Just let me lie here on the tile

I don't participate in Yuletide as such, these days, but I like to write a treat now and then, and since the signups just opened I had a look at all the fandoms in the tagset.

At first I thought Lost Tomb Reboot was excluded, which made sense because it has a lot of fic, but it turns out it's available for Yuletide requests after all, under its new official AO3 name: Reunion: The Sound of the Providence (TV 2020). 🧐

I haaate the new name and I don't understand the need for it, either. We're fans, we came up with a better name, let it stay! This is unrelated to Yuletide though, probably. Maybe it's been live for a while and I only just noticed?

I haven't done Yuletide in its true form since 2013, but I do like writing a treat now and then. dorinda pointed me to raspberryhunter's excellent prompts for Nirvana in Fire, and I thought hmmm. Post-canon, consort Jing free to roam, a possible fix-it for Mei Changsu's whole everything? Yes please.

I've never written for Nirvana in Fire before, and I love the show so much in all its complex glory that it felt pretty intimidating, but this idea was compact enough to make it manageable. I wanted to evoke the breathless feeling of the show, where two masterminds drinking tea together can have all the lethal energy of a cagefight.

and remains quiet (1711 words, rated G, no warnings)

She picks up her cup and sips delicately of the chrysanthemum tea she brought. It is cooling and calming. She doesn’t need calming, but Mei Changsu might. She is about to administer a medicine that the patient will find disagreeable.

The patient looks fevered, at the moment. “What is wrong with Jingyan?”

Jaw-dropping realization of this morning: the number of fans participating in Yuletide is bigger than the number of fans who vote for the Hugo awards.

Last year's Yuletide participants: 1995
This year's Hugo voters: 1800 or so - ETA: 1848, by official report.

I'm not even sure why I'm so surprised by this random comparison. Probably it's because I roamed around in SF/F con fandom before media fandom, and this feels like such a strange crossover.

It's also boggling because the Hugos carry a lot of prestige (I think, still?) and yet the group that votes for them is so small, and confined to people who are paying either tons of money to go to Worldcon, or $50 for a 'voting membership' that won't let them go to the con, but gets them copies of the books.

And I don't know how big the overlap with Yuletiders is; I'm betting it's there, but not huge. But I'm fascinated, anyway.

(What do you think the chances are of John Scalzi winning a Best Novel Hugo for Redshirts, if the Yuletide participants were the ones voting?)

This year, I wrote one story for Yuletide, in a favorite book fandom - the Fall of Ile-Rien trilogy by Martha Wells. It was a lot of fun revisiting this universe and working on a possible future for Tremaine, Ilias, and Giliead after the end of the third book.

When the Sea Is (7183 words)
Fandom: Fall of Ile-Rien - Martha Wells
Rating: General Audiences
Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Ilias/Tremaine Valiarde
Characters: Tremaine Valiarde, Ilias (Ile-Rien), Giliead (Ile-Rien)

Summary:  Tremaine had been living in Cineth for more than a month now, and so far, none of her more pessimistic predictions had come to pass. She hadn’t gotten anyone killed, not even Cletia; she hadn’t added Ilias to her previously dismal record of broken relationships; and she hadn’t been homesick for Vienne at all.

Thanks to dorinda and torch for cheerleading!

I had a blast writing two stories for Yuletide this year:

The Tough Guide to Fantasy Cities for jjhunter.
Gen, 2800 words.
Fandom: The Tough Guide to Fantasyland by Diana Wynne Jones. I love that book, and there were some great stories for it this year.

Summary: You will not encounter any rustic taverns, bards, or bowls of stew on these tours! Instead, expect nightclubs, rock singers, and lots of gourmet coffee.

1000 Advocaten op de Zeebodem for jae.
Het, 1900 words.
Fandom: Pleidooi, an outstanding Dutch television series written by Maria Goos. This one was a real challenge, because I wrote it in Dutch. Sure, that's my first language and all, but I've never written fanfic in it! Another Yuletide first, and what fun.

Summary: Ga bij me weg op een stralende dag.

And my Yuletide gift was a lovely creepy-but-not-too-creepy Hercules and Iolaus story, Bearing Gifts, by jessikast, yay!

For Yuletide '09, I wrote:

All Our Scattered Leaves, for jadesfire2808
Rating: G, no warnings
Fandom: Lord Peter Wimsey books by Dorothy Sayers
Summary: A selection of letters and diaries on the eve of the Armistice.

