Yuletide 2019

[singedsun]

This was another busy Yuletide for me, most especially because I signed up while I was still finishing up my NaNo story. I didn't officially start writing until into December, but I was keeping notes and ideas and small bits that I was coming up with in advance. All my fandoms were new to me this year, both the ones I requested and the ones I offered. I don't know that I'll do all new-new fandoms in 2020, but it was definitely a fun challenge.

I've linked my gifts in a previous post, but I want to give them the proper attention here. They're all in horror fandoms, because my requests definitely had a theme this year, but the stories themselves aren't really scary. I feel like I made out really well this year, an amazing gift for the French TV show, Marianne and two gifts: one for the book The Luminous Dead and the other for the book Wicked Saints.

What I Received
Marianne was probably the best horror anything I watched this year. The spooks are good without relying on jump scares, the story is interesting, the characters and acting are wonderful. If you're not a French speaker and don't mind reading sub-titles it's a huge recommend from me. This story by nary takes place after the end of season one, there is a spoiler in here so if you plan to watch the show, maybe wait until you've done that before reading. If you don't think you'll watch, but like stories about women holding each other up after something traumatic, check it out.

The hell we carry inside us (3216 words) by Nary
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Marianne (TV 2019)
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Camille/Emma Larsimon
Characters: Camille (Marianne), Emma Larsimon
Additional Tags: Dreams and Nightmares, Post-Season/Series 01, Sleeping Together, Mild Blood, Horror, Developing Relationship, Pregnancy, Creepy, Kissing, Sharing a Bed, Fingerfucking
Summary:

"I'll sleep on the couch, it's no problem," Emma said on the first night they were in her apartment together. Pierre had moved out, and it had made sense for Camille to move in, since they both needed time and a quiet place to recuperate.

"The floor is good enough for me," Camille protested weakly.

"Fine, you sleep on the floor and I'll sleep on the couch, and no one will use the bed," Emma replied with a flash of her former cheeky grin. It felt forced, though. "Why should we both suffer? The bed is big enough for two."

***
This was a really good year for wild horror reads.
The Luminous Dead is about a planet cave diver locked in an environment safe suit alone inside a massive underground cave. Gyre Price is looking for answers for her employer, Em. Em is also the only contact she has with the outside world while underground and the relationship that forms between them is a real frustrating and wonderful growth. I wanted more of them, and misura delivered. You really don't need to know anything else about the canon to enjoy this.

ex machina (1702 words) by misura
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Luminous Dead - Caitlin Starling
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Em Arasgain/Gyre Price
Characters: Em Arasgain, Gyre Price
Additional Tags: Suit Sex
Summary:

"You won't be having sex with me, Gyre," Em said. "I'm only the one pushing the buttons."

***
The Something Dark and Holy trilogy by Emily A. Duncan promises to be a pretty great ride if the first book, Wicked Saints, is any indicator. I loved this dark and bloody story. The wonderful dolorosa gave me a lovely post-canon encounter between Nadyia and Malachiasz. Knowing the canon here, definitely helps. If you like divine women and monster boys this story (and it's canon) are for you.

Your Hand on the Pages (1075 words) by Dolorosa
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Something Dark and Holy Series - Emily A. Duncan
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Malachiasz Czechowicz/Nadezhda Lapteva
Characters: Nadezhda Lapteva, Malachiasz Czechowicz
Additional Tags: Yuletide Treat
Summary:

In a ruined church, against an abandoned altar, Nadya finds herself drawn to the darkness.

---

What I Wrote
I wrote three stories this year and I'm honestly stupidly proud of what I did with all three. I introduced the "And There Was Only One Bed" trope to a very small fandom for the movie, The Spy Who Dumped Me. I got to rewatch and really examine the priest's speech from the second season of Fleabag. And I got to think a little more about what happens after the events of Wilder Girls by Rory Power.

I don't think there's much you need to know about The Spy Who Dumped Me movie to enjoy this story. It's a little spy mission followed by a small vacation for the two main characters.

Gonna Have a Good Time (1839 words) by singedsun
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Spy Who Dumped Me (2018)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Morgan Freeman/Audrey Stockton
Characters: Morgan Freeman (The Spy Who Dumped Me), Audrey Stockton
Additional Tags: There Is Only One Bed, Field work, Actually in Love, We Like to Have Fun Here, Post-Canon
Summary:

After a mission, Audrey and Morgan get a little downtime.

