#I associate “...well better than the alternative” with so many of my favourite characters
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I can make any song be about The Character
#sp-rambles#I associate “...well better than the alternative” with so many of my favourite characters#Gee I wonder why
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do you describe a character’s appearance all right away or in pieces?
thanks for all the asks! I'll combine them into one long answer for ya :3
1. do you know how you want the story to end when you start, or are you just stumbling through the figurative wilderness hoping to find a road?
I like to have a vague idea of where it ends at least! I planned The Treewalkers out chapter by chapter and I'm doing the same with its sequel, but otherwise I like to keep the middle flexible so I can rearrange or add or delete things as needed. There's been some one shots where I don't know the ending before writing, tho
3. on a scale of 1-10 how much do you enjoy incorporating romance into the average story?
Depends on if I set out to include romance in it. Unless I start from the beginning with the express purpose of putting romance in a story I typically won't. When I do add romance, tho, I tend to enjoy some established romances bc it's fun writing characters being tender with each other. So maybe a 7 or 8?
of course, if you ask fans of The Royal Ranger, that number would be -5 bc there's been almost zero romance in it so far slghlgh
5. have you ever made a playlist about something you were writing as an elaborate means to procrastinate when you could have been actually writing and if yes drop a link, son
I have not actually! I tend not to associate music with characters or projects because my brain doesn't interpret music in any specific way, it's just kinda there. I'll often turn on instrumental music if I need to write (or at least music that's not in English) so I don't get distracted by words, tho
9. in an ideal world where you’re already super successful and published, would you want to see a tv or movie adaptation of your work? why or why not?
A TV adaptation might be interesting, because it could develop things better with a longer runtime than a movie would. But with the state of the movie/TV industry at the moment I'm not sure how well it would turn out, it seems like everything is all-or-nothing in terms of whether or not it's considered a success and everything gets extended past when it should in the interest of making more sequels so I don't think I'd want that any time soon lol
16. where is your favourite place to write?
I love writing outside, but ultimately as long as I have some natural light I'm good :D
38. how many stories do you work on at one time?
Thaaaaaat depends! If it's one shots I'll work on one at a time. Now that I've got two massive canon rewrites on the go, tho, I work on alternating chapters of them. But if I get a one shot idea I'll typically write that before working more on my multi-chaps because I can get it done quicker
39. are you an avid reader?
Yup!! I've been making a conscious effort to get back into it lately and it's been super relaxing
41. what is the weirdest story idea you’ve ever had.
Either the Ranger's Apprentice log driver AU or librarian AU 🤔
51. share the synopsis of a story you work on that you haven’t published yet
Halt goes back to Clonmel with Will and Horace to see Sean, and meets Sean's wife and daughter. But this won't be a simple family reunion, because there's trouble in Clonmel that threatens the throne...
58. what is the last thing that a fic made you google when you were writing it?
I googled where pike lived for one of my fics! Other than that I'm very regularly googling Irish names or words for things, but I can't remember which of those I did more recently slhgg
64. what is your favourite title for a fic you’ve written?
I'm quite partial to The Royal Ranger, but that's cheating slightly - in the Ranger's Apprentice fandom, the book The Royal Ranger (book 12) is quite divisive with a lot of people really hating it or disliking how it handled certain things, so when I decided to write a fic that the title technically worked for I just went with it lmao. As for original titles, I like The Ward Ghost - it was hard to come up with and I thought up and discarded several titles before settling on it
73. how do you visualise scenes? do you see it like a movie in your head, or do the words just flow?
Thaaaaat also depends! Sometimes I'll get a very clear image of something in my head, but often the faces of characters in the scene are blurry (I suspect I'm mildly faceblind). Often it'll be like witnessing something while a narrator explains what's going on. For most of my life that was how I interacted with the world - going about daily tasks, but narrating in my head as though it was a book - so my writing is just kinda an extension of that
80. do you try to put themes, motifs, messages, morals, etc in your writing? if so, how do you go about it?
Hmmm sorta? I've mostly been doing it with The Royal Ranger, through Halt being autistic. The recurring message regarding him - or, well, regarding characters who interact with him - is that the good characters accommodate and make efforts to understand him, while the bad ones brush off his difficulties and make him mask heavily. I show this with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer (i.e. Halt is shown to be unhappy when forced to mask and happy/relaxed when he can be himself). I don't pay much attention to any morals or themes or anything but if anyone has noticed any, I'd like to hear about what you took away from my works :3
95. do you describe a character’s appearance all right away or in pieces?
Mostly right away! Sometimes I'll give a basic description early on and then flesh it out a ta time when it flows better in the story, tho
Link to the ask game if you want to play!
#asks#ask games#fic writer ask game#thanks for all the questions!!#tumblr crashed the first time I tried to post this ToT
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The Grishaverse Ship Survey Results
So! After all of that, we finally have the results! What is the general opinion on the ships in the Grishaverse? Well, that’s for you to read below! It’s actually pretty interesting and, while some parts make sense, there were definitely some parts which... surprised me... Anyway, onto the results!
Everything in this post can be split into:
The Grisha Trilogy
Six Of Crows Duology
The Nikolai Series
Shadow and Bone: TV Series
Most Enjoyed Ships
Least Enjoyed Ships
Crack Ships and Shipping Discourse
Notes from the Survey
(note from mod emily: i tried to bold all of fritz’ comments, but i might have missed a few! be aware there are two of us analysing here :))
The Grisha Trilogy
The first book series we asked about was, of course, the first chronologically: the Grisha Trilogy. The most popular ship, with 83% voters for this series selecting this, was Genya/David (Fritz was glad to hear that; Yes I am). This is likely due to the lack of alternate romantic interests in the series, which seems to be a major issue for Alina’s ships. It also seems to be one genuinely enjoyed by most fans, in contrast to Darkling/Alina and Mal/Alina (each around 30%) and Nikolai/Alina (just under 20%), for which I have definitely seen plenty of debate. The second and third most popular ships for this series were Tamar/Nadia (55%) and Nikolai/Zoya (47%). Interestingly, Genya/Alina (43%) and Zoya/Alina (30%) ranked surprisingly high, especially considering how few of my friends and associates I hear talking about them. Good for them!
Honourable mentions:
Alina/Sun (no doubt inspired by that crack fic I wrote a while back) (Still havent read that out of fear)
Alina alone (a common concept among those surveyed, though most mentioned it later)
Zoya/Genya or Alina/Zoya/Genya
Six Of Crows Duology
This series was a little less divided, I would say. Predictably, Kaz/Inej came out on top with a whopping 96% of voters (:relieved:), with Wylan/Jesper next (90%) and Nina/Matthias just after (83%). None of the others really came close, despite Nina/Inej gathering 35% of the votes and Colm/Aditi at 25% (yeah, I’m not sure why that was so popular on AO3 either, but nobody really has objections so I assume that’s why it amassed so many votes). As Six of Crows is decidedly less divisive about ships and doesn’t have such controversial ships (more on that later), it seems the fandom agrees with canon pairings and the votes are... pretty unanimous.
Honourable Mentions:
Jesper/Wylan/Kuwei
Polycrows (platonic or romantic)
Kaz/Inej/Nina
Whoever didn’t read the instruction about this being for only the book series and put Jesper/Milo. I will never escape.
The Nikolai Series
This one is a little harder for me because I actually haven’t read this... so over to Fritz for analysis! But first, the stats. At 85%, the most popular ship is Genya/David, followed by Zoya/Nikolai at 77%. Tamar/Nadia and Nina/Hanne draw at 61.5% and Nina/Matthias has 56% voters onboard. There’s no real honourable mentions for this one, sadly.
Hello Fritz here! Read the books and very glad to see Genya/David as the top ship as it damn well should. Although still a bit surprising since its more of a side-arc of the two and only ties in with the importance of the story at a specific chapter that I feel like I don’t need to elaborate about, if you read Rule of Wolves. (I believe the popularity of the ship also sky-rocketed due to ROW)
Following of course Zoya/Nikolai, the high ranking makes sense, it is the main ship and lets be honest they deserve it <3
I think the only really surprising thing about this is the high votes for Nina/Matthias since [SPOILERS CROOKED KINGDOM] he’s dead so I feel like people should move on from that. Nina/“Hanne” having not as high a ranking as I would’ve thought, but with Matthias still being in the frame I guess we shouldn’t be surprised either.
Shadow and Bone: TV Series
This one is really interesting, with the exclusive show watchers now taking part! We have 89% voting for Kaz/Inej, 76% for David/Genya, 71% for Matthias/Nina, 67% for Ivan/Fedyor (that’s a thing???-->Yeah they had a few somewhat sweet interactions in the background-->nvm i watched it you’re right fritz) and 62% for Mal/Alina. What’s really surprising is how high Malina is compared to Darklina, with Darkling/Alina at 36%. Who knows, maybe Fritz’ analysis can shed some light on this?
Yes yes Fritz to the rescue: First of all we have to see their interactions a little different from what we already knew of them by the end of episode 8. I still think it is a surprising number, since the Darkling in the show isn’t as nasty as he was in the books BUT over all his actions are now seen on TV. We all thought the deer antlers were a necklace amirite? Well no apparently not, the darkling used the worst kind of small science to fit Alinas collarbone to the bone and out comes a gruesome sight: a reason why many people might have started thinking: Wow what a disgusting person he is. And on the Malina “ship”: Mal finally has personality!! jkjk :eyes: Mals and Alinas friendship has been portrayed way better in the show and I believe that the people noticed more chemistry between them especially by the end of season 1. So I’m still a little surprised Darklina has such a low ranking (what with him being all sweet and cuddly in the middle of the show) but it makes sense and the Malina ship as well. Their vibes are just *chefs kiss* and thats coming from someone who didnt even like any of these “ships” <3
Loving the quotation marks for the word ‘ships’, Fritz. Over to the honourable mentions!
Honourable Mentions:
Jesper and Milo (isn’t milo a goat? guys, why?)
Nadia/Marie (huh that didn’t appear anywhere else)
One person had several - Kaz/Inej/Jesper, Dubrov/Mikhael, Dubrov/Mikhael/Mal - and yeah, you can really see the show differences in these mentions right? (whose dubrov...and whose mikhael...)
16% actually voted for Inej/Alina which is wild to me because of book context (they did have chemistry in the show tho :cowboi_smirk:)
Another person with several! We have Nina/Inej, Genya/Alina, Zoya/Alina, Zoya/Genya/Alina. Very sapphic. Good for you.
Kaz/Jesper and Nina/Inej all in one
That’s a lot of honour and mentions but it’s so interesting to me and I think you should see too
Most Enjoyed Ships
The most enjoyed ship was Kaz/Inej. This had unparalleled support, being at 35%. Jesper/Wylan, which was next on the list (23.5%) and Nina/Matthias (18%) were also pretty popular. Most of the others were quite low, though interestingly Mal/Alina only had 1 vote (plus one for the show version). Overall, the SoC ships were a lot more popular in this section, which makes sense - this part is really about your favourite ship, and those were more unanimous in the last sections.
Least Enjoyed Ships
Most people said Darkling/Alina, which got 47% of the NOTP votes. A lot more people disliked Darkling/Alina than liked Kaz/Inej. Make of that what you will, but I take it as a somewhat general agreement among many of you guys. Mal/Alina was also strongly disliked at 22%, but around a half or more of these were clarified to be about the book version of the ship specifically. They really must’ve upgraded in the show! Jesper/Kuwei and any other Darkling ships were also voted by a few, but all of these pale in comparison to the anti-Darklina votes.
Shoutout to the person who said Apparat/Anyone. I agree, though it’s not something I thought of before seeing this response. Also one person said they didn’t like the poly ships, which I hope meant just the ones mentioned earlier and not all poly relationships in general... Another shoutout to whoever said Kaz/Heleen, because why did I have to read that. A fun question, all in all!
Crack Ships and Shipping Discourse
I love talking about crack ships, so let’s start with that! This time, I really don’t want to have to count and list because... well, let me show you:
I think that sums up the sheer variety, to be honest. Then again, it would be rude not to mention that the most popular were Jesper/Milo, Darkling/Nikolai and Alina/Sun. (If you’re still confused about that last one, I take full responsibility.)
YES KAZ/KRUGE I SUPPORT!!!
Honourable mention to this:
which was a lot to take in, and:
Now for the discourse. Yep, the part you probably came for.
Actually... maybe you didn’t? Looking at all of these responses, I see a lot of people genuinely don’t care about ship wars and so on, and often enjoyed the books regardless of the romances involved. Quite a few disapproved of the ongoing (though small) wars between Darklina and Malina, and others had a similar line of thinking, saying we should maybe stop focusing so much on it. You guys are right. I know this is a ship survey, and the conclusions should not include that shipping isn’t as important as we make it (Yes it should), but... that’s where it’s at.
And then again, a lot of you guys expressed disapproval for Darkling/Alina, discussing how it is often one-sided and manipulative and overall unhealthy, so I could be completely off with that last one. Some people mentioned that they ship this but as a slightly different version that the one given to us, recognising the flaws of the canon ship.
Someone said they headcanon Tolya as aroace (OMG YES!!). We need more aroace characters, so thank you for that headcanon :) We also have a few gay ships mentioned here, and one person telling us they love Malina. Yes, you’re right - it’s pretty unpopular, it turns out. Someone else said Alina should’ve been single, and I agree, actually!
One person rickrolled me here. Thankfully, Youtube’s ads saved me. *wipes forehead*
I leave you all with this, in the end:
Notes from the Survey
Statistics Stuff:
The top ships were taken from AO3, so some ships may be more focused on in other books and may not provide accurate statistics for an earlier series.
The main circles this was sent around may have had bias as most people are from the same discord server, which has debated these topics in the past. Hence certain ships may have lower-than-average results. In future, this could be improved upon by sending this to other servers and areas of the fandom.
Personal bias may be present in the analysis, though I have tried to minimise this in the more formal sections.
Observations and Notes from Me:
You guys really don’t like Darklina. Or you love it. Usually one or the other. Wow.
Be glad I didn’t talk about any of the cursed ships in this. The things I have seen... (:cowboi_eyes:)
I thought more people would rickroll me, ngl.
What Surprised You Guys:
Kaz/Inej/Jesper
A few of you guys saw some of those cursed ships, and that surprised you. Well, me too!
Nikolai ships being in the TV Show section at all, what with his character not being in the show (yeah what was up with that huh tztz)
Inej/Alina
The existence of The Severed Moon
Darkling/Nikolai(/Alina)
How fun the quiz was :D
Things You Sent Me:
Bee Movie copypasta
“Nobody expects The Spanish Inquisition!”, except via an AO3 link
A fun fact about enzymes! I liked this one
Fic recs for Feriku and Sarai (esp for Wylan/Jesper shippers)
Another rickroll
Nice compliments :) aww you guys
I asked everyone for some kind of placeholder name and never used it. Sorry! But hey, anonymity, right?
Closing Statements
If you got this far (I feel like ive been sitting here for hours), thanks for reading! This was fun to do and I hope you enjoyed all of this too! The survey is still open for anyone who hasn’t done it but wants to. If I get a huge amount of new responses, I might update this post! But for now, adios!
-mod emily (and mod fritz)
#grishaverse#fandom#shipping#shadow and bone#six of crows#nikolai series#king of scars#the grisha trilogy
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This week on Great Albums: one of my favourite “hidden gems” of the mid-1980s, Blancmange’s *Mange Tout* is about as extra and in-your-face as it gets, full of dense arrangements, gender-bending bombast, and musical instruments from Southern Asia.
Welcome to Passionate Reply, and welcome to Great Albums! This time around, I’ll be taking a look at one of my favourite hidden gems from the mid-1980s, the sophomore LP of Blancmange, entitled Mange Tout.
Despite their relative obscurity today, particularly in comparison to many of their contemporaries, Blancmange weren’t total strangers to the pop charts. Their first full-length LP, 1982’s Happy Families, would yield the biggest hit of their career: “Living on the Ceiling,” which peaked at #7.
Music: “Living on the Ceiling”
While it never got to be a chart-topper, “Living on the Ceiling” is still an unforgettable track in its own ways. Perhaps its most distinctive feature is its use of the traditional Indian instruments, the sitar and tabla. While 80s synth-pop is certainly full of Orientalism, most of the references you’ll find are pointing to the Far East, and the perceived aesthetic sophistication and techno-utopian futurism of China and Japan. Aside from certain works of Bill Nelson, Blancmange were pretty much the only ones engaging with South Asian musical themes. Blancmange’s instrumentalist, Stephen Luscombe, grew up in London’s Southall neighbourhood, which had a high population of immigrants from Southern Asia, which led him to a lifelong interest in Indian music. Combined with electronics, it makes for a totally unique sound, which ends up sounding better in practice than it might in theory.
While any time White European musicians turn to alternative cultures as artistic tools, there’s a valid cause for some degree of criticism and concern, there’s also an artsy, left-field un-hipness about Blancmange, who seemingly drew from Indian music not only alone, but purely for sonic enjoyment. Unlike the exotic fantasies spun by groups like Japan, none of Blancmange’s songs seem propelled by any specific idea or ideology about India, but rather seem to tackle common pop themes of love and heartbreak against a seemingly *non sequitur* musical backdrop. While we, as listeners, might have strong associations with particular sounds, this is ultimately more cultural than innate, and there’s really no reason why a composition with Indian instruments must revolve around some theme of “Indian-ness”; it isn’t like people in India don’t also fall in love. However you feel about these influences, the role of Indian instruments is only increased on Mange Tout, where they appear on multiple tracks, including the album’s most successful single, “Don’t Tel Me.”
Music: “Don’t Tell Me”
On Mange Tout tracks like “Don’t Tell Me,” not only do the instruments return, but so do the session musicians who had performed on “Living on the Ceiling”: Deepak Khazanchi, on sitar, and Pandit Dinesh, on the percussion instruments tabla and madal. “Don’t Tell Me” is a track with a lot of pop appeal, lightweight and singable, which makes it a bit surprising that it was actually the final single released from the album. It certainly impresses me that Blancmange managed to create such bubbly and finely tuned pop, given that neither of their core members came from any formal or technical background: Luscombe had had a history in avant-garde music ensembles, and vocalist Neil Arthur became interested in music via the DIY culture of punk. Their first-ever release, the 1980 EP Irene & Mavis, sounds more like Throbbing Gristle than Culture Club, but they somehow managed to arrive at something quite sweet and palatable in the end. That said, it’s also possible for sweet to eventually become too sweet--and this line is provoked on the album’s divisive second single, “That’s Love, That It Is.”