This was a ton of fun to write, if slightly intimidating, too -- this year was the first time in all my years of Yuletide that I'd felt brave enough to sign up for Sayers, and I should have realized that meant I would infallibly get the assignment! *g* But I got a lovely prompt from my recipient, asking for a spotlight on some of the minor characters of the series, and it was a joy to immerse myself in these beloved books again to try and pick up their voices.

(There was also a small foray into the Women at Work documents section of the Imperial War Museum, which is fantastic; even if you can't actually search the source documents unless your library has a subscription, you can click on the links in the essay and find a ton of amazing documents, like the report on the work of Queen Mary's Needlework Guild during the Great War; the name makes it sound charming and small, but in fact this was a massive organisation of women, all volunteers, who made and shipped all kinds of supplies for the Front; after the first German gas attack, these women provided millions of improvised gas masks, made out of khaki wool and bits of cinema film for the eyes.)

For my Yuletide gifts, galerian_ash generously wrote me not one but two Trapeze stories, yay! It was wonderful to get these, especially as Trapeze is so tiny a fandom that I think these were the first two stories written for it. These stories were exactly what I wanted: the warmth and sweetness of a proper happy ending for the movie, with Mike and Tino together again. And they cover two different moments; the first story, To Catch a Catcher, has the reunion of Mike and Tino after the movie, which feels just right; the second story, A Reason for Waking, was my Yuletide Madness treat, and shows them later on in their relationship. I didn't even twig that these were written by the same person, which shows you what a Yuletide sleuth I am, but they are both adorable.

To Catch a Catcher, by galerian_ash
Rating: G, no warnings
Fandom: Trapeze
Summary: Mike might be stubborn, but so is Tino.

A Reason for Waking, by galerian_ash
Rating: Mature, no warnings
Fandom: Trapeze
Summary: A morning in New York, one year after leaving Paris.

I've only dipped a toe in the sea of Yuletide stories, but what little I've read has been wonderful. I hope to post some recommendations later - probably after the reveal, so I can rec the other stories in the fandom I wrote in without fear of giving myself away.

(The usual offer applies - if you guess the story I wrote before the reveal, I'll write you a drabble of your choice, provided it's in a fandom I know, or something longer if the inspiration strikes. You only have today to guess, though - reveal's tomorrow! *g*)

Meanwhile, I want to point to the two Yuletide stories I received. I got very lucky again this year, and I thank both my authors so much! I can't wait to find out who you are.

The Labours of Iolaus.
Rated PG-13.
Fandom: Hercules: the Legendary Journeys
Summary: The problem, Iolaus thought, was that Hercules just didn't know how to say no.

Cheerful, funny Hercules/Iolaus, yay! This made me grin a lot and go "aw", and there's some very inventive use of the 'official' Hercules myths, with just the kind of twist the show would have used.

1918.
Rated G.
Fandom: Arthur Conan Doyle - Sherlock Holmes, crossover.
Summary: A glimpse of a possible encounter near the end of one career and the start of another.

I'm going to be a little vague here, but this is a crossover between Sherlock Holmes and another detective series of my heart, and it's wonderful. I love all these characters so much, and I adore the way they are written here. I may as well admit that this story made me cry, but it is not depressing, and completely Merry-safe. :-)

As of today, Yuletide challenge fandom nominations have opened. Go submit thy fandoms! Remember, this is not yet the point where you sign up and commit yourself to writing a Yuletide story; this is where you list the rare fandoms you would like to write, or get a story in. Nominations are open until October 31st, 11:59 pm US Eastern time, so you have some time to make your decisions.

I will probably be nominating old favorites like Hercules: the Legendary Journeys (I know, surprise surprise), The Real Ghostbusters, Sherlock Holmes, Ile-Rien and Invisible Man, but I might still change my mind on any of those, so if you want to make sure, do please go nominate them yourself.

If you've witnessed the Yuletide madness spread through fandom every year, but never joined in yourself, and you're wondering what the fuss is about, here's a post I prepared earlier: Yuletide For Newbies, or, what is this yuletide thing anyway? This post is from 2007, and the dates will not be the same in 2008, but the rules probably will be.

Also: if you are thinking of joining Yuletide this year and you have questions or worries that you don't want to ask the Yuletide mods yet, please comment below and I will do my best.

Back again from the holidays; great fun, lots of long walks, came home with a cold. Am consoling myself with tea, eggdrop soup and Yuletide stories, which is just the best comfort there is - it's like grazing off a buffet with more than 2000 different dishes, you can't go wrong. I'm trying to leave comments as I go, and I'm bookmarking my favorites for a longer recommendation post later on.

