next year, I could be oh-so-good

Damn. Had a story idea percolating in my head all through mass tonight, but by the time we got home it was already 11:30, so there was no way. My yuletide total is a solid one, which makes me feel kind of like a freeloader(with the way things have gone this year, wow).

I mean, the way things have been in my real life--starting job, frantic last-minute apartment search, plus the usual tasks--I will give myself a pass. But I want to do better next year. And maybe actually do some NYR this year. (I do have a whole bunch of intriguing prompts listed already that I pulled of the Treats page, after all.)

Still, though: so excited. Cannot believe we topped 2,000 stories this year. How much do I love these people?

So a very Merry Christmas to any and all of you who celebrate it! I have a whole lot of wrapping left to do now. And I plan to have willpower and not look at the archive 'til I wake up in the morning . . . even if it opens before I go to bed.

it was like a ticker-tape parade

I am such a lucky fangirl today! I received not one, but two fantastic Yuletide stories: a lovely lengthy fic, and an adorable little Treat as well. I must rec them!

Parklife
Fandom: From Eroica With Love
Pairing: Klaus/Dorian
Category: preslash
Rating: PG
Description: "Klaus gets assistance from Dorian on a mission, and appreciates it about as much as he ever does."
Comments: This story is rather fantastic. It's beautifully in character (how I love cantankerous Klaus and breezy Dorian!), with a fun plot and lovely style (it's half banter, half meandering description). It's a bit . . . relaxed? in comparison to the manga, but honestly, that's something I look for in fic. ;) Plus, a bonus: titled after a blur song! Which makes me wonder if my author was just lucky, or really thorough. I love this story so much.

The Lady and the Dragon
Fandom: Excalibur (1988 comic)
Pairing: Rachel/Kitty
Category: gen (or very subtle femslash, if you like)
Rating: G
Description: "The Cross-Time Caper continues apace, and Kurt has a thrilling tale to tell Kitty and Rachel."
Comments: So adorable! This fits right into canon, and really brings to mind everything I love about the classic Excalibur tales. It's zany, slapsticky, and a bit touching all at once. The characters are just right: Kurt's dashing but inevitably trips up a bit, Kitty is a bit geeky and grumbly and young (I miss her like that), and Rachel, as always, a bit haunted. The central conceit of the story was appropriately bizarre and hit-you-over-the-head symbolic, and just, awwww. I love them. :) Bonus: yay Lockheed!
Quote: "Blech! Why do I always have to be the princess? This is, like, the third time! Don't any of these dimensions need, I don't know, computer programmers? Or superheroes? Or theoretical physicists?"

While I'm at it, there's also my sweet little go_exchange story, though it was already posted awhile ago:

Father Christmas, Father Time
Fandom: Good Omens
Characters: Agnes Nutter, Anathema Device, Newton Pulsifer
Category: gen
Rating: PG
Description: "Holiday traditions, whether forbidden or irritating, don't change."
Comments: I never expected to actually get an Anathema-centric story--she's one of my favorite characters in the novel, and tragically underused in fandom--so I was thrilled to receive this. It's a sweet, slightly wry little look at family traditions in two different generations, with neat parallels. :)

Well, I have more family things to attend to. I can't wait to sink my teeth into the yuletide archive, though I probably won't have much leisure to do so 'til after the New Year--I'm moving at the end of the week!