#it's with a character from a very niche manga (2012)

[orengejoshi]

I think you like paper hat…but idk🤔/j

an astute observation anon

here's a warmup sketch that I will literally never touch again in any way

[mekatrio]

like kgpr's fall from popularity makes me so sad bc it didnt fall off bc it had finished, it fell off bc of executives rushing the franchise along, that led to bad writing choices... like i said, kgpr 'ended' in 2014 with mca showcasing a good ending, but the manga, a key component in even understanding mca's storyline, was only ever finished in 2019. which by then kagepro had already lost a lot of popularity. like....

like it didnt have to be like this :( they couldve taken their time with this. bc, ppl really liked kagepro back then... its hard to state just how immensely popular kagepro was during its peak, in like 2012-2014. it wasnt super mainstream popular like aot or anything, but it was the most popular niche thing at the time. if you knew vocaloid, then you knew of kagerou project. like people take mca for granted nowadays, but do you understand just how significant it is that an extremely indie novel music project thing was popular enough to receive an anime? and also, how jin was one of the earliest producers to make vocaloid songs featuring characters that werent the vocaloid themselves, and how he got so much hate for it at first. and did you know headphone actor was like, a demo song for IA? it was made with IA before IA was publicly released, yet managed to go viral. it was the first IA song to get a million+ views, even before IA was released. and also how ayano's theory of happiness mv holds the record for one of the fastest video to hit a million views on nnd, in less than 5 hours or smth...

like.. kagepro was Big. Bigggg. people loved this story, and they loved these characters. it was taking pixiv and nnd over by storm... like you had to be there to understand just how much people loved novel 5. bc novel 5 was released during kgpr's peak, during Mekakucity Records era, and before the anime. people were losing their minds over the plot revelations tying everything together, and it was the best selling light novel for that month too i think... kano shuuya fanart was everywhereeee. this is how much people liked kagerou project. but this buzz and popularity coincided with the releases of music videos and the anime. and instead of spacing out the production of those two medias, they were all rushed out in such a short amount of time 😞 its just very sad to me, bc you can tell just how passionate jin and sidu and all the other ppl who worked on it were about this project. jin really had a story he wanted to write, and it was a story that many, many people wanted to read about. but so many people dont pay attention to it anymore, or understand it (and to no fault of their own, with how convoluted kgpr had to become to fit in everything), even though it isnt completed... and the mekakucity reload anime is in copyright limbo. its all very sad 😞😞😞😞

[stepswowdsen]

Magi and KHR: Rambles

2024

2022

【マギ】 漢服（ハンフ）を着るジュダル

【Magi】 Judar wearing hanfu 🖤❤️🐈‍⬛

マギ15周年おめでとう～！！💗🫶

Happy 15th anniversary to Magi~!! 💗🫶

Rambles

I started the sketch as Kuroha actually (It doesn't help that they have similar~ish hairstyles and expression vibes LMAO), but then the eyes looked more like Judar cuz of the rings, so I changed it to Judar

This bangs ngl~~

Also I'm glad I improved a LOT from 2022 omg

I'll refine later and make this less scribbly when I post this on main

I looove the expressions and eyes in this one hehe

KHR and Magi's Anniversary

In terms of characters, story, writing quality, themes, and art, Magi is my favourite manga ever. For me, KHR and Magi forever hold a special place in my heart as my forever no. 1 favourite series.

Happy 20th anniversary to KHR~~!! 💗🫶

Lots of series are celebrating its anniversary this year. DGM's 20th Anniversary is also this year!

I might as well make this a KHR + Magi ramble post then~~

I'd say both KHR and Magi are very important to me because KHR was the reason why I started drawing (almost) every day in the first place and Amano's style was the foundation/main inspiration for my art style... And it still shows in my art style. While Magi is the manga I fell in love with for its story, art, writing, and characters.

I expect DunMeshi to join that list and become very important to me!

How I got into KHR

One of the craziest things is knowing that some of my mutuals/friends found out about KHR cuz of me because of how niche it is

Katekyo Hitman Reborn (KHR) is a shounen that starts off as a slice of life that eventually turns into a battle shounen.

KHR is still SUPER popular in EA fandom spaces (niche popular) and considered a shounen classic, but it's WAY more niche in EN speaking fandoms. Its popularity peaked during the anime's run from 2006 - 2010. The manga ran from 2004 to 2012.

I first found out about KHR cuz of my older cousin who had it as one of her fave animes… I was curious about it cuz she had a KHR Ani Future arc wallscroll and she started talking to me about it cuz she loved GokuTsuna.

