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iamnmbr3 · 3 years

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Hey! This is a bizarre ask but hopefully a welcome one after *gestures at the destruction and fire*. I’m completely new to the Loki/thorki fandom, having essentially come in via the exit door by watching the Loki tv series first. I was honestly just watching it for junk value to have something in the background while I knit. However, when I realized that I didn’t understand anything by the middle of Ep. 1, I went back to watch Thor 1 so I could get what was going on. And HOLY SHIT I was utterly captivated by Loki’s character in the original movie, as well as by the Loki-Thor and Odin family dynamics. I’ve now watched through the films and have been increasingly disappointed by the portrayal of Loki (since Avengers 1 frankly) save a few glimmers of good characterization here and there.

I can’t believe that I’m getting myself into another queer coded (and now more than coded wtf) “villain” with a tragic backstory who’s done dirty by the fandom at large, but here we are! I’m also super into thorki because goddamn… they sure do have a Dynamic™.

So I guess my question is, what is actually good here? I feel like I’ve been trying to fight my way back to Kenneth Branagh!Loki, and have been largely unsuccessful within canon content. Do you have suggestions for a newcomer re: fics, fanart, and meta that actually treats Loki seriously? (and thorki as well?)

Hey! Welcome! Sorry about the mess *gestures at the garbage fire that is the TVA Show The Larry Show The "Loki" Show*

And this isn't a bizarre ask at all. It was really nice to receive actually! And yeah! I'm so glad you went back and watched the originals. The TV Show character is a completely new character played by the same actor who has nothing in common with the original character (who yes is absolutely fascinating and captivating and multilayered). Honestly I just think of the tv character as Larry, Loki's dumb lookalike cousin bc they have nothing in common lol. So glad the show led to you discovering good content...and thorki. And yeah Thor 2011 is amazing! It's so underrated. If you want meta relating to that and also just gushing about the film you can def check out my Thor 2011 tag.

My thorki tag of course has thorki stuff including art etc. I've also got an art tag which has both thorki and non-thorki works. If you want fic recs you can look in my fic rec tag which has a bunch of good stuff both thorki and gen.

Also here are some good thorki fics to start out with that I've really enjoyed. Most are ones I read early on when I just discovered the ship. Also @illwynd has a great thorki blog btw that you should def check out (and also their sideblog @throwbackthorki). Edit: I’ve also added some gen fic recs.

Thorki Fic Recs:

Chaos War by astolat (words: 34,203 | rating: E)

It was never easy to find Loki when he wanted to hide, but he wasn't doing a particularly good job of it at the moment. Probably he didn't think anyone from Asgard would be wasting their time hunting for him while the shining ones churned their way steadily through all the realm.

Loyalty at Any Price by seidrade (words: 22,663 | rating: E )

“This whole time, I’ve been searching the Nine Realms— alone— for answers to questions I barely know how to ask. I thought Heimdall at his watch, our father upon the throne, and most grievously… I thought you lost to me forever.” Thor’s resurgence of anger gives way to something like despair. He can’t tell whether he wants to pummel Loki into one giant bruise, or hold him and weep like a child.

When Thor returns to Asgard and exposes Loki’s deception, his demands for answers and Loki’s reluctance to give them soon bubble over into a cathartic confrontation.

Born to be Kings by Kadorienne (words: 66,618 | rating: T)

When the princes of Asgard made their ill-fated jaunt to Jotunheim, Odin arrived to fetch them before the frost giant grabbed Loki's arm. Odin was able to carry out his plan to make Loki his puppet king of Jotunheim. But how long will Loki remain an obedient puppet?

Yidrigar by epistolic (words: 5,174 | rating: M)

Sometimes I am envious, but never doubt that I love you.

The Heavy Crown by orphan_account (words: 10,024 | Rating: M )

Odin is dead. Loki must take up the mantle of King even as war threatens Asgard, Thor remains bereft of both Mjolnir and his immortality, and stress coupled with the knowledge of his heritage drives Loki to the brink.

No Common Thing by ravenbringslight (words: 8,283 | rating: E)

Loki follows Thor to a brothel and gets the shock of his life.

On the Eagle's Wings by illwynd (words: 2,975 | rating: T )

After Loki falls from the Bifrost, Thor begins to write him letters every day.

How long we were fooled by Ark (words: 28,227 | rating: E )

Loki is not a good man, he knows; there is something rotten in the core of him; and even a much better man might let Thor kiss him, since Thor still tastes of sizzling lightning, like gathering rain, like a desire so fierce and so awful to him that when released it could bring Asgard to its knees.

sunshine by thorvaenn (words: 18,257 | rating: E )

A post Infinity War fluffy piece.

Thor and Loki are among those who are trying to pick up the pieces, but must first fix each other.

Edit: And Some Gen Fic Recs too:

lose my idols to find my voice by Lise (words: 1,548 | rating: T)

This is no homecoming.

monstrare by Lise (words: 1,174 | T )

Loki is Asgard's second prince, brother to Thor, son of Odin and Frigga.

Isn't he?

farewell hope, and with hope farewell fear by Lise (words: 3,113 | rating: T)

Loki and the terrible, horrible, no good, very long delayed reckoning.

Five Times Loki Could Have Been A Villain by Kadorienne (words: 3,344 | rating: G | Character Death)

Five AUs where Loki is not a mere antagonist, but an actual villain.

He would have acted very differently.

When It Sings, When It Lies by dreamsthebirds (words: 14,145 | rating: G)

Thor AU, based on an awesome norsekink prompt for a scenario in which Heimdall doesn't open the Bifrost to Jotunheim, Odin doesn't ride to the rescue, and Loki is forced to take matters into his own hands.

Interdimensional journeys, shattering emotional revelations, and walking trees ensue.

Ichor in Violet by tirsynni (Words: 14,574 | rating: T)

When Thor learns that Loki can travel to other realms without Heimdall seeing, of course he convinces Loki to take them both to Jotunheim to hunt Frost Giants. There an accident unravels centuries of lies and threatens to unravel Loki, too.

The Sinking Feeling of Anticipation by JaggedCliffs (words: 8,624 | rating: G)

When Æsir come of age, they receive a gift from their parents, one meant to aid them in their adult lives. When a prince of Asgard comes of age, their gifts are not just for themselves, but for the realm.

Loki watched Thor receive Mjolnir at his coming of age ceremony – one of the greatest weapons in the realms, for one of its greatest warriors. Now, it's Loki's turn, and he knows Odin will grant him something just as magnificent.

Won't he?

Exsanguination by Lise (words: 8,610 | rating: G)

exsanguination /ex·san·gui·na·tion/ v.intr. To be drained of blood. (And all the rest.)

#asks #fic rec #thorki #thorki fic rec #thunderfrost #Loki #Thor #Marvel #MCU #loki fic rec #loki fic #loki tv series #loki show #Loki Series critical

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wangxianficrecs · 3 years

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Tips On Making A Fic Rec Blog

*Please reblog? This post is (ironically) not showing up in the tags*

These are just suggestions for a Nonny, so please remember that ymmv!

~*~

Start with a clear idea of what your blog will feature.

Different rec blogs focus on different things. Some are more about archiving/retrieval, some include tumblr fics and twitter threadfics along with ao3 fics. Some reblog other people’s rec posts alongside their own. You might want to run a blog that only recs fics suitable for minors, or only kink, or only fic from sites other than AO3, etc. You could focus on a single pairing, or all ships; a single show or multiple fandoms. It helps if you know your focus in advance, so that you can advertise yourself.

For example, my blog only recs stories that I’ve personally read (excepting clearly differentiated Follower Recs, Fic Finders and Mood For posts). My focus is on adding my own comments/summary and my own tags to each rec, because that is what matters to me when I’m selecting a fic. (My cover graphics get attention, and they’re tremendously fun to do, which is why they’re there—I appreciate visuals!—but it’s a huge time commitment, which is probably why no one else does it.)

~*~

Keep it Streamlined

I would suggest that you not use your rec blog to just reblog random fan content (art, gifs, meta, etc.), personal stuff, current events, etc. Save that for another, messier blog. The more concise your offering is, the more people will be willing to follow it. But that’s entirely up to you.

~*~

*Always assume the author will read your rec/bookmark*

Fandom is actually a small world. Be kind and stay positive. Please don’t say things like, The story was great but the grammar/characterization was terrible. Just. Don’t. It’s so harmful. Authors do this for free, and don’t deserve to be stripped raw in public because you want to write a critical review. (This goes for your AO3 bookmarks, too, which are public by default and ALWAYS cruised by the authors.)

~*~

Tag Page - make one!

One of the most important things about running a useful fic rec blog is archiving, which means you should create a tag page (here’s a how to). Find other people’s tag pages to use as a guide, so you’re not overwhelmed by categories. I’ve used the very well-organized wheredidhiseyebrowsgo and mdzs-fic to help me figure out the best way to categorize themes, tropes, etc.

~*~

Tag Your Posts

Only the first 5 tags will show up in public tag feeds (for example, if someone tracks #wangxian, and you use that tag, they’ll see your post on their dash feed even if they aren’t following you). So pick your first 5 tags very carefully, because that’s how people are going to discover your posts. Pick tags that are popular and common, so that you’re seen.

Only the first 20 tags will show up in a dashboard search, so tags 21- ∞ are only useful within your own blog. (Actually, tags might stop at 30, these days, I’ve been cut off a few times when I go over.)

On your blog, ‘search’ and ‘tagged’ will find different posts even if all of them have your term in the tags. So when you’re making your tag page, try both of them on for size and then pick the one that pulls up the most/best options. (I usually use ‘search’.) [Example: https://wangxianficrecs.tumblr.com/tagged/3zun vs https://wangxianficrecs.tumblr.com/search/3zun]

Be consistent! Don’t tag wangxian one time and lan zhan/wei ying the next, for example, or fox!wwx and later use fox wei wuxian. You’ve only got maybe 30 tags to work with, and one tag page!

The tumblr censor-bot will often render your posts invisible to all but your followers, so be careful what you put in tags. *cough* sex acts *cough* Tags that have set off the censor-bot: #prostate exam, #role reversal, #virgin, #explicit. (ETA: this post is actually invisible to searches, probably because of this very paragraph. Sigh.) As you can see, the list is puritanical along with occasionally being simply baffling. Check your post once you’ve posted by clicking on one of the first 5 tags to see if it shows up. If it doesn’t, no one can find it except your followers, so start eliminating any tags or text you think might offend a conservative granny… it’ll show up eventually. Hopefully. Maybe.

~*~

Tumblr Limitations

Tumblr tag searches only pull up the last 200 posts with that tag. Do with that what you will. (My blog has nearly 700 recs at this point, so the common tags, like ‘wangxian’, will only pull up the recent posts.)

Tumblr will sometimes just… remove your links. I haven’t figured out a pattern, it’ll just take some out randomly from here and there. You are limited to only 200 links total (soon to be only 100 😟). So be aware.

Sometimes your posts won’t show up in searches or tag feeds for no discernable reason. If you don’t see an obvious culprit (like the word ‘prostate’), just attribute it to chaotic coding nonsense and decide whether you want to re-post (not reblog) a day or so later to see if that works better.

On your dashboard, a ‘search’ will sort through titles, some content, and tags 1-20 —whereas ‘tagged’ only covers the first 5 tags.

~*~

Searches on AO3 vs. Tumblr

AO3 has a MUCH more robust search feature, and it’ll pull up so much more than your tag page on Tumblr... due to Tumblr’s limitations, not your own as an archivist. So if you keep your AO3 bookmarks in order, you can direct followers to search those if they need more granular or complete searches.

AO3 Collections is a fabulous feature—mine is WangxianFicRecs. You can make one for your rec posts so that you and others can select and exclude multiple tags at a time. I suggest you just do a bookmarks collection rather than a works collection, because the latter requires the authors to approve their inclusion, while the former is something you control completely. @ao3commentoftheday has helpful posts on #How To AO3.

One last thing about AO3 bookmarks. This being a fandom where many authors get bullied out, I've begun adding the fic title & author to my bookmarks, so I can still find it once a work has been hidden or deleted. I also download PDFs of each work I rec, so that it doesn't vanish forever. (I don't make them publicly available, but I will share them on an individual basis unless the author asks me not to.)

~*~

These are things I’ve worked out over the entire past year, so don’t get overwhelmed, you don’t have to do all (or any) of this, and certainly not all at once.

