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oknowkiss · 1 year

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a year in fic!

thank you to @wolfpants for the tag! what a fun idea. see here for their incredible work (340k in a year and each word a banger, like, how!) no pressure tagging @geesenoises @eveningstruggle @corvuscrowned @sorrybutblog @saintgarbanzo @academicdisasterfic @mintawasalreadytaken @vukovich and you!

Rules: Share 1 line from each fic you wrote this year. In 2022 I wrote: ~250k words over 15 fics (lmaooooo)

JANUARY - FEBRUARY

UNPOSTED WIP that I worked on every day for two months and have not touched since, to be posted TBD in 2023 || Drarry || 40K at the moment

Harry hopes when he goes his eyes are open, like Fred’s were, so that the people who are with him then will look down into his face and see not anger or grief or pain, but a constellation of stars, never setting.

MARCH

big hands, i know you’re the one || drarry || 887 || M

The day Hogwarts realised Draco Malfoy, reformed Death Eater (and was that kind of hot, now? Now that he wasn’t trying to kill them all? Sort of a bad boy thing?), had really quite big hands was an unmitigated disaster.

APRIL

any day now || drarry || 17K || E

Draco is aware he comes from a long line of extremely intelligent wizards who somehow, with very few exceptions, haven’t made a single smart decision between them.

scarhead || drarry || 2K || E

He scratches absentmindedly at the scabs on his chest as he imagines them -- his observers -- wandering through the world, their pockets full up with gold and his secret.

a licence to kill || drarry, past-nottpott, past-dramione || 11K WIP || M

The Department of Magical Licences, Permits, and Assorted Permission Granting (or, as it’s more commonly referred as, and always in grumbled utterance: the DOMLPAPG) is located on Level 1, just to the left as you exit the lifts.

MAY

acts of service || drarry || 5.6K || E

Draco had fucked him three times that night –- first in the hallway, to remind Harry what he’d been missing; second in the kitchen, now that Draco knew how much he’d been missed; third in the bedroom, face to face this time, rough and in love –- so when Harry woke up on Monday with a raw throat they both figured it was because that’s where Draco’s cock had been.

jesus, etc || drarry, charlie/draco/harry, charlie/draco || 1.5K || E

They drink at the table where Harry once found it easy, being in love. Where he kissed the tender expanse of Draco’s open palm.

JUNE

the complete idiot’s guide to losing your entire mind || drarry || 10K || E

They weren't to go to Harry's flat, because it was “a cry for help” and made Draco sad.

in between two tall mountains (there’s a place they call lonesome) || drarry, past-hansy || 8K || E

He rests a hand on top of Harry’s, intertwining their fingers so he can lift them up and turn his mouth to the palm, and when he kisses it Harry smells rich like ancient pines and beds of thick moss, and the taste of his skin is lovely, warm despite the rain.

SEPTEMBER

eager for the sky || drarry, background ronarry || 35K || M

Draco had imagined this moment often, in so many permutations, trying to prepare himself for how it might feel, to rehearse in his mind so as not to make a total wang of himself in the actual doing of it. He’d accounted for a variety of extenuating circumstances, but what he hadn’t anticipated was the kindness of Potter’s touch.

the july tree || drarry, hinny || 52K || E

Harry wondered sometimes if being raised in an environment of constant withholding hadn’t developed in him a deep, gnawing avarice, as though instead of a heart he’d been given the Room of Requirement, a space that could never be filled.

OCTOBER

the long ways || drarry, harry/omc || 10K || M

“I should go,” Draco says.

“You should,” Harry says. “Or we could get a last round, before you run out of my life forever, again.”

NOVEMBER

100 beats per minute || drarry, harry/omc(s) || 14K || E

“Ten a day, I figure.” Potter shrugged. “On a circuit weekend? How hard can it be.”

“You tell me.” Draco looked pointedly at the spot on the table where Potter’s lap would be, if he could see it.

DECEMBER

fest fic! watch this space

soon to be posted self-indulgent WIP || drarry, harry/charlie, harry/bill || 10K and counting || E

“Nasty habit of yours, surviving,” Draco says. He puts a hand on Harry’s throat and squeezes, as though testing the veracity of his musculature. “Like a cockroach.”