I immediately became obsessed with Hibari ☺️ I don't think I'd EVER been obsessed with a chara like that up until that point. I was 11.

Hibari is very important and personal to me as my first no. 1 fave ever, but I don't talk about him as much cuz I focus on the XanLena ship

I was 11 when I first watched KHR (I started binge reading the KHR manga at the same time while watching the anime during the Varia arc)

And when Hibari became my first big fave I was obsessed with I started drawing like every day cuz of KHR and the HibaLena ship

Amano's art improvement in KHR

(Featuring my top 3 meow meow mf faves: Hibari, Mukuro, Xanxus)

TYL = 10 Years Later (Future arc versions)

Hibari and Xanxus are my tied no. 1 fave KHR characters, and Mukuro is in 2nd place. The rest of my faves are mainly Varia and Vongola characters

Amano's art improvement is insane. She has really gorgeous inking and detailed clothing folds, hair, and accessories. I love her shiny looking inking sm

KHR and Amano's art style was the foundation for my art style and it shows in the way I draw the face and eyes for masc charas even now (sharper facial features & eyes)

Like, I first started drawing cuz of Beyblade Metal (LMAO) 😭 but KHR was what jumpstarted me to start drawing almost everyday.

In 2016, I did a reread of the KHR manga (Battle of the Rainbow arc), and that's when Xanxus became one of my top fave KHR charas.

Source: KHR: Vol. 39 Cover of Xanxus, and BIKOSi @ Neka (Chinese version of Picrew)

That is when I first created the KHR: Varia AU, where Selena (my KHR OC), joins the Varia (the Vongola Family's independent assassination squad, led by Xanxus), as one of their assassins.

Coming up with AUs became my specialty and I was really falling for the concept of Selena being around the Varia, a chaotic dysfunctional found family.

I think XanLena has the most interesting tension so it's my personal fave Selena ship (though ofc I still love 5YL+ HibaLena)

The only thing that's surprising is that Xanxus wasn't one of my top faves prior to my 2016 reread of KHR 😭 He is SUCH a Sen-core meow meow mf…

Xanxus' role as a major arc antagonist, his character context, and his character's emotional tragedy makes him super interesting.

But I've always liked him as a chara. I'm glad my tastes evolved sm over the years~ I have all sorts of meow meow mfs who're all varied in their designs & charas🫡

The constant with my main masc faves is that they're all Meow meow mfs. And if not that then some other Sen-core trope

Happy 8th year anniversary to XanLena ❤️💜

I need to draw more of them btw. I first created my KHR: Varia AU (*) and the XanLena ship in 2016~~

(*) = My lighthearted slice of life AU where Selena joins the Varia as one of their assassins and eventually becomes Xanxus' S/O

I really need to refine these... I started drawing the Selena one recently so I need to refine the rest

I'm planning on redrawing the last Xanxus one

[antagonistchanremade]

The continued popularity of Girls Und Panzer is so wild to me because like

A lot of similarly popular anime franchises from around the same time continue to be popular (the ones that immediately come to mind are Love Live and Kantai Collection), but that’s because there’s very obvious new content coming out for them all the time

Whereas as far as I’m aware the only new Girls Und Panzer content that’s come out since the anime ended in 2013 is the movie from... 2015? 2016? And I know there was a manga that came out around the same time as the anime and that’s where the Italian girls were all introduced, but that was around the same time. And yet it still gets a fairly equivalent amount of fanart as Kancolle and Love Live

I wouldn’t be surprised if the manga’s still ongoing or something, but that’d be weird because manga don’t usually generate THAT much fanart unless they’re REALLY big, and if the manga was still ongoing I’d expect for there to be more new characters but as far as I can tell the last time new characters were introduced was in the movie

Madoka Magica managed to keep a similar level of high popularity (and this is in past tense because NOW there’s the gacha game, but EVEN BEFORE the gacha game), but Madoka was just REALLY good and really popular even in the non-anime-watching mainstream, and Girls Und Panzer was really good but it was definitely no Madoka and it definitely wasn’t nearly as mainstream; it has a bigger and more active fandom than I’d expect for a 2012-2013 anime with a movie from 2015, but it’s still pretty niche. If it were bigger, I’d understand; and if it were smaller, I’d understand; but at its current popularity it’s just kinda baffling to me, like it’s managed to be as popular as Fate and Kancolle seemingly several years after new stuff stopped coming out

Is there some secret Girls Und Panzer gacha game? One that’s been going since before Gacha games were really a thing, since I noticed the oddly long lifespan even back in 2013?

