yuletide, haphazardly
Dec. 30th, 2022 12:42 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
eglantiererecs and recs! for:
one cigarette, down to the filter for Zen_monk
Disco Elysium
Summary
Revachol knows Lieutenant Kim Kitsuragi of the RCM, even this far from his usual grounds. The detective is worried; he has not been able to connect with his supposed partner from the 41st Precinct for going on two days now. The detective’s erstwhile partner is upstairs blitzed out of his mind, while Kim Kitsuragi smokes and contemplates a dead man in a tree.
Out on the edges of everything The Pale expands, sparking with stray pieces of the past and the future and the ever-shifting present. Revachol listens. There will be choices to make here, soon, places where the past bleeds into the present into the future. In these times, in these places, the past can carry as much weight as the present. Kim is no exception. He has made his own choices.
Rec
oh, poor kim. what a lonely, desperate, unending last stand. no wonder harry, in all his... harry-ness... pulls him in. to not be alone at last in caring for the city!
Disco Elysium
Summary
"Kitsuragi," the captain drops a folder on Kim's desk, thinner than the usual stack of case files, "Paperwork's gone through. The 41st wants you over there yesterday."
Rec
awwww. just, awww, kim, awww, harry, awww, jean, awwww, sergeang antonov, awwwww revachol. beautiful.
The end of the world as we make it for PositivelyVexed
Disco Elysium
Summary
In between the pale, the world. In between the world, a life spent together, squeezing each drop of companionship out of the cold passage of time until there is none left. Time is past. Then they go.
Rec
fuck, it's all gorgeous and the ending is straight through the heart, but my favorite bit is the description of the church:
Cindy’s brushwork hints at something, reaching for divinity through the obscene, but her sketch remains unfinished for now, interrupted by a banal lack of paint, empty bucket and dry brush resting at its feet like an offering at the altar. One imagines sunlight filtering through the remaining blue edges of the glass to bathe her blasphemy in a halo of truth; this late in the day, when the skies are dark, it remains remote and incomprehensible.
like aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah damn.
Need To Know for SpookyDarlings
The Goblin Emperor Series - Katherine Addison
Summary
After Eshevis Tethimar tries to assassinate the Emperor at the Winternight Ball, information is shared on a need-to-know basis - and Csethiro needs to know.
Rec
that's a really beautiful and concise snapshot of csethiro in this precise moment, but I think my favorite thing is just how well arbelan and csethiro communicate there. i imagine arbelan would NOT have liked to outlive two emperors in a row, for all that she must've liked the second much more than the first... there's a very sharp awareness of the court as a living thing around csethiro, and how, even in her rebelliousness, she contends with it, and how it shapes her nascent relationship with maia - but does not define it. the parting lines are just perfect!
it gets okay to praise the day for redgear
The Goblin Emperor Series - Katherine Addison
Summary
Thara, while gradually recovering from the aftermath of his encounter with the revethavar, discovers that he is not so alone in the world as he tends to think.
Rec
ohhhh, i love everything about it, especially magical therapy and maia's unexpected cameo. how wonderfully kind.
Shelter from the Storm for Kisatsel
Earthsea - Ursula K. Le Guin
Summary
Yarrow finds a lost creature in a storm.
Rec
vetch and yarrow are such a warm and welcome and down-to-earth-in-the-best-sense midpoint for ged's story, and it's just - great - to see them here, doing their own thing, living their quiet and clean and kind life, meeting new friends. it's so delightfully written, too, with the wealth of sensory details and practical bits, and il loved intar once she turned to herself, and I loved the sibling closeness between vetch and yarrow, and the whole thing was like a fresh cup of herbal tea.
Castor and Pollux for attheborder
Frederica - Georgette Heyer, Aubrey-Maturin Series - Patrick O'Brian
Summary
Felix Merriville goes to his sister in disappointment after Richard Trevithick's newest patent is denied by Parliament. He is not the only one affected by it; meanwhile, Stephen Maturin once again is called upon in his capacity as physician to assist at the birth of twins. Meanwhile redux, Frederica Merriville, Marchioness of Alverstoke, gets what she wants.
Rec
that's such a GREAT crossover and such a beautiful convergence of well-naturedness, competence, uniqueness and open minds, I love all of it v e r y m u с h.
A Beginner's Guide to Octopus Football for yasaman
17776: What Football Will Look Like in the Future - Jon Bois
Summary
Excerpts from the Volunteer Orientation Manual of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Stadium, circa 20020: notes on modern immortal octopus culture, etiquette, and their favorite sport.
Rec
this fandom never ever disappoints!
Merry Midwinter for hearteating
Daniel Blackland Series - Greg van Eekhout
Summary
A few months after Gabriel pulled Max out of the kennels and changed the course of both their lives, Max wants to know if his new responsibilities come with gift-giving obligations, and Gabriel just wishes people would stop trying to kill him all the time.
Rec
that's so sweet! and gabriel's hopelessly distracted, unexpectedly sweet, bureaucratically absentminded point of view is so good - he misses everything, except what's really important, and that's why he's generally who he is.
"I haven't done anything for you, though," Gabriel said.
Max looked at him across the coffee table. Gabriel had just about figured out why around the time that Max popped another cheese cube in his mouth and said, "God, you're stupid sometimes."
that's just a masterpiece of not saying what's obvious, I love it.
Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)
Summary
Joy and Evelyn attempt to make everything bagels the old fashioned way.
