Otter's Rock

My last and quickest-written Yuletide fic, another treat.  And the one that got far and away the most comments!  I guess people really love Timov.

Title: The Price of a Favor
Fandom: Babylon 5
Word Count:  1922 words
Written For: amatara 
Summary: All Timov wants to do is live quietly. With Cartagia on the throne, that may not be an option.

( When rumors began to spread about Cartagia's madness, Timov discounted them. )

The first Yuletide fic I wrote was for shobogan, who wanted Dana and Max learning to be superheros from Barbara Gordon.

Title: Learning Curve
Fandom: Batman Beyond
Word Count:  6,431
Written For: shobogan 
Beta: sinesofinsanity 
AN: I couldn't figure out how to fit Damien in to a canon where Bruce and "Talia" interact and neither mentions or even hints about him. So in this continuity, there are only four Robins.
Summary: Dana knows who she is. What she doesn't know is who she's going to be.

( Dana stared at the costumes in the cases, coat wrapped firmly around her. )

... the title is currently "need to find title before reveal."  Also it needs to be betaed.  But hey, it counts, right?

With six days left until Yuletide fics are due, it is indeed a time for BEARS.

To give you some relief from ursine pursuit, I give you: an excerpt from Gilbert and Sullivan's little-known operetta, Xena; or, The Warrior Princess.

Xena: I am the very model of a heroine barbarian;
Through Herculean efforts, I've become humanitarian.
I ride throughout the hinterland -- at least that's what they call it in
Those sissy towns like Athens (I, myself, am Amphipolitan).
I travel with a poet who is perky and parthenian
And scribbles her hexameters in Linear Mycenian
(And many have attempted, by a host of methods mystical,
To tell if our relationship's sororal or sapphistical).

Chorus: To tell if their relationship's sororal or sapphistical!
To tell if their relationship's sororal or sapphistical!
To tell if their relationship's sororal or sapphisti-phistical!

Xena: My armory is brazen, but my weapons are ironical;
My sword is rather phallic, but my chakram's rather yonical
(To find out what that means, you'll have to study Indo-Aryan).
I am the very model of a heroine barbarian!

DON'T PANIC.

This is a very long letter with lots of stuff, but DO NOT PANIC.  I'm actually fairly easy to please; I have never been disappointed with a Yuletide story.  The most important thing for me in a fic is that the characters are well-written and recognizably themselves.  Even when I don't like a character, I don't go in for character-bashing.  If nothing else, if the rest of this letter is too much or my kinks just don't fit yours, just concentrate on writing a good story with good spelling and grammar and everyone in character and I will almost certainly love what you come up with.

One thing: I do have an embarrassment squick, which makes humor kind of hit-or-miss sometimes.  The kind of humor where someone does something embarrassing and the audience is laughing at them makes me uncomfortable because I identify too much with the person getting laughed at, so instead of being funny it is squicky.  On the other hand, the kind of humor where the audience is laughing with the characters I really enjoy.

If you want to make me the happiest recipient ever, here are some other things to keep in mind: ( General Preferences )

( Temeraire )

( Donovan's Reef )

( Batman Beyond )

( Caprica )

Title: A Change in the Winds
Fandom: Mary Poppins/Doctor Who
Characters: Mary Poppins, Eleven
Rating: Gen
Betaed by: Morbane 
Word Count: 2632
Timeline note: Takes place at least five years before "Mary Poppins," and during the Eleventh Doctor's time.
Written for:  afterism in yuletide 2011

On AO3.


( Domaripopexnal—currently calling herself 'Marie Babineaux,' and before that 'Mary Poppins,' and before that 'Maria Pabst'—studied the list of errands the housekeeper had given her when she and her charges had left the house that morning. )

Aliens
With One Eye Open. She's still waiting, but she'll be damned if that's all she's going to do. This is so much better than Alien 3. It's hopeful and yet true to the ways they have all been traumatized.

Are you Being Served?
Secret Santas. The Grace Brothers staff organize a holiday gift exchange. This could be an episode of the show, and it is hilarious.

Ballet Shoes
Relevé. The Fossil Sisters are all grown up and navigating their way through relationships and careers. With the name Fossil no longer just their own, it's time to revisit their vow. I love this picture of the three of them, growing and maturing and changing but still all themselves.

Calvin and Hobbes
Spaceman Spiff and the Alien Conspiracy. In which Rosalyn and Mrs. Wormwood really are aliens. It's awesome!

Caprica
All Humanity's Children. The avatar of Zoe Graystone must discover for herself who are really her parents - and who are her children. A little step towards the making of a Cylon God. The end of 'Caprica' gave us a glimpse of how things got from there to BSG. This fills in some of the gaps.