[binkywinky]

hi! Comics rec anon here! to answer your question, I'm not entirely new to comics, have read a few but not enough to say I have a specific type. The first series I read was all the jessica jones comics which I really liked, also the miles morales series which i enjoyed and the spidergwen series which was cute but the art was kinda annoying lol. i also like a couple of dc ones like mister miracle. so i think i prefer a general rec from you since the comics world is so big. thanks in advance!

Got it. Hmm… let’s see. It’s probably easiest to break it down by publisher then. I’ll try to give a mix of ongoing, finished, and “classic” stories. 

Fair warning, I read a lot of comics (probably about 60 per month, and that’s not including manga), so even though this may feel like a long list, it’s short for me.

Marvel

Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man - Relatively new series, and it’s been fantastic so far. Great art, and a bit more grounded than the Amazing Spider-Man run (which is also great). Stellar art, too.

Miles Morales: Spider-Man - A little YA-ish at times, but overall enjoyable. You get to see a lot more of Miles’ personality in this one, which is always fun.

Superior Spider-Man - Because nothing is more fun than seeing a semi-reformed Otto Octavius try to be a hero.

Captain Marvel - Kelly Thompson does a phenomenal job with this series. She has a great hold of Carol’s voice. Would highly recommend Kelly Sue Deconnick and Margaret Stohl’s previous runs to give context (Captain Marvel 2012-2017, Mighty Captain Marvel, and The Life of Captain Marvel).

Jessica Jones - Not sure if you’ve read Kelly Thompson’s recent run or just Bendis’, but hers is definitely worth a read.

Avengers (2019) - actually a solid run. I would check this out if you’re more into crossover, large-scale storytelling. They’re in the middle of War of the Realms, though… so maybe wait until like August or September?

Immortal Hulk, Daredevil, and X-23 - also good. I read them off and on (not really my fave characters to read on their own, I enjoy them in ensembles), but the stories are solid.

Rogue & Gambit - mini series that I absolutely love by Kelly Thompson (she does great character work) that came out last year. Mr. & Mrs. X is a follow-up to it and also tons of fun (nearing its end as well). 

Runaways - I fell off of this when Brian K. Vaughn left, but I can say up through his run ended is well worth the read.

As far as classic stories, Infinity Gauntlet, The Dark Phoenix Saga, X-Men: Age of Apocalypse, Secret Invasion, and Secret Wars would be my first recommendations.

I would’ve recommended Spider-Gwen: Ghost Spider, but maybe wait on that. It’s about to end soon and transition to just Ghost Spider (where she leaves Earth-65 and comes to Earth-616 where Peter and Miles are). Same for X-Men. I’m currently reading Uncanny, but X-Men is about to be overhauled soon. So probably hold on that front.

DC/Vertigo

Honestly, not the biggest DC fan (I lean more towards Vertigo actually), but there are a few that I enjoy.

Action Comics (starting at #1000) - I am not a Superman fan, but I enjoy this series, which says a lot. I enjoy what Bendis is doing with him in this run.

Naomi - a new series, also by Bendis, following the story of a young Black girl who is investigating the circumstances around her adoption. Don’t want to give too much away, but probably my fave DC run at the moment. And Jamal Campbell’s art is fucking gorgeous.

Dial H for Hero - it’s fun. It’s weird. Not for everyone, but maybe give it a shot.

The Flash and Batman, New 52 runs - New 52 gets shit from fans a lot, but I thought these runs were awesome. Very good story-telling.

Dark Nights: Metal event - Probably one of the best things DC did in a long time. It’s a massive event that pretty much reworked the DC universe and all the characters. Enjoyed it immensely.

Heroes in Crisis - this miniseries ended very recently. It’s a story focused on a major event that happens at Sanctuary, a rehab for superheroes suffering from mental health issues (e.g. PTSD after doing something that nearly killed them). Not your usual superhero story, which I liked.

American Carnage - very gritty story focused on a white-passing Black man who infiltrates a white supremacist organization. It’s really fucking good.

High Level - I picked this book up randomly because the cover looked cool. I’ve been reading it ever since. I would say it’s weird sci-fi/fantasy/cyberpunk adventure. A little strong on the language, but very interesting story and great artwork.

Birds of Prey - awesome series with the DC women. A little shaky sometimes, but Gail Simone does really good character work. Her run is probably the only one I’d bother reading.

Deathbed - miniseries by Vertigo that ended maybe a year ago. It’s so bizarre and hilarious and out there. I loved it.

