spatz | Yuletide 2022 recs, Pt 1

MY GIFTS

An embarrassment of riches this year!

step by step (planet by planet) [Ethan of Athos] - a Yuletide Madness treat! Charming little bit of pining with Ethan being oblivious, set in the gap between Kline Station and returning to Athos. (Ethan/Terrence)

On the Threshold [Biggles] - delightful AU where an injured von Stalhein shows up on Biggles’s doorstep, and Biggles is very Biggles about it. I am extremely for the ‘bad guy goes to his honorable enemy for help (and is not disappointed)’ trope, and this one was executed perfectly. (Biggles/von Stalhein)

The Arrangement [Biggles] - in which von Stalhein ventures out into a storm to get Biggles medicine. Lovely h/c. (Biggles/von Stalhein)

RECS

I tend to go by fandoms when I binge Yuletide, and also I slept until 1 (I think I’m still run down from my horrible cold last week, and this was my first day with no work and no family obligations), so it’s just The Goblin Emperor/Witness for the Dead fic today.

it gets okay to praise the day - beautiful tag to The Grief of Stones, with some much-needed comfort and healing for Thara, and some clever resolution of a few plot threads, and a brief and lovely appearance by Maia. (Thara/Iana)

dear fellow traveler - nifty story that starts with an academic piece about a tradition of the emperor crossing the Wisdom Bridge, and then increasingly closer POVs peeling back to the truth of how it started. A great look at the future of Maia’s reign from several vantages. (mostly gen, background Csethiro/Maia)

Need To Know - in which Csethiro tracks down Maia after the assassination attempt, with all of her fierce cleverness at work. Great POV for her. (Csethiro/Maia)

COMMENTS

And finally, my comment total for @justleaveacommentfest was 11.