Chalionverse (Lois McMaster Bujold)
Hopes Unmarred. Written for me, and very well-done. Politics and theology are intertwined in the Hallow King's court, and Ingrey and Ijada find themselves in the middle. I only wish it were longer.
Housekeeping. The Royina Iselle dy Chalion attends to some domestic matters. It's a great story that touches on a sorely neglected area - civic reform! - in a light and interesting way. The author traces Iselle and Caz's relationship so beautifully here - the way in which they just get each other, completely, with a kind of unity of purpose.
A Clear Glass Window, At Sea, At Dawn. Second sight is redundant to reason anyway. “I hope the god will yet grant me an interesting task or two, before I'm done. Although, by preference, not with animals. Or royalty.” Very well-done look at what Umegat and Ista are up to, after Paladin.

Damar
Springtime in Ihistan. A meeting in a marketplace; blue eyes, pimchies, and Gonturan; memories and Meeldtar. ~*~ "Surely you know," Jack said, frowning. "Your great-grandmother - mother's mother's mother - was a Hillwoman; one of of rank, I believe. That was before we'd gained a proper foothold here..." (The Blue Sword, p. 207)

DC. This year seems to be the year of Blue Beetle and Batgirl; there are some awesome stories featuring Jaime and Steph, two underappreciated characters in the DC universe.
all maps lead to el paso. (Blue Beetle) This was how it started: Paco, in Arizona, kidnapped and wearing leopard print. Or, Kon and Paco become awesome bros, mostly by accident.
Spirits of Dionysia. (JLU) On the night of the winter festival to Dionysus, Batman and Wonder Woman perhaps visit three spirits of Dionysia past, present and future. There’s some dispute upon that point. In any case, there is a parting gift. I don't usually care for "holiday" themed fics, but this was cute but not cutesy. "[Batman] said said, “Bah, humbug,” and established a grid search pattern."
Blue Monday. (Batman Beyond/Blue Beetle). BB futurefic, with the kid from "Unmasked" as the new Blue Beetle and Matt McGinnis as Robin and Max as Nightwing. Well written.
The Requisite Teamup Between Two Plucky Teenaged Superheroes by Stephanie Brown (age 19). (Batgirl/Blue Beetle) Stephanie Brown celebrates finishing her exams in style: teaming up with the newest Blue Beetle, punching labyrinths and capping it off with delicious waffles.
It's a family thing, not a Bat thing. Really. (Batgirl) Now Steph's mom knows she's Batgirl, this isn't really the kind of problem she expected it to cause, and when Damian gets involved, matters get completely out of hand.

Dead Poet's Society
These Are What We Stay Alive For. Snatches of poetry, beauty, romance, and love, as witnessed or experienced by Charlie Dalton. Very well done, with the feel of the movie.

Die Hard Movies
Scenes from a Marriage. This is a beautiful portrait of a complex relationship, and very true to all the characters involved.

Discworld
Flash Paper. There's an arsonist loose in Ankh-Morpork. And Sam Vimes is stuck behind a desk. Short, but in character and well done.

Disney
What you Wish For and What you Keep. (Cinderella) Once, Cinderella had the whole world in her head, and she means to get it back.
A Sense of Freedom. (Mulan, Aladdin) Mulan is pleasantly surprised when she is given a new post by the Emperor, but nothing ever goes quite as she expected it. In which Mulan and Jasmine and their menfolk have adventures.
Just a Little Two-Step. (Princess and the Frog). After the bayou and the shadows and un-frogging, Naveen has his sights set on doing things the proper way for once. Tiana sighs. Charlottes gushes. There is much marital flirting to be done. My new canon for what happens after the movie.

Enchanted Forrest Chronicles
Having the Constitution For It. "It's acting as if it's made its choice for a new king," Telemain said. Indignation coloured his voice, as if he were personally affronted that the sword had dared do something unexpected. "But it can't be - Mendanbar is clearly, well, still alive."

Fairy Tales
Invisible. Out of two hundred fifty-eight servants made invisible, only we have stayed. A wonderful twist on the story, and I love the fact that it's all about the people the fairy tale largely ignores.
Here Goes Everything. A tale of great escape. Rapunzel and Sleeping Beauty being Awesome together, don't miss it.

Hebrew Bible
She Will Place on Your Head a Graceful Garland; She Will Bestow on You a Beautiful Crown. King's wives; king's sons. Bathsheba, Abigail, and life in the royal palace.