Batwoman (J.H. Williams run) and Batwoman: Rebirth - Kate Kane, my favorite lesbian superhero. Williams did a great job in his run (and the art is to die for). Don’t read the back half, they change writers and it’s a goddamn mess. But then Marguerite Bennett (a queer woman) picked it up in Rebirth, and it got awesome again. Also, shout-out to Greg Rucka for officially making her queerness canon in 52.

Wonder Woman - Wonder Woman’s my fave of DC main characters (along with Martian Manhunter and Wally West I & II), and my favorite run for her is Greg Rucka’s. He does a surprisingly good job of writing women. The run is over at the moment, but I’d check it out. Good stuff there.

For classic stories, Kingdom Come, Watchmen, Flashpoint (precursor to New 52), and Neil Gaiman’s Sandman are some of my faves.

Image

Image is probably what I read the most. Definitely has the most diverse pool of comics to choose from.

Saga - My favorite comic series of all-time. I’ve gotten so many people to read this and they love it. It’s weird - really weird, actually - but the storytelling is phenomenal. And it’s on hiatus right now, so plenty of time to get caught up.

Ice Cream Man - This series is so fucking weird, but I love it. It’s sorta like… Tales from the Crypt? Different stories (mostly horror) that all feature this demon ice cream man.

The Weatherman - This series is such a goddamn delight. I don’t want to ruin the plot but just… yeah. Read the first issue and it just goes crazy from there.

Man-Eaters - Sort of a niche story. Basically, this takes place in a society where when women get their cycle, they turn into giant cats and maul men, so they’ve given them pills to keep them from menstruating. Sounds weird? Wait until you read it. Probably a highlight series of the year for me. 

Black Science - You might not like the art in this one, but maybe give it a shot? These scientists are trying to solve the problem of limited resources on Earth by hopping across dimensions for new ones (infinite dimensions, infinite resources). Only problem is, their machine got damaged so now they hop uncontrollably to whatever dimension it chooses for however long it decides. It’s a wild ride.

Middlewest - An interesting take on parent/child relationships and how the consequences of abuse, anger, and depression can manifest in dangerous ways. Sounds more bleak than it is - the story actually has quite a bit of humor.

Excellence - Very new series, but with a PoC lead, about PoCs, with mostly PoC creators. A story about a secret society of Black magicians and a son whose next in line to take on the mantle, and it’s pretty fucking cool. Issue 2 comes out this week - check it out!

The Walking Dead - I don’t think I have to explain this one, do I? Zombies.

Lazarus and Lazarus: Risen - Sci-fi story set in a dystopian society where the world is ruled by like 15 or so families, and they each have a Lazarus to fight for them. This is told from the perspective of the Carlyle family’s Lazarus, Forever. 

Die - If Dungeons & Dragons and Jumanji had a baby, it would be this book. Sounds weird, but once you read it, you’ll find the description to be accurate.

Anything from Brian K. Vaughn - I have yet to read something from Brian K. Vaughn that I don’t like. Saga, Paper Girls, Y: The Last Man, Runaways, Barrier… his shit’s always good.

Independents / Not Marvel, DC, or Image

Some of these are nostalgia-based, so fair warning.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (BOOM Studios) - very new series that’s out. Great art. If you were a fan of the show, I think you’ll like it. It’s a re-imagining of sorts. There’s also an Angel series that just started.

Nancy Drew (Dynamite) - Listen… I could not stand Nancy Drew as a kid. Never got into it and thought it was boring as hell. But I really loved this miniseries (another Kelly Thompson run). It’s maybe 5 issues?

Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers and Go Go Power Rangers (BOOM Studios) - Honest to God, if you had told me 3 years ago one of my fave comics would be a Power Rangers one, I would have laughed in your face. Both of these series are really good and provide the continuity, nuance, and characterization the show lacked. Fan of the show or not, I’d say it’s worth checking out if you enjoy the teenage superhero genre. Also, just some really amazing art and world-building.

Anything from Jinxworld - This is Bendis’ own publishing company. He’s put out Cover, Pearl, Scarlet, and United States vs. Murder, Inc. All of them are really good.

Umbrella Academy (Dark Horse) - This is the series the Netflix show is based off of. Right now, they’re doing Hotel Oblivion in the comics, but start with Apocalypse Suite and Dallas.

So, there you go anon. There are FAR more I would recommend, but I tried to give a good range of books for you to choose from without (hopefully) overwhelming you. And if you have any questions, I’m more than happy to talk about any of them.

