burglebezzlemen | Yuletide Recs, 2018

First off, I need to rec my gifts, which were wonderful!

Janet Edwards' Hive Mind series is set in a futuristic underground hive city. Amber, the protagonist, has just found out she's one of a small number of telepaths hunting down criminals and keeping the city from social unrest. It's a fun series, with a great balance of intriguing worldbuilding, adventure, and relatable characters. I was absolutely delighted to get two gifts in the fandom!

A Tame Hunt is a delightful look at Amber and her team solving a lower-stakes case involving animals disappearing from a local park.

Happy Sock Hunting is an adorable Madness ficlet about Nicole and Buzz, two of Amber's team members, shopping for socks with the team — and discovering their spark for one another.

My other gift was for Mina de Malfois, a series of online short stories set in fandom and tracking the BNF of at least two fandoms and her archivist, Arc.

Mina de Malfois and the Changing of the Guard is a perfect future-fid for the canon, in which Mina and Arc return to fandom. The voice is spot-on, and it's a hilarious look at Mina in modern fandom, reacting to new fannish trends and tendencies.

I've enjoyed a ton of stuff in the collection this year. The recs below are just some of the works I enjoyed.

Reasons Why Peter Maldonado and Sam Ecklund Are Not Gay For Each Other: An Investigative Report, American Vandal, 12.6K
An American Vandal fic set during S1, as Peter tries to argue why he’s not into Sam, but slowly finds himself demolishing his own arguments. A great fit into S1 canon, with pitch-perfect voices.

Xanax Nation, American Vandal, 1K, gen.
A look at the filming of hard-hitting documentary Xanax Nation. Pitch-perfect voices and a joy to read.

Life in Open Air, Black Mirror (USS Callister), 5.7K
The crew of the Callister adjusts to their new universe, and maybe finds a new purpose.

A Letter from a Private Patron, The Bone Key, 4.8K
Claudia and Booth get to the bottom of a deliciously creepy mystery at the Parrington. Claudia POV (first-person).

smiling, smiling, The Bone Key, 4.5K
Claudia and Booth must unravel the mystery of a statue left for Booth. Delightfully atmospheric. Claudia POV (third-person).

That Which Walks Unseen, The Bone Key, 6.7K.
A wonderfully creepy casefic and get-together shipfic that nails both halves. I won't spoil the twist. Booth POV, first-person.

Sophomoric, Fangirl, Cath does Yuletide, 4.8K
I’m a sucker for characters doing Yuletide — and this fic nails the internet drama that might result if BNF Magicath decided to sign up, as well as the joys of Yuletide.

And A Thousand Other Variations, The Good Place, 1K
Ten fascinating linked drabbles showing ten different iterations of The Good Place.

The Banana Blouse, The Good Place, 4.1K
Four different POVs of a party in an Eleanor/Tahani reboot. Fun seeing where the POVs overlap, and a really fun Jason voice in particular!

Choose Your Own Torture, The Good Place, Tahani/Eleanor, 1.3K
A take on Reboot 218, as seen from Michael’s eyes.

Life, Death, and Breakfast, The Good Place, Jason & Chidi gen, 3.6K
Set during the beginning eps of S3, as Jason and Chidi spend a series of Wednesday breakfasts together.

Performance Review, The Good Place, 2.5K
Judge Gen has her R-on-the-Jeremy-Bearimy performance review.

Same Old Song and Dance, The Good Place, 1.9K
Non-linear character study tracking Michael through the reboots. Excellent background details, and a really interesting POV on Michael’s thought processes.

The Good Wife, In Death, 14K.
Eve decides to help Roarke out for a change, in a charming casefic that hits all the best parts of In Death canon.

The Long Winter, Innkeeper Chronicles, 10K
Set at the Gertrude Hunt in the aftermath of recent canon, this is a cozy, wintery longfic to savor.

Expansion Pack, 7.9k, Bethany/Alex
Alex and Bethany get trapped inside an expansion pack, and get to know one another better along the way.

Leslie Vann Is Not A Cat Person, Lock In - Scalzi, 1.8K.
Agent Vann & a kitten. Enough said, right? :D

The Sculptor, Lockwood & Co, 1.6K
Lucy and Lockwood fight a ghost.

Lex Dura Sed Lex, Lockwood & Co, 0.8K
The Skull and Lucy discuss finances, after the events of the series.

The Sum of Its Parts, Mad Men, 3.5K
A powerful look at Peggy, Sally, Dawn, and Joan in 1982, and where their careers have taken them.

Without Reservations, Take Two, 1.6K
Sam and Eddie grab dinner with Melissa, and get to know one another better.

Nat Geo, Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, 1K, Doreen/Kraven
An adorable look at Kraven inviting Doreen along to a National Geographic gala.