Yuletide reveals and recs, plus some other bits and pieces

[dolorosa_12]

2026 is off to a good start. Matthias and I spent the morning on a long, looping walk along the river, across the railway track, and back into town for coffee at the rig in the market square. I've done yoga, I'm about halfway through my first book of the year, and I also read this dystopian Kate Elliott short story, which imagines a world in which absolutely everything is pay-as-you-go, which is exactly as horrifying in almost every facet of society and social organisation as you'd imagine.

1st January means two things in my fannish calendar: Yuletide author reveals go live, and the first day of snowflake_challenge is upon us. I always wait to share my recs from the Yuletide collection until after reveals, because I want authors to get credit for their creations.



I wrote two fic for Yuletide this year — my main assignment, and one treat. My assignment was for the Wise Child series, and allowed me to combine two of my favourite things: this delightful set of books and characters, and gardening!

The Gardeners' Hands (3345 words) by Dolorosa
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Wise Child Series - Monica Furlong
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Juniper (Wise Child series), Wise Child (Wise Child series), Euny, Trewyn (Wise Child series)
Additional Tags: Post-Canon
Summary:

Juniper and Wise Child put down roots.

I wrote one treat for The Dark Is Rising, because I saw the prompt, and was massively inspired.

In our fists, in our feet, in the hollows of our eyelids (4305 words) by Dolorosa
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Dark Is Rising Sequence - Susan Cooper
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Jane Drew, Will Stanton (Dark is Rising), Simon Drew, Barnabas "Barney" Drew, Bran Davies
Additional Tags: Post-Canon, Yuletide Treat
Summary:

The land reaches out, and helps Bran, Simon, Jane, and Barney to remember.

When it comes to recs, I am going to start off by shouting about my gift again. I'd been asking for this fandom and these characters for eleven years — every time in which I'd participated in Yuletide, plus several other exchanges as well — without success. It was such an utter joy to get a fic in this fandom at last, and written by someone who so clearly enjoyed the same things about the canon, the characters, and their dynamic as I do, conveyed so perfectly. It made me so happy!

Thrive (1030 words) by Chocolatepot
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Pagan Chronicles - Catherine Jinks
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Isidore Orbus & Babylonne Kidrouk
Characters: Isidore Orbus, Babylonne Kidrouk
Additional Tags: Found Family, Bologna, Healing, House Hunting
Summary:

Isidore and Bayblonne settle in Bologna.

The other recs vary wildly in terms of fandoms, tone, style, and length, and I hope people will find at least something they enjoy among them.

you can keep me company (2522 words) by kapitanova
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: We Are Lady Parts (TV), Riot Women (TV)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Kitty Eckersley & Saira (We Are Lady Parts)
Characters: Saira (We Are Lady Parts), Kitty Eckersley, Amina Hussein, Momtaz (We Are Lady Parts), Beth Thornton, Ayesha (We Are Lady Parts), Bisma (We Are Lady Parts), Ahsan Alkaaf
Additional Tags: POV Saira (We Are Lady Parts), Minor Ahsan Alkaaf/Amina Hussein, Minor Kitty Eckersley/Beth Thornton, Crossover, Yuletide Treat, Yuletide 2025, features Kitty's HRT libido, Kitty's very straightforward flirting, and Saira's crumbling heterosexuality
Summary:

Momtaz comes in without knocking and waves her phone in the air.

“Got us a gig this Saturday!” she announces. “Some feminist music festival in West Yorkshire.”

Don't You Ask Me To Give It Back (18572 words) by Kate Andrews
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Anora (2024)
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Anora "Ani" Mikheeva/Igor (Anora)
Characters: Anora "Ani" Mikheeva, Igor (Anora)
Additional Tags: Sex Work, Stripping, Pining, Post-Canon, Spoilers for book 1: Game Changer (Game Changers), Strippers & Strip Clubs, Fake/Pretend Relationship, for a very particular definition of relationship
Summary:

Ani and Igor enter an arrangement.

With My Face to the Rising Sun (1113 words) by brandnewsoul
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Sinners (2025)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Sammie Moore
Additional Tags: some historical inaccuracies, Canon Related, Biblical References, Character Study
Summary:

In the aftermath of October 16.

between the years of water (5380 words) by Ladybug_21
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Sinners (2025)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Lisa Chow & Sammie Moore, Lisa Chow & Chayton (Sinners 2025)
Characters: Lisa Chow, Sammie Moore, Chayton (Sinners 2025), Choctaw Vampire Hunters (Sinners 2025)
Additional Tags: Post-Canon, Found Family, Grief/Mourning
Summary:

Lisa Chow, vampire hunter-in-training.

