#though after just searching the name up actually the premise of the crossover could work in that version though it almost certainly would

[vickyvicarious]

I was gonna ask a crossover question and then I remembered "Oh wait, she's not in the Trials of Apollo fandom."

And then I was like "Then again, she is in a fandom about trials of Apollo, just not the ones I'm thinking of."

Pfff, for sure I am. Honestly, I'm saying this without knowing anything at all about Trials of Apollo but that name alone is enough to want the crossover, haha.

...I do think I made a joke one time that it would be funny if Klavier was the (reborn? temporarily demoted?) god Apollo in some kind of AU. He's got the music down at the very least, and also it would make him encountering and being rivals with a guy named Apollo extra funny.

[lilydalexf]

Old School X is a project interviewing X-Files fanfic authors who were posting fic during the original run of the show. New interviews are posted every Tuesday.

Interview with Circe Invidiosa

Circe Invidiosa has 11 stories at Gossamer, but there are even more X-Files stories at her website. Some of my favs I’ve recced here before, like Make It Worse and Slap a Goatee On Me and Call Me Evil. She also made a bunch of X-Files collage art, including some cover art for fics (hers and others), which you probably saw if you were reading fic back when authors posted fics on their own websites where art could be shared. Big thanks to Circe Invidiosa for doing this interview.

Does it surprise you that people are still interested in reading your X-Files fanfics and others that were posted during the original run of the show (1993-2002)?

Well, it would surprise me if people did read my fic. As it happens, I don't hear much feedback from my fic these days. Probably because the bulk of it is on Gossamer and my own site rather than AO3. Also, I was never a BNA. I worked a lot behind the scenes – hosting other authors' sites and making fanart and dustjackets. I think that's what I'd be remembered for, if anything.

What do you think of when you think about your X-Files fandom experience?

I miss the collective excitement and discussions we had as groups. When you got in with a group in the XF fandom, you felt like you knew everybody there. Now the fandom feels a little faceless except for the people I still follow from my old groups.

Social media didn't really exist during the show's original run. How were you most involved with the X-Files online (atxc, message board, email mailing list, etc.)?

Most of my experience was on Yahoo Groups. I joined Scullyfic while it was still there and then E-muse when it became an e-mail list, which I'm still a part of. I was part of several Yahoo Groups (can't remember all of them now), where I'd post my fic, RealPlayer slideshows (remember those?!), and collages. I never really took part in discourse because I'm shy and don't think anyone cares about my opinions (still don't!). The e-mail address I used for those groups was purged a couple of years ago, so I've lost all those messages.

What did you take away from your experience with X-Files fic or with the fandom in general?

My take away is that fanfic made me a better writer, thanks to having some great betas, and it made me a better professional writer for it (my real-life work is writing but not fun writing) because I learned to take criticism.

I also used to make a lot of fanart, collages and dustjackets for fic mostly. My big take away from that was that I really got into graphics and I got super proficient at Photoshop, which helped my own artistic endeavours and photography. I didn't realize how much skill I had developed until I've had to help someone with their graphics or photo editing.

What was it that got you hooked on the X-Files as a show?

My mother was watching X-Files before I was and she was raving about it. I don't have a great relationship with my mom, but one thing she was usually right about was TV shows. It's where I got my love of Sci-Fi.

I think the first episode I watched was Ice, which definitely hooked me. As for when the shipping started, I remember we were watching Lazarus, and when Mulder was yelling at Lula (I had to look that up) about hurting the hostage Scully, my mom said, "Oh, he's so in love with her." And I was all, "What?! Pfff." But then I could not stop thinking about it. And then I thought about it way, way too much.

What got you involved with X-Files fanfic?

I was in my late 20s, and it was around the end of S7 and I kept thinking about what if these two dumb idiots actually talked one day. And I kept thinking about dialogue in my head about what they'd actually say. The internet was still in its infancy back then, but I'd seen fan sites here and there. So I decided to search around to see if other people were talking about it and thinking about it like I was. I was such a noob I'd never even heard of fanfic. Imagine my delight when I discovered it. I found a few stories and thought, 'Well, I can do that.' And I wrote up my first story, found a place to post it (wasn't Ephemeral the best?), got some kind feedback, found a really nice person (not sure she wants to be named since she used her real name in the fandom back in the day) who encouraged me a lot and directed me to all the e-mail lists and Yahoo Groups that I needed to be on, and then, Bob's your uncle, I wrote more and more.

What is your relationship like now to X-Files fandom?

Periphery. Most of my experience in any fandom is now on Tumblr because that's where my attention span is. Show me pretty pictures and funny stuff. I am old now and don't want to think hard.