Honor Harrington
Grayson, The Keys, The Sword, and the Tester. Abigail Hearns' life at the Academy.

Indiana Jones
Academe: Four Conversations the Jones Boys Had about Education and One They Didn’t. I could hear Sean Connery saying those lines.

The King's Speech
The King's Friend. During the height of the bombing, Bertie and Lionel discover that they have a personal concern in common.

The Maltese Falcon
Blue Angel. "Don't be so sure I'm as crooked as I'm supposed to be. That kind of reputation might be good business—bringing in high-priced jobs and making it easier to deal with the enemy... but, well, a lot of money would have been at least one more item on the other side of the scales."

Mary Poppins
Five Tuesdays in the Life. Five Tuesdays in the life of a jack-of-all-trades, or, how Mary Poppins was always there. A wonderful backstory for Bert.
A Change in the Wind. Why does Mary Poppins have a bag that's bigger on the inside? Why, because she's a Time Lady, of course!
A Family. After the Time War, Mary finds her own means of travelling. I really have to thank afterism for the brilliant prompt of Mary Poppins being a Time Lady.

Madelyn Mack
Madelyn Mack and the Dead Man's Cipher. A gambling den, a contested will, a mysterious encrypted letter, a hideous death-trap, and Nora (as usual) using way too many adjectives. It's Madelyn Mack, Detective, and Nora Noraker, plucky girl reporter. They fight crime!
Variations on the Word Love. Madelyn Mack had fully intended to leave her dear friend Nora Preston neé Noraker ensconced in the arms of matrimony. When threatening letters begin arriving at The Bugle, however, Madelyn, Nora, and Thorny find themselves drawn into yet another case.

Once Upon a Time
The Miller's Daughter. You've loved her since you were both children.

Peter Pan
The Art of Becoming.  “Every child is affected thus the first time he is treated unfairly. All he thinks he has a right to when he comes to you to be yours is fairness. After you have been unfair to him he will love you again, but will never afterwards be the same boy. No one ever gets over the first unfairness; no one except Peter. He often met it, but he always forgot it. I suppose that was the real difference between him and all the rest.” (Peter Pan, Barrie)

Rizzoli and Isles
Unasked.  Post-1x08 and the corresponding deleted scene. Aliens, reassurance, and the mechanics of spooning.

Robots (Asimov)
Robots of Festivity, Incorporated.  In the lead-up to a holiday involving a lot of toys, Powell and Donovan find themselves the prisoners of the positronic computer SNT-4 and his helpers, the little ELVs.

Sound of Music
Fourteen and Impossible.  "The boy is looking imploringly at her again. Elsa sighs, and holds up a hand to summon the waiter."

Starfire Series (David Weber)
A Day in the Woods.  Raymond and Zhaarnak take advantage of a lull in the war for two days of vacation. If only things went according to plan ...

Star Trek DS9
Immortal.  Steps to becoming a joined Trill.
Collaborators.  Investigating Ferengi, getting blackmailed by the Bajoran resistance, and working for Cardassians: how Odo's assignment to investigate a murder on Terok Nor became a permanent job. Naturally, it was all Quark's fault.  I love this, it's a wonderful look at how Odo's temporary job on the station became a permanent one.
The Life that Is Waiting.  At first, every time the wormhole opens Kasidy holds her breath and waits for Benjamin to appear. She spends most of her free time on the Promenade with Jake, one arm around his shoulders and the other cradling the curve of her belly, watching the cosmos fracture again and again through a viewport. But Ben never comes.

Star Wars
The Trial of a Lifetime (X-Wing) Someone stands trial for a most heinous crime, and Nawara Ven is their Prosecutor
The Only Puzzle Worth Solving (Zahn trilogy).  Thrawn knew the truth: winning an individual's spirit was a far more productive and lasting conquest than mere puppetry or physical subjugation.

Superman Returns
A New Normal.  Jason needs medical help. The Fortress can give it. Lois, Richard, and Clark talk.

Temeraire
Noble Experiments.  Dragons' rights and all that jazz. Or - scenes from the National Dragon's Suffrage Society visit to Chicago.  Very funny, and I can just see Temeraire, Iskierka, and Perscitia ending up like this in another hundred years.

The Thin Man
Night life on Nob Hill.  Nick’s first (and perhaps last) dinner with Nora’s family.