Music: “That’s Love, That It Is”
In contrast to the lighter “Don’t Tell Me,” “That’s Love, That It Is” is utterly bombastic, with a vicious intensity. The instrumentation and production style is dense to the point of being borderline overwhelming. By this point in his life, Stephen Luscombe had recently discovered that he was gay, and his time spent in nightclubs that catered to the gay community provided another pillar of Blancmange’s signature sound: the influence of the queer disco tradition, which is almost certainly the source of this tightly-packed instrumental arrangement style. Blancmange never seem to be mentioned in the same breath as other stars of queer synth-pop like Bronski Beat, Soft Cell, and the Pet Shop Boys, presumably due to the combination of their overall obscurity and the fact that Luscombe was never the face of their band, but I see no reason not to include them in the same pantheon of camp. Speaking of queerness, it’s also worth noting how Blancmange played with gender, particularly on their cover of “The Day Before You Came.”
Music: “The Day Before You Came”
A solid eight years before Erasure’s iconic Abba-Esque, Blancmange offered their own interpretation of an ABBA classic with “The Day Before You Came.” In their hands, it’s a languid dirge, and a meditation on quotidian miseries for which the titular event seems to offer little respite. The unchanged lyrics, portraying the narrator working in an office and watching soap operas at night, are subtly feminine-coded, but the deep and unmistakably masculine voice of vocalist Neil Arthur seems to muddle those connotations. While it is a cover, I’m tempted to sort it into the same tradition as Soft Cell’s “Bedsitter” and the Pet Shop Boys’ “Left To My Own Devices,” as a work which musically elevates the everyday life of a campily self-obsessed character to the sort of melodrama the narrator perceives it to have.
I’ve spent a lot of time praising the instrumental side of their music so far, but it’s also true that Blancmange wouldn’t be Blancmange without Arthur’s contributions. The presence of his rough and untrained voice, with the added gruffness of a Northern accent, draws a line between these tracks and a typical pop production, and he sells us quite successfully on the gloomy, ominous feeling of tracks like “The Day Before You Came” and the album’s lead single, “Blind Vision.”
Music: “Blind Vision”
On the cover of Mange Tout, we find an assortment of seemingly unrelated items, which form a sort of graphic wunderkammer against a pale beige backdrop. Perhaps the best theme that could be assigned to them is that of travel--we see several means of transportation, such as a boat, a motorbike, and an airplane flying above a map, as well as items that can be taken as symbols of exotic locales, such as a North American cactus, and an elephant and Zulu nguni shield from Africa. Only the harp is clearly evocative of music itself--and this instrument won’t even be found on the album! The album’s title, “Mange Tout,” suggests that we are getting “full” Blancmange, or “all of” Blancmange. Taken together, the cover and title seem to imply that this album is stuffed to the brim, and contains a whole world of musical ideas. I would definitely agree that that’s a major motif of the album: it’s audacious, explosive, and free-wheeling. It very much feels like an album that was put together on the back of a first initial success, with a pumped-up budget and bold creative vision, and hence pulls no punches. Perhaps the most compelling feature of Mange Tout, and the primary reason I recommend this album so highly, is its unbridled enthusiasm for what it’s doing. Even in its ostensibly experimental moments, Mange Tout feels not like an album that is “trying” something, but rather one that boldly and assuredly proclaims the things it does, and embraces a kind of “more is more” maximalism.
In hindsight, it’s easy to see Mange Tout as the creative as well as commercial peak of Blancmange’s career. Their follow-up release, 1985’s Believe You Me, is far from the worst album I’ve ever heard, but it definitely doesn’t feel quite the same as the “classic” Blancmange works, adopting a more middle-of-the-road, radio-friendly synth-pop direction, with less of the South Asian influences and experimentation that really set them apart in the saturated synth-pop landscape. While not a work devoid of merit, Believe You Me was a relative commercial dud, and the duo would split soon after, chiefly citing personal and creative differences--though they did have a brief reunion in the early 2010s.
Music: “Lose Your Love”
My favourite track on Mange Tout is “All Things Are Nice,” which, alongside the neo-doo-wop “See the Train,” would be classed as one of the more experimental tracks on the album. Full of tension, “All Things Are Nice” alternates between eerily whispering vocals from Arthur, and a variety of samples from other media--which was still a relatively cutting-edge technique for the time. “All Things Are Nice” is almost certainly the most conceptual track on the album: as samples discuss world war, and Arthur whispers that “we can’t keep up with it,” the song is probably to be interpreted as a commentary on the runaway nature of technology and so-called “progress” in the modern age. The titular assertion that “all things are nice” seems to be ironic--or perhaps it embodies a sheer love of chaos and unpredictability, for their own sake, which would certainly fit the album’s mood. It also feels like it might be a sort of defense of the album itself: like I said, *Mange Tout* is serving us “all of Blancmange,” and isn’t it fun to get to have all of something? That’s everything for today--as always, thanks for listening!
Music: “All Things Are Nice”
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Who Else Will I Have Da-Chao Beans With?
With a brand-new PlayStation 5, lovingly dubbed Seto Kaiba, now in my grasp I was excited to try out Final Fantasy 7 Remake: Intergrade. In particular, the downloadable content (DLC) featuring everyone’s favourite materia hunter: Yuffie Kisaragi. Yes, you heard it right. I suffered through disappointment and numerous attempts of trying to put my name down on a PlayStation 5 waitlist just so that I could play a $30 add-on. I mean, it’s not the first time that I’ve willingly put down money to enjoy more of the story, but it’s a rare occurrence.
With that out of the way, please know that this impression of INTERmission will be filled with spoilers. I know this post won’t go up until August but considering how hard it is to still get consoles, well…you’ve been warned.
In contrast to Cloud’s stoic and no-nonsense attitude, Yuffie is a breath of fresh air. Right from the gates, her narration in a bid to impress the members of Avalanche that aren’t even present is a joy and delight. True, she’s younger than our main character, but she has seen a lot of things. The conflict between Wutai and Shinra back in the good old days of Crisis Core are very much part of the lore in the expanded Final Fantasy 7 universe.
In fact, our favourite puppy of the series, Zack Fair, also got to meet the rising ninja star of Wutai during the conflict.
But I’m getting off-topic. Back to INTERmission.
After traversing the wastelands around Sector 7, Yuffie finally reaches the slums before the plate has fallen. Once she has arrived, she meets up with the members of AVALANCHE. Except, of course, they’re not the ones that we know and love. Enter Zhijie, Nayo, Polk and Billy Bob.
As for Jessie, Biggs and Wedge? All three were located around the slums. Jessie was seated in front of Seventh Heaven (which Yuffie could not enter), Wedge enjoyed the company of many cats and Biggs was idling by not too far from the others. All of them were interactable but their dialogue essentially boiled down to: stop bothering me. I did like, however, being able to play the board game: Fort Condor with at least two of them. AND UTTERLY DESTROYED THEM WHILE I WAS AT IT.
Chadley too, made an appearance – this time offering a battle with Ramuh and also being the GRANDMASTER of the Fort Condor board games.
By the by, the Fort Condor minigame is probably quite reminiscent of the auto-battles that have gained popularity. Three towers to be defended, summonable units…
I’ve never played any of the auto-battles but it does seem fun. For a short while at least. And as a minigame within a game.
Once I had explored the slums to my heart’s content, it was back to the story missions. Enter Sonon. As soon as he appeared, I knew that things would not end well. After all, Yuffie did not have a companion when you met her as an optional side character. And in every other iteration: from Advent Children to Dirge of Cerberus, he was never present.
But though I knew his time would be limited, he brought excellent banter to the adventure and served as an excellent support to Yuffie. Even if the brother-sister connection was a little ham-fisted with Yuffie reminding the warrior of his own sister: Melphi. Still, despite the way the developers bungled the immediate connection, I didn’t mind. Yuffie, after all, was on a mission to nab the greatest and ultimate materia right from under Shinra’s nose.
It is important to know that while not much changes in the way of combat, Yuffie does play quite a bit different from the other main characters. In fact, she can fight both close-up and at range with her ninjutsu arts. Another change to the formula is that you cannot change to Sonon. Only Yuffie can be controlled – though you can give commands to Sonon and have him perform abilities and spells.
Then, of course, there’s also the synergy aspect wherein Sonon and Yuffie would combine their attacks to deal additional damage. It was fun experimenting with the system and showed how versatile the combat system could be.
Once they enjoyed a trip chasing Zhijie to obtain High-D cards that would allow them to slip into Shinra Headquarters, it was back to the slums to see Tifa and Barret return without SOLDIER-boy Cloud Strife. What I loved about this moment was that we also got to see a private conversation between Tifa and Barret that did not feature in the first game or in the Remake run. Seeing the aftermath of Cloud falling down into the slums below and how it had impacted both Tifa and Barret was a great character moment. And it also helped serve to explain the reason why Tifa ended up in Wall Market in the first place.
With that moment out of the way, our heroes Yuffie and Sonon head to Shinra headquarters. As they slip into the elevator, they are joined by Scarlet: Head of Weapons Development. From there, the game becomes a gauntlet of battles. It’s not the most thrilling chapter to experience but it does showcase how well the Wutaians fight and the innate teamwork between Yuffie and Sonon.
This new piece of downloadable content, however, is not satisfied to simply end matters here, however. When Scarlet is defeated (and even in defeat she’s assessing how best to finetune her machines of war), she activates DEEPGROUND. For the first time in a long while, I got to see Weiss the Immaculate and Nero the Sable.
While I may not have played Dirge of Cerberus, I did watch ALL the walkthroughs that I could find on YouTube back in my younger years. I watched Vincent Valentine grapple with his past and finally learn to control the power within.
That aside, the new threat that Nero presented was a challenge. With his arms strapped to his chest in a straitjacket, he reminded me of Anima Aeon from Final Fantasy X. But it was his darkness powerset that gave me all the Kingdom Hearts vibes. If I have to hear ‘Darkness’ again in anything, I think I might have to scream.
Beyond these few nitpick moments, I felt that Sonon’s death was a little overdone. Particularly for a character that had only been fighting beside us for only a few short moments. Don’t get me wrong, the developers tried their best to sell it: the swell in the orchestra, the use of copious flashbacks…
Still, the pain expressed by Yuffie (which was then followed by the Sector 7 plate falling) was enough to sell a bit of the horror.
My only question though is: WHAT IS NERO GOING TO DO WITH SONON’S BODY?
From there, the credits rolled and we caught a glimpse of Yuffie out in the wilds, on a chocobo and humming. As a side note, does everyone know the chocobo theme song? Is it a piece of canonical music within the game universe that is associated with chocobos? Like, is it used in advertisement for chocobos? I NEED TO KNOW!
We also get to see Barret, Tifa, Aerith and Cloud traipsing along on the road to Kalm. Better than that, we see Zack in his alternate dimension reaching the church in the Sector 5 slums, debating how best to reintroduce himself to his fair flower lady. Where is his version of Cloud in all this? Why are there so many people in the church? How does this whole dimension/ alternate timeline thing work?
Once again, the Final Fantasy 7 Remake left me with more questions than answers. Though I never played the original, over the years, I had scoured the wiki sites to learn as much as I could. And though I knew the plot beats, the creative directors and script writer have kept things close to the vest – tantalising me with the prospect of what is to come.
I still need a slap fight between Scarlet and Tifa, okay! It had better be in there!
#yuffie kisaragi#final fantasy 7 Remake#Intermission#who else will i have ice cream with?#sonon is xion#final fantasy vii
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A List Of (Mostly TMA) Fic Recs Sorted By Vibe
Not an exhaustive list by any means, just a few favourites that caught my fancy. I shortened many of the summaries for space.
I’m going to pin this here and update it as I go.
Also, I’m pensivetense on ao3
MELANCHOLY VIBES
for when you want to feel comfortably muted
(sad but not utterly bleak endings here)
Hope, Etc. (Dickenson, et al.) by yellow_caballero
Jonathan Sims, six months after the Unknowing, wakes to find himself without a daemon - without humanity, without a soul. It’s a cursed half-life, but existence as a shell without a heart isn’t so bad: between solving the mystery of a persistent illusion cast over his friends and some light pseudo-cannibalism, a life as a monster is better than no life at all. At least, it would be, if it wasn’t for the fucking Owl.
A freaking. Amazing. Daemon au. Ties the lore of Dust with TMA lore very satisfyingly, but is mostly about Jon navigating what it means to be human, or, in the absence of that, a person, and doesn’t require prior knowledge of His Dark Materials. Cannot recommend highly enough.
after one long season of waiting by nuinuijiaojiao
Annabelle is not used to having nice things. or, Annabelle heads to Upton House, muses a little, and gets some well-deserved rest
I love survivalist Annabelle and also the concept of the Web as kind of a horrible Patron, actually.
i love you. I want us both to eat well. by SmallishWormMasterOfTheUniverse
At the safehouse with Martin, Jon decides it's time to quit statements once and for all. The Eye disagrees. Martin just needs Jon to be okay. It's quite possible that nobody is going to get what they want.
Scottish Safehouse Era, Jon and Martin coping with their respective Entities... really, really good.
the friend by doomcountry
He always greets a new spider when he meets it. It’s instinct, born in childhood, the same way he instinctively counts magpies, or flicks salt over his left shoulder. A little harmless superstition. A bit of politesse.
A great Martin character study with eldritch spider horror included. The imagery regularly haunts me (in a good way).
autumn’s rare gift by bee_bro
Annually, the two meet, renewing the binding ritual where it had all started. The procedure simple: a waltz.
Singlehandedly made me ship Gertrude/Agnes so there’s that. It’s so bittersweet and bee_bro’s writing is, as always, incredibly poetic. (I’d recommend everything they write, actually.)
smile, you’re trending by Goodluckdetective
During an encounter with another Avatar of the Eye, Jon faces his past, Martin takes a turn at playing Kill Bill and Basira has a second look at the monster she’s determined to see. For three people associated with the Eye, they could all use some perspective.
Features an original Eye Avatar character who’s a YouTube personality; she is infuriating and inspired and genuinely frightening and I cannot say enough good things.
Humility by The_Lionheart
have you no idea that you're in deep?/i've dreamt about you nearly every night this week,/how many secrets can you keep?
An OC centric story but don’t let that put you off, it’s amazing. Very heavily focused around Jonah Magnus and the other Avatars as they change through the years. Also, I’d die for the OC.
oh, for one sweet second without the eye series by faedemon
Beholding does not like in the way humans do, but it likes its Archivist all the same.
I’m just so fond of the way this is done stylistically. I have a great weakness for dialogue only/dialogue heavy writing, not to mention all of the wonderful character beats and interplay of humanity/inhumanity for Jon and Melanie.
Rewind by WhyNotFly
It takes eight days of forced confinement for Jon to start hallucinating. [...] It’s Martin, though, that his exhausted brain conjures, because of course it’s Martin. After all this time, of course it’s Martin.
Jon willingly allows himself to be confined rather than hunting for statements, and examines his relationship with Martin.
for a firmament series by supaslim
There is beauty in destruction. There is art in becoming. In which Jon becomes the Archive, and the Archive becomes Jon.
Part two posted this morning and uhhh. Good. Also if you’re here for weird eldritch body horror (I am), this one’s for you.
ONES THAT JUST HURT
for when you want to feel sad
(somewhat bleaker endings here/everyone is NOT okay)
Feste by yellow_caballero
If asked, Martin would say that he became the shadow director of the Magnus Institute by accident. But nobody ever asked, and nobody ever cared, and it was in this way that Martin stopped lying to himself. Or: break free, Martin. All you have to lose are your chains. And your sanity.
Oh, this one totally didn’t go the way I expected it to. A study in isolation. Could go into the category above, as the ending is not bleak, but the tone of the whole is somewhat more depressing than most there.
Ghosts of Love by RavenXavier
Nothing made Martin more grounded in the world than yearning for Jonathan Sims.
Lonely!Martin that really captures a sort of visceral ache. Hurts me and yet I keep rereading.
i do desire (we may be better strangers) by godbewithyouihavedone
For ages, it only knew how to worship, taking human bodies and living off the fear of those who remembered. It never knew love until it became Jonathan Sims. Now it must fight against every instinct to save Martin Blackwood. Archivist Sasha, Not!Jon/Martin, and the worst kind of Fake Dating AU.
Oh, this one just made me sad. The poor not!them, which is something I never thought I’d say.
Apple Of Your Eye by fakeCRfan
In which the Eye is fond of Martin. Perhaps a little too fond for comfort.
Somehow manages to be both sweet and horrifying—the characterisation of the Eye is incredible. ‘The Eye loves Martin’ is a scenario that’s so utterly doomed to failure and yet the writing is packed with so much pathos that I just want them all to be happy. A fantastic use of themes of agency and choice, and the single best use of Beholding as a source of horror I’ve read.
The Last Press by copperbadge
Jon Sims is awake, and has begun preparations for the Rite of the Watcher's Crown. Peter Lukas, who woke him, would be content to rule at his side. Martin is very upset about all of this, and the Lukases aren't thrilled with it either.
I really can’t say anything without spoiling the end and it’s so good. An alternate take on the Watcher’s Crown. Not a pairing that I ever thought would work for me, but this made it work.
watch the blood evaporate by 75hearts
It starts, like so many things in Jon’s life have started, with a nagging itch of curiosity. Jonathan Sims uses his healing abilities throughout s4. Read the tags.
Dear God please read the tags. But this is some high quality pain if it’s for you.
the lighthouse series by low_fi
Peter Lukas is a lighthouse keeper. One evening, he gets a call from a cryptic overseer tasked with monitoring his work.
This is such a vivid and yet subtle story—from the setting to the emotions portrayed, it creeps up on you slowly. The ending was like the gentlest possible gut-punch. The sequel just completed, and yeah, just as wonderful. This one is very much LonelyEyes but I listed it here because it is just exquisitely painful.
