schneefink

This is the first weekend in a long time for which I had no outside plans, and it was sunny and I was so looking forward to going for a walk, but instead I was sick in bed. Uuuuugh.

But it is the last day of February so have some last-minute recs for some of my favorite Yuletide 2025 fics with no canon knowledge required.

a knock at your front door by

egelantier, World of the Five Gods/Chalion Saga - Lois McMaster Bujold
7k, gen, modern era case fic
Summary: Verna breathed out. She could deal with some prophetic dreams, or with godly disappointment, or whatever... but she remembered that desolate, hopeless wailing, stretching long beyond the capacity of any living throat.
"Learned," she said. "Why me?"
He spread his hands. "Sera dy Marray, I'm not trying to make light of your burden. But why not you?"
Why I like it: Lovely story about the role of saints in modern times.

I Want Your Heart To Be For Me by

antimony_medusa, Dangerous Crow Boy Whose Job It Is To Destroy Plastic (Tumblr Post)
9.7k, Woman Wearing Shiny Plastic Dress/Dangerous Crow Boy Whose Job It Is To Destroy Plastic
Summary: Ali’s outfit was cute—new dress covered in sequins, metallic clutch, flower-design jewelry, seven-inch heels—but it had not been made for waiting in a tiny wooden room long enough that she’d mostly sobered up. She’d been cold and her feet had ached when she was shoved into the definitely-some-kind-of-cell, and that was before she realized there was no chair, no other exit, and no window to climb out whatever bullshit prison this was. The only object in the room was an actual flame-in-lantern copper hurricane lamp high enough on the wall she couldn’t reach it.
She’d been planning on using the lantern as some kind of improvised weapon to break over the head of the next person to walk through the door, but even with heels she wasn’t tall enough to reach it. That was fine, she still had the next best option—a shoe. A plastic platform heel was sure to make a dent in someone if she swung it hard enough, right?
Or: what if you fell into a fantasy world and you were NOT dressed for it.
Why I like it: Lovely meet-cute portal fantasy romance.

Why one small American town won't stop stoning its residents to death by

Charlotte_Stant, The Lottery - Shirley Jackson / The New Yorker RPF
1k, interview
Summary: The picturesque village of Buell, Maine is one of the last in the United States to continue the tradition of the “harvest” or “prosperity” lottery. Its residents insist the lottery makes them stronger, even as condemnation from outsiders grows.
Why I like it: Oof. Fantastic job with the creepiness and tone.

Courting the Chamberlain by

Gottschedin, Sieben Jahre - Tanja Kinkel / 18th century CE RPF
3.7k, Caroline Daum/Michael Gabriel Fredersdorf, slow romance
Summary: How Caroline Daum ended up marrying Frederick the Great's lover: or, how to find yourself a suitable match in Frederician Prussia.
Why I like it: Lovely slow unconventional courtship and relationship development.

The Interdepartmental Politics of Snake Selection by

serakit, FAQ: the "Snake Fight" part of your thesis defense - Luke Burns
1.8k, gen, epistolary
Summary: Selected interoffice memos regarding the assignment and procurement of snakes for the Spring 2026 term.
Why I like it: Heh. The poor admins.

Busman's Holiday by

velvetjinx, Knives Out (Movies)
1.3k, gen, epistolary
Summary: While on holiday in Crete, Benoit Blanc stumbles across a murder in a sleepy coastal village. He probably shouldn’t get involved — he is, after all, on holiday.
Oh, who is he kidding.
Why I like it: Fun casefic told in postcards and other messages.