#my fic #tag game #drarry #drarry wip snip #harry potter #draco malfoy

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cinnamon-bunni · 4 months

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hm... 4, 7, 11, 12, 17, 21, 22, 24! happy new year, bunni!

4. Total number of words you wrote this year That's hard to find tbh....I didn't end up posting a lot of fics, so i dont only have to just check my statistics on ao3, but all of my possible fics ive written this year in my wip docs as well. the total i got was 58,171 words (~35k of it being WIPs and not posted)! so definitely not as much as i wrote last year which was (i think over 100k), and also not including all of my notes ive written. i did not do a lot of writing this year, so hopefully next year i'll wrap up all of my big fics and post them all <3

7. longest completed fic you wrote this year Again, i did not write a lot this year, much less finish them lmao. if you were to ask about uncompleted fics, we would have a different story--but alas, the longest completed one was Once More, With Needles, sitting at 4,414 words!

11. fandom you enjoyed writing for the most this year hm....obey me, I suppose. its hard to say really, but enjoyment from writing specifically, i'd have to give it to obey me. what can i say, the cast is just really fun to write (even when levi is impossible to write, like what the hell man i have rewritten your part in my undead fic like 3 separate times and am continuing fixing it, like what the hell man i trusted you and then you dont behave for me). like this year specifically i realized how much i love each and every character--those like lucifer reminded me as to why i love the game and the characters, and people like mephisto and raphael randomly won a spot in my heart. theyre all just so so fun to write <333

12. favorite character to write about this year lucifer!!! even though i only have like, one fic that features him thats out and finished lmao; hes such an interesting and complex character, yet is one whose mind i can easily slip into when i need to write when its his pov. idk, sometimes i find myself struggling to write characters like levi or even asmo sometimes--mainly from my own failures to pay attention to their canon interpretations and making them not out-of-character--but lucifer is surprisingly one i can always rely on to be easy and fun to write!! he is angst galore and so emotionally constipated, hes great <3

17. fics you’ll continue next year Heart Melts for sure!! i originally wanted ch3 to be out before the new year, but ive been drafting and redrafting all of my future chapters (i am trying my best to make it a psychological horror in order to match the tag that i put on the fic, but idk if its going to live up to the hype that people have for this fic ^^;;) so i sadly didnt get time to finish it. maybe by the end of January ill have it out--heres to hoping its done by then! and maybe i might continue Dirty? I didn't even update it this year lol--its def one i dont wanna leave discontinued, as i have all of the chapters planned out, but i just have many other projects that i wanna focus on and also i really wanna rewrite it, so ive been debating doing that first or just to finish then rewrite it. in a perfect world, i'll update that one too lol

21. most memorable comment/review I have two that come to mind!!! in all honesty all comments make me sooo happy, but these ones specifically is just,,,idk man, they just hit a certain way that itches that scratch in my brain that needs validation lmao i love rereading these all the time <3 theres these comments for Messy Makeup:

(make me go insane from them saying i wrote multiple fics that were their favorites <33) and of course there's this banger of a comment from @/snugglebunnies!!! idk if youre reading this but thank you thank you thank you for inspiring me so much with your fics!!! i love them so much, and this comment was just incredible! from the fic Heart Melts:

(love when people leave quotes, no matter how long or short!!!! such deep analysis is what i live for!!!!) and of course, sending out so much love to everyone who leaves a comment on any of my fics, no matter how big or small they are <333

22. events you participated in this year i didnt participate in any events this year! i tend not to do events tbh, theyre not really my style, as i dont do well with due dates unless i have months in advance lol;; usually i might do one, maybe two, events a year, but those are usually simple gift exchanges or something. nothing caught my eye this year, and ones that did i just didnt have the time to do, sadly. but! i do plan on doing the sonic big bang next year, which will be my first ever "bigger" event ive been in! exciting, but also really nervewracking as ive never posted sonic content and idk how well i'll do staying on schedule. but its still something i really wanna do (have a great fic planned for it!) so i still wanna give it a shot and do my best on it lol