SATISFYINGLY HOPEFUL VIBES
for when you want to feel cozy
Clutching Daffodils by Gemi
Martin has always liked the idea of love at first sight. It’s such a romantic idea, the whole thing of it. Seeing someone and instantly feeling that strange, twisting feeling deep inside that every single media likes to obsess over. Of knowing you are in love within the day, petals falling from your mouth and warmth filling your chest as love burrows deep, vines twisting through your lungs. He always liked the idea of it. And then Jonathan Sims starts working at the Magnus Institute.
Somehow manages to be lighter and fluffier than most hanahaki fare, despite the setting. I’ve reread this one a lot.
the least he could do by Prim_the_Amazing
Martin should in fact not pick this man, specifically because of how attracted he is to him. It would be the responsible thing to do. Except he’s already following him. And he’s hungry.
Fluffy vampire au which everyone’s probably already read, but was too good not to mention.
rather interesting by bee_bro
Jonah Magnus realizes that, for some reason, when he comes in contact with weed, Elias Bouchard's consciousness will come into his life banging pots and pans.
Oh boy. So these are all favourite fics but this one is a favourite amongst favourites. The way Jonah is characterised (i.e. incredibly sensitive to scrutiny) is my favourite depiction of him, and the slow-burn between him and Elias is far sweeter than it has any right to be. Also, it’s hilarious.
The Magnus Records series by ErinsWorks
In a world parallel to that of the Archives and the Institute, a supernatural sanctuary stands against a cruel and uncaring world: A world of bureaucracy and tyranny, of murder and carnage, of loneliness and surveillence, of plague and death. But in this world of fear and misery, 14 entities born of the hopes of the world have emerged. And one of them has made their home here, at The Magnus Sanctuary. Perhaps, the employees within may lead happier lives than their counterparts did in the Archives.
This is just so goddamn pure. The author writes a really imaginative, fleshed-out alternate world and alternate Entities with engaging, well-written short statements. All of the character voices are absolutely on point, and it’s overall absurdly hopeful without ever feeling overly saccharine. I love this series so much, you guys, you don’t even know. I want to print it out and paste it on my wall. I love it.
HARD APOCALYPSE
for when you want to feel dark and angsty (and eldritch)
Most of these are shorts/oneshots because it’s just that kind of genre, y’know?
Ashes to Ashes by marrowbones
A conversation at the end of the world.
Oliver Banks is one of those minor characters that I am overly attached to. Love him here.
Employee Benefits by equals_eleven_thirds
The Magnus Institute offered some normal employee benefits: a pension plan, holidays, travel subsidies, free lunch on the last Friday of each month. Rosie makes it work.
This manages to hit that perfect sweet spot of satisfying and hilarious. Rosie gets to torment Elias, as she well deserves.
a rose by any other name by Duck_Life
Part of Jon blooms in Jared Hopworth’s garden.
This one was sad and honestly too gentle to really belong in this category, but I love it.
Eye to Eye by Dribbledscribbles
In which Jonah Magnus attempts a post-apocalyptic pep talk.
Unreliable narrator at its finest, and the implications are suitably horrific.
commensalis by doomcountry
The tower is endlessly, impossibly tall, but Jon’s work is taller.
If you’re here for the eldritch imagery, then this has some of the best.
SOFT APOCALYPSE
for when you want to feel gently triumphant
apocalypse how series by sunshine_states
Humanity adjusts. The Entities have Regrets.
Some nice vignettes set in a kinder apocalypse.
ceylon series by Sciosa
The one in which Jonathan Sims decides that no, actually, he isn't going to let the world just end.
I include this only for the sake on completeness, as everyone has no doubt already read it.
rituals by doomcountry
Martin is the first person to knock on the Archivist's door since it arrived, fully, into its little waiting temple. The Archivist saw him coming from down the hall, but decides to feign interest when the knob turns, and Martin—still a little bit smaller, a little more translucent than before—stands uncertainly just outside the room.
This one’s a little less focused on the world at large and more on JonMartin specifically.
we raise it up by savrenim
Jonathan Sims reads a book and saves the world; although maybe the real salvation is the friends he makes along the way; (although perhaps the world itself and the darkness that exists behind it isn't quite as out to get everyone as it seems).
More ‘soft revolution’ than ‘soft apocalypse’, but has the same vibe. A time travel fix-it. Incomplete but worth it if this is a mood that appeals to you.
Scarred Ground by DictionaryWrites
“You see," Elias said softly, "people always have this idea that only living things can be scarred - and they're right, of course. But a building is a living thing, Martin. And the ground can be scarred, too." "I don't have any scars," Martin said. "Yes, you do," Elias said. "You just need the right light to see them.”
Falls somewhere between ‘Apocalypse’ and ‘Soft Apocalyse’ but I’m putting it here because I feel like it. Also technically a LonelyEyes fic. I found it hard to follow at first but it’s worth sticking with; things will eventually begin to make sense and come together.
LONELYEYES
for when you want to feel lonelyeyes
marrying anguish with one last wish by procrastinatingbookworm
In which Elias isn't Orpheus, and Peter isn't Eurydice, but Elias brings Peter home anyway.
Lives in my head rent free forever. My favourite lonelyeyes fic.
ouroboros by Wildehack
“You know,” Jonah says, a muscle in his calf quivering agreeably where it’s slung over Mordechai’s shoulder, “it’s really quite--fortunate--that I don’t care for you at all.”
Oh, this one hurts in the best possible way. The endless cycle of their relationship, the way it comes full-circle... yeah, good. Actually, no, this one might be my favourite. It’s a tie.
Breaking all the Rules by Thedupshadove
Elias proposes a somewhat...unusual wager.
Soft lonelyeyes? In my recs? It’s more likely than you think. Short, sweet, and... sweet.
Threefold by Sprinkledeath
Peter Lukas breaks three rules.
I’m just a slut for mythology allusions I guess.
Luck Be A Lady Tonight by prodigy
In 2014, Elias Bouchard takes a rare trip outside of his comfort zone. Peter Lukas wastes a bunch of money. You'd be surprised how many things can go wrong for two beings of cosmic power.
I love the sense of the history of them you get while reading this.
love is just a word (the idea seems absurd) by kaneklutz
"Something's wrong. It's stopped hurting" An avatar of the Lonely and an avatar of the Beholding walk into a bar relationship. It was bound to blow up in their faces.
Short, sweet, painful. Excellent exploration of their priorities.
Victor by penguistifical
elias tries something with his powers that he hasn't attempted before
The one where Elias tries to raise the dead. Not incredibly LonelyEyes centric but that’s still the pairing.
Simon Says by penguistifical
“Peter asked me to drop by and have a word with you, and, so, here I am.” Simon chuckles at Elias’s disbelieving stare. “Well, he asked in his own way. He’s not a complicated man, you know. He either comes from your arms looking like a stroked cat that’s been given a dish of cream or looking like he’s been in that toy boat of his out in an unexpected storm. He was far angrier than normal, so I daresay you weren’t cream today.”
I mean personally I’d just go ahead and rec all of penguistifical’s LonelyEyes fics but this is a standout for me.
AROMANTIC AND ASPEC MOODS
for when you want to feel Seen
The Aro Archives series by WhyNotFly
These are all just really really good. From Aro!Peter to two different aro-spec versions of the Scottish Safehouse to a long and beautiful aro hanahaki fic, this series is uniformly wonderful. The two Scottish Safehouse ones (Torn Edges and Murky Water) are my comfort fics.
and now all fear gives way by j_quadrifons
Before he can think it through, he murmurs, "Is that what it feels like? Being in love?" Martin's hand stills in his hair and Jon's stomach drops.
This one just. Wow yeah this is how it be. Another absolute comfort fic of mine.
Sweet As Roses by Prim_the_Amazing
Jon takes Martin by the shoulders, leans up on the tips of his toes, and kisses him.
I’m going to be honest—I didn’t know where to put this one. But it ended up here because the real standout of this fic for me is the portrayal of Sasha, and especially her portrayal as an aro character. So I’m putting it here. Mind the content warnings with this one!
HUMOUR
for when you want to feel delight
The Torment of Sebastian Skinner by Urbenmyth
After the Eye's victory, the statement givers are trapped in their horror stories, living them over and over again. Naturally, this works out better for some then for others.
Premise? Delightful. Execution? Fantastic. I read this one to cheer myself up when I’m sad.
Unlucky by VolxdoSioda
Jon’s dice betray him
Short, sweet DnD au, and the reason I cannot get DM!Elias out of my head now.
Voracious by beetl
A bird hits the window. Jon experiences The Flesh's thrall.
“Dead Dove: Do Not Eat” but make it literal.
The Stupid Endings by Urbenmyth
There are a lot of very deeply thought out and creative AUs on this site. These aren't among them. These ones are how the story could have ended, if Jonny Sims was a dumbass.
These are just uniformly hilarious, I cannot recommend them highly enough.
PODCAST CROSSOVERS
for when you want to make one of those “if I had a nickel for every time...” posts
The Sabbatical by morelikeassassin
Nicholas Waters is in need of an all-knowing eldritch entity beyond the confines of human imagining to help with his latest ritual. He'll have to settle for Jonathan Sims, who happens to have nothing better to do.
Crossover with Archive 81 (s3, specifically). Both fun and bittersweet.
The City And Its Sorrows by cuttooth
“What makes you think your friend is in Eskew?” David asks. He feels he can risk the scrutiny of the city that far. “I read that this is a place people end up when they get lost,” says the man. “This is a place people end up,” David agrees./The Archivist comes to Eskew.
Contemplative piece, and I love the way it presents David’s relationship with Eskew, the way he finds it horrible and hates it and yet belongs to it, is almost proud in the way he shows to to Jon. Great little vignette of two people oppressed by eldritch powers, intersecting.
Hiatus by bibliocratic
My name is Jonathan Sims, and I am in Eskew. (Jon gets lost in a Spiral city. It is not as easy as escaping.)
This one is far more focused on Jon than David, and is honestly more Eskew-weird than Spiral-weird. In the best way. Told in Eskew episode style, and is very good.
Sweet Music by Shella688
Eskew has a music to it, if you know how to listen. The percussion beat of thousands of footsteps, the melody in the squealing of the trains overhead. Today, the music of Eskew comes in the form of nine musicians, playing outside my office. My name is David Ward, and I am in Eskew.
Not TMA, but since a lot of Mechs fans go here—this one’s a Mechs/Eskew crossover. Short and simple, mostly David Ward centric, just a little well-written one shot I had to mention because I enjoyed it but it doesn’t have much traffic. Nice portrayal of the Mechs from an outsider’s perspective, and how genuinely strange and frightening they’d come across (especially if you’re already being haunted by and eldritch city). If you like Eskew-style storytelling, check it out!
NOT TMA
...but good enough that I physically cannot make a recs list without including them. Here!
#tma#the magnus archives#fic recs#long post#i'm not kidding you guys it's long#so be warned before you click read more#pinned on my blog
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🙌 Fic Rec Bingo 🙌
Created by @lightveils on Twitter, this sounded like a fun challenge to do - and I’ve managed to fill the whole card with #Malec fics! *In truth, I could’ve used a card for a number of individual writers on their own, but the fics I finally settled on are under the cut! ❤ Enjoy! And show the writers some love! :-))
👇LINKS TO THE 25 FIC RECS BELOW THE CUT 👇
*A FIC YOU LOVE WITHOUT KNOWING THE SOURCE MATERIAL*
✨ Beyond The Sea by @lemonoclefox ✨
Never played BioShock but the underwater city of Rapture was brought to life so vividly here, that it didn’t matter!
*A FIC WITH A PREMISE THAT SHOULDN’T WORK BUT DOES*
✨ How Rare and Beautiful by @glorious-spoon ✨
Having 'our' Malec appear to TWI's Magnus worked wonderfully, thanks to some very clever writing!
* A FIC YOU’VE RE-READ SEVERAL TIMES*
✨ Best Laid Plans by @superficialpeasant ✨
I'll always come back to this DEEPLY satisfying story of intrigue, authority, prejudice, support - and my favourite depiction of bad-ass, hot-as-hell Malec!
*A FIC YOU STILL REMEMBER YEARS LATER*
✨ Home by @otppurefuckingmagic ✨
I read this gem three years ago now, but I still remember the chills I got when the emotional build-up led to a twist that blind-sided me - in the best of ways!
*A COMFORT FIC*
✨ Higher Than The Big Trees by @carmenlire ✨
Getting updates for this lengthy tale, knowing it was only ever going to hit new heights of happiness each time, makes this a real heart-warmer!
*A CATHARTIC FIC*
✨Good Intentions by @alittlebriton ✨
There was only ever one contender for this - an alternative take on what happens after Malec's 3x18 break-up - because chapter 4 had me punching the air over both of them venting their shit!
*A FIC YOU’D PRINT AND PUT ON YOUR BOOKSHELF*
✨ Of Splendour In The Grass by @lecrit ✨
Prejudice, poetry, pining and period Malec, was captured so beautifully here that it deserves to be bound and displayed in pride of place imo!
*A FIC YOU ASSOCIATE WITH A SONG*
✨ Appassionato by @chonideno ✨
Thanks to this fic, I can't hear Liszt's Liebestrume No. 3 in A flat without thinking of Alec hitting all the right notes with his music-loving neighbour!
*A FIC THAT INSPIRES YOU*
✨Thousands Upon Thousands Made An Ocean by @ohlafraise✨
This emotional fic was a lesson in how to have a story pack a punch into less than 800 well-chosen words! Still hurts, even now!
*A FIC THAT BROUGHT YOU ON BOARD A NEW SHIP*
✨Lasă-mă să stau (Let Me Stay) by @superficialpeasant ✨
An absorbing one-shot relating to the writer’s Best Laid Plans fic, this unexpectedly charming love story between Underhill and Hawkstorm (HawkHill) is the canon I will cling to!
*A FIC YOU WISH COULD BE A MOVIE*
✨ A Dream Of Peace by @ketzwrites ✨
There are some fics too epic in scale and splendour for mere imagination to do them justice, and this historical tale of kingdoms and knights deserves to be watched in technicolor glory!
*A FIC THAT LED TO YOU MAKING FRIENDS WITH THE AUTHOR*
✨ Brooklyn Magic by @the-burning-tiger ✨
I've met so many through their work, but I'm singling out the brilliant,Tigs, here because of our ridiculous descent into poetical exchanges in the latter chapters of this fic - one of my earliest Malec reads! Sending cwtches, T! X
*FREE SPACE - A FIC THAT’S WORTH WAITING FOREVER FOR TO GET AN UPDATE - IT’S THAT GOOD!*
✨Working Hard/Hardly Working by @irisadler (on AO3) & @stupidnephilimlove ✨
I'm currently re-reading this sexually-charged getting-to-REALLY-know-you fic which includes relatable temptation, brilliant humour & a soft, sweet centre - believe it or not! Perfect title, btw!
*A FIC YOU’VE GUSHED ABOUT IN REAL LIFE*
✨Your Name For A Capital by @the-prophet-lemonade✨
This time-travelling tale of repeated love and loss was both rich in detail about Magnus' past and devastatingly bittersweet about what lay ahead in Magnus' future! His heartache made me cry!
*A FIC YOU ASSOCIATE WITH A PLACE*
✨Two Halves Of The End Of The World by @la-muerta✨
Batavia was finally brought to life for me, thanks to @tethysea's enviable talent for world-building, with all the scenic detail and historical references that help enrich the story itself!
*A FIC THAT MADE YOU GASP OUT LOUD*
✨The Right Kind Of Love by @onyxmoon (on AO3)✨
I thought the 'betrayal' at the beginning of this fic was hard to take, but Magnus dealing with the aftermath and his own insecurities was even tougher! Malec learning to communicate is always a balm though!
*A FIC YOU FOUND AT THE RIGHT TIME*
✨Free Of Charge by @lorenzobane✨
Magnus being appreciated and protected by his dedicated and devoted Shadowhunter in this short but seriously sweet fic was precisely what I needed after S1!
*A FIC THAT YOU WOULD READ FIC OF*
✨Lead The Way by @clockworkswans✨
Like a black hole, this Doctor/Companion AU sucked me in, and just like the Tenth Doctor, I didn't want to leave! Such a moving and fantastical journey - I'd love to hear more of their adventures!
*A FIC THAT MADE YOU LAUGH OUT LOUD*
✨Don’t You Wanna Stay by @AlxSteele (on AO3)✨
Enemies to Lovers is a fave trope of mine, and when the stubborn denial and seething dislike is burned away with sexy humour and telling gestures, as in this gem, it's great fun to read!
*A FIC WITH A LINE OR TWO YOU’VE MEMORISED BY HEART*
✨You Who Have Come From My Old Country by @poemsfromthealley✨
"Even so, Magnus loved him, loved him, loved him" - very few writers could persuade me to endure a Malec fic that tells of unbearable loss and suffering - but the touching celebration of their legacy is what I take away from this!
*A FIC THAT GAVE YOU BUTTERFLIES*
✨Body Of Memory by @glorious-spoon✨
This memorable fic about amnesia effectively had S1 Alec being confronted with S3 Alec's reality - and I STILL feel Magnus' fear and Alec's confusion in my bones!
*A FIC THAT EMBODIES SOMETHING YOU VALUE IN LIFE*
✨ Magnus Bane’s School For Young Warlocks by @Miasunrise (on AO3)✨
Alec doing whatever it takes to protect his children is definitely something I can relate to, and this cleverly-crafted fic of finding new family gives depth and character to Max and Raphael!
*A FAVOURITE AU*
✨Walkers Of The Winding Path by @poemsfromthealley
The bewitching combination of mythical monsters, supernatural hunters and this writer’s distinctive way with words means I'm completely under this story's spell! I'll walk this path many times, I think!
*A FIC YOU STAYED UP TOO LATE TO FINISH READING*
✨My Body Is A Cage by @unrestrainedlyexcessive✨
This was me dipping my toe into an AU I wasn't convinced I'd enjoy, but thanks to this writer’s compellingly-quirky storytelling, I couldn't rest before knowing what befell these fated lovers!
