
Princesses All the Way Down AO3 by Wilde_Shade* Living forever changes some things more than it does others. [Marceline gen, Marceline/Princess Bubblegum]
Sunlight Peering Through the Trees AO3 by ag_sasami Flame Princess is certain she's Evil. She's certain she's Good. She not really sure how to be either. [Flame Princess gen, Flame Pincess/Finn]
Women Who Run with Whywolves AO3 by gloss* "Well," Fionna says, grabbing a couple pizza rolls and stuffing them in her pocket, "guess I'm off to slay a dragon." [Fionna gen, Fionna&Marceline]
Alice (2009)
Reflections AO3 by Perri Smith (neonhummingbird) Alice and Hatter dance between two worlds. [Alice/Hatter]
The Many Shades of Tea AO3 by Truth Hatter knew a great deal about Tea. [Alice/Hatter]
Anastasia (1997)
To Serve AO3 by impertinence Dimitri is, after all, there to serve. [Dimitri/Anastasia; warning: explicit sexual content]
The Borgias
Distraction AO3 by chainsaw_poet* Following the revelations of Juan's part in Paolo's death, Lucrezia seeks comfort in her brother, and Cesare seeks to quell his own emotions. [Cesare/Lucrezia; warning: implied incest]
Brave (2012)
Arrow's Flight AO3 by white_aster* The castle denizens often joked about how safe they felt, guarded by the queen's arrows and the king's teeth. [Gen, female friendship; Merida/Young Dingwall]
Calvin & Hobbes
Attack Chickens, Children, and Other Hazards of Suburban Life AO3 by finesharp* “I'd hate to have a kid like me.” - Calvin, The Authoritative Calvin And Hobbes [Hobbes & Bacon gen; Calvin/Susie]
"Worked Okay So Far?" AO3 by laleiatha* Sometimes Susie worries about whether her daughter's fantasy life is actually fantasy. [Hobbes & Bacon gen; Calvin/Susie]
Doom (2005)
No Heroics AO3 by amathela (Zhailei) John and Sam try to cover up his new-found abilities. It goes about as well as you'd expect. [John/Sam; warning: incest]
Elementary
a necessary conjunction AO3 by Siria In which Joan does not attempt an intervention. [Gen]
for (the sake of) times gone by AO3 by eight_demands Joan and Sherlock have a visitor. [Gen; hint: it's Mycroft]
In Practice AO3 by inlovewithnight Determining their edges, how they orient to each other, how they fit, is more engrossing than she thought it would be. [Kinky gen]
Three Anniversaries: A Love Story AO3 by Agnes_Bean Not all great love stories are about romance. [Joan&Sherlock gen]
Trust me, I have a plan AO3 by cerebel* Mob doctor Joan is told to detox a debt-ridden addict named Sherlock Holmes. It goes poorly. For the mob, that is. [Joan/Sherlock AU]
Folgers "Home for the Holidays" Commercial
Sinners, Saints and Thieves AO3 by Nerissa* When his sister was born, Josh didn't want her. Eventually he changed his mind. [Brother/Sister; warning: incest]
Gravity Falls
Girl Talk AO3 by futuresoon* The floor isn't great for talking to. Wendy is. [Mable&Wendy gen]
The Rule of Cool AO3 by ryfkah* Mabel hosts a sleepover party. [Gen, Mabel & the girls]
Life (TV)
That's September, in the Sun AO3 by anna Home isn't always where the Olympic-sized pool is. [Charlie&Dani gen]
The Lizzie Bennet Diaries
A Moment of Magical Thinking AO3 by elithewho Perhaps if he believed in magical thinking, which he didn’t, he might think that his musings had actually summoned her there. [Lizzie/Darcy]
Lost Girl
A Staggering Work of Astonishing Brilliance! AO3 by Smercy [See work for summary; Kenzi gen]
The Middleman
Let's Keep the Party Polite AO3 by victoria_p (musefool) A lady doesn't wander all over the room and blow on some other guy's dice. [Gen]
Mythology
if not, winter AO3 by whatimages* Remember this, when Persephone falls: she was earth’s daughter, and the earth swallowed her. [Hades/Persephone; warning: sexual content]
Newsies!: the Musical
Moments That Mark a Life Well Lived AO3 by SarahJeanne Life is made of moments, big and small. [Jack/Katherine]
Pitch Perfect (2012)
Trio [Me, You, Her] AO3 by Gray Shadows (the_afterlight) "So how often have you seen Beca naked?" Jesse asked Chloe, pouring her a beer from the keg. Exhibition was over, his and Beca's duet -- Katy Perry's Firework -- had gotten a standing ovation, and they were standing around in the empty pool celebrating. He was, at least, grinning while he said it, so Chloe wasn't particularly worried. She grinned back and said, "Not as many times as I'd like." [Beca/Chloe, Beca/Jesse]
