Yuletide 2010 - Recs

[graycardinal]

Like everyone else, I've been roaming semi-randomly through Yuletide and accumulating recs as I go.  First, the story written for me:

Jackie Chan Adventures
Paperwork
This was the story written for me -- a day-in-the-life of Captain Black, head of Section 13 and wrangler of Chans (or in this case, of brand-new agents).  Like most day-in-the-life stories, it's a perceptive and thoughtful reading of the character -- but this being Jackie Chan Adventures we're talking about, it's also chock full of chaos, martial arts, highly improbable events, and disasters that one really doesn't want to think about too closely.  Which is to say, it's immensely good fun, and my anonymous Yulewriter deserves high commendations and virtual hugs.  I am most definitely a happy recipient.

Now, then, for more.  Note that I rec as often for purely fun moments as for Big Ideas, so some of these are small moments and some are a little more epic.  Links are to the static-collection versions of the stories, but don't hesitate to go over to the archive proper and leave comments.


Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.
Life in a Dime Store Novel
Brisco and Dixie, post-series.  Of course Comet had to be in the wedding...and of course our heroes are in mid-shootout when Dixie experiences the mother of all critical moments. 

A.I. Gang (Bruce Coville)
Reunification
The climax may be a trifle rushed, but even so, I'm immensely pleased to run into these characters again five years after the events of the published books, as Evil Conspiracy rises up to confront the team for a second time.  This is definitely spicier than the original series, but that's only to be expected with teen hormones in play, and it's just as much wicked fun as the originals.  Even if you haven't read the kids' novels on which this is based, you may have fun with the characters and the teen-sleuth dynamic.

Anastasia (1997)
The Art in a Con
A post-movie snapshot; it's happily-ever-after (though Anya and Dmitri still have their charmingly acidic snark), but Dmitri is restless, Vlad has an idea, and entertaining complications ensue.

Castle
and the bells were ringing out
Fluffy Christmas fic, no more and no less -- complete with entertaining and thoughtful gifts, mistletoe (of course), and Christmas laser tag.

Once Bitten
Well-plotted casefic, expertly balancing trademark Castle/Beckett snark with genuine menace when Our Heroes run into an authentic and very dangerous vampire.  I am by no means the first to rec this one, and it deserves every mention it gets.

Dungeons & Dragons (cartoon)
Shadows of the Past
All right, so this one is an epic, and already multiply recommended.  I join the bandwagon with no reservations whatsoever -- this is a darned near definitive "what happened next" adventure that deserves to be ported straight over to DVD as of, like, yesterday.  The characters are well-drawn, the writing is superb, the pacing is solid, and the drama is emotionally mature without the touch of preachiness that was sometimes a little too heavy-handed in the original.

Muppet Show
It's the Muppet Doctor Who Special, With Our Very Special Guest Star, Matt Smith!
This is classic Muppetry on a semi-epic scale, as Kermit and company run through all eleven Doctorial incarnations in properly insane style.  It isn't strictly a Doctor Who crossover (although I suppose it counts as Doctor Who RPF, what with Matt Smith's appearance), but is no less maniacal for all that.  High notes: Sam the Eagle gets to play a patriotic American, Rowlf gets to rework an old standard, and Matt Smith asks a key question about load-bearing capacity.

Oz (L. Frank Baum)
Request
An intriguing take on certain problems relative to aging in Oz (or the lack thereof), executed very much in the spirit of the books, though with a definite eye toward exploring somewhat more mature themes.  For me, this ends in exactly the right place, leaving the reader to reach his or her own conclusions about how Dorothy's and Ozma's relationship may evolve.

Robert Service (Works)
The Redemption of Sam McGee
This is one I genuinely didn't expect: a short, nicely in-period personal memoir that's part autobiography, part tall tale, and entirely charming.  Moreover, the snippet of original verse included is very much in the spirit of the original.  Although the author quotes just enough of the original Service poem to supply the essential context, anyone who's not previously read "The Cremation of Sam McGee" should probably do that first.

Sorcerer's Apprentice (2010)
Rat Race
Post-movie; Dave tries to balance magic lessons and real life, and begins to learn that he's going to be dangerously popular in certain circles.  Apt characterizations and entertaining magic make this a fun, quick read.

Young Wizards (Diane Duane)
Metamorphose
Post Wizard of Mars; a sweet and very Duane-like look at Nita and Kit as they learn to cope with their change in personal status at the end of the latest book. 

Of Whales and Florists
Nita takes her father to meet S'reee; conversation ensues.  Very much in the spirit of the later books in the series, with prose smooth enough that this reads very much as if it could be between-books canon.

Wizards in Winter (crossover with Birds of Prey (comic))
An immensely entertaining, disturbingly plausible adventure that treats both its source canons with equal measures of deep respect and deep amusement.  Nita and Kit arrive in Gotham City looking for a garbage-eating creature they've accidentally sent there, and find a surprisingly adaptable set of allies.  (And they're right; given a choice between wizards from alternate realities and the Joker, I'd pick the wizards too.)  This is another story I'd dearly love to see done in animated form, in which it would utterly rock.

Comments

[twilight2000.livejournal.com]

If i link to the actual material, can folks who aren't a part of A03 read it?

[graycardinal]

As far as I know, both the static pages and the "live" texts are accessible for reading whether or not one has an AO3 account. (The static pages are essentially mirrored copies of the text that don't cause as much server load as the live content.)

That said, I know for sure that the live pages are readable by folk both with and without AO3 accounts, because the new "kudos" feature works for both guests and those who are logged in.