The holiday ficcing season is over, and I would like to recommend the various fics I recieved for Christmas presents. I'll just go ahead and do them by fandom, I suppose.

Vorkosigan books
The Rules of Barrayaran Sex, Cordelia/Aral
Oh my god you guys this fic is made of SO MUCH AWESOME, particuarly if you, like me, tend to ship the old-married-couple ships. I asked for Cordelia and Aral being happily married, and my beautiful, amazing, wonderful gift-writer wrote me this... this marvelous work of art. It is full of tiny little touches of joy (Miles' first word being "Dammit", for example, or the entire thing about the socks), and it's SO in-character; it totally feels like scenes exerpted from the books. I just. I cannot. It is so full of joy, you guys. Read it immediately if you have read the Miles Vorkosigan books. If you have not read the Miles Vorkosigan books, read those immediately and THEN read this.

A Safe Bet, also Cordelia/Aral
This is a tag for Memory that I count as mine as well, because it was a deleted scene from Rules originally. It strikes all the same notes as Rules, with some additional emotional notes that don't quite match up. Anyway, it's just as utterly amazing if slightly less funny, and you should go and read it too.

Codex Alera
These aren't fic, but you should go look at them anyway, because they're awesome icons.

Tamora Pierce: Tortall
A Midwinter's Tale. Alanna/George, filled with cuteness and fluff.

Firefly
Christmas on Serenity, genfic set post-Serenity but in denial!verse, which is my personal favorite anyway so. An adorable little slice-of-life family!fic. Has Wash and Zoe, River being River, and Mal getting insulted.

Castle
Christmas Traditions. Genfic, a Castle family Christmas. Includes an awesome nod to the WriteRCastle feed that made me lol.

Stargate SG-1/X-files Crossover
Part one here, part two here. Inspired by the fact that Don S. Davis plays both General Hammond and Scully's dad, written for me by my homie eponymous_rose, made of awesome. Involves Jack being a prankster, jokes about Daniel's approach to aliens, Teal'c having more lines than "indeed," Sam being the responsible adult and slight Mulder/Scully shippiness.


Posts of all the fic I wrote soon to follow.

I am apparently on something of an "INCOME YAY" spree, because in the last three days I have purchased the following.

1) The Sarah Jane Adventures, Season 1. I adore this show in all its Doctor-Who-FOR-KIDZ glory. Plus, you know, Sarah Jane = made of win. She just is.

2) The Aztecs. A very, very early episode of Doctor Who, featuring the Doctor accidentally getting engaged, Susan being almost nowhere to be found, Ian in a very silly eagle suit and Barbara being more awesome than you. Old!Skool companions rock my socks in general.

3) Sense and Sensibility. The Emma Thompson version, thanks. It's faithful to the book in spirit and stars most of my favorite actors, namely Emma Thompson, Mr. Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet, Imogen Stubbs, Imelda Staunton, Alan Rickman, and Unexpected Hugh Laurie and Laurielet (or so I am told). The only one missing is Mark Sheppard. Oh, and Hugh Grant is in it, but I can get over that.

4) Battlestar Galactica: Razor. BECAUSE I WANTED IT, THAT'S WHY. Also, it has Lee being kinda cool for once and Young!Adama. Plus, you know, more Cain.

5) The Lion in Winter. It was five bucks, guys! Five bucks for Peter O'Toole! Peter O'Toole and Katherine Hepburn and Anthony Hopkins being somewhat subpar but hey he was short on sleep and TIMOTHY DALTON omnomnom and basically I love it. So there.

6) ALL YOUR MIDDLEMAN DVDS ARE BELONG TO ME. \m/

Bye bye, income. It was nice knowing you.

ETA: My daddy took me to the bookstore. :D :D :D And every time my daddy takes me to the bookstore, he buys me books! *is daddy's little girl and not ashamed*

7) Sex With Kings, which is a wonderfully wonderful history book about kings' mistresses through the ages. I love it so. It's very funny and brilliantly researched, and less depressing than the sequel, Sex with the Queen.