Prometheus (2012)
Unbound AO3 by lonelywalker All children, except one, grow up. [Elizabeth/David 8]
Snow White and the Huntsman (2012)
The Tyrolean CEO's Virgin Secretary AO3 by fresne [See fic for summary--basically, it's a Harlequin-style femdom romance AU; Snow White/Huntsman; warning: sexual content]
Warehouse 13
Inventory Avoidance 101 AO3 by Ysabet Steve leaned over to see what Claudia had found, which put him too close to avoid noticing when her shoulders slumped a little. "Boring ping?" he asked. "Nope." She allowed herself one long sigh, straightened, and hopped up. Steve started reading while she paged Artie, but was only halfway through when she came back. She jabbed a finger at the location details. "It's an anyone-but-me ping. Official government badges all the way." [Claudia&Steve gen]
Young Avengers
A Black Tie Affair AO3 by Sheeana* If Kate had to pick one person to accompany her to a formal reception, it wouldn't be Tommy. Unfortunately, Tommy's the one with the power to phase through walls. [Tommy/Kate]
dreams of fireflies AO3 by Dett “Clint Barton. This is not the right season to be playing Cupid,” says Kate Bishop, her blue eyes flashing as she finishes scanning her texts. [Tommy/Kate]
That One Special Person You Want to Annoy for the Rest of Your Life AO3 by zarabithia Clint's sure that nobody is ever going to believe that they are a married couple. Kate just needs to be clear about which one of them is changing their last name in this fake marriage (hint: it isn't her.) [Clint/Kate]
The One with the Russian Dominatrix AO3 by Khirsa So, impulse control isn’t exactly my thing. [Clint/Kate]
→Fics I want to read aka quality to be determined, but they look promising
Batgirl
How Batgirl Stole Christmas AO3 by NightsMistress 'Twas the Night Before Christmas and All Through Gotham Steph just wanted to get her Christmas shopping done But lo and behold, a criminal mastermind ruined her day And now it is quite clear: it's time that he paid. [Gen]
The Fortunate Ones AO3 by Nokomis Stephanie Brown and Courtney Whitmore have a romping superhero team-up. [Stephanie/Courtney]
The ones that entertain and observe AO3 by VerboseWordsmith Running way to join the circus was never Stephanie's plan. Of course, a case involving LexCorp, a casino and the mob alters all of her midterm plans (binging on coffee, stressing out, the usual). Now she's teaming up with Nightwing to infiltrate the award-winning Cirque du Lune's nearby casino show in hopes of finding a paper trail for Proxy connecting it all and saving the day (again). [Gen]
Two Batgirls in a Coffee Shop AO3 by ladyoneil Eight a.m. trig tests suck. Steph needs lots of caffeine and Babs wants to mull over the night's reports while pretending to have office hours. Somehow cute men become a topic of conversation as scones are had, Bruce is mourned, and a pre-teen Robin gets what he deserves. [Gen]
Circle of Magic
Would You Like Some Lightning With Your Soup? AO3 by alyoraShadow Dinner at 6 Cheeseman Street is a rather unpredictable affair. [Gen]
Dexter
Vigil AO3 by noctaval Deb keeps watch over her brother. It's for his own good. And hers. [Dexter/Debra; warning: implied incest]
Elementary
let yourself be found AO3 by radiophile Learning to live with Sherlock Holmes is a trial-and-error process. [Gen]
O Terra, Addio AO3 by Greens Sherlock conceded with the fact that Irene was dead. What he didn’t tell Joan was that he had been the one who killed her. [Gen]
Patience, Perseverance and Duty AO3 by Jenny_Starseed Sherlock Holmes thinks he knows all that can be known about Joan Watson. [Gen]
Solve For X AO3 by Yahtzee Their relationship as it stands has one mathematical certainty: It will end in twenty-five days. At that time, her sojourn as his sober companion will end. Either Watson will pass out of his life forever, or Holmes will have to devise another option. [Sherlock/Joan]