Right now I want to draw attention to my favorite story so far, which is The Case of the Broken-Hearted Liar, a Holmes/Watson story that just about knocked me off my feet with its intensity. Gorgeous language, excellent character voices, and very lush and sensual in a believably Victorian way.

"We are here to observe to-night, Watson. I doubt there will be any events of interest for your pen, but I am, as always, glad of your company."

The rush of warmth at Holmes' heartfelt comment left me momentarily quiet, tracking his motions in the near-dark, the angling shadows created by his chilly smile. Before I could find words Holmes waved them away, uninterested in emotional demonstrations unless, it seemed, he was the one to make them.

There's a post up in yuletide_admin about the dates for Yuletide Madness, which is a part of the yuletide challenge where people are writing last-minute pinch hits and stocking stuffers and extra stories just in case a pinch hit falls through, and there is this tremendous drive to make sure everybody has a story no matter how obscure the fandom they asked for, and I absolutely love it: fannish glee and generosity at its best.

Sadly I won't be hanging round IRC to catch the excitement this year: I'll be gone for a week or so starting this Friday, and I will probably have internet access, but the real trick will be finding private quiet time to devour the Yuletide archive after it goes live on the 25th.

So, my dear Yuletide author, my feedback may be a couple of days late, but I will be as fast as I can and am so looking forward to your story! I saw my request go out on the pinch hit list this morning, so I know you're having to scramble at the very last minute, and I love you for doing it: you rock. Also, please don't worry - my love for all four of these fandoms is mighty and fierce, and just knowing that you're writing a story in one of them is making me happy. Yay Yuletide!

Thank you for offering the fandoms I love! You rock! May you have a fabulous Yuletide.

Here are some optional prompts and ideas. I haven't really done this prompt thing before, and I'm worried that I might somehow cause you to throw your own wonderful ideas overboard, so please don't feel bound by this in any way! I love all these fandoms, and just getting a story for one of them is going to make my day.

My bullet-proof kinks are hurt/comfort, one character sacrificing him/herself for another, and "A thinks B is dead, but he's not really". But I love light, funny stories too, and plotty stories with snark and worldbuilding, and adventure stories with fighting and magic, and stories with understated pining and angst that end in love, and stories that show an ordinary day in the life of the characters.

For Ile-Rien:

I would adore an Ilias, Giliead and Tremaine adventure in Vienne, or a story about Gil and Ilias as kids/teens and their developing friendship, or one that deals with the more difficult aspects of being a Chosen Vessel.

For Hercules: the Legendary Journeys:

I'd love a story about Hercules and Iolaus at Troy, or a Hercules/Iolaus first time slash story from their Academy days, or a story where Hercules and Iolaus have a tough time dealing with something/someone from another mythology, or with an element from the Greek myths that we haven't seen on the show yet.

For Venture Brothers:

ETA: I'm worried about you being worried, so just to be sure: I chose 'any' and meant it. Anything below is just in case you are the kind of writer who likes specific idea or character prompts as a starting point. I will be absolutely delighted with a VB story about any and all of the characters, I promise!

I'm not so much about the porn with this fandom, though I admit having some slashy speculations about Doctor Orpheus and Doctor Venture in that motel room together, but really, you don't have to go there unless you want to. :-)

A Team Venture adventure story would be great, or a story about Brock Samson at his most dangerous, or about the Monarch and his henchmen, or about Dr Girlfriend and/or Doctor Orpheus saving the day and showing off their mad skills. Mentions of Bowie a plus - I am a longtime Bowie fan, and the last two episodes of season two made me insanely happy. In short: crazy plans! Daring escapes! Banter and bizarreness! Henchmen and hijinks! GO TEAM VENTURE!

For The Real Ghostbusters:

Anything with an actual bust or ghosts/myths/villains in it would be wonderful! I also adore the little domestic bits the series often has in the opening scenes, so a 'day in the life' story would be great.

Yuletide nominations have started, and are open until next Tuesday, yay! (This isn't the part where you sign up to write stories yet; it's the part where you nominate fandoms you want to offer/write in the challenge, to cut down on the Ginormous Fandom List of Doom.)

I have nominated Hercules: the Legendary Journeys, The Real Ghostbusters, Venture Brothers, marthawells's Ile-Rien novels, Fritz Leiber's Lankhmar novels, and, um, something else - I think it was Donald Westlake's Dortmunder novels. But I'm sure about the first five, so you can take those off your list! *g*

These aren't necessarily all the fandoms I will offer to write, or ask for stories in, but they're definitely on the short list, and since we only get six nominations, I'm hoping other people will nominate the slightly bigger fandoms I love, things like Sherlock Holmes and Invisible Man and Vorkosigan and Wimsey and so on.