I hope this helps, good luck, and have fun!

~ mojo

P.S. I don’t have a clue how tag pages work on mobile, since I don’t use mobile for any of this. I think it sucks, though?

[I posted this once before, here.]

#make your own rec blog #how to make a rec blog #fic rec blog #how to #tips for making a fic rec blog #fic recs #how to tumblr #wangxian fic recs #fic rec guide

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measuringbliss · 2 years

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I challenged @headgehug, and thus was challenged. My answer to those Disco Elysium questions that have been going around.

Who is your favourite character apart from Harry and Kim? Okay, that's a difficult first question. I did a Tier List after my playthrough and I mostly stand by it, though some characters would be different (Lilienne and Ruby would be higher since I actually got to interact more deeply with them). It's a difficult choice because I love a lot of them for completely different reasons. I think it would be between Evrart, Joyce and Gaston. Gaston is absolutely adorable, Evrart is a wonderful chessmaster I really like, and Joyce is Joyce. Maybe Joyce wins. (The Dicemaker is also very marking, oddly enough.) (Honestly going through my screenshots, Joyce definitely wins. She has a lot of great lines and she's also quirky af, going along with your weird answers.)

What is the one skill you would use to best describe yourself? If I let myself be defined by ADHD (and it is, honestly, a huge part of my being and conducts my behavior), probably Electrochemistry. I crave stimulation and I'm weak to sugar urges. I don't do drugs and that's mainly because I know if I started, I wouldn't be able to stop. Alternatively, Inland Empire and Conceptualization. Which, honestly, are still part of the ADHD umbrella, just less evidently so I guess.

Do you have a favourite Copotype and political alignment and if so, which one? Not really. I was pretty honest in my first playthrough and ended up being a Communist and a Sorry/Boring Cop. To be fair, it's hard not to apologize every five second when you see... how much stuff happened. 2nd playthrough I tried to be a capitalist but around the midway point I ended up being a Communist again. I was more of a Artful/Fancy Cop though. Next time I'll try being an idiot (fascist). I'd say my first archetype was my favorite.

What is one thing you don’t like about the story or that could have been done better? The true culprit, obviously. I've not hidden my distate for them one bit. Worst part of the game. Boring, uninteresting, they may fit the game's themes but----it's just. ugh. I've seen that kind of stuff, I got it.

What is a popular fan interpretation that you don’t like? I haven't delved into the fandom much so I don't have anything in mind.

What do you love about the game? What's not to love?

Is there any type of fan content that you wish there would be more of? See my answer for 5) but there's never enough meta. I hope my Underwear Meta contribution made a difference. DE needs more fanfic, more fanart, more everything. Gimme those sweet Lilienne/Joyce fics!

What is your favourite line from the game? Joyce before she goes away: "One last thing, Lieutenant Du Bois/nameless detective." She starts the engine. "I've given the matter much thought and come to this conclusion: You're not an amnesiac. You're *insane*. I know -- because I, too, am insane. I just hide my illness better. And I'm rich." 1. Harry: "How do you keep it together?" Joyce: "The same strict psychological regimen the eighth admiral developed when he crossed the pale and discovered this isola -- the *Volta do Mar*. It's used by interisolary travellers and other troubled souls even to this day." Volition (Easy): "You could use a little of it yourself." 2. Harry: "What do you have?" Joyce: "I'm over-exposed, baby. My travels take me through the pale dozens of times a year. I've got the longing -- and I've got it *bad*." She points to her heart. She would die to return to it. The pale. The past. Anything one can return to. 3. Harry: "Isn't *everybody* a little insane?" Joyce: "No, detective -- no one's as insane as you." +BONUS: Joyce: She smiles. "Watch out for yourselves. They will strike soon." I realize it's an entire scene rather than a line, but there's no line in particular that I can designate, it's the whole moment for me. I feel like I relate hard to this feeling of being, well not insane, but different in a lot of ways, and in ways that make my life difficult, and in ways that a lot of people simply don't/can't get. So having Joyce say to me that she not only can understand me but related to me felt very good to my broken mind. And she can't be fixed, she can only continue to live with it, like other "travellers and troubled souls". Not only that, but she's longing for it, and she has a yearning feeling of nostalgia. I'm prone to that too, or I would be if I hadn't forgotten most of my school years. "Anything one can return to." She needs her anchors. I'm still puzzled by her "on one's insane as you", but I feel like it's a compliment on Joyce's part. She's appreciating Harry (my)'s weirdness and giving it legitimacy, in some way. Appreciation with your issue, not in spite of. And then she asks Harry (and Kim if he's there) to watch out for themselves, before leaving. She truly cares, even though you're a sad excuse of a human being. She truly cares. So that whole exchange, really.

Do you have a favour political vision quest? I only did the Moralist one I think, and I couldn't succeed but it was, um, it had a very weird starting point and it was a mess, but I liked what little I did of it, though it felt really depressing.

What are your headcanons for what happens after the end of the game? Everyone is gay, gets married and lives happily ever after.

Do you want more official games and stories set in Elysium and if so, which ones? No, I think it works nicely as a single unit.

What are your headcanons for pre-Martinaise Harry? Definitely in a relationship with Vicquemare at some point.

What is your least favourite aspect of the game mechanics? Loading screens, though they got MUCH (90%) faster in the latest update on Switch. Also it's hard to be nuanced in that game. Also it's really hard to get into the Thought Cabinet because it just... isn't of much use. In my 2nd playthrough I decided to use it as much as possible, it wasn't particularly worth it.

What was the moment that touched you most while playing? Joyce's departure, as written above. It hit hard in subtle ways. It's rare that I feel understood this much by a videogame character (or even someone at all). The scene where you have to announce the death of a guy to her husband (and then, on a subsequent playthrough, finding that woman in the early days and talking to her knowing perfectly well what would happen. fuck.) is a hard scene, very memorable.

When playing it for the first time, did you go in blind or not? Is there anything you would want to change about your first playthrough? 100% blind. I just knew Kim Kitsuragi existed, and that you could die quickly or something. Wouldn't have changed a thing since my 2nd playthrough covered new stuff.

Wild Pines vs. The Débardeurs’ Union – what do you think of the Evrarts and who do you root for? Oh I absolutely love everyone in this conflict. They're all fascinating as fuck, I'm rooting for both camps at once because Joyce and the Evrarts are so interesting and charismatic.

What skill is the most fun/coolest/most interesting to set as your signature skill? Encyclopedia on 2nd playthrough was nice. I'll try a physical build next time...

What is your opinion on the Elysium lore? I don't think I really care about lore? But also the Pale is very interesting. It's a shame the one character who lived through a lot of moments in a very involving way (Culprit-san) is also awfully uninteresting. There's potential, but burying it in a looooooong ramble about how women are sl*ts and men are simps and the world is decadent and nothing matters or make sense and nobody's worth shit or whatever, I don't think it's particularly captivating. If I want to see an asshole I can just go to r/The_Don*ld or JK Terfing tweets.

Which character arc or piece of lore would you have wanted to be explored more in depths? Everything. I hate that once you've completed somebody's questioning, you don't really get more out of them. It's unsatisfying.

How would you position yourself politically in Revachol? Def Communist.

Is there something that you missed on your first playthrough that completely blew your mind and/or changed how you view the story when you found out it existed later? Not really, but the Church storyline really was an entire third of the game, huh? Spending more time with some characters was nice though. This game really isn't about blowing your mind.

What would your own stats be? Intellect: 4 Psyche: 5 (for the wrong reasons, hello ADHD) Physique: 2 Motorics: 1

What is a thing in fanworks that you eat up every single time? See above answers.

What is your interpretation of the title of the game? As a French person, Elysium immediately calls to mind the Elysée, be it the Presidential Palace or the Champs-Elysées streets full of shops. It's about opulence, grandeur, capitalism. And then you've got Disco. Disco was a major trend born not out of typical people, but from black and queer people. In this regard, Disco is fundamentally opposed to Elysium. Fire and water. The oppressed and the oppressor. And in the game, you're a cop, an official cop, investigating in a place where the locals neither acknowledge your official status nor want you there. Two conflicting forces.

Favourite piece of in-game art (graffiti, poetry etc.)? @headgehug rightly mentioned "Un jour, je serai de retour près de toi" which is absolutely beautiful. My favorite would be "Something beautiful is going to happen". I think it's an incredible sentence.

Just ramble freely about the game and let me know your thoughts.

I've talked too much already lmao.

#disco elysium

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itsclydebitches · 3 years

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Here's a quandary I've suddenly found myself in: where do you stand on writers deleting their own works, fanfiction or otherwise? I've had this happen to me on more than one occasion - I go to look for an old favorite and find it's since been deleted from whatever site I read it on.

On the one hand, I'm inclined to think that, "Sure. The author wrote it, it's their call. I don't own the work - I certainly didn't pay for it. It's their decision, even if it's disappointing."

But at the same time I can't help but consider the alternative - if I believe in death of the author (and I do), that an author's work fundamentally isn't solely theirs once it's been published, posted, etc., then it also seems wrong to have a work deleted. Stories aren't the sole property of their creator, after all.

But then I circle back. D'you think there are different obligations between authors and readers and the works being made in fandom space? I know if I had bought a book and the author decided they wanted it back, I would feel pretty comfortable telling them no, given I'd paid for it and whatnot. But that's a different world from fanfic and fandom space generally.

So. You're insightful Clyde, I'm curious as to what you'll have to say here (and to all y'all thinking about it, don't flame me. I haven't decided where I stand here yet - haven't heard a good nail-in-the-coffin argument for or against yet).

Val are you a mind reader now? I’ve been thinking about this exact conundrum the last few days!

(And yeah, as a general disclaimer: no flaming. Not allowed. Any asks of the sort will be deleted on sight and with great satisfaction.)

Honestly, I’m not sure there is a “nail-in-the-coffin argument” for this, just because—as you lay out—there are really good points for keeping works around and really good points for allowing authors to have control over their work, especially when fanworks have no payment/legal obligations attached. In mainstream entertainment, your stories reflect a collaborative effort (publisher, editor, cover artists, etc.) so even if it were possible to delete the physical books out of everyone’s home and library (and we're ignoring the censorship angle for the moment), that’s no longer solely the author’s call, even if they have done the lion’s share of the creative work. Though fanworks can also, obviously, be collaborative, they’re usually not collaborative in the same way (more “This fic idea came about from discord conversations, a couple tumblr posts, and that one headcanon on reddit”) and they certainly don’t have the same monetary, legal, and professional strings attached. I wrote this fic as a hobby in my free time. Don’t I have the right to delete it like I also have the right to tear apart the blankets I knit?

Well yes… but also no? I personally view fanworks as akin to gifts—the academic term for our communities is literally “gift economy”—so if we view it like that, suddenly that discomfort with getting rid of works is more pronounced. If I not only knit a blanket, but then gift it to a friend, it would indeed feel outside of my rights to randomly knock on their door one day and go, “I actually decided I hate that? Please give it back so I can tear it to shreds, thanks :)” That’s so rude! And any real friend would try to talk me out of it, explaining both why they love the blanket and, even if it’s not technically the best in terms of craftsmanship, it holds significant emotional value to them. Save it for that reason alone, at least. Fanworks carry that same meaning—“I don’t care if it’s full of typos, super cliché, and using some outdated, uncomfortable tropes. This story meant so much to me as a teenager and I’ll always love it”—but the difference in medium and relationships means it’s easier to ignore all that. I’m not going up to someone’s house and asking face-to-face to destroy something I gave them (which is awkward as hell. That alone deters us), I’m just pressing a button on my computer. I’m not asking this of a personal friend that is involved in my IRL experiences, I’m (mostly) doing this to online peers I know little, if anything, about. It’s easy to distance ourselves from both the impact of our creative work and the act of getting rid of it while online. On the flip-side though, it’s also easier to demean that work and forget that the author is a real person who put a lot of effort into this creation. If someone didn’t like my knitted blanket I gave them as a gift, they’re unlikely to tell me that. They recognize that it’s impolite and that the act of creating something for them is more important than the construction’s craftsmanship. For fanworks though, with everyone spread around the world and using made up identities, people have fewer filters, happily tearing authors to shreds in the comments, sending anon hate, and the like. The fact that we’re both prefacing this conversation with, “Please don’t flame” emphasizes that. So if I wrote a fic with some iffy tropes, “cringy” dialogue, numerous typos, whatever and enough people decided to drag me for it… I don’t know whether I’d resist the urge to just delete the fic, hopefully ending those interactions. There’s a reason why we’re constantly reminding others to express when they enjoy someone else’s work: the ratio of praise to criticism in fandom (or simply praise to seeming indifference because there was no public reaction at all), is horribly skewed.