The Sign of Fortune AO3 by Cloudtrader Deciding on whether to do the logical thing or the thing that makes her happy is a tough one for Doctor Joan Watson. Sherlock and Joan have an epic bromance, Sherlock is Joan's wingman, and diamonds sparkle brightest when next to Mary Morstan's skin. [Joan/Mary]
Ever After (1998)
Not Exactly the Type to Lay Back and Think of England AO3 by raktajinos Prompt: "Danielle taking charge on their wedding night would be DIVINE. She’s not exactly the type to lay back and think of England, after all" [Danielle/Henry; warning: explicit sexual content]
Fairy Tales
Blood and Snow AO3 by hellpenguin Once Upon A Time, there was a Queen and a Wolf. But that's the thing about stories- they repeat. [The Little Maid/The Danish Prince, Snow White's Mother/The Huntsman]
Building the Castle of Roses AO3 by Luzula Sleeping Beauty in space. [Sleeping Beauty, gen]
Defiance AO3 by evitably The princess's defiance comes at a great cost. [The Princess in the Chest, gen]
Forgetting To Remember Me AO3 by orphan_account Once upon a time, a princess forgot who she was. [Gen]
Granite AO3 by hydrangea A loose re-telling of 'King Thrushbeard' in which the princess has more issues with marriage than with pride and in which a king truly must watch what he says -- or everyone will face the consequences. [King Thrushbeard]
Happy to Help AO3 by storiesfortravellers It's not easy working the Help Desk at the annual Fairy Tale Villains Conference. Some villains are just impossible to please. [Snow White, Bluebeard, AU]
Howl AO3 by gloria_scott Little Red Riding Hood’s journal contains a much different account of her meeting with the wolf. [Little Red Riding Hood, gen]
Jam Tomorrow AO3 by who_la_hoop However you tell the tale of Bluebeard, he always dies. Sometimes it just takes a little longer to kill him. [Bluebeard; warning: rated explicit]
Rules AO3 by nebula99 Rules have to be obeyed. Otherwise, there are consequences. [Gen]
Run Red AO3 by dizzy_fire Everyone knows there are monsters in the woods... [Little Red Riding Hood; warning: graphic descriptions of violence]
Seven for a Secret AO3 by orphan_account Seven Happily Ever Afters that weren't. Welcome to the Wonderful World of Disney. [Based on the Twisted Princess Disney fanart series]
Should Auld Acquaintance Be Forgot AO3 by EmmaDeMarais Miranda gets thrown out of the Bronx tenement her late mother's husband lives in on New Year's Eve and is left in the snow with no money, nowhere to go and just a book of matches to keep her warm. [Little Match Girl; modern AU, gen]
skin still gold AO3 by anonymous Some say magic is a blessing; others consider it a curse.
the moon the only face that I see AO3 by Lady Mercury (Ladymercury_10) Wolves have stories, too. Like this one: There is the wolf with the large pointed ears and the great round eyes and the long fangs that did not make her look fearsome at all but rather too small for her own teeth. [Little Red Riding Hood; warning: graphic descriptions of violence]
The Stone Sister AO3 by Bette “Make your wish upon the stone,” the woman said, “and you shall have someone to care for you.” [Gen]
These Gentle Wolves AO3 by metonomia In which a girl goes into the woods, returns, and goes back again. [Little Red Riding Hood, gen]
This Should Not Be So AO3 by Eustacia Vye (eustaciavye) I think he’s a robber bridegroom. They say I don’t know what I’m talking about. But I know what I see, even if they refuse to. It cannot be so, it should not be so. [Gen]
three drops of blood AO3 by betony slash of blood against snow and who would wish for a child "red as blood"—pretty words, but the daughter suffers. --Lightsey Darst, "[Snow White]" The Queen has her tale. The Court has another. [Snow White, gen]
Three Sisters, Bound AO3 by Blythe [See work for summary]
What Full Lips You Have (They're Sure to Lure Someone Bad) AO3 by lanyon Sure, the cops blame Little Red, and they blame Snow and Red and Gold. They’d blame Sleeping Beauty but she’s been in a coma for thirteen years. There are Wanted signs all over the city, curling in the rain and torn at the edges. Have You Seen This Girl?
