pirateygoodness

Some drive-by Yuletide recs before the archive crashes again author reveal:

The Shape of A Sooner State, Fringe, Olivia and Altlivia gen
This story is just the best. Probably my favourite Fringe fic of the bunch this year (that's a lie - my favourite is the next story in this entry), this is a gorgeous, perfect study in the contrast between the two Olivias and the two universes. The author does a fantastic job of looking at the subtlety, the way a lot of both sides is the same, and I love it.

The Art of Fugue, Fringe, Astrid gen
Gentle, sweet fic about how Astrid is quietly extraordinary. This hits something in my heart, in a really important way, and I think it touches on something that the show doesn't acknowledge about Astrid, but that fandom often does - Astrid is so human, so well-adjusted, compared to everyone else around her, and that's actually astounding. Run, don't walk to read this.

happiness hit her like a train on a track, Castle, Beckett/Alexis, PG-13
You guys, I don't know why this story is so good. It's Castle futurefic, and Alexis is a plucky Columbia law student and Beckett is a lesbian cougar and it just works. Surprisingly well. Like, I read this twice in a row and then sort of wanted to cuddle it, IDK.

The Beginning After The End, Castle, Beckett/Castle, PG-13.
I'll admit this right off the bat - I hate a lot of Beckett/Castle fic. I've got very particular ideas about the way their relationship should play out romantically, if it should play out at all, and a lot of stories don't work for me. This one, though, hits exactly the right notes. It's, uh, zombie apocalypse fic, and just the right balance of depressing and romantic.

In conclusion: fanfiction is pretty rad.

ALSO: FOUR DAYS UNTIL girlsgunsfic STORIES ARE DUE, I AM SIMULTANEOUSLY STOKED BEYOND BELIEF AND TERRIFIED THAT EVERY SINGLE PARTICIPANT IS GOING TO DEFAULT AT THE LAST SECOND. LADYCOPS!