Some belated Yuletide recommendations

[rymenhild]

I did really intend to post about the Yuletide stories I loved, including the one I got as a gift, before the reveal.

Now that the story authors are public, I realize that a good half of my favorite stories were written by friends of mine. I apologize to you all for not having recommended you earlier.

dictator_duck wrote me Entartete Kunst (Kage Baker - Company series). During WWII, Executive Facilitator Van Drouten fills her attic, and several other corners of her household, with children rescued from the Holocaust. There are coded messages, staffers confused about hair dye, and an excellent cameo from Latif. It's lovely. Thank you so much, TL! ♥

tarimanveri wrote (not for me, but it does fulfil a request I made!) The Manner of His Return (Ellis Peters - Brother Cadfael series). Philip FitzRobert returns from Crusade, to seek a home in the house of Olivier de Bretagne. Instead, he finds Olivier's wife Ermina. The characterization and style is very well done, and of course tarimanveri handled the history perfectly.

rm (whom I don't know, for once!) wrote The Way In Which Letters Always Tumble Downhill (Ellen Kushner - Swordspoint series). Katherine Campion Talbert, newly Duchess Tremontaine, has to think through her gender presentation and her relationship with Artemisia FitzLevi. There's drag! There's The Swordsman Whose Name Is Not Death! There is, in fact, everything I asked for in my own request, even though the story was not written for me.

No, ineptshieldmaid, I did not write The Hawk and the Lion. I was honored that Inept thought so, because the story is well-written and seriously well-researched, connected both to Welsh tradition and to Chretien de Troyes. I expected to know the author. To my surprise, I do -- and it's silveraspen. Aspen, you're really good at impersonating medievalists. Applause.

Meanwhile, ineptshieldmaid wrote (besides the Yvain/Gauvain story Que j'aim mout, which was obvious), A Squire With Prospects (Tamora Pierce - Tortall series). It's an exploration of Gary's friendship with Alan and Alanna over years, and very well done... and I never would have guessed Inept wrote it.

angevin2 wrote Are We There Yet? (Or, Fear and Loathing in Kent), a hilarious set of Canterbury Tales outtakes. Lydgate's arrival is my favorite.

Meanwhile, I wrote The Fifth Branch (Mabinogion) for sister_coyote.

I haven't found all of your stories yet. If you've written one, please link me to it! (Also, I certainly haven't linked all of my favorite stories yet. Another post may come later... if I get around to it.)

Comments

[janni.livejournal.com]

There's something nicely symmetric about your writing sister_coyote's Mabinogion story! :-)

[rymenhild.livejournal.com]

Even more than you think! I met sister_coyote last year when I wrote her a NYR Mabinogion story. We've been talking about the Mabinogion all year.

[tarimanveri.livejournal.com]

Actually, you were my guess for "The Hawk and the Lion" as well! I wouldn't have guessed silveraspen either - I was too busy trying to guess which LJ medievalist wrote it. I concur that she has mad medievalist-impersonating skills!

I'm also delighted that you enjoyed my story so much!

[ineptshieldmaid.livejournal.com]

I was guessing either Rymenhild or Celandine... I didn't even consider that someone could be impersonating the fine sisterhood of medievalist fanwriters.

[tarimanveri.livejournal.com]

I didn't even consider that someone could be impersonating the fine sisterhood of medievalist fanwriters.

This! Also, fine sisterhood of medievalist fanwriters! That is an excellent way to describe the cabal of fannish lj medievalists.

[rymenhild.livejournal.com]

It is a fine description. It almost needs an icon.

[silveraspen]

I am evidently just sneaky like that. But oh, I had a lot of fun doing it!

[ineptshieldmaid.livejournal.com]

There is nothing more fun than Yvain and Gawain. Ever.

[agonistes]

Yeah, so. :D?

I wrote and his messengers of jazz for raedbard, which is for Michael Chabon's The Yiddish Policemen's Union.

[ineptshieldmaid.livejournal.com]

Que j'aim WAS incredibly characteristic of me... *sigh* but it was fun!

Squire With Prospects I'm so damn proud of... *grins* but it doesn't really bear any of the glaring hallmarks of my writing, no.

[schiarire.livejournal.com]

I wrote la disparition, for The Plague.

[rymenhild.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the link! I shall look later.