I'm getting ridiculously excited about Yuletide again; I'm usually away for a walking holiday around Christmas, and if I'm home I don't celebrate it except by eating big dinners, so the Yuletide challenge is more of a holiday ritual for me than anything I'm used to around that time. (I do celebrate Sinterklaas, which is December 5th, and is all about sweet things, strangely wrapped gifts and writing poems for people, so Yuletide is a nice followup in every way.)

It's not just the writing to deadline and the promise of a story on the 25th; it's also the whole secrecy thing, the worrying about what to offer and what to ask for, and how much detail is too much, and then the assignment comes and with that comes panicking and reassuring and secret pact making and in some cases, the writing of fake stories and lying to one's best friends until one is blue in the face. So Much Fun.

Are you doing Yuletide this year? *pokes flist*

First set of Yuletide story recommendations is here, second set is here.

The Buried Treasure Racket (The Sting). PG-13. Slash.  Johnny and Henry find another mark to con, but there's more than money at stake. Pick a couple of empty hours, find yourself a good chair, and read this long, satisfying, utterly wonderful story. In the giant heap of amazing stories this year, this one stands out. WOW.

For me, it arrived at a perfect moment: I had just rewatched The Sting and I'd also just read The Big Con by David Maurer, which IIRC was the basis for the movie. This story takes up where the movie left off, but it's an entirely standalone story where Johnny and Henry pull off another brilliant 'long con'. The author did her research - on cons, on sleight-of-hand, on the right kind of slang - and folded it effortlessly into the story, and it's like the best kind of caper story AND the best kind of subtle, warm, delicious slash story all rolled into one, and seriously, what do I say to make you all read this RIGHT NOW?

The Mostly-Secret Diary of Rick (The Young Ones). PG. Adrian Mole's diary, as written by snotty Rick. Hee! I think the poetry was my favorite part. I love this aspect of Yuletide - I wouldn't go hunting for The Young Ones fanfic, because I was pretty much content with the show itself (ditto Blackadder, AbFab and other British comedies), but I came across this story on the archive and it's just hilarious.

Cleopatra's Needle (The Addams Family). PG. Morticia as a young woman, gardening in the suicides' graveyard and meeting Gomez for the first time. There was a bumper crop of excellent Addams Family fic this year, and this one is my favorite. I always loved Morticia and Gomez' relationship in the cartoons and the movie; this story could be from either, though it has some movie references, and it's beautifully written and just as twistedly romantic. I believe they met just like this.

Four Things Howl Never Told Sophie and One Thing He Did (Howl's Moving Castle). PG. Howl and Sophie are growing older. When therienne recs a Howl story I know it'll be good, and this was just adorable. Tender but not schmoopy, and Howl and Sophie's voices both felt very right.

Pimp and Pomposity (Blackadder). R. Blackadder procures some company for the Prince of Wales. Wow. Perfect Blackadder voice, lots of witty dialogue, references to other episodes and running gags, and even a dig at Austen. HEE.

Area 51 (Queer as Folk UK) NC-17, slash. Stuart and Vince make a road trip to Area 51 and have an alien encounter. People have been recommending this already, right? I just haven't seen it? I hope so, because it's a funny, sexy Vince/Stuart story, and then there's the bit near the ending where I died with glee. It turns into a crossover, and one that I have been wanting to read for the longest time. (Okay, a hint: Vince's last name is Tyler.)

Back Row Hecklers (Muppets). PG. Why do Statler and Waldorf keep coming back? Aw. Bittersweet and adorable. Small flaily frog!

Yes, Sir, Jeeves (PG Wodehouse -- Jeeves and Wooster). NC-17, slash. Wooster takes on the role of Jeeves' manservant. This is just wonderful - language and voice perfectly Wodehousean, which is a triumph in itself, and completely in character for both. Plus such a lovely plot that I wondered at Plum for not using it himself. I may have maiden-aunted my way through the explicit bit at the end, but that was very well written too, and I completely adored the whole thing. Just, YAY! I'll be rereading this, definitely.

My first set of Yuletide story recommendations is here.

Crumpled Pieces of Paper Found in the Wastebasket of Count Rugen. (Princess Bride). G. Short and hilarious, and a fantastic title, too. Hee.

