she is fierce

Title: In the Early Morning Light
Author: katmarajade
Written for: thimble_kiss
Pairing: Zacharias/Millicent
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 639
Prompt: scent of a woman
Summary: In the early morning light Zacharias wonders at his wife's unique beauty.
Notes: Wow, I was in such a sappy mood when I wrote this! Have some sappy!adoring!Zach!

(  Zacharias wakes up slowly and leisurely, feeling the warmth of curtain-filtered sunshine and the tingling that indicates he's lost sensation in his arm. This is his favorite time of day. )

Have some lovely recs for your holiday enjoyment. Some holiday themed joy for everyone. Older stuff I loved then, new stuff I've just read, and a partridge in a pear tree. Lots of holiday goodness below!

( Six Harry Potter Holiday Delights )

( Two Star Trek Christmas Treats )

( One Merlin Festive Goody )

NOW F-LIST! WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE HOLIDAY-THEMED FICS? Please be reccing me the goodies-- old stuff, new stuff, anything that will bring me some Christmas cheer. :)

Title: The Beginning of an Explosively Brilliant Partnership
Author: katmarajade
Written for: aigooism
Pairing: George/Neville
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 712
Prompt: penis-shaped zeppelin (it's mentioned, bb … sort of)
Summary: George decides to share some of his advertising genius to help Neville.

( Inflatable adverts are so last season ... )

Title: Gift of Crumbs
Author: katmarajade
Written for: oddmonster
Pairing: Scotty/Chekov
Rating: R
Word Count: 665
Prompt: crumbs in the bed sheets
Summary: Chekov tries to make homemade shortbread for Scotty on Christmas. It doesn't turn out quite as well as they might have hoped.

(  Scotty was reading in bed when Chekov bounded into their room with an over-sized grin and a poorly-wrapped package with a red bow on top. )

Title: A Kitchen Invitation
Author: katmarajade
Written for: igrockspock
Characters: Sulu & Kirk
Rating: PG
Word Count: 768
Prompt: Kirk and Sulu being foodies
Summary: Sulu is planning on making the most of his leave and cooking all the food he can't get in space. Kirk wants an invitation.

(  Sulu had never given much thought to how convenient it was having Starfleet headquarters in his hometown.  )

Title: Better Than Romance
Author: katmarajade
Prompt: I am always a sucker for Sulu/Chekov. It was my 8th Wedding Anniversary yesterday - what did Sulu & Chekov do for theirs?
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 1800
Summary: Sulu wants a romantic night with his husband to celebrate their eighth wedding anniverary. Being captured on an away mission and spending their anniversary in an alien prison is definitely not what he had in mind. But as they reminisce about their time together, he realizes that maybe romance is overrated.
Notes: Written for the Second Annual Sulu-Off for a fantastic prompt by kittyjimjams. Thanks for the opportunity to write this pairing again, bb!

( Sulu had had big plans for their eighth wedding anniversary. Flowers, a fancy non-replicated dinner, romance, sex. It would have been a night to remember. )

Popped out of my non-writing mood to love on my love-of-all-loves, one Hikaru Sulu.

Have you not seen my pimping? Come play with us! It's a little bit slow over there and there must be more Sulu love! *stomps feet in protest* *gazes moonily at Sulu stills*

I managed four fills! Go me! One really lame fanart and over 3k of fic! \o/

Uhura and Sulu have a contest to see who can handle the spiciest food. prompt by igrockspock ( It's Always a Challenge, Sulu/Uhura )

Sulu has an in-universe fan club. prompt by mercaque ( Sulu and the Fangirls )

The gif of ultimate John Cho adorability (i.e. this) prompt by tresa_cho ( untitled: how cute is that John Cho gif?! Sulu/Kirk )

I would love to see a bashful courtship between McCoy and Sulu. :-) prompt by secretsolitaire ( Bashful Courtship, Sulu/McCoy )

Title: How To Save a Life
Author katmarajade
Character(s): Percy Weasley, Penelope Clearwater
Rating: PG
Wordcount: 9300
Warnings (if any): mildly angsty peril and a fair bit of wackiness
Summary: When George contracts a terrible wizarding illness, Percy vows to do whatever it takes to save his life. He runs into an old friend, and together they travel clear across the world, encountering obstacles both dangerous and ridiculous along the way, to bring home a cure.
Author's/Artist’s Notes (if any): Written for springtime_gen. I had so much fun with Percy throughout this—there's just so much more to him than people seem to think! The prompt of treasure hunting got me started and just snowballed from there. Thank you to my glorious betas, aigooism (who has an eye for finding all of my typos) and tree00faery (who never lets me get away with anything)

( How To Save a Life )

Title: Born This Way
Author: katmarajade
Rating: 5 drabbles spanning from PG-R
Written For: Team Gaila's Triathlon entry at st_respect 's Ship Olympics. These are 5 drabbles  (each around 500 words) that I wrote for an 11-drabble acrostic (BORN THIS WAY)
Pairings: Gaila/Kirk, Gaila/Scotty, Gaila/Cupcake, Gaila/Sulu, Gen: Gaila & her mother
Warnings: Mentions of slavery and other horrible things (nothing graphic), a bit of sex
Notes: If you like this, please check out the entire drabble acrostic (~5k and some just gorgeous writing) plus gorgeous artwork and vids here I just wanted to post my part at my journal for archiving purposes. I kept the cross-stitched letters that we posted it with originally here. They were done by ladymac111

Gaila/Kirk, PG-13, angsty references to slavery (Orion) and genocide/starvation (Tarsus IV)
( The first time that Gaila saw Jim Kirk, he was getting pummeled in a bar fight ... )