Green Lantern: the Animated Series
Cold Blooded AO3 by Moonsheen During a mission to fix the Interceptor, a bitter ice storm leaves Razer and Aya cut off from the ship with a failing power ring. It's too bad Razer wasn't built for the cold. [Aya/Razer]
The Middleman
The Derealization Disorder Disruption AO3 by Roxie Ann (pluvial_poetry) A paradox, inside a riddle, inside a mystery... Or possibly Wendy has just lost her mind. [Middleman/Wendy]
The Mirrorverse Doppleganger Visitation AO3 by KiaraSayer "What a crazy, random happenstance." [Wendy/Tyler, Middleman/Lacey]
The Quintuple Convergence Alternatives AO3 by shinealightonme Or, Five ways Wendy didn't meet the Middleman. [Gen]
The Reflected Universe Revelation AO3 by edna_blackadder Being the Middleman is never easy, but it's especially tough when you live in an evil [bleep]ing universe. [Wendy/Tyler, Middleman/Lacey]
The Unpaid Overtime Complication AO3 by Froggimus_Rex "Dub Dub, why is there a cat crate full of teacup kaiju in our living room?" [Gen]
Mythology
A House is Not a Home AO3 by grlgoddes Artemis seeks justice for a defenceless child. [Greek mythology; gen]
Balance to the Flame AO3 by tristesses Sigyn understands duty and sacrifice, but even more importantly, she understands love. (Sigyn and Loki, from the beginning to the very end.) [Norse mythology; Loki/Sigyn]
Bargains, Lies, and Family Ties AO3 by tristesses In a Midgard where cybernetic enhancements are commonplace and magic flows like wine, Loki and Odin cut a deal, and Hel's father pays her a visit. [Norse mythology; gen]
Eager Faces Turning AO3 by SlashMyDreams But she could not promise, for her father listened to his men, not his daughters. [Greek mythology; Ariadne gen]
Giving What is Due in Accordance to Her Nature AO3 by fresne Shimmering Helen picked up her bow and her arrows. She set off on the road of night. She came to a crossroads. She acted in accordance with her nature. [Greek mythology; Helen/Aphrodite, Helen/Paris; warning: rated mature]
go down to the netherworld (plant grapes) AO3 by electrumqueen Orpheus needs Persephone's help, but it might be too late for that. [Greek mythology; Hades/Persephone, Orpheus/Eurydice, Persephone/Orpheus; warning: underage]
Grasping At Shadows AO3 by HannaM In the land of the dead, Eurydice seeks an identity. [Greek mythology Orpheus/Eurydice, Persephone/Eurydice]
innumeras erorre vias AO3 by kangeiko Blame Atropos. (That bitch sees everything.) [Greek mythology; Ariadne/Dionysus, Ariadne/Theseus, Phaedra/Theseus]
In the Grip of Her Unblinking Gaze AO3 by fresne Eldest of the sisters, Medusa alone stood the guardian of the Eastern gates of Sicani by the lapping sea. Euryale guarded the western gate with brazen hands and fearsome cries. Stheno, the youngest, the softest of aspect, hers was to face the mountainous north with its crags and eagles' reach. [Greek Mythology; Medusa/Athena; warning: rape/non-con]
Mutating the Labyrinth AO3 by Cinaed They say when the last of the great Earth-born architects built the Labyrinth, he built it so that none could escape. Ariadne knows this to be a lie. She travels its twists and turns with her brother every night and returns to her bedchambers every dawn. That is, she does until Theseus arrives with the third set of tributes. [Greek mythology; Ariadne gen; warning: rated mature, graphic descriptions of violence]
Snakebit AO3 by marketchippie The story sounds like a dream, a cheap fiction when she thinks about it too hard. To make it real, she just has to keep moving forward, not looking back. [Greek mythology; Orpheus/Eurydice, Persephone/Eurydice; warning: rated mature]
Springtime Will Kill You AO3 by Luna Orpheus doesn't think much about his life before he was a private detective. But when he's hired to search for a missing girl, he'll have to take on Hollywood royalty, hired killers, and maybe, finally, himself. [Greek mythology; Orpheus noir AU]