[mrjoelgarcia9]

Let’s (Briefly) Talk #Anime: #CaptainTsubasa

With the FIFA World Cup currently in progress, and the United States sadly not in this year’s tournament due to sheer incompetence, it seems like the right time to bring up a classic yet somewhat obscure anime.

For my brief thoughts on Captain Tsubasa, feel free to keep reading. There will be spoilers.

Captain Tsubasa originally began in 1981 as a manga by Yoichi Takahashi. The story follows the titular character Tsubasa Oozora, who starts off dreaming of playing in the World Cup for Japan. Through several manga stories, anime adaptations, films, and OVAs, Tsubasa does his best to play not only for Japan but also in several international leagues.

Captain Tsubasa is one of the first anime series I can recall watching alongside Dragon Ball Z and Sailor Moon. Unlike those two series, which I mainly watched in English on Cartoon Network, Tsubasa was the only one I watched in Spanish via the Latin Amercian dub aired in Mexico under the title Los Super Campeones (Spanish for The Super Champions). From what I can recall of the dub, it was OK but memorable, especially for all the soccer moments.

Interestingly, the dub altered some of the names: Tsubasa was renamed Oliver Atom, while Taro Misaki was renamed Tom Baker. The latter change could have been a direct reference to the fourth actor to play the Doctor on Doctor Who.

While most name changes in anime have originated from English distributors wanting to Americanize the names, such as converting Mamoru to the nonsensical Darien, this is not the case for Captain Tsubasa. None of its many adaptations have ever been dubbed or subtitled for an English-speaking audience.

There was once an attempt to bring the show to the United States by Enoki Films USA, the American division of said company that once worked on the North American rights of Revolutionary Girl Utena and Bistro Recipe (AKA Fighting Foodons). Aside from being renamed Flash Kicker, Enoki seemingly did nothing else with the show before the division was shutdown in 2010.

A possible reason for why the franchise has never been brought over to the United States is that soccer is just not as popular as it is in other countries, often ranking below football, baseball, basketball, hockey, and NASCAR.

Along with the fact that anime is a very niche market, it has as much of a chance of succeeding in the United States as any magical girl anime not named Sailor Moon such as Tokyo Mew Mew.

The closest Captain Tsubasa has ever made it to airing in the United States was when NBC aired the 2016 Summer Olympics Closing Ceremonies, where Tsubasa and Misaki appeared as part of the Tokyo 2020 sequence.

While the show was one of the first anime series I ever watched, I am ironically not a huge soccer fan.

I only began regularly watching international tournaments such as the World Cup and Gold Cup in 2002, proudly rooting for the United States. It took me a whole decade to finally begin rooting for another team, Mexico, starting with the 2012 Summer Olympics (another major tournament the United States had failed to qualify). The only other soccer team I currently follow are the Los Angeles Galaxy of Major League Soccer.

Going back to Tsubasa, the only other thing I can bring up about the franchise is a supposed ending where the titular character wakes up to find out he has no legs and all his adventures were just a dream. That ending is clearly fake.

Looking up information about the ending, all that comes up are forums where fans claim to have seen it, modified screenshots of the character without his legs, and memes involving other soccer players and teams. In other words, that ending is as real as Seiya/Usagi.

Captain Tsubasa is a classic franchise that can be considered on the same level as Dragon Ball, Pokemon, and Sailor Moon. It is a shame that neither the manga or its many anime adaptations have never officially been distributed in any English-speaking countries, since there are a lot of great things that would appeal to both soccer and anime fans. They have memorable characters, good stories, and great soccer action.

As of this writing, Viz Media has the North American rights to the most recent anime adaptation. However, they are currently only offering the show in Latin America. The only way the franchise could ever be brought to English-speaking countries is if either soccer becomes a bit more popular in the United States, presumably by 2026, or if a non-North American distributor were to acquire the rights and produce their own English dub.

Until next time, thank you for reading!

[traincat]

Top 5/Bottom 5 Works

Rules: tag the person who tagged you, always post the rules, answer the questions, and add the date!

What are your five most popular works? What are your five least popular works? Are you surprised? Why? Optional: If you want to calculate this, what are your works’ average number of notes/kudos/comments? Today’s date, so you can see how your results might change if you do this again in a year.

Tag six people to do this next!

Tagged by @sineala! Tagging @amielleon, @hladgerd, @lamujerarana, @amaronith, @bipeteparker, and @brella and of course anyone else who wants to do the thing.

Sorting by kudos, and today’s date is August 3rd, 2017.

