Yuletide: Recs

[graycardinal]

And now a quick run-through of recs from my early reading, in a variety of fandoms and culling from both the main collection and the Madness archive.

Fandoms are: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Austin & Murry-O'Keefe Family (L'Engle), Batman Beyond, Calvin & Hobbes, Justice League/JLU, Mageworlds (Doyle & Macdonald), The Muppet Show, The Scarlet Pimpernel (Orczy), The Sherwood Ring (Pope), Star Trek: Rihannsu (Duane), Young Wizards (Duane), Zorro (TV 1990).

Recs themselves are under a cut, for length:

Put a bird on it and call it art
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
G • gen • ~3600 words
Skye, Grant Ward, Leo Fitz, Jemma Simmons, Phil Coulson, Melinda May, Elliot Rudolph

“Is that an episode of Portlandia?” Skye blurted.

“Just background research,” Coulson said with dignity. “I encourage you all to do a little research of your own before we land. We want to make sure we’re correctly identifying any alien occurrences, not targeting any normal activity.”

“Sir, with all respect,” Simmons said, “from what I know about Portland, the activity in these videos seems rather like typical behavior. Is there other information that requires SHIELD’s involvement?”

“Yes, actually,” Coulson said, and shut all the visuals with a swipe. “An old friend gave us a call.”

I had to read this one because it's set in my native city, and it nails both Portland and the thriller-with-a-heart-of-snark vibe that drives the best aspects of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.  Also, Coulson's finesse at the end -- and Skye's response to it -- are masterfully amusing. 

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When Setting a Stone
Austin & Murry-O'Keefe Families - Madeleine L'Engle
G • gen • ~2400 words
Zachary Gray

"What saves a man is to take a step. Then another step. It is always the same step, but you have to take it."

Zachary Gray makes a choice to stop walking in circles.

Calling Zachary one of my favorite characters in all of L'Engle wouldn't be quite right, but his particular flaws make him -- for me, at least -- one of her most realistic and fascinating creations.  This story struck me as as an especially wise and believable take on how he might ultimately move beyond those flaws.

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In the Genes
Batman Beyond • Justice League & Justice League Unlimited (Cartoons)
Teen • gen • ~4000 words
Terry McGinnis, Mary McGinnis, Bruce Wayne

Post-"Epilogue". Mary finds out.

What it says on the tin -- a razor-sharp look at the ethics of creating and nurturing teen-aged superheroes, with the above-named triangle as case study.  The story absolutely presumes that you've seen the JLU episode "Epilogue", referenced in the summary -- and if you're a Batman Beyond fan who hasn't seen that episode, there are key revelations therein affecting all that's gone before.  So go watch (or rewatch) the episode, then come back and admire the way this follows from it.

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Wizards in Winter
Calvin & Hobbes • Young Wizards - Diane Duane
G • gen • ~2500 words
Calvin, Hobbes

The advertisement is a spiky red impact bubble on the back of his box of Chocolate Frosted Sugar Bombs. Mail in just five box tops for your very own HOW TO BE A WIZARD KIT* .

Last year, someone gave Calvin a Green Lantern ring for Yuletide, and the results were both frightening and spectacular.  This year, someone's given him a wizard's manual straight out of the Diane Duane series -- and the results, once again, are both deeply disturbing and absolutely wondrous.  One of the most fascinating elements of this story is watching the way that Calvin's character subtly evolves under the influence of the Powers he's invoked, without quite realizing he's invoked them.

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Young-Wandering-Time
Mageworlds - Debra Doyle & James Macdonald
G • gen • ~850 words
Llannat Hyfid

Llannat Hyfid has some choices to make . . . but staying home isn't one of them.

This is back story for one of the more unconventionally interesting characters in a decidedly underrated space-opera series (which is, if memory serves, actually available again in ebook form these days).  This scene beautifully captures Llannat's tendencies toward being both unobtrusive and perceptive -- which is actually a somewhat misleading introduction to the books, which are as twisty and swashbuckling as one could want.  It's the blend of high-octane action and sharp common sense that makes the series notable, and this story helps show how the common sense makes its way into the breakneck action.

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It's Time to Meet the Muppets
The Muppet Show
G • gen • 100 words
Miss Piggy, Janice, Kermit the Frog, Sam the Eagle

Miss Piggy joins Twitter.

Do not be deceived by AO3's word count of zero for this bit of ingeniousness; it's a drabble in tweets, and AO3 just can't see the graphics as text.  And it is hilarious, and totally true to character(s).

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Rising to the Occasion
The Sherwood Ring - Elizabeth Marie Pope • The Scarlet Pimpernel - Baroness Orczy
G • F/M • ~260 words
Peaceable Drummond Sherwood, Barbara Grahame, Percy Blakeney
(Peaceable/Barbara)

It's a bit of a surprise when Percy comes to him with his idea, but then Peaceable supposes that his reputation precedes him.

This inspired crossover is from Yuletide Madness, and is noteworthy for accomplishing a great deal of mischief in a wonderfully concise fashion.  The matchmaking is beautifully conceived -- of course the American Revolution's most notorious English secret agent happens to know the French Revolution's premier English provocateur.  But there's also a deft romantic turn that's utterly in tune with the tone and sense of the original novel.  This is readable whether or not you're familiar with the Pope book -- but if you like what you see, hunt down The Sherwood Ring.  You'll be glad you did.

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Rrh-Thanai
Star Trek: Rihannsu - Diane Duane [see under Star Trek - Various Authors]
G • gen • ~4500 words
Ael, Arrhae, Spock, Aidoann, Ffairl

After the war, Ael welcomes the Federation to ch'Rihan.

This one is slightly hidden, because the "Rihannsu" tag does not appear on the Fandoms page in the Yuletide 2013 collection.  That's unfortunate, because this is a pitch-perfect follow-up to the events of The Empty Chair.  The dialogue and narration expertly echo the tone of the books, the characters are spot on, and the author has neatly embedded some additional Rihannsu history into the contemporary story -- also very much in the spirit of the original cycle.  The interaction between Spock and Ael is particularly effective, especially as Ael confronts one of the consequences of deep mind-meld.  This story is a truly superb gift for the fans who brokered the Rihannsu cycle into Yuletide eligibility this year.

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The Seed of a Plan
Zorro (TV 1990)
Teen • gen • ~2600 words
Diego de la Vega, Alejandro de la Vega

Diego is looking for a way for Zorro to help a local family, and Alejandro might just be able to provide him with the clue he needs.

I'm a longtime Zorro fan but a latecomer to the lure of the 1990 series starring Duncan Regehr.  This story, though, very much fits the particular atmosphere of that incarnation of Zorro, in which sleight of hand and clever misdirection were as important as inspired swordplay.  Another highlight is Don Alejandro's contribution to driving the plot forward.  Alert readers may also spot a shoutout to yet another masked swashbuckler....

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