24. favorite fic you read this year from this year is really hard to say--i think all of my favorite fics were found last year lmao so its a struggle to think of one. @heleentje's BOTW fic Moonlight has been a fantastic read (even though i havent finished it yet;;; i promise will soon!!) and just hits all of the right notes for me!! The batman fic Performance Piece is also definitely up there for me, as it captures so well what i want in my own writing when it comes to writing characters, especially when it comes to inner-dialogue (i might just go back and reread that one again lmao)

as of posting, i have about twenty minutes left before the new year. so happy early 2024!! 🥳🎉💝

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deejaynovem96 · 2 years

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The 4th sale of the year is on... Grab a Super Bangers Shirt @only 35k.... A product of BHA @blackherd_arts_ug ©@superbangers (at Kampala, Uganda) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cg10uFMKqWh/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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quaranmine · 2 years

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Do you have any fic recs?

OOOH okay let me answer this finally! I wanted to wait until I had time to pull up links and stuff :D So these will be mixed hermitcraft, 3rd life/last life, and dsmp probably, and since you're anonymous idk what you'll like.

Nothing but Flowers by nho (or @megabuild) (in-progress, fairly regular updates)

35k words, 11/24 chapters.

This is probably one of my favorite fics at the moment, and I always look forward to it updating! megabuild nails the characterization, imo. It's about the Mycelium Resistance, and the patterns that Etho notices after the nHo and the jungle. Switches pov between Etho and Grian.

quis custodiet ipsos custodes by andtheuniverse_said (in-progress)

18k words, 2/3 chapters.

One I just found! Grian is a Watcher, and that past gets dredged up when Fruitberries asks for helping dealing with Illumina, who is unconscious and won't wake up. I don't normally read about Fruit or Illumina so I found this one interesting. Grian-centric and Illumina-centric.

dog at the door by fluffy_papaya, iamsolarflare (finished)

66k words, 29 chapters.

this is kinda classic already for 3rd Life and I feel like most of the fandom has read it already, but i was late to the party and didn't read it until like last week. It's good. it's really good. Centered around Ren and Doc and their ride to S8 of Hermitcraft.

Lead me away (from this hell that I've made) by mgrnn (finished)

8.5k, 6 chapters.

this fic killed me /pos. Grian isn't the only one who has nightmares about 3rd Life--Scar has them too, but Scar's nightmares are about Grian.

Third Time's The Charm by SneakyToni (finished, has an in-progress sequel)

19k words, 10 chapters.

ngl, I don't normally like fics where Grian is a father figure for Tommy, but I really liked this one. Grian doesn't die at the end of 3rd Life. Tommy runs away from the Dream SMP and ends up finding a place with Grian in 3rd Life. They've both got a lot to heal from, and there's ghosts of the world haunting 3rd Life.

Awake O Sleeper by vesullia (finished)

26k words, 3 chapters.

banger c!tubbo story following the aftermath of Tubbo's execution (oh god is it a pun if i say banger-)

dissonance by shrugofgod (finished)

15k words, 1 chapter

another banger c!tubbo story about trauma. Tommy gets a therapist and Tubbo works through some complicated feelings about it.

But Nobody Came by h_mellohi (finished)

49k words, 8 chapters

An alternate version of the disc war finale, if Dream had taken Tommy and put him in Pandora's box and Tubbo had nearly died. Very good fanfic, lots of good Tubbo pov

A Most Valuable Commodity by Sharo (finished)

14k words, 6 chapters

Xisuma gets kidnapped for being a voidwalker while trying to scout a new world for S7, and the hermits come save him.

Stumbling into a New World by Sharo (finished)

18k words, 1 chapter

The hermits set off for a new world at the end of S6, but end up in a strange world. Xisuma spawns in with no armor and is getting sicker. (also no, the world they go to isn't dsmp--this fic is pre-dsmp lore but i think it may read like it is dsmp lol)

Woven Bonds by @theres-an-impulstor-among-us (in progress)

tumblr fic, idk the word count but it has three chapters

I just really really really like concepts that include Evo members lol. Summary: When the Watchers return to claim Martyn’s soul as punishment for failing them during Last Life, Impulse, Jimmy, and Mumbo, helped by Grian, set off to save him from eternal purgatory.

Scar had learned not to ask questions by @bdoubleo1000

oneshot, tumblr fic

mmmmmm LOVE some eldritch watcher!grian

You left me by @sparxwrites

oneshot, tumblr fic

Grian and Scar talk about Last Life.

