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onceuponaswanqueen · 4 months

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My 2023 Fanfiction Reading Stats

Happy New Year, everyone!

In this post, I'll be giving some stats over my fanfiction reading last year, and under the cut will be my 15 favorite fics I read last year (10 new ones and five rereads).

But first, some stats!

I read 17 890 498 words, that's 6 million words more than last year! I read 593 fics. 110 fandoms and 322 ships! That's double the amount of ships I read last year.

By number of fics, my most popular fandom was Harry Potter with a total of 89 fics. Second popular fandom was Gossip Girl, with 55 fics, and in third place we have Criminal Minds with 42 ships.

That means that Harry Potter is the only fandom from last year to break the top 3 again. Last year (2022) I read zero Gossip Girls fics, and only a couple Criminal Minds fics, so both those fandoms entered with a force.

When it comes to ships and word count, my three most popular ships were Dan/Blair (Gossip Girl) with 21 fics, and Emma/Regina (Once Upon a time) with 21 fics. Ironically enough, 21 was the highest number of fics read with a single paring last year (2022) as well though the pairings were faberry & swan queen. My third most read ship was Katniss/Peeta (The Hunger Games) with 16. Only one f/f ship in the top three, which i don't think has happened to me since middle school.

In terms of words, my most popular fandom was still Harry Potter (3 927 226 words), followed by the Hunger Games (1 274 229 words), and in third place General Hospital (1 006 643 words). And for pairings that is Emma/Regina (Once Upon a Time) at number one with 947 973 words, followed by Jason/Elizabeth (General Hospital) with 889 029 words, and in third place Ginny/Harry (Harry Potter) with 671 844 words.

I mostly read canon divergence (196 fics), then future!fic (not necessarily canon compliant) with 73 fics, and then post-canon fics with 66 fics.

I read 168 fics with f/f pairings, 161 ficswith f/m pairings (which damn, i haven't read this much het since i was in middle school), 166 gen fics, and 72 fics with a M/M pairing. I also read 20 fics with mulitiple pairingtype (ia both f/f and f/m), 1 fic which was nb/m, and 8 fics with a poly ship.

My avarage rating was 4 stars. My avarage number of words per fic were 30 204 words. I also had 55 fics that I had read last year, which is much lower than last year.

And now, my top fifteen fics I read last year, (in no particular order)

The Victors Project by oisin55

Before Katniss and Peeta, seventy-three children won the Hunger Games. Some were brutal. Some were clever. Some were lucky. A few were almost decent. These are their stories. This is the Victors Project. (Hunger Games, mostly gen)

THIS IS THE BEST FIC I HAVE EVER READ. Like it's so good, and yes it's long. Its 311k, but worth every second. It's no longer canon compatible due to Songbirds, but it's still worth the read. You will not regret it.

2. The Mad World Series by crimsonglass

Set in Summer 2003. One night in June, Ric kidnaps Carly and locks her in a panic room, drugging Elizabeth to cover his tracks. Before long, Port Charles is embroiled in scandal, corruption, and trauma that hits home for everyone. It will be a long time before anyone forgets Ric Lansing’s reign of terror or the evil simmering beneath the surface of the city. (General Hospital, Jason/Elizabeth centric, but with other ships as well)

This is a niche fandom and ship, but this was absolutely brilliant. All the parts are great, tho I really love All of Me and This Is Me, which revisits Elizabeth's rape and puts her center in her own story. Which the show just hasn't done in over a decade. And it's just so good. I've read almost all of crimsonglass's fanfic this year but this stands out to me as one I will proabably reread for years.

3. Truth and Measure by telanu

Andy doesn't leave Miranda in Paris, and learns that a single decision can change your life. But the main thing about decisions? You don't get to stop with one. (The Devil Wears Prada, Andy/Miranda)

This is a classic for a reason. I cannot believe I have never read this before. It left it breathless. It was so good, I just couldn't stop reading it. I finished in like two days and it's 271k long. It's just so addicting.

4. Roads Diverged by freelancerrh

The stick had two lines. Four alternate continuations from "Late." (Dawson's Creek, Pacey/Joey)

THIS IS BRILLIANT. It follows four different timelines from Late if Joey was pregnant, one where she keps the baby and raieses it with pacey, one were she has an abortion and tells pacey, one she raises the baby alone, and one where she has an abortion but never tell pacey. All four timeslines are excellent, and I love this kind of multiple timelines stories. Totally worth a read if you know the fandom and ship the pairing.

5. If You Never Bleed, You're Never Gonna Grow by mp143

For three years, she ignored the way she clung to updates about him from her brother, every little piece of his life he didn’t share with her in the course of a hookup. She disregarded the tightening in her chest and the fluttering in her stomach when they were together, noticing that he never stopped noticing her, anticipating her desires and giving them to her without her having to ask. And she refused to acknowledge that maybe, just maybe, it wasn’t only about sex — not for her, and maybe not for him either. And that’s, of course, how she ended up here: huddled over a cauldron in the bathroom of her tiny flat, trying to work up the courage to prick her finger and pinch a drop of blood into the potion.

Best Harry/Ginny fic I read last year, hands down. It was so suprising, deals with why and how Ginny got pregnant so young and in the middle of her career. It also steers away from canon but honestly, it works better that way. Also the romance in this is spot on.

6. To Hold off the Lightning by cinnamonfiglatte

There’s no burst of dust, the way Faith expects. Only blood at her hands and blood at the stranger’s lips and the chilling sound of a death rattle fighting its way from his lungs. Or: Faith kills Allan Finch. The Scoobies offer her the literal crumbs of support she needs in order to not give in to darkness. Yes, this is another “Faith stays (mostly) good” season 3 AU. (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Faith/Buffy)

Works perfectly in canon and in character Fuffy fic, yes and thank you. The way the romance develops in this is so natural and organic, and it makes so much sense, and it never puts down on Buffy and Angel and it all just works. It's a slow burn and it so delicious i can't even. Read it!

