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sweetenthislittlehand · 4 years

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drarry fic recs

since i read so much fanfiction, and most of it drarry, i decided to make a rec list specifically for all my favorite drarry fics. because what else are you gonna do when you’re under quarantine? and i’ve got a lot of recs, so get comfortable.

first off, lemme just say that if you haven’t read any Saras_Girl fics, you absolutely should. she’s my favorite fic author of all time, really only ever writes drarry (although a lot of her fics feature background romione), and she’s still an active writer. there’ll be a lot of her stuff on this list, so if you don’t know where to start, just keep reading.

Reparations by Saras_Girl [87k, E]

Harry is about to discover that the steepest learning curve comes after Healer training, and that second chances can be found in unexpected places.

this is my favorite fic of all time, okay? harry is a healer trainee at st. mungo’s, and all the trainees go through rotations in different departments of the hospital. harry’s first rotation is in the chemical dependency department, where he discovers he’ll be working under none other than our illustrious draco malfoy. this is so well written, and the characterization is so spot on, and it’s the perfect slowburn. i’ve read it so many times. i practically consider it canon at this point. (it’s also part of a series — Foundations!verse — and i love the sequel just as much.)

Talk To Me by Saras_Girl [15k, T]

When the usual channels of communication are shut down, the most surprising people can find a way in. A strange little love story.

probably my favorite one-shot. it’s an eighth year fic, but honestly, the year isn’t important to the story. harry gets hit more-or-less accidentally by a spell that renders him blind and deaf, and a *mysterious person* comes to his rescue. it’s the absolute sweetest thing i have ever read in my life. without the means to communicate normally, draco writes the words with his finger on the palm of harry’s hand. the characterization, again, is perfect. and harry figuring things out and reconciling apparently conflicting ideas of what he knows of draco left me squealing.

Building It Together by digthewriter [27k, E]

Forced proximity can only lead to bad things, right? Right.

this is such an original fic, and the concept is so intriguing. grimmauld place is tearing itself apart because harry’s been avoiding the house and its memories, and it finally breaks its magical ties to him. and sirius’ nearest blood relative is none other than draco malfoy. to save the house from itself and restore it to harry, draco has to move in, and with sections of the house disappearing... there’s only one bed. also let me just say that draco’s job is the most original thing i’ve ever seen, and it’s so fascinating and magical, and i love it. this is such a good fic.

Feel You In These Walls by alpha_exodus [6k, E]

Just this once, Harry thinks. Just this once, they'll kiss, they'll have sex, and then it'll be over. Draco hadn't expected more than that either. But then it happens again, again, and neither of them had anticipated having feelings involved - but then they've never been able to keep anything casual, have they?

i don’t usually read fics that are smut-centric, cause, y’know... asexual. but i really like this one. it’s beautifully written, and the dynamic is just. so great. also, asexual or no, i am not immune to tension. (i’ll take or leave the smut — in fact i’d mostly rather leave it — but unresolved tension? heck yeah.)

Salt on the Western Wind by Saras_Girl [60k, M]

When the war isn’t quite as over as it first appears, a guilt-ridden Harry is sent to a mysterious safe-house. Among sandwiches, insomnia, and Mills & Boon, he discovers something quite unexpected.

in the face of the dangers of the remaining deatheaters who have not been apprehended, mcgonagall sends harry, ron, and hermione to a safe-house. narcissa malfoy, having saved harry’s life asks one thing of him: to take draco with him into hiding. things take an unexpected turn when draco accidentally fouls up a spell and binds harry’s wrist to his by a silver thread that will only break when the people bonded ‘have reached a point of mutual understanding, confidence, and accord’. it’s so well-written, and i love the setting, and everything a lot. it’s wonderful.

Stealing Sweaters by DorthyAnn [12k, T]

It's their eighth and final year and over the course of several months, Harry and Draco have managed to become close friends. Their friends are entirely certain that they ought to be much, much more. So they just decide to... help things along.

this is so sweet, so fluffy. i die. harry and draco’s relationship in this is to live for. there’s platonic cuddling and hugging and sweater stealing, and then comes the realization that it’s maybe not as platonic as they thought. the idea behind this one is that harry and draco’s friends think they know what they need, and decide to meddle, and really all they’ve done is mess everything up.

Rainfall by Saras_Girl [4k, T]

So what if Draco has a rain kink? Everyone likes something weird.

literally the only thing you need to know about this fic is that draco has a rain kink. it’s bloody fantastic. i think you’ll find this is as much about draco as it is about drarry, and if you’re as obsessed with draco as i am, you’re gonna love that. (and by that, i mean draco absolutely soaked and with his face tipped up into the falling rain. it’s a beautiful mental picture.)

On a Clear Day by Saras_Girl [41k, M]

Draco Malfoy is waiting for his real life to begin, and it appears that he’s not the only one. Coffee, charity, and the wisdom of the elderly.

draco works for a charity, and his boss is very insistent that he get harry potter to attend their next event. except that harry potter doesn’t attend events at all, and he hasn’t responded to any of draco’s owls, and draco’s just about had it. this is a marvelous fic. it deals with draco feeling the pressure of restoring his family’s good name, it deals with harry’s trauma, how his past experiences have affected him after the war, it deals with the relationship between them in a really important way. because it’s a ‘no i actually hate you, you were a bastard’ and there’s no ‘wait, is that sexual tension’ and ‘well, maybe it’s okay because he was a child at the time’. not that those aren’t valid and really good things to read about in fics, but it’s nice to see it from this ‘i’m a mature adult, so i’m not gonna be petty about this, but i do actually hate you’ angle. i like it a lot.

