thisbluespirit | Yuletide Recs (Part 1)

Reading

yuletide fic here and there suited my current state, and I've had a lot of fun with it so far, I actually have a whole batch of recs ready to go for once. (I still need to go back and pick up some fandoms, especially in the first half of the alphabet, and I've barely touched Madness).

The Knight Under The Apple Tree (4913 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: As You Like It - Shakespeare
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Oliver de Boys/Celia (As You Like It)
Characters: Celia (As You Like It), Oliver de Boys (As You Like It)
Additional Tags: Missing Scene, Love Confessions, Marriage Proposal, Childhood Sweethearts
Summary: The Past: a boy, a girl, and an apple tree; tears dried, and a favour given.

The Present: a man, a woman, and an olive tree; a secret uncovered, and an offer accepted.

(Orlando was shocked to hear that Oliver had proposed, and Celia accepted, on so short an acquaintance; but the princess and her Apple Tree Knight had met before, a long time ago...)

A lovely and plausible look at Celia and Oliver's maybe not so quickfire romance.

A British Original: Discovering Haddersford House and Its Residents (2249 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: British Airways "May We Haveth One's Attention" Safety Video
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Anne/George (British Airways safety video)
Characters: George (British Airways Safety video), Anne (British Airways Safety video), The Queen (British Airways Safety video), Lady Bentley (British Airways safety video)
Additional Tags: world-building, unreality, Articles from another world
Summary: When I ask her about the Darcy look-alike with the teeth, she laughs.

Marie-Anne Baxter, Director of the Haddersford House Costume Drama Sanctuary and Preserve, has known Tom Mercer for over a decade. ”The costume is original, if modified,” she clarifies. “The teeth are not. You can blame Colin Firth for those.”

Welcome to the world of the costume drama character.

Or: A magazine article from the world where characters in costume drama occasionally come to life of their own--and stick around after the cameras stop rolling and the crews have gone home.

Great bit of meta worldbuilding for a reality where period drama characters just pop into life in random places.

Soulmate Goose of Quiet Encouragement (1747 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Soulmate Goose AU Suggestion - shitty-check-please-aus (Tumblr Post), Cabin Pressure
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Martin Crieff, Douglas Richardson, Theresa of Liechtenstein
Additional Tags: Soulmate Goose of Enforcement
Summary: An AU of Cabin Pressure's “Vaduz” episode in which Martin is better at math and Douglas conspires with the world’s chillest Soulmate Goose.

Excellent Soulmate Goose AU for Cabin Pressure, where it seems right at home.

Hoar and Hound (2236 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Cadfael Chronicles - Ellis Peters
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Hugh Beringar & Brother Cadfael
Characters: Brother Cadfael, Hugh Beringar, Brother Jerome (Cadfael Chronicles), Prior Robert (Cadfael Chronicles)
Additional Tags: Medieval Britain, Shrewsbury, Slice of Life, Winter, Yuletide 2025, Yuletide, Medieval Monastery, What Cadfael gets up to between solving murders
Summary: On a frigidly cold December night, Cadfael follows a trail through the abbey grounds.

Wonderfully atmospheric winter piece, with Brother Cadfael solving a smaller problem than usual.

A Gentlewoman's Debt (5839 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: A Civil Contract - Georgette Heyer, The Toll-Gate - Georgette Heyer
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Jenny Chawleigh/Adam Deveril, John Staple/Nell Stornaway, Jenny Chawleigh & Nell Stornaway
Characters: Jenny Chawleigh, Nell Stornaway, John Staple, Jonathan Chawleigh, Giles-Jonathan Deveril, Other Deverill Child, Other Staple Child
Additional Tags: Coincidence, Shopping, Debt of honour, Excessive Talk of Rocks
Summary: In 1820, Nell Staple's son goes missing at the Soho Bazaar - Jenny, Lady Lynton, finds him. Five years later, one of Jenny's carriage wheels breaks while in Derbyshire in the Peak District, and she meets Nell again. Together, these women forge a friendship that will change their lives.

Thoroughly enjoyable post-canon crossover for the practical and unconventional heroines of A Civil Contract and The Toll-Gate.