7. There's a place I call my home by lizwas (Series)

au from 5x21 onward, but takes place years in the future. Jenny comes from London to spend a summer in the Hamptons, and reconnects with her old friend Nate. (Gossip Girl, Jenny/Nate)

I fell into a gossip girl hole this year, no doubt. and my favorite writer for this fandom is lizwas, but this series just stood out to me. i love jenny & nate and they are so underappricated and this series is so good, it treats nate with respect, it treats jenny with respect, it shows how people can grow and how people can grow together, and i just *chefs kiss*, the smut is pretty good too if that's your thing.

8. Who Knows, Who Cares by the_dream_team

Lily Evans liked girls. Well, she liked boys, too. Bisexual. That was the term she’d settled on." After 22 years spent in the closet, Lily is excited to finally start dating girls. In fact, she's quite determined to make up for a lifetime of relationships with mediocre men, and the messy-haired boy who works at the art museum isn't going to change her plans anytime soon. Definitely not. (Harry Potter, James/Lily)

This is a no!magic, coffeeshop au, AND ITS SO CUTE. It's the perfect winter rom com. It has Hallmark Christmas movies vibes but in a good way. It's just such a nice cozy read. And the James/Lily dynamic is spot on and I love it.

9. The Way The World Ends by KidA_666

“Age of Consent” by New Order blares out, loud enough for Jonathan to hear across the room. He had been there when Steve chose it a few months ago during another war room: “‘Age of Consent’ is good, I guess.” “It can’t be I guess, dingus! It has to be enough to save you from a brutal interdimensional death!” Robin snapped. Steve had rolled his eyes. “What’s Vecna gonna want with me anyways, Rob? I’ll do ‘Age of Consent.’” Jonathan had known, that night, that it might be the wrong choice. But he didn’t say anything because it had been years and he could be wrong and maybe some selfish, petty part of him didn’t want to give Steve the satisfaction of Jonathan still knowing. Something lifts Steve off of the couch. “It’s not working!” Robin screams. And Jonathan knows why it isn’t working. He remembers. Whatever high school bullshit Steve has put him through doesn’t particularly matter in the face of watching him be destroyed and turned inside out. So Jonathan, calmer than he feels, says, “It’s Hank Williams. Do you have Hank Williams?” (Stranger Things, Steve/Jonathan)

Why does this work so well? I have no clue but it does. It's childhood friends to enemies to lovers and it works so well in canon, like it fits right in and it's so great. I love this. It's not a pairing I usually read, but it took me by such suprise and totally worth giving it a chance.

10. The War is Not Over When The Soldiers Come Home by keepcalmsmile

DeFonda Hepburn had met many parents in her many years as a nanny, but she'd never met parents quite like the Potters. Strangely enough, they have more in common than she thought. (Harry Potter, gen with Harry/Ginny)

Outsider POV of Harry and Ginny as adults and parents. It's so good. It's canon compliant, and it's wonderful. I found a new love of outsider POV this year and this one is the best I read. I just.. wonderful.

Top Five rereads (In no particular order)

- by colormetheworld

No summary available but it's this after Jane's wife dies by Hoyt's hand, Jane transfer to Boston with her kids and moves in with Maura. This is a story about healing. (Rizzoli and Isles, Jane/Maura)

This is one of the most beautiful pieces of fiction I have ever read. This author is my favorite author in this fandom, and this work along with Keys, never fails to make me cry. It's wonderful.

2. I don't know how lovely you are by sungfsongsun

Emily-centric. Set after 1x09. Emily/Alison, implied Emily/Maya.

This fic is super short, 1345 words, but it stuck with me. It stuck with me so much I read it twice last year, and I have read it several times before this. It's just three short scenes with the other liars set after she came out, and an apparence by ali in the end. it's just so simple and so beautiful.

3. Bittersweet and Strange by speakpirate

Emily Fields doesn’t need either of them. But Rosewood is still Rosewood. Their students just might need them both. A story where Paige and Alison discover they have more important things in common than a mutual ex. (Pretty Little Liars, Alison/Paige)

This shouldn't work. I shouldn't love this as much as I do. Like I hate that trope of the bully falling for their victim, but it just works here. Maybe because they're adults, and they've grown, but this just fit so well. Such a treat.

4. Track changes by cairophoenix

Alex is an editor at a New York publishing house, and that means her life is going right. She has her apartment, and the gym, and Kara a subway stop away. So if her apartment’s always empty at the end of the day, that’s just how things are. She spends a lot of time at the office, anyway. She’s making it, and that’s something she can be satisfied with. And then a mysterious book arrives.

This is excellent. The slow burn is wonderful. Alex' journey is wonderful. A lovely little no powers AU with these two falling in love through copy editing. And it's so nice.

5. Game of Stacks by CommaSplice

When the Aegon Targaryen Memorial Library at Crownlands University loses its most recent library director in a tragic accident, President Robert Baratheon turns to his friend and colleague Eddard Stark to turn the library around. (Game of Thrones, Tywin/Olenna, Jaime/Brienne, Sansa/Margaery, Stannis/Asha/Davos/Cercei)

This fic is batshit in the best way. Like it's 100% Game of Thrones set in a university library. It takes turns and twist that you just never see coming. Also the ships are wonderful, the way they handle the Cersei/Jaime thing is so good, the suspense is good still on a third or forth reread. It's such a good story.

#fic rec #fandom stats #fanfiction challenge

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lichfucker · 2 years

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hi and hello! I would love to hear anything you wish to share about "to cross running water"; seeing you tag things for it/talk about it on my dash is always so cool <3

ty for indulging me lskdfsdf g-d where do I even start

'to cross running water' is my black sails vampire fic because I only write vampire fics anymore. some vampire lore says that they can't cross running water, so if you wanna get away from a vampire you basically just need to lead them to a river and then leave them stranded on the other side, which I thought was very cheeky considering. flint is a pirate. literally all he does is cross running water.

