LINKDING

<blockquote>Where Genly Ai went, after Winter. [Written for Yuletide 2010.]</blockquote> ➤ oh, wow. Very effective at grounding in setting such that it evokes a strong consistent feeling throughout. Plus excellent alien anthropology

<blockquote>It is not an enviable position, being a bridge, particularly a bridge with visions. But sometimes, to build the future, that's what you need. Or: Harry and Corlath's daughter comes to Istan.</blockquote>

<blockquote>“It’s wastoures! They came through Newton and Blackhill and killed everything, and then they split into two big groups and one turned north, and the other’s coming here. I stay ahead of them and earn pennies by warning people.” Wastoures. Perhaps you have not heard of them, you people born a thousand years after Ada and Blanche and this runner—whose name is Hardourt, though his part in this story is nearly over: his name will not matter to you, though it matters to him. In your time they are gone, but in the twelfth century, every child knew of them, and adults as well. Wastoures: scarce larger than chickens but unfeathered and wingless, snake-necked and sharp-beaked and bright-clawed, with little arms ending in daggery talons. For long years there would be no wastoures (except in memory and dread), and then a population bloom, like duckweed choking an August pond, or locusts after a dry spring, or cicadas rising from the ground each seventeenth year. For reasons unknowable, they emerged in their scores of thousands from some unknown cave or forgotten Roman mine, and seethed like floodwater or plague across the land.</blockquote> ➤ I'm fascinated by the way the narrative continues to draw your attention to what might happen to the other characters Ada encounters throughout the story, and the structure of Story.

<blockquote>How Bodhi Rook temporarily misplaced the two most important things in the galaxy, and how he found them again (with a little help).</blockquote> ➤ a fixit that still makes you cry is the best/worst. This was so good and now I care so much for Bodhi's family and for all of Jedha auuuuughhghg

<blockquote>The man loosed my arm, raised a hand. He held a long pin, like the ones in the bowed heads before us, dark wood inlaid with shell. “This was in Itet’s hand when they pulled her out of the water,” said the man. The staring woman didn’t answer. “I have seen it in your hair before, Eritiri. Itet was chosen to be sacrificed this year. And you were not. Did you think, if she was dead, you could win her place? “I would have liked to make you watch her sacrificed, before your execution. But you have succeeded in that much, at least—she is ineligible.” A twitch of the woman’s mouth, the beginning of a bitter smile. “As for you, your body will be cast on the trash heap, a sacrifice for nothing and no one, like any common criminal.” The woman’s mouth trembled, and a tear formed and rolled down her cheek.</blockquote> ➤ part of leckie's godsverse

<blockquote>The Fleet of the Godless came to the waters around Au by chance. It was an odd assortment of the refugees of the world; some had deliberately renounced all gods, some had offended one god in particular. A few were some god’s favorites that another, rival god had cursed. But most were merely the descendants of the original unfortunates and had never lived any other way.</blockquote> ➤ part of leckie's godsverse ➤ the one with the self-serving god who has promised to protect and care for a particular island nation, with things like human sacrifice as recompense

<blockquote>“No,” answered my father. “Better.” He sat on the bench behind him. My brothers and I knew better than to sit ourselves. “He wants to end the curse on his line. And Artau Ehat, the lord of the sky and protector of Therete, has said to the king of Therete — or to his priests, since because of the curse the king himself isn’t able to enter the god’s presence — that the curse will be ended when the prince Atehatsqe marries your sister. And,” he continued into our perplexed silence, “if he can get a better price for timber, so much the better.”</blockquote> ➤ part of leckie's godsverse

<blockquote>A peaceful mission develops some unforeseen complications, and Qui-Gon Jinn learns something new about Obi-Wan Kenobi, and something new about himself.</blockquote> ➤ Slower paced, and out took me a little while to get into it, but I really like it. Ends in just the right place, with that place being Qui-Gon's realization of his feelings and decision not to act on then, and Obi-Wan's conclusion from the trends of past relationships to not have a relationship for a while. ➤ I liked that this fic allows Jedi to have love and relationships without it being against the code, but with their Jedi role always being more important to them than their relationship

<blockquote>"Maul was my pride, my greatest accomplishment aside from the political games that have wrought me control over the Republic. Why should I take a second apprentice, Obi-Wan Kenobi? Why would you be worth my time?” “Because I fucking hate you.”</blockquote> ➤ Obi-Wan undercover as sith apprentice, entirely too much fun

<blockquote>Released from his role as Prince by the birth of a son to the Emperor and Empress, Idra is allowed to attend university. But he can't escape his past so easily, or perhaps at all, particularly not when he meets someone who walks under a similar shadow ... Three years post-canon.</blockquote> ➤ about a friendship between Idra and that quiet awkward sister (Paru Tethimin) of the dude who did the betraying

<blockquote>Even the sweetest pup will bite if handled roughly, and Regan is no innocent. The making of a girl who embraced her demons and turned them to her purpose.</blockquote>

<blockquote>An Imperial officer loses a bet and has to get Darth Vader a present for Life Day.</blockquote> ➤ omg. from the premise I thought this would be silly crack but it's actually treated pretty seriously as a premise? ➤ Great outside pov perspective with these little indications of what the Imperial propaganda teaches about Jedi, for example. ➤ In which an imperial officer does research to figure out the identity of the pilot who destroyed the (first) death star.