By Special Licence (2281 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Cotillion - Georgette Heyer
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Kitty Charing/Freddy Standen, Foster Dolphinton/Hannah Plymstock
Characters: Lord Legerwood, Freddy Standen, Kitty Charing, Hugh Rattray, Foster Dolphinton, Hannah Plymstock
Additional Tags: Weddings, Post-Book
Summary: Lord Legerwood receives a disturbing piece of news about his eldest son.

Fun coda for Cotillion and a great little look at Lord Legerwood.

Hunting (929 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Dogsbody - Diana Wynne Jones
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Kathleen O'Brien & The Hunter (Dogsbody)
Characters: Kathleen O'Brien, The Hunter (Dogsbody)
Additional Tags: Legends, Folklore, Bargaining, British, the wild hunt
Summary: Kathleen needs help to find what she most desires. It occurs to her that she knows someone who might make a deal.

Post-canon piece in which Kathleen turns to the Hunter for help - very well done.

After the End (1472 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Enigma (2001)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Tom Jericho, Hester Wallace, Wigram (Enigma 2001)
Additional Tags: Post-Canon
Summary: Summer 1949. An encounter in a Parisian park.

My amazing gift! Lovely, layered, fun post-canon piece in which Tom and Hester run into Wigram again, years later in an unexpected place.

Gifts (1212 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Flower Fairies - Cicely Mary Barker
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Additional Tags: Fae & Fairies, Bargains With Fae & Fairies, Unwise bargains With Fae & Fairies, Becoming a real boy, or otherwise - Freeform
Summary: Humans, give a little something. Give me something, get a present. Humans, give me, just a small gift —

Flower Fairies of the Gone Woods (193 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Flower Fairies - Cicely Mary Barker
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Additional Tags: Fae & Fairies, Botanical accuracy, Biographical liberties, Poetry
Summary: The berries are not to be eaten
She says in a marginal note
Miss Barker, she asked you to listen
So what’s that bright thing in your throat?

Both of these do a beautiful, cunning job of putting wildness and Fae back into the Flower Fairies.

Eleanor Shellstrop and the Soft Underbelly (3000 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Good Place (TV)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Michael & Eleanor Shellstrop
Characters: Michael (The Good Place), Eleanor Shellstrop, Chidi Anagonye, Janet (The Good Place)
Summary: memories. No point in waiting until Eleanor realizes where they are. (He always waits).
“Where am I?” Eleanor asks, just a few dozen reboots after the mime neighborhood.
“Hell,” he says, realizing he finally understands the human turn of phrase, ‘long-suffering.’ “You're in Hell.”
*
Eleanor Shellstrop is a challenge. It's been a long time since Michael has felt challenged.

Pitch perfect - which is to say it made me grin throughout and get something in my eye by the end.

FAQ: The "Snake Fight" Portion of your Lazgarian Visa Application (1063 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: FAQ: The "Snake Fight" Portion of Your Thesis Defense - Luke Burns, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Arthur Dent, Ford Prefect
Summary: If you want to buy the cheapest Pan Galactic Gargle Blasters in the galaxy, you'll have to fight a snake first.

If ever there was a canon where snake-fighting would be part of a bureaucratic procedure, well... XD

An Exchange of Pleasantries (4641 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Finnemore | The Storyteller (John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme), Mr. Floofywhiskers, Member(s) of Finnemore's Club, The Cast of the Souvenir Programme
Additional Tags: Humor, Puns & Word Play, Meta Sketches, Breaking the Fourth Wall, Yuletide, Fandom Exchange Culture, Mildly Cursed Geese, Victorian Attitudes, Allusions To That Which A Gentleman Does Not Speak Of, (shapely ankles), (and his semi-repressed sexuality), Unconventionyule
Summary: Well, since you ask me to write a fannish-fiction for an annual rare fandoms gift exchange… I believe I should be able to cobble together at least 1000 words for a fandom and character(s) of your choice!

The author has nailed Finnemore's storytelling voice, complete with meta interjections from the cast - brilliant and hilarious.