Top 5 most popular:

The Masked Man (Who Has Everything) (X-Men: First Class, Erik/Charles, background Hank/Alex): The Batman!Magneto fic, where Magneto is Batman. This has such a far lead on everything else lol but it’s the big ship for a big fandom, and it’s a fusion with another big fandom, so I’m not surprised. I like to think it’s pretty funny, too. Much like Sineala’s most popular fic, I wrote this one pretty quickly, but again given the circumstances it’s not surprising that it’s the top dog.

Keep Throwing Things and Slamming the Door (Marvel 616-based AU, Spideytorch): I am thrilled that my second most popular fic is Spideytorch, though! Last time I filtered my work through kudos I think this came out third of fourth. This is like the first “big” (not as in length, but y’know) Spideytorch fic I posted, and it’s identity porn, which always seems to do well. I have a big soft spot for this one since it was the fic that seemed to start getting the ship some attention, at least from where I was concerned.

leave the gun on the table (MCU/616 fusion, Clint/Bucky): Man, this fic. I’m happy I wrote it, because it taught me a lot about writing a longer fic, but if I was writing it now I’d do a lot different. This was for the Marvel Big Bang and the artist I landed did some stunning pieces, though.

Trials and Tribulations (Young Justice, gen): This is cute trope-y gen fic for a sizable fandom. I am a little surprised at how popular it is, but y’know, it’s Cute.

Say You Will, Say You Won't (Marvel 616, Spideytorch): Fake Married! :D Another big Spideytorch moment for me. It’s marriage of convenience that flirts with identity porn (the world does not know the Human Torch has married Spider-Man, just plain Peter Parker) with bonus Negative Zone angst, so it’s got a trope-y draw. If Keep Throwing Things was the moment I was like, huh, maybe this ship can gain some fandom traction, then Say You Will was the fic that made me sure. (Not being dramatic, but I’ve watched the ship landscape change from 2015 to 2017 and a lot has happened.) Proud of it for making the top 5.

Bottom 5 least popular: 

Wherever I'm With You (FAKE, Ryo/Dee): Yuletide fic for a small manga fandom, canon-and-popular ship. I signed up to write this fandom but didn’t expect to actually land it, but rereading the canon was a lot of fun. (I still think you could make a great live action miniseries adaptation of FAKE.) Gotta say, I’m pretty pleased that my fifth least popular fic has any many kudos as it does. 

a shower of autumn leaves (Tamir Trilogy, Tamir/Ki): Another Yuletide fic, and a treat for my friend Amielleon who I believe got me to read the books in the first place. It’s a canon ship, it’s for a rare book fandom, etc. 

Enjoy The Trip (See You Next Fall) (Squirrel Girl/Nextwave crossover): It’s a crossover! Between Squirrel Girl and Nextwave! IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO BE AS FUNNY IN THE VOICE OF EITHER OF THOSE SERIES, LET ALONE BOTH AT THE SAME TIME but some people told me I succeeded and I choose to believe them.

In Distress (Fire Emblem 10, Pelleas/Micaiah): It’s a het rarepair AU ficlet for an older video game fandom, I’m not shocked.

And Go Seek (Kingdom Hearts, gen): I just barely remember writing this. It’s very short. They play hide and seek on the beach. That’s it. That’s the whole fic.

... Out of curiosity, I wanted to see what my Top 5 vs Bottom 5 fics looked liked filtered just down to Spideytorch, too, so here they are:

Top 5

Keep Throwing Things and Slamming the Door (616-based AU)

Say You Will, Say You Won't (616)

Kind, Sober, and Fully Dressed (616): Picks up right after the time in canon where Johnny asks Peter if he wants to come over and watch his sex tape with him, because what was I supposed to do, NOT write a fic continuing on from there? PS WHY DID MARVEL PUBLISH A COMIC WHERE AT THE END JOHNNY ASKS PETER IF HE WANTS TO COME OVER AND WATCH HIS SEX TAPE. Then they hid it on Marvel Unlimited, where it took 5 years for Spideytorch fandom to discover. Cruel, Marvel. Anyway, this one was a lot of fun to write. I’m a little surprised it’s as high up as it is, but I guess “character canonically asked best friend over to watch his sex tape, here’s what happens NEXT” is a pretty good hook, and I think I chose a good couple of lines for the summary.

Getting Better All the Time (616): Say You Will, Say You Won’t’s sequel! I had so much fun writing this fic, and on top of that it was so easy to write, too. Johnny and celebrity is always one of my favorite subjects to look at. It’s the sequel to my second most popular fic, it’s on the longer side for fics for this ship, and it’s about them being MARRIED, so I guess it makes sense that it’s up so high.