So I personally can’t blame anyone for deleting. I’d like to hope that more people realize the importance of keeping fanworks around, that everything you put out there is loved by someone… but I’m well aware that the reality is far more complicated. It’s hard to keep that in mind. It’s hard to keep something around that you personally no longer like. Harder still to keep up a work you might be harassed over, that someone IRL discovered, that you’re disgusted with because you didn’t know better back then… there are lots of reasons why people delete and I ultimately can’t fault them for that. I think the reasons why people delete stem more from problems in fandom culture at large—trolling, legal issues, lack of positive feedback, cancel culture, etc.—than anything the author has or has not personally done, and since such work is meant to be a part of an enjoyable hobby… I can’t rightly tell anyone to shoulder those problems, problems they can’t solve themselves, just for the sake of mine or others’ enjoyment. The reason I’ve been thinking about this lately is because I was discussing Attack on Titan and how much I dislike the source material now, resulting in a very uncomfortable relationship with the fics I wrote a few years back. I’ve personally decided to keep them up and that’s largely because some have received fantastic feedback and I’m aware of how it will hurt those still in the fandom if I take them down. So if a positive experience is the cornerstone of me keeping fics up, I can only assume that negative experiences would likewise been the cornerstone of taking them down. And if getting rid of that fic helps your mental health, or solves a bullying problem, or just makes you happier… that, to me, is always more important than the fic itself.

But, of course, it’s still devastating for everyone who loses the work, which is why my compromise-y answer is to embrace options like AO3’s phenomenal orphaning policy. That’s a fantastic middle ground between saving fanworks and allowing authors to distances themselves from them. I’ve also gotten a lot more proactive about saving the works I want to have around in the future. Regardless of whether we agree with deleting works or not, the reality is we do live in a world where it happens, so best to take action on our own to save what we want to keep around. Though I respect an author’s right to delete, I also respect the reader’s right to maintain access to the work, once published, in whatever way they can. That's probably my real answer here: authors have their rights, but readers have their rights too, so if you decide to publish in the first place, be aware that these rights might, at some point, clash. I download all my favorite fics to Calibre and, when I’m earning more money (lol) I hope to print and bind many for my personal library. I’m also willing to re-share fic if others are looking for them, in order to celebrate the author’s work even if they no longer want anything to do with it. Not fanfiction in this case, but one of my fondest memories was being really into Phantom of the Opera as a kid and wanting, oh so desperately, to read Susan Kay’s Phantom. Problem was, it was out of print at the time, not available at my library, and this was before the age of popping online and finding a used copy. For all intents and purposes, based on my personal situation, this was a case of a book just disappearing from the world. So when an old fandom mom on the message boards I frequented offered to type her copy up chapter by chapter and share it with me, you can only imagine how overjoyed I was. Idk what her own situation was that something like scanning wouldn’t work, but the point is she spent months helping a fandom kid she barely knew simply because a story had resonated with her and she wanted to share it. That shit is powerful!

So if someone wants to delete—if that’s something they need right now—I believe that is, ultimately, their decision… but please try your hardest to remember that the art you put out into the world is having an impact and people will absolutely miss it when it’s gone. Often to the point of doing everything they can to put it back out into the world even if you decide to take it out. Hold onto that feeling. The love you have for your favorite fic, fanart, meta, whatever it is? Someone else has that for your work too. I guarantee it.

So take things down as needed, but for the love of everything keep copies for yourself. You may very well want to give it back to the world someday.

#fandom #fic things #mymetas #never any easy questions on this blog huh? lol

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raeofalbion · 4 years

Note

K, N, P

( meme ) - Thank you! ^^

K - What character has your favorite development arc/the best development arc?

I want to say Mary, but I feel like her arc is mainly implied off screen, so. I’m going to go with Lady from Devil May Cry. Her rage and bitterness in 3 and how she refuses to move past it, won’t even allow for the thought of being distracted from it, because somebody has to hold Arkham accountable and it may as well be her. That she’s not only allowed to act on that anger, but is told it’s okay, it’s understandable, it’s okay to hate someone who hurt you and someone you love, and that the narrative allows her to feel relief in acting on her anger and in comfort in no longer being the person she was...while also telling her that it’s okay to need help from someone outside your pain. And I appreciate that the series let her grow--let her discover that trusting others isn’t all guaranteed to cause harm and that she could open up and make friends again. That she was able to go from angry and distant to awkward and purposeful to playful and at ease with the people she has relationships with is such a nice arc, especially that, in a world full of actual demons, she’s able to find something like recovery from her trauma is...I appreciate the hope of it. I also really appreciate that, in that recovery, they didn’t invalidate her previous anger. She’s able to say “you know, shooting my dad in the face was a really good thing, saving the world-wise, but it was also really bad for my mental health and I wouldn’t wish that on anyone else” while still being understanding of someone in similar circumstances to how she used to be, and that’s really nice. It’s rare to see a character be allowed to move past their anger without becoming judgmental, or in turn being judged, and it’s just...I enjoy it a lot and really hope the series continues allowing her to grow.

N - Name three things you wish you saw more or in your main fandom (or a fandom of choice).

- Meta that doesn’t end up circling around to a ship. Shipping’s great, but sometimes I just want to think about a character’s motivations without having someone sidetrack the discussion with a long ramble about how it ties into who they hc as the character’s partner and that character’s reactions and how the fandom should feel whatever towards them. Like...not everything’s about shipping. Let us have at least some discussion without it, please.

- Support for writers. This is something I try not to talk about anymore because people tend to get mad at me when I do, but there’s something incredibly infuriating about seeing a fandom cry and whine about how it’s dying and there’s never any new content, but then they turn around and treat fic writers as if they’re meaningless and nonexistent. And I realise it takes much more energy to read fic than it does to consume most anything in fandom, but if y’all want more content then you need to support the writers. (And before another person tries to tell me that fic writers are annoying and have no place in, particularly tumblr, fandom: we should not have to beg for our place or justify our existence in fandom. We’re not a crop to be harvested and then abandoned when the field lies barren--no creator is. Consuming our content doesn’t give anyone the right be treat us horribly.)

- More weirdly specific aus, passion projects. That kind of thing. Also AUs in the aesthetic sense--gothic, steampunk, cyberpunk, noir, decopunk/dieselpunk, Lovecraftian, etc.--the kind of AUs that don’t really get touched very often but can be really fun when they are explored. <3

P - Invent a random AU for any fandom (we always need more ideas).

Ooh, this is hard. So many ideas. Bear with me a sec.

- For Fable, for some reason a Sense & Sensibility au just sounds really fun. Like...Sparrow’s partner dies and they move out to the country to raise their kids and Walter and Jasper come over to visit all the time and it’s mainly just focused on family and it’s very warm and comfortable. And then the HoBW starts having suitor drama and Logan tries to be calm and rational and oh no, he’s got a crush and Sparrow’s just -head in hands-. It all ends happily, but for a while we’re not sure. There are exactly 0 shadow monsters trying to murder everyone.

- ...I was going to say something about mermaids for BBClock, but I took a break from thinking to read one of @leafenclaw‘s fics and now I’ve got Elementary on the brain SO...Entrapment au for Elementary. With the caveat of him not yet having met Irene/Jamie, Sherlock goes undercover in M’s organisation and ending up working a job that involves Jamie’s art expertise and his own varied skills. There’s lots of brainy flirting as they prepare and neither realises the other is getting ready to betray them (and neither of them seem to realise that betrayal’s going to be as hard as it is). Not sure how I think it would end, though.

#ask Rae stuff #thanks for the ask!#very long post #I would like to do a Mary Reilly style au one day but idk what fandom that would work with so... -shrugs-#I have so many weird movie aus in my head that I think would be fun for some reason #johnlockedinwarstan

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aosficnet2 · 5 years

Text

Thank you for your participation and enthusiasm for the Agents of SHIELD Smut Week!

The AoS Smut Week Collection has 39 new stories (for 13 unique relationships!) in addition to gorgeous mood boards and Tumblr posts!

Meta

Starter:

A New Day: The Dawn of the Second Age by Grundy.

While the Silmarillion includes the Akallabêth, and an account of the line of Elros is included in the Unfinished Tales, very little is written about the early years of the Second Age. (Part of the Collection "Food for Thought: A Meta Feast")

Fish:

Naming the Sea-Elves by Grundy.

The text is concerned primarily with the Noldor and presents most events from their point of view. Nowhere is this more readily apparent than in the treatment of the third group of elves to undertake the Great Journey – first named as the ‘Teleri’. (Part of the Collection "Food for Thought: A Meta Feast") Main:

Blinded by the Light by Grundy.

If there is one thing that stands out about the Noldor, it is how important light is to them. (Part of the Collection "Food for Thought: A Meta Feast")

Fate and Free Will in Arda by Lyra.

An informal bibliography with tongue-in-cheek commentary.

Dessert:

Sugar in Middle-earth by Grundy.

We don’t have much to base our knowledge on in the First or Second Ages, but The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings give glimpses of the food of late Third Age Middle-earth, including sweet dishes and desserts. (Part of the Collection "Food for Thought: A Meta Feast")

Sweet Speculations by Grundy.

Random headcanon that may or may not be in any way defensible. (Part of the Collection "Food for Thought: A Meta Feast")

Cheese:

What It Says On The Tin by Grundy.

I searched out all mentions of cheese I could find in the books. (Part of the Collection "Food for Thought: A Meta Feast")

Writing

Starter:

Moments of Healing by eris_of_imladris.

Nerdanel receives comfort and healing from an unexpected source.

The season will not wait by quillingmesoftly.

Elwing does paperwork.

All That May Become by Grundy.

After the Sack of Eregion, the situation for the elves is dire. Celeborn's army is on the verge of being caught by Sauron when unexpected help arrives.

Negotiations by arafinwean.

Haleth looks at Caranthir and wonders what he's lost.

A Trace of Light by Silver Trails.

Glorfindel misses his cousins and feels lonely after Fëanor is exiled to Formenos.

Lovely, Dark and Deep by StarSpray.

Elwë gets sidetracked on his way to visit Finwë.

Fish:

From Sleep to Swift Fury by Raiyana.

Ossë's rebellion.

Missing the Past by StarSpray.

"But no, it is not ruins or pottery I am interested in. They told me that Maglor was living on Himling." (also covers some Main Course themes)

Times of Change by hennethgalad.

Ereinion Gil-galad sets out for the Falas.

Long Time Passing by Grundy.

Eärwen's thoughts on a journey to Alqualondë prior to the War of Wrath.

Music and Song by Silver Trails.

Little Maglor hears Omar's and Salmar's music for the first time in his life.

Main:

Kinship by hennethgalad.

Gil-galad, Idril Celebrindal and Celebrimbor meet on the Isle of Balar.

By Any Other Name by Grundy.

After the Sack of Eregion, Celebrían is trying to reach the valley where her father's forces have taken refuge. The situation is grim until she gets some unexpected help.

Light and Darkness by Silver Trails.

Caranthir and Aegnor meet again after the crossing of the Helcaraxë.

Dessert:

Yule 3018 by hennethgalad.

The Fellowship have just left Imladris... (for anneway-nithiniel)

The Dance of the Lights by Narya.

Aredhel and Egalmoth share a quiet moment on the Grinding Ice. (for Tolkien Secret Santa 2018)

Smoldering by Grundy.

Finrod discovers at least one family feud he'd hoped was settled hasn't been laid to rest yet. (for gabriel-seven)

The King′s Peace by Idrils Scribe.

In the dead of Hithlum's icy winter, a battered Maedhros restores what peace he can to himself and his people, much to his brothers' chagrin. (for Dawn Felagund)

Still a Child by Silver Trails.

Findekáno wants to go out and meet his cousins. (for Mor2904)

Cheese:

Ode to Gil-galad. by hennethgalad.

Cheesy ode for the cheese course of Holiday Feast.

The Cheese Stands Alone by Grundy.

The twins thought Arwen would enjoy the lesson on Beren and Luthien. They were rather surprised...

Writing a Song by Silver Trails.