Communication (Always Leaves Me Incomplete) (1756 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Ludwig (TV)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Lucy Betts-Taylor & John "Ludwig" Taylor, Lucy Betts-Taylor/John "Ludwig" Taylor
Characters: John "Ludwig" Taylor, Lucy Betts-Taylor
Additional Tags: Missing Scene, Ambiguous Relationships, Oblivious Sexual Tension
Summary: John has boxes of files to try and sort out, as well as some other things that are a bit more complicated.

Lovely fic that vividly captures John's pov.

Perspectives (14548 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 8/8
Fandom: The Nonesuch - Georgette Heyer, HEYER Georgette - Works
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Sir Waldo Hawkridge/Ancilla Trent
Characters: Ancilla Trent, Waldo Hawkridge, Tiffany Wield, Laurence Calver, Courtenay Underhill, Maria Docklow, Mrs Underhill, Mrs Burford, Julian Lord Lindeth, Lady Hawkridge, Reverend William Trent, Mrs Trent
Additional Tags: Regency, Historical, Post-Canon, POV Outsider, Kisses, Secrets, Spoilt Brats, Governesses, engagements, Weddings, Honeymoons, minor original characters, Inns, Bad Weather, country house parties, The Season, POV Multiple
Summary: What one sees, and how much, depends very much on one's perspective.

Totally in-keeping continuation of events post-canon, excellently done.

Be Still, My Heart (1002 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Prisoner (1967)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Rover (The Prisoner)
Additional Tags: Psychological Horror, Non-Graphic Violence, Episode: Schizoid Man
Summary: A night in the life of Rover, stalking his prey.

Rover's POV - chilling and weird in all the right ways.

every exit an entrance somewhere else (1611 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead - Stoppard
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Rosencrantz (Hamlet), Guildenstern (Hamlet), Tom Stoppard
Additional Tags: Meta, Death
Summary: Death, a boat, et cetera.

Brilliantly meta tribute.

mingle friendship far (1075 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Shakespeare & Hathaway: Private Investigators (TV)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Frank Hathaway & Luella Shakespeare & Sebastian Brudenell
Characters: Frank Hathaway, Luella Shakespeare, Sebastian Brudenell
Additional Tags: Christmas Fluff, A teaspoon of angst

And Threaten Present Blusters (5787 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Shakespeare & Hathaway: Private Investigators (TV)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Frank Hathaway/Luella Shakespeare
Characters: Luella Shakespeare, Frank Hathaway, Sebastian Brudenell
Summary: A tale of two stakeouts, one elderly burglar, and the importance of savoury baked goods in a relationship.

Both of these are huge fun, just like canon, with pitch perfect exchanges, Shakespeare quotes, and Sebastian being Sebastian (<3).

In Chaos, There is Fertility (2046 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Time Master Series - Louise Cooper
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Cyllan Anassan/Tarod, Tarod/Cyllan Anassan/Yandros (Time Master), Tarod/Yandros (Time Master)
Characters: Cyllan Anassan, Yandros (Time Master), Tarod (Time Master)
Additional Tags: apotheosis, Transformation, Creation, Reunion Sex
Summary: A reunion, a rebirth, a transformation, and a new creation.

Beautiful and strange imagining of the realm and nature of Chaos.

Nonny, Noodle, Noddy (1543 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Welcome to Our Village Please Invade Carefully (BBC Radio)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Margaret Lyons & Richard Lyons & Katrina Lyons, Katrina Lyons & Uljabaan
Characters: Margaret Lyons (Welcome to Our Village), Uljabaan (Welcome to Our Village), Richard Lyons (Welcome to Our Village), Katrina Lyons, The Computer (Welcome to Our Village)
Additional Tags: Pranks, Post canon, Evil Overlordship
Summary: Uljabaan gets a 'light-hearted' and 'harmless' birthday surprise.

Perfect slice of canon is perfect and also demonstrates why Margaret truly is the evillest of them all when she sets her mind to it.

Snow Job (1943 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Yes Minister
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Jim Hacker, Humphrey Appleby, Bernard Woolley, Annie Hacker, Ian Whitworth
Additional Tags: Yuletide Treat
Summary: Something has to be done about the snow. Unless it doesn't.

Yet another pitch perfect piece of canon, which is of course a recommendation in itself.