I'm hewing pretty closely to canon with it; it's not a full genre/plot swap, it's literally just "black sails but what if flint were a vampire."

I've been alternating back and forth between flint's pov and miranda's pov. and then of course once she dies it'll be all flint all the time lmao. flint is a vampire and thomas had also been a vampire but miranda is human. she is flint's shelter, she is his haven, her blood is what fuels and sustains him. it has the very fun effect of taking her already incredible isolation in canon and cranking it all the way up. miranda is horrifically alone, the bearer of more awful secrets than anyone can fathom, and there's only so much longer she can hang onto this powerlessness before something breaks.

and flint is... a beast. flint is a monster. he's the thing good men fear, what they tell their children to fear. he's been deemed an abomination for so many reasons, in so many ways. he has a primal rage, an insatiable bloodlust, a conviction that he is meant to lead and to rule. he is the man who cannot die, who can only be unmade in sunlight. all the interplay of dark and light, the thematic resonance of night and day. all of that is canon. I'm just adding fangs.

tcrw is also slowburn silverflint because of course it is lmao. I'm writing it in order because I Need To but uhh I have some plans for later scenes that are. the closest I will ever come in my life to writing smut. so. there's that. I just think that the eroticism of the vampire figure is important, and every vampire fic I've written approaches it differently. this one meets it head-on.

mmm I posted the whole first miranda section a little while ago... since you so patiently sat through this infodump I'll give you a bit from the first flint section :3

It's far from the most depraved thing Flint has done today but wringing Singleton’s blood out of his shirt only to lick it back up is certainly undignified. He takes no pride in wiping his cheeks with the back of his hand before all but shoving his entire fist into his mouth, but in the privacy of his cabin, hunger so putrid and bellowing it rots in him, he finds he cannot truly feel ashamed of it, either.

He does what he must. Hunger alone won’t kill him, his infernal constitution made of sterner stuff, but he needs the strength. It’s a horrid combination, endurance and enfeeblement, the knowledge that he could be utterly hollowed out and still he must crawl his way through every rotation of the Earth, dragging his pathetic body ever closer to the end of time, his only true hope at final oblivion save for the business end of a wooden stake. But until such a fate becomes inevitable he will do what he can to avoid it, even if it means slurping Singleton’s blood off of each finger with indulgent obscenity. He feels invigorated with it, however slight the nutrition from feeding like this, and the adrenaline still thrums through him, all abuzz with the satisfaction of a good fight. Flint enjoys fighting in the sun. That enfeeblement he so dreads, the sun is its ultimate benefactor, its rays draping weakness across his shoulders like a heavy cloak, weighing him down. He’s known of others, throughout the years, who are flayed alive by the daylight, or whose skin breaks out in unbearable burns and blisters (Thomas, in particular, glittered in the sun as though his skin were made of crushed diamonds while ghastly red welts that stung and hissed were bubbling beneath the surface, threatening to burst), but Flint is merely dampened by it, his preternatural strength and speed made natural. It humanizes him. A daylit skirmish presents a challenge, his muscles heavy and his reflexes sluggish; he has no biological advantage, only his skill and his drive. Such a fight is as close to fair as one could ever be—and still Flint has yet to be bested. Still his might reigns supreme. At his weakest he is still the pinnacle of them. When will it be enough? When will they learn? Thomas’ voice, in that almost paternalistic way, slinks out of the depths of Flint’s mind, beseeching, What have you got to prove? Well, everything, it would seem. It was Singleton today. It’ll be someone else tomorrow. The ever-constant threat of mutiny breathes hot on his neck like a slobbering dog. If they’re going to be dogs, my sweet, I will show them the wolf. Miranda hates to be cooped up in that little house, stranded on the island for weeks at a time, but she hates even more to see him like this, the lengths he must go to secure any sort of existence for her. At least locked away in the interior she does not have to see the animal in him. The new cook saw it today. Everyone saw it, to be sure, Flint’s captive and captivated audience, but Mr. Silver saw it for the first time today. Mr. Silver recognized it today. Flint stood there, quaking, snarling, drenched in his soon-to-be lunch, and he caught Mr. Silver in his teeth, held him in place as those ice-blue eyes reckoned with the beast before him.

#jadeandquartzes #thanks jade #long post #bluh bluh #tcrw tag

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rickie-the-storyteller · 8 months

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Steph's Crew - Part 25: The End of an Era

Intro:

Greetings, friends!

Something that happened last time is that Stephanie realised that she has had enough of the long-distance thing with Ben. She decides to move with him and leave her London life behind. Ben isn't completely sure about this idea, but they decide to sleep on it and discuss it properly the next day. Well, I've skipped ahead a few days… since then, they've made the official decision to leave together at the end of the week.

So today, we're going to see how Steph navigates her last few days with her friends. You know, the people she's grown to genuinely love more than anything. The place that felt most like "home" to her. Fun…

Hope you guys enjoy :)

Some tragic news

(Elise and Stephanie are hanging out in Elise's room, studying. Or at least trying to… they're mostly just chatting and joking around. Stephanie hasn't told any of her friends that she's planning on leaving London with Ben, but she's written them all letters explaining everything. She decides to slip them into their bags without them knowing. She uses this study session with Elise as an opportunity to give her goodbye letter to her)

Elise: This is why I no longer shop there. It's crazy how unethical some companies really are…

Stephanie: Yeah, yeah. But you've got to admit, they've got some hella cute clothes.

Elise: Too right.

Stephanie: That's the only thing that keeps me buying their stuff to be honest.

Elise: I don't know… it's not enough for me.

Stephanie: Really?

Elise: I mean, if you continue buying their stuff and supporting their brand, isn't that kind of like your saying that you're ok with it? That you agree with everything they stand for?

