A few more ficinabox recs, sneaking in before reveals!

Discworld
Death and the Maiden
Death & Ysabell, 2597 words
Loved the dry & funny narration in this, so many great lines. Death and Ysabell's relationship as she grows up.

Duchess of Ankh
Sylbil Ramkin, cocktail recipe
Very fun and tasty cocktail inspired by Sybil and her dragons (somehow both fiery and damp).

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
Tombs of Riches
ensemble, 2407 words
Canon-typical adventuring! This is super fun and funny, with great ensemble banter.

About That Drink
Edgin/Xenk, 3110 words
Fantastic character voices in this! Xenk drops in to check on Edgin. Loved this get-together for them.

The Mummy
What Worlds We've Been (What Dreams We'll Be)
Evy/Rick/Ardeth & Jonathan, 3857 words
Canon-typical adventure-with-a-mummy shenanigans. Delightfully fun voices, and loved how they put this mummy's spirit to rest!

Original Work
Mastermind
Art Thief/Second Art Thief Who Stole the Art First (m/m), 7417 words
Multimedia story told in newspaper articles! Really fun to watch the art thief romance unfold behind the text. Loved the faux Globe and Mail headings and graphics!

At the precipice
Professional Athlete/His Ex-Girlfriend's Ex-Boyfriend, 4045 words
"A gently persuasive shipping manifesto." Romance between a hockey player and a journalist/podcaster told through a shipping manifesto. Love the inclusion of podcast transcripts and interview quotes, accompanied by fannish interpretations and speculation. Delightful! I'm convinced. ;D

How to Do a Coup: An Informational Guide by Chang Calpurnia
Man Who Thinks He's In A Consensual Arranged Marriage/Man Given As Tribute Who Doesn't Speak The Local Language Well And Thinks He Is Property, 12,953 words
omg, this is a delight! SO funny, such a romp, and I loved both characters to bits by the end. A traumatized, grouchy himbo plotting escape and/or murder, and an earnest prince who's enamoured with his new husband. Culture clash, language barriers, hurt/comfort, forced to work together to survive, hot air balloon adventures - this has it all.

Red Sonja (2025)
i said farewell (i meant don't go)
Sonja/Petra, 7364 words
Post-canon adventure + get-together - Petra joins Sonja on her journey. Love how this shows off their dynamic. Very hot, and delightfully tropey!

Wonder Woman (DCEU)
a song heart-faint and far
Diana/Barbara Minerva, 5281 words
Post-Wonder Woman 1984. Great Barbara voice! An ancient ritual results in soul bonding, because of course it does. Loved this.

Sharing a few gems that I've loved from the ficinabox exchange. Crossposting to womansplace for their rec_cember reccing event!

All creators are still anonymous!

we can get a little restless [art]
DC Comics, Diana, SFW (but a bit suggestive)
Really vibrant, colourful style! A pin-up style pose, fabulously flirty.

the whisperings and the champagnes and the stars [fic]
Andor (TV), Kleya Marki/Vel Sartha, rated M
This is outstanding, and pulls no punches! Excellent dialogue and characterization, and smolderingly hot but spiky chemistry between them.

the Fairy and the Human [art + card game reskin + plushie pattern]
Original Work, Fairy Queen/Young Woman Who Unwittingly Entered Her Realm, rated G
Gorgeous! This link goes to the first chapter which is stunning art of the queen and the young woman, with really lovely composition and beautiful colours and textures. But the creator has also created an entire reskinned board game with fairyland creatures, a cute sticker set, and even a small plushie pattern. I'm overwhelmed by the creativity, so cool!

As always, I'm having a great time with ficinabox, but there's still SO much of the collection that I haven't even glanced at. But I received an array of fabulous gifts, in a mix of fandoms and mediums!

Stranger Things
[fic] Jocks Are Weird (But Maybe Not That Weird?)
Steve/Eddie, 5071 words, rated E
Skinnydipping, jerk-off bets, mutual masturbation! Eddie is oblivious/disbelieving, Steve is trying really hard to seduce him. Delightful iddy premise, very fun and hot.

[fic] Hello, From Camp Winona Lake
Steve/Eddie, 6129 words, rated G
Epistolary! Twelve-year-old Eddie writes letters to Wayne from summer camp. Love young Eddie's letter-writing style! And clutching my heart over the ambiguity of the ending.

Original Work
[fic] No Shade in Shadow
Sensible Hedge Witch/Lonely Court Sorceress, 3890 words, rated G
Really lovely prose in this one! Fascinating glimpses of magic worldbuilding (tethered demons!), and a focus on a prickly, complex relationship where two very different people end up working together. Loved this very much.

[fic + logic puzzle] the love life project
Librarian in a Magic Library/Witch, 1771 words + puzzle, rated T
A librarian helps her crush figure out which book had the potion recipe she'd looking for. So charming!! The frame story is super cute, full of flirting and pining and love potions, and the puzzle is well-designed and satisfying.

[fic + logic puzzle] the search for moth man
Nobleman/Mysterious Man He Danced with at a Masquerade Ball Who Never Gave His Name, 3234 words, rated G
A pining young man and his sister work together to figure out which of the attendees at the recent masquerade he danced with! Such a delightful set-up for a puzzle! I really loved the siblings' banter and the society gossip that allowed for the clues to emerge. The puzzle was a bit tricky, which made it especially satisfying to solve. :D

These episodes dropped during a busy time, so I'm only now caught up. ( Spoilers behind the cut )