*A FIC THAT MADE YOU FEEL SEEN*
✨Beautiful Distraction by @unending-happiness✨
Who better to colour my bespoke fic with every shade of me there is, than my parabatai, Brit! Welcome to my favourite pairing - Malec & Pandemonium! LY, B! ❤😘
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#MyPosts#FicRecBingo#Full card achieved!#Spoilt for choice really!#Malec#FicRec#lightveils#WriterAppreciation#It's important
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Weekend Top Ten #442
Top Ten Transformers Gimmicks
There was a time when I felt that this blog was pretty much wall-to-wall Robots in Disguise. Seems I couldn’t go more than two or three weeks without some list or another ranking my favourite Autobots, Decepticons, issues of the Marvel UK comic, issues of the IDW comic, my favourite artists, my favourite alternate modes, my favourite ways Optimus Prime came back from the dead… basically, what I’m saying is I used to write about Transformers quite a lot.
Recently, though? The last year or two? Not so much in the way of sentient mechanoids round these parts. I think partly this is a result of the ending of the original IDW continuity; whilst the rebooted Transformers comic is good, I must confess it hasn’t grabbed me the way the (for want of a better term) More Than Meets the Eye era did. I don’t think it possibly could; the interweaving continuity, the shared universe, the multi-layered world-building and puzzle-box writing, all combined to form a perfect storm around my most beloved of franchises. Did it go too deep, too dense? Occasionally. Did it end too soon, rushing into a climactic conclusion without the room to allow every plot twist and character death to sufficiently breathe? Yeah, a little. But on the whole it stuck the landing, not too shabby a feat for a galaxy-spanning epic that, under various creators, had managed to tell a more-or-less consistent story (papering over the cracks of several soft reboots) for over a decade at that point. As I’ve written before, I loved that Transformers so hard, it was almost inevitable that whatever came next would suffer by comparison, because by definition it could no longer be my Transformers.
So, yeah, that’s one reason. But another is, it’s been harder to think of things to write about. I’ve talked about favourite characters and stories; where else do I go but the increasingly obscure? However, I wanted to give it a try. Last weekend should have been TF Nation, the delightful Transformers convention held each year in Birmingham. I usually go; I gave last year a miss, but I’d been fully intending to make the trip again this year. And then 2020 happened, being all 2020 in our faces. This is a weekend where I might have shared my favourite moments from TFN! Pictures of cosplay! Of friends and creatives I admire! Of toys I can’t afford! But no; instead I’m watching my wife play Stardew Valley and writing this blog (which, I’ll be honest, is actually quite a pleasant way to spend the time, but let’s not get too deep into the weeds over here). Anyway, to celebrate TF Nation, and the stay-at-home “Big Broadcast of 2020” online show that they put on, I’m returning to the Nucleon Well once again with another Transformers-themed Top Ten.
This week: my favourite Transformers toy gimmicks!
Transformers, of course, are cars and whatnot that turn into robots or what-have-you, but across the years Hasbro has experimented with different modes and features to keep the toys fresh and unique, and also to sell a bunch of new ones to impressionable kids. Some of these are sublime; some, frankly, ridiculous. So this week I will explore my ten favourite ones; my ten favourite sub-brands of the franchise, so to speak. Some of these I think are genuinely fantastic as a concept; some, I just liked because it seemed cool, or was made cool by the fiction; and some are just daft crap that I enjoy. Make of it what you will! I’ve decided, incidentally, to focus on “gimmicks” here as being different modes of transformation, or other associated features, rather than define them by what they turn into. So there are no Insecticons or Dinobots, because whilst bugs and beasts are cool, really those are both normal types of Transformer that turn from one thing into another thing. Make sense?
Good. Now roll the eff out.
Combiners (1985): what’s better than one robot? How about, like, five or six, and they all clip together to form another massive robot? Clipping machines together to make bigger machines seems like a cornerstone of any sufficiently advanced civilisation, and whether we’re talking the complexity of OG combiner Devastator, the hot-swappable fun of the likes of the Aerialbots or Stunticons, or even Dreadwind and Darkwing combining in vehicle mode to form Dreadwing, it’s always great. Plus it makes you want to buy all the toys so you can make the big robot! Everyone’s a winner!
Headmasters (1987): robots whose heads – get this – come off and turn into little robots. What’s not to love? And the little robots (what are the heads) then can sit inside the big robots’ vehicle modes, and, like “drive” them and stuff. Although they had some plot gymnastics to perform to make sense of the fiction (quite why the heads had to be Nebulons and not just other Transformers I don’t know), but as a toy gimmick, they were fab. And that’s before you get to most-wanted Fortress Maximus, whose head turned into a robot whose head turned into a robot.
Pretenders (1988): man, I loved Pretenders, even if the concept outstripped the toys a lot of the time. Basically humanoid shells that hide Transformers, later iterations also allowed for animal shells, vehicle shells, even transforming shells; we got new versions of classic Transformers, and one of the all-time great villains in Thunderwing. All this despite the first lot of toys being bulky and awkward, and the whole idea of “disguising yourself as a thirty-foot human” being somewhat suspect in the first place.
Triple (and more!) Changers (1985): if a robot turning into a thing is cool, then turning into two things must be twice as cool, right? Right! Boggling the mind as to how this chunky figure could also be a car and a helicopter, Triple Changers were great, even if you ended up with a helicopter that really, really looked a lot like a car. Of course, they got bigger and better, with Six Changers, who turned into six different things that all looked a lot like each other.
Powermasters (1988): back to the “Masters” concept of little robots that interact with bigger robots (it’s such a shame Pretenders couldn’t have been “Disguise Masters” or something), the idea that the toys transformation – the big gimmick behind the whole range, remember – is unlocked by an “engine” robot is very cool, the smaller toy acting as a key. A tad clunkier than that, in real life, but still great fun, and of course it brought us one of the best toys of the eighties in Powermaster Optimus Prime.
Targetmasters (1987): robots turning into guns is quite cool, but for me the Targetmasters aren’t quite as successful as their other “Masters” siblings, probably because the guns aren’t quite that exciting to transform or play with. But the concept still rocks, and some of the toys were really good, and it was nice to see the Movie characters get folded into the line too.
Jumpstarters (1985): I loved the original Jumpstarters (Top Spin and Twintwist) because they were weird, with their sci-fi alien designs amidst a sea of Earth vehicles. But their gimmick was they transformed themselves. Pull ‘em back and they jump – literally – from vehicle to robot. Self-transforming Transformers are always cool, even if usually it means that their robot modes end up blocky and simple (Jumpstarters are the opposite, pretty cool robots with chunky and unreal vehicles). Also want to shout out other pull-back-and-go Transformers such as the Battlechargers (never had them, sadly) and the utterly, utterly fantastic Throttlebots. God, I love the Throttlebots. I had all six! How much did I rock.
Cities (1986): I guess now these guys are all called “Titans” aren’t they, and they have their own carved-out portion of the TF mythos. But back in the eighties, they were just big burly dudes, the biggest you could get; Transformers that turned into actual cities, playsets that the smaller Transformers could actually interact with. Metroplex was the OG city-bot, and we’d squint and pretend that he really was Autobot City from The Transformers: The Movie. Huge toys are always fun, of course, as are playsets for your other toys, so these ticket loads of boxes. Fortress Maximus, the later Autobot Headmaster base, was ginormous and never came out in the UK, giving him a mythic status few toys ever had; as I said above his head turned into a robot which had a head that turned into a robot, a sort of Babushka doll of robotic head-swapping. Shout-out too for any bot who had some kind of “base mode”, such as Powermaster Optimus Prime and his funky trailer.
Sparkabots/Firecons (1988): these were not necessarily the most fun toys to transform (the Sparkabots, anyway, I never had a Firecon), but their gimmick was cool – or rather hot. They breathed fire! Well, not really, of course; they sort of shot sparks, in what I thought was a slightly underwhelming fashion even as a seven-year-old. But having a Transformer that could, in some way, fire for real was a huge thrill. Also, Guzzle was always just legitimately cool.
Action Masters (1990): yep, I’m going there. What, did you think I’d have Micromasters on here?! Yeah, okay, the very concept of Transformers that don’t transform is inherently silly and counter-intuitive, but the toys themselves were cool, finally offering cartoon-accurate renditions of classic favourites, with nice articulation and fun vehicle playsets. There was definitely a sad sense of a brand in decline about them, but taken on their own, they were good, fun toys, full of character, and I’ve always thought they’d still be cool as a side-line to the main (actually transforming) toys.
I feel bad for slagging off Micromasters up there. They were good, I suppose, but their small fiddly nature and basic transformation just wasn’t as fun as some other toys. Plus there were so many, and they usually came in sets, so I never really had that same bond with individual characters that I got from other Transformers; they were probably the first toys I owned whose names I forgot. And they felt, even at the time, like such a response to Micro Machines that it was almost embarrassing. Action Masters were probably a response to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles but at least, y’know, Soundwave didn’t come with nunchucks and a skateboard.
Anyway, I think we can all agree, Transformers are cool, and I should write about them even more.
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Fic Rec Bingo
Okie dokie, this is the Fan Rec Bingo - idea courtesy of lightvials on twitter, but I don’t have a twitter that I ever use, so I’m filling it out here instead. Let’s see if I can fill it all out!
I did, and then some. To save poor dashboards, it’s all under the cut! If I know author tumblrs they’ve been mentioned - I know pitifully few so if anyone knows the ones I don’t, let me know so I can mention them, too!
A fic you love without knowing the source material: The Dragon-King’s Temple by Kyral (Stargate SG-1/Avatar the Last Airbender)
Through the spite of the spirits or plain rotten chance, a door that would have been better left untouched has opened. On the other hand, with Fire and Earth as one's allies, sometimes escaping is the easy part.
Rated: Gen. AO3 Archive Warning for Graphic Descriptions of Violence.
Characters: Zuko, Toph Beifong, Janet Fraiser, Sam Carter, Jack O’Neill, and more
Words: 196311. Status: Complete
I very rarely read fics without already knowing the canon, but one that I think counts would be a Stargate/ATLA crossover, because I know nothing about Stargate and I have yet to finish ATLA! This was recommended to me due to the creativity of the author regarding a language barrier (something I always enjoy, and my friend knows that).
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A fic series with a premise that shouldn’t work but it does: Crazy=Genius by blackkat (Bleach/Harry Potter)
Minerva McGonagall isn't about to let Harry go back to the Dursleys after his first year. She finds an alternative, and along the way, Bazzard Black finds that he might have more family left than he'd ever thought.
Rated: Teen. AO3 No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Bazz-B, Harry Potter, and more
Words: 21682. Status: Incomplete
Okay, I cheated and picked a series. Not my fault blackkat decided to make this universe a series of oneshots rather than a single entity and you’re certainly not getting me to only pick one of the five already published ones. Bazz-B being a Black and also kinda a wizard is a brilliant concept, and having him adopting Harry is pure gold. Not sure how crazy Quincy adopting poor, neglected Boy Who Lives works, but it does!
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A fic you’ve reread several times: The Guardian (Director’s Cut) by SGTBrowncoat (Naruto)
Itachi Uchiha receives his first mission in ANBU: protecting a certain trouble making Jinchuriki. He bonds quickly with the boy, but dark forces rise to threaten Itachi, Naruto, and those they care for most.
Rated: T. Canon-typical violence
Characters: Uchiha Itachi, Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Shisui and more (includes Uchiha Itachi/Inuzuka Hana background pairing)
Words: 35945. Status: Complete
Back to my first ever fandom, here, and a really fun non-massacre AU fic, with lots of Itachi and Shisui goodness. There are a fair few ANBU-looking-after-kid-Naruto fics but this is by far my favourite of them! There is a sequel, but unfortunately it’s not finished and hasn’t been updated in a long time (I live in hope!)
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A fic you still remember many years later: While The Ring Went South by Thundera Tiger (Lord of the Rings)
What happened after the Fellowship left Rivendell but before they came down off Caradhras? Behold the missing scenes.
Rated: K+. Canon-typical violence
Characters: Legolas, Gimli, Aragon, Gandalf, the whole Fellowship
Words: 149624. Status: Complete
I refound this fic completely by accident the other week, after first reading it (according to when I favourited it on FFN) in 2011! It was just as amazing as I remembered, and is really the standard I hold all other LotR fics to, especially ones that involve the entire, pre-Moria, Fellowship. It has a sequel but sadly that’s not been updated in some time (but again, I live in hope!)
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A comfort fic: There May Be Some Collateral Damage by metisket (Bleach/Harry Potter)
Ichigo’s been ordered to go undercover at a magic school to bodyguard a kid named Harry Potter, and this would be fine, except that he’s about as good at bodyguarding as he is at magic. And he considers it a good day, magic-wise, if he hasn’t set anything on fire.
Rated: Gen. AO3 No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Kurosaki Ichigo, Harry Potter, Weasley Twins, and more.
Words: 61209. Status: Complete
I have no idea what this means by ‘Comfort Fic’ but if I want a laugh and Umbridge getting a pile of comeuppance, this is definitely the fic I’ll turn to. As the A/N says: ‘sending Ichigo to Hogwarts is basically the same as swinging a wrecking ball directly into the side of the castle’. Beautiful chaos is what we get. Beautiful, beautiful chaos.
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A cathartic fic: See You Again by cookietosser (One Piece)
Rocinante has been through a lot in his life. Adding uncontrollable time travel into the mix? That's just the icing on the cake.
Rated: Teen. AO3 Violence and (canon) Character Death Warnings
Characters: Donquioxte Rocinante|Cora-san, Trafalgar Law, Heart Pirates
Words: 15755. Status: Complete
You want to rip my heart out and trample it into lots of little pieces while still making it all better because Law and Rocinante? Well, this little time-traveller’s wife AU fic is just the one for all that. Sad moments, frustrating moments, happy moments, all wrapped up in this oneshot!
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A fic you’d print and put on your bookshelf: Thrower of the Dart by Vathara (Artemis Fowl/The Avengers)
What might have happened instead of Artemis Fowl book 6, if it'd happened in the Marvel Universe. Megalomaniacs ahoy!
Rated: Teen. AO3 No Archive Warnings
Characters: Artemis Fowl II, Tony Stark, and more
Words: 101272. Status: Complete
It’s long, it’s epic, and it would nestle in perfectly at home alongside my Artemis Fowl books on the bookshelf! It’s not so much a rewrite of book 6 as a complete replacement of it, with a new plot and an all too familiar villain!
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A fic you associate with a song: Goodbye, Brother by Serena Estelle (Bleach)
Ilforte's final moments as I like to picture them-with his brother.
Rated: T. Canonical character death
Characters: Szayelaporro Granz, Yylfordt Granz
Words: 3073. Status: Complete
Might be cheating, because the author actually names a song in their starting A/N, but this definitely brings to mind Exile Vilify by The National, and I fully recommend listening to that (on loop - there is a 10-hour loop version on youtube) as you watch this for maximum tear-jerking effect.
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A fic that inspires you: Magic of the Rose Cross by Awensweth (Harry Potter/D.Gray-Man)
In Harry's 4th year the Triwizard Tournament is brought back to live, but the appearance of a fourth mysterious school about which only Dumbledore seems to know brings new secrets with it for everyone. Who are the students of Rose Cross?
Rated: Mature. AO3 Chose Not To Use Warnings
Characters: Harry Potter, Allen Walker, and more
Words: 66632. Status: Incomplete
I have been inspired by many, many fics, but I chose this one in particular because it was the main one that inspired me to join the HP/DGM Triwizard Tournament wave of the early 2010s - indeed, The Combat School is one of my most popular fics, but without this and other fics of the trope, I probably would never have written it! That’s not to say I’ve copied this fic - aside from the base trope I tried my best to make my own work unique against the others, and hope that I succeeded! Sadly, this fic is incomplete and hasn’t been updated for some time, but it’s still worth a read.
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A fic that brought you on board a new ship: Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell by MsChunks (Boku no Hero Academia)
Uraraka and Bakugo have a secret. It’s not what their classmates think it is.
Rated: Teen. AO3 Chose Not To Use Warnings
Characters: Bakugo Katsuki, Uraraka Ochako
Words: 182478. Status: Complete
Putting Bakugo and Uraraka together was something I’d never considered, and I started this fic with some trepidation after a friend recommended it to me, but said friend has never steered me wrong with fics and didn’t start now! Fake dating, Uraraka actually being badass, the most terrifying couple in class 1-A? That’s this fic.
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A fic you wish could be a movie: Mission Impossible by Loopstagirl (Thunderbirds)
Being selected for his first solo mission should have been exciting for Captain Scott Tracy of the Air Force. But there was something else at play. Something dangerous and deadly. Something that could cost him more than his life.
Rating: T. Warnings: Violence
Characters: Scott Tracy, Gordon Tracy
Words: 55048. Status: Complete
Air Force!Scott? W.A.S.P.!Gordon? On a joint mission together? Yes, gimme, gimme, gimme. Gimme Scott’s awkwardness alone on a boat of WASP personnel, gimme Gordon’s horror when he realises the suicide mission pilot is his older brother, and now give that all to me on screen! And we can’t forget the Hood, of course! Might be a bit higher rating than the current Thunderbirds stuff, but hey, I’m old enough. Gimme.
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A fic that led to you becoming friends with the author: The Gabriel Project by Aceidia (Bleach) - @thetwelvecaesars
When Szayelaporro knew Aizen's reign in Heuco Mundo was coming to a close, he took matters into his own brilliant hands. He reincarnates himself and the other nine Espadas into a new life full of surprising turns and irony. Yet, the harmony and ignorance is not forever as they begin to remember.
Rating: M (violence)
Characters: Szayelaporro Granz, the Espada
Words: 116030. Status: Complete
Well, this fic sparked off a friendship that’s still very much there, even if neither of us write much for Bleach any more! What started off as a challenge to identify who the Espada were turned into essay-length PMs about anything and everything, and then RP groups and now random emails about whatever at random times of the day (different timezones don’t help)!
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A fic you’ve gushed about irl: Living Like Kings by CLynnB (Thunderbirds)
The world wants to know more about the Tracy brothers. So Lady Penelope takes it upon herself to show the world just who they are. Through YouTube.
Rating: Gen. AO3 Author Chose Not To Use Warnings
Characters: Lady Penelope-Creighton-Ward, Tracy Family (background Pen/Ink, Scayo, Virg/Brains)
Words: 35348. Status: Complete
I love social media fics like this one, and my poor boyfriend got the brunt of it while we were on holiday... he knows basically nothing about Thunderbirds except for what he’s heard from me (which is a lot because he’s amazing and lets me gush). I mean, Tracy boys playing “The Floor Is Lava?” and tackling each other to the ground? Gimme.