Stephanie: I… never thought of it like that.

Elise: Yeah. I don't know, maybe I'm being extreme.

Stephanie: No, you're not. I think it's admirable. Could never be me, though.

(Suddenly, Elise's phone chimes with a notification from her news app. She opens the app, and gasps)

Stephanie: El? What's wrong?

Elise: Oh my… look! (shows Stephanie her phone)

(Stephanie looks at the main headline: "House fire at Donchester Street")

Stephanie: Wow.

Elise: I know! It happened last night.

Stephanie: Crazy. That's not too far away from here. (gives phone back to Elise)

Elise: And someone died in it!

Stephanie: Only one person?

Elise: Yeah, a "Miranda Brooke." Her husband John came home from work to find the whole place up in flames.

Stephanie: My gosh.

Elise: Poor guy.

Stephanie: People can be careless, huh?

Elise: That's sensitive of you, Steph.

Stephanie: What? A lot of house fires are started by accidents within the household. You know, things like being careless with candles, leaving the stove on… that sort of thing.

Elise: That doesn't mean that you say stuff like this!

Stephanie: Look, all I meant was-

Elise: Stop! It really doesn't matter how the fire started, anyway. Does it? I mean, nobody knows. All that matters is the fact that it happened, and someone died.

Stephanie: Wait, nobody knows at all?

Elise: Nope. Says so in this report.

Stephanie: Huh. (pauses) Probably was an accident, then.

Elise: Steph!

Stephanie: I know, I know. Not that it matters whether it was an accident or not. But still.

Saying goodbye (not really)

Alice

(Stephanie slips her letters into Alice's, Bret's and Dylan's bags when they aren't in the study room. Alice comes back from her exam first, and Stephanie gives Alice a hug as soon as she arrives)

Stephanie: You're officially done with Chemistry!

Alice: I'm never going to have to balance another equation again!

Stephanie: Now we've only got one week to go.

Alice: I can pick you up for Physics if you want. My dad's going to drive me.

Stephanie: Uh, yeah. Sounds good.

Alice: So, what do you want to do now?

Stephanie: We should wait for the others. Bret and Dylan will be done with their exams soon.

Alice: Alright.

Stephanie: And speaking of Dylan…

Alice: (smiles) What?

Stephanie: I've heard a few things.

Alice: From who?

Stephanie: El. She said that Mary told her that you two were-

Alice: Right. Figures. Mary never knows when to keep her mouth shut.

Stephanie: (laughs) So, what's happening with you two now? Is he your boyfriend?

Alice: Well, no. To be honest, I'm not really sure of what I want anymore.

Stephanie: How do you mean?

Alice: Me and Dylan haven't really talked much since he moved back with his family. I've been trying to give him space and time to just settle back into things.

Stephanie: Ok.

Alice: And I've had a lot of time to think.

Stephanie: About?

Alice: About me. Dylan. Our friendship. How special he is to me. And how much I'd hate losing him if things didn't work out.

Stephanie: Oh, Al…

Alice: I don't think either of us are ready for anything serious. We've both been through so much lately.

Stephanie: Ok, but you can't let your fear keep you from what you want in life. Especially when what you want is perfect and makes so much sense!

Alice: What if it goes wrong? What if we end up hating each other?

Stephanie: You know, it is possible to be friends with an ex, right? I mean, look at your sister.

Alice: Mary isn't me, Steph. Look, I do like him. I know he likes me. But I just want to do things right. I don't want to rush into something when I don't believe it's the right time for it.

Stephanie: (sighs) Fair enough.

(Just then, Bret and Dylan enter the room)

Dylan: Hey!

Alice: (smiles) Hey, Dylan.

(Dylan smiles back at Alice. The room is quiet for a moment)

Bret: I'm here, too.

Stephanie: (laughs) How was the exam, Bret?

Bret: It was alright!

Stephanie: Really?

Bret: Yeah! Surprisingly.

Stephanie: Glad to hear it. I'm sure you did good.

Bret: (smiles) Thanks, Steph.

(The two gaze into each other's eyes for a moment)

Stephanie: (awkwardly) You are very welcome. Haha!

Alice: Bro…

Stephanie: What?

Alice: (shakes her head) Forget it.

Dylan: What should we do now? How should we celebrate our new freedom?

Alice: Ok, not all of us are free… just 'cause you're done with exams doesn't mean we all are.

Dylan: You still have exams?!

Alice: One more. Physics. It's next Monday.

Stephanie: I have that exam too.

Dylan: Wow. Would've thought we'd all be done by now.

Alice: Well, you thought wrong.

Dylan

(The crew decide to go hang out at a bar. Elise eventually joins them. Stephanie is sitting with Dylan, and they're reminiscing about their time in the sixth form)

Stephanie: Remember when you asked me out last year?

Dylan: What th- come on! You said you'd never mention it again…

Stephanie: But it was such a funny time! You were all like-

Dylan: STOP IT.

Stephanie: (laughs) You were…

Dylan: Steph, shut up! I mean it.

Stephanie: (calms down) You were all like, "Stephanie, you must be made of copper and tellurium because you're Cu-Te."

Dylan: That's not what I said... plus, I noticed that you were into science. I thought you'd like that sort of joke.

Stephanie: "I don't mean to interrupt whatever you were doing, but I just wanted you to know you've got my attention, girl." Even though I was literally doing NOTHING.

Dylan: I was just trying to be polite!

Stephanie: "Let me take you out tonight. We should get to know each other better. I know a really great place…"

Dylan: Oh my God… And you were all like, "I totally would, but I'm busy tonight. Having dinner with my boyfriend."

Stephanie: (laughs) You're so terrible at flirting, bro. Is this how you're like with all the girls you like?

Dylan: (sighs) I hadn't been in the game for a while. I was trying to move on from Robyn.

