This will be spectacularly scattershot and incomplete, but I really, really wanted to get in a few bits of guesswork prior to reveals.
A Letter From France: ???
This was the gift work written for me, it is extraordinary on both an emotional level and as well-researched history, and any guess I make as to authorship is sheerest throwing-up-hands speculation. There are simply too many newer players or others whose work I haven't seen enough of, and likewise too many excellent veteran contributors in the game. If it's a veteran, my guess would be gardnerhill or rachelindeed, or maybe iwanttnatcoat; if it's a newer writer or someone I've been overlooking, perhaps estelraca or happyeverafter72. (If it turns out to be armchair_elvis, I will thwack myself on the forehead for no reason in particular save "I should have seen that!")
Blood of the Covenant, Water of the Womb: rabidsamfan
As one of the serious Saberhagan fans in the gallery, I can't very well overlook this (really good) story (that is, assuming that I didn't write it...and while I grant that it would be an unlikely work for me to have written given the pairing, whoever did write it has at least as deep a grounding as I do in the Saberhagen canon). This is again a pure guess, rather than any sort of deduction....
conductor of light: rachelindeed
As this round's purest out-and-out fantasy, I think this almost has to be rachelindeed's work (unless, as with others of my guesses, its author is someone new or someone whose work I've paid too little attention to over time). I made the mistake a round or two back of not considering her for a work of somewhat similar tone; this story makes me think of that error, and thus encourages me not to make it again.
Various treats for Basil of Baker Street/Great Mouse Detective: mundungus42 mundungus42 wrote a really, really fascinating Basil/Ratigan fic a round or two back that got quite a bit of attention (and deservedly so). They weren't signed up this round (being very, very busy in RL this yaer), but I have to think a couple of the multiple treats this round have their fingerprints attached.
Coming in at the very last minute....
This will be spectacularly scattershot and incomplete, but I really, really wanted to get in a few bits of guesswork prior to reveals.
A Letter From France: ???
gardnerhill or
rachelindeed, or maybe
iwanttnatcoat; if it's a newer writer or someone I've been overlooking, perhaps
estelraca or
happyeverafter72. (If it turns out to be
armchair_elvis, I will thwack myself on the forehead for no reason in particular save "I should have seen that!")
This was the gift work written for me, it is extraordinary on both an emotional level and as well-researched history, and any guess I make as to authorship is sheerest throwing-up-hands speculation. There are simply too many newer players or others whose work I haven't seen enough of, and likewise too many excellent veteran contributors in the game. If it's a veteran, my guess would be
Blood of the Covenant, Water of the Womb:
rabidsamfan
As one of the serious Saberhagan fans in the gallery, I can't very well overlook this (really good) story (that is, assuming that I didn't write it...and while I grant that it would be an unlikely work for me to have written given the pairing, whoever did write it has at least as deep a grounding as I do in the Saberhagen canon). This is again a pure guess, rather than any sort of deduction....
conductor of light:
rachelindeed
rachelindeed's work (unless, as with others of my guesses, its author is someone new or someone whose work I've paid too little attention to over time). I made the mistake a round or two back of not considering her for a work of somewhat similar tone; this story makes me think of that error, and thus encourages me not to make it again.
As this round's purest out-and-out fantasy, I think this almost has to be
Various treats for Basil of Baker Street/Great Mouse Detective:
mundungus42
mundungus42 wrote a really, really fascinating Basil/Ratigan fic a round or two back that got quite a bit of attention (and deservedly so). They weren't signed up this round (being very, very busy in RL this yaer), but I have to think a couple of the multiple treats this round have their fingerprints attached.
And now to bed....