Time and Again by manixzen [64k, E] work in progress

Harry's absolutely sure it's Malfoy's fault that they are stuck reliving the same day over and over. Harry is good at his job. He's professional, has an excellent closure rate, and is a well-respected Auror. Malfoy's the unprofessional one with his snark and his judgemental eyebrows and his far too-posh-for-work robes. If Malfoy could have managed to refrain from being a pain in the arse, everything would have been just fine. They wouldn’t have gotten in yet another argument, Harry wouldn’t have been distracted, and Harry certainly wouldn’t have accidentally set off a powerful artifact at their crime scene. And if Malfoy would just get out of his way now, Harry's sure he can quickly fix this so they can get back to their comfortable professional dislike of one another.

so, it is a work in progress, and i know a lot of people don’t like reading those (myself included), but it’s being regularly updated, and there’s only one chapter left. so i’d definitely recommend it! it’s a pretty great fic, and worth a read.

Tea and No Sympathy by who_la_hoop [70k, E]

It's Potter's fault, of course, that Draco finds himself trapped in the same twenty-four-hour period, repeating itself over and over again. It's been nearly a year since the unpleasant business at Hogwarts, and Draco's getting on with his life quite nicely, thank you, until Harry sodding Potter steps in and ruins it all, just like always. At first, though, the time loop seems liberating. For the first time in his life, he can do anything, say anything, be anything, without consequence. But the more Draco repeats the day, the more he realises the uncomfortable truth: he's falling head over heels for the speccy git. And suddenly, the time loop feels like a trap. For how can he ever get Harry to love him back when time is, quite literally, against him?

just in case one time loop fic isn’t enough for you, why not have two? this one’s also really enjoyable, and i think you should give it a go. if you only have the attention span for a single time loop fic, i would probably suggest Time and Again over this one, but that’s a personal preference. this one has some pretty great moments all its own, and they’re both good reads.

All Life Is Yours to Miss by Saras_Girl [114k, M]

Professor Malfoy's world is contained, controlled, and as solitary as he can make it, but when an act of petty revenge goes horribly awry, he and his trusty six-legged friend are thrown into Hogwarts life at the deep end and must learn to live, love and let go.

alright, i realize that this is the length of an actual novel, and that i probably should not have read this as many times as i have, but when you find a fic as good as this one, you can’t just ignore it. this fic is beauty itself, it’s the essence of life, it’s mandatory for everything. you want to go to college? they ask about this fic on your application. you want to get married? there are things you need to know beforehand, like ‘stanley the beetle doesn’t like transfigured mint leaves as much as the real ones’. that’s essential. i don’t know if i like this fic so much because of how good it is, or just because of pet beetle owner solidarity.

Good To Me (And I’d Be So Good to You) by AWickedMemory (TeddyLaCroix) [8k, G]

Everyone returns to Hogwarts after the war, but nothing is quite the same. Harry's groupies are creepier than ever, Ron and Hermione are snogging all over the place, and the once-proud Draco is shuffling around like a kicked puppy. But that's okay: Harry's got a plan.

this fic is pure fluff, and if that’s not your thing i get that, but the premise of this is just so cute. because harry’s got a mental catalog of facts about draco malfoy and a) that’s hilarious and adorable, and b) they’re actually really interesting and insightful for draco’s characterization. also the end reveal is !!!

Thermodynamic Equilibrium by DorthyAnn [5k, T]

Harry's far too hot. Draco's always cold. And somehow against all odds, together they create a perfect equilibrium.

because this trope never gets old, and this is really nice. there’s so much cuddling, and so many blurred lines between friendship and romance, and i love it. i’m a firm advocate of cuddling in every fanfiction ever. no fic is complete without it.

Helix by Saras_Girl [92k, E]

Seven months after the end of the war, Harry is feeling lost. Fortunately, he is about to be offered an unexpected and sparkling chance to find himself again.

it’s about snails. in an effort to get harry and draco to get along a little better, mcgonagall assigns them to overseeing the care of some very delicate snails for hagrid. there’s lots of heartfelt conversations, and struggles, and they’re very in love, so that’s nice. there’s also some really well-handled snape content, which i actually appreciate a lot, despite not really liking snape. it sets snape as draco’s godfather (which is a headcanon i love), and there’s a lot of contrast between draco’s relationship with snape and his relationship with his actual father, and i appreciate that a lot.

#drarry #fanfiction #fic recs #ao3 #archive of our own #draco malfoy/harry potter

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centaurianthropology · 6 years

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The Magnus Archives ‘The Masquerade’ (S03E38) Analysis

Wow. We’re well and truly into it. As Jon’s team moves into place to stop the Unknowing, things were bound to get more complicated. Meanwhile, Martin’s plan is both simple and reliant on his willingness to offer himself up to pain. Both plans begin to play out, but where will they go? Come on in to hear what I have to say about ‘The Masquerade’.

We have the beginnings of both plans playing out at once. Everyone’s performances this week were awesome, but the standout was Alexander Newall, without doubt. Martin’s ugly sobbing was absolutely wrenching, as was his complete willingness to subject himself to pain to give Melanie the opportunity to get into Elias’ office. The performance was just stunningly good.

The story was also excellent, even if it cut itself off with a bang. The title itself seems to reference both the circus, and the performance Martin put on to keep Elias focused on him rather than Melanie. But before we get to discussing Martin’s plan, let’s start the discussion of the episode proper with the circus.

They’re at the waxworks, surrounded by far too many (badly made) waxworks. It’s not long before Basira realizes that all the waxworks were people. Apparently, this is what happens to those people we thought were consumed by the Anglerfish. They were turned into waxworks for the museum, creating an audience for the show that Nikola intends to put on.