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A fic you associate with a place: Thunderbirds Meet Thunderbirds - Alan trip in to the movie verse by ak47stylegirl (Thunderbirds) @ak47stylegirl
Crazy stuff always happens to Tracys, don't they? Add felling into a different world to the list.
Rating: Gen. AO3 No Archive Warnings
Characters: Alan Tracy, Tracy Family times two
Words: 25599. Status: Incomplete
This might be a little random, but this fic was one that I found while I was ill on holiday to the Lake District last autumn. Sadly, it’s the only trip there I’ve ever done where I couldn’t climb a single fell (and my car’s clutch burnt out after having to reverse up a pass... thanks bus coming the other way), and this fic’s updates while I was there kept me sane! This has actually very loosely inspired a fic of my own which is in the making - which might get posted in the next year if I’m lucky... Still waiting eagerly for this fic’s next update :D
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A fic that made you gasp out loud: The Colours Of The World by MaiKusakabe (Fullmetal Alchemist/Harry Potter)
When Roy Mustang went to retrieve his eyesight from Truth, he wasn’t expecting to end up doing a job in exchange. It couldn’t even be an easy job, of course, because Edward’s assessment of Truth was a pretty accurate one.
Rating: Mature. AO3 No Archive Warnings (but watch for canon-typical violence)
Characters: Roy Mustang, Albus Dumbledore, Sirius Black, and more
Words: 120578. Status: Incomplete
Badass Roy yesss. Twists and turns and Truth is a pretentious you-know-what but Voldemort’s even worse so where does that leave poor Roy except caught in the middle and very much a war veteran at this point... much to the horror of a few wizards!
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A fic you found at the right time: Seafaring Heartless: Exit North Blue by Avian Swallow (One Piece)
Pirates may be considered evil by the majority, but Law had met quite a few of the world's navy who were corrupt to the core and putting up a very thick facade. He reasoned that if he was going to manipulate and scheme his way into that goal, at least he was going to be honest enough to admit it.
Rating: T. Canon-typical situations
Characters: Trafalgar Law, Bepo, Penguin, Shachi, Heart Pirate OCs
Words: 159644. Status: Complete
Is there ever a ‘wrong time’ to find a fic? (a 100k+ at 4am debatable, but shh). When I craved Heart Pirate content, this fic (and its sequel, still in progress but updating) appeared! Only loosely clings to canon at the moment, thanks to some SBS revelations, but with well developed OCs to fill the faces we have no names or personalities for at the moment!
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A fic that you would read fic of: Only a Boy by Riddle Lee (Harry Potter/Merlin)
Merlin has changed Camelot forever but while that part of his life is complete, destiny has a new task for him. Now he has to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, hide the fact that he's the Merlin, and defeat a Dark Lord that's messing with magic he knows nothing about.
Rating: T. Canon-typical situations
Characters: Merlin, Draco Malfoy, Hermione Granger, and more
Words: 340998. Status: Incomplete
An amazing universe with Slytherin!Merlin, no Harry Potter/Boy Who Lived, and the good old ‘hiding real identity’ trope to underpin the whole series. Currently just into the start of Merlin’s third year at Hogwarts, aka “The Prisoner of Azkaban”. This universe has so much to give, although Riddle Lee is doing a fantastic job at it. It’s incomplete and slow to update but does update!
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A fic that made you laugh out loud: HOW’S THE COMA GOING by ossicle (One Piece)
Kidd and Penguin keep trying to murder each other and Law is done with their shit. He assigns them to take care of each other’s injuries so they’ll learn to get along. It doesn’t work.
Rating: Teen. AO3 No Archive Warnings
Characters: Eustass Kid, Penguin, Trafalgar Law (background KidLaw)
Words: 2062. Status: Complete
Oh this one had me in stitches basically the whole time. Kid’s bedside manner should not be mimicked in the slightest, but a beautiful bonding fic in typical pirate fashion - beat ‘em up ‘til they have your approval. Poor, poor, Law.
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A fic with a line (or two) that you’ve memorised by heart: On Their Side by Gumnut (Thunderbirds) - @gumnut-logic
She trusted these boys with a great deal.
Rating: Teen. AO3 No Warnings Apply
Characters: Colonel Casey, Virgil Tracy, Gordon Tracy
Words: 1116. Status: Complete
I think I have basically the entire thing memorised. This one also falls into several other categories, most notably ones that made me laugh and ones that I’ve reread several times, but it really belongs here on this list.
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A fic that gave you butterflies: it’s a long way forward so trust in me by aloneintherain (Miraculous Ladybug)
Six times Marinette carried Adrien (plus one time he carried her).
Rating: Teen. AO3 No Archive Warnings
Characters: Adrien Agreste|Chat Noir, Marinette Dupain-Cheng|Ladybug (all sides of the love square)
Words: 5611. Status: Complete
Aaah I have a weak spot for strong!Marinette and this fic ticks that box time and time again, with a side of blushing!Adrien and general love-struck Adrien/Chat. I mean, what more could a girl need?
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A fic that embodies something you value in life: Team Itachi by Killer of thy Cookies (Naruto)
What if the Third Hokage stopped the council before they could order Itachi to commit the Uchiha Clan Massacre? Itachi is one of the village's strongest ninja, and has now been given the task of being a Jonin sensei, assigned to Team 7 with his little brother Sasuke, the 'dead last' Naruto Uzumaki, and fangirl Sakura Haruno. This is Team Itachi.
Rating: T. Canon-typical situations
Characters: Uchiha Itachi, Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura, and more
Words: 155092. Status: Complete
(Yup, another non-massacre AU.) Loyalty. Honestly, there are so many fics that have loyalty in them, especially in fandoms like Naruto, where loyalty is a pretty big thing anyway (alongside friendship, of course), but this one is Itachi staying openly loyal to the village because Sarutobi actually saved the clan, and of course lovely bonds between the team!
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A favourite AU: A Son By Any Other Name by carryonstarkid (Thunderbirds)
Cursed as a child, Scott Tracy lives a life in which everyone he encounters must follow all of his given commands.
Rating: Teen. AO3 Chose Not To Use Warnings
Characters: Scott Tracy, Tracy Brothers, Kayo Kyrano, and more
Words: 83429. Status: Complete
I rarely read AU fics - my preferred sandbox is the canon one, or a nice slice of canon diversion, rather than completely taking characters out of their home and dumping them somewhere entirely new. This fairytale AU, however - reminding me very much of Sleeping Beauty except instead of sleeping it’s, well, what the summary says - is fantastically well done and addresses the strain such a thing would put on even the closest of family relationships.
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A fic you stayed up too late to finish reading: As N Approaches Infinity by Corisanna (Bleach/Puella Magi Madoka Magica)
Despairing as yet another timeline goes horribly wrong, Homura wanders into Karakura. There she discovers that while the spiritually-aware people of Karakura were distracted by Ichigo Kurosaki and Xcution, Kyubey had managed to contract the Kurosaki sisters as magical girls. Drawing the attention of the shinigami could be just the advantage Homura needs.
Rating: Teen. AO3 No Archive Warnings but watch out for canon-typical situations for both fandoms (especially Madoka)
Characters: Akemi Homura, Kurosaki Karin, Kurosaki Yuzu, Urahara Kisuke, and many more
Words: 465297. Status: Incomplete
There are many fanfictions that have kept me up til dawn. Many. This one, however, has literally robbed me of all my sleep and I’ve still been unable to finish it in one sitting. It’s good, the pacing is fantastic, and with Homura as our leading lady, that means those time resets really hit hard when they happen (and they happen. They really, really, happen). Might be incomplete, but is still updating - and there’s plenty to keep you occupied in the meantime!
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A fic that made you feel seen: A Seed Once Grown by Darkestwolfx (Thunderbirds) - @darkestwolfx
Believe it or not, they did have a garden on Tracy Island. It looked a little like a… tip. And that was being kind.
Rating: Teen. AO3 No Archive Warnings
Characters: Ned Tedford, Tracy Family
Words: 4785. Status: Complete
Okay, so I’m taking this literally because I spend a lot of time feeling invisible on the internet so having a fic written for me from someone I’d barely spoken to before was a whole pile of screaming. Not that it’s the first time someone’s written a fic for me, but the other ones have been done by friends I’d already known for some time, and not someone in a fandom I’m just starting to find my feet in.
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Free space: whoo boy, fun time! There are a few fics on the top of my head that didn’t fill any of the above prompts (or got beaten to the punch by another), so my wildcard space is going to be a few fic links without the extra detail because I’ve already spent about 12 hours on this to get to this point (did I get sidetracked and re-read a bunch? You bet) and I’d quite like to also get some fic written today, too!
Eight-Day Week (JoJo Spotting) by TrufflestheMushroom (JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure)
The Trouble With Eastern by teaandtumblr (One Piece)
Remembrance by ClioSelene (One Piece)
Legacy by MaiKusakabe (One Piece)
A Fleeting Smile by AnonymousTwit (Boku no Hero Academia)
Too Loud For Comfort by vaporeon_ninja (Boku no Hero Academia)
A Dragon’s Hoard by Chezka (Boku no Hero Academia)
Nine Lives by P_Artsypants (Miraculous Ladybug)
Chat’s Eye View (Love Letters To Paris) by Icka M Chif (Miraculous Ladybug)
Gabriel’s Lament by Chaotic Neutral (Miraculous Ladybug)
What The Cat Dragged In by Kyral (Avengers/Miraculous Ladybug)
Weekend Warrior by BlackDog_66 (Avengers)
Fitting In (Tiny Spaces) by aloneintherain (Avengers)
Autonomy by beetlebee (Naruto)
Great Minds by ScreamingViking (Final Fantasy VII)
Dear Kunsel by Sinnatious (Final Fantasy VII)
Cracks in the knight by authorettejasmin (Magic Kaito)
To Wrap An Elvish Princeling by Jael (Lord of the Rings)
There are more, many more, and I’ll probably post a few more recs around - you can also find some on my blog and I’ll try and get that updated with a few more at some point because there are many more than that!
#thunderbirds are go#avatar the last airbender#stargate sg1#bleach#harry potter#naruto#lord of the rings#one piece#artemis fowl#the avengers#mcu#d.gray-man#boku no hero academia#my hero academia#fullmetal alchemist#bbc merlin#miraculous ladybug#puella magi madoka magica#jjba#ffvii#final fantasy vii#magic kaito#fanfiction#fanfiction recommendation#long post
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Alright I finished Crimson Flower and after letting my thoughts marinate for a bit, I decided to do a very long write up on my thoughts. Despite the fact that I made a beeline for black eagles the moment I got the game because I had an extreme feverish passion for El at first, my thoughts on this route are unfortunately mostly negative. This is the first and only route I played so far, and I know very little about the events that transpire in the other routes.
Five thousand disclaimers that these are just my opinions that may or may not change when I play the other routes and it’s not meant to discredit folks who like Crimson Flower. Also there will be spoilers.
For starters, I think the story does a terrible job at convincing you that Edelgard’s actions are justified or even necessary. This route felt less like fighting to change the world for the better and more like a savage conquest with every chapter being El going like “we gotta kill this guy now” and I’m like “but why” and El’s like “WE JUST GOTTA”. I guess the right way to say it is that El’s route lacked emotional impact. I could not celebrate her victories with her because my only reaction was “was that really necessary” and “buddy why”. It ultimately felt like El was simply solving problems by creating more problems.
Instead of just saying “I want to uproot a societal system from its core so I have to overthrow the Church”, the story opts for El to give incredibly vague and wishy washy reasons on why the Church Is Bad. Something something, they’re not really humans and twist history??? The story forces you to do some crazy mental gymnastics to try and see El’s side of the story when everything just boils down to “Crests are Bad = Church is Bad”.
In Part 1, there was a lot of build up of the church’s obvious corruption and how they’re not to be trusted, but the build up falls flat because the story tries to make the reveal of Rhea’s beast form be the damning thing to convince the player that the church is so terrible that they have to be stopped even at the cost of thousands of lives... and well... in a franchise where almost everyone is secretly a dragon, that just did not sell me.
We’ve been knew that Crests Are Bad but does that justify sacrificing thousands of lives to upheave the church? I dunno man..................................... the story doesn’t really put much effort to convince you that this is the Only Way and it doesn’t feel like El has put much thought into trying alternative solutions before jumping straight to murder because it was the easiest solution. Which sucks because I think exploring El’s methods and mindset would definitely make for an interesting conflict. The whole idea of if war is never justifiable, is it better to let everyone remain suffering under the status quo forever? El’s belief that nothing will change unless she takes direct action has validity to it, but the game just expects you to agree with her from the get go so El never truly has to stand firm and defend her values.
Edelgard’s decision to unify Fodlan is something I really, really side eye. She’s straight up invading sovereign lands and putting them under her own rule of her own volition. While yes, Church Is Bad, barging into someone else’s land uninvited to dictate how they rule their government and “fix their society” is ultimately something I find incredibly self righteous and arrogant. This idea of “fighting for peace” through not just instigating a war, but going on a violent conquest just seems... disingenuous to me? How does she plan on dealing with the lingering resentment from the folks whose land were conquered? She’s just replacing the crest system with an Empire who will murder anyone who stands against them which... makes her literally no different from what Rhea was.
The above point is mainly due to her whole tirade into the alliance which just felt extremely unnecessary, especially when Claude was trying to keep the alliance in a neutral stance. El’s reasoning for conquering the alliance because “some of the nobles oppose me” was really flimsy like... maybe they wouldn’t oppose you if you just left them alone instead of making them choose between handing over their independence or having their land burnt to the ground.
Her dialogue with and about Dimitri is ridiculous because she criticizes him for being consumed by hatred and obsession and “losing his path as a king” but...... bruh, you’re STILL invading his country, so even if Dimitri wasn’t a raging murder man, he’d still oppose you because did you just expect a king to simply Hand Over His Land and not defend himself?????
The absolute worst, worst part of CF isn’t even Edelgard herself but how the other students react to her. It feels like none of the beagles and especially the other house characters except Lysithea have any real reason to side with her, and even if they did (which wouldn’t be surprising because we see how the crests ruined so many lives), these valid reasons are never brought up and it’s overshadowed by almost everyone lamenting “is this bloodshed even necessary?” (news flash: probably not). But why the FUCK are you guys even siding with her in the first place if you're gonna regret it afterwards or don’t actually agree with her? You don’t just side with an instigator of war with half baked resolves, and the convictions of these characters aren’t even quarter baked.
This wouldn’t be too bad if not for the fact that the beagle kids themselves also seem to have more reasons to turn on El than to fight for her. Especially when Edelgard has done nothing to ever prove herself trust worthy. Hell, CF is kicked off with Edelgard betraying everyone and revealing herself to be the Flame Emperor, which is literal admittance to her association with the slithers. Yet no one seems to put two and two together and just decides to blindly trust and follow her without second thought because... why? Who knows!!! As Sothis so eloquently puts it, they’re all boulders just rolling down whatever hill they’re on, and I could not stand how little agency and independent thought that the other characters showed. It felt like El was the driver while everyone else was just strapped into the passenger seat, mindlessly going along with the ride. No questions, no thoughts, no challenges, and to top it off, it doesn’t even feel like any of them truly believe in what they’re fighting for because they never bring up the validity of El’s ideals or the consequences of her actions.
The beagles had the group dynamic of a wet paper bag. Lysithea is the one of the only characters who actively shows any real agency for fighting for Edelgard and firmly voices how El’s goals compare to her personal values, which is a stark difference to everyone else who has a "¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I guess this is my life now” type attitude to an infuriating degree.
Byleth siding with El also has me doing extreme shifty eyes. I can get behind them making an emotionally charged decision to defend her from Rhea but holy crap I saved you from Rhea because I didn’t want you to die, but that doesn’t mean I’m giving you the okay to murder all your classmates!! The game expects the player to take a huge leap of faith when siding with Edelgard, thinking “she has to have a proper explanation for this” and cue.... no explanation ever, until like... five years later. El’s relationship with the beagles felt disingenuous because she actively breaches the trust of others, lies to others, hides crucial information from others (slithers, anyone?), and nobody cares. She straight up lies about the church nuking Arianrhod and it’s never addressed.
The issue with the slithers and Byleth’s dad is even worse because it is never addressed until well into the route, and it’s brought up by not El, but fucking Hubert. Not to mention El is giant jackass to Byleth after their dad died even though he died because of her damn accomplices. We’re supposed to just lie down and accept the slithers’ presence because “well they’re necessary for our plans” even though we curb stomped the entire continent by ourselves, so I dunno why we can’t just shank them now. The slithers literally did nothing aside from chill around, maybe blow up a city or two to spite El. It’s ridiculous how the organization who is directly responsible for El’s abuse and trauma has no on screen resolution when frankly, I think the slithers deserve El’s animosity far more than the church.
Despite my extreme criticism towards El, I want to stress that I don’t hate El. In fact, I love her character a lot and I think she’s really fascinating. However, I think CF really shot her characterization in the foot because it doesn’t feel like El really grew or developed or changed. She stubbornly believed that her actions were right at the beginning and by the end of the game, she still believes her actions were right because the story doesn’t really bother to try and prove her otherwise. I just think she’s much more suited as an antagonist, and I’m excited to see her portrayal in the other routes. Sorry El, I love you, but I would never in a million years side with you.
To end this salt fest on a positive note, I will say the route had three things I enjoyed: the ending, Mercedes and Jeritza’s support, and Edelgard and Lysithea’s support. Seriously, I would not have so many complaints if the rest of the route had the same amount of emotional tension and feeling as El and Lysithea’s support. I enjoyed the ending fairly much; the final battle in the burning city was epic as hell and so was the final cutscene. The scene where El sobs in Byleth’s chest after Byleth’s heart beat returns was extremely touching to me. So because I liked the ending enough, at the very least I was able to finish the play through on a somewhat content note. Also random side note but Edelgard’s seiyuu is amazing.
Anyway my order from favourite to least favourite beagle kids are Dorothea > Edelgard > Ferdie > Bernie > Linhardt > Petra > Hubert > Caspar.
tldr: my experience with crimson flower
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dear yuletide author
Thank you so much for reading this and taking part in this wonderful annual conspiracy!
