Here is a list of recs from the Yuletide 2024 (and Madness) collection, primarily focussed on F/F and Gen recs! Also over on Tumblr.
General recs
The Sex Lives of College Girls - sunlight through my window pane (F/F [Leighton/Kimberly], T, 7k)
Leighton stays with Kimberly for Thanksgiving break. She kind of has a massive, completely inappropriate, crush on her newly minted--and straight--best friend.
This gift was perfect in every way. I love Leighton and Kimberly. I love internalized homophobia-based conflict. I love sad pathetic Leighton who's never had a real friend falling in love with the first person who knows and likes her. I love Kimberly saying "listening and learning" (in character in the extreme). I love Leighton thinking about how huge Kimberly's tits are because fr girl!!!!!! I love Kimberly not knowing how to make a snowman. And most of all, I love it when hot girls kiss while crying. A+ Yuletide writer <3
H2O: Just Add Water - freaky full moon (F/F [Rikki/Emma], T, 3k)
Emma and Rikki's powers get reversed by the full moon. There's sexual tension.
I love this so much; role reversal is a timeless trope; a little sprinkle of internalized homophobia; very realistic (accurate to the show) nonsense science explanations; shenanigans of the highest order. And last of all, the dialogue was SO accurate to canon, I could hear every word in an Australian accent! If you like making your childhood faves gay, highly recommend.
I Kissed Shara Wheeler (Casey McQuiston) - High Femme Camp Antics (F/F, M, 4k):
Shara takes Chloe to a private (homophobic) island and sets up a (sexy) mystery for her.
I have always loved the titular essay and I Kissed Shara Wheeler is such an obvious playground for those ideas. The fic was very funny, sexy, and overall just peak. The dynamic between Shara and Chloe was simply incredible: Chloe's exasperated but deeply horny POV and the what-the-fuck-ness of it all were a perfect blend.
You could probably read fandom blind simply knowing the synopsis of I Kissed Shara Wheeler is that Shara (closeted, femme, perfect prom queen, valedictorian) kisses Chloe then disappears and leaves behind a series of cryptic notes.
Diving RPF - degree of difficulty (F/F[/F], E, fandom-blind, 2.6k):
Yiwen and Yani invite Maddi to have a threesome after a sex bet.
I read this essentially fandom blind but the picture at the start summarized everything I needed to know to enjoy this very sexy and funny threesome fic! Highly recommend for a good, smutty time even if you don't know the fandom.
Casual - Chappell Roan (Music Video) - Longing (For the Sea) (F/F, T, 1k):
An angsty one-shot from the point of view of the human ultimately left behind by her siren lover.
Casual has been my favorite song of all time since February 2023, and I was delighted to see the music video come up in the tagset this year. This fic was angsty, poignant, and even had delightfully funny and characterful moments from the POV of Chappell's character - the perfect little fic for this, really hitting all of the themes that I liked from the song/music video (pining, immersion in the siren's world, attraction despite knowing it's bad for you).
Aadhya's point of view on making… not friends, but not-enemies, with El.
Aadhya is lowkey my fave non-POV character in the Scholomance, and this was a really sweet and in-character piece about her starting out at the Scholomance and extending an olive branch to El. Very cute, well-written, and engaging!
To Shape A Dragon's Breath (Moniquill Blackgoose) - Vermuten and Versuch (F/M, G, 4k):
"Anequs thinks about stiltakraft and struggles to decode both a dance and Theod's recent behavior."
To Shape A Dragon's Breath was easily one of my top three books of 2024. This fic captured all the parts I loved most about it: the slightly off-centre chemistry, history, colonization, etc., the language used for the dragons, Anequs' sensibilities that are entirely orthogonal to the colonial ways of doing things, her relationship with Kasaqua... the list goes on! I especially loved the use of real-world chemistry and her thoughtfulness about science.
Coming of age recs
It's a Yuletide tradition for me to enjoy the BSC and Emelan fics; they always seem to have lovely coming-of-age themes. Maybe it's because I read both series at such a formative age, but I always feel like Yuletide fics capture something really poignant about relating to favorite childhood stories as an adult. Every time I read or re-read something in these fandoms, I get something new and relevant out of it, even though I'm closer to 30 than 20 now (!).
The Baby-Sitters Club (Ann M. Martin) - changed (for the better) (Gen, G, 3 chapters, 9.5k):
The club returns to Stoneybrook seven years after burying a time capsule, and each member is facing an important decision about their future.
This was a delightful coming of age fic that encompasses all the things I like best about the BSC and these characters! The main story is interspersed with letter/email/diary elements, which captured their voices very well. Each character is facing a challenge that is very in-character and their approaches to the time capsule are equally so. A really excellent piece of work!
Emelan (Tamora Pierce) - fill to me the parting glass (Gen [the Circle], CCNTW, G, 1k):
Briar, Daja, and Sandry farewell Tris before she goes to Lightsbridge.
