Yuletide 2019: Nine recs a-reading

[hebethen]

Hello all and happy yuletide! I tried to get a varied spread of fandoms, but I couldn't decide between the two Good Place ones. Well, nine is a nicely mystical number anyway, I suppose!


Hitting the Sweet Spot: A Scarlett Pakistani Adventure by slightlykylie (2325 words)
Fandom: The Good Place
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Tahani Al-Jamil/Simone Garnett
Characters: Simone Garnett, Tahani Al-Jamil
Summary: "Tahani, cancel your plans. We're gonna split a bottle of wine and read Brent's terrible novel out loud."

I didn't know I shipped Tahani/Simone until I read this. It's funny and true to character in that "Huh, you know what, that makes perfect sense" way, and though the characters snarkfest it up, the story itself is a sweet treat.


Free Netflix Subscription by Wildgoosery (10106 words)
Fandom: The Good Place
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Tahani Al-Jamil/Eleanor Shellstrop
Characters: Tahani Al-Jamil, Eleanor Shellstrop, Michael (The Good Place), Jianyu Li | Jason Mendoza, Chidi Anagonye
Summary: Neighborhood 12358W -- Attempt #218 -- Shellstrop soulmate: Tahani Al-Jamil

A canonesquely convincing rendition of the fabled Attempt #218 which has attained trope status in Eleanor/Tahani fandom. Hijinks very much ensue, but Tahani and Eleanor somehow manage to simultaneously disaster-couple and power-couple their way through it all.


When You Don't Have the Monet to Make the Van Gogh: Or, A Rodin Not Taken by azurish (2951 words)
Fandom: Ocean's 8, Ocean's Eleven
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Lou Miller/Debbie Ocean, Danny Ocean & Debbie Ocean, Danny Ocean/Rusty Ryan if you squint
Characters: Lou Miller, Debbie Ocean, Tammy (Ocean's), Constance (Ocean's), Nine Ball, Daphne Kluger, Rose Weil, Amita, Danny Ocean, Rusty Ryan, Basher Tarr
Additional Tags: Sibling Rivalry, Heist, Character Death Fix, Misses Clause Challenge, Post-Canon
Summary: Danny and Debbie set their sights on the same target. The jury may be out on whether there's honor between thieves, but there certainly is sibling rivalry.

Heists and puns and wisecracking banter, what more could you ask for? Debbie/Lou here isn't the A-plot of a romance story but simply brought forward as a textual element of the narrative, and it's great.


Aprés-Moi Le Deluge by sophiahelix (3068 words)
Fandom: Killing Eve
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Eve Polastri/Villanelle | Oksana Astankova
Characters: Eve Polastri, Villanelle | Oksana Astankova
Additional Tags: Post-Canon, Hate Sex, Love/Hate
Summary: “It was never going to be bloodless.”

Visceral, inevitable, poetic but unsentimental -- this post-S2 fic utterly embodies the spirit of the show.


Healing by pasiphile (3707 words)
Fandom: Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Arabella Strange/Jonathan Strange, Emma Pole/Arabella Strange
Characters: Arabella Strange, Emma Pole
Additional Tags: Female Friendship, Recovery

I did know I shipped Emma/Arabella -- I have for years -- but this fic still managed to surprise me with all the unexpected yet perfect, "Huh, you know what" details and characterizations. A beautiful, lyrical postscript to the book, and the Emmabella fic I have been waiting for all these years.


Winter Sojourn by MrsWythe89 (4266 words)
Fandom: Sorcerer Royal Series
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Henrietta Stapleton/Muna
Characters: Henrietta Stapleton, Mrs Stapleton, Prunella Gentleman, Zacharias Wythe, Robert "Rollo" Threlfall, Paget Damerell, Sakti, Muna, The Polong
Additional Tags: Yuletide Treat, Post-Canon
Summary: After the events of the book, Henrietta pays a long-awaited visit to Muna in Fairy.

You could have told me this was a postcanon bonus story from Zen Cho herself after she got tired of dreaming about Muna/Henrietta fic, and I would have believed you. Absolutely hilarious in that wry, comedy-of-manners way -- the dialogue is a gem.


Last Shot at Love by DachOsmin (5604 words)
Fandom: Gideon the Ninth
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Gideon Nav/Harrowhark Nonagesimus
Characters: Gideon Nav, Harrowhark Nonagesimus, Dulcinea Septimus, Necrolord Prime (Gideon the Ninth)
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Reality Show, Reality TV, Alternate Universe - The Bachelor Fusion, Pastiche
Summary: Gideon Nav has done some pretty dumb things in her life, but getting herself on a televised dating show might take the cake.

So as it turns out, Gideon the Ninth is surprisingly translatable to a dating reality show AU. The stakes might be a little less cosmic, but the edges of Gideon and Harrowhark's relationship are as sharp as ever. And of course, the joy of AU is seeing how the translations are made -- this provides in spades.


The Source by SuperKat (6845 words)
Fandom: The Adventure Zone
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Dani/Aubrey Little
Characters: Aubrey Little, Dani (The Adventure Zone), Dr. Harris Bonkers, Janelle (The Adventure Zone), Alexandra (The Adventure Zone), Sylvain (The Adventure Zone), Original Characters
Summary: Sometimes restoring Sylvain isn't as simple as creating a pudding tree in the middle of a field. Aubrey's really glad she brought actual hiking boots. Dani nerds out about magic. Dr. Harris Bonkers learns some new skills.

A rich, pastoral adventure along Aubrey and Dani's quest to heal Sylvain. Whatever comes, these dorks have each other. Aubrey's voice is spot-on.


Here You Come Again by thefourthvine (7169 words)
Fandom: Jolene
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Jolene/Narrator (Jolene)
Additional Tags: Enemies to Lovers
Summary: Four times Jolene stole Stella's man, and one time she stole Stella.

"Perfect in ways I didn't expect" is absolutely the theme of this rec set. This take on "Jolene" is equally a queer coming of age, a harrowing tale of compulsory heterosexuality, as it is a romance, and it is now my personal canon for the song.


edit: Adding in the author names now that they're revealed!