Daeron reflects about love and time. Maglor tries to help him.

As you can see, Nienna324 has created a fanmix for every course of the Artwork menu and Silver Trails has written a piece of fic for all five Writing course.

Hennethgalad has created content for every course across different prompt sets.

Grundy, on top of her achievements in Reading and Commenting, has written an amazing six pieces of meta and five stories for the Meta and Writing menues. Awesome work!

***

Whether you felt inspired to comment, read or create, and whether you created several pieces or one, we′d like to thank you for joining our holiday feast! We hope you had fun and found something to your tastes. And if you were too busy to take part in this or any of the previous challenges, take heart! As we already announced in our newsletter, the January challenge will be dedicated to beginning another year of creative accomplishment on the right foot. For our first challenge of 2019, participants can choose to complete any of the previous year's challenges. Did you miss a challenge you wanted to complete? Do it now. Did you start a fanwork for a challenge but never completed it? Here is your chance to finish. If you didn't leave any unrealized or unfinished projects behind you (congratulations!), choose from any previous prompt and start the year by creating a new fanwork. You will receive a stamp on your 2018 collection for any 2018 challenges that you complete now, as well as a stamp for this challenge on your 2019 collection. So this is your chance to catch up on challenges that you didn′t manage to fulfil last year!

The official announcement will be posted on January 15. See you then!

#swg challenge #swg holiday feast #tolkien fan fiction #tolkien fan art #tolkien fanmix #tolkien meta

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ahumanintraining · 6 years

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voltron ask game

you all are going to be the death of me because without doubt this ask game is basically enabling me to go off on a rant about a lot of things that i love, but thank you @onemerryjester, @littlespacestars, and @darkslover for tagging me and encouraging me to participate!

How did you discover the show?

saw it on my twitter feed — well actually i saw art of Takashi Shirogane and i just... — well, okay here i go.... (again) ....

let me attempt to briefly summarize why i’m obsessed with the guy: as a proud Asian-American, i am often thoroughly sad to not see more Asians in popular media/cartoons — and even if they are, sometimes they’re just given an Asian-sounding name but no real definite character/identity that plays a part in a show, or they have a part in the show that is relatively insignificant or stereotypical.

again, i got into the show in the first place for Shiro. i wanted to see exactly how they would take Takashi’s character, and i hoped that this show would provide better than how other shows have. i am completely invested in him, and you know what was the cherry on top? he was a desirable character. people loved him and was writing meta about him and making posts about how beautiful and handsome and strong and amazing and brilliant and a great leader this guy was and i was just very happy to see not only an Asian character depicted and characterized well, but also actually appreciated by the fandom.

that’s what sold me. and that’s why i’m here. and.... ,,, here i am in this fandom...,,,, at this .... depth.... drowning,,,,,

Was it love at first sight or did it take you a while to get into the show?

yeah nah, i’m not the type to like these kinds of shows about mecha things and action-oriented stuff — but the episode Crystal Venom (s1e9) really sold it for me. i appreciated Allura and Shiro’s backstories being explored. it gave me some deeper substance to think about and material to engage with. if it weren’t for that episode, i’m not sure i would even be writing for voltron at all.

well also, even before i watched Voltron i was invested in Takashi Shirogane so i was at least going to hang in there until i saw it completely through so that i could know his character as best as i could gather.

Do you have a favorite episode?

yeah i alluded to it earlier. i’d say my first favorite episode was Crystal Venom but one of my favorite episodes over all was Blackout (s2e13) — specifically that series of seven second where the Black Lion reveals the bayard access point to Shiro and then the music and then the flipthroughs of all the memories and then the split screen and then the wings and i’m just..... that must be my favorite.

but of course, my memory is horrid and i haven’t rewatched any episodes since the beginning of time so i’m sure i’m forgetting an episode i super loved.

Do you have a favorite Paladin?

huh i really wonder.

Do you have a favorite Lion? (If it’s different from your fave Paladin, why?)

Black Lion! but i also think that perhaps Black is the only Lion that canon has sorta delved into a little more. Black is at the center of Zarkon vs. Shiro and in many ways represents the longstanding war that has become Voltron’s history — i feel like there’s so much to learn about this war, and i’m glad it’s become more complex and not just straight evil-vs.-good, and that is depicted through Black’s transfer of power from character to character. and at the end of the day, it’s not Voltron the universe fears, it’s the people behind it.

Do you have a favorite villain?

man oh man, i love all my villains. Zarkon, Haggar, and Lotor all make me very excited. since we got so many stories where we only know the protagonists’ motivations, i often hook onto anything i get. i mean i also love Sendak — and i’m excited for him to play a role in our future episodes given his expertise in psychological torment. there were also a few contenders for the Kral Zera that i absolutely wanted to hear more from too lol.

anyway, point is that i actually am incredibly intrigued by all the villains.

Do you have a favorite Alien Race (recurring and/or minor)?

well given i’m an Earthling, i have a bias towards humans. but i love the Olkari. they’re nerds and i love their nature-centered planet.

Favorite side/other character(s)

hmmmm Acxa.... Coran (is technically a side character lol based on how little screentime he gets)... idk I usually am invested in a lot of characters, haha. i love everyone mostly.

How/Why did you join the fandom?

i might reference the first question for this one. but the way i joined? well... one of my small successes in life was that i supposedly was one of the first authors that wrote shallura fic and the first to write shallura smut. so... i guess there’s that. i like to be lowkey about fandom though lol. my current occupation and commitment to fandom can’t exceed more than the writing.

well okay, that was very wrong for me to say because of shallurazine and allurazine but you know what i mean. i stay in my corners and just create content when i’m feeling it. sometimes i make friends, i guess lol. i’m a bit of a downer and don’t think i’m particularly pleasant to talk to so i keep to the people that already know my pessimistic snark, uncalled-for cynicism, and worse-than-a-sailor language. would rather let my writing represent me.

Care to share your favorite headcanon?

i have plenty of those, which comes out in the common themes of my writing, but a headcanon i really hang onto a lot is that Shiro grew up with a single mother. this one is probably personal and just me projecting, but i can’t see Shiro having the standard two-parents. there’s some mess there, but i headcanon he’s spent more time with a mother figure than any other parent.

i obsess a lot on it actually. i reference Shiro’s mother as often as relevant. and again, this is personal. i identify a lot with Shiro and assume he shares experiences that are relevant to the Asian-American experience. it’s why he’s important to me to write about. he’s more or less a vehicle to express many of these different kinds of Asian-American experiences.

What do you think is the best part of the show?

i appreciate the complexity of the villains! i’m hanging in there because i want to understand the history of Voltron and quintessance. i love backstories more than i love existing plots — they really can inform why a character is the way they are, and give insight to what they might do or the potential thereof. the Voltron team’s built up the potential well, and perhaps i appreciate that the most too.

Any hopes and wishes for future episodes/seasons?

hopes and wishes are things i don’t dwell on lol. i protect myself from optimism, ahahaha. i am looking forward to things though, like: Lotor’s interactions with Allura, another stage of Operation Kuron, some more about quintessance, some Black Lion tension, some internal Galra factions arising, all this existing stuff of potential that i hope isn’t thrown under the bus.

but idk my dude, i’ll ride with whatever i get. as long as there’s good character development and plot, i think i’ll be happy. as much angst as possible. anything that will make me want to write. anything that allows a space to obsess and wonder and imagine.

Do you think you’ll stick it out until the end of the show?

i mean... i’ve already come this far... *clenches fist*

anyway, that’s all folks! thanks for listening in to my rants!!! i hope this was entertaining at all or at least gave you a little more insight that you wanted to hear about me or whatever!

tagging @celestialfluff @meli-reads-all @roguepaladin and the entire rest of the world that wants to partake

#fun facts about ahumanintraining #ahahaha my rant about takashi never ends #i keep making new rants as if they all have different messages #but they're not #i basically say #I LOVE TAKASHI SHIROGANE #every day #for the same reasons #over and over again #no shame #voltron

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yellowmechanicalcat · 6 years

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Voltron Survey Meme

tagged by @sp4c3-0ddity - thanks!

How did you discover the show?

I'd noticed references floating around (like, a ton of ‘hasta la later Keith!’ quotes and fanart) but Jin and Miguel’s cosplay of Shiro and Keith is what made me actually look it up. (I’ve been following their cosplays for a long time so seeing how excited Jin was about Voltron made me add it to my watch list).

Was it love at first sight or did it take you a while to get into the show?

So the first episode threw me off at first because I couldn’t not hear Finn every time Lance opened his mouth, but about 20 minutes in I was hooked. I've said this before but that first episode is A+ content 💯

I started watching when Season 2 first came out so it helped that there was a lot to binge all at once. plus it was great timing because I’d just caught up on Doctor Who and needed something to watch til Series 10 dropped

Do you have a favorite Paladin?

Pidge and Hunk are my favourites! But admittedly I like Pidge a little bit more.

Do you have a favorite Lion? (If it’s different from your fav paladin, why?)

okay so I picked this username because I wanted to work in a VLD quote but I do actually really like the Yellow Lion! I'm not very good at strategy in games so I tend to just attack everything at full strength and ramp up defenses and that is exactly what the Yellow Lion is good at and that's VERY COOL

Do you have a favorite Villain?

Hmm... I do like Lotor's generals, especially Ezor. I'm also really intrigued by the druids.

Do you have a favorite Alien Race? (recurring and/or minor)

Space mermaids!! They had such great designs and apparently used to be in contact with other planets?? So they should be able to handle space which means they should come back.

Favorite side / other character(s)- Rebels, General, Blade of Marmora, Garrison, etc?

Honestly I really enjoy Slav! and idk if Coran is considered main or side but he's another fave.

How/Why did you join the fandom?

Looking up fanfic/art made me want to make my own because the characterizations I was seeing didn't really match the show?? It was kind of strange to see how pervasive fanon was. (I write really slowly though so most of my stories are still...... not done.) Then I realized just how huge the fandom was/how many different opinions were out there and that made things a little more interesting.

Anyway I ended up focusing on the Plance side of the fandom after reading some of amillionsmiles‘ fics. (I was really happy to find out I wasn't the only one who’d thought Pidge had kind of an obvious crush, haha.)

Care to share a favorite headcanon?

Keith's dad's name might as well be Tex. He’s been going by the nickname since his Garrison days, and it’s been so long that no one even remembers his real name anymore.

What do you think is the best part of the show?

The main cast of characters (backed up by stellar animation and incredibly talented voice actors). They're a great team, they've all got clear strengths and weaknesses and no one's reduced to being a stereotype. Half the criticism of the show is how the writing treats the established characters rather than how the plot is unfolding/revealing more information, and I think that goes to show how fleshed out they all were right from the beginning. I can’t think of many other shows that accomplished that within the first couple episodes.

(I also appreciate all the tributes to other movies/series and how the show plays around with so many different tropes and that alternate realities are literally canon and-)

Any hopes and wishes for future episodes / seasons?

so many

1. For Keith to be friends with the rest of the team and not just Shiro! He's been gone for such a long time let him hang out and have fun with them!! ;___;

2. Let Hunk and Shay interact!!

3. This is petty but I'd like to see Pidge look more like Katie again? She's there to be a non-typical female character, fine, but she can be a tomboy and more feminine so why more let her be both? Let her be both!

4. More alternate realities!!!

5. also I’d kind of like if no ship was actually endgame because it’s nice to have so many options

Do you think you’ll stick it out until the end of the show?

Yeahhhhh, no matter how much critical meta I may post or reblog, I'm in way too deep now.

Tag your friends or someone you want to get to know better:

I only just got the notification for this so I think most of y'all have already done it?? But if you haven't: tag!

#voltron survey meme #sarah forms voltron opinions

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evakuality · 6 years

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Skam fic reading thing

@canonicallyanxious tagged me in this like a million years ago but I’ve been putting it off because honestly how do I boil down everything I’ve read over the last year? But then I figured I should do it and show some love to some of the great things I’ve read and remembered. So let’s get to it:

The first fic you fell in love with: Ah man, I really don’t remember. What I remember was soaking up everything that existed when I first discovered Skam in early 2017. I suspect it was probably something by cosetties because I remember loving the way she writes the banter between the two of them, how real it feels and how much it seemed like real teen boys while also feeling very much like these characters I was in love with.

The last fic you fell in love with: ‘The same amplitude and period’ by @vesperthine. I remember feeling very unsettled after the first part of this fic. Like I needed more, some sort of closure or something and I got it here in such a beautiful way.

