^___^ Yuletide!

I've been very lucky this Yuletide! I got two stories this year, which were very, very different from each other and both very good.

The Hush of Society (1980 words) by Anonymous
Fandom: Lebedínoye Ózero | Swan Lake
Rating: Mature
Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: OMC/OFC, Odette & Odile
Summary:

A poor woman is given the opportunity for security by ruining the life of another whom she resembles.

This is a retelling of Swan Lake set in nineteenth century Russia and is absolutely gorgeous. It's packed with telling period detail and the narrative keeps twisting around to reveal new twists and layers of appearances.

My Heart Is Like An Apple Tree (1611 words) by Anonymous
Fandom: Drina Series - Jean Estoril
Rating: General Audiences
Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Rose Conway
Summary:

Rose gets her little flat. Several months later, a birthday.

I've been asking hopefully for Drina fic for years and this was everything I'd been hoping for. It's Rose, after the end of the books, finally finding her own happiness and place in the world and it's just warm and happy-making. The authorial voice and tone of this are spot on and lots of characters make fleeting appearances. It really feels like something Jean Estoril/Mabel Esther Allan could have written.

I only wrote two stories myself this year and have happy comments from both recipients. Good Yuletide all round!