The Way Back, Deja Vu, and Forget Me Not by @shadeswift99

oneshot(s)

GOOD ETHO (AND BDUBS) ANGST FOR LAST LIFE. im fine. youre fine. we're all fine. nobody is crying or anything

annnnnd that's all? that was a lot!

#quara asks #long post #fanfic

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cuuno-moved · 3 years

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quick give me 10 good fics to read

to set a broken bone by livingbreathinggay: oneshot, 3k words. tommy and jack actually talk for once. communicate. speak. like people.

are we like the x-men wilbur? by saltedolives: 9 chapters, incomplete, 29k words. powers smp, but they have to escape an evil organization.

the extradition by onelituli: 12 chapters, incomplete, 50k words. techno busts dream out of prison and they both get trapped in skyblock. it doesn't actually apologise for either of their actions, they're both bad guys, but it's good rivalstwt content.

the lone wolf and the hermit by silverwing15: 4 chapters, complete, 11k words. hermit tommy, but he's stuck as a wolf. grian takes one look at him and decides he'd die for him. a good read, very sweet.

no role models by forkflower: 14 chapters, incomplete, 35k words. dadschlatt but actually sweet. he has no idea how to raise a kid. also sweater duo content.

saturdays at the diner by justsummr: oneshot, 17k words. holy shit is this one a sweet one. sbi, but phil owns a diner called kristin's. techno n wil are his sons, and tommy just shows up one day. very nostalgic for some reason.

promised land by cosmonaughtt: 30 chapters, complete, 104k fucking words. you know religious trauma? ranboo-centric, plus magic, plus bench trio content, plus dreamons. it's a good one.

home again home again by @ratspleen. 13 chapters, complete, 33k words. chommyinnit in space, what will he do. get adopted apparently.

the entire of children and chess pieces series by queenkara671. 9 works, 33k words. it is so good, and i'm friends with the author, so you motherfuckers better be nice.

a boy and his robot at the end of the universe by platypodes: 4 chapters, incomplete, 4k words. it's a dystopian semi-zombie banger. the egg's there, ig. more importantly, sam nook and tommy :-)

#fic reccs

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imreallyloveleee · 4 years

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thoughts on 4x09

- flash poll: do we think they chose “tangerine” as the trigger word just because it’s also the name of a movie and they (almost) always name the episodes after movies?

- this episode is all over the place, and it moves fast, and frankly none of it is very interesting except maybe Jughead discovering that his grandpa lives in that old abandoned bus the Black Hood tried to kill him and Ethel in last season (I stg that is the same set)

- but even then, there really is not much to say here? (she said, and then proceeded to type out another 1,000 words) the first scene is confusing because Jughead sounds like he’s reading the very end of a book but he was only supposed to write the first chapter. and Dupont is immediately like

and just gives him the contract out of nowhere. is this.........................part of the “kill Jughead” ploy? i genuinely can’t remember. you don’t need to answer this. i will find out eventually. or not, because riverdale drops plot points like it will need a trail of them to find its way back through the forest someday. moving on,

- maybe my brain is poisoned by capitalism (just kidding, it definitely is) but $5k to buy the rights to the Baxter Brothers in...let’s just say 1970? that’s about $35k today, and NOT BAD for a YA mystery novel written by a teenager. nobody knew it would go on to make millions. just like his useless son, I have zero sympathy for FP Jones I.

- speaking of his useless son, oh my god, how useless is FP Jones II??????? let me count the ways.

1. Archie says everyone is “too scared to call you, or the cops”, which, uh, FP is the cops, Archie. how sad is it that when Archie’s in need of a father figure, he goes to THIS guy, when Tom Keller is standing right over there looking dejected with a pair of boxing gloves slung around his veiny neck.

2. FP has camera footage of vigilante Archie punching bad guys in the alley next to his rec center, because these bad guys? Never go anywhere except the alley next to his rec center. Never. Not once. I think they literally live there. And yet FP and his cop force...can’t track them down. Too hard. Nay, impossible!

3. FP decides the solution is for him to join Archie in beating up a couple of bad guys in said alley, which accomplishes absolutely nothing, because DUH.