Tales From The Back Pages (616): The soulmate AU! I think this one has the trope advantage -- out of all the top 5, it’s by far the newest. I always told myself if I was ever going to write a soulmate AU for them, I’d want to play into the identity porn and have Johnny speak his first words to Spider-Man, but Peter without the mask speak his first words to Johnny. Then I looked back at their first meetings and realized that in ASM #1, Spider-Man never directly addresses Johnny, and this was, in fact, exactly how it happened, and then I had to write it. (A later Fantastic Four comic has them talk directly to each other during the first meeting, but hey, I don’t have to count retcons.) First time writing a soulmate AU and it was fun to play with.

Bottom 5

Second Chance (What If?/Marvel Adventures/Marvel Noir/616): A five times first kisses fic featuring the multiverse. This one’s fairly new, and the summary’s pretty bare bones, and I don’t know if it was as fun to read as it was fun for me to write, since I just really like playing around with different versions of canon. I almost wrote a Marvel Zombies first kiss, which I would have definitely gotten disgusting with. Romantic. But disgusting.

Echoes (616): A little Uncanny Avengers #12 tag where Johnny has complicated, guilty feelings about his hand in the death of Hank Pym, and doesn’t tell Peter about them while they cuddle on the couch. Not surprised this one is on the low side -- it’s better if you’ve read the issue, and it’s just short, plotless hurt/comfort where nothing happens but Johnny is sad. (I really like writing Johnny being sad. Sorry.)

the length and breadth of the sea (Marvel 1602): This is the prequel to my first 1602 Spideytorch and it’s another one of those fics where if I was writing it now I’d probably write it a little different. It’s a little older for Spideytorch fic (2012), and it’s for a niche version of canon, so I’m not surprised. On the other hand, it IS tagged #dinosaurs, which you think would be incentive.

Hands On (616): The six arms Spider-Man smut! This is new, only about a week old, so it explains why it’s so low. Then again it is a PWP about Peter having six arms and Johnny being turned on by that, so uh, maybe that’s why it’s low.

the lay of your lands (Marvel 1602): And my first 1602 fic! Another one I would write a little differently if I was doing it over again. For one, I didn’t pay enough attention to important 1602 details, like Namor wanting to make Sue and Johnny undersea sex slaves. The summary’s pretty bare bones, it’s a niche canon, it’s established relationship that’s only 2k, and I didn’t tag it #dinosaurs, even though I’m pretty sure there’s pterodactyls in it. That probably explains it.

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The Best Video Games of the 2010s

Welcome to the second entry in our Best of the 2010s series! Last time we covered the best manga series released in the past decade, and this time we’re talking video games.

As with our manga lists, we compiled this list by scoring each title based on how high it appeared on the respective rankings of our three contributors: Evan Minto, Ink, and David Estrella (we’ll post the full lists on our Patreon in a few days). This isn’t an exhaustive list, and for video games in particular our three contributors’ tastes were pretty divergent. In fact, while a few games appeared on two of our individual lists, not a single one appeared on all three!

Our picks for the top 10 video games of the decade offer a cross-section of some of the trends of the 2010s: the decline of couch co-op rhythm games, the wild success of the Nintendo Switch and From Software’s “Soulsborne” games, and the renaissance in narrative game design. If you haven’t checked any of these games out, it’s not too late to give them a try! Enjoy, and let us know your own picks in the comments.

10. Mass Effect 2 (2010)

Evan Minto: Squeaking in just under the date cutoff is the high point of one of video gaming’s most popular (and controversial) franchises. Mass Effect 2 is a perfectly crafted pulp adventure, taking Shepard and the gang on a tour of the galaxy to complete a daring suicide mission. There’s space politics, a cyberpunk criminal underbelly, a story structure pulled from Western and heist movies, and choices. So many choices. The combat is polished and creative and the story is rich and full of unforgettable moments. I wish I could go back and experience it all over again for the first time.

9. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (2018)

Evan Minto: What do you say about the franchise that has it all? Super Smash Bros. is video game comfort food, delivering the same high-quality, infinitely satisfying party game fun decade after decade. Smash Ultimate makes it into our Top 10 because it really is the ultimate Smash experience. Every character is back and fighting alongside a varied list of newcomers. Nintendo has embraced the competitive scene and added a host of fine-grained quality-of-life improvements. With DLC characters dropping at a regular clip, this is a game I’ll be playing for years to come.