Stephanie: Ah… Didn't realise your thing with her had been going on for such a long time.

Dylan: Yeah.

Stephanie: Well, at least you've finally moved on from her now.

Dylan: Huh?

Stephanie: Alice?

Dylan: Oh, right. I don't know if it's really going to happen now.

Stephanie: Oh for goodness sake-

Dylan: Look, I want it to. Don't get me wrong. I just… don't think she wants it to.

Stephanie: How do you know that?

Dylan: I just do, alright? I can tell, I know what she's like.

Stephanie: Ugh….

Bret

(A while later, Alice gets called to go home, and Elise volunteers to drive her. Dylan has gone to buy more drinks, and Bret has gone outside to smoke. Stephanie decides to go outside as well, to talk to him. She sees him leaning against the wall, looking at his phone)

Stephanie: Hey.

Bret: Oh. Hi.

Stephanie: So, how are you enjoying your freedom?

Bret: I feel like it hasn't fully registered in my head that I'm done with school yet.

Stephanie: Ha, that's funny. You still feel like you have to come back in next Monday?

Bret: …Yeah. I mean, I know I don't have to. Part of me almost wants to, though. Like, I'm done with this place. I've got so many memories at that school, and for the majority of my seven years there, I have kind of hated it. But I can't believe it's all over now.

Stephanie: I get how you feel. But hey, look on the bright side. You can now officially start your summer!

Bret: Yeah! That's cool. You know, once you and Alice are done with your exams, we should all do something together. Something really great.

Stephanie: I don't know if that's possible.

Bret: What do you mean?

Stephanie: Ben and I… we're planning on leaving.

Bret: What?

Stephanie: Yeah, we're going on holiday. Just the two of us. We just wanted to spend as much time together as possible this summer.

Bret: Oh. Well, have fun.

Stephanie: Thanks, Bret. I'm sure it'll be great. I'll miss you guys, though.

Bret: We're going to miss you, too.

(The two hug)

Stephanie: You all mean so much to me. You've literally changed my life.

Bret: Aw. You're so cringy.

Stephanie: (laughs) It's true!

(The two smile at each other)

Stephanie: Well, I should probably head off soon. Say goodnight to Dylan for me?

Bret: Will do, yeah.

Stephanie: Ok, then. Uh, bye!

Bret: Bye.

(Stephanie gets ready to leave, but hesitates to walk away. She looks back at Bret, and goes back to him)

Stephanie: Screw it.

Bret: What do you-

Stephanie: Shh.

(She pins him against the wall and leans in)

Bret: Steph?

Stephanie: (whispers) This didn't happen. Ok?

Bret: ... Ok.

(They share a long, passionate kiss. Stephanie leaves afterwards, leaving Bret in a state of confusion and shock. He decides to go back inside to talk to Dylan, but sees that Dylan is currently involved in a brawl with a few other guys. Bret puts his own feelings aside and rushes to help his friend)

Last exam

(The following week, Alice and her father, Victor, are driving to Stephanie's place to pick her up for their final exam)

Victor: How are you feeling, dear?

Alice: Shut up.

Victor: Oh, come on, love. You're not worried, are you?

Alice: I'm fine!

Victor: Good. Because you're going to be great. You have nothing to be worried about.

Alice: "Nothing to worry about?" Dad, Physics is my weakest subject! You know that!

Victor: I also know that you have been working really hard on it these last few months. You've been so focused and you're going to crush this last big test. I know it!

Alice: How the hell do you know that?!

Victor: I just do! Also, language.

Alice: Sorry.

Victor: Is this the place?

Alice: Yeah. How about you wait here, and I'll go get her?

Victor: Sounds good to me.

(Victor parks the car near the building where Stephanie lives. Alice leaves the car and goes up to her flat. She knocks and even rings the bell, but she gets no answer)

Alice: Steph? (knocks some more) Steph? Are you in there?

(She tries to call and texts this to her: "Hey, I'm here? Did you leave for school already?")

Alice: (rings the bell again) STEPH?

(She texts again: "Have you overslept or something? R U OK??? I need answersssss." But she receives no response. She even calls the landline. She hears it ring, but nobody answers. Alice starts to get a bit worried)

Alice: STEPH?!

(She calls Victor for help, and eventually he gets over there)

Victor: Look, we really need to think about heading to school soon. We don't want you to miss the exam.

Alice: I know! But I can't leave without her! I need to know she's ok!

Victor: Should we call for help?

(Alice finds a spare key)

Alice: Wait! (opens the door) Steph! Steph, are you here?

(She and Victor both go inside and look around. They are shocked to find that the whole place is completely empty. Neither Stephanie, Ben, nor any of their belongings are anywhere to be found)

And this is more or less the end!

(Of book 1 lol. Planning on making this a trilogy!)

This section of the Stephanie Saga is a book called, "The Misfit Manifesto." It explores the crew's lives in high school. The rest of the story goes into their lives in university and beyond! So the story isn't quite over yet. But this is kind of where we'll leave it for now.

I'm debating putting the full story on Wattpad. I have an account, but I literally do NOTHING with it...

(Lately, though, I've been thinking about self-publishing this story. I like the idea of making this into an actual book series! Although, I feel like in order to do that, I need to seriously polish this up as best as I can and make it better lol. Might set this as a goal for myself in 2024...)

Anyway, there are a few aspects of this story that I've left out (which will all go on a separate post), but this is the general gist of things.

I've got one post left of this dialogue series, which is my first draft of all the letters Stephanie sends to her friends. It kind of works as a nice epilogue!

Thank you so much for reading and following the series. Let me know your thoughts on it!