We know that Daisy has set charges around the whole place and intends to blow it up with or without them there. Tim still has a death wish, but is also acting as the conscience of the group at this point. Well, sort of. He’s always seen what they do as evil, and electing to kill all the people trapped in the waxworks, especially given how many of them there are, seems absolutely reprehensible. Jon and Daisy argue that it would be sparing them, and there is a definite question of what becomes of a person trapped in a wax body. Are they even alive?

I’ve got the terrible feeling that, even as much as it’s a moral objection, Tim knows that Danny is there. One of those statues is his brother, the man Tim changed his entire life to avenge. He doesn’t want to blow them up, because he wants to save his brother.

Jon wants to stop the ritual, and he doesn’t want to lose Tim to do it. He knows Tim’s been angling to get killed, so getting things done sooner rather than later is the best way of keeping him alive. But they still have to interrupt the Unknowing in the middle of their ritual.

And Daisy, as I predicted, just threw a great big kink into the plan. We know she’s shot something or someone at this point. The episode ended with a bang, but we don’t know who she shot. It sounds fairly obvious that she was pointing the gun at Jon, but it was Tim who was shouting “No.” Did Tim get in the way? Did she shoot Jon? I’ve suspected she’s been angling to put a bullet in him from the beginning, but shooting him now complicates everything. The plan falls apart without the Archivist. And even as tough as Jon is, getting shot and then escaping is going to be very, very difficult.

Which is where I think Danny Stoker is going to come in. Now that we know the people killed by the Circus are trapped in the waxworks, I think Danny is going to save his brother and Jon. I keep coming back to Naomi Herne and Evan Lukas, and how he managed to save her through his own family’s connection to the Isolation. Danny is claimed by the Stranger, but that may give him a power in the Unknowing that the others lack. And I could absolutely see him getting them out and detonating the place himself.

I do find it interesting that Daisy insisted that Jon push the button. As much as she believes that he knows the timing of the thing, I also think she wants him to be a killer. She wants him to make the tough call, and not just fob it off on her. She still thinks he’s a monster, but I think she could justify working with a monster who is acting for the greater good.

The question is whether or not this is good, with so many people trapped there. Will Jon push the button? Will Danny? Will it be someone else, unexpected?

And who got shot? With two more episodes, having one person maybe dead or maybe badly injured is going to make this plan a lot more complicated.

Meanwhile, back at the Institute, Martin started burning old statements. Sounds like ones we’ve heard, going up in flames. There is apparently no better way to draw down Elias than that. What’s interesting is that Elias really doesn’t seem to know that Martin has more of a plan than throwing a fit at being left behind and being utterly furious about it.

This is another indication that somehow, Martin eludes Elias’ notice at every turn. To read Martin’s mind, to drag the details of his admitted feelings about Jon out of him (and wow, Jon is going to hear that, and there’s really no way he can pass it off as ‘office gossip’ now, is there?), would take more effort than Elias can expend and still keep an eye on Jon and the others.

Martin is somehow wholly distracting. When dealing with Martin, Elias can’t seem to perceive anything else. If we’re lucky, he didn’t perceive what Melanie was doing in his office (though I worry that it was too easy, and that he knows perfectly well what she was doing. Having only a few locked drawers could either be a ruse or hubris, Elias is good for either, really.)

But Martin knew it would hurt. I think he really did believe that Elias was going to drag all the embarrassing details of his infatuation out, but the fact it was his mother had to cross his mind. The details of what’s happened to his mother and what his life was like are still vague, but we now know that Martin was very young when his mother got sick and his father left. I’m fairly certain that the details of that departure may be more complicated than Elias presented it. My money has now shifted to Martin’s father being a runaway Lukas. That makes all the more sense that Elias would send Peter down to see him. After all, if Martin is the spitting image of his father, Peter would know him in an instant, and would know exactly what Elias took from him.

No matter what, Martin’s mother believed them abandoned. She came to resent and maybe even loathe her son, both for caring for her and for looking exactly like his father. She was the one who insisted on moving into a care home, and is now refusing to let Martin visit her. His letters make a lot more sense now. Why write your mother when you can call? When you can’t call, because she’ll refuse your calls.

Martin is desperate for affection. If his mother really was as emotionally abusive as Elias implies, all of Jon’s snippiness must not have seemed so severe. After all, Jon was just a bit of a dick, and when Martin was in trouble, Jon came through. It very much sounds like no one ever came through for Martin before that moment.

In ‘Colony’, Martin sounded genuinely surprised that Jon both believed him and was taking action to keep him safe. Given his past, I would imagine that this was a dramatic departure from the rejection he had anticipated, and was likely the initial moment when Martin started to fall for Jon.

But the thing about Martin that Elias doesn’t get (very much dismissing his anger as a child throwing a tantrum, fully expecting him to go back and be the docile bringer of tea that he’s believed to be) is that Martin has a spine of iron. He stood up to Elias knowing that his past—either his love for Jon or his mother—were going to get thrown in his face. He knew what he was sacrificing, and he was happy to do it.

I’ve long had the sneaking suspicion that Martin was meant to be Jon’s protector. He’s interpreted that drive more as being a caregiver, because Martin is many things, but a fighter isn’t really one of them. Not traditionally, at least. But his desire to deal with Elias without violence, and his ability to talk Melanie around to his plan, despite her being inches away from being claimed by the Slaughter, points to what I think his other great strength is: aside from being far more courageous than we’ve anticipated, is a master of soft power.

Melanie and Daisy see violence as the only way to get things done. Martin talks, he asks, he persuades. It’s a fun reversal of traditional gender roles, with the female characters more adept and interested in solving their problems through precision applications of violence, while the make character uses words and persuasion to accomplish his goals. It’s also nice to see both approaches getting respect. Too often in storytelling, if it’s women or men using soft power, it’s treated as weakness and evil manipulation. But in this story, it’s valid, and good, and may be the key to Martin and Melanie making it out of their situation alive.