Mothers of the Brazen Spear (4050 words) by Gottschedin
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Troades | The Trojan Women - Euripides, Ancient Greek Religion & Lore
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Andromache & Cassandra (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore), Andromache & Helen of Troy (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore), Andromache & Polyxena (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore), Andromache/Hector (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore), Andromache & Astyanax son of Hector (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore)
Characters: Andromache (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore), Polyxena (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore), Cassandra (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore), Helen of Troy (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore), Astyanax son of Hector (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore), Talthybius (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore)
Additional Tags: Grief/Mourning, Complicated Relationships, Aftermath, Hurt, (A little) Comfort, Yuletide
Summary:

Troy has fallen. Andromache's world has shattered. But things can always get worse.... or better, as three of her sisters-in-law prove to her.

Why one small American town won’t stop stoning its residents to death (1082 words) by Charlotte_Stant
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Lottery - Shirley Jackson, The New Yorker RPF
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Characters: Isaac Chotiner, Mr Summers
Additional Tags: Isaac Chotiner interviews the guy who runs the lottery in Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery"
Summary:

The picturesque village of Buell, Maine is one of the last in the United States to continue the tradition of the “harvest” or “prosperity” lottery. Its residents insist the lottery makes them stronger, even as condemnation from outsiders grows.

Jane Jana Juno Jane (1434 words) by merriman
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Dark Is Rising Sequence - Susan Cooper
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Jane Drew & Will Stanton
Characters: Jane Drew (Dark is Rising), Will Stanton (Dark is Rising), Merriman Lyon, Tethys (Dark is Rising)
Additional Tags: Mythology, Roads Taken, remembering
Summary:

The Greenwitch trusted her once. Jane has more to do, more dreams to dream, more memories to remember.

To be useful, if not free (2343 words) by bzedan
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Earthsea - Ursula K. Le Guin
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Serret (Earthsea), Yarrow (Earthsea)
Additional Tags: No Dialogue
Summary:

The child knew that if a queen were to have yet produced but a single daughter, then the creature should be at least pleasant to look at, easy to care for, and useful. Of the three, the most important was that she was to be useful.

The King's City (2442 words) by WonderWafles
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell - Susanna Clarke
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: John Childermass & Jonathan Strange
Characters: Jonathan Strange, John Childermass
Additional Tags: And I suppose John Uskglass is there in the background. lurking. like ALWAYS
Summary:

In which two magicians have a talk about more than just magic.

Le Bateleur, Le Jugement, La Papesse (2013 words) by oxymoronic
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell - Susanna Clarke
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Jonathan Strange, John Childermass
Additional Tags: Gen or Pre-Slash, Tarot
Summary:

Jonathan Strange endeavours to discover a secret.

Spell (100 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Dark Is Rising Sequence - Susan Cooper
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Barnabas "Barney" Drew
Additional Tags: Yuletide Madness Drabble Invitational
Summary:

It will work. Somehow he knows it will work.

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?

How were your Yuletides? What did you enjoy from the collection.



Challenge #1 is: The Icebreaker Challenge: Introduce yourself. Tell us why you're doing the challenge, and what you hope to gain from it.


This is always a good impetus to update Dreamwidth information. My pinned intro post is still up to date and current, but I used this as the opportunity to slightly refresh my profile, and clear up a few bits and pieces of blog housekeeping. The main one was to revoke access to accounts that haven't posted in more than 100 weeks, unsubscribe and leave comms that are inactive, and so on — from a security perspective, this is a good thing to do fairly regularly.

In terms of introducing myself, hopefully most people who are subscribed to my journal know who I am, but if not, the intro post should be a fairly good starting point.

I'm doing Snowflake because it's a seasonal marker for me, it's a way to start the new year on the right note from a journalling perspective, and feels like a way to clarify my thoughts, warm up my writing fingers, and remind myself all over again of why Dreamwidth feels like home. For the past couple of years, I've been doing it in a more low-key way, and not quite in the manner intended — I write responses in my journal, but I don't link them to the posts in the comm — because I feel I need to keep a bit more control over things, and that keeps things manageable for me. I'm looking forward to participating again.

I'll close this out with a final link relating to changes at Livejournal. You may have seen denise's recent post at dw_maintenance regarding a new influx of Russian (and/or Russian-speaking) LJ users due to changes in the terms of service. vriddy made the point that it's likely LJ's days as a viable site are numbered, and if you have anything there that you want saved, backing it up now is imperative. I imagine most of you are like me, and have abandoned, backed up, and deleted things on LJ many years ago (if nothing else, it's a massive security risk), but it's probably worth spreading the word.

Comments

[senmut]

Nice recs.