***
If you've watched Fleabag then you'll know I wrote about the same thing a lot of people in this fandom are wondering about. What happens after the events of season two. If you haven't watched Fleabag, then maybe a lot of this won't necessarily make sense. But I had a really fun time rewatching the Priest's speech in the final episode and hiding lots of hints in the story back to that speech.

A Familiar Ache (1377 words) by singedsun
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Fleabag (TV)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Fleabag/Priest (Fleabag)
Characters: Fleabag (Fleabag), Claire (Fleabag), Priest (Fleabag)
Additional Tags: Post-Canon, Spoilers for Episode: s02e06 Episode 6, Breaking the Fourth Wall, Religion
Summary:

The Priest sees Fleabag before she sees him.

"Could he count the sacraments he'd given, the homilies he'd delivered, the prayers he'd made, the confessions he'd heard and find them more worthy than what he could've had? And wasn't that just the test he'd imagined for himself all those months ago? Wasn’t that what he trusted to be true -- not trusted, wasn't that what he had faith in? That the work he had to do somehow meant that being with her wasn't the best choice, that it wasn't right."

***
Wilder Girls by Rory Power is about an island full of girls with a biological disease they call, the Tox, which has mutated each of them in small and different ways. They're at an all girls school on this island and are learning that not everything is what it seems. This story focuses on what happens after the end, with the three main characters: Hetty, Byatt and Reese. Canon knowledge is good, but not necessarily required for this.

Patternless and Colorful (2983 words) by singedsun
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Wilder Girls - Rory Power
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Hetty Chapin & Byatt Winsor, Hetty Chapin & Reese Harker, Hetty Chapin & Byatt Winsor & Reese Harker
Characters: Hetty Chapin, Reese Harker, Byatt Winsor
Additional Tags: Post-Canon, Body Horror, Canon-Typical Violence, suggestion of Reese/Hetty's previous relationship, Spoilers for Wilder Girls, Self-Harm, Mild Blood
Summary:

Byatt, Hetty and Reese together, on land, figuring things out post-Raxter.

---

YULETIDE RECS


I'm still reading, my tabs are multiplying by the day with both Yuletide and Critmas stories. So by way of cleaning out some of what I've read thus far, here's some recs.

• The Next Someday by htbtthomas The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel [Midge Maisel/Lenny Bruce] -- Very cute meet-up between Lenny and Midge and the possibilities of what could be. Spot on for the voices in regard the show, but honestly you don't need much knowledge of the canon here, despite everything it reads well as a character piece on its own.


• I Hope This Whole Thing Didn't Frighten You by impertinence Knives Out [Marta/Ransom] Lots to unpack here in the idea that Random gets out of jail and things unfold from there. Writing is spot on here, and worth reading if the tags looks okay to you.


• C is For by neros_violin site=archiveofourown.org> Fleabag [Claire & Fleabag] A very slice of life piece for these sisters, centered on Claire and how she feels she's been portrayed by those around her.


• Blood, Cubed by scioscribe The Perfection (Movie 2019) [Lizzie/Charlotte] Warnings for a lot of canon-typical references to violence and blood here. Honestly if you haven't watched this movie, this probably won't make sense to you and if blood/gore isn't good for you, the movie won't be either. That said, what I love about this fic is the after care between Charlotte and Lizzie and the lengths they've learned to go for each other.


• Good Morning by neveralarche Gideon the Ninth by Tamzyn Muir [Gideon/Harrow] A post-canon and quite hilariously in canon voice for this Gideon take over wherein she forces Harrow into the gym to beef up. A good bit of fun.


• baby, it's haunted inside by burglebezzlement The Spy Who Dumped Me [Audrey/Morgan] -- a very holiday-eque take on the two women living on their own totally 'on mission' and nothing more. Like story in this fandom, I really don't think you need much more canon knowledge than this to enjoy it.


• The Mountains of Hashkath by ofunaq Wayfarers Series by Becky Chambers [Rosemary/Sissix] -- This is a lovely vacation holiday for Rosemary and Sissix, off ship and hiking into the mountains with other Andresks. Canon knowledge probably needed for this. But it's short and sweet and just what I want to see more of with Rosemary and Sissix.


• sink and swim by misura The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling [Gyre/Em] -- a post-canon bit of vacation for Gyre, granted by Em. A very nice follow up into what could be considered more domestic life.