Were you involved with any fandoms after the X-Files? If so, what was it like compared to X-Files?

Veronica Mars was my next fandom experience. A number of my XF friends got me hooked on VM. The VM fandom was a LOT younger compared to the XF fandom. When I joined the XF fandom, I was the kid compared to most of the other fans who were all goddesses and royalty in my eyes. But in the VM fandom, I was in my 30s and the rest of the fandom were all in their early 20s if not younger. It often showed, so I stayed out of discussions and just posted my fic once I started writing it. I took a new handle (invida) when I started writing VM fic. Just in case these kids felt like my writing sucked, I didn't want it getting back to the XF fandom that I’d branched out and failed spectacularly.

By then fandom experiences had moved over to LiveJournal. I never really got involved in the discourse or the fandom fights. I knew what people were saying and where the schisms were, but I was all about the fanfic and the pretty pictures. Most of my LJ friends just discussed the episodes and posted their fic and that was good with me.

What got me writing fic for VM was Anjou's brilliant VM fic Into the Blue. Seriously, if you love VM S1, read her fic. Just so beautiful.

VM was also where started writing a WIP, which was a wild trip. I wrote a much-loved WIP called Damn, Damn the Circumstance which people still ask me about finishing to this day. Someday…*wistful sighs*

Who are some of your favorite fictional characters? Why?

Scully. She was everything! Lapsed Catholic, degrees in science, skeptic, always trying to work within the rules but still not taking crap. Yeah, she was the best.

Veronica Mars was great until she wasn't. I have a lot of issues with her beyond S2. And don't even talk to me about S4. For me, S1 was the best, I enjoyed the movie, the books were okay, but nothing else happened after that. NOTHING.

And the first character I ever loved was Princess Leia. She was also everything to me growing up. I wanted to be her. I still do.

Do you ever still watch The X-Files or think about Mulder and Scully?

Now and then. Not as much as I used to. I sometimes have it on in the background when I'm doing other things. Back before the pandemic, my BFF and I would have get togethers where we would play Scrabble, eat a lot of candy, and binge several XF episodes. I miss doing that. Hopefully, we will get back to that soon.

Do you ever still read X-Files fic? Fic in another fandom?

I am not an active XF fanfic reader right now. I will read any stories my friends put out. Otherwise, I only occasionally read some I come across on Tumblr in my feed, but I am not seeking them out. I will beta for any XF author who asks me as well.

I am reading fic in other fandoms though – Endeavour, Broadchurch, Sherlock…huh, I'm just realizing that's a lot of British stuff. I have been really into British detective series for the last few years.

Do you have any favorite X-Files fanfic stories or authors?

I used to run an XF fic recommendation site called How Will It End usually with at least one other person (I went through at least 4 partners on that project because I'm a control freak). We'd compile our recs and then I'd post them on my site. We'd also feature authors we really liked and interview them. Not unlike these interviews!

I'm terrible at giving feedback/comments. So I solved that problem by making a rec site. That way I could tell authors I loved their fics by recommending them. I didn't have to comment, I'd just say, 'I'd like to rec your fic'. And then they'd get promotion. Win-win. Back in those days, the fandom would absolutely roast you for promoting your own fic, so to get on a rec site was a big deal. Not that I had a popular rec site or anything. But I think authors really enjoyed being asked.

All that to say I've liked a lot of fics. I can pull up the archives of HWIE and show you all the faves I liked. :)

What is your favorite of your own fics, X-Files and/or otherwise?

Back in the day, E-muse would hold Improv Challenges, where other members would give you a prompt that you had to include in your fic. I was always really proud of the stories I created from those challenges (No Earthly Means and Elephant in the Room if you want to read them).

I enjoyed writing Dead to Rights which is an XF/Dead Like Me crossover because I loved the challenge of writing a crossover. It was the first crossover I ever tried writing even though I only recently published it.

Otherwise, I like re-reading In a Graveyard, Importuning Life for Life, and Some By Virtue Fall. Of my more recent fic, I like Slap a Goatee on Me and Call Me Evil because the premise was ridiculous and I think it's funny as all get out.

Probably my favourite of my VM fic was Stay Outta Riverdale. Because: 1. The title is a Simpsons reference who doesn't love a Simpsons reference? And 2. I think I was hilarious throughout it.

Do you think you'll ever write another X-Files story? Or dust off and post an oldie that for whatever reason never made it online?