the golden age AO3 by VegaOfTheLyre "I will make you live forever.” [Greek mythology; Helen/Paris classic Hollywood AU]
Unorthodox AO3 by SlashMyDreams “I know what gods do to mortals, and I would have none of it.” [Greek mythology; Ariadne/Dionysus]
unraveling AO3 by hardlygolden Ariadne has a brother who is a secret, who is a monster. She does not know he is a monster yet: for that is the secret, and she does not even know he is her brother, for that comes later. She has heard the howls at night, of course, but it is a very long intuitive leap from mysterious noises to Minotaur, so she is to be forgiven for not figuring it out sooner. What she does know is that her mother cries sometimes, when she thinks Ariadne is asleep. [Greek mythology; Ariadne gen]
We Die to Be Born AO3 by ViaLethe He has always been the extremes, all or nothing, while she serves as his fulcrum point, the balance of the aspects between them. [Greek mythology; Hades/Persephone, Dionysus/Persephone]
Nation (Terry Pratchett)
Backwash AO3 by atreic Daphne journeys back to England, and Mau remains behind. [Daphne/Mau]
The Light Always Burning AO3 by Raven (singlecrow) We, the People: a thirty-year retrospective and an examination of the role of the Nation in world history, for Earth Atlantic, 7 December 2035, excerpt. [Gen]
Pitch Perfect (2012)
Con Affeto AO3 by fearlessfan Beca and Chloe are friends, that won't change. They'll just be friends who do other stuff, too. [Beca/Chloe]
put another notch in my lipstick case AO3 by metonymy It's not all competitions and fighting with Treblemakers and grueling rehearsals with the Bellas. Sometimes it's about friendship and supporting each other and having inappropriate thoughts about one of the freshies. Or, five times Chloe wanted to kiss Beca and one time Beca kissed Chloe. [Beca/Chloe]
The Long Way 'Round AO3 by pathstotread "But they hadn't really talked, not about that night on the beach, not about anything that meant anything." Beca and the Bellas visit Chloe in L.A. [Beca/Chloe]
Throw a Wish in the Well AO3 by WhatBecomesOfYou Jesse is slow to anger - the one thing that makes him angriest? Is the very song that the Barden Bellas are putting on for the a cappella exhibition. [Beca/Jesse]
Prometheus (2012)
beyond what we were made for AO3 by Addison R. (beyond_belief) Seven days in space after LV-223. [Elizabeth&David 8 gen]
Bound To The Rock, An Eagle Eating Your Liver AO3 by seriousfic Now that her father's dead, Meredith Vickers owns Weyland Industries, the Prometheus expedition, David 8, and Elizabeth Shaw's contract. And if they've gotten an Engineer starship working, then it's taking them home. [Gen]
For I Have Put Away Childish Things AO3 by Medie "That's the real bitch of being alive."/ "You get to choose what you do with it." [Gen]
Push (2009)
...and that has made all the difference AO3 by Maharetr Nick steps through the door, and he’s pretty sure he’s made a mistake; ... then he looks down at Cassie, and he’s sure he’s made a mistake: she’s looking around with glee, bug-eyed and like she’s died and gone to color heaven. [Gen]
Kick at the Darkness AO3 by Frostfire Cassie and Nick go on a Division-sponsored road trip. Cassie kicks at a few things. [Nick/Cassie; warning: rated mature, underage]
Love, Like an Hourglass AO3 by meinterupted Love is like an hourglass, with the heart filling up as the brain empties. [Nick/Cassie; warning: rated explicit]
Open Up the Door and Let Me In AO3 by ishie Nick didn't bother asking how they'd tracked him down. [Nick/Cassie]
she won't let me in there AO3 by unfinishedidea It’s a stupid mistake, Cassie knows. It’s a stupid mistake, but Nick doesn’t let it go. [Nick/Cassie]
