this, too, is problematic yuri

wearing out, asymptotically, to the absolute zero by cryptologicalMystic
T, Madoka Magica, Hitomi-centric, ≤1k
In one timeline, Hitomi was brought along for the ill-fated attempt to restore Miki Sayaka from her witch. This was a spectacularly bad idea, but not entirely for the reasons you'd assume.

Acting Accordingly by nasimwrites
T, Narnia, Susan & OFC, 2k
Taking on a new position was already challenging. But replacing Miss Pevensie — well, that was an entirely different sort of challenge.

I Die Because I Do Not Die by Masu_Trout
T, Madoka Magica, Homura/Madoka, 2k
Years later, the goddess Madoka visits her most devoted follower.

make her heart your heart by ODed_on_jingle_jangle
M, Dare Me, Addy/Colette, 3k
Coach’s lips only skim over Addy’s, a brief butterfly brush that’s over in the blink of an eye. Addy almost thinks she imagined it but when Coach sits up, she winks down at her. Sarge Will takes another sip of his beer, none the wiser.

Addy laughs.

Addy tips her head back until she can feel the pine needles poking into her scalp and laughs like a loon at Sarge Will’s oblivious stupidity, at Coach’s blasé bad bitch attitude, at her own foolish desire to spring up right now and kiss Coach back so hard it makes her head spin.

Untethered by draculard
T, Danny Phantom, Vlad & Danny, 1k
There was a dead boy on Vlad Masters' doorstep.

this is technically an abandoned wip, but it ends satisfyingly enough for me.

Surfacing by JaneD2
G, Star Trek: The Original Series, Kirk & Spock, 80k
“The retraining of your mind has been in the Vulcan way, so you may not understand feelings. But as my son, you have them. They will surface.” (Set between “The Voyage Home” and “The Final Frontier”)

i'm almost at a loss for words with this one. i think the author understands the characters in a way that is truly rare. also, much as it's tagged k&s, there's ample triumvirate, which, as a bones fan, pleases me greatly.

Blossom rising delicate by Syrena_of_the_lake
E, Narnia, Susan/OFCs, 2k
Then and now, Susan positively blossoms in spring – along with the Lilacs.

it's queen susan + dryad orgy, and it is a deft weave of poetic and hot.

some bite-sized (and one not-so-bite-sized) recs from candyheartsex:
 

docile, unkind, fraught
T, The Locked Tomb, Harrow/Ianthe, 2k
By the time you returned to Ianthe’s room from another practice session for Ortus the First’s ill-advised murder, it was late, or the Mithraeum’s moorless definition of late.

Or: Ianthe invents intricate rituals to touch Harrow. Harrow has a twisty time about it.

i love when TLT works go the extra mile to pastiche muir’s style, and this, i think, is a very successful example of that. ianthe is just the right combination of terrifying and pathetic and sensual and gooey, too.

Embrace
T, Annihilation, Lena/Ventress, <1k
The final encounter of Lena and Dr. Ventress goes a little differently.

beautiful, romantic, transcendental body horror. lovely language.

shut up and dance
M, Star Trek, Seven/B’Elanna, <1k
“B’Elanna says that sometimes, you just have to go with your gut. So Seven goes with her gut the first time they kiss.”

Seven and B’Elanna embark on a whole new stage of their relationship.

a little peak into how b7 might happen post-series. such nicely-rendered character voices in so few words. i’d love to see more of this ‘verse, but i'll have to be content with what i've been given!

Rewarding Her
NR, Sailor Moon, Usagi/Haruka, <1k
"Is this why you wanna hang out, kitten? To avoid your study group?"

haruka is smooth and usagi is adorable and everything about the interaction is just so very them.

The first time of many to come
G, Star Trek, Janeway & Tuvok, <1k
It was an irrefutable fact that humans were a tactile species, and after many years of working alongside them, Tuvok was more aware of it than he personally cared to be.

i love tuvok's thoughtfulness, and his willingness to try to reach out to janeway in a way that's unfamiliar for his species speaks, i think, to the sort of vulcan who would choose to become a starfleet officer.

say whatever we think actions are
T, The Good Place, Janet & the humans, 1k
Good Place Reboot #185, from Janet's POV: Tahani watched the paddle of platypuses circle one of the tables. “Janet, can you help rescue my guests? This is such a fiasco. It's the surprise party I organized for Tom Hiddleston’s cat in 2014 all over again.”

good janet characterization & good humor. i love when a sitcom fic manages to be funny in the same way that the show is.

糸吉 / t i e
G, Hunter X Hunter, Alluka & Killua, Killua & Illumi, art
Braiding a sibling’s hair — how wholesome and normal!

this artist has such a soft, round, comforting style, with excellent use of color.

towery city amongst the stars
T, The Locked Tomb, John-centric, 7k
On the third day, God raised the Mithraeum from the waters. This made a swarm of ghosts very angry, and the Eighth Saint privately regarded it as a very bad move, but she kept quiet about it.

Or: John tries to keep his looming mid-dismyriad crisis at bay, with varying results. Featuring awkward father-daughter bonding and Cohort gossip; Sarpedon is also there.

i'm running out of steam on commentary, but know i put this one last because it's my favorite of the bunch, and i wanted to take full advantage of final-position bias. every character's pov on john feels IC. i'm simultaneously like - god, i hate this guy, but i'm so charmed by him, which is nail-on-the-head for him, i think. (and that gideon pov at the end! my heart!)

here are december's recs, in no special order:

Peep by scioscribe 
M, Bunny, Samantha/Caroline-ish, 1k
Samantha makes and decorates a Cupcake.

a yummy little horror thing. bunny was easily in my top 5 favorite books i read this year, so it was fun to find that there's not only fic for it but fic that nails its body horror obsessive fleshy-candy vibes so well.

Now, Who's That Girl? by bold_seer 
G, Mean Girls, Cady/Regina, 200
Math is easy and people are complex, except when it’s the other way around.

bite-sized double drabble for one of my favorite ships ever. i liked this take on a matured regina.

the real banishment is the family we made along the way by scioscribe 
T, MCU, Hela & Loki, 5k
Hela did not ask for company in her sealed-up world, but evidently Odin is economical in containment strategies for his misbegotten children.

not a lot to say except that it's fun and that the characterization is good. they really are two very sad and terrible children, and what they don't have in common is almost as interesting as what they do.

Divide by Two by WildCherryPie
T, MCU, Thor & Loki, 5k
One timeline gets Thor. One timeline gets Loki. (AU having nothing to do with the TV show - see note inside.)

i loved this one, and not just because ghost-memories-of-another-life is one of my favorite ways to do time travel. "who would thor and loki have been without each other?" is an interesting question that requires a solid understanding of the characters to execute, and i think the author nails it.

Art, Love, and other Catastrophes by Pantone 
T, The Devil Wears Prada, Miranda/Andy, 7k
Accidentally, Andy comes out in the June issue of Runway.

probably the funniest and most heartfelt mirandy fic i've read. it feels plausible even amidst a comedy of errors. also, andy has a spine, which is an nonnegotiable prereq for this ship, for me.

Projecting by girlonthelasttrain 
T, Star Trek: Voyager, B'Elanna/Seven, 11k
A dare turns into something more.

this fic successfully turned on my curiosity to B7 (after previously being J7-only, through-and-through). i love the way they communicate in this fic - like, they're clearly adults, but adults with opposed sets of intimacy problems, and a history that both complements and complicates the intimacy that's developing between them. great character voices.