Tris was always my fave Circle character and I love reading wonderful fics like this that fill in the Lightsbridge gap. This fic showed just how they all value her and all the little gifts they give her resonate with the wonderful worldbuilding and echo the found family vibes that I absolutely adore in this universe. A quick, sweet read if you're nostalgic about this series!
Emelan - Youthful Mistakes (Gen [Tris & Niko], G, 1k):
"While Tris is at Lightsbridge, Niko drops by for a visit. They have dinner and Tris tells the story of a mishap encountered by one of her classmates."
As I said, Tris was my fave, and I basically love anything with her in it. This fic captures her really well and explores a little bit of what Lightsbridge might be like for her, which is always fun to imagine. I also loved the use of Niko's POV on Tris; seeing her from the eyes of a teacher was a bit of a different take which really worked for this fic.
Humorous recs
I love funny fics, especially those with good puns, off-the-wall premises, and true-to-canon nonsense.
Drive-Away Dolls - the awkward age (F/F, CCNTW, E, 4k):
Six related moments of Marian coming to terms with their relationship and her sexuality with Jamie.
The voices are perfect, the sections separated by place are an effective device, and the atmospheric scene-setting in each location is so good. This is a particular kind of Yuletide fic that I absolutely love, it feels like a perfect little snack platter (complimentary). Very fun to get to read these voices, especially from Marian's POV. Also, this part made me laugh out loud:
“Euclid,” Marian gasps hoarsely.
“Don’t worry about my clit, baby, we’ll handle me later,” Jamie says.
Deadloch (2023) - Darwin Confidential (Gen [Abby & Eddie], M, 2.4k):
Abby confesses her sex dream about Eddie, to Eddie, while high from getting poisoned (again).
An incredibly funny fic with great character work. Deadloch was one of my fave TV shows this year and this fic really captured everything I loved about it. The character voices were so perfectly Eddie and Abby, I was laughing so hard. So many horrible, horrible comparisons in Eddie POV and so much wildly inappropriate work talk. Truly one of the best fics I read this Yuletide.
Truly Devious - Moose Lips Wink Tips (Gen, G, Yuletide Madness, 900 words):
Stevie speaks to a talking moose in her dreams.
This fic was perfectly funny and in character; so Stevie and the perfect length for a little dream sequence! I really enjoyed this one for a quick light-hearted read.
Sci-fi recs
I love sci-fi and I especially love a good F/F romp, an inhuman take on humanity, and a peaceful moment of reflection, so here's one of each.
NASA "Visions of the Future" Posters - I know places (F/F [original characters], T, 5k):
A space romp about an assassin and a grifter chasing each other around the planets and getaways of the "Visions of the Future" posters.
These posters were a perfect starting place for an intergalactic romp and this fic delivered! The writing really delivered on the atmosphere of the posters (very late 2000s Doctor Who IMO), and the characters underwent a fun enemies-to-lovers arc on the backdrop of committing space crimes. I love reading Yuletide fics that spin off from a small fandom inspiration (like the posters) into a really good piece of standalone writing and this fic did a great job of that.
You can pick up the fandom easily here or even read fandom blind, really.
Mystery Flesh Pit National Park (Trevor Roberts) - parasitism|commensalism (Gen, T, 3.5k):
The Permian Basin Superorganism creates an almost-human and scares the shit out of an innocent bystander.
I love sci-fi that utilizes real-world biology, and this fic definitely took it and gave it a compelling twist. It was a little bit creepy, a great use of the Permian Basin Superorganism POV, and had that inhuman take on humanity that is so compelling to me in sci-fi.
The fandom is not necessarily a five-minute one, but it is freely available, fun, and easy to pick up. Start here and here, maybe.
Monk & Robot (Becky Chambers) - Slow and Steady (Gen, G, 2.8k):
Sibling Dex and Mosscap travel around the coast, finally working their way back to see a turtle hatching.
This fic captured the hopeful and human vibes of the series perfectly, displaying the compassionate relationship between Mosscap and Sibling Dex all centred around a lovely natural event - the turtle hatching. I really felt the wonder and excitement of the characters witnessing this event.
Epistolary recs
Bend It Like Beckham - What's Next (F/F, interview, G, 1k):
Jess and Jules give an interview about their retirement.
If y'all know anything about me, it's that I'm a sucker for famous lesbians. Especially famous sports lesbians. I loved the use of the interview format in this fic, I loved the image of two happily married soccer lesbians with their kids and the emotional beats touched on but not made explicit. A lovely little read!
Sandry weathers a complicated political situation through a series of missives.
This fic utilized the epistolary format SO well; Sandry's voice resonated through every letter and the way that her tone changed with each new recipient to reveal more of her plan was used to such good effect. This fic absolutely captured the hopeful and creative tones of the original universe! I love when epistolary content shows the voice of the characters well and this fic really delivered. This was definitely one of my fave Yuletide fics this year!
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