The Heart Comprehends All Foreseeable Futures AO3 by BridgetMcKennit "Happy twenty-first birthday, Cassie. Did you ever think you'd see the day?" [Nick/Cassie]
The Smallest of Things AO3 by alianora When he comes back to wherever they're living at the time, she's generally sprawled out over the sagging couch with her legs in ripped tights tossed over the arm rest and her markers all over the place. When he's there with her at their current little crap hole of a hotel, she's constantly talking, shoving her drawings in his face, and leaving the bathtub tile splashed with weird colors from her experiments with hair dye. When he takes off for a while, she's yelling after him to pick her up something to eat and for god's sake, Nick, duck when the lady with the fish smiles or don't turn left after dinner, dumb ass. [Gen]
we shoot the scene again and again AO3 by alwaysenduphere You go looking into the future you saw last night, rewinding and slow-mo'ing the details so that everything can continue according to plan, when it flashes by, just a small glimpse. It's the worst birthday present you've ever received. You can't bring a child up in this world. You won't. [Nick/Cassie; warning: rated mature, underage]
When You've Learned the Art of Dying AO3 by weaselytook Her gift is her burden, but if it means she can keep Nick from dying, she'll do whatever it takes to make that happen. [Nick/Cassie]
Snow White and the Huntsman (2012)
blackguard AO3 by Vnutrenni Bathed in blood, all birds are of a feather. [Ravenna/Snow White]
Ivory and Gold AO3 by lareinenoir Like a spill of corrupted blood through the veins of history she snaked, forging pathways never before seen, rewriting time itself even as she reflected ever outward a perfect, unchanging beauty. [Ravenna, Finn]
Met In Her Aspect and Her Eyes AO3 by Jedi Buttercup She stood on the balcony of the tower as he rode away, watching the tide's ebb flash up like jewels from the hooves of his borrowed destrier. He had his ghosts to lay to rest, even as she had hers. He would return. [Snow White/Huntsman]
Queen Rampant AO3 by somnolentblue Ravenna learns how to meet her own needs. [Ravenna gen]
remember this when you are queen AO3 by intrikate88 Snow White took the throne. But there are many ways of being a woman with power, and it takes more time to be recognized as a true ruler. [Gen, Snow White/Huntsman]
Say It Clear AO3 by mardia There's an expectant hum in the air on Beltane, everyone waiting for nightfall, for the dancing and the music, for the chance to choose someone to love, whether for a night or for a lifetime. [Snow White/Huntsman]
Snow White and the Captain AO3 by fiftyzillion Taking the Kingdom had been easy compared to rebuilding it. [Snow White/Huntsman]
the heart a hallow plane AO3 by cordialcount Snow adapts the corruption Ravenna implanted into vices befitting a queen. [Ravenna/Snow White; warning: rated explicit]
three moments of thought AO3 by laleiatha She thinks few women are as lucky as she is now, and even fewer queens. [Snow White/Huntsman, Snow White/William]
Warehouse 13
I Will Do Silence To It AO3 by redstapler In which the Warehouse ladies do what they must, because they can. [Gen, Portal crossover]
Young Avengers
An April Girl AO3 by jazzypom Kate takes twenty four hours away from Hawkeye & Hawkeye for reasons. [Gen, Kate/Cassie]
Kid Stuff AO3 by JessicaJones Tommy needs to come over right now or Molly will die... of boredom. [Gen]
Through the Mines AO3 by Traincat "Two days later, Eli got a postcard from Madripoor. There was a picture of Kate on the front. She was holding a piece of paper with WISH YOU WERE HERE written on it in purple block letters, grinning at him with her sunglasses propped up on the end of her nose." Eli and Kate stumble into the long distance thing, occasionally sometimes accidentally on purpose.
Updated as of 2/12/2013