Look, almost EVERY problem in Archie’s life this season is because of FP Jones II’s incompetent law enforcement. The end.

- back to Jughead for a sec: the secret society initiation scene at the end is fun! they do a little fakeout with Bret holding the rock, like maybe this is the moment they’ve been flash-forwarding to. instead Jughead gets to use it to bash open a skull (parallels!). you just know that lil drama boi is eating that shit up.

- Pop tells Veronica the speakeasy lost its liquor license. When did the speakeasy get a liquor license?

- Veronica’s recruiter for Columbia comes to the speakeasy. Veronica is like, can’t talk, gotta sing this tepid rendition of an Elton John banger in front of a room full of adults who hang out in bars run by high school students, and give Casey Cott a chance to earn his paycheck this week

- Bettybettybettybettybettybetty. I don’t know. I just don’t know. This storyline sinks deeper and deeper into absurdity until the moment when Charles tells her she can kill Dark Betty before she was born, if only Good Betty can go back in her memory and stop Child Betty from braining her dying cat with a rock. it’s at that moment when this storyline becomes so deeply stupid that it actually transcends all earthly matters and achieves the sublime.

- finally, Cheryl. this girl needs to hook me up with her air purifier because one second she is filling her entire enormous living room with multiple bug bombs, and the next everything is a-okay. I would feel very safe hanging out indoors at Cheryl’s house in Covid times.

- Penelope says she punk’d Cheryl with Julian the doll because Cheryl was living in such happiness with the dead corpse of Jason, and Penelope was jealous. I am just going to set this down, and leave it there.

- Jasons’ viking funeral is incredible. Who set that blazing fire? it is NOT easy to build and start a fire like that. I bet it was Betty. you just know there’s some poor sap downstream taking his kid fishing for the day who’s going to stumble upon Jason’s half-burnt, half-rotted corpse in a little boat. this is like the first scene in a horror remake of A River Runs Through It.

- is there a more iconic duo than “Betty and Archie” and “never appearing onscreen together ever, because they have nothing to do with one another’s lives”? go ahead, i’ll wait

#loveleee rewatches riverdale season 4 #will i finish by january 20?#yeah i probably will #because i'm def not watching ep 17 or 18 lol #riverdale

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213hiphopworldnews · 5 years

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Should Blueface Tone Down His Gang Affliliation In The Wake Of Tekashi 69’s Downfall?

Getty Image / Uproxx Studios

This past weekend, Blueface got arrested. I don’t mean to be flip in writing it this way, I mean to be blunt. The 22-year-old rapper, who loudly touts his affiliation with Los Angeles’ School Yard Crips, found himself temporarily in jail thanks in part due to his propensity for throwing up signs and proclaiming his association with the group. When police were notified that a group of rappers were in Downtown LA flashing cash and jewelry, they converged on the area, arresting Blueface — real name Jonathan Porter — for possession of a loaded handgun. His bail was set at $35K and he was released within hours, dodging the proverbial bullet. At least for now.

The situation sounds thoroughly familiar to me and to any resident of the gang-ridden neighborhoods of south Los Angeles and similar inner-city neighborhoods. Guns, gang signs, arrests, and bail are like facts of life in these areas, and almost anyone you meet is as likely to have spent time in lockup as not. There’s a saying about “knuckleheads” like the type Blueface chooses to associate himself with, that “there are only two place they can end up: Dead or in jail.” The Crip lifestyle rarely ends any other way.

The above story may also sound familiar to anyone who’s followed the story of one of hip-hop’s most attention-getting and controversial personalities of the past few years. Tekashi 69, the rabble-rousing, social media trolling, rainbow-haired Brooklyn rapper born Daniel Hernandez pled guilty last week to charges including firearms offenses, narcotics trafficking, violent crimes, and racketeering. The sequence of events that led him down the path to this downfall started with him linking up with the Nine Trey Bloods New York City gang. That old adage came true for Tekashi, even though he admitted himself that he only flaunted the Blood connection as a promotional tactic to sell records and increase his profile.