The fic that you’ve re-read the most times: Hmmmm, I don’t really re-read much but I guess probably ‘open the pod bay doors’ by iriswests or ‘I’m always here’ by @nofeartina. In both cases because I just love the interactions between them and I love the way Even is. I know I’ve read both of these at least twice, so. Those two I guess.

A fic that you didn’t expect to love as much as you do (based on the description, a pairing or whatever): ‘A mental archive of love unwanted’ by chevythunder. I remember clicking on it because it had a couple of chapters and at the time I’d read everything else. The idea of Even in love with Mikael, and Isak knowing was a bit offputting but in the end I looked at it and wow. I really love this fic so much now. In fact, if I was going to reread anything this would probably be the next on my list.

A fic you knew you were going to love from the first paragraph or even just reading the description: ‘making new cliches’ by @canonicallyanxious. I’ve always loved her writing anyway, and I read her other Skam fics and fell in love, so I kind of knew I’d love this even before I started. But that first section in Even’s PoV, with his mental bank where it comes to Isak and the way they connect even then … I fell deep and hard and never came back up. This is still probably my favorite fic in this fandom.

A fic that makes you feel like shouting about it to anyone who listens because everyone needs to read it: Apart from ‘making new cliches’, you mean? (which honestly, I used to push at everyone I ever interacted with online until I’m fairly sure they started avoiding me). Ummmm, I think that the other one I used to ask people if they’d read it yet was ‘boy with a basket of fruit’ by @fxckxxp. It was just so immersive and beautiful and I wanted to shout about it with people and no-one was reading it. Eventually they did and I could yell to my heart’s content but for a while there I was pretty keen to make others look at it.

The fic you are/were the most excited to be updated: Well, I fell in love with ‘a mental archive of love unwanted’ and so I remember being fairly impatient for the updates for that. But the other one would be ‘I guess that’s destiny doing it right’ by @littlespooneven. I just remember falling in love with the story and the setting and just wanting more as soon as I’d finished the previous one.

The fic you caught yourself thinking/ theorizing about the most during your everyday life: I really don’t do this. My everyday life is so hectic that I tend to have to compartmentalize: fic is for fic time and daily life if for daily life time. The only times I’ve come close have been when I’ve said ‘oh I hope x doesn’t happen’ when something I’m reading isn’t going a way I like or enjoy. I don’t want to say what those were though so I’ll leave this one.

A fic you want to print out and have it among your books on the shelf: I don’t know? There are so many I actually really love. So I think I’m just going to say every single character study I’ve read. I love them and they tend to be so underrated, possibly because often the shippy stuff is secondary to the character’s development, and yet they are often where we find the best representations of the characters.

A fic universe you want to live in: Hmmmm. Actually, probably ‘if I could fly’ by thekardemomme. The idea of being a tiny fairy and eating blueberry cakes and stealing craft supplies to beautify my teeny tiny home? That sounds pretty damn fun. The only downside would be the keeping wings dry thing.

A fic to which you would read endless amount of follow-ups, one-shots, meta, etc. by the author: ‘Don’t leave me (alone)’ by @crazyheartfics. I just love this magical realism and the peeps from one world into another and I’d love to see more of it. It’s such a fascinating idea and I love the way it all works. I want to know more about it - does everyone get those connections? Why do they happen? Etc etc. All the meta and all the follow up fics, pease!

The scene in a fic that made you laugh the hardest: Probably the whole of ‘the balloon intervention’ by lovelycarcass. I find it all so funny. I love that the balloon squad are so obvious in their pursuit of Isak for Even and yet how oblivious Isak is to them.

The scene in a fic that made you cry the hardest: I don’t cry at fic? I hardly ever cry when I’m reading (but for some reason I cry at the drop of a hat when viewing something, even an ad on TV, and I have no idea why this is). But I think the fic that made me feel the most was probably ‘the notion of falling’ by smokeshop. There was a lot in that one that was hard to read and which upset me, and yet I read it all in one sitting and couldn’t put it down. It was very immersive.

A scene in a fic that left you hot and bothered: I don’t tend to get ‘hot and bothered’ but I do love to read connections between the characters so the scenes like this that get me are always the ones where there are deep feelings alongside everything else. So the ones that I remember and which stayed with me for a long time were ‘I’m going to show you how to do it’ and ‘living happily with sugar on’ both by @fille-lioncelle. I dunno, the feelings in those two were both so good.

A scene that squeezes your insides and hard to read but in a good way: Erm … that’s still ‘the notion of falling’ by smokeshop. But if I had to choose another one I think maybe ‘with love, from anonymous’ by iriswests and cosetties. I don’t recall them exactly, (though I think one was when Even was trying to tell isak about being bipolar? I think? And he thinks he’s the villain and I was just !!! stop being like that about yourself!!) but I remember several times in that fic when I was left with all these feelings and nowhere to put them after finishing a chapter. I think having both PoVs in such depth really enhanced that feeling.

A twist that made you gasp out loud: I don’t remember any twist really making me gasp so I’m just going to leave this one.

A line, scene, a metaphor or an idea in a fic that made you think: I really enjoyed ‘sketches of Even’ by fandomlimb with the way the art was integrated into the fic and how organic that felt. It was just so well done and I remember being quite sad when it came to an end.

A character you fell in love with because of a fic (or multiple fics): Ummmm, none? I maybe appreciate Sonja a bit more but I’m not sure if that’s from reading some good portrayals of her or from thinking about her in my own writing.

A pairing you’ve grown to love because of a fic (or multiple fics): It’s not a pairing, but a threesome, which is Isak/Even/Jonas. I don’t think I believe them as an ongoing thing (too invested in evak tbh), but I can 100% see them experimenting and enjoying it.

A fic you (re-)read if you have a bad day / would recommend for someone to read if they’re having a bad day: Much like pretty much everyone else, I think maybe ‘things look different in the morning’ by allyasavedtheday. It’s just so soft and sweet and loving and makes you feel safe and warm and cuddled. And when you’re having a bad day, what could be better than that?

A fic you (re-)read when you really miss Skam / would recommend for someone to read when they really miss Skam: I really don’t know. Probably any or all of the ones I’ve mentioned. They’re all ones that sucked me in and immersed me in some way

I can’t think of anyone to tag who hasn’t already been tagged or who I haven’t seen doing it already. So please, if you haven’t been tagged and you want to do this, I want to read your answers.

#skam #my fic stuff #my fic rec stuff

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an-bouwer · 6 years

Text

Favorite fics 2017

Hello! First of all, my English is very bad, lol—so, this gonna be ‘a bit badly written’. I apologize for my awful English but I wanted to do it by this way. And that all, thanks for reading!

Well, I was just thinking about how much fanfiction I’ve been reading this year, and with that, what were my favorite, so I want to make a list of my 10 favorite fanfictions. Although they are not ordered by number or something, they are all equally great and fantastic.

→ Tumbling Together by RedHead [you can find her in her Tumblr too]

When Barry and Len discover that they’ve accidentally become neighbors, they learn to navigate their new living situation amongst misunderstandings and a surprising amount of common ground. AKA the fun-as-it-comes Neighbors!AU which turns into a Pretend Relationship!AU filled with tropes, hijinks, and some vague notion of a plot.

This is my first fanfiction about ColdFlash, a friend mine was reading it and I was interested. IT WAS AMAZING. The situations in which Barry and Len put themselves for pretending were so funny. And RedHead’s writing was so exactly, so in character.

→ An All Too Jagged Snowflake by RedHead

When Leonard and Barry discover that they're Soulmates, they struggle with the many, many issues this causes. It might be easier without the collective difficulties of the Rogues, a meta-gorilla, and the military, but life has never been simple for either of them.

Another ColdFlash and another from RedHead, yep, I know. But, what can I say?

I was not really into Soulmates but when I read this, just—well, I love it. JUST THE ANGST, AND THE FREAKING POLT, AND—I can’t. Is too much for my heart. Len and Barry made me angry every time they something stupid, and that was often.

I love this fic so much, really, so much that I wanted to translate it into Spanish and RedHead gave me the permission to do [she deserves love]. So I do it! If you want read it, you can do it here -> Un Copo de Nieve Demasiado Afilado.

→ Dead Like Us by theoriginalicecreamqueen [you can find her in her Tumblr too]

Barry Allen had a great life. He loved his job, his family, and his best friend (even if he hadn't told her yet). When Barry died, he never would have guessed that his afterlife as a Grim Reaper would make him feel more alive than ever.

When I start read this I was no sure ‘cuz the ‘Slow Burn’ tag and the incomplete fic, they were things that hurt me, but I’m a masochist, hahaha—but now, I’m waiting for the next chapter. Barry makes me want to protect him from everything. HE’S TOO PRECIOUS FOR THE WORLD. Not, but, the fic really is very good, the plot about reapers doing their job is interesting. And fics about Rogues are my jam.

→ By Any Other Name by cardinalstar

Since gaining ice powers in the wake of the particle accelerator explosion, Detective Leonard Snart has been on the front lines of the CCPD’s fight against metahuman crime. At first, the Flash is just another in a long line of superpowered criminals, but the arrival of the Scarlet Speedster brings new problems for Central City’s finest. Len soon finds himself in an odd stalemate with the enigmatic metahuman who's making a place for himself in the criminal underground - and who also seems determined to become Len’s friend.

Len is sure he’s got all the weird he can deal with – until he meets Barry Allen, newly-transferred assistant CSI from the CCPD.

Other ColdFlash fic, sorry, this year was about this OTP. The au fics, more those of canon divergence are my favorites. A different story that other one we know is the best, it’s like the things really did not change much, because the holes in the plot are filled. So, about the fic, Len with powers and Barry a little badass is something wonderful, another thing I like. The plot is awesome, no a just pwp fic.

→ *Seeking Comfort by ColdSerenity [you can find her in her Tumblr too]

Barry's life is changing as he finally starts college, but he still continues to harbor feelings for Iris. After meeting senior Leonard Snart who is in a similar situation, they begin to use one another for comfort. Unfortunately, things quickly turn very serious for Barry, and he is left to wonder where Len stands in this 'make believe' relationship.

Is the last, I promise! Au, ya know, is the best. Plot, porn, otp = SUCH AMAZING. The characters are in character (lol) and the story is simple but nice, so nice, if you want something without angst but good to read, this is the option.

→ Are We Dating? by Hermineuh [you can find her in her Tumblr or FanFiction too]

Dean is a cop who spent five years undercover in a notorious criminal organization. Now that his work is done, he must readjust to a civilian lifestyle, learn to say goodbye to loved ones and embrace what he left behind. And he tries. Oh, does he try hard! He wants to take his time, go at his own pace, but this damn blue-eyed guy keeps pushing him out of his comfort zone.

A no-ColdFlash fic, yeah!

I am in the Supernatural Fandom since 2 years but I never read this fic, and in Tumblr I found the drawings by vinnie-cha and with that the fic. Dean as a policeman falling with his psychiatrist it’s enough for me. Like, yeah! And both, story and art is so seriously great. I love it. And, well, I asked for the permission to translate it, if you want read it into Spanish you can do it here -> ¿Estamos Saliendo?

Well, from here they are crossovers.

→ *Emrys Ascending by tricksterity [you can find her in her Tumblr too]

In the depths of the Crystal of Neahtid, Merlin sees the resurrection of Lord Voldemort, an event that will tip the balance of the world so far out that only he has the power to intervene and set it right, or stop it from ever happening. For that, he'll have to pose as a student and attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

The only problem is, he's been chosen instead of Cedric Diggory as a Triwizard Champion, and there's a recently reborn Arthur Pendragon in Gryffindor House.

JUST. LISTEN. READ. THIS.

MERLIN BBC X HARRY POTTER. NOW READ IT.

It’s like, agh! In the years that I have been in the fandom [both] never search for something like this, but I do it and I love it. It’s a shame that there isn’t more material so good like this [or at least I haven’t searched well]. BAMF!Merlin is so…! I love him.

→ 480 Days by wisepuma23

Merlin has long stopped questioning the sights of strange men and beasts, he only now---what do the youngsters call it these days?---he "rolls with it".

A multi-crossover of a lot of fandoms with Merlin. GREAT! And make me cry. BECAUSE MERLIN KEEP WAITING.