8. Fable III (2010)

Ink: It’s probably the most hated of the Fable series, but I love its ambition, contextual landscape, and flawed mechanics; shaking hands and going through the motions of socialization takes forever, #AmIRight? That the game is devoted to division, not just of self (as is the basis of the series) but position, is a brilliant stroke. The degree of cut-and-dry choices is certainly lamentable, but praise be the grey areas and timing by which said choices are introduced! Callbacks are as entertaining as they lend to world building, and the backstory (initially) lends to apprehension as much as it does yearning.

7. Dark Souls III (2016)

David Estrella: Bloodborne is higher up on the list but Dark Souls III is, personally, not too far down below. This third Souls game is the culmination of about 20 years of iteration on concepts that finally came together with faster gameplay, tighter controls, and sprawling environments that exude thousands of years of fictional history. Whether you’re a serious gamer who must stop and read every item description for that sweet lore or you’re a poo-flinging maniac with godly parrying skills, there’s a Dark Souls experience for everyone that’s both satisfying and personal.

6. The Walking Dead (2012)

Evan Minto: No video game has emotionally affected me as profoundly as the first season of The Walking Dead. Telltale’s landmark adventure game asks players to make tough dialogue choices and resolve impossible moral dilemmas in hundreds of timed sequences. It’s a gut-wrenching experience. Zombies don’t always make for the best device for complex storytelling, but this game uses the horror setting to examine its deeply flawed cast and force players to confront the compounding consequences of violence, even and especially violence that seems a necessary evil in the moment. To add to the tragedy, the 2010s ended with one last gut-punch from Telltale: a bankruptcy that left its employees out in the cold and their game projects either shelved or farmed out to other studios.

5. Fire Emblem: Awakening (2013)

David Estrella: Released on the Nintendo 3DS in 2013, Fire Emblem: Awakening came out after a prolonged drought of decent games on the flailing console. Strategy generally isn’t my thing and contending with waves of surprise Wyvern Knights in the middle of a hard-fought battle as a significant gameplay loop is not my idea of fun, but what else was I going to do during the wait until Animal Crossing? I found that I actually really like all of the changes to the FE formula, especially the ones most blasphemous to purists like settings to prevent permadeath and maps designed for grinding. People will cry that the old Fire Emblem is dead and gone and as a Baby Mode advocate, I can’t exactly claim to miss it.

4. Bloodborne (2015)

David Estrella: I’ve played a lot of video games in my lifetime and I discovered my favorite one very early in my life so I spent about twenty years simply drifting from good to great experiences without finding the one “perfect” game. Bloodborne is the perfect game. It’s brutal to master and pared down from the breadth of options found in Dark Souls, but it’s a deeply rewarding experience that dominated my life for multiple playthroughs. Whenever video games disappoint me (happens often enough), I remember that Bloodborne exists and everything is okay.

3. Rock Band 3 (2010)

Ink: Rock Band 3 is less technical button-pressing showcase than Wario Party karaoke, and it owns that fact. Beyond the ability to pretend like you are more entertaining than you are, the gameplay can actually teach players guitar/bass, keyboard, and drums (on a very beginner’s scale with the right equipment/addons). Tour challenges bring a pliable narrative that’s simultaneously entertaining and fulfilling, while a song creator means the ever-expanding library of thousands of licensed songs is joined by the products of some very talented and some very untalented people with a lot of time on their hands. Bless them all.

2. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017)

Evan Minto: If nothing else, the 2010s will be remembered as the decade when Nintendo reinvented The Legend of Zelda. Breath of the Wild takes the wonder of open-world games, the addictive progression of Western RPGs, and the gradual sense of mastery of Ubisoft “map games,” and brings it all under the exquisitely crafted umbrella of the Zelda franchise. It is a sublime, joyous triumph of a game, with a host of interlocked, carefully designed systems and a breathtaking world that captures the imagination like nothing else.

1. Portal 2 (2011)

Ink: Sequels usually drain every bit of good from the host in hopes of marketing to blind faith consumption. Not to harp on Schrödinger’s cake, but Portal 2, as the point of suckling for a niche puzzle-minded crowd, manages to maintain its potency by successfully layering deepening characterization atop expanded, imaginative mechanics. It’s a physics-centric puzzle box for the chakra-minded crowd, and Portal 2’s blend of dark humor and farcical, 4-D labyrinths do not disappoint. The introduction of an absolutely maddening multiplayer mode also pays off big time, delightfully, in terms of both more frustration and better tasting cheese.

Check out our list of the Best Manga of the 2010s!

The Best Video Games of the 2010s originally appeared on Ani-Gamers on February 20, 2020 at 7:53 PM.

By: Evan Minto