Vorkosigan Saga
A Day in the life of Lisa Riva.
Herstory.  Before being deployed for the Escobar-Barrayar war, Captain Cordelia Naismith goes to have a talk with Aral Vorkosigan's estranged ex-wife.
Pointed Conversations.  Princess Judith Vorbarra has a conversation with her new granddaughter.
Entreat Me With Your Loveliest Lie.  Count Vordroza never says the word “mutant” when he talks about Miles.
Family Values.  How does one make polite conversation with someone one's father tortured, physically, mentally, and emotionally, their entire childhood and adolescence?
By Any Means Necessary.  He's a jaded socialite who moonlights as a civilian informer for the secret police. He's a solid, desk-bound officer with a passion for following orders and chasing skirt. Together, they fight crime the free press!

So, I got my assignment, and clicked it with the trepidation of Yuletide, where one never knows what one will get.

I read the first request.  My response: huh, I didn't think I signed up to write that, but maybe I did?  I'd have to reread some stuff, but that's doable ...

I read the second request.  Definitely not matched on it.


I read the third request.  My response: huh, I didn't think I signed up to write that, but maybe I did?  I'd have to reread some stuff, but that's doable ...

I read the fourth request.  I knew I signed up for that one, so that must be what we're matched on.

But I've never shared three of four fandoms with someone!  This is awesome.  I may have to friend zir when yuletide is over, because we evidently share much in common.  And it's not like these are movies that are on TV all the time.  Like, I had a request a couple of years ago where we matched on one, but zie also requested Forrest Gump which I don't think I've ever watched straight through but has been on TV so much I've seen every part of it at least twice, so I knew I could write it if I had to.  That's the closest I've ever matched someone.

From reading zir Yulegoat letter, it's clear which fandom zir heart is truly hoping for.  And it's one we share (sort of), though not the one we matched on.  I have the books.  I haven't read them in years, but I have them easily accessible.  And she's right, there really isn't an online fandom for them, and she only just discovered them and is still in that first blush of "oh, wow, I love these books!", and ... I read fast enough that I should be able to read the whole series as a refresher and still crank out a story by December 25th.  There are only, what, five books?  Something like that?  In two volumes?  And I can skip right through all the battle/tech scenes, because I wouldn't write about them anyway and zie didn't ask for them anyway.  By the time I was in middle school I was reading a novel a day, so even though I have less free time now it shouldn't take too long.  And I still have the fandom we matched on for backup.

On other news, with five days left until rough drafts are due, I'm starting a new xover_exchange fic.  My first story started great guns, but then I couldn't figure out where it was going (great premise, but no idea what to do about it).  I finally know where it's going and what the punchline is going to be, but I could not finish it in five days.  I will finish it because it's a cool fic and I like it, but I need something else for the challenge.  Thankfully, the second fic I started yesterday is chugging along nicely.

... there's never even been a Yuletide fic of it.

Yuletide Nominations Are Open!!!!!!!!!




Remember, nominations are EXTREMELY important this year!

Instead of getting six nominations (two more than you can request fic for), you get only THREE.  So instead of people nominating what they'd like to receive with a couple extra just for fun and to see if anyone else would like it too, a great many people are left with fewer nominations than they will be requesting fic for.  Since there half as many nominations per person, you cannot count on someone else just happening to nominate something you want to request, as well.    And only being able to nominate 4 characters makes it even worse.

So!  Here is the post where people have been listing what they will nominate, and horsetrading the details, and here is the googledocs spreadsheet of it.  Check there to see if someone is planning to request one or more of your fandoms.  Note that there is also a column for fandoms people request others to nominate because they don't have the slots themselves.  This is because you can request fic in four fandoms, but can only nominate three, so there are people who want to request four but will otherwise not be able to.  If you have extra nomination slots, please be kind and nominate something for someone else who has already used up their slots.

And here is the post of what has already been nominated, and its googledocs spreadsheet, noting as fandoms and characters are approved or rejected by the mods.

nominations run through Monday at 9PM Eastern.

Go nominate!

Written for me: Batman Beyond
Birth of a Lioness.  Six months after Terry started working for Mr. Wayne the second time, Commissioner Gordon brought Matt home from school.  I like the way this shows Mary McGinnis's awareness that what is best for Gotham is not necessarily what is best for her family.

( Whole buncha recs: Back to the Future, Batman Beyond, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, Blade Runner, Blazing Saddles, Blue Beetle, Calvin and Hobbes, Caprica, Casablanca/Indiana Jones, Chinese Mythology, A Chorus Line, Chronicles of Narnia, Damar, Disney Princess Superheroes, Joan of Arcadia, Justice League, Mary Poppins, Mary Russel, Muppet Show, Philadelphia Story, Pleasantville, Star Trek: Deep Space 9, Temeraire, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Tin Man, Vorkosigan Series, Watchmen, West Side Story )