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While there are obvious differences between the two that beyond their respective bandana colors, Blueface can and should view Tekashi’s experience as instructive. As his profile in rap rises, he’ll have to make a choice: Does he want to be a gang banger or a hip-hop star? While the success of prior stars like Snoop Dogg, YG, and The Game may make it seem like these two poles are closer together than they really are, in truth, they’re damn near mutually exclusive.

The whole point of gang activities is to remain low profile — there’s a reason the “no snitching” rule was instituted long ago and enforced with an ironclad tenacity since. But a rap star is by definition popular and well-known. It’s almost impossible to perpetrate crimes like the ones Tekashi was implicated in without being noticed when you’re under the level of scrutiny that burgeoning stars like Tekashi and Blueface often are. If Blueface really wants to be a hip-hop superstar and live up to his full potential, he’ll have to leave his old ways behind.

I get it, it’s not so easy to leave behind a part of your identity as your circumstances change, as Tekashi found out when he fired the Nine Treys as his management and they plotted to assassinate him in response. Adapting to the new environment of corporate offices and out-of-the-way recording studios — let alone the out-of-town trips and late nights at performance venues — can be a crucible for someone like Blueface who was admittedly never a lifelong devotee of the entertainment lifestyle. Furthermore, it’s hard to leave behind the gang life. The few individuals I know who have ever successfully done so only managed it after long stints in prison, well into their middle age. There are rules and regulations that come with the lifestyle, and they are enforced with both violence and social pressure.

Nobody wants to “go Hollywood” and leave their friends and family behind. “Selling out” or “turning your back on the hood” are cardinal crimes in the high-pressure, low-opportunity environments rappers like Blueface come from. But at the same time, keeping those same people and those same behaviors around you will constantly endanger the success you’ve built through your talent and the benefits of keeping them around are never really worth the risk. Big entourages can be expensive to maintain and artists often find themselves being held responsible for the actions of their crews. Meanwhile, with the increased visibility that comes with being a star, authorities often single out the most prominent member of the gang — the rapper — for observation during criminal investigations as they did with Tekashi.

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That’s why well-known affiliates mainly downplay their connections in interviews, if not in their music. If you ask Nipsey Hussle or Vince Staples about their Crip affiliations, especially on camera, they’ll often wave you off, jokingly replying “I don’t know anything about that.” Snoop Dogg may not deny his membership with Long Beach’s Rolling 20s, but he also stays out of the hood for the most part and prefers to highlight his work with youth football and his business endeavors like his cookbook or his TV shows. Game moved out of Compton a long time ago and when he returns, he comes bearing charitable donations for kids and basketballs, not guns and bandanas.

Blueface is uniquely positioned for one of rap’s greatest breakouts right now. Drake has co-signed him, as have fellow west coast rap luminaries like YG and Ice Cube, who added the exact caveat that I’ve argued here. He must tone down the gang bang culture in his lifestyle, if not his raps, despite the fact that the perceived authenticity it brings is part of his appeal. It may have helped him get to where he is now, but in the future, it’ll only be an albatross hanging around his neck and dragging him down. The best time to step away is now, on the cusp of true stardom, before it costs him even more money, time, or worse, his life.

source https://uproxx.com/hiphop/blueface-tekashi-69-gang-banging-rap-stardom/

#hiphop #hip hop legend #hip hop history #hip hop #music #trending #hip hop news #ballin #hip hop scen

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smoothshift · 7 years

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Time to haul some family -- 3 Row SUVs review. via /r/cars

Time to haul some family -- 3 Row SUVs review.

Hi Cars,

Wanted a bigger car for my growing family and learned a lot on the way. This is a super competitive segment because every make is wanting to play. Hopefully my experience can help some others out because there really isn't a clear winner here. Even though I'm going to be critical, you really can't go wrong with any new 3 row SUV. Really just about which flavor you want.

Must have:

3Row/Spacious

AWD

Leather

Rear Cam

No maintenance / Reliable / Safe

Reasoning:

Need space for 2 rear facing car seats in the back(with ability for me 6' to sit comfortably upfront) the double stroller(thing just eats space) in the trunk. Road trips, luggage, gear, maybe more people as well, space is good.

AWD - better in weather, resale, camping? etc

Leather would be easier for cleaning up any random spills or boogers or puke or mud or ..kids are messy :)

Rear cam - besides the obvious reasons, I live in a younger community with tons of kids near by so I always want to know who/what is behind me.