8) Ciaphis Cain: Hero of the Imperium! It's a Warhammer novel, but I've had it recommended, so I read the first few pages. I got Miles Vorkosigan vibes off it from a mile off. So, I bought it. We'll see if the Miles-vibes hold.

YOU GUYS YOU GUYS YOU GUYS

Okay, so I did who_remix, right, and my offer to write a drabble for anyone who figures out which story was the one I wrote still stands, but that's not the point. So I did who_remix and the entire point of who_remix is that somebody takes one of your stories and writes their own take on it.

So somebody remixed "Listening."

AND IT IS SO FUCKING AMAZING OH MY GOD YOU GUYS.

It just blew me away. The language, the nods to the original story and to the even-more-original show, Johnny, the Doctor, the TARDIS, the shipping, Tegan, just every tiny little thing. I would not change a word of this story, guys. OH MY GOD SO AMAZING. SO AMAZING.

Go ye hence and read it. SO GOOD.

*flails like an idiot some more*

I forgive sf_drama for all crimes past and present, imagined and real.

I forgive Twilight for existing.

I forgive Joss Whedon for being a heartless son of a bitch and killing Wash LA LA LA THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN making Oz leave Buffy.

The reason I forgive them all?

Because some marvelous genius cut together some clips from Buffy and Twilight and made "Buffy vs. Edward."

I may have cried laughing.

I finished reading a biography today, about the same time as Miss Cam sparked a new meme here after this fandom secret and this long discussion bordering on wank (randomly, I love how everyone pulled out their favorite female character icons in that thread). It was fortuitous timing, so now I'm going to tell y'all about women I admire, who may or may not be fictional. I'd stick with fictional women, but again, the biography. I do hope you'll talk about women you admire, too. I think we can't talk enough about women we admire.

( I've restrained myself, with great difficulty, to one per fandom. )

Looking back at these women, and at the ones who didn't make the list (Zoe Washburn, Inara Serra, Dana Scully, Virginia Wolff, my Doctor Who gals), I can see a couple of trends. I tend to admire smart women, who can maintain strong and loving relationships, but neither quality is a deal-breaker if it's lacking (Kaylee, Karrin Murphy). I admire women who are women, not men with breasts. I admire women who aren't afraid or ashamed of their sexuality. I admire women who are more than competant, women who hold their own and demand respect. I admire exceptional women who aren't afraid to be exceptional.

I feel like today, most women and girls are afraid to be exceptional. I don't know why this is so, or why women get boxed into subordinate roles that they aren't comfortable with or happy in. I feel like every girl should know that she can be exceptional, and I feel like these woman are a good start.

In short, I admire exceptional women, and I have every intention of being one.

What women do you respect? Why do you respect them?

ETA: Honorh talks about the same thing here, and so does selenay936.

Soooo a while ago I wrote a Vorkosiverse fanfic entitled A Brother Is Born For Adversity. It's not great, not bad either, but not great. I had fun writing it, people seemed to have fun reading it, everything is good, and it faded off the radar, so I assumed that was that.

Apparently not.

Turns out someone translated it into Russian.

Yeah, I don't know.

In slightly less boggly news, Snark and Explosives was a runnerup for best Classic Who crossover in the Children of Time awards. So yay!

Fandom_stocking fills me with love and warm fuzzies. I didn't realize that so many people liked me! I guess that's what being on Scribbld does. But I don't care. Fandom_stocking and Yuletide have conspired to make my life brighter and happier, through just the knowledge that people care enough about me to sit down and write a quick drabble or make icons or leave me a note saying "You're fabulous, and I love you, and here's an inside joke," or even tell me that they plan to write something for me. It just... it makes me happy. Being appreciated and loved makes me happy. ^.^

Of course it didn't hurt that everything everyone made for me was unspeakably amazingly fabulous, and the people who have promised to write for me are all unspeakably amazingly fabulous writers. And it didn't hurt that at least three of the people who left me comments are people who I don't know from Adam. I LOVE YOU GUYS TOO, OKAY? A lot. A lot a lot. I love you all a lot. I hope the gushingly incoherent comments made that clear.

I do still owe some people fics (like Pris *bites lip*), but everything will be all right. I have faith.