#rickie-the-storyteller #writerblr #steph's crew #original content #original characters #original story #stephanie smith and her friends

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queen-of-my-goofball-army · 3 years

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My Relationship With Sherman Brother's Music

If you have talked to me for more than five minutes about Disney anything, odds are that I've brought up this duo of brother's, Richard M Sherman and the former Robert B Sherman. The Sherman Brother's were the only musicians and lyricists that were hired by Walt Disney himself strictly to work for his company. They were the only one's that regularly had a job there. They never knew what the next production would be but they knew that there would be one. They worked continuously through the 50's, 60's, 70's and into the 80's. Through those four decades they wrote some of Disney's best known musicals. They brought the idea of musical theater to Disney for the first time ever. They were the first team up to bring the stage to the screen.

If you have the same ideals as my dad, you prefer older Disney movies. You miss the way that it used to be back in the day and quite frankly I can't blame you. If there is one thing about older Disney that I miss greatly is the sense of musical continuity. Most older Disney movies sounded cohesive because 9/10 they were all done by one duo that duo being the Sherman Brothers. They had this style when it came to writing lyrics that made them feel more heartfelt and real. There songs were so memorable that to this day I'll catch myself humming them even if I hadn't heard the song in ages (most of the time that happens to me with I Wanna Be Like You from Jungle Book).

I grew up glued to television screens that played older Disney movies. Whether on the screen it was Sword In The Stone, Jungle Book, Winnie The Pooh, or my favorite thing that they ever touched Mary Poppins, there was always Sherman Brother's music coming out of my family's small television. Every child that grew up with Disney knows their songs but not many people really think about the substantial impact that they made on their lives. I, for one, know that these movies would not be the same without the music. While the relationship between the brothers might have been sufficiently turbulent towards the end, they had four decades of absolutely incredible work. There work has heavily influenced the way that I grew up and I really want to talk about that impact.

The further I go back in my life I can't remember a time in my life where I haven't been humming their songs. Music is something that was so uniquely older Disney that I think they've really struggled in the later years because of it. They no longer have a cohesive sound and are just going with whatever is popular. As much as I love Moana, it doesn't compare to the songs that The Sherman Brother's wrote. At least in my heart it doesn't. The beauty of their music was in it's simplicity. When I think about it, they were the only writing duo that tried their best to rhyme everything. Because when you rhyme words together, the lyrics become more memorable. You find them more hummable because their music sticks with you easier. For an example of this phenomenon allow me to show you one of my dad's favorite Disney songs.

https://youtu.be/qhwXgvOfJc8

youtube

(I grew up watching the misadventures of Merlin and Wart or Arthur. The music in this film is something that ties the movie together through either life lessons or comedic antics. I can't pack a bag for a trip without singing Higitus Figitus or Merlin's packing song. It's just something that I've done so many times by now that it feels wrong to not do it.)

The creativity in word usage where they were the only ones that trusted themselves enough to create their own words, whether it be Fortuosity a word that in their mind means good fortune that they use in The Happiest Millionaire, or everyone's iconic Supercalifragilisticexpialidcious from Mary Poppins, they were the only Disney lyricists that made up their own words. This would often happen the same with rhyming by the younger of the two brother's, Richard Sherman the piano player loudly banging out a lyric until something made sense to the more word conscious older brother, Robert Sherman. Despite their personalities being like somebody had tried to combine oil and water together to see what would happen and it eventually caused a pretty major fire, for four decades they were able to keep it together.

The older I get the more I look back on The Sherman Brother's lyrics and what they are able to convey through simple songs. The melodies were almost always simple paving the way for more complex and uniquely made up words. The songs are something that both kids and adults can find enjoyment in. Instead of just caving to something that would appeal to children but would drive the adults absolutely bonkers from hearing it so many times, they made sure that the song sequences would appeal to *families* not just kids.

I feel like this should be the time for Disney to hire a main team of writers and not switch them out every time that they make a new film. Lin Manual Miranda is brilliant and he's made the closest thing to Howard Ashman music that I fell in love with. But, he's just one guy. I love duo's that work for Disney because they're just stronger together. Richard and Robert Sherman were individually incredibly skilled but when you got a team of people behind them then you'd get something truly magical. Spending the last few years studying their work has only made me fall deeper in love with the way that they wrote music.

The Sherman Brother's are definitely two people that left their imprint on Disney history that I don't hear the passing by Disney fan mentioning a whole lot. I hope that I can bring some appreciation and my own personal history to this dynamic duo.

#Youtube #mary poppins #sword in the stone #chitty chitty bang bang #the happiest millionaire #lyricists #disney history

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gracie-p8-officialblog · 4 years

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Spilling Tea On Phantom of the Opera 2004

DISCLAIMER: I just want to say from the start that it is not my intention to offendanyone, you're entitled to your opinions and I'm allowed to have mine...

Ok, so, I just watched this movie a few days ago on my laptop and it was pretty much my first time sitting through the movie. I watched a few clips of the movie on YouTube but... Then, I decided to watch the whole movie. And this was my reaction.

Don't get me wrong! There WERE parts I liked but... That was just half of the movie... But overall... Um... It was meh. Ahem. Down to business!

My opinion on Gerard Butler as the Phantom? Um, wow. And not in a good way. I feel like this was a case of a talented performer being grossly miscast as the Phantom. I think this Tumblr post best describes on what I thought of his singing.

"He's supposed to have the voice of an angel, but it sounds like he's been gargling vinegar" ~Quoted by @faded-florals

Don't get me wrong. His voice is quite good for an untrained singer but... The Phantom is one of the biggest musical theatre roles of all time! It's right up there with Jean Valjean. It's really not a role that could go a competent singer, someone who's never sang professionally before but could be good once they've been trained up a bit. The role demands a truly great singer... And he wasn't right for the part.

His voice felt too strainy, growly and rock-ish for the Phantom. I didn't like how Joel Schumacher bought into the whole "sexy Phantom" thing and cast a hunky heart-throb, who was nowhere near disfigured enough. It's meant to be a gothic thriller novel with a small romantic subplot, not a B-grade vampire romance movie!