→ Across the Universe by bettername2come [you can find her in her Tumblr too]

Sam and Dean search out a way to re-open the portal to the alternate universe to save Mary. Good news: they find an alternate universe. Bad news: it's not the one they were looking for.

And, my head just wonder ‘The Flash-Supernatural crossover exists?’ and yeah, it does. This is so wonderful. And then, in my hype I ask for the permission for translate it and bettername2come said yes! If you want read it, you can do it here -> A través del Universo

→ The Triwizard Tournament featuring the Legends of Super Flarrow by StillNotGinger10 (lilshorty7923)

This year, Hogwarts is hosting the Triwizard Tournament. This means that Barry and co. are in store for a lot of excitement, new adventures, and new students this year.

And this. THIS. The Flash was a really influential this year... I like Hogwarts au and I found this. It’s no really just one fic, is a series about Barry and his friends in Hogwarts [duh] when The Triwizard Tournament is carried out. And yes, is amazing. I like a lot and I waiting for more.

And that’s all. Just the best 10 for me. I hope real more fanfiction the next year and do this one more time.

The fics with the * is because I have the permission to translate them—I’m a such obsessive with that, idk, I like to share fics I like with people who can’t read them in their original language, and I also like to share incredible stories in another language so that more people know them.

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jbuffyangel · 7 years

Text

Rebuilt: Arrow 5x22 Review (Missing)

"Missing" was amazing! Emotional and action packed with zinging dialogue.

What struck me most was how full circle it was. "Missing" sets up the heroes versus villains battle that will come to fruition in the finale, but it also kicks off the basic question Oliver must ask: What makes a hero? What makes a villain? Those concepts are not always rigid. In fact, the very essence of hero and villain is fluid.

Oh... and did I mention there's an Olicity reunion scene?

Let's dig in...

Olicity and OTA

The Throwing Star killer is in prison and Oliver Queen's approval ratings are in the 70th percentile. (That's how you know it's TV. If there's a politician in my lifetime with that high of an approval rating I'm just assuming it's the apocalypse.) Seeing both personas, Oliver and the Green Arrow, get the credit each deserves and Oliver being treated for the hero HE IS makes me want to run up mountains and sing songs.

The battle is won. Let’s party.

Quentin wishes Oliver a happy birthday because heart strings.

Source: olivergifs

Did y'all notice the size of that gift? Think about where these men began and where they are now. What I love about Oliver and Quentin is how similar they are. Both men are hard shells, but once you crack it it's nothing but ooey gooey center. Oliver has earned Quentin's respect, trust and forgiveness. Quentin sees Oliver as the honorable man he is and put a motherf*****bow on it. IT MAKES ME FEEL THINGS Y'ALL.

Thea and Oliver take a minute to recap her emotional trajectory. They recall the last time Arrow celebrated a birthday - Thea's 18th birthday. Do you remember? It was a lifetime ago. Thea got a new car, did some Vertigo and crashed it. Good times.

But it led to THIS!!!!!

I miss Roy.

Anyways, Oliver talks about how far Thea has come because he reads my mind. Thea laments that she doesn't think she's come quite far enough. Oh... my sweet honey child. Let the pain go!

I am all ready to give Thea a pep talk, but Oliver "I Am 32 And Emotional Evolved" Queen steps up to the plate.

Source: olivergifs

Tear.

Oliver Queen, you have been through some shit but you have seen the light my dear boy. This is hard earned character growth. Now go get your girl.

Thea wants to take Oliver out for his birthday. QUEEN SIBILINGS FOREVER. Oliver has plans. Oh? You don't say?

"Please say not Susan Williams."

Thea summed up Susan William's entire character arc for me in a single sentence. And did I almost see a shudder come from Oliver? Perhaps it's wishful thinking, but he at least gave a good awkward stammer. In fact, no dear sister, dinner is with Felicity Smoak. You know, the human equivalent of a rainbow, forever light of Oliver Queen's life, future mother of his children and your nieces and nephews. That Felicity Smoak.

As for Susan Williams, come Thea girl, pull up a chair because you have MISSED THINGS. Particularly the glorious break up in which Oliver dumps Susan's ass because, once again, he's not sure he can have a relationship and be the Green Arrow. Meanwhile, Felicity asks him over for dinner and homeboy falls over himself sprinting to the loft, but that's just details. I totally believed him about Susan. It was all concern about safety, balance, blah blah. Nothing to do with the urge to chew his arm off post coitus.

I'm sorry. The snark just flows. I can't stop it.

Thea wants to know if it's a date.

Source: amanitacaplan

She was always with us fandom. Thea never lost faith. Check her pocket. I half expected Thea to hand Oliver Moira's ring, slap him on the back and say, "Go get her big fella." Also, somebody needs to fic this scenario.

Oliver plays it casual. Date? Pfft. What date? It's not a date.

Maybe it's a date. Could it be a date? Dear God, let it be a date. Oliver is praying to the higher power like Are You There God? It's me, Margaret.

Thea doesn't believe him. Nobody believes you Oliver. You lack zero chill with Felicity. The heart eyes run deep my friend. Just embrace it. You can't change.

Of course, it's the surprise party which leads to Oliver putting Curtis on his back. This never gets old. A+ comedic reactions from everyone involved.

Source: sharingmyworld

Oliver blows out the candles on his LORD MESA cake.

Source: legendsofcomics

The shout out to this man, who is an genius and absolute gift to this fandom, is so freaking earned. I cheered. @lordmesa-art brings us all a lot of joy with his artistry. He absolutely needs to be Arrow canon. I love when Arrow goes meta. There's a Green Arrow with the #6 the arrows in the target - a celebration for their Season 6 renewal of course. Take that haters! Don't bitch at me about ratings. Seriously. Enough. The explanation for the 6 is Felicity ordered the cake for a six year old. She thought a Green Arrow cake for a grown man would raise alarm bells. That... makes a lot of sense actually. Our girl is so smart.

So why is Arrow celebrating Oliver Queen's birthday now after all these years? It's not simply because there's a lull in the action. This is about how far Oliver Queen has come, especially in these last few episodes. When Oliver came home he wanted to keep everyone he loved at arm's length. He shut down the very essence of who he is, his humanity, because Oliver believed it was required to protect those he loves, save the city and honor his father. In the end, Oliver discovered the exact opposite was required to be the Green Arrow.

He had to open himself up to family

friendship

and love

to become someone else... something else. That's how he took the darkness used it for light.

It hurt. A lot. Oliver has been to hell and back. He's faced the very worst parts of himself and came out the other side.

Oliver has learned to honor truth over lies, team work over control, love over loneliness and forgiveness over self hatred. These past five years, Oliver has learned how to choose home over the island. He's not just surviving. Oliver Queen is living. I cannot think of a better way to celebrate that evolution than his 32nd birthday. Oliver has been reborn.

Source: legendsofcomics

Everyone takes a moment to talk about what they are going to do with their summer vacations. Television shows are set up exactly like school. Where is the lie? Diggle wants to go fishing with JJ. Curtis wants to go to Florence. And Felicity...

Source: felicitys

The subtle look she shoots Oliver is not so subtle.

If you would like to see a man become a rainbow - this is what it looks like.

As for Oliver, he just wants some socks.

Source: bazingagubicorn

Source: felicitys (I love this gif)

What’s to know people? He's gonna stop at Target, grab some socks and condoms, on the way to a night under the stars with Felicity Smoak. He's a simple man. What else does Oliver need when he has his whole world looking back at him?

Picking up on the sexual tension/feels overload Team Arrow makes themselves scarce. Well, except for Curtis. He pulls up a chair and grabs a bowl of popcorn. This on top of his epic shipper spiral post party.

Source:felicityssoliver

Curtis is me on a deeply spiritual level. Ship it hard my brother.

Diggle, Captain of the Olicity ship, actually wants to make this reunion to happen though so he physically removes Curtis.

Source:oliverdant

And we're here.

Source: legendsofcomics

When Arrow began Season 4 they had every intention of breaking Oliver and Felicity up. The moment Oliver lied about William to Felicity in 4x08 we knew that's where we were headed. However, I always believed Olicity would find their way back to one another. Arrow has been slowly and steadily rebuilding what they broke. It has been a long and hard road, but they are here. We are here.

Find My Way Back by Eric Arjes

One step closer

Closer to the light

No matter where we're going

I'll be by your side

And everything we used to know

Crashed into the great unknown

One step closer

We're gonna be alright

I love how simple this moment is. Love feels like an inertia out of our control, but the truth is, it is a choice. For those wondering how Olicity could ever get back together, it always boiled down to this: once Oliver and Felicity faced their issues, dug deep and dig the work, then all that remains is the simple choice to begin again. Love isn't always marked by a lot of fan fair. Most of the time, it's the quiet moments that define you. The moments when you look into the eyes of the person you love and say yes. Yes to trying again, to forgiveness, to rebuilding what was broken... one step at a time.

Source: amanitacaplan

Oliver came to the loft, dressed in a suit, hoping this was that moment but uncertain if it was. Felicity acknowledges the ruse and team's desire to give them alone time because of it. All of Team Arrow just wants them to have all the babies.

I love how bold Oliver is in this moment. My boy gets his flirt on. He wasn't certain what the dinner meant, if it was about alone time for them, so he just... ASKS. It's so freaking fantastic. There was a time when Oliver would have talked around something like this, or choose not to address it or simply let her go. Not this time. Not ever again.

Oliver stumbles at the word date, his nerves getting the best of him, and I believe he didn't want to put too much pressure on Felicity. However, this is a man who isn't afraid. This is open and honest communication. He doesn't hide what he was hoping dinner meant. Oliver is charging through that door Felicity opened in 5x20.

And Felicity, so sweetly and with a gentle little wink, confirms Oliver's hope because it's her hope too. Felicity says yes to trying again, but slowly. There's no rush to the altar here. She wants to be sure they are solid, so they never break up again. That means taking things slow. A walk under the stars, hand in hand, one step at a time, together.

This exquisite, beautiful, warm and loving light lives in Oliver Queen and Felicity always harnesses it. I often say Oliver Queen is the sun the other characters revolve around. With Felicity's answer, Oliver becomes pure sunshine.

And there it is.

The moment David Ramsey promised at HVFF. The moment Marc confirmed we were building towards in July. A simple, quiet, open, honest, forgiving, and most of all loving, yes. This is how you repair what is broken. This is Olicity rebuilt.

I was so happy with 5x20. It was everything I ever wanted from Oliver and Felicity for the past five years. Whatever came after was always just going to be icing on the cake for me. What I love about this moment is how builds off of everything 5x20 established so perfectly. The moment Oliver celebrates his life with his family, he and Felicity decide to start their lives together again. If I'm being honest, it's satisfying AF. This moment is EARNED y'all.

Cause even underneath the waves

I'll be holding on to you

And even if you slip away

I'll be there to fall into the dark

To chase your heart

No distance could ever tear us apart

There's nothing that I wouldn't do

I'll find my way back to you

Felicity senses Oliver isn't quite at ease and questions him about it.

Oliver immediately leaps to the conclusion that she's talking about them (because that's all he can process right now) and jokes about dating his ex-fiancé.

THIS CUPCAKE. He's so scared to put an official label on it, but he wants to so desperately.

No Oliver, you love sick fool. It's not hypothetical. This is real. Embrace the joy my friend. She came back to you.

I expect the fandom to abuse this gif.

Source: gothsmoak

Oliver learning how to relax while being the Green Arrow is still a skill he has to master (*cough*fivemonthtimejump*cough*)

and I love how Felicity encourages him to chillax - bad socks and all.

So let's talk about the tie loosening. I refuse to see that as anything but Felicity beginning to undress Oliver right then and there. Coupled with night under the stars and eye sex,

Source: olicityloyalty

I feel it's pretty clear where Felicity thinks the next step should be.

Alright, it's pretty clear where I think the next step should be.

I'm not going to argue that Oliver doesn't frequently need his bottle uncorked, but he also has great instincts. These instincts kept him alive for the last ten years, they are almost other worldly. They also make him a pain in the ass too, but overall his instinces are helpful. Oliver knows something is up in his gut. It's no different than feeling a rocket a hair trigger before it explodes or someone sneaking up behind him. But he wanted to believe. Oliver wanted to war to be over, to be happy and just live so he let his guard down. He ignored his gut.