If things go sideways, I have no doubt that Melanie will go full Slaughter on Elias or anyone else in her way. But for now, she’s willing to let Martin’s plan play out. He paid for it with pain, and now she’s got something that he apparently thinks will be enough to take down Elias without violence.

I hope he’s right. So far, his plan is going far too smoothly. With everything falling apart with the Circus, I have the terrible feeling that the Unknowing will be wrapped up next episode, only for everything to go wrong at the Archives, sending whoever survives the Unknowing scrambling to get back in time.

Conclusions

We are in for a wild three-part season finale, it seems, and given how many things are happening at once, how many parts are moving, and how many balls are in the air, it’s not a question of if everything comes crashing down, but when.

I’m holding out hope that Danny Stoker can save the people trying to foil the Beholding, and hopefully save his brother and set him on a new and better path. I’m hoping that Martin and Melanie can keep it together and that their plan at least goes well enough they survive it. I’m hoping that this shattered group of people, all broken in some fundamental way, at least get a while to exist together. I’m a sucker for emotional support and weird, screwed-up found families. I have no idea if that’s a possibility in this universe, but I desperately want Jon to actually care openly and to deal with that caring. I want Melanie to be acknowledged as grandly competent and to get respect. I want Basira to figure out what it is she truly wants and to get it. I want Tim to have some peace and closure in the wake of losing Danny. And I want Martin to get the family he was denied.

#The Magnus Archives #analysis

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stabigail · 6 years

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11 questions meme

1tagged by @myrkks, tagging....... @pentaughast @ghoste-catte @beamkatanachronicles anyone who wants to ig :V

1. how would you describe your writing style or “voice” as a writer?

HONESTLY i still feel like i’m growing into my style, lol! and i often feel inconsistent, but i think part of that is a lack of confidence, still, forever #justwritingproblems. being more realistic, i would say that i tend to write from a very firm point of view and my narrators tend to be quite unreliable; i also tend to focus a lot on sensory details. generally i’m very much a stream of consciousness writer! it’s what i love 2 do.

2. do you prefer to write in first person, second person, or third person, and why? which tense do you prefer?

it depends on what i’m working on, and i definitely flip-flop some, but i almost always write in third person. for me, first person works really well for Very Unreliable Narrators who are trying to skew their story in a certain light, or for stories that are literally one person talking to other people. i love love love first person in podcasts! alice isn’t dead is probably my favorite podcast that utilizes first person, and i really love the depth of emotion that it conveys as a result, so i am more likely to us first person for projects like that.

generally, though, i struggle with first person because it limits narration in a way that i struggle with at times. second person kind of creeps me out as a writer because i feel like a soulbonder?? WHICH IS NOT A KNOCK ON SECOND PERSON, i think it makes for beautiful work, but it’s just not for me. so 3rd person limited is my favorite and has been for a while!

as for tense, i used to write exclusively in past tense but now i write exclusively in present tense and i couldn’t even tell you why. is it because the focus on the present makes for more dynamic writing? is it because i’m pretentious? is it both? likely.

3. what is one thing that inspires/motivates you as a writer these days?

oh man haha . . . spite . . . no not really, it’s a little spite but more feeling a lack and a motivation to fill it! my original work right now is based around a lot of feelings i have about both personal and global uncertainty, and while it isn’t a political piece at all, i’ve definitely found motivation to explore topics that i wish were easier to talk about. when it comes to fandom stuff, it’s usually “i love this pairing, but i never see work for it” or “i love this pairing, but i wish there was more diversity of work around it,” because i like filling gaps and also just always fall for pairings few other people care about. i’m also deeply motivated to write character exploration pieces for fandom because holy shit, nothing makes me happier than picking apart a character’s motivations and rearranging them in a new form. i’m the sylar of other people’s characters.

that being said, sometimes my motivation is “why are there only like 2 smut fics of this lesbian pairing and 238974293874 of this pairing of 2 dudes” and that is spite and i’m not sorry for it.

4. what is one of your strengths as a writer?

uhh,,,, i think i have a good attention to detail? is that a cop-out answer? maybe. i have a good grasp of figurative language, i think, and i actually am quite proud of that now that i think about it. i used to write super purple prose, and through the past few years i’ve been able to really neaten my writing up so that it’s . . . still flowery! always will be! not sorry! but it’s not overbearingly so, and the figurative language i use enhances the story rather than drowning it. shoutout to @pentaughast who has been writing with me for like five years and giving me feedback until my writing stopped being a horrible disaster thicket of metaphors, you’re a pal.

5. what is something you’d like to improve about your writing?

(rolls out scroll)

no but seriously: my number one thing to improve right now is learning to stop editing while i write. every writer is their own worst critic, but i will literally write half a sentence and then go back and change the whole thing, because i’m convinced that everything has to be Perfect the First Time. which is in fact a microcosm of my entire personality. so, anne, don’t edit while you write! also, your first draft is not your final draft! i don’t feel a need to just barf out a certain number of words per writing session, but i do think it’ll benefit me to have momentum and iron out kinks later.

6. what is one genre you enjoy writing in, and why?

hmmm this is interesting because genre is such a broad and subjective thing. that said: urban fantasy is and has always been my jam! i wouldn’t say i’m particularly good at it simply because 1) it is a super vague genre with few hard and fast rules, so i’m not sure how much of my stuff is urban fantasy even, and 2) i’ve been struggling a lot with writing original stuff over the past few years, which is where i have written urban fantasy stuff in the past.

overall i enjoy writing in fantasy or fantasy/sci-fi most of all genres, but never high fantasy because it causes me physical agony. aspects of f/sf i like a lot are basically f/sf as a mirror to our world or otherwise connected to our world (without necessarily using f/sf components as a substitution for actual discussion of oppression cuz, nah,) as well as f/sf as satire, that is my FAVE. discworld (t. pratchett) was the first fantasy series i really locked onto and it was v formative, obviously; also gaiman, stiefvater, jemisin. this question was not about my influences but too bad here they are!!!!!!!!!!