As for Emmy Rossum as Miss Christine Daae... it's true, her voice is good. She should know though, should she wish to excel, she has MUCH still to learn (Heeeeehee. Sorry. Couldn't resist.)

Emmy's Christine had little-to-no character growth and personality but I don't think it reflects her as an actress, but reflects more on the director and casting director because of how young she was (but more on that later)

Not only that, her Christine was SIGNIFICANTLY dumbed down and oversexualized. I mean, the entire point of the story is that Christine grows strong enough to overcome the trauma of an abusive relationship and make sure that her abuser never hurts anyone ever again but still shows the Phantom compassion and sympathy. I mean, her story arc is her becoming strong-willed enough to overcome the Phantom's pull/spell/enchantment/hypnosis or whatever you percieve it as on her! And don't get me started on her costumes because of the SEVERE lack of modesty.

The chemistry was a little flat because she was underage and her two male love interests were both in their 30s (which totally isn't HER fault, of course, but the directors could easily have cast someone else older)

Her voice, too, strikes me as being much too young and undeveloped. She has a very pretty, sweet-sounding quality to her singing but she doesn't sound rich and operatic enough to be a convincing Christine. Rebecca Caine and Amy Manford do the best job of singing the way I think Christine ought to sound- a maturing opera voice! Though POTO is NOT an opera (you wouldn't believe how many people actually think it is...), it does revolve around opera, and Christine is an opera singer, not a pop star.

And now onto... Everyone's favourite vicomte!!!!!!

C'mon people, put your bottles down. It is a truth universally acknowledged (or at least in the wee Raoul Defense Squad Circle) that Raoul is one of the greatest and most underrated boyfriends to ever exist in musical theatre and it's almost impossible to hate him because of how relatable he is.

Ladies, puh-leeze. He's much more relatable than you admit and face it, we all have a little bit of Raoul in us. Failure to see things staring us in the face, saying or doing the wrong thing at the wrong time, having a 'see it to believe it' attitude when we have little-to-no evidence on something... yeah, don't pretend you don't see a trend. Raoul is relatable whether we want him to be or not.

My thoughts on Patrick Wilson as Raoul, he was one of the few redeeming qualities of this not so great movie. Yeah, the swordfight and Tarzan leaps were a little too much but can you blame him?! And though I feel like that foppish wig made him look more like a magic elf prince than a vicomte, he couldn't control that!

His Raoul was so gentle and caring! Yeah, his acting was a bit stiff but at least his voice wasn't a chore to listen to, it has this warm, tender, comforting quality to it which suits Raoul. I really loved the way he sang "Don't throw away your life for my sake" and "I fought so hard to free you" in the Final Lair (😭😭😭) It feels like Raoul is genuinely apologising to Christine.

I know, I know... The Hadley Fraser fans are approaching with menacing expressions as we speak but let me clarify. I still think Hadley is amazing but... His Raoul kinda felt a little too shouty for me and his Raoul was closer to the LND-canon than POTO-canon (not his fault though).

Miranda Richardson (aka. Rita Skeeter) as Madame Giry is kind of weird. I mean, I know Madame Giry's supposed to be a little Strange and Mysterious. But this Mme. wasn't really Strange or Mysterious at all, or even slightly Spooky at all. She was just kind of an oddball. Popping up in random places to give warnings about the Phantom and looking at people as if she were questioning their life choices or something. As for her daughter... well, Jennifer Ellison's Meg was so-so. She's got a sweet-sounding voice and that added scene where she looked for Christine in the lair was a nice touch... But... Her Meg was kinda forgettable and uninteresting. Meg is supposed to prance around shrieking that the Phantom of the Opera is here, not whisper it in a blase manner that you half expect to be followed up with, "by the way, what's for lunch?" Not to mention, she rivaled Christine as far as low-necked costumes went.

Minnie Driver as Carlotta was spot on! Yes, I know she didn't sing the score but her acting was alright. She was very over-the-top and self-centered, which is great for Carlotta, but I felt her portrayal was a little too childish to be accurate. Carlotta is a successful middle-aged diva who's willing to scream and storm when she doesn't get her way, but she isn't a two-year-old pouting and throwing tantrums. (Yes, there's a difference.)

Ciaran Hinds and Simon Callow played Firmin and Andre, respectively. Their managers kinda felt like twits and nothing more. Also, Firmin's masquerade costume was ridiculous. The stupid kind, not the funny kind. ...Well, okay, it was a little funny.

I'm not going to touch on every song here, but I will say that "Hannibal" was beyond awful (if you thought the costumes in the stage version were a bit risque, you should see the movie ones- no, actually you shouldn't) and that "Think of Me," while very nice, was not particularly memorable. Christine's dress, however (despite its less-than-ideal neckline) was GORGEOUS, even though it looks completely out of place in a musical that supposedly takes place in ancient Alexandria.

"Little Lotte" kinda lost its charm by being spoken instead of sung. And Gerard Butler's voice in "The Mirror" was too rough and raspy for my ears and made me cringe in sympathetic shame. The title song was like a cheesy, campy B-grade horror movie tbh, trying way too hard to be spooky and chilling ("ooh, look, Phantom's Lair! It's DARK and SCARY down here!") and succeeding only in being cringeworthy. Not that I've actually ever seen a bad horror movie- or any horror movie at all, for that matter. Unless you count this one.

Christine's costume, too, annoyed me no end. She was basically wearing a corset and drawers under the dressing gown. *facepalm* The dressing gown is supposed to go OVER your COSTUME to keep it CLEAN, peeps. It's not a BATHROBE. And the amount of eye makeup she had on would terrify a raccoon. Yikes.

Though I liked the random horse because of its nod to the Leroux novel.

"Music of the Night" was so blah-slash-touchy-feely that it made me summarily uncomfortable.