An Unwilling Heart (Diane Duane -- Young Wizards series). PG-13. Tom and Carl's first meeting. Long, plotty, wonderfully rich in worldbuilding detail, I just adored this, and it manages to feel fresh and original and still very closely linked to the original books in style and theme.

The Taste of Honey (Sandman). G. Death and Delirium visit a city. This is gorgeous, very Gaimanesque, with a wealth of little, odd details. Not many stories written in second person present work for me, but this one does.

darkness and beauty of stars was on my mouth. (Sandman). PG. What does the New Corinthian dream of? Shivery and lush, and I love the ending.

reflection. (Sandman). G. Delight meets Delirium. Bittersweet and true-feeling, plus a perfect Delirium voice, wow. Love the socks and the tiny elephants.

A Maze of Twisty Passages, All Alike. (Lois McMaster Bujold -- Miles Vorkosigan series). PG. Ivan and Gregor are in trouble, and they'll do anything rather than wait for rescue, especially from Miles. Sheer delight from beginning (the title!) to end. I love Ivan and Gregor's competence in the face of danger - they're both so much more than they seem, and this story delivers that beautifully. The clever dialogue made me laugh out loud, and the resolution warms my heart. Oh, Ivan. Oh, Gregor.

The Long Con. (Lois McMaster Bujold -- Miles Vorkosigan series). R. Ivan and Byerly go out on the town. For spy reasons, obviously. Hee. This was just so much fun;  I adored Alys' and especially Miles' reaction, that was just perfect.

I had just enough time this morning to get online, find my story (YAY!) and throw it into my ebook; then I got to read it on the train.

It's an Invisible Man story, and I adore it. Thank you so much, dear Yuletide Santa! *dances*

It's got all the things I love about Iman plus some things they somehow forgot to add but that we all knew were happening anyway. In fact, this should so have been part of their Christmas episode. Did I mention this has an invisible Darien stalking Hobbes while he's doing his Christmas shopping? And that it's got a great snarky Darien voice, or that those bits near the end are making my glasses fog up? Yeah. Also, the connection between Hobbes and Fawkes is my absolute favorite thing about Invisible Man, and this story just nails that.

Don't know who he thinks he's kidding. Says Bobby Hobbes doesn't do Christmas. I remind him that I did Hanukah. Tells me he has some errands to run. I say why I don't go with you and we can catch the new Bond flick when you're done? And then he pulls some dumb excuse about getting the van winterized and dropping off the dry cleaning and picking up a fifth of Chivas for The Official and a box of ass-wipes for Ebert and he doesn't know how long it's all going to take and how `bout tomorrow? Yeah, right.

Read Coito Ergo Sum (PG-13, Darien/Bobby) - and please comment on the story if you liked it!

And if you happen not to be an Iman fan - there's a THOUSAND and FIFTY-TWO multifandom stories now live on the archive, people. Holy wow. *runs off to read*

I'm madly packing stuff for a weekend trip right now, but I wanted to leave a note for my yuletide Santa. Eeeeeeeeee! Yay, you offered to write a story in one of the fandoms I love most! You wonderful person, you! What excellent taste you have. *adores*

I hope my request details are helpful, but if they're just getting in the way of this fantastic story idea you just had, please ignore them and write your idea. I really really really love all the characters I requested, and a story featuring them is going to thrill me, I guarantee you.

There is one fandom I requested that is live, as in 'on US TV right now' - don't worry about spoiling me, I pounce on every episode the moment it's out.

*jumps up and down* YAY!

(PS: OMG, can you believe assignments went out just after the signups closed? How awesome is that? Mad applause for astolat and elynross!)

Woohoo, we can sign up for the 2006 Yuletide challenge now! Get yer rare fandom story here!

And this year, the rules have changed a bit regarding rare fandoms: fandoms that used to be decent-sized but have died down a lot are eligible once again. This means that Hercules: the Legendary Journeys and Invisible Man, among others, are back on the fandom list. Wooo!

In case you're wondering what I'm on about: please look at Yuletide Challenge For Newbies, or, what is this yuletide thing anyway? on the yuletide community.

In brief: the Yuletide Challenge is a yearly Secret Santa fan fiction challenge that has been around since 2003. The focus is on rare fandoms, from fandoms so tiny that nobody's ever written a story for them to fandoms that used to be decent-sized, but have died down to a small trickle of stories.

If you participate, you will get a story in that one, rare fandom that you always wanted to read, written just for you. And you'll be able to make someone else happy by writing a story in their fandom, just for them. The stories can be gen, het, slash, or anything in between; you can also ask for specific characters. The stories will be at least 1000 words.