7. what would be the biggest compliment someone could give you about your writing?

the biggest, biggest compliment would be: while i was reading this, i forgot the world existed. because that has always been the biggest thing for me as a reader! the way reading can just take you somewhere, so no matter how shitty things might be in your actual situation, you can just take a break from that and follow bilbo around, or whatever. another really excellent compliment that i actually have gotten (both in writing fic and rp) is “i can hear their voice,” either in narration or dialogue. that’s huge! and it makes me really happy to hear. basically i would love for my writing to be an immersive experience for people, and that’s what i’m always striving to improve.

8. what is one piece of advice you’d give someone experiencing writer’s block or feeling stuck with their writing?

READ

idk, for me, fighting my writer’s block literally does not work. just staring at a piece of paper or a computer screen makes me upset and frustrated. reading, though, is both enjoyable and relatively passive; you don’t have to come up with ideas, you just have to take in someone else’s. as a writer, too, you can read both as an audience member and as a fellow writer observing. what does this author do that works or doesn’t? how does this style work in this context where it might not in another? how does it relate to your style? etc.

more generally, do something nice for yourself cuz sometimes that will boost your creative spirit. self-care is huge!

9. what is one piece of advice you wish someone had given you when you started writing?

lskdjfskld uh . . . don’t follow any of the advice people give you because most of it either only works for specific people or is entirely bullshit? i suppose more specifically i wish someone had been more supportive of fantasy/sci-fi as a legitimate genre with meaning, although of course that is a societal view rather than a specific one that surrounded me as a kid. it’s shitty, though, because until fairly recently i viewed the type of writing i enjoyed as “less than”/less meaningful than like, i don’t know, anything written by racist old dead white guys.

also, young adult fiction is fucking valid and doesn’t make you a less “serious” writer. i, a Fucking Grown Up, am still most captivated by YA fiction because there are fewer restrictions on it and writers tend to experiment more and, most importantly, because stories about transformation and trying to figure out who you are will never not be compelling.

10. what is a common piece of writing advice you disagree with, and why?

rubs hands together

one: write what you know. what the fuck is that, i want to know who came up with it because fuck? you??? definitely it’s fine to write about things that you have a personal perspective about, or to write in a way that reflects your worldview or emotions or whatever. but write what you know is literally the stupidest, most limiting garbage, and i have met so many grown ass adults who believe in it so strongly. curse that mess.

two: you must construct x type of work in y format following z formula. a lot of times this is really great and works well for people, but other times it can be, again, really limiting. beginning-middle-end is great, but even that can be inappropriate for certain stories, depending on what they are? for me, strictly following writing formulas made me overly focused on “”accuracy”” and less focused on writing what i enjoyed.

three: this one isn’t quite as cut and dry as the previous two, but: write protagonists that people can relate to. here’s the thing: i feel like this often gets translated to “protagonists that are charmingly aware of their own assholeishness, totally perfect and always right, or bland,” and it’s kind of a shitty trap to fall into? this is another reason i love unreliable narrators, bcause you can have that nuance and imperfection without the entire story being about how shitty the character is. their imperfection is part of the story and perhaps even a driving force, but they aren’t just sort of a paper cutout used to drive the story along. hello i’m anne and i struggle writing protagonists.

11. what writing projects are you working on these days?

excited buzzing. a couple! i am really shy about talking about original stuff, but i am working on scripts for (tentatively) a podcast about a very apathetic and cynical gal who is one of a very few survivors of a series of natural disasters and also may?be the one who made them happen. Whoopsie.

fanfiction-wise, i am working on finishing . . . christ on a raft let me count. four! one-shots. there’s a fifth one that i wrote 10k words of in like 2015 and still haven’t finished and i don’t know if i’ll trash it or not lol. regardless, i am working on those! there is a fic that i started working on a while back that was meant to be a multi-chapter fic called reverse about giorno tripping into vampirism and fugo having 0 idea what to do about it; i’ve let it dangle for ages, but i am slowly fleshing out the plot again and getting it going. i’m very excited to do this! i love giorno having to figure out how to vampire and i love fugio.

finally, @relares and i are starting to work on a reset fugiomis fic which, weeps into tea, will kill us both.

#writing meme #writing #??? i dont know what else to tag this i never do memes help

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itsworn · 7 years

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Car Craft Ask Anything: You Ask, We Answer

Big-Block Camaro Brake-Bleed Blues

Rose Serrano; via email: My husband and I are at our wits end with our big-block-powered 1968 Camaro. It still has the factory-installed front disc and rear drum brakes, and we can’t seem to bleed the brakes properly. I have replaced the distribution block, proportioning valve, lines, power booster, master cylinder, and wheel cylinders—the rear brakes still don’t bleed. Can you give me any pointers on why the rear drums will not bleed? I’ve kept the car in the garage for more than a year because of this problem.

Steve Magnante: Big-block Camaros are some of the coolest Bow Tie machines on the planet. I love ’em. I get visions of “Grumpy” Bill Jenkins’ refrigerator-white 1967 exploding off the line in vintage NHRA SS/C drag action. The skinny front tires and narrow 15×4-1/2-inch Cragar S/S mags droop the A-arms against the suspension stops, a foot off the strip, defying gravity. The blueprinted L78 396 smushes the beefy 10.00×15 wrinkle-wall slicks into the line an instant after the clutch is dumped at seven-grand. Aaah, good stuff, thanks for the flashback.