With little kids, I definitely never want to be stranded. I don't really want to spend time taking my car to the shop. This would make me lean toward new. And most SUVs are safe just based on their size alone.

Wanted:

Power/Speed

Off road prowess

Tech/features

Panoramic sun roof

Comfort

LED accent lights (I don't think it looks like a NEW car without it)

Cool factor

To get everything I MUST HAVE new, MSRP would be close to 40k for a lot of the big players. So I kinda set that as my price tag. However, one of the main points I wanted to talk about in this post was that MSRP isn't too relevant in this segment. As far as MSRP are concerned, brand new, the Pilot and the Highlander should be your only choices, maybe the Santa fe.

Pilot

pros: This thing is a beast. It's the fastest one out there, 0-60 in 6ish seconds in an family hauler, hell ya now we're talking. It FEELS more spacious than all of the others. I sat comfortably in the 3rd row. They have a little area you can pull up behind the 3rd row to make it deeper and give you even more space back there. EX-L will get you leather and an 8 inch screen. You can save 1k off of getting Nav because it has android/apple. So you can decide for another 1k for their collision system or 1500 for entertainment set up...or you can just give your kid a tablet and call it a day. LED accent lights on all trims. Elite trim has some cool stuff but eh not much difference between the 9 speed and 6 speed MPG wise. One of the better AWD systems from some reviews I've seen. Seemed to out preform the highlander on a tame off road course.

cons: Looks like a mini van. Like seriously, I hate how it looks. This is what initially threw me off. NOW, after looking at how boring most of these SUVs are... If I got a black pilot with roof rails and running boards ...maybe blacked out the grill, blacked out the rims, blacked out my eyes so I didn't have to look at it.. It would be acceptable. They weren't giving me as much for my trade and these fly off the lot, especially the black ones. So they weren't going to give me much off MSRP either, maybe 3k if I ping pong between dealers. Bland interior, but functional at least.

Highlander

pros: All trims come with their collision system. Looks pretty nice actually, but it looked pretty good before their minor refresh too. New more powerful engine for 2017. Good amount of space. Toyota so you know its going to be reliable and it will hold its value better than any other SUV. Stepping up to the SE trim will get you some cooler looking ones and a sportier suspension, however I didn't really notice much. Pretty standard, safe choice overall. 2nd row Captain seats or Bench option is no extra cost.

cons: Won't get much off MSRP 2-3k again / Won't give much for my trade. They know they have high resale value so they get to be a bit stingy. SE trim and up have the accent LEDs but XLE would cover my Must Haves. Not fast, but not slow for the segment. No Android / apple. Even though new engine, performance was better on previous one.

4Runner

Still running a 5 speed? This thing is dated in many ways and doesn't give much except for basic features. You do get a big reliable vehicle with awesome off road ability. I love how they look but interior a lot smaller than the Highlander. Couldn't justify putting this in the running...4running.

Santa Fe

Seemed like a great value for what it was. Looks decent too. Interior seemed okay, I just didn't like the design personally. Overall, just wasn't feeling it. Didn't drive one. I think the other two edged it out, however I'm betting I could have gotten a better deal on this. And they have the better standard warranty than the others.

Arcadia

Redesigned for 2017 - v6 camaro engine in a caddy. This thing breaks the GMC formula a bit. There are deals to be had on this. I could get my must haves and more for maybe 34-35k(Because they had big discounts 9k+ off MSRP). On paper seemed decently quick, but didn't actually test drive. So that's where it would come back into the picture vs the pilot/highlander, since you would get a lot for less money. I really like how it looks too, but in the end I decided I'm don't want to be a guinea pig for basically a brand new SUV right now. But I wouldn't knock anyone who gets one. Seems like a great SUV.

Atlas

I actually know some early adapters for the Atlas and have seen it. It looks great in person, interior is nice and crisp, drives well. Didn't want to wait though and again a new vehicle so they may need to work out some kinks.