I'd like to be able to say something nice about "I remember/Stranger than you dreamt it" but I have none. One thing that bugged me to no end was how Christine is no longer wearing stockings, like dude, that gives some GROSS implications. Anyways, let's skip to Il Muto!

Oh, but first I should say that "Notes" was rather a flop and that "Prima Donna" is unmemorable and indeed should probably be fast-forwarded as there's a rather unsavory bit involving a crew member showing the audience what he thinks of Carlotta's behaviour.

"Il Muto," I must say, was pretty doggone funny. Carlotta's "Your part is silent. Leetle toad," cracked me up into a bunch of giggling little pieces, and the little vignette of the Phantom tinkering with Carlotta's throat spray made her croaking later on a lot more believable.

Now for "All I Ask Of You", SQUEEEEEE!!!!!!!!! I honestly can't understand how anyone could listen to this song and still maintain that Christine and Raoul don't belong together. He represents everything she needs- stability, protection, a guiding hand and affirmed affection. She represents everything he needs, in turn- someone to show affection to and his childhood friend.

One thing I definitely think could have been left out was the scene in which Erik kills Buquet- we totally did not need to see him being chased, terrified, through the rafters and finally strangled. Gross.

And the Phantom and his rose crouching behind that statue... I think this was supposed to be sad, but there was too much snot mixed with tears for it to be sad. It was, again, gross. So was Gerard Butler's pathetic attempt at the "all that the Phantom asked of you" line. And the lack of a chandelier crash in that scene made the song anticlimactic.

And "Masquerade" was so-so but... The Phantom's entrance is anticlimactic somehow, and his Red Death costume (if indeed it's supposed to even BE the Red Death) is unimpressive. I don't like how Raoul just runs off to desert Christine as soon as things start looking ugly (yes, I realize he was going to get his sword, but still... something could have happened to her while he was gone. Duh, did this guy learn anything from "Little Lotte/The Mirror"? Just sayin)

As for Madame Giry's flashback immediately following, I like how it gives us some of the Phantom's backstory, but it seems really abrupt. You don't even realize until she's done that she was talking to Raoul the whole time- it sounds like she's just randomly reminiscing about Stuff, and if you didn't know the story you might be sitting there thinking, "who is this strange woman again?"

Also, Christine leaving wherever-it-is at, like, five in the morning to go to who-knows-where, completely oblivious to the fact that the Phantom is driving her. Whaaaaaaaaa? How'd he know she was planning to go for a graveyard stroll? Was he watching her through the mirror again? THAT'S JUST CREEPY.

"Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again" was rather mediocre and dulled down the fact that it is a Christine Empowerment™ song. Why, exactly, does Christine's father have the biggest monument in the cemetery? If he were a rich and famous violinist as his crypt seems to suggest, why on earth was his daughter struggling along as a chorus girl taking free music lessons?

The swordfight... Well... I had mixed feelings about it. Sword fights are all well and good, but... The swordfight takes away the element of mysterious danger to the Phantom. Okay, fine, Christine getting Raoul to spare the Phantom's life is a nice touch, I guess, but did it strike no one else that his "now let it be war upon you BOTH" makes absolutely NO sense after that? If she just saved his life, why would he suddenly be all, "thanks, but no thanks, I'M GOING TO MURDER YOUUUUUUUUUU"?

And "Twisted Every Way" was after "Wishing" which made ZERO sense. Plus, I didn't like how they cut most of it because in the musical, it gave Christine a spine!

"Point of No Return"? Hooooooo boy....... There are so many things wrong with this number. Let's just a list a few.

*HOW did no one recognise the Phantom through his "disguise"?! At least in the stage play, it made more sense because of how he was wearing a cloak that obscured most of his body.

*Christine's sleeves falling down over and over again were REALLY annoying.

*It was just too touchy-feely for my taste.

*The fact that Emmy Rossum was a teenager during filming made this scene gross because of the way they oversexualized Christine in this scene.

*Gerard Butler's voice in that scene made me cringe and shake my head in sympathetic shame.

*In the stage play, Christine ran from him, showing her own agenda and resistance to his pull! While in the movie, she didn't resist him!

*Now for the one that took the cake... The disfigurement! Or it would be a disfigurement if it actually made him look, y'know, deformed. Instead, as several people have put it, he looks like he got a bad sunburn or something. It's really rather pathetic. It makes him look more like a drama queen than he already is! Yeah.... I really don't like this movie.

On to... Final Lair!!!!!!!! It was a flop. From Raoul's whining and flailing around and his stringy hair flopping about (shallow complaint, I know, but it's so ugly) to Christine's sappy melodramatic "don't make me choooooooose" faces to the Phantom's prancing around with his ropes and maniacal laughter that somehow wasn't really scary at all... yeah, it was a flop. A major, major flop. And though The Kiss wasn't all that bad, all I could think of was, "She's SIXTEEN! SIX! TEEN! THIS IS CREEPY, DISTURBING AND GROSS!"

Which is why it's so difficult for me to admit that, um, I... cried at the end.

I COULDN'T HELP IT GUYS HE WAS ALL ALONE THERE IN HIS LAKE WITH HIS MONKEY AND HIS SMASHED MIRRORS AND HE WAS CRYING AND IT WAS SAD.

And then that rose on the gravestone? That single red rose? And the look on Old Raoul's face (still Patrick Wilson, by the way, under all that makeup) when he saw it and realized he wasn't the only one visiting Christine's grave? Yup, I lost it again there, too. And I really didn't want to. Because I tend to cry over movies I love, y'know? And I didn't love this movie. At all

Yet I still cried at the end. I'm not really sure why. I think perhaps it had something to do with the way the story still "got" me, deep down inside, despite the lousy casting and less-than-perfect singing and ridiculously unnecessary elements that totally didn't need to be there. It's still a tragically beautiful romance, and even a bad film can't kill that.

In conclusion, I think Mary Poppins can best express what I thought of POTO 2004.

In conclusion, I rate it a 2.7/5