I wish you’d been more descriptive in your statement that the rear brakes “do not bleed.” If there is no brake fluid making its way to them and they’re dry, something is blocking the lines upstream of the wheel cylinders. Look for a pinch or a kink in every bit of the system. Inspect the tubes attacked to each axletube, inspect the brass junction block for dead-end passages (bit failure during manufacture), inspect the rubber body hose, and continue the quest along the body line all the way to the junction block and proportioning valve. Even though external appearances might be OK, don’t rule out a stubborn bit of debris inside the line. And please don’t tell me you used any Teflon tape here. The way double-flared, brake-hose connections work does not require tape—ever. But if mistakenly used, a chunk could enter a line and create a blockage. The best way to validate the system is to remove every section and blow compressed air through each component, one by one. At the junction block, you also want to confirm each connection port is matched to the correct outgoing tube. A mix up here can certainly disturb fluid and pressure routing.

Don’t forget the Camaro was introduced in 1967, just in time to receive the federally mandated, dual-circuit master cylinder. Up to 1966, most American cars (except for certain Cadillacs, Z06-equipped Corvettes, and the Studebaker Avanti) had a single-pot master cylinder. When all is fresh and new, the single-reservoir brake system worked well. But if a single leak appeared, each pump of the brake pedal sprayed vital fluid out of the circuit. Within a few pumps, the brakes were dead.

The 1967-up dual-circuit hydraulic system doubled your chances of survival. By dividing the brakes into front and rear circuits, the loss of one wheel cylinder only affected half of the system and gave the driver emergency braking ability to stop the car. The dual outlets on your Camaro’s master cylinder must be correctly matched to the brake lines. The forward-most outlet feeds the front brakes, the rear port, and the back axle. Most of the time when working with factory lines, everything is pre-bent in a way that clearly guides their correct reinstallation.

You mentioned you’ve got new brake hoses and tubing. Did you hand-bend generic sticks of parts-store tubing? If so, you might have mixed things up. And speaking of parts-store tubing, whenever I use it, I always blow compressed air through it, and before I bend anything, I peek through each stick. If you don’t see light at the other end of the stick, debris is trapped inside. I have seen dead bugs, cardboard, and other bits of shipping/warehouse storage debris jammed inside new steel tubing. Make sure this isn’t your problem.

Assuming you have fluid passing into the tubes attached to your rear axle, I’m guessing your complaint that they “do not bleed” is your way of saying fluid is dribbling from the bleeders, but you still can’t get a nice, solid pedal. Here, it all comes down to completely evacuating every last bit of air from the circuit. And that can be a tedious job, unless you’ve got a power brake bleeder or hand-operated pressure/suction pump. I’ve struggled with close-but-not-ideal brake-pedal feel over and over. Persistence is the answer.

One more thing to consider: Is your driveway or workspace on a steep hill? Air bubbles naturally tend to flow up, so it’s important to bleed brakes on a level surface. If your car is sitting on steep, tail-down terrain, you’ll face an uphill battle in bleeding the brakes (if that makes sense). Bubbles and/or the column of air you’re attempting to purge toward the opened bleeder at the rear axle will fight your efforts. Try it again on level ground.

Barring the usual stuff described already, the problem is likely based in a flawed component. I’ve seen “rebuilt” wheel cylinders with rust-clogged ports and brass distribution block/proportioning valve items with blind-drilled holes that failed to connect inside the part. It’s rare, but poorly manufactured parts do happen. I’ve also seen master cylinders with incorrectly installed lip seals—right out of the box! I’d suggest double-checking the proper connections at your master cylinder and junction block, then a close inspection of all components followed by a clear-out using compressed air. And remember, unless you’re using synthetic brake fluid, spilled fluid can eat paint. Work carefully.

Slant Six Bonneville

Robert Dally; via email: I run a 1966 Barracuda with a 170ci Slant Six at Bonneville [see Eric English’s online article on this car from November 10, 2015, at HOTROD.com]. The engine is naturally aspirated and makes about 250 hp while running at 6,500–7,000 rpm. Unfortunately, at the 2016 Speed Week, I threw a rod early on, so I’m currently building a new—but still naturally aspirated—engine for Speed Week 2017. My question involves the main bearings. We followed all the recommendations in the Mopar Performance Engine book except for running fully grooved upper and lower main bearings. I’ve asked around and get a mixed bag of responses. Some say it’s the right thing to do, others say it’s an outdated idea and will result in another disaster. With the next engine, should I go to fully grooved mains or steer clear of it?

Steve Magnante: Wow, a Slant Six question! With just less than 12,500,000 built between 1960 and 1991 (about 50,000 with die-cast aluminum blocks in 1961–1962), the math says there should be far more Slant Six questions—but no. The fact is, few people recognize the Slant Six as a performance engine. For that we can blame the cylinder head and the 225ci tall-deck version.

First, some history: In early 1957, Chrysler launched the Valiant compact-car development program, which delivered the first Mopar A-body in 1960. The A-body would go on to form the basis of the Dart, Duster, Gen-I Barracuda, and even the 1968 Hemi A-body cars. Knowing the ancient 230-inch, flathead six of the day would not match the Valiant’s modern needs, a simultaneous engine-replacement program was started in 1958. This gave us the Slant Six, also of 1960.