CX-9

4banger in a 3row SUV? Stop it. Mazda, Subaru, Ford, Volvo pls. You can't tell me you can load up your SUV, which is like their main purpose, and then preform adequately at highway speeds. Maybe you can and I'm just used to some power, but nope not for me. I really wanted to give the CX-9 a chance anyways since it got such a glorious review from car and driver and sits at their #1. But it really is a dumb car. I love mazda, I like what they do. Sure it has a nice interior and all that, and it drives like a smaller SUV and has a sporty feel to it...uhh nope. It drives like a smaller SUV because it is one. The thing has 71 sqft cargo volume. You can't win the sporty drive in 3rowSUVs when you're really smaller than a ford EDGE but you crammed a 3rd row back there. They may as well throw the Nissan rogue in the picture, I think it actually comes with a 3rd row option and has about the same cargo volume, but you can get it for way cheaper. As a side note, Nissan killed it with the Rogue! I'm a sucker for their star wars edition too. Anyways, I think the Mazda looks the awesome interior and exterior, but if you're missing 12ish sq feet, it's like cheating to be in the segment.

Explorer

Almost almost pulled the trigger. But the Explorer's bones are OLD. Due for a full redesign in a few years. They gave it a brand new look in 2016 but its still heavy and feels cramped inside but drives big. It's still based on the Taurus / Flex I think. The 4banger and even the 6 banger? Hard pass, they are damn slow cause the thing is so heavy. Now the sport...365hp, now we're talking. Now I got about 8k+ off MSRP and they were doing me good on my trade too. So that made it closer to the Pilot/Highlander price range. Sync 3 is great too, it has android/apple integrated. But, even with 365hp, its only barely faster than the Pilot. Still...faster is faster. Well, what really made me step back is for NEARLY the same price, I could just get a F150 with the new version of the engine. It has tons of interior room and great off road and can tow 10k+. POWER: 375 hp @ 5000 rpm TORQUE: 470 lb-ft @ 3500 rpm 10 speed auto 0-60 in 5.7sec SHHWAANGGG! Yes please! Just couldn't convince the wife to make this our family hauler haha.

MDX

Okay you're going to hate me if you're still with me here. I went USED with a 2014 MDX with advance package. So it literally has every feature known to man. Drives great, fast, sporty, looks sexy af. Got it in silver. I got it at bout 8k less than a new Pilot which basically has the same engine. Literally love this car, it has everything I want, the space and a ton more features than any of the new cars except the andriod/apple. I know a must have was reliability and no maintenance for me, however I'm lucky enough to live a few houses down from a honda tech. He's awesome and has a lift . So when I factor my unique situation I decided to roll the dice with used. As far as Acura goes, I'll take their reliability and cheap repair costs.

So Used is a different ball game. Looking for a 2014 specifically was tough because that's right when they did their redesign BUT it's also right at the mark that people turn in leases. And from what I've seen, people don't really give a crap about their lease. They do the bare minimum, treat em rough, and then turn in their keys in 3 years. So there were a lot of poorly loved MDXs for sale. The trick here was to drive a new one, then drive some used ones that fit your budget and keep an eye on their carfax. In my area, it seems like they were trying to sell a bunch that they probably got from auction, originally leased in NY/NJ. Crappy roads, crappy traffic, salted roads...Yeah definitely avoided those and didn't even bother looking at them.

So eventually one came up that hit all my checkboxes. My goal was to come out a little better than KBB dealer suggestion. But then feel like I got a "deal" with little extras that wasn't factored into the price. So the one I got had roof rails($400-500 + installation), all weather floor mats($100-200), and brand new tires. Local owner, and they definitely took care of it. Seems like they just traded it in for something nicer. Honestly, if this is actually as good of condition as I believe it to be, I feel I got a steal over all. I think MDXs are great, and the only reason their used value drops as much as it does is because so many people have them. So thanks to supply and demand, I can get away with a premium SUV for a great price.

All of these SUVs aren't the tough rugged ones from the past, but they will get you to the beach comfortably. Decent family SUVs, you really can't go wrong. If I had a larger budget, the current Tahoe's are pretty bad ass, also they're redesigning the Sequoia and the Expedition 2018, they both seem pretty ridiculous as well. Just more $.$ than I got and my MDX does get over 30mpg on the highway...so there's that too.

Thanks for sticking with me. Hope this helps someone, even though I know this is generally a younger crowd.

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