Also, I seem to be turning nocturnal. I slept from 6:30 AM to 4:00 PM today. This needs to stop.

1) OMG Abigail said "such shenanigans!" in total seriousness. When you add that to Paul Giametti and Laura Linney and Stephen Dillane, and the utter shiptasticness, and the squee-inducing beginning of ep. 4 and end of ep. 3... yeah, this is officially my favorite miniseries ever. Sorry, Jane Eyre. Close second.

2) OMG DOCTOR WHO FANDOM. SHUT UP. We haven't even seen the kid in action yet and you're already hating? SHUT. UP. Gah. SHUT UP.

( At least random_c on ihasatardis gets it. )

*curls up in SJA fandom and sulks*

Pff, yeah, like I could really sleep with Yuletide opening today.

OMG OMG OMG OMG YOU GUUUUUUUUUYS I GOT ARAL/CORDELIA! I GOT THREE ARAL/CORDELIA FICS! And and and and and I GOT SOPHY/ADMIRAL CROFT! Authors, if you are reading this, let me just reiterate how much I love you for writing me fluff for my favorite couples. Because I do. A lot. As if my comments of flail didn't express that enough.

OMG OMG OMG all the fics written for me were awesome and they were fluffy and they warmed the cockles of my withered black heart. I AM SO HAPPY YOU GUYS OMG. OMG. THIS DESERVES THE I LOVE THE WHOLE WORLD ICON BECAUSE I DO. OMG. THREE ARAL/CORDELIA FICS AND ADMIRAL AND SOPHY CROFT NOT WRITTEN BY ME. OMG.

Best. Ficpresent. EVAR.

With the possible exception of The Other Son, because that was just made of complete and total win.

IN CONCLUSION. I LOVE YOU ALL. MERRY CHRISTMAS. OMG.

*goes to reread and flail some more*

ETA: Links to the Fics of Awesome!

Firelight (hardcore fluff and some awesome banter: "Foul! No thinking about work!")
Alone Time (this one features Exasperating!Miles and the best quote ever)
Blundering Tactically (missing scene from ACC, features Silly!Miles and again, awesome banter)
A Letter Full of News (Admiral and Sophy Croft: nails our dear Miss Austen's voice and manages to be shippy for everyone at the same time)

Authors, ILU. Seriously. You may have my firstborn. I wil strive to have quadruplets, just for you.

OMG YOU GUYS.

ETA Part Deux: Okay, so, yeah, my authors probably think I'm crazy, because I left incoherent fangirl reviews about how awesome they are and how awesome their stories are. So. Um. I LOVE YOU ALL. And I'm really not crazy. Just high off the awesomeness and the being up too late. Because you guys are so awesome it makes me giddy.

Clearly.

Yeah, see, guys, this is why I don't drink.

BRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIG *squee!* Brig! He's still his awesome awesome self! I love him. Kind of a lot. I want him to be my awesome grandpa. THE BRIG IS MADE OF WIN YOU GUYS.

Also, Sarah Jane's moment in the factory where she's all, "If you touch my son I will seriously fucking kill you I swear to all I hold most sacred and I will do it with an axe and I will enjoy it"? I squeed. Kind of a lot. My roommate is disgusted with me.

The major is completely hitting on the Brig. A couple times.

Oh, man. Sarah Jane Smith is not amused.

And dear Mrs. Wormwood? Luke has a mum. And here's a hint: SHE'S NOT YOU.

...seriously? OMG. SERIOUSLY? OMG.

OMG OMG OMG OMG awesome awesome awesome episode. SO COOL! SO SO SO COOL! *cannot wait for next Monday!*

"When he is wounded, I bleed."
-Abigail Adams to James Lovell, regarding her husband John Adams, in a letter dated spring of 1781

"But when he's cut, I bleed."
-Cordelia Naismith to her mother, regarding her eventual husband Aral Vorkosigan, Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold


Lois, I see what you did there. Please tell me that was on purpose. Please, please, pretty pretty please, I will love you forever no really. Because that would be awesome made of awesome made of pure fucking win.

Also because the Adamses were basically real-life Vorkosigans, minus the cutting off of heads and plus several more children. Another reason why I ship it?