First of all, I hope you have a lovely time! If any of the fandoms below pique your interest, I’m delighted already, and ready to hear all the stories you want to tell.
Fandoms: Nirvana in Fire, Spinning Silver, In Other Lands, Thunderbolt Fantasy, Grasshopper Jungle
As for reading preferences, I’m happy with a wide variety of tones and genres, of any rating, ranging anywhere from lighthearted antics to dramatic casefics. But the core of all the stories I love has always been character interaction and interplay of their competences.
How the characters play off each other and bring out their best/worst, how they’d react to a divergence of events, how true they’d stay to themselves in a different setting -- I love fanfiction for allowing us to reconnect with our favourite stories time and again by asking these questions. And there are so many ways to do it! To name a few favourites, I’m always game for POV hijinks, a missing scene, a casefic, canon expansion, backstories and what-ifs.
You may notice that quite a few of my requests lean towards shipfic – those, too, are welcome in a variety of tones – but I also tried to include openings for gen ideas if that’s your jam. Additionally, while it is not usually my top interest, I don’t have anything against AUs if there is something that you are itching to explore: I tend to enjoy them for a new aesthetic that fleshes out the favoured character dynamics in a new light, or a fusion that redefines the playing ground to allow the characters to exhibit their core competences in new and exciting ways.
I would be very grateful if you could avoid a/b/o and similar kinktropes, played-straight soulmate fic, and character interpretation that runs contrary to their core values. If in doubt, please reach out to me on anon - the askbox is open!
NIRVANA IN FIRE: Mei Changsu, Xiao Jingyan
Is this a complex, narratively inevitable historic tapestry strangling people with its treads, full of delicious politicking and identity porn? Yes, it is.
Is my burning – nay, primal – desire so simple as to smoosh two faces together and watch them kiss? Yes, it is :’)
I mean, I will obviously not say no if the kissing is giftwrapped in the said tapestry of beautiful, politicky plot, but the fever I can’t get out of my system is this: LET THEM KISS, GODDAMMIT. LET THEM BE HAPPY. I welcome canon divergences, alternative endings, fix-its, insert eps and codas where it looks like they would have kissed (erm, or at least confronted each other in a way that would inevitably end with them making out) if only Mei Changsu wasn’t so caught up in self-loathing and fluffy foxfur coats, and Jingyan didn’t talk too loudly about his so dead, so very dead beautiful ex to hear Mei Changsu weep stoically into his beautiful white furs.
I adore Prince Jing. He is 90% cheekbones and 20% heartbroken pouting over his so very dead friends, and all of it noble and awkward and stubborn and deserving of happiness. Mei Changsu is ridiculous, and capable, and twisted into pretzels of his own creation: not above gloating over his enemies while daintily dipping cookies into his tea, he gets too caught up in weaving the tapestry to notice he is a part of it. Pull him off his high horse, Jing! Render him helpless by being yourself! Do something about being hopelessly charmed with each other, through resentment, loss, bitter pining, and narrative inevitability! JUSTKISSALREADY.gif!!
SPINNING SILVER: Mirnatius
Spinning Silver is a beautiful story, a polyphony of voices that echo the key themes with poignance in individual tales coming together into a bigger picture: admirable female characters, complicated families, bargains and stakes and wordless bonds, all spun and woven together with so much care and craft! While I really liked the whole journey, it’s two characters in particular at whom I’d like to get a closer look.
Irina and Mirnatius: both shipfic and/or gen. Irina the ruler, with an iron will and unwavering hand: I would absolutely like to explore the court life under her rule, after the events of the book. In between running a country and cleaning up a demonic mess, does she find a thought to spare about Mirnatius? Does she harbour any resentment or sense of obligation, or indulgently tolerates him as part of the ornamental royal regalia? Is there a role she envisages him playing? Does she box him into that role, or allow herself to be surprised?
MIRNATIUS, hands-down my favourite POV in the book. How does he get on after demon loses his hold on him? What kind of person he is on his own? I’d like to think he doesn’t lose all his edges, and perhaps gets high-headed and displaced now that his mind is vacated off its demonic freeloader, and there is a quest for find his own place in the new reality, before he can be that dramatic artistic bisexual with no interest in statecraft that Irina gleamed in him.
How do the power dynamics between them change, and how much of that stays the same? Is there any genuine love to be found between them, eventually? (The answer doesn’t have to be yes – for all that they are the same species, I tend to think their circumstances are more complicated than Miryem and the Staryk’s, and less forgiving.)
IN OTHER LANDS: Luke Sunborn
Elliot is a spectacular narrator. Novel-shaped case in point: In Other Lands.
Having said that, what I really, really want to see is a story that makes Luke a narrator, or otherwise puts him at the center. I have it on good authority that he makes one fucking adorable narrator (novella-shaped case in point: Wings in the Morning), but why stop there, right?
Luke/Elliot, either post-canon or slightly amending canon, is always a delight. Luke crushing on Elliot for years in a resigned, semi-unaware (or aware!) manner - he gives Elliot Dale’s name only as a distraction, to get Elliot off his back, and watches with horrified eyes how every member of his family is suddenly out there to set him up with the wrong boy! Luke handling the thought of Elliot the boyfriend with awkwardness unbefitting a Trigon champion (granted, Elliot is kinda more prickly than an average glass ball). Luke having 110% confidence in Elliot and admiring him sass people into submission from the sidelines.
A look at Luke’s friendship with Serene - completely compatible with Luke forever crushing on Elliot, just saying ^^. I suspect lack of Elliot’s Serene goggles could do marvels to building nuance to her character: a little less emphasis on gender-reversed dudebro comedy, a little more of someone who is clever enough to balance multiple things, connect the dots, and learn, and stand by what she believes is right.
Competence kinkkk. Forever admiring the bookish people, refusing to stop trying to catch up, and zero time spent being conceited about own achievements while fully embracing his role of a champion and defender - that’s the Luke I love <3 Luke’s brand of leadership & charisma - an introverted champion, well-loved by people and easily tired of company of not his people.
Figuring out life after graduation! Casefic of them solving a mystery and preventing a war breakout! Getting assignments and storming the castles! Building cross-cultural competence by throwing Elliot at new people and watching him sign up new pen friends and treaties!
Sunborn family fic! A holiday get together? Drunken exchange of family stories? Another terrible competition that Elliot boycotts? Rachel reading Luke’s letters from year one and with great amusement observing the progression of his “THAT ELLIOT” feelings. (I would so die to read an epistolary fic that documents Luke’s Elliot problems) God I love the Sunborns, especially Rachel <3
I’m not particularly fond of Dale, on understanding that he got enough screentime already, so I’d be grateful if you didn’t center the fic around him. Obviously no objections to him as part of class ensemble, whose names Luke continuously fails to remember.
If you are writing a Luke/Elliot shipfic (which is a prospect I would whole-heartedly welcome!), just a note to say that I don’t get particular kicks out of wingfic poetics. I mean, I’m alright with that as part of the “golden and beautiful” package and acknowledgement that Elliot sure gets his kick out of them, but I personally find wings-as-harpy legacy and associated emotional baggage/pragmatism mix Luke feels on the subject more interesting to investigate. All the rest of their ship chemistry is very much welcome, in whatever proportion you enjoy doing it most.
THUNDERBOLT FANTASY: Rin Setsua; Sho Fukan
I LOVE THIS SELF INDULGENT WUXIA NONSENSE AND I CANNOT LIE!
If you had told me a year ago that I would commit a definitely not-insignifiant amounts of emotional investment into a Taiwanese puppet show written by Urobutcher, I’d have laughed in your face. I am so glad my lovely friends know me better than I do, and tied me to a chair long enough to show me the first few episodes, and smugly watched me breeze through two seasons and a movie of this tropey goodness.
Sanfan is a mixture UTTER GLEE and deep fondness for the genre staples, self-aware and masterful playthrough of all the wuxia tropes in the book, and one goddamn well-constructed story. It plays the tropes straight, calls them out with a knowing wink, walks the tightrope between the two with panache, and just as you are relaxed and enjoying this trapeze show, it grins cheekily at you, sets the discoball on fire and pulls a bunny out of a hat. It’s DELIGHTFUL and fun and lovingly crafted, just like a good passion project should be.
I want anything that capitalizes on the absolutely hilarious dynamics between Rin Setsua and Sho Fukan (and while personally I end up using the Japanese versions of their names more often, please feel free to go with the Chinese names if you prefer). Sho Fukan does not want any of those heroic quests, he’s the human equivalent of been there, done that mood, and he just wants to REST and hopefully dump a bunch of magical murderswords someplace safe. Rin Setsua is a Totally Respectable and Non-Villainous Member of Society, of which he will inform you firsthand in the most high spoken and verbose way possible, and maybe even produce paperwork that has definitely not been tampered with. He harbours no ulterior motives, ever, and does not trail behind Sho Fukan for any reason beyond the pleasure of his company, and his mission to personally victimize and cockblock every morally derelict villain in two countries, by no-one’s request.
Whether you go shipfic (yiss!) or canon levels teamup circus (also yiss!), don’t hold back your horses. Everything about this is Extra, and should continue to be so <3
GRASSHOPPER JUNGLE: Robby Brees
Do you ever, like, read an insanely cyclical, epic zombie apocalypse book that is probably narrated from the rubbles of the fallen fourth wall, and walk away softly clutching at your heart, whispering “Oh Robby”?
I sure did.
I mean, I definitely loved all the obsessive, crazy, cyclical shit the book did. It’s a trip and a half! Austin is a hilarious guide to the crazyland of zombie apocalypse and multiple identity crises, and I enjoyed him tremendously. If you want to dabble in recreating that, I’ll happily read it! But my heart longs to answer some important questions like, Will Robby Ever Get Appreciation He Deserves, Do They Get Laid, and most importantly, What The Fuck Happened That Night When They Got Drunk and Shit Got Transcendental. (I feel it in my heart of hearts that their dicks must have, or at least should have, touched.)
Play however you like with it -- coda, AU, fixit, crack (oh god, if there was a canon that was borderline crack itself), futurefic -- I’m gonna look forward to any and all permutations.
A note to say that I don’t harbor any ill feelings towards Shann! My primary urge is to coddle and adore Robby, and I leave it up to you to negotiate the hows and whys :)
FWIW, I have a copy of Exile from Eden on my hands, but haven’t cracked it open yet. It’s entirely up to you if you want to include whatever is in there: I’m going to be pleased with just GJ material as is! If I do read Exile anytime soon, and if it significantly changes my views on the subject, I’ll add a note to that effect.
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Witness: Weirdness_Unlimited
Creator name (AO3): Weirdness_Unlimited
Creator name (Tumblr): Burn-your-face-upon-the-chrome
Link to creator works: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Weirdness_Unlimited/works
Q: Why the Mad Max Fandom?
A: In the Mad Max universe, anything that is completely absurd and outrageous is represented as the norm. Leather fetish gear? Oh, that's just the security guard uniform at Bartertown. Those guys over there are wearing black and white face paint? No, you're not at an ICP concert, those are War Boys, also run. Whoa, there are acrobats being flung through the air on poles attached to moving vehicles! No worries, that's just any Tuesday in Gas Town. I love this fandom because pretty much any nonsense my skull meat can come up with, as long as the mechanics of it work, I can throw it into my fics and not a single person will bat an eye. As a matter of fact, the weirder, the better.
Q: What do you think are some defining aspects of your work? Do you have a style? Recurrent themes?
A: Life is gross, humans do gross things, and the environment around you could not care less about any of your moral dilemmas. I suppose you can say my style is a lack of it. I like things straight forward and I know this characteristic often weakens any aesthetic appeal to my writing. “To Love Reptiles” reads from Slit's perspective the same way a radio manual does but with a lot more cursing. I try not to make it too complicated to digest. I'd like for people to be able to fill in any blanks with their own interpretation of the situation and then move on to the next.
Themes though, I go heavy on themes. The main theme is interpersonal relationships, coping with failure within them, and personal growth. Other themes include coping with mental illness, codependency, hunger, greed, warfare, trauma, etc.
Q: Which of your works was the most fun to create? The most difficult? Which is your most popular? Most successful? Your favourite overall?
A: The most fun work of my own, by far, has been “To Love Reptiles.” It has also been the most popular, most successful, and my most favourite. The most difficult has been an original work with no working title. I can't give away much about this original piece but it has to do with local myths and survival in the wilderness. I quit working on the rough manuscript when my grandmother passed away several years ago. I'll be picking it up again soon. It may turn up on AO3 in the next three or four years.
Q: How do you like your wasteland? Gritty? Hopeful? Campy? Soft? Why?/
A: Gritty but hopeful, I think. The wasteland is nasty but humans need hope, right?
Q: Walk us through your creative process from idea to finished product. What's your prefered environment for creating? How do you get through rough patches?
A: Alright, so that's an interesting question with a pretty messy answer but I'll try to make it brisk. Step 1: I start with a summary of the story as a whole with a point A (the beginning) and a point B (the end). Step 2: I break that summary down and and fill it out with events that can ferry the characters from the start of the story to the finish on a drawn timeline to keep things in chronological order. I also have note cards. I break this down further into named chapters. This can take a while. Step 3: I summarize each of those chapters to figure out if this story needs more than one installment. It depends out how the series of events land and how many minor arcs are included with the main arc/objective. Sprinkle some drama in there, scrap some unnecessary things, narrow an installment down to thirty (30) chapters at maximum. Step 4: I summarize individual scenes within the chapters and hack out important dialog. This takes weeks. There's typically between four and ten scenes per chapter. Also more note cards. Step 5: I try to flesh out one scene per day. (key word: Try)
I get the most writing done in the morning over coffee and before work. I usually sit at the breakfast table with my phone and spit out about 500-ish words before my husband wakes up. I'll write intermittently throughout the day. Lately I haven't been writing much because of holiday junk and winter being kind of a bummer.
If I'm in a rough patch, I can break though it by sitting in a room with no internet access and forcing myself to scratch out a scene or two in a notepad. Usually these notepad scribbles are so awful that they get torn out and chucked in the waste bin but the next day I'm keen to do the job right.
Q: What (if any) music do you listen to for help getting those creative juices flowing?
A: Ambient sound, white noise, or nothing. I do listen to music and there's a lot of songs I associate with stories, fics, characters. Tove Lo is a big one for Dune. Most of the time I find that music with lyrics or a high tempo is distracting if I'm in the act of writing something but it can be a source of inspiration separately.
Q: How do you keep track of all the details as you're writing? How do you keep details consistent in your works? How do you fact-check your writing?
A: I have a little memo pad with numbered facts that do not change at any point through the story. These are kinda the cardinal rules. I can't tell you the rules because they contain spoilers. After the “RULES” there are miscellaneous details that I'd like to remember in case they come up later. Things like birthmarks, scar placement, mannerisms, things I've hinted at without exposition that will need to be revealed later.
I fact check by googling stuff and falling down research holes for several hours until I forget what I was doing. EVENTUALLY I'll come back to writing and realize that's why there are things in my search history that probably have me on some kind of government watch list.
Q: What motivates your writing?
A: My motivation. Real talk? For AAL it's to get to a particular scene in the planned third installment. Scene thirteen in chapter seven. I know that answers exactly nothing and is weirdly specific but... yes. Other works of mine, I'm motivated by the idea that some of my ideas might entertain someone out there, even if it's just one someone then I've succeeded.
Q: What is your biggest challenge as a creator?
A: Time management. I have a lot of hobbies and finding time for individual projects is... Hard. I made a boredom jar that lets me pick an unfinished task/project/piece at random to do whenever I'm bored so that I can stop myself from starting anything new when my apartment is already full of unfinished junk.
Q: How have you grown as a creator through your participation in the Mad Max Fandom? How has your work changed? Have you learned anything about yourself?
A: Yes. My organizational skills have improved by miles and my attention span is better focused. Grammatically my work has undergone general improvement.
Learned anything about myself? Hmm, I learned that my opinion of what is canon and what makes good fan fiction are two completely different things. If you ask me anything specific about the Mad Max franchise you will probably get both opinions. As an example: Does Maxosa make for good fan fiction? Heck Yeah! Will canon Max Rockatansky or Furiosa ever be mentally and emotionally healed enough to actually be in a relationship? Probably not and that's okay. I can happily read Max and Furi getting cuddly and domestic and enjoy the heck out of another writer's interpretation of these two overcoming the hurdles of their respective traumas. I can do this knowing full well that Max and Furiosa probably never canonically saw each other again after the closing scene of Fury Road. I'm okay with this because that's the magic of fandom and why I love it.
Q: Which character do you relate to the most, and how does that affect your approach to that character? Is someone else your favourite to portray? How has your understanding of these characters grown through portraying them?
A: I relate to Max the most, and I think the reason I haven't yet published anything written from his perspective is because he'd be the most difficult to write without touching on my own fears and inadequacies too much. Max is not interested in being involved with the dramas of anyone else's life. He's already seen too much turmoil and had a hand in it too many times to actively seek people and their inherent problems, however, when presented with zero alternative he'll do what needs to be done and suffer though forming new attachments to very mortal people who may drop dead at any minute. He isn't comfortable with the process of forming attachments and he'd rather avoid it. He doesn't want another ghost. At least that's my interpretation of him.
Slit, remarkably, is my favorite to write for in spite of the fact that I don't relate to him in any way and my interpretation of his portrayal in the film is, simply put, a blunt edged euphemism for abusive relationships. He's just... a guilty pleasure to examine and write. I blame my fondness on the stunning character design and Josh Helman's energy on screen. The character says and does ridiculous things and it's just hilarious to watch Slit dig his own grave and humiliate himself. Case and point: I've got his boot! My understanding of Slit has grown through writing about him. He's probably (canonically) deeply insecure and his way of thinking very toxic and self focused. There's gotta be trauma there (I took massive creative license in that area) and a whole host of personal issues that explain his behavior, but will never excuse it. Does that make good fan fiction??? Parts of it do, the rest has to be that very human ability to grow and improve, although I don't think he'd have that opportunity in canon or accept any form of assistance... If he'd lived.
Q: Do you ever self-insert, even accidentally?