Hercules fans, other fans, everyone, please sign up! It is tons and tons of fun and there are over 1400 fandoms to choose from, including anime, tv, movies, literary and meerkats. (No, seriously.)

I haven't made my way through the Yuletide Archive yet. Hah. As if. I haven't even made my way yet through the fandoms which I love, let alone the ones I know or have heard of. But of the stories I've read, these stood out to me:

The Hidden Spring (Fall of Île-Rien series, rated PG-13) - by voleuse, for falzalot
marthawells' new fantasy series was one of my own requested fandoms, too, and I was overjoyed just to know that someone had written a story for it; and then I read it, and it blew me away. In seven connected vignettes, voleuse tells the story of Gil and Ilias, culminating in the most horrifying experience of their lives - an event hinted at in the Fall of Île-Rien series itself, and one which I was (and am) desperate to read more about. Beautiful, spare use of language, and the angst just builds and builds. I know this is one story I'll be reading over and over, and it will help tide me over until The Gate of Gods comes out.

Early Light (Fire From Heaven, rated PG ) - by louiselux, for Cori Lannam
I love Mary Renault's Alexander trilogy, but what I've read of the fanfic generally didn't work for me for one reason or another. This one did. For me, this story of a young Alexander and Hephaistion hits exactly the right note, and sounds uncannily like Renault, to boot. So subtle, so emotionally charged; I adored it.

Livin' In America (Bainbridge Avenue 2:00am) (Hellblazer, rated R) - by ladysisyphus, for Angie
This is John Constantine at his snarky best, riffing on It's A Wonderful Life, America, and all things sentimental: "Every time a bell rings, an angel gets its wings, huh? They don't tell you that removing them takes a chainsaw." Love him. Fear him. Accept no substitutes.

Haloa Gifts (Hercules: the Legendary Journeys, rated R) - by ltlj, for therienne
Wherein Hercules and Iolaus have another rough day. Loved this story to bits, and yes, I bet my socks it was by ltlj after reading this exchange:

Hercules lifted his brows. He said pointedly, "The griffin ate people."

"So? We won't eat the stomach."

"Iolaus, it's not just the stomach, it's all through its--" He gestured helplessly. "If you don't get that, I can't explain it to you."

"Oh, come on," Iolaus said persuasively. His stomach was growling and at this point he didn't care how foul the thing tasted. "We eat other animals that eat people."

"Name one."

I knew he was going to say that. Iolaus didn't hesitate. "Lions."

Civilization (Miles Vorkosigan, rated G) by rhyo, for insptr_penguin
Set during Barrayar: Aral Vorkosigan muses on his prisoner-of-war. This reads like a missing page from the book. And how lovely to get Aral's perspective on Cordelia - why yes, I do have a crush on Aral. *g*

I'm back, I'm home, I've consumed much champagne, hence short but deliriously happy post. Lovely home, lovely champagne, lovely lovely yuletide story!

It is called A Diversion, rated PG, it's Vorkosiganverse and features Miles and Bel on another bizarre mission: "After all, you can only spend so many hours on expense reports before death and danger begin to look good."

Thanks so very very much, dear Santa, and I hope you got a good present too.

A very happy New Year to all, filled with massive amounts of good things and lashings of fannish glee.

Will answer emails and post recs and things when fireworks have stopped and brain is back online. Wheeee!

Yeah, so it's all over your friends list already, but I have to pimp too: the (deep breath) the Second Annual Yuletide Treasure Obscure Fandoms Challenge signup form is up, and Hercules: the Legendary Journeys made it onto the whopping big list of rare fandoms, whee!

So. Now you all need to join up. Besides Hercules, there are tons of fabulous fandoms to pick from - to name a few favorites at random, the Vorkosigan books, marthawells' Ile-Rien series, the Iliad, The African Queen, Hellblazer, Indiana Jones, the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen comic, The Master and Margarita (I love whoever suggested that one), Neverwhere, Some Like It Hot, The Persian Boy, The Princess Bride, Seven Samurai (and again. So much love to whoever suggested it), Hamlet, Lord Peter Wimsey, ...

::pants::

OK, OK, I'll stop. But. Do remember: this is an omnifannish challenge. You can offer to write gen, het or slash in a multitude of fandoms. You can ask for the same, or for threesomes, or for campfire bickering, or what you will. So there's really NO EXCUSE for you not to sign up before November 8th. Got that? Good.

Now go join, I want to write one of you a story...