Because the Slant Six was initially envisioned to power the small Valiant, Chrysler engine designers settled on 170 ci. Remember, Ford’s Falcon was launched with a miniscule 144-inch six-popper and the air-cooled Chevy Corvair launched at 139 cubes in 1960, which bumped to 145 in 1961. Comparatively, the new 170-inch Slant Six for the new A-body Valiant (and Dodge Lancer for 1961) doesn’t seem so small. However, “mission creep” entered the picture, and during the engine’s development program in 1958, product planners also eyeballed the Slant Six for use in light pickups, vans, and larger Chrysler passenger cars. To get more torque for these heavier applications, a second version with an extra inch of stroke joined the 170 development program, and the tall-deck, 225ci Slant Six was born. The problem was this: When the stroke jumped from 3.125 to 4.125 inches (the bore remained at 3.40 inches for both engines), a matching cylinder head with proportionally larger ports and valves should have been devised. It didn’t happen, partly because of the sharing of the small 3.40-inch bore between both blocks to save money on pistons, boring machinery, and so on. Anything much larger than the 1.62/1.36-inch stock valve heads suffered from shrouding. So the exact cylinder head was used on the 170 and 225 engines (as well as the 1970–1974 198-incher, a destroked 225 with the same 3.40-inch bore). As a result, the 225 Slant Six emerged with excellent low- and mid-range torque output, but with its 170-sized cylinder head, breathing efficiency was compromised. Coupled to the 225’s extreme over-square configuration, high-rpm efficiency suffered a bunch. I’ve built several performance-oriented 225s, and they were all uncomfortable above 5,200 rpm. I never saw anything close to six grand—even with four-barrel carburetion. This is why in-the-know Slant Six builders and racers like Doug Dutra (and you) go with the 170, which is ideally matched to the head—and whose over-square bore and stroke ratio loved to rev. What the 170 lacks in torque, it makes up for with high-rpm horsepower potential.

As you’ve proved, 6,500 and even 7,000 rpm isn’t a fantasy with the sweetly over-square 170. Back in 1960, NASCAR invited Detroit’s new wave of so-called “compact” cars (Falcon, Corvair, Valiant, and Studebaker) to a mini-feature race before the big Daytona 500 event. With only 170 strictly-enforced cubes, Hyper-Pak–equipped Valiants blitzed the course at an average speed of 122.282 mph. That’s cranking for such a small six-banger in a car with the aerodynamics of a brick.

We suspect, however, you knew this, and that’s why you’re running a 170 instead of a 225 in your Bonneville fish. As for the bottom end, Chrysler chose to use only four main bearings in the Slant Six, at a time when seven was the going thing at Ford and GM. To make up for the reduced support and add overlap for stiffening, the Slant Six crank was given the same 2.75-inch main bearing journal size as the Max Wedge and 426 Hemi. Better still, forged cranks were used through the 1976 model year. In the 225 version, the bottom end is extremely rugged. In the 170-incher, it is nearly indestructible.

Better still, the stock oil system is excellent. About the only enhancement comes from the usual streamlining of the block’s oil-passage entries with a hand grinder during preparation. There’s also safety to be gained in “porting” the passages inside the oil-pump body to eliminate sharp edges that disturb oil flow. Here is where we get into the difference between what the engine experiences at Bonneville and any other type of non-marine, non-aviation, high-performance use. Nowhere but Bonneville (and similar closed-course speed trials like the Maxton Mile) does the engine run at wide-open throttle for so many minutes. The demands on the oiling system here are unique in the world of motorsports.

Your reference to the Mopar Performance Engine book’s suggestion of using fully grooved main bearing inserts is valid. Why did you deviate? Remember this, stock semi-grooved main bearings (grooves in block, not caps) are “timed” to open the pressurized oil-flow circuit to the rod bearings during only half of each revolution. By switching to fully grooved inserts (grooves in block and caps) the oil flow to the rods is continuous. You say you had a rod failure with your previous semi-grooved setup? The root cause is likely right here. Of course, the fully grooved mains represent a greater “leak” in the system, so expect low-rpm oil-pressure gauge readings to be spooky—like 5 psi at a traffic light with heat soaked oil. This is why street and strip engine builds shun the fully grooved approach. But your Bonneville-bound Fish needs them.

Be careful of the urge to simply “throw more oil at it” with a high-volume oil pump. Mopar Performance used to sell HV pumps (PN 4286740), but, along with everything else related to the Slant Six, it’s discontinued these days. In fact, the stock oil pump delivers enough oil, so long as internal rotor/body clearances are not worn enough to reduce pumping efficiency. Yes, you can insert a 0.040-inch flat washer behind the pressure-relief spring (or hunt down a discontinued MP extra-stiff spring, PN 2406677) to gain 5 to 8 psi. But beware any new high-volume oil pump. Back around the year 2000, Slant Six racers using high-volume oil pumps began to have failures of the small 1-1/8-inch-diameter oil-pump drive gear. Driven by spiral teeth cut into the camshaft, the teeth of the pump drive gear wore away very quickly. I experienced this failure myself one morning on the crowded Los Angeles 405 freeway commuting into my job at Hot Rod in my aluminum-block Hyper-Pak 1962 Valiant. One moment I glanced down at the oil-pressure gauge and all was well. A few minutes later, the needle was on zero.

To make a long story short, a run of improperly heat-treated drive gears somehow entered the supply chain and caused numerous failures. I was lucky. Sure I had to call a tow, but I caught it in time before it seized. Did you inspect your 170’s oil-pump drive gear after the failure? Had it stripped?

Another oil-pump concern is the fact early blocks like your 170 had a six-bolt oil-pump mounting face and require a matching six-bolt oil-pump case. Later, the pump body and block mating face were changed to five-bolt configuration. While a newer five-bolt pump will bolt to an earlier six-bolt block, a small gap will result, which allows the pump to suck air into the pump and oil circuit. Not a good thing. Since you’re playing in the rare air of Bonneville, I’ll guess you haven’t made this “rookie” mistake—have you? It’d cause bearing failure and the subsequent disaster you described.

