As the Cardinal Flies

Beginning another round of catch-up:

I got both a gift and a treat for Holmestice this summer; there was some discussion in the guessing post as to which was which, but as a practical matter, both were delightful and gratefully received.

One was a lovely podfic:

Podfic: A Foregone Introduction
Source Work: A Foregone Introduction
Fandom: kitten!Holmes, Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms
Narrator: evilinsanemonkey
Author: graycardinal / Gray_Cardinal
Rating: G
Category: gen
Warnings: none
Characters: Dr. Stamford, Murray, Sherlock (kitten!Holmes), Watson (kitten!Holmes)

The talent pool for Holmestice writers is wonderfully deep, and both the group and the mods (a new team this past round, but one with quite a lot of prior experience; the transition was utterly seamless) have consistently done wonders in dealing with my complicated and eclectic signup posts. My latest gift work was no exception - a thoughtful, perceptive character piece focusing on Joan Watson from Elementary as she deals with single motherhood...and certain related challenges. It's a densely nuanced story, and looking at it again now makes me appreciate it all the more. (Note to self for future rounds: consider requesting fanart so we can get a look at Clyde in all his finger-painted glory.)

Building Blocks
Fandom: Elementary
Author: Merfilly
Rating: General Audiences
Category: gen
Warnings: none
Words: ~1400
Relationship: Joan Watson & Mary Morstan
Characters: Joan Watson, Mary Morstan
Additional Tags: canon-adjacent, gender identity, slice of life, friendship

This was written for the RareWomen fic exchange, which lives here on LiveJournal and here on AO3.

When the Bat in the Moonlight Flies
Fandom(s): Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Gargoyles
Characters: Jenny Calendar, Owen Burnett
Words: 1731
Rating: G
Spoilers: None.  Takes place pre-series for Buffy, and very early in Season 1 of Gargoyles.

The Kalderash clan had long memories even by Rom standards. Women of the Kalderash had cursed vampires and outwitted wizards, and if they weren’t precisely friendly with the old races, they were well-versed in the legends surrounding them.