we're all stories in the end

Yay! Oh man my Remixer did such a fabulous job of spinning out a story of mine that is basically just a sex scene into a brilliant character study:

Making Safe (Trust [lay down your burdens] Remix) (6442 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Merlin (TV)
Rating: Explicit
Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Guinevere/Arthur Pendragon
Characters: Guinevere (Merlin), Merlin (Merlin), Arthur Pendragon, Gwaine (Merlin), Leon (Merlin), Percival, Elyan (Merlin)
Summary: For Guinevere, it's a surprisingly long road to becoming the Queen and person she wants to be - and marrying Arthur is only the start.

I love it a lot! GWENNNN! <3333

The full Remix archive is here. Authors are anonymous for the next week and I have one story in there. If you can guess which one is mine, there's a ficlet in it for you! It's a fandom I've written in before, and I think there are some of my tells in it. Comments screened.

Two wonderful episode coda fix-it fics. My heart needed both of these.

And I am done with my graceless heart (5312 words) by dollsome
Fandom: Merlin (TV)
Rating: General Audiences
Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Gwen/Morgana
Characters: Gwen, Morgana
Summary: It’s always darkest before the dawn. (Or, Gwen and Morgana reunite at long last. Set post-4x09.)

Spring Cleaning (9991 words) by MerryArwen
Fandom: Doctor Who (2005)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: The Doctor (Doctor Who), Amy Pond, Donna Noble, Original Female Character
Summary: In which a Doctor of the future (or at least, the Doctor's future) and Donna Noble's granddaughter save someone who needed saving.

+ calapine has an awesome picspam tribute to the one and only Brigadier Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart after Nicholas Courtney passed away this week.

+ thuviaptarth is hosting a vidders love meme. (My thread.)

+ ignipes has a picture of a monkey hugging a kitten.

+ emei wrote Angels for the Snow Queen (Merlin, Gwen/Morgana), a gorgeous modern!AU snippet with frolicking and kisses and adorableness.

+ ♥

"This is my home and you are a guest in it! I know you are used to more luxurious quarters but that is not an excuse to be so rude! You claim titles don't matter to you but you behave like a prince and expect me to wait on you like a servant! Saying it means nothing if your actions betray you! Would it kill you to say 'Please' and 'Thank you' once in a while? ... My Lord."

( 'Is there anything else you'd like to add?' 'No, I think that's it.' )

Rec: Make Something Good by sweetestdrain (Gwen/Merlin/Arthur)
The course stays true

Over at taffimai's place we are showering the whoniverse characters with love, it is delightful! I am capslocking excessively. \o/

---

Yuletide recs! I am trying to read widely this year, so hopefully I can do a few themed rec sets. This first set consists of four great crossover/fusion stories about women being awesome and frequently making out with each other.

Lieutenant Bennet's Visit (3172 words) by Anonymous
Fandom: Temeraire - Naomi Novik, Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Elizabeth Bennet, Jane Bennet, Darcy
Summary: Elizabeth’s reality is far different from her sisters’.

Obviously Lizzy Bennet is secretly in the Dragon Corps. It all makes sense now! This is a fantastic blending of the worlds and makes me want more.

Fools Rush In (Angels Fear to Tread) (1486 words) by Anonymous
Fandom: Mary Poppins (1964), Tipping the Velvet - Sarah Waters
Rating: General Audiences
Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Mary Poppins/Kitty Butler
Characters: Mary Poppins, Kitty Butler, Walter Bliss
Summary: When the wind changes, Mary Poppins accepts a job as a nanny and housekeeper for famous masher Kitty Butler, and loses her heart.

I'm so charmed by the idea of this, and the execution entirely delivers. It's also a fascinating glimpse into the world through Mary's eyes.

Guest Star (2415 words) by Anonymous
Fandom: Merlin (BBC) RPF, Doctor Who RPF
Rating: Explicit
Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Katie McGrath/Karen Gillan
Characters: Karen Gillan, Katie McGrath

There are some grammatical issues with this story but who cares, it's a story about Katie McGrath guest starring on Doctor Who and hooking up with Karen Gillan, obviously I ate it up with a spoon. :D

A Lady and a Gentleman In Black (6223 words) by Anonymous
Fandom: Good Wife (TV), White Collar
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Kalinda Sharma - Relationship, Kalinda Sharma/Diana Barrigan
Characters: Diane Lockhart, Kalinda Sharma, Peter Burke (White Collar), Diana Barrigan (White Collar)
Summary: Kalinda Sharma encounters an agent from the white collar division of the New York FBI office. Or two. Being stuck with a Fed on her turf does not turn out to be exactly what she expected, and it certainly isn't a normal day for Stern, Lockhart, and Gardner.