Gaila/Scotty, PG-13, post red-alert adrenaline-fueled sexiness
( Gaila turned to Scotty, eyes wide and blazing, and yanked him out of his chair. )

Gaila/Cupcake, R, sex, minor angst
( Inside his private quarters the Lieutenant Commander known as Cupcake was an entirely different person ... )

Gaila/Sulu, PG, adorably smitten Sulu shows new-to-Earth Gaila San Francisco like only a native could
( San Francisco was glorious. She'd been in awe of the colors and smells and just the feel of it since stepping off the transport ship. )


Character piece of young Gaila and her mother while on Orion, based on the lyrics: My mama told me when I was young, we are all born superstars/ she rolled my hair and put my lipstick on in the glass of her beaudoir/ there's nothing wrong with loving who you are, she said, 'cause He made you perfect, babe/ so hold your head up girl and you'll go far, listen to me when I say ..., PG, non-specific mentions of slavery, Gaila's mother encourages her to get away from Orion.

I'm really proud of this piece and of how it really pulled this song-based entry together. /self-pimp
( Years ago, on a space station orbiting the planet Orion, a woman brushed her young daughter's long, red curls and wondered, not for the first time, how something so beautiful, so precious could have been created by her. )

What to do when the world is crappy and getting you down? Pour yourself a cup of tea and break out the fanfic! I've read some truly amazing stories recently, and there have been so many great female-centric stories. I read a lot of slash, but recently I've really been craving female main characters. Here are a few incredible fics that I rec with a crazy amount of fangirl glee. Go, read, enjoy, and remember just how fucking amazing women are. (A lot of these have been recced recently at crack_broom or other comms, but I know that not everyone has seen these, so ...)

HARRY POTTER:

Five Stories About Gwenog Jones by snegurochka_lee (PG-13, Gwenog Jones) Gwenog Jones is a Beater, a woman, a Slytherin, and she loves to fly – not necessarily in that order. She's not afraid of very much in this world, because she's never found very much to be afraid of. And yeah, for the record, she could kick your arse. There is nothing about this fic that I didn't love. She's amazing, stubborn, as un-public-relations-friendly as can possibly be, and she's gonna fly ... no matter if there's a war going down, no matter if they say she can't, no matter what. There needs to be more Gwenog fic.

And For Some, Life is Only Ordinary (or, why Petunia chose Vernon) by luvscharlie (R) (Petunia-centric, contains James/Lily, Sirius/Petunia, and Vernon/Petunia) This story stole my soul and broke my heart into a million pieces. I ached for Petunia, who explains with perfect clarity how it feels to be the plain sister, always dull and overlooked next to beautiful, shining, brilliant, fiery Lily, without ever becoming overly maudlin or self-pitying. It's the matter-of-factness that kills me. Petunia is a character who gets written off so easily and turned into a one-dimensional villain so often. It's understandable, considering what JKR gives us about her, but there has to be more to her. And the little hints that JKR did give us, how Petunia longed to be like Lily-- special, pretty, loved... this Petunia is how I will ALWAYS think of her now. I want to cuddle her and tell her that she is beautiful and special and wonderful and loved. And my heart will ache forever for this character and for every girl and every woman who feels like this. Please read this. It's heartbreaking and beautiful and one of my favorite character pieces I've ever read. i love when authors can take unlikable characters and completely change all my preconceptions about them.

Oral History by acadine (PG, Padma Patil, could be read as Padma/Cho if you squint a lot) This fic is super old-- like from back when HP fanfic was just emerging. I only just discovered it. Padma is so wonderfully and perfectly Ravenclaw and she grows frustrated with the curriculum at Hogwarts being so white-male-Euro-centric and takes it upon herself to learn about what they aren't teaching her. It's lovely, well-written, insightful, and brings up a lot of great points. And though it's short, there's a lot to it. Definitely worth a read.

Ex Libris by ldymusyc (G, Irma Pince) One possible explanation, via the Trousers of Time, I assume, for what might have happened to the books at Hogwarts during the year of the Carrows. This is a teeny little fic that is gorgeously written and captures Madam Pince, the librarian of Hogwarts, so perfectly. Even if you have no interest in her whatsoever, take a moment and read this. It's 550 words and every word is beautifully chosen and it's such a fantastic premise. It's a bit of a crossover of sorts, but I'm not at all familiar with the other 'verse and that didn't detract from this fic in the least. Read this: for the under-appreciated Madam Pince, for the gorgeous language, for the brilliant storyline, for the beautiful world-building. Worth every word. Go, go, go!

Margarita: A Story by inkvoices (PG-13, Rita Skeeter) The story of Rita Skeeter-- where she starts and how she ends up who she is. Delightful-- especially the ending. Again, I love when authors make me like characters that are rather unlikable in canon. Yes, please!

STAR TREK:

More Important Than the Stars by igrockspock (PG, Joanna McCoy) Dreading her mother's second marriage, a young Joanna hatches a secret plot to visit her father on the Enterprise. Teenage Joanna is so likable here, which is lovely. She's bright and self-assured and sweetly naive and genuinely enjoyable. I love the stories about her life growing up with her mom and their whimsical girls-only lifestyle and how she reacts to Jocelyn remarrying and the changes it brings. The details about her relationship with her father and the world of the family of Starfleet members are beautifully constructed and kinda broke my heart. Sweet and fun and touching.

Tiny Pushes by velvetmouse (PG-13, Janice Rand) Being a yeoman often means an awful lot of work without very much respect or appreciation. But sometimes, just sometimes, people surprise you. Five notable events in the life of Janice Rand. I love this look into Janice and the life of a yeoman. Brilliant, inspiring, and made me grin. It's great to see people appreciate the people in the background who make everything happen. Yes, please! Damn, I love Janice.