Rec
She sees the moment where Mom decides to let it fall and make a glorious, glorious mess. (and I cryyy)
the fern blossoms on Kupala Night for hamsterwoman
Monday Begins on Saturday - A. & B. Strugatsky
Rec
HOW PERFECTLY AND UTTERLY CHARMING. the lenins, oh my god, I laughed like a hyena. and what a perfect, junta-like, flawless solution, I love it with all my heart.
in lux aeterna for kinetikatrue
Hilary Tamar Mysteries - Sarah Caudwell
Summary
Just the week before, she had caused a minor motorcar accident on Kingsway as a direct consequence of a snapped heel and an inside-out umbrella. I am fond of the girl, In my way, but she is best kept constrained with a supply of gin and tonic and the year's Finance Act.
Rec
oh, julia, my love <3 it's beautiful, and hilarious, and your hilary voice is spot-on, and I loved that julia turned to her aunt for advice and got the best applicable one, and And you've always made sure that I get to places, and don't get lost. is the best love confession/callout there is. AND THEN OF COURSE THE CANDLES WERE GOING TO BE TROUBLE AND THEY WERE and it was THE BEST THING.
The Murderbot Diaries - Martha Wells
Summary
Three makes some choices.
Rec
oh, this three has a wonderful voice - unsure but fully realized, figuring itself out as it goes ahead, beautiful. and the world surrounding it is great - I loved the glimpse of Murderbot On A Trip Not Happy, and amena being amena, and ridonkulous students, and the university planet, and just, everything. very good, very in vibe with canon, very fun.
and remains quiet for raspberryhunter
琅琊榜 | Nirvana in Fire (TV)
Summary
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?”
Rec
OH YES. OH GO MAMA JING GO GO GO. GET HIM GUD
the sad message of the shooting stars for patchy
琅琊榜 | Nirvana in Fire (TV)
Summary
Yan Yujin did not miss his mother. He did not know her to miss her. He could ask his father about her. He should be able to ask, but he had learnt to not ask a long time ago.
Rec
yujin refuses to not know his mother.
The Naming of Beasts for gloria_scott
Thalasso Hobbyer
Summary
In many languages.
Rec
that's gorgeous like a fine piece of classical music. i love the interplay between the three sessions, three incarnations - practical, heroic, kind. i love the head whiskers. and the joy, and love, and the singing water.
Where Are You Going Where Have You Been? - Joyce Carol Oates
Summary
June comes face-to-face with Arnold Friend.
Rec
i really love it, the gritty, rusted-over realness of it. it feels just - satisfying, even though it doesn't resolve things.
Saiyuki Gaiden
Summary
General Kenren's monthly attempt to get the First Unit's expenditures signed off on leads to an unexpected lunch.
Rec
lovely voices and lovely details all around, but I'm especially enamored of the game of pass-very-correct-financial-records around.
The Cunning of the Goose is Immeasurable; Its Mischief Infinite for Lielac
Untitled Goose Game, Piranesi - Susanna Clarke
Summary
Entries for the Fourth Month in the Year the Albatross Came to the South-Western Halls.
Rec
the goose vs piranesi's kindness, jussssst so.
Confirm and Verify for iristigerlily
Onmyouji | The Yin-Yang Master (Movies 2001 2003)
Summary
When the order first came down to the middle Censorate, the Chief Censor knelt to receive it and, upon rising, praised its wisdom to the skies.
This was probably because he knew better than to say “You must be out of your mind!” or any other phrase, presumably filled with profanity, that likely sprang immediately to mind – if only because it would have been the end of his career, and quite possibly his life, to do that.
(“What were they thinking?” Tajiri no Yasumori, who'd gotten stuck with it in the end, asked one of his senior colleagues in despair. “Or were they even thinking at all? I mean – do they really want me to – to – audit Abe no Seimei?!”)
Rec
gorgeous and hilarious outsider POV about a steadfast and disgruntled auditor having to contend with hiromasa and seimei's grand romance in process. great sense of setting, great voice, great sense of humor, great everything.
Night Sky for egelantier
Books of the Raksura - Martha Wells
Summary
In which Moon doesn't realize that he's doing a pretty good job at being a consort already.
Rec
lovely missing scene from book 1 from heart's perspective, meditating both on how alien moon is to his people and how - already - deeply loved by them he is, full of gorgeous little details.
The Quiet Tree for partypaprika
Books of the Raksura - Martha Wells
Summary
“We’re all very nearly grown,” Frost said. “And we should be doing more things around the colony.”
“I think your teachers are good,” Moon told her. “Balm wants you to get better at your reading, first.”
“I think we should be doing more things outside the colony,” Frost said, nodding firmly.
“We should learn how to trade,” Thorn chimed in. “We should go with the trade group that’s going to the treeling’s island.”
Bitter nodded firmly. Three fledglings looked at him, pleased with their clearly-planned verbal manoeuvring to pull this off. Moon sighed internally.
Rec
that's a very flawless description of any given babysitting outing, give or take some maiming. poor moon! the children had the time of their life, though, I can imagine :D
no subject
Date: 2022-12-29 11:35 pm (UTC)And ooh, I should check out that Earthsea fic -- I enjoyed the worldbuilding one but haven't yet read this one -- and the TGE recs (I find myself so picky about TGE fic that I was going to wait until reveals to read it, but I trust your tastes in this fandom! :)
no subject
Date: 2022-12-29 11:41 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-12-29 11:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-12-30 12:24 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-12-30 12:26 am (UTC)oh, for you personally: check out the thalasso hobbyist fic (it's a guy who makes beautiful creepy dioramas on youtube, fic self-explanatory)
no subject
Date: 2022-12-30 12:42 am (UTC)