In conclusion, get back to fully grooved main bearing inserts and avoid new, unproven oil-pump drive gears. And while your naturally aspirated Slant Six efforts are noble, check the internet for videos showing turbocharged Slant Six street cars that run easy 11s. These guys throw snails on used 225s and say they never even pull the oil pan!

Back in 2001, I almost trashed a rare aluminum-block Hyper-Pak mill due to a new high-volume oil pump with a soft drive gear. Note how the teeth are rounded and worn. Slant Six guru Doug Dutra ([email protected]) suggests having the gear hardness tested before use. Google “Slant Six oil pump drive gear `.

Slant Sixes and Bonneville go back a long way. This 1962 Valiant was campaigned in C/Altered by SoCal chassis builder Tom Medlock in 1971 with a multi-Weber equipped Slant Six.

Mopar 340 Rear Sump Swap

Kevin Goldberg; Crivitz, WI: I’ve been working on my 1949 Dodge pickup for 15-plus years. Recently, I took it off the road to put in a Mustang II front suspension. Many years ago, I took the truck down to the frame and swapped in a 1973 340/727 and 8-3/4 out of a rotted Challenger. After removing the front clip, engine, and Torqueflite transmission, I boxed the frame and welded in the new Mustang-based crossmember, but when reinstalling the engine, I determined the center-sump oil pan hits the new crossmember. Instead of cutting and boxing the new member, I realized a rear sump would clear. After research, it looks like I can use a rear-sump pan and pickup out of a 318-equipped truck. I can’t find anyone who has done this. Can you confirm this swap will work, or do I get to cutting? Thanks for any assistance.

Steve Magnante: Oil-pan sump placement among traditional (old-school) Detroit V8 engines is a funny thing. Generally speaking, Chevrolet pans put the sump at the rear, Fords put it at the front, and Mopars put it in the middle. The universe is in harmony until people like us start mixing and matching non-stock goodies. Many hot rodders say the Chevy small-block got to be the most popular because its rear-sump oil-pan design was the easiest to adapt to non-Chevy engine bays.

Regardless, thanks to the fact Chrysler’s LA series 273, 318, 340, and 360 small-block engine family is designed with the oil pump mounted atop the No. 5 main bearing cap (much like the Chevy small-block), your 340’s center-sump configuration is influenced by Chrysler’s K-frame and torsion-bar front suspension design—not some quirk inherent to the LA engine. Just like any Chevy small-block, the sump location can be juggled as long as a matching oil pump pickup tube is used.

I encountered a similar problem a while ago when swapping an aftermarket rack-and-pinion steering/tubular K-frame kit into a 360-powered 1970 Duster I once had. Like you, the stock, center-sump oil-pan configuration no longer fit the chassis, so I looked into the world of Dodge pickup trucks and SUVs, and sure enough, I found solutions. Due to frame architecture, 1972–1993 Dodge pickup trucks and Ramcharger/Trail Duster SUVs have rear-sump oil pans and matching pickup tubes. My measurements found the stock sump height was 8-1/2 inches, shallow enough for passenger-car use. If you don’t have immediate access to one, for mind’s eye conjuring, know that general appearance is similar to a Chevy 350 oil pan. The truck sump is backed all the way to the rear of the crank case, and as you’re aware, any 1972–1993 318 pickup truck pan is what you’re looking for, but stay away from 360-sourced oil pans. The problem with 360-sourced oil pans on your 340 (or any 273 or 318) is the fact that when Chrysler bumped the 318’s stroke from 3.31 to 3.58 inches to get to 360 cubes (plus a bore increase from 3.91 to 4.00) in 1971, it also switched from forged cranks to less-durable cast-iron cranks. Seeking to regain lost strength, Chrysler increased the main journal diameters from 2.50 to 2.81 inches to increase overlap and torsional rigidity. Thus, the 360 crank, block, and main caps are not directly interchangeable with its 273-, 318-, or 340-cube brothers. Moreover, the main-cap fastener holes drilled and tapped into the block were spaced 0.31 inch farther apart. This led to a redesign of the oil pan’s crescent-shaped cutouts (found at each end). These larger crescents are specific to 360 pans (stock or aftermarket) and are at the core of why your 340 won’t work with any 360-style oil pan (or main caps). I share this detail not only with you, Kevin, but also with any other Mopar small-block oil-pan jugglers reading this.

Since your hot rodded ’49 is a one-off, be ready for possible surprises. My measurements found that a stock pickup truck pan has a total height of 8-1/2 inches, so it’s not so deep that ground clearance is likely to be a problem. Having said that, I attempted to test-fit a typical passenger-car windage tray, but it made contact and was therefore a no go. The threaded studs attached to the main cap bolts to trap the floating windage tray made contact with the shallow, forward end of the truck pan. Since I already had a Milodon center-sump pan on the 360 and didn’t want to step backward to a stock 1972–1993 pickup-truck unit (which would have fit). I grabbed a Milodon 8-quart pan and matching pickup tube that was very, very tall. At 10-3/4 inches deep, it was designed for a high-riding truck, not a low-down drag racer. Lucky for me, the Duster’s tall, 15-inch front tires and near stock ride height delivered plenty of road clearance. But beware, truck pans tend to stand taller than passenger-car units.

If your new Mustang II front-suspension installation is typical (with the rack installed as close to the spindle centerline as possible), a stock 1972–1993 Dodge 318 pickup-truck pan and pickup tube ought to put you in the ballpark, and if that fits, chances are strong an aftermarket, rear-sump 318 truck pan (and matching extended pickup tube) of the same vintage will also work. Good luck!

This picture from my old 360 Duster rack-and-pinion conversion project compares center-sump (left) and problem-solving, truck-type oil pans. With smaller 273-318-340 sized end crescents, your dream oil pan looks like the unit on the right.

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