A: I think you kind of have to self-insert to a point. Writing tends to involve exaggerating your own experiences and the imagined interactions in your own head in order to make the experiences of the characters relatable. I'd rather not examine every individual facet of the issue but yes, I think Dune is an unintentional self-insert to cope with health problems before I was consciously aware of what I was coping with and since that realization, lately, she's a lot harder to write.
Q: Do you have any favourite relationships to portray? What interests you about them?Honestly? Close platonic friendship. Emotional intimacy is interesting. I draw a lot of inspiration for friendship in fiction from Mulder and Scully in early seasons of The X-files.
Q: How does your work for the fandom change how you look at the source material?
A: I see more minor details and the context of silent interactions. Some of these details are unsettling, some of them are so subtle and subliminal that they're easily missed when you watch the films, especially Fury Road. Oddly enough, I'm a lot more- Ah whats the word? Not quite critical of but unnerved by my own observations of Capable's relationship with Nux. I'm not sure why. It could be that I'm misinterpreting the actress's tone or George Miller vision/direction, but I watch the movie now and find that the way Capable looks at and talks about Nux so intensely makes me uneasy. The previous is just an example among many that I've spat out so far, it's not important.
Q: Do you prefer to create in one defined chronology or do your works stand alone? Why or why not?
A: Everything I write within the Mad Max fandom with the exception of collaborative works will probably be linked together and consistent with one another because that means less to remember and fewer mix-ups.
Q: To break or not to break canon? Why?
A: If you have to, break it. I'll read it. I like my fandom unlimited, baby. In my own works I try to keep with canon somewhat but I resurrect a lot of characters who almost certainly died because if I didn't, it would really only leave seven (I think) named characters with dialog who did not die in Fury Road. (The surviving women of the Many Mothers weren't named.)
Q: Share some headcanons:
A: 1) Max has intestinal parasites. He ate a live (two headed) lizard in the first thirty seconds of Fury Road. You really really really should not do that.
2) Furiosa didn't want to kill Ace. She could have just blown his head off instead of punching him in the face with a pistol. She didn't shoot him.
3) Ace did not go under the wheels. Foxy Grandpa lives.
4) Miss Giddy is also alive somewhere
5) Actually, most people in the wasteland probably have intestinal parasites.
Q: If you work with OCs walk us through your process for creating them. Who are some of your favourites?
A: My original characters tend to create themselves. I don't know how they do it, they kinda just decide for themselves for better or worse what they'll look like and how they'll behave. Dune was an accident and the “About a Lizard” series wasn't supposed to happen at all. It was supposed to be a one-shot word dump of what Slit's final moments might have looked like. Slit was supposed to die in a fleeting but intense two seconds of delusions about Valkyries and Valhalla... And then be eaten by a scavenger cannibal. The whole thing kind of just happened on the fly. Ardith, Phil/Crank, Featherknife, Bones, and the kids were also accidental. I had no idea where I was going with the encounter with Crow Fishermen. They just popped into existence of their own will and the rest is history. The only original characters that have been planned and designed well beforehand have been villains. This probably says something about me as a writer though I'm not sure what.
Q: When creating a new character for the AAL series, how do you approach their first interactions with your main characters?
A: The first thing I ask is “What does this scene need” and sometimes it needs a new character for villainy or friendly acquaintance reasons or for a skill-set the main characters do not posses. New characters have a habit of changing a chapter or making it much longer than intended. First interactions with Slit probably won't surprise anyone. He phases through distrust to dislike to begrudged cooperation and from there he's either on his way back to dislike or entering the tolerance phase. Beyond the tolerance phase is... The Complicated Zone. The Complicated Zone is where Nux and Dune are situated. Dune has two basic instincts with people: Should I shoot you? Or should I befriend you? Bizarrely, being friendly is the weirder option in the wastes. Shooting is almost always a consideration if she's taken by surprise.
Q: If you create original works, how do those compare to your fan works?
A: My original works are probably darker and deal more with modern problems. I turn to fan fiction for fun and to indirectly work through things.
Q: Who are some works by other creators inside and outside of the fandom that have influenced your work?
A: A lot of the fandom, too many names to name but one stands out and I can't remember their name or the title of their work. It was about Ace growing up and there was a dingo and a young Miss Giddy. If anyone knows what I'm talking about, please help. I've been looking for this fic for ages.
Q: Is there a specific author(s) that inspired your work when you began writing TLR?
A: I don't think any specific author inspired me while I began TLR but The Dark Half by Stephen King is one of my favorites and I recall re-reading it shortly before getting deep into fan writing. I may even have unconsciously plagiarized a few lines off that book. In my latest attempt to re-read that novel I'm feeling like there's a lot of Thad Beaumont in my portrayal of Slit.
Q: What advice can you give someone who is struggling to make their own works more interesting, compelling, cohesive, etc.?
A: Don't be afraid to write things that are too soft or too dark or too this or too that. Sometimes readers crave that stuff that makes us feel warm and safe and sometimes we're also here for things that make us wonder how the @!#$% the characters will ever recover or IF they will ever recover. The real world is full of all sorts of feelings, situations, serendipitous coincidences. Take us down whatever funky road you got! You're the driver, you decide. Your fic is your world. Write WILD things sometimes because it's fun.
Q: Have you visited or do you plan to visit Australia, Wasteland Weekend, or other Mad Max place?
A: I would love to take a trip to Australia one day to paint scenery in oils but that predates my time in MM fandom. I really want to go to Wasteland Weekend in the next two years but finances, necessities, costumes, etc need to be sorted out first.
Q: Tell us about a current WIP or planned project.
A: Well, I'm buying up model car kits to make little Mad Max cars for nerd purposes.
Thank you @burn-your-face-upon-the-chrome
#mad max fanfic#Mad Max Fandom Creator Spotlight#Mad Max Fandom Spotlight#fury road fanfic#fanfic author spotlight#fury road fandom#mad max fandom#weirdness unlimited
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Analysing Anime Fan Priorities
How much does the aesthetic of an anime influence how much you enjoy it? Does it matter more or less than the music? Subjective questions like these can seem unanswerable when applied to the fandom as a whole, but due to the way MyAnimeList splits its review scores into music/animation/story/character/enjoyment categories, we might be able to determine which of these is most influential. We can also see how different genres compare on these categories, and possible differences in how each gender rates anime.
Data collection
I collected 48,526 reviews from the 5752 most popular anime on MAL. To prevent a few super-popular anime from dominating the results, a maximum of 20 reviews were collected from each anime. I then collected any public demographic information listed on each reviewer’s profile page to determine their age and gender.
Category importance
When reviewing an anime, MyAnimeList allows you split your rating into 6 categories: story, animation, sound, character, enjoyment, and an overall rating. If you really care about one of these categories more than the others, then we could expect to see a link between the rating you give your favourite category and your overall anime rating.
So for example, if you really care about the stories in anime, those anime you give a high story rating to are also those you’re more likely to give a high overall rating to. Alternatively if you don’t care about a category, we’d expect that there wouldn’t be much of a link between them. So if you don’t care about animation, we could expect a mix of higher and lower animation ratings among your most highest rated overall anime.
The technical term for this link between categories is the Pearson correlation coefficient, which sounds intimidating but all you need to understand is that a result of -1 means there’s a negative correlation (i.e. you rate X in the opposite way to Y, so if you rate X high then you rate Y low). A result of 0 means there’s no connection between how you rate X and Y, and a result of 1 means that you always rate X in proportion to Y. So if you rate X high then you always rate Y high and vice versa.
If we apply this calculation to the MAL categories we get this...
Overall Male reviewers Female reviewers Story 0.847 0.843 0.863 Animation 0.657 0.667 0.649 Sound 0.697 0.707 0.690 Character 0.853 0.854 0.856 Enjoyment 0.894 0.896 0.898
As would be expected, all the correlations are positive, so if you rate a category higher you’re more likely to rate the overall anime higher, but what’s important is the ranking of the categories. We can see that for a reviewer’s overall score, their enjoyment is the most important factor, then character, followed closely by story, then sound, and lastly animation. This seems to make sense, as we typically associate what we enjoy with what we think is good, and anime is watched primarily for entertainment, so of course we care about that the most.
Both story and character ratings are almost equally as important as enjoyment, so plot really does mean more than “PLOT” for most reviewers. I was a little surprised that sound mattered more than animation for reviewers, as I view anime more as a visual medium than an auditory one, but seemingly I’m in the minority.
The third and fourth columns are the correlation results when we filter the reviewers by their gender. For sound, character, and enjoyment, there’s practically no difference. But men tend to have a higher animation correlation and women a higher story correlation. This might reflect the large amount of male-targeted fanservice in anime, so female fans focus more on the story while the male fans ogle the underage girls.
Complimenting categories
We’ve looked at how important each category is to the overall score, but we haven’t looked at how those categories overlap and are could be linked to one another. If we calculate the correlation coefficient between categories, we can see which categories tend to go hand-in-hand. The results are presented both in radar chart form (which is prettier but harder to read) and as a table.
Each coloured “flower petal” represents a category, with it reaching closer to categories it overlaps with. Each category always correlates most with itself.
Story Animation Sound Character Enjoyment Story x 0.578 0.634 0.821 0.804 Animation 0.578 x 0.699 0.605 0.611 Sound 0.634 0.699 x 0.661 0.658 Character 0.821 0.605 0.661 x 0.830 Enjoyment 0.804 0.611 0.658 0.830 x
The categories can be roughly sorted into 2 groups: the character, story, and enjoyment ratings are all closely linked, and then animation and sound are outliers who link slightly more to each other than anything else, but still less so than the other core 3 character/story/enjoyment categories do.
It makes intuitive sense that the story and character ratings would be linked, you can’t have a good story without good characters, and good characters can’t shine without a good story. Sound and animation also compliment each other well, as they both work on our senses directly and a studio that’s competent in one is probably more likely to be competent in the other too.
Genre rankings
We can see how each genre ranks for each category by looking at the average rating anime in that genre got, so if you care about a specific aspect of anime, you’ll know which genre to find it in.
Story Animation Sound Character Enjoyment Josei Samurai Music Josei Sports Historical Thriller Thriller Sports Josei Thriller Josei Josei Historical Cars Sports Historical Space Slice of Life Historical Drama Space Historical Parody Slice of Life Space Slice of Life Mystery Samurai Kids Mystery Kids Cars Shounen Parody Kids Mystery Samurai Shoujo Thriller Military Hentai Sports Thriller Samurai Samurai Military Military Drama Shounen Slice of Life Drama Kids Comedy Space Shoujo Sports Drama Seinen Music Demons Music Psychological Kids Seinen Shounen Fantasy Slice of Life Mystery Comedy Police Mecha Shounen Adventure Drama Psychological Sci-Fi Mecha Demons Military Cars Police Adventure Music Shoujo Adventure Supernatural Game Space Mystery Seinen Psychological Sci-Fi Military Adventure Music Adventure Supernatural Romance Hentai Supernatural Cars Seinen Cars Police Romance Shounen Shoujo Game Demons Comedy Super Power Fantasy Shoujo Ai Shoujo Ai Game Shoujo Ai Parody Police Game Fantasy Action Magic Magic School Mecha Seinen Romance School Romance Sci-Fi Romance Police Supernatural Fantasy Magic Magic Super Power Fantasy Supernatural Parody Shoujo Action Hentai Mecha Action Demons Demons Super Power Magic Shoujo Ai Comedy Comedy Psychological Sci-Fi School Game Shoujo Ai Sci-Fi Psychological Super Power Parody School Action Super Power Shounen Ai School Hentai Mecha Action Horror Yuri Vampire Martial Arts Shounen Ai Vampire Vampire Harem Shounen Ai Yuri Hentai Harem Martial Arts Yuri Martial Arts Martial Arts Martial Arts Dementia Vampire Harem Dementia Ecchi Horror Harem Vampire Harem Dementia Shounen Ai Ecchi Horror Ecchi Horror Ecchi Horror Ecchi Yaoi Shounen Ai Yuri Dementia Dementia Yuri Yaoi Yaoi Yaoi Yaoi
This table is ranked with the genres having the highest average rating in that category at the top, and the lowest average genres at the bottom.
We’ve already proven that the ratings in each category is linked, so of course genres that tend to do well in one genre also do well in the others, but there are some interesting outliers, a few of which I’ll comment on.
Thrillers and mysteries tend to focus more on atmosphere, with good ratings for story, animation, and sound, but fall short on their characters and overall enjoyment. This is a shame as character motivations are vitally important to my enjoyment of these anime.
Porn genres tend to do well in terms of animation and enjoyment, but their “oops did I accidentally release a tentacle monster” plots leave something to be desired.
Superhero content seems to be quite superficial, doing better with their visuals and sound but poorly with story or enjoyment.
Sci-fi tends to do better in its aesthetics than it does in story. As a literary sci-fi fan, I’m disappointed at this. There are so many fantastic sci-fi plots out there.
Slice of content does well with its characters and enjoyment, but of course the plot isn’t anything special.
Helpful review biases
MyAnimeList allows users to rate which reviews they found helpful, and by default will show an anime’s reviews in order of those reviews that got the most helpful ratings. What kind of factors might influence what you consider helpful?
If we compare the overall rating reviewers gave an anime, we find the most helpful review tends to 0.35 higher than average. So being enthusiastic gets you to the top of the list. But if we look at the top 10 reviews they tend to be 0.18 lower than average. So that one enthusiastic review tends to be followed by more critical reviews, giving a fairly well-rounded set of reviews overall.
Another more contentious factor is the gender of the reviewer. On average, women are ranked 0.31 places lower than male reviewers. There are a lot of possible explanations, perhaps with male profiles outnumbering female ones 2-1 on MAL the male reviewers might be resonating more with the general audience than female ones do, or there might be a degree of sexism involved.
Criticisms
While I’ve had fun analysing the MAL reviews, it’s important not to take any statistic too seriously as there are always complicating factors. The typical person who reviews anime might not be reflective of the average anime fan, or fans may be less inclined to review anime they disliked so we might have a bias in the data.
There’s also the question of whether we’re measuring reviewer’s anime tastes, or reflect inherent correlations in anime production. Studios that are good at animation might also tend to be good at sound design, so the correlation is more about the studio than how reviewers perceived the quality of the anime.
I hope you enjoyed the analysis. I plan to do a follow-up post in a few weeks with some wordclouds for the words that tend to come up more often in positive/negative reviews or specific genres. As a little teaser, here is an early result of which words female reviewers are more likely to use than male ones.
If you have any feedback or suggestions for future analyses, please let me know either in the comments here or on twitter.
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Monsterblog Recommends: The Sinister Man’s Prince of Slytherin
Previously - Monsterblog Recommends: Jean M. Auel’s Earth’s Children Series
As I’ve said before, sometimes I will recommends fics to you. So far I’ve recommended only three, in amongst everything else. Firstly, my personal and eternal favourite, the Sacrifices Arc, secondly the interesting thought experiment Patron, and thirdly the massively AU Curse of the Reapers.
Of these three, PoS is closest to Sacrifices - Wrong Boy Who Lived, and Slytherin!Harry - but is instead actively leaning against some of the themes that Sacrifices expanded upon. PoS instead works to make everything far more grey and decidedly Weird, which I do know is liked by plenty of you.
1. What the hell is Prince of Slytherin?
It is a rather interesting Harry Potter Alternate Universe fic using a number of tropes that went down pretty well the last time I recommended a fic with them. Wrong Boy Who Lived and Slytherin!Harry most notably, but it also has the Potters as a noble house of sorts with an associated Wizengamot seat, and somewhat delves into the politics.
It, like Sacrifices, uses the worldbuilding in order to help handle its themes, rather than having a world based on what we already know of our world and the Potterverse. Instead, many things in PoS’verse are created wholly out of or by magical means, and have altered the fabric of the world as a result.
And perhaps in part due to this, it delves into some rather more eldritch and Other things.
2. Why I’m recommending it
Because, while I certainly have issues with some aspects of its worldbuilding, I do think its a worthwhile read. Its got some interesting characterisation and how it builds the world serves to make for interesting conflicts. There is never any guarantee that any one character will win out of it, and it makes surprisingly sympathetic characters you might find yourself not much caring for. It takes certain common character archetypes and turns them on their head, takes popular fanon convention and flips it. Its handling of Narcissa and of Peter are two of the most notable examples - while Sacrifices likewise did a very different thing with Peter, PoS’s version of Narcissa is something I don’t think I’ve seen in any fanfiction before.
I also think its got a huge amount of potential. Its currently only partway through year three, but its slow worldbuilding has left a huge amount of space and potential to grow into and the author has stated an interest in continuing the story beyond Voldemort’s potential demise, as the worldbuilding allows for multiple further conflicts of various kinds.
And... I think that, while this fic has things I take issue with, it does enough things right and provides enough nuance, that I think its worth following.
3. Less Good Things / Trigger Warnings
Gore, murder, eldritch monstrosities, massive levels of mindfuckery, disownment with an associated magical compulsion to hate the disowned individual and then on a more meta level...
Salazar Slytherin in this was good. The pureblood prejudice came later to his House. Werewolves really are monsters and beastly, Remus Lupin is an exception. House Elves truly were created to be slaves.
In this case these things do all ultimately serve aspects of the worldbuilding, but I also know that there things that many people have wholly justified distaste towards, and so I’m warning for them here so that you know.
I’m also going to warn for the bashing of James early on. While there is later a reason given for his actions, its given so far on that the bashing really does feel kind of... bullshit and baseless, and predicating on a ... rather particular handling of his character in a way which I personally think could have been handled better. But, I know some people have a much greater willingness to sit through bashing or even enjoy bashfics, so.
4. Spoilers and Further Points
Some of the early chapters are a bit rough and have been rewritten a few times. They’re still somewhat clunky and I’d advise listening to the author’s request and sticking them out. Once Harry gets to Hogwarts things really pick up in interesting ways and while I personally think the early handling of James was overly clunky and could have been handled better (I hate bashing in all its forms, especially when a characters’ actions are later given reason only after the bashing is completed) I do think that the rest of the story mitigates this.
Also, prepared to get incredibly attached to Theodore Nott in ways you mightn’t expect.
5. Further Reading
The fic is available on the Pit that is FF.Net over Here, and in broken-up-by-book form over Here on AO3.
There is also a website for the author over Here, and a twitter for updates, both for fanfic and for their original work, which you can find Here.