The gun scene was as adorable as I hoped it was,

but I wasn't anticipating yet another emotional reconnecting moment between Oliver and Felicity. Dinah and Curtis are gone and Felicity is rightly concerned about the League of Assassins. They be crazy. So, our girl is ready to hunker down and operate comms remotely. Oliver's response signals just how far he's come and how much he's grown.

Source: oliverxfelicity

Felicity stays put. Right next to him. Exactly where he can see her. Didn't you love the part where Oliver reassures bae that Talia Al Ghul and her LOA flunkies can bring it? Oliver will handle business. Felicity doesn't need to be afraid. He won't let anything happen to her.

Confidence is so sexy in a man.

Oliver knows he needs Felicity by his side if he has any chance of stopping Chase. He's not pushing her away. He's not trying to handle everything on his own. Oliver is admitting he needs Felicity's help. He needs HER.

It seems Oliver isn't the only one looking for a little firmer confirmation on status. Felicity wants to know if Oliver's motivations are simply tactical or is there a little more to it? Girl... you are his lobster. Come on now.

Source: oliverxfelicity

Oliver immediately tells Felicity the truth which is OF COURSE it's not just tactical. Oliver ignored his gut and not only is his team in danger, but so is his son.

Source: klarolicityswan

I love how William is just an open, honest and natural subject for Olicity now. Felicity tries to reassure him, but Oliver rightly corrects her out that while her assurances are appreciated there's no way either of them can know for certain if William is safe. And since Chase is crazy pants, Oliver feels it's highly unlikely that he is. (Gotta trust those parental instincts Oliver. They are seldom wrong.) Essentially, Oliver is telling Felicity that by allowing those he loves out of his sight made them vulnerable to Chase. He will not make that mistake with her. HE. WILL. NEVER. LET. HER. GO. AGAIN. Y'all I am emotional.

Except... then Quentin and Thea are taken. What follows is yet ANOTHER emotional scene not only with Oliver and Felicity, but with Diggle. Oliver finally realizes that Chase is taking away his strength, his team, to leverage his freedom. Oliver wants Diggle and Felicity to get out of town, which is meant with strong opposition particularly by Diggle. John will not abandon Oliver, but Oliver doesn't look at it that way. Chase is slowly picking off Team Arrow one by one. Felicity and John are the only two left and they are the foundation of the team. Oliver operates on instinct, but he fears that instinct is what is putting Diggle and Felicity in danger. Oliver depends on John and Felicity. If Chase threatens them, and he will, Oliver's instinct is to pull Diggle and Felicity close. His instinct was to send Thea, Quentin and William away. His instinct was to allow Curtis, Rene and Dinah to operate business as usual. Every choice, every instinct, Oliver has followed Chase has used against him. So, Oliver is mixing it up. He's going to directly opposite of what his heart tells him to do and send John and Felicity away.

Felicity doesn't want to leave. She's worried about Oliver. So, now it's time for Oliver to reassure her. If he's not worried about her, then he can focus on Chase and finding the others. If Felicity leaves then he'll be safer. This argument proves how well Oliver knows Felicity. She won't put her safety above Oliver's, but she will listen to him if she believes this keeps him safe.

Source: tinaday3w

But even then, neither of them wants to let go. They hold hands like they've done many times before,

as circumstance forces them to separate,

their eyes conveying everything they are feeling in the moment-

that be apart is the last thing either of them wants.

Source: gothsmoak

The problem is, Chase wants Oliver to doubt his instincts. He wants him to rethink everything that feels right. As Diggle and Felicity are driving away from the city, Felicity's instincts tell her they were wrong. They've over thought this. They should have never left him alone. SHE should never have left him.

Felicity's right. She's always right. A LOA flunkie shows up with two swords which leads to a hilarious Delicity moment as they recall their encounter with Isobel Rochev.

Source: westallenolicitygifs

Emily Bett Rickards and David Ramsey's comedic timing is always stellar. I need more. All the time more.

Unfortunately, car versus murderous woman doesn't go exactly like it did with Isobel Rochev. Diggle and Felicity's car crashes and then IT EXPLODES. Not gonna lie, I screamed many screams.

DO NOT DO THAT TO ME MARC GUGGENHEIM. THOSE ARE MY CHILDREN. WE DO NOT BLOW UP DIGGLE AND FELICITY'S CAR. THERE ARE RULES ABOUT THAT SORT OF THING.

But they are totes fine, so I could breathe again. I mean... they aren't ever going to kill these two, but I'll never be okay with the threats of it. Unfortunately, Diggle up against several LOA members isn't a fair fight even with those bowling balls for arms. Diggle and Felicty are taken... and Oliver is left to fight Chase and save everyone he loves alone.

Source: legends-of-today

OR IS HE ALONE?

Malcolm Merlyn

My hatred of Malcolm Merlyn runs deep.

Primarily because Malcolm sees himself as the hero and not the villain. This began over love for Malcolm. He was once a good and loving husband and father. Losing Rebecca shattered the man Merlyn was and he forged himself into someone else... something else. Love beget grief. Grief beget revenge. Revenge beget a lust for power. At every turn, Merlyn has operated in his own self interest, but firmly believed they were righteous and for the greater good. Merlyn unleashes evil and believes it is love. That's the level of sociopath we are dealing with here.

Merlyn is the reason Robert Queen died.

He's the reason Oliver ended up on that island.

He killed Tommy.

He used his OWN DAUGHTER

as the weapon to kill Sara Lance.

Merlyn sent Oliver into a death trap into Season 3 to save his own hide.

He put Thea in Ra's Al Ghul's cross hairs, which is how she wound up on a ventilator.

Merlyn served William up to Damien Darhk like cheese and crackers.

He was an active participate in Laurel's death (I'm not really mad about that though, but let's just add it to the list).

All of these crimes have gone unanswered on Arrow. Essentially unpunished. Sorry folks, a hand doesn't cut it for me. Ha! Cut it. Get it?

There's a reckoning coming Malcolm Merlyn and it is long past time.

We haven't seen much of Malcolm Merlyn this season and I think it was a wise choice. The character, in my mind, is the new LL and has run his course. If they are bringing him back then it needs to be for an intended purpose and Arrow made that purpose wildly clear.

Merlyn has been busy this year though - on Legends of Tomorrow as part of the Legion of Doom. He partnered with Damien Darhk and Eobard Thawne to alternate time and change the world to their liking. However, I was always struck by what that meant for Malcolm. Both Damien and Eobard were after power essentially, but not Merlyn. His altered reality meant Rebecca and Tommy were alive and Thea adored him. He's still Merlyn though - he got revenge on Nyssa Al Ghul by making her life a closeted life in Ohio. Malcolm admitted to Sara however what he was searching for: a clean slate. He wanted all his mistakes, the pain and the death that came with them, jus wiped away. He didn't care if it wasn't real. What Malcolm wanted is redemption without the sacrifice.

So, this redemption arc was kicked off but if you weren't watching Legends then you didn't see it. Except, what does redemption really mean for Malcolm Merlyn? Is it really achievable? Yes, I think redemption is possible for all characters, but the desire has to be there. The willingness to make a sacrifice is what counts. That's why Merlyn's arc on Legends ultimately failed. He wasn't willing to do what is necessary to really make amends.

What is necessary isn't erasing all that he's done. It's facing it. It's making a different choice. Essentially, that's the only difference separating a hero from a villain - choices. It's why it's such a fluid concept. A hero can become the villain as easily as the villain can become the hero. While I doubt I will ever be able to call Malcolm Merlyn a hero, I do believe Arrow is setting him up to make a sacrifice. Which is the essence of heroism and what is required for redemption.

Source: zorro-rita

But first we gots to hash out some issues. Oliver and Merlyn go toe to toe over a lot of things, but first up is William. Oliver is still pretty ticked over Merlyn handing his son over to Damien Darhk. Oliver used his angry voice talking about his son. It felt warm suddenly.

Merlyn's concern is Thea. Malcolm never loved Tommy the way he should have. Tommy was never more important than his revenge. He rejected Tommy in every way. However, Merlyn's arc on Legends finally showed a desire to go back and change that, which we never saw before. Merlyn is prepared to do what is necessary to save his daughter. Even if it means helping his enemy.

And Oliver isn't exactly in a position to refuse his help. I know some may have issues with Oliver teaming up with his enemies like Malcolm Merlyn and Slade Wilson, but I love it. It's incredibly full circle. Oliver has spent years building this family. It's pretty fantastic that to save his family he must work with all the villains who've tried to destroy it over the years.

Oliver and Malcolm have it out giving into Chase's demands. Merlyn is flabbergasted that Chase even needed to take Felicity and Diggle. He felt Thea was sufficient motivation. He's prepared to do whatever is necessary to save his child - a concept Oliver should be more familiar with now that he has William. However, Oliver's concerns run deeper than Chase not holding up his end of the bargain (something Merlyn is an expert it). Once again he worries that his personal connections are making him vulnerable. He has to become something else to protect them and he will never be free of it. Oliver will never be free of the darkness.

And here we go again.

This is an old tune from Oliver Queen. I won't harp on him too much. Chase did manage to take everyone he loves, so I'm not entirely shocked Oliver has a brief moment in which he reverts to form.

Source: dailydcheroes

This might be the single greatest line Merlyn has ever spoken and one of the truest things ever said about Oliver Queen. My precious big dumb oak tree.

Merlyn: Human connections are what keep us human. It is sad that it's a sociopath who is gonna have to point this out to you. You can't live on an island Oliver. You've already tried. You are always going to have people in your life, Oliver. They will always need you. For better or worse. Baggage and all. And if you can't accept that then your past is going to stay your anchor.

Round. Of. Applause.

I hate the bastard, but when he's right he's right. It sounds completely out of character for Merlyn, but does make some sense given his arc on Legends. Merlyn pushed away human connection after Rebecca died and he has FINALLY learned the cost for those sins. If Oliver wants to beat Chase, and Merlyn's goal is to beat Chase in order to save Thea, then both of them have to do things differently - but especially Oliver.

He's tried it the other way before. Oliver tried to go it alone. That "something else" never quite measured up into what was needed until he let people back into his heart. Until he allowed his humanity back in. There will never be a time where Oliver doesn't have people he cares about. He cannot shut off. He cannot isolate himself. He will lose. This much is fact. Nor can he allow the darkness to take the driver's seat. Oliver will lose the part of himself that makes him human - everything Diggle, Felicity, Thea and the team love about him. Then he'll be left alone again. It's a cycle. The only way to break it is to become SOMETHING ELSE. Be different. Embrace his humanity. Hold to those connections. That's how he wins.

And really, nobody knows this better than Malcolm Merlyn because doing the direct opposite is how he lost everything that mattered. Malcolm Merlyn is the one who sent Oliver to the island. So it's fitting that he is finally helping Oliver get off it. All it takes is a different choice and the villain can become a hero.

Even Malcolm Merlyn is rebuilding what he broke, which means... Malcolm Merlyn is going to die. I am absolute on this. They've set it up perfectly, what's more, I believe it needs to happen. Thea is still holding on to the fear that she's a monster - just like her father. What greater gift can Merlyn give Thea than by showing her the monster of her life can choose to do the right thing? Merlyn's death pays the price he's always avoided. It also may be the very thing Thea needs to be free from the past and find hope in herself again.

William

William plays an extremely integral role in "Missing" because, as Oliver explains:

Source: olivergifs

Arrow was never about one thing. It was never just about LL, L*uriver , Olicity or OTA. I think no matter which spectrum of fandom we're on, if we only focus one or two segments of the story then it leaves the potential to miss very important pieces that ultimately feed the segments we care about.

Arrow, at its core, is about family. This story began with a father and a son. We are here because of Robert Queen's sins and because of the love and faith he had in his son. For ten years, Oliver has been struggling with his father's legacy, what his dying wish truly meant and the guilt of Robert's death. Oliver shouldered the weight of Robert's sins while being weighed down by his own.

The next step in Oliver's evolution is to no longer just be the son. He must become the father. The point of the legacy theme is to rebuild what was broken so many years ago. Oliver's mission cannot be only focused on Robert Queen anymore. It has to grow beyond the past and look to the future.

William.

Oliver is right. William is the purest part of him. He retains the innocence Oliver lost all those years ago on the boat. More than anything, Oliver wants his son to keep that innocence. He wants him to be safe and untouched by the darkness both Oliver and Robert have battled. But no matter where William is, he will always be Oliver Queen's son. He will always be Robert Queen's grandson. William will always be part of this family and part of this cycle. If Oliver wants to break it, if he wants to save William from paying for his sins (like Oliver paid for his father's sins), then he has to become someone else.... something else.

