A very preliminary handful of Yuletide recommendations (there may well be more later):
In Which Worlds Collide and Eeyore Investigates a Terrible Crime
A. A. Milne, Winnie the Pooh. Crossovers are a risky business with a universe as distinctive and beloved as Pooh's, but this story dovetails its source canons with eminently fine craftsmanship (and a couple of very sly twists). Illustrated, yet. And there are footnotes.
Fanfare, Fan Fiction, and the Fourth Wall
Boston Legal. Not a fandom I'd ordinarily seek out, but the blend of comedy and meta -- and very sharp meta it is -- is irresistable, wondrous, and completely in keeping with the source material. Also there are footnotes. And the scary thing is, I can see the courtroom scene actually happening....
The Tiger Song
Calvin & Hobbes. A very short mostly-verse with the precise and perfect pacing of the original strips. Pitch-perfect; sometimes brevity is right.
The Seconde Tale of the Wyf of Bath
Chaucer, Canterbury Tales. A very funny blend of Chaucer and meta, with footnotes. [There seems to be a pattern developing here....]
Mrs. Pollifax and the Family Connection
Dorothy Gilman, Mrs. Pollifax series. One of the stories that drew me into Yuletide in the first place was a Pollifax fanfic; like that one, this is short, clever, beautifully characterized, and makes excellent use of Bishop. Unlike that one, there's no crossover element, but this one doesn't need it.
Make a Joyful Noise
L'Engle, Austin/Murry/O'Keefe series. Short but appropriately so; a thoughtfully constructed moment between Dave Davidson and Emily Gregory, post-The Young Unicorns, that displays a canon-worthy ability to blend the practical and the appropriately intimate.
Action Dude vs. The Steel Hwarang
Seanan McGuire, Velveteen vs. series. This is the story written for me -- a funny, ingenious extrapolation of life in (and beyond) the shadow of the Super Patriots, Inc. West Coast Division. Probably best to have a look at the canon material first (see helpful link above, start from the bottom), as this picks up right on the heels of present continuity, but it's a small canon and a universe of surpassing superheroism-mocking niftiness. Oh, and before you ask, yes, this one's safe for work, proving its author's superheroic power of restraint.
Dec. 25th, 2008
A very preliminary handful of Yuletide recommendations (there may well be more later):
In Which Worlds Collide and Eeyore Investigates a Terrible Crime
A. A. Milne, Winnie the Pooh. Crossovers are a risky business with a universe as distinctive and beloved as Pooh's, but this story dovetails its source canons with eminently fine craftsmanship (and a couple of very sly twists). Illustrated, yet. And there are footnotes.
Fanfare, Fan Fiction, and the Fourth Wall
Boston Legal. Not a fandom I'd ordinarily seek out, but the blend of comedy and meta -- and very sharp meta it is -- is irresistable, wondrous, and completely in keeping with the source material. Also there are footnotes. And the scary thing is, I can see the courtroom scene actually happening....
The Tiger Song
Calvin & Hobbes. A very short mostly-verse with the precise and perfect pacing of the original strips. Pitch-perfect; sometimes brevity is right.
The Seconde Tale of the Wyf of Bath
Chaucer, Canterbury Tales. A very funny blend of Chaucer and meta, with footnotes. [There seems to be a pattern developing here....]
Mrs. Pollifax and the Family Connection
Dorothy Gilman, Mrs. Pollifax series. One of the stories that drew me into Yuletide in the first place was a Pollifax fanfic; like that one, this is short, clever, beautifully characterized, and makes excellent use of Bishop. Unlike that one, there's no crossover element, but this one doesn't need it.
Make a Joyful Noise
L'Engle, Austin/Murry/O'Keefe series. Short but appropriately so; a thoughtfully constructed moment between Dave Davidson and Emily Gregory, post-The Young Unicorns, that displays a canon-worthy ability to blend the practical and the appropriately intimate.
Action Dude vs. The Steel Hwarang
Seanan McGuire, Velveteen vs. series. This is the story written for me -- a funny, ingenious extrapolation of life in (and beyond) the shadow of the Super Patriots, Inc. West Coast Division. Probably best to have a look at the canon material first (see helpful link above, start from the bottom), as this picks up right on the heels of present continuity, but it's a small canon and a universe of surpassing superheroism-mocking niftiness. Oh, and before you ask, yes, this one's safe for work, proving its author's superheroic power of restraint.