Additionally, there’s a fan-made Wikia over Here, and a fan-maintained/-updated TVTropes page over Here.
There is also a (slowly updating) fan tumblr, which you can find Here, and there is also a Discord server which you will almost certainly be invited to if you leave a review on the fic, and which you can find details about on both the ff.net pages and the AO3.
If you do join the Discord server, you’ll find its got a pretty good atmosphere, pretty strong rules about not being a dickhead, and a mod who is generally upbeat and more willing to make jokes than start fights, though he takes things seriously when needs be - or if it involves Oreos.
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The 100 Highlights - “Eden” (5x01)
Hey there fam! I’m starting this series in honour of the new season of The 100 that is now airing. Basically, it will function similar to review of the episode, except I will be pointing out the highlights of the episode - the things that I liked (not what I was critical of).
In light of 5x01 airing, it has become increasingly clear to me that - no matter how good an episode is - it is too easy for this fandom to get caught up on the negative aspects of it. (And yes, that includes myself sometimes.)
Being critical is good - it is a part of consuming fiction - but it is also important to recognize the positive aspects of literature as well. If not for anyone else, than for your own sanity. So that sparked the purpose of this series: for me to take a step back and think about what I enjoyed about the episode, and then share it to spread a little positivity in fandom.
I intend to do this for every episode of Season 5, and possibly for later seasons as well (assuming we get renewed) depending on how it goes.
So, for my first post, I will be talking about “Eden”.
In no particular order:
The camera following the Ark and speeding down to Earth as the very first shot of the season was pretty cool and really captured the atmosphere of the episode as well as what the heart of the show seems to be: the connection among people even when they are apart, and the ways in which they fight to get back to each other.
Looking back, the cinematography of this episode was honestly stunning. The dull and bleached colour pallet of the scorched Earth versus the vibrancy of Eden is a shocking contrast and there were so many beautiful shots throughout the episode.
Loved the little callbacks to past places and characters - like the stones where they signalled to Luna, Jasper’s goggles, the stick from L.exa’s throne, Maya’s iPod, the rover, etc - it shows how all these people are still very present in Clarke’s mind (and how they are indirectly keeping her alive, keeping her centered).
The attention to detail was really strong in this episode (see above point) with all the props and the music choices (eg. playing the CL theme when Clarke finds L.exa’s throne). Due to this it ensured that, in spite of the time jump, the heart and history of The 100 remained present.
Seriously, there were sooo many cool shots. The shot of Clarke driving as the dust/lightning storm approaches was super neat. I loved how they depicted what life on Earth looks like after Praimfaya, the devastation of the planet. And also the shot of her staring into the flames as she burns the bodies of the villagers was stunning.
Having the entirety of the first 27 minutes following Clarke (and narrated almost solely by her) really nailed home the impact of her isolation and was, not to mention, a very bold storytelling decision
Music was used expertly in this episode. Tree Adams did such a great job at pinpointing when the music was needed, and when the episode was better served by using it liberally (and, on occasion, not at all). In the shot of Clarke sorting through Arkadia, the music is very light, the most prominent sound the whistling of the wind, as if to accentuate the fact that the world has gone completely silent following Praimfaya. It is also used as an homage to old characters who have passed, such as Maya, or L.exa, which I appreciated.
The scene where Clarke finds Jasper’s things was absolutely beautiful, and Eliza killed the scene with her acting. When I watched 4x13 last year I was disappointed to find that the scene where Clarke found Jasper’s suicide note was cut from the finale (it was in the leaked scripts) because I thought it meant Jasper’s memory would be forgotten. In retrospect, I’m happy that they did it this way instead, when Clarke is completely and utterly alone, and she can finally allow the emotions to hit her properly. There were so many amazing callbacks to characters from previous seasons who are no longer around anymore.
“Anyway ... in case this is the last time I get to do this, I just wanna say .. please don’t feel bad about leaving me here. You did what you had to do. I’m proud of you.” We’ve all had over a month to mentally and emotionally prepare ourselves for this line, since the trailer came out, but it remains just as beautiful as the first time.
There’s just something so badass about Clarke driving through an empty post-apocalyptic wasteland, listening to EDM on one of the last remaining pieces of tech on planet Earth. Clarke finding Maya’s iPod was the gift I didn’t know I needed.
Kudos to the makeup department for depicting their female lead realistically after almost dying of dehydration and radiation burns in the desert - sometimes this is not easy to find on a CW show.
Clarke’s frequent radio calls/narration offers up a fresh and interesting way of telling the story in this episode, revealing how Clarke has grown and reflected over the years.
There were soooo many parallels to previous episodes (eg. Clarke rising out of the water like Octavia in 1x01, the irradiated dining room in the village visually paralleling Mount Weather in 2x16, Clarke confronting her map like she did in the very first episode of the series, the shot of her face through the flames as she burns the bodies of the villagers is very reminiscent of 3x12, and everything to do with Madi and Clarke parallels the Blakes. And, of course, Charmaine’s “it means we’re not alone” is an obvious callback to Clarke’s words in the Pilot.)
No emotional beats are missed in 5x01. Clarke finding the child on the step outside the church is just one example of a gutwrenching moment in this episode that emotionally impacts us just in the way that all good media should.
“I’ve lost track of how many bodies we’ve burned since reaching the ground. God, this would be so much easier if I knew you were alive, if I knew I was going to see you again.” My Bellarke heart is singing!
Clarke gushing about berries. Enough said.
The filming of Clarke’s encounter of Madi pays homage to the horror genre, with her appearing suddenly in between the trees, or in the window frame. While not scary, it holds the same mood as 3x12 and 4x07 did - two episodes most strongly associated with typical horror films. I really enjoyed the mystery and intrigue associated with the way they approached Clarke meeting Madi.
By displaying Madi as fearful of flamekeepers, it demonstrates an alternative perspective to the Grounder faith that we haven’t gotten to see before: resistance. It also shines a light on the brutality of the conclave system in a way that is rarely addressed in the show (but perhaps should be).
Clarke performing surgery on herself? SO ! BAD ! ASS !
Clarke’s drawing of Madi was beautiful. And the little girl’s smile after seeing it? Precious.
Clarke spearing a fish? I’m turned on.
They did the absolute MOST gorgeous transition this show has ever done in this episode. And you all know which one I’m talking about. When Clarke is looking up at the stars and says, “What about them? Do you think they’ll come down too?” AND THEN IT SMOOTHLY SHIFTS TO THE ARK, BELLAMY STARING OUT THE WINDOW LOOKING DOWN AT HER AS SHE LOOKS UP AT HIM - BOTH UNKNOWINGLY. And the MUSIC. The music, oh god. Everything about it was stunning. The camerawork, the music, the thematic implications of it all. I just can’t be coherent about how amazing that transition was. Lemme go watch it another five times before I continue.
Raven beating Echo. Raven laughing. Raven.
The dynamic among the space squad is really intriguing, and Jason Rothenberg communicated so much with so little. With just a few short scenes and lines of dialogue we can perfectly understand everyone’s role on the Ark, the tension between Bellamy and Raven, the uncertainty of Echo paired with the internal struggle of Monty, the way Emori has so seamlessly fitted herself into the group, and how Murphy has just as easily removed himself from it. It’s fascinating to me to watch how these characters interact with each other; how things have remained constant, and how they have shifted.
The fact that “Murphy” is considered one of their chores on the Ark will never not be funny (and equally heartbreaking???).
“Seconds?” “Yeah right, I choose Murphy.” I will never be over Monty’s poor, cute, little hopeful face here. It was adorable.
The Murphy and Bellamy fight scene was a blessing in every single way. First of all, Bellamy being cheeky is my lifeblood. Second of all, Murphy’s story this season is super intriguing to me. And third of all, Bellamy holding Murphy in a headlock as he forces him to admit he’s not worthless is a scene I never would have imagined I would need this much.
“You know what I think your problem is? You like being the hero; only up here, there are no heroes.” I LOVE this line because of how it delves into Murphy’s psyche and also displays him in a different way than Murphy typically is. It shows that, deep down, he really does care about more than himself. When he has so much time to wallow in his own self-loathing, he feels he needs to live up to his own expectations, and he acts out. If he can’t be a hero, then he’ll be what he knows he can be. A dick.
Also ... “there are no heroes” = “there are no good guys”. I love my otp
Bellamy is the biggest dad and I am LIVING for it.
“I’ll make sure it’s my only choice.” Cue Kate’s Bellarkean death.
“Non-violent offenders with me?” “Yeah, both of them.” Okay, I’m sorry but I’ll never stop laughing about this.
“Relax, McCreary. You’re still my favourite mass-murderer.” I loved this little exchange because it hints at the dynamic between all of the Eligius crew. Again, Jason does so much with so little words. It clearly indicates just how different these prisoners are from The 100 - how dangerous. Also ... is Zeke a mass murderer, then?
Monty and Harper’s scene together was enlightening. I’m so excited for Monty’s journey this season, and it makes complete sense for him to go in this direction. What’s intriguing is that him and Harper have almost shifted places from where they were in Season 4, where Harper wanted to give up and Monty was insistent on the need to keep fighting. He brings up a good point now: “No one should have to be that strong.” Because isn’t that the whole truth? I also really appreciated the callback to Monty’s mom, as well as Jasper, as there was a serious concern as to whether those deaths would just be swept under the rug because of the time jump. I’m happy to see that my concerns were for nothing.
Emori and Raven’s friendship is EVERYTHING.
Nothing is brighter than Raven Reyes’ smile and that’s a fact.
Lindsey and Richard continue to have stunning chemistry and they both feed off each other so well, no matter how you see their relationship.
Ending the episode with the single shot of the fight ring in the bunker and Octavia (and her “royal guards”, so to speak) observing blankly from above was absolutely chilling. And the best possible way to lead into the next episode.
Hope you enjoyed reading my highlights! Feel free to share some of your own. I’ll be back sometime next week following “Red Queen”.
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Mileven post-S2 fanfiction recommendation list: PART V
For past rec lists please see instalments I, II, III, and IV. If your fanfic isn’t featured, apologies. Message me and we’ll amend that grievance in the next rec list instalment.
* marks the ongoing stories.
canon:
for laughs, for luck, for the unknown by ArtemisRae: “Mike goes away to college. El goes with him. Within a year she gains a new set of grandparents, a pet, a job, and enforces party rules.”
+ its sequel the monkey in the wrench by ArtemisRae: “Mike ends up in the hospital, El has to face her insecurities, and they turn the corner with Mike’s parents.” [ArtemisRae’s works are so beautiful, I can’t breathe.]
a wonderful awful idea by ArtemisRae: “Mike wants to recapture the Christmas magic of his childhood, but mostly he accidentally makes his girlfriend cry.”
the last picture show by ArtemisRae: “Hopper catches Mike and El at the local drive in after being led to think that they were at the Hawk with their friends.”
six weeks* by bananannabeth: “There are six weeks between the night El comes home and the night of the Snow Ball, which leaves not a lot of time to deal with a whole lot of shit. Somehow, she and Mike ride it out.”
can’t argue with that by bananannabeth: “Karen is well aware of how stubborn her only son can be, but as much as he tries to pretend he has to do everything on his own, Mike isn’t alone anymore. So if he’s insisting on running to El’s rescue at the cabin in the middle of the woods at two in the morning, you can bet his mom is not letting him go alone.”
+ its prequel with background Mileven: alone by bananannabeth: “Karen left Joyce alone when she so obviously needed support, and now she’s trying to make amends. Casserole and coffee seems as good a place as any to start.” God, I love bananannabeth’s You Can Talk To Me (aka. Karen Wheeler is a Good Mom™) series so, so much.
just another sleepy sunday by suchastart: “Game night, a few years into the future.”
promises by blacktreeswhitesky: “For Jane Ives, it’s always been like this. She was always searching for something, for someone.” [I’M NOT CRYING. YOU ARE CRYING.]
how we sleep by zombiecupcake: “The gate is closed, and the gang finds themselves getting the much deserved rest they all needed.”
love you like that* by ohanae: “Snippets out of Mike and El’s life after she closed the gate to the Upside Down. They learn things together, go to school together, grow up together.”
operation christmas for el* by Booklover1217: “When the party discovers that El has never experienced a Christmas before they are horrified. That is until Mike comes up with the plan to give El the most amazing first Christmas imaginable and so Operation Christmas for El is born. The next days that follow are filled with gingerbread, mistletoe, snow, and the magic of Christmas which just may change El’s life forever.”
home by lesbeatlesbunch: “Mike gets his license.”
pretty by hma1313: “Sometimes he thinks he sees her standing at the end of the street in that ratty dress of his sister’s, the fabric torn and stained, but he’ll blink and then she’s gone and he’s half convinced he imagined it all.”
scrap my knees, whatever; i’m gonna let them bleed by ceruleanstorm: “How many compliments can Mike and El yell at each other over a card game?”
close the door by g00denough: “Because we are just waiting for when someone walks in on El and Mike kissing.”
things you said* by Brown Eyes Parker: “a collection of one-shots revolving around Mike & Eleven and things they say to each other.”
+ its sort of sequel, sort of outtakes things you said, alternate stories* by Brown Eyes Parker: “Original and alternate or continuations of stories in my “things you said” series.”
heartbeats in the quiet by screamingintosilence: “It was usually just a cold, but this felt like the flu.”
perfect summer day by AR357: “It was a sunny summer day in 1984. Mike had been looking forward to this day for a while. With each breath of crisp summer air, he felt more and more invigorated. With each hill he crested, he felt his heart thumping away. But then again, maybe he was just thinking about what the day’s events would hold.”
flutterby, butterfly* by foreverinthe_eighties: “What would happen if, years after the events that took place in 1984, Kali seeks Eleven out herself. And gives her the opportunity to change her mind.”
the name game by Strange_Archivist: “El and Mike have their first real fight, and it’s a doozy.”
eleven things* by Socalledfriend: “Eleven returns, but things don’t just go back to the way they were. It’s not clear how she managed to get home, and meanwhile Will’s sickness is only getting worse. Some things never change though, and while she’s back, Mike manages to teach her at least eleven things about the outside world.”
raspberry breeze by urdearestmom: “Sometimes she stays up with him, and she calls him ridiculous. How don't you fall over when you get up in the morning? She asks. Pfft, I don’t need sleep! Who do you think I am? He says, but then he smiles and her heart melts, she's never been able to be angry at this boy for more than a few minutes.”
promises* by Vontar: “Sometimes, it’s the little things in life that matter. Scenes of life from Eleven and Mike, as they face the future together.”
stranger things holiday extravaganza* by Commernator: “Mike, Hopper, and the rest of the party help Eleven experience holidays for the first time.”
alternative universe:
the boy with freckles like constellations in the night sky* by got credits (Poly_Grumps): “It had been a quiet night in the town of Hawkins Indiana when Will Byers disappeared seemingly out of thin air. Jane Ellie Ives could still recall her last moments with him, the last words she had spoken with him before she watched him bike off into the night. It had started like any other day in fact, with the curly-haired girl and her gang of friends all sitting around in her basement gathered around a rather intense game of dungeons and dragons!” Reverse AU. [guys, guys, guys. I’m screaming. It’s so good.]
(all i wanna be is) somebody to you* by sinclairsmax: “Elle Hopper never thought that she’d win American Idol. Then again, she also never thought Mike Wheeler would fall in love with her. Behind the cameras, everything is turned upside down.” YouTube AU. [this is everything I didn’t know I wanted.]
we could be heroes* by ValBirch: “A series of connected vignettes about our favourite characters—but with superpowers.” Superhuman AU. I repeat, SUPERHUMAN AU. [Plus, the author has a whole set of moodboards/aesthetics for characters and I’m dying.]
the artist & the dancer* by JavaCat26: “Her warm honey-brown eyes were fixated on him. Emotion washed over him like warm bath water. He wouldn’t let her down. Ever. He took a deep breath, steadied his hand, and pressed his pencil to the canvas. “I can do this…”” College AU.
upside down and back again* by Crataeis: “When a new threat begins to emerge from the ashes of the Upside Down, an unlikely group of four of our six main protagonists band together to try and stop it.” Alternative Reality? Time Travel AU? I can’t quite tell, but although this fic is in its early stages, it’s really good and worth a look.
a rose by any other name by serendipitous_rambles: “The Montague and Capulet high schools never got along. There was bitter rivalry between the two schools, nothing good could come from associating with each other. But what happens when two fall in love?” Romeo & Juliet-style High-School AU.
+ bonus: wherein The Party is featured prominently…again:
in a dream where the air is soft by a simple space nerd: “El has hair slicked back behind her ears, darkly ringed eyes, and somewhat bedraggled clothes, and Max would normally steer clear of people looking like her, but she’s heard so much about El, and God, why is this group of friends so unlike everyone else Max has ever met? Max never used to care about what random people thought of her. “Curse you, stalker,” she mutters half-heartedly.” [I love Mike and Max in this one. This has to be my favourite interpretation of both characters, hands down. This fic is so in tune with characterisation, it can be considered canon.]
more than one best friend by topangamatthews: “El’s first best friend is Mike, but he’s not her last.”
after the gate closed* by insomniacwriter17: “Just one shots about all the little head canons I have.”
el’s word book* by Noth_lit_9: “El is frustrated that her vocabulary lags behind those of her friends, so Hopper wants to provide her with a way to see her growth.”
it’s okay to not be okay by talesfromthesnogbox: “Jim Hopper knew it was a real emergency when he was woken in the night by a phone call from his son-in-law Mike from the hospital. All was not well, but Jim reminds Mike that sometimes it’s okay to not be okay.”
teenage girls by EvieSmallwood: “El & Max hang out at the arcade. They talk about the present and the future.”
a is for alphabet* by urdearestmom: “Each chapter is a letter of the alphabet, lots of fluff and laughs ensue.”
so i could kill them for you by valancysnaith: “Max deserves so much better. The party is there for her.”
.
.
okay, so I had a lot more, but my Cloud messed the fuck up and deleted half of the bookmarks I made. now, I gotta go and track down the fics I lost…
UPDATE: part VI is out.
#mileven#mileven fanfiction#mileven fanfiction recommendation list#mileven fanfiction recommendation#character: mike wheeler#character: eleven#pairing: mike x eleven#tv: stranger things#fanfiction recommendations#in this tag resides fanfiction#♔: victrix#*
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