Source: olivergifs

This scene is heartbreaking. Stephen Amell makes me feel all the feels.

All Oliver wanted was to keep his boy safe. To make sure William never became like him. Chase took that away. So, now William is the one on the boat. He's trapped in a world he doesn't understand and paying for sins that are not his fault.

Robert tried to stop it. He tried to protect Oliver from his sins. He failed. All Robert could offer Oliver in the end was the chance to survive and to do it better.

This is the another chance to do it differently. To do it better. Maybe the most important chance. Oliver can no longer be mired down in the past.

Source: olivergifs

Adrian Chase is the dark mirror to Oliver. He is what Oliver can become if he never lets the past go. Every step since 5x17 has been Oliver letting go of the pain, guilt, shame and anger. Every moment has prepared Oliver for this battle. For this choice.

Oliver has to hold onto the lessons he's learned, what he knows to be right and allow his humanity to make the calls. Oliver needs William as much as he needs Felicity. As much as he needs Diggle and Thea. This is the love that pushes Oliver past the dark into the light. This is the love that makes Oliver fight for the future. Oliver's love for William makes him a better man and a better hero. A man and hero worthy of Felicity Smoak.

Source: sharingmyworld

It's why Oliver is willing to work with Malcolm Merlyn and Slade Wilson. The past no longer matters. All that matters is his future and he's willing to whatever it takes to protect it. Oliver also knows to win, to truly save his son and everyone he loves, he has to do it differently this time.

Source: olivergifs

I think this flashback actually foreshadows Prometheus' demise. Oliver won't kill him, but I don't think Chase will have the stones to face justice. He'll do what Oliver refused to do. Chase will kill himself.

Bl*ck Sir*n and Quentin Lance

Okaaaay she's back. Truthfully? Pretty minimal scenes. She kidnapped Quentin and Thea. The end.

Although, I do enjoy KC as Bl*ck Sir*n. She plays a good villain. And Paul Blackthorne's reaction to seeing "Laurel" was out of this world. Break me into a thousand pieces sir!

There's certainly an effort to add some layers. BS owes Chase and wants to protect Quentin, so... she kidnaps him?

The promise is Chase won't hurt Lance. Had me a nice chuckle when Lance called her stupid. BS gets to express some "she's not all villain" emotion. BS says it's equally hard on her to see Quentin as it is for Quentin to see her. So... this probably means Quentin is dead on Earth 2. Okie dokie.

Are we headed for a redemption arc? Eh. I don't know. Honestly, the reason Arrow says they brought KC back was because they enjoyed her performance as BS. I know the LL fandom wants Arrow to turn Laurel 2.0 back into Laurel 1.0 but the reason Laurel 1.0 died is because the character ran her course. So, there's no need to retread that old ground. Also, Laurel 2.0 is not Laurel 1.0 so can we just accept reality?

The best thing Arrow has going for them with BS is that she is a villain. This plays to Katie's acting strengths and gives Arrow new ground to explore. I truly don't think they are in any rush to evaporate these positives.

Flashbacks

YAO FEI!!!!! Oh Yao Fei how I missed you. I don't even care that you were a manifestation of Oliver's guilt and urged him to commit suicide. I will take some Yao Fei anyway I can get it.

Imaginary torture. Well, that is one way to go Kovar. I'll give the guy credit. He did have Oliver's number. Emotional pain is far more torturous to Oliver than physical pain. This results in a series of flashbacks to remind us all that the past five years were of the suck for Oliver. Yeah, I didn't really forget that.

I like that Kovar gave Oliver a gun to commit suicide. Oliver killing himself is ultimate defeat and that's what Kovar wants. It's also a very nice callback to Oliver's first few days on the island. This isn't the first time he's considered suicide.

But then Oliver hallucinates Laurel. Well look at that. Flashback Ollie actually remembers Laurel!

Better late than never I guess. They have to connect it with the pilot. Oliver has to give a crap about Laurel again, so Arrow took a break from all the Felicity foreshadowing in the flashbacks. It's fine. We all know where their "love story" goes.

Oliver envisioning Laurel as his hope and salvation, begging him to come home when in reality he gets this when he does come home

basically sums up this hot mess of a television relationship for me.

Those were dark days my friends. Glad they are behind us. Huh. Snark is full on. KC being back might be fun after all.

Stray Thoughts

Lyla has a sister. Huh. Cool. Diggle's reassurance to Oliver (aka US) that Dyla is okay is appreciated.

Kovar nailed the Catholic belief on Purgatory. Wave to me from heaven y'all because that's where I'll be for awhile.

Oliver's attractiveness in his attractive brown leather jacket is very important to me.

Only Josh Segarra can look threatening in that color of yellow.

Quentin Lance trying to process how messed up it is that LL has a doppelganger is so me.

Malcolm hand jokes never get old.

"Not yet but soon." Josh Segarra added another level to the Chase creepy factor - this sounded exactly like John Doe from Seven Deadly Sins. I still have nightmares about that movie.

Source: kendrasaunders

I've missed this goddess.

Call back to Legends of Tomorrow! Ra's told Nyssa where to find Sara because Sara told Ra's to tell Nyssa where to find her. Let that little time loop simmer on ya for a minute. Although, I'm confused. I thought in S2 Nyssa found Sara in a market place starving. I need a Sara Lance/Nyssa Al Ghul flashback episode like yesterday.

Source: sharingmyworld

They all arrived by plane. Interesting. Methinks that Chase is planning on eliminating those means on escape. Perhaps, he expects to leave with Oliver after he destroys everything that matters? I also thought it was a little hint to Oliver of where his loved ones were. Things that make you go hmmmm.

"I'll cover you. Really." CLASSIC

I feel like Curtis should never go anywhere without backup. That should be a team rule.

"I thought you would have tagged your pets by now." Malcolm never stops being a supreme dick. It's one of the few things I enjoy about him.

Didn't you love all the preview clips promoting Bl*ck Si*n's return?

Maybe because there were only two scenes they couldn’t release any clips. Hehehe. I jest.

Disclaimer: Any gifs on the blog are not mine. If you would like a gif removed from my reviews, please message me. 5x22 episode gifs credited.

#arrow #olicity #arrow 5x22 #original team arrow #arrow reviews #arrow spoilers #malcolm merlyn #anti black siren #anti laurel lance #anti lauriver #arrow season 5 #season 5 episode review

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carnationbooks · 7 years

Text

Author Interview - marswithghosts

We’re going to continue our series of interviews with fandom authors with this conversation with Check, Please! author @marswithghosts. We were really excited to chat with this author, who has written several popular fics in this month’s featured fandom!

Check out marswithghost’s fic on AO3 here!(http://archiveofourown.org/users/marswithghosts/pseuds/marswithghosts)

How did you first get into fandom? What was your first fandom?

I didn’t realize I was in a fandom until I was maybe fourteen or so? Fifteen? Because I think my first fandom was probably Animorphs when I was 8-10, then I got into Harry Potter, anime in high school (Gundam Wing, my love), then probably Supernatural and then Check, Please!. I sort of fell into everything by accident, just about! I’ve always had a huge imagination for things, and I’ve always wanted to be more involved with the media I consume. So I think that’s probably how I got into it. I started thinking, “What if this were to happen? Or this? Why isn’t this in the book? I want to read it.” And then I would just write it for myself at first. I didn’t start posting any of my fic until I was on fanfiction.net in early high school. Don’t go looking for it—it’s pretty…awful…

Other than writing fic, do you participate in any other fandom activities such as drawing fan art, podfic, gif making, meta, cosplaying, etc?

I legitimately have no other skills besides writing, to be honest with you. I enjoy everything from everyone else, but I am not a big contributor to fandom besides the writing itself! I have lots of friends who have cosplayed, drawn great art, made gifs, and their meta is so complex and interesting…but that ain’t me.

What inspired you to start writing fic?

I’ve always been a writer, ever since I was in about first grade. I enjoyed writing, I liked exploring my imagination, and I didn’t realize that what I was writing at first was fan fiction. When I wrote about myself being an Animorph, I never knew that was any different from any other kind of writing. It was only when I got into Harry Potter and Gundam Wing that I discovered fanfiction.net and started realizing that “fanfiction” is when characters belong to someone else but the words and the story are totally mine. This is always what got me interested in Alternate Universes—damn near everything I write is AU, and I probably enjoy writing AUs the most.

What is your favorite thing you have written so far?

Sheesh, this is a hard one. Honestly? Totally honestly? Probably A Little Bit Closer in Check, Please! fandom. It’s the longest thing I’ve ever written in my life, and so much of it is really *mine*. It made me realize, hey—I actually *can* do a novel if I really want to. And so I am now working on an original novel.

What is your favorite fic by someone else?

There are a lot of them—too many to even comprehend at this point, honestly. My actual real-life fiancée is @annundriel (Ed. note: Annundriel on AO3), and I’ve always enjoyed her writing from way back in our Supernatural days. I think she has a really poetic way with words and imagery while staying very genuine and honest to the source material. I think that’s a really impressive feat that I’ve never been able to get the hang of…which is why I just make AUs :)

How did you get into Check Please?

This is actually embarrassing. I didn’t want to read the comic at all. But annundriel started reading it and gushed about it so much and showed me all these things that made absolutely no sense (there’s a character whose actually named Shitty?), but then I finally read it…and I fell in love with it…and she started writing fic and I loved her fic…and then I went on AO3 and found more fic…and then I wrote my own fic…and here I am a year later.

What pairings do you like to read in this fandom? What pairings do you like to write? Do you read gen fic?

My favorite pairings are Zimbits, Dex/Nursey, and—I have to admit this—Kent/Javier Martinez (my OC) (Ed. note: The fic is if this isn’t nice, i don’t know what is). I also like Kent/Tater as well! I’ll read just about anything if I like the writing, though, so I’m more willing to branch out now than I used to be even six months ago. As far as writing…I prefer Zimbits and Kent/Tater, Kent/Javier. I like doing Dex/Nursey, but still struggle with those characterizations; the others feel most natural to me. For gen fic: I would totally read gen fic, but I’m more inclined toward the ships. If it’s recommended to me by someone I trust, I’ll read anything.

What's your favorite fic trope?

Lord, there are so many. Fake dating, accidentally falling in love, tol and smol, etc. I also love coffee shop AUs, any customer service AUs (where’s the call center AU? oh right, that’s a WIP I’ve got…) Can you tell how I feel about AUs.

Do you ever get writer's block? What do you do to combat it?

I get writer’s block all the time. And with my anxiety, I also get panic attacks for sometimes no reason. When I get writer’s block, it’s intense. I have a lot of negative feels of worthlessness and self-doubt. When I was in grad school for my MFA, I kind of couldn’t afford to have writer’s block, since I had deadlines and workshops and my grades were at stake. Lately what I’ve tried to do is impose deadlines on myself—for example, I knew with my Kent/OMC story I wanted to post it for the very beginning of 2017. So I basically told myself “Okay, you’re going to get this done because you can,” and I went from there. Now what I do is I try to write by hand. I have several fancy notebooks and I’m currently obsessed with fountain pens and inks, so handwriting is enjoyable and soothing. It makes me want to put ink on the page so I can watch the pretty colors. This helps my anxiety a lot because I don’t feel quite as pressured as I do when I’m sitting at my computer and staring at a blank page. I’m so long-winded with my stories, even the short ones, that computer writing gets daunting really fast.

Do you have any recs for us to share with our readers?

— Because I’ve been so focused on my own writing, taking control of my mental health (and my physical health in general—yay for great employer health coverage), and playing video games (who’s ready for Mass Effect Andromeda?), I haven’t been reading as much fic lately. But I do have a list I’d done here: http://marswithghosts.tumblr.com/post/146909969360/wahs-into-ur-inbox-do-you-have-any-fanfic-recs And I super hard stand by those fics as well! So good. This fandom is tremendously talented and funny and brightening. I’m pleased to be a part of it.

We want to thank @marswithghosts again for such detailed and thoughtful answers to all our questions. One thing we love about this interview series is finding the similarities in how people tend to “find” fandom, while also getting unique perspectives about what fandom represents to each individual person. We hope you all enjoyed this perspective as much as we did.

#authors #interview #author promo #marswithghosts #check please #fic recs

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