My Yuletide gift + 1 rec

[geri_chan]

 

This is very embarrassing, but due to having a lot going in real life, I never got around to reccing my Yuletide gift,, which was beautiful and exactly what I wanted, so I will belatedly rec it now and give it the praise that it deserves. 

 

I am also reccing a fic for the Mr. Villain's Day Off manga/anime, which although it was not my gift, it hit all my likes so perfectly that it almost felt like it was written for me!

 

My gift:

 

After Sorrow (1971 words) by Sheliak _

Chapters: 1/1

Fandom: Otoyomegatari | The Bride's Stories

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Relationships: Aigul/Baimat Hergal

Characters: Aigul (Otoyomegatari), Baimat Hergal, Joruk Hergal

Additional Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Marriage

 

Summary: Aigul, after her second marriage.

 

A Bride's Story (the official title for the English version being published in the US by Yen Press) is an historical manga, beautifully and intricately illustrated, depicting life along the Silk Road in the nineteenth century. In vol. 14, I fell in love with the story of Aigul and Baimat. Having won the right to make a marriage alliance (by winning a horse race, which was also thrilling and beautifully drawn), the new chieftain of the Hergal clan and his two kinsmen/friends are allowed to select brides from the Jandiq clan. Having seen Aigul's scarred face and heard the tale of how it had been caused by her abusive first husband, Baimat chooses Aigul. He treats her with respect and compassion, and I admired Aigul's courage in choosing to take a second chance on marriage, and I was moved and touched by the tenderness that is developing between them by their wedding night, even though they were complete strangers until recently.

Ever since then I've been wanting to read more about Aigul and Baimat, and since vol. 15 has yet to be released, I requested fic about them for Yuletide. And my author gave me everything I wanted--a tender, slightly bittersweet but ultimately hopeful story giving us a look at their marriage after the wedding. Aigul has painful memories of her past, and in a slightly different way, so does Baimat--he had two young female cousins who were married off by the late, unlamented Hergal chief to a man who most likely killed them (though it was never proven). In each other, they find love and healing and hope. 

It was a beautiful story, and I encourage you to read it if you've read the manga. And if you haven't read the manga, I highly recommend it! 

 

And here is my other rec, for a much more lighthearted canon and fic:

Preservation Efforts (6230 words) by marksist

Chapters: 1/1

Fandom: 休日のわるものさん | Kyuujitsu no Warumono-san | Mr. Villain's Day Off (Webcomic), 休日のわるものさん | Kyuujitsu no Warumono-san | Mr. Villain's Day Off (Anime)

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Relationships: Akatsuki Red/Shogun

Characters: Shogun (Mr. Villain's Day Off), Akatsuki Red, Rooney (Mr. Villain's Day Off), Souten Blue, Yoiyami Black

Additional Tags: Yuletide, Yuletide 2024, Saving the World, Team Up, Humor, Kissing

Summary:

"They're not here to mine Earth's resources and take over everything like we are," Rooney explained. "They're planet destroyers."

The general shrugged. "So?"

"So," Rooney repeated patiently, "that means when they set their sights on a planet everything is destroyed— citizens, plants, precious metals, and animals."

The general gasped and stood up, slamming his palms onto his desk. "We have to save the pandas!"

The one where the Evil League and the Rangers team up against new alien invaders in order to save the pandas. Or maybe Earth. Whichever.

In the Mr. Villain's Day Off, the titular character is a general for an alien race that is trying to take over the Earth, while a team of Power Ranger type heroes fight to stop them. On his work days, the General is a fearsome villain who battles the Rangers without mercy, but on his days off, he take his relaxation seriously--he eats his favorite human foods, like pork buns and ice cream from the local convenience store, and he loves to go to the zoo to watch the pandas. Apparently the evil homeworld must not have many cute and cuddly animals, because he is completely enthralled by and obsessed with pandas!

On his days off, the General often encounters the Red Ranger, who is kind and brave, but directionally challenged and is always getting lost (like Ryoga from Ranma 1/2). Red is initially prepared to fight, but the General calls a truce, saying he doesn't work on his days off, and even points the lost Red in the right direction. And they end up developing a weird sort of almost-friendship on their days off, and Red refers to the General as "the nice guy from the Evil League." They're so funny and cute together that I ended up shipping them!

This fic, though not written for me, has everything that I could have wanted--the Rangers and the Evil League setting aside their differences to team up against a common enemy, plus shippiness between Red and the General! It's also hilarious, and very much has the feel of the canon manga/anime.