<blockquote>Esca is a prisoner on Marcus Flavius Aquila's transport ship. What could go wrong?</blockquote> ➤ the space opera rewrite of the story! the fic tags itself as marcus/esca slash but there's a few bare hints that that might be where things are going and that's all. it's functionally totally gen.

<blockquote>Captured in battle and stuck in the Mede capital, Costis has given up all hope of seeing his country again. But Eugenides has a habit of turning up where he's least expected.</blockquote> ➤ cackling with glee over how perfect the characterization is throughout this fic. WHAT A GOOD.

<blockquote>The adventures of Behiye bint Kasim, Captain of the pirate ship Canavar, and her engineer and companion Bulbul.</blockquote>

<blockquote>Luke and Elliot sort out their relationship (with some interruptions from unexpected monsters, travel between worlds, and post-camp career planning angst).</blockquote> ➤ SO GOOD

<blockquote>"It's only a story, Xury," said Téo gently. "I know it is a story, " Xury replied with wounded dignity. "I am fifteen, not five. But do you see why she is so important to us? She never quit. No matter what was flung at her, she kept on. And eventually she won. There are worse stories, Téo. Like the story that sings loudly, 'You are alone, enslaved, helpless and without hope, and thus it shall be forever.' That is a terrible story to believe in."</blockquote> ➤ AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!

<blockquote>A Mongol woman warrior, a Chinese princess who overthrew the Emperor, a cross-dressing French writer and an Egyptian inventor-mathematician help a city of quasi-Roman lesbians to outwit and defeat a host of aliens who treat humans as toys to be tested to destruction. Also features clockpunk attack robots, lesbian kissage, assorted dinosaurs and a telepathic pteranodon.</blockquote>

<blockquote>Hamlet in space, starring sensible and heroic Ophelia, genderswapped Claudius, clones Rosencrantz and Guilderstern and alien Fortinbras. (Alas, there are no sharks in space riding motorcycles, nor is there a time machine.)</blockquote> ➤ HOLY CRAP THIS IS AMAZING

<blockquote>In the two weeks following the events of Star Trek Into Darkness, a Starfleet officer tries to put Starfleet back together again. As a friend pointed out, anyone looking for a fic with plot and subtlety should probably not read this fic. It might work whether you liked the movie or not, but I wrote it in order to address multiple aspects of fail. It should probably be titled, Why I Love Starfleet.</blockquote> ➤ I cannot even with how perfect and right this fic is.

<blockquote>Jim deals with the aftermath of Star Trek: Into Darkness—not very well, unfortunately. Bones is worried. Meanwhile, Spock keeps making appearances in Jim's dreams, which really isn't as fun as it sounds.</blockquote>

<blockquote>Marco always thought he could trust the Rat's loyalty absolutely. When that trust is betrayed, Marco is crushed. But his duty to Samavia demands that he must search for justice - and for answers.</blockquote>

<blockquote>Feuilly joins the Amis and objects to everything , Joly and Combeferre try not to objectify patients, Enjolras cannot help but objectify the People, Courfeyrac is an object of merriment and Jehan makes Combeferre into an object of the sublime.</blockquote> ➤ aw fuckin hell, here's all my TEEEAAAAM feels back in yet another fandom. Only what do I call it here? Not "team" or "pack" or anything like that..... ➤ ANYWAYS THIS IS DELIGHTFUL IN ALL THE WAYS ➤ (I tag it as les amis; the viewpoint one is Joly)

<blockquote>To the city of York, in the year of our Lord 1780, there came a young man who had fallen upon hard times.</blockquote> ➤ or, how Childermass came to work for Norrell. ➤ An interesting story, and somewhat unsettling and stick-in-your-head in the way that any good fic about the magic of JS&MN ought to. ➤ It's -- oh, I'm describing it wrong. But this fic is extremely effective at feeling utterly like a part of the world of JS&MN.

<blockquote>Orpheus doesn't think much about his life before he was a private detective. But when he's hired to search for a missing girl, he'll have to take on Hollywood royalty, hired killers, and maybe, finally, himself.</blockquote>

<blockquote>Jack and Stephen accidentally become telepathically bonded, but Stephen still has to complete his mission in Minorca.</blockquote>

the sequel gives a tidy summary of this one, which is: <blockquote>We were coming up on our three-month anniversary, which meant Ty was about to finish his third full month of being a psychic. I'd given him spectral herpes -- consensually! wholly consensually! -- on our first date, which had not-coincidentally been in a creepy haunted house where we'd needed a combination of my highly contagious paranormal abilities and his in-progress Asian Languages and Cultures undergraduate degree to keep us from being siliconed to death by animated anthropomorphic sex toys.</blockquote> ➤ the sequel is "This Story Is Full of Scorpions: Seriously, Dude, Don't Read It"

<blockquote>Christopher Pike and the Kirks have been circling each other for twenty-five years.</blockquote> ➤ tags include: starfleet as a real paramilitary organization, Pike as hero and historian, winona kirk is the starfleet madonna

<blockquote>Rodney McKay /really/ hates small towns.</blockquote>

<blockquote>Sheppard's got one chance, and Rodney is going to find it, no matter what.</blockquote> ➤ the one where John's caught by wraith and Rodney uses an Ancient machine to search through possible futures to try to find the way that John can be saved.