I HAVE WANTED THIS FIC FOR SO LONG, AND NOW IT IS HERE. REJOICE.

+ A:TLA Lunar New Year exchange signups close at midnight GMT tonight! That is nine hours from now! So if you have been hovering indecisively now is a good time to make up your mind.

Also, people have made two (two!) podfics of my Merlin fic in the past week, and they are both very awesome.

+ Go-Between (Arthur/Merlin/Gwen) read by helva2260 is a lovely reading of my 3x10 episode coda, and omg she does the VOICES and they are so awesome. :D

+ Trust (lay down your burdens) (Arthur/Gwen) by sophinisba is this gorgeous, soft reading of the story that really captures the tone I was trying to go for. I wrote it for my kink_bingo card, sophinisba recorded it for hers! I love it when that happens.

Do remember to leave some feedback for your podficcers if you enjoyed their work! ♥

+ pocky_slash is hosting a Not My Fandom Fest - you go and write for fandoms you don't know based on what you've absorbed through fannish osmosis. Hilarity no doubt ensues.

+ Festivids sign-ups close tomorrow.

+ thingswithwings: Festivids: Still Awesome, which is yet another reason why you should sign up!

+ Yuletide sign-ups fandom nominations are open until Wednesday night.

+ ladiesbigbang is hosting round 1.5 - still open to multimedia projects but with a shorter timetable and minimums.

+ Camelot Remix is live! Lots of Merlin fanworks to go and peruse - I've only had a chance to read a couple so far, but it all looks wonderful.

+ china_shop made Got The Time, a really delightful Eleventh Doctor vid that captures the steampunk glory of the new TARDIS and also Eleventy's whirligig physicality which I love beyond all reason.

+ kaydeefalls continues her series of Merlin character study vids set to Vienna Teng songs with Augustine, which is Merlin's one. It's lovely.

+ via littlebutfierce: Zuko's on a boat. :D

+ I have now watched through 2x16 of Fringe. I think my reaction can be best be summed as a;lsdkjas why do I have other things to do with my life?! I will post coherently on the subject when I'm caught up, particularly with regard to how you need Olivia Dunham in your life and also Astrid and Nina and hey, the guys are pretty great too.

+ zahrawithaz has some interesting analysis of Merlin 3x01. Lots of food for thought!

+ festivid nominations are open! \o/!

+ ladiesbigbang is posting, with a multimedia extravaganza. Here are a few things I've particularly enjoyed:

+ Imagine the Ocean by damkianna (A:TLA, Katara, Sokka, Aang, Suki, Zuko, Iroh)

This is a wonderfully compelling AU where Aang didn't make it out of the iceberg and Katara is the Avatar instead. It's not complete, but the 50,000 words up there so far make for great reading, and I hope to see more of Katara & co's adventures soon!

+ Let It Grow by blueflamingo (SGA, Keller/Vega, Cadman/Brown)

This is an entirely charming S5 AU that fleshes out all four characters nicely and has a lovely, understated look at queer life on Atlantis, with a background pairing that made me clap my hands with glee.

+ 300 icons by hermitsoul, featuring 12 awesome women.

+ kuwdora has recs from eid_ka_chand and daysofawesome.

Okay, so project watch all the vids and also project feedback all the vids are both kind of time-consuming and may have to wait until I return from my travels, but here are some recs! I can do that bit!

( 11 recs for premiering vids at VVC )

This is Tomorrow (the getaway driver remix)
Doctor Who, Donna, Christina, G
Donna works for an art thief with a name like a brand of tequila, but Christina has a flying bus and tolerates her occasional Mad Scientist moments, so it's not all bad.

I love the original story, and the remix is charming, funny, and very sweet.

Apple Princess (The Little Girls In Boxes Remix)
Firefly/Merlin, River, Morgana, G
River doesn't dream. She just sees too much.

Absolutely gorgeous - I love stories that get River's voice right, and there are some great lines about the many versions and lives of Morgana.

All Across the Sands (Bones of an Impressive Romance Mix)
Doctor Who, Rose/Martha, Teen
Time travelers are used to nonlinear love affairs.

A lovely, lovely complement to the original. There's definite timey-wimeyness here, but it doesn't try to be too clever, and it's effective in its simplicity.