I'm always open to writing more fic (and, of course, I don't mean my WIPs…don't look at me like that). Lately, my only motivation has been from writing prompts on Tumblr. I haven't had anyone give me a prompt in over a year, so here we are. I have snippets of dialogue in journals and word documents that have never found their way into stories. I'd be happy to dust off any of those and shoehorn them into a new story.

Do you still write fic now? Or other creative work?

The last fanfic I wrote was a mini-fic over a year ago (with a prompt from Lilydale!). I've written a bit of original fiction but I haven't been able to finish it. Otherwise, I do have a number of real life hobbies which are where my creative outlets lie now.

Where do you get ideas for stories?

Lately, challenges and prompts. It used to be from wanting to see more from a scene. I really had a thing for fill-in-the-blanks or scene continuations. And sometimes my motivation is just plain old spite. :)

What's the story behind your pen name?

Circe Invidiosa is the title of a painting by John William Waterhouse. Love the colours and the absolute malice on the face of the subject. It felt like a good pen name – the envious witch. That's me!

I chose it when I posted my first XF fic (which I cringe to read now, ugh so terrible) without knowing there was already a Circe in the fandom. Whoops. I tried to go by the full Circe Invidiosa or Invidiosa as much as possible after realizing that (invidiosa is my url and my username on a lot of sites, etc.). Now I think that I've been around long enough that it doesn't matter as much but I still like it.

As I said, I took the name Invida for the VM fandom which is just a shortening of Invidiosa.

Do your friends and family know about your fic and, if so, what have been their reactions?

My significant other knows and that was quite a reveal (oh how awkward). However, the SO has been very supportive and has read all my stories since the reveal and sometimes betas them. The SO also wants us to collaborate on writing some original fiction but we haven't found a project that works for both of us creatively or timewise.

My BFF knows because I dragged her into the online fandom. We've known each other since we were 14, but our love of XF really solidified our bond in our 20s. She wrote some short but sweet fics under the penname Helen Quilley which I bullied her into posting, and we wrote Of Ladies Most Deject and Wretched together. She is mostly embarrassed that she wrote fanfic now but we still fangirl together.

No one else really knows other than fandom folks I've met in real life. And some friends know I've written 'short stories' but I don't elaborate. I work in a stodgy, uptight industry where anything fun or actually having a life is frowned upon.

Is there a place online (tumblr, twitter, AO3, etc.) where people can find you and/or your stories now?

Over the first lockdown, I got my shit together and got my fic site, invidiosa.com, up and running again. My site houses fic by Rain (now @doctorhelena on Tumblr and AO3), Helen Quilley, ML (who I miss so much), Folieadeux, Shelba, TLynn, Oracle, Piper Sargasso, Diehard, and me. And I made all their dustjackets (except Folie's). The site got hacked a few years back and it was so much work to get running again that I put it off for years and years. I still feel terrible that I did not get the site back up before ML passed away, especially when ML had asked me about it a few months before she passed.

Anyway, all my XF fic is here: circe.invidiosa.com. I have 3 of my newer XF stories on AO3. And my fic-LJ also has some of my stories. Some of the newer stories are on Tumblr but the tagging is so erratic that I'd have to list several tags before you'd find them all. I don't know why I haven't moved everything over to AO3. Probably laziness.

I'm @invidiosa on Tumblr. I'm still on E-muse. I'm still on LJ. I'm always reachable by e-mail (invidiosa at gmail).

Is there anything else you'd like to share with fans of X-Files fic?

Thanks for reading, writing, and commenting. It is always appreciated.

(Posted by Lilydale on January 5, 2021)

[avatraang]

Writer Tag Game

I’m 18 days late but thank you @irresistible-revolution for tagging me <3 and thank you to @thetpot for tagging me more recently too <33

I’m going to tag @cats-and-metersticks @twinkle-toph @rllybritrlly @justoceanmyth @alllemagne :)

How many works do you have on AO3?

48 🤡 i have more on ff.net, but we don’t speak of those lmao

What's your total AO3 word count?

211743

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

sad, beautiful, tragic she could rule the world (and he loves her), truths and ideals (and the fallen in love), breezing into joke shops (in search of good coffee), (just say) you won’t let go.

the fandoms are as follows: doctor who, avatar: the last airbender, pokemon black and white, harry potter, harry potter. They are all older fics of mine, especially the doctor who one! phew, what a trip down memory lane lol.

Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

I do my best! Sometimes I forget for long stretches of time, and then in a flurry of energy I respond to a big load of them. But I think it encourages community, which in fandom is really all we have.

What's the fic you've written with the angstiest ending?

i’d say one of my fremione fics, the liar and his lover. I am definitely prone to angsty writing above any other genres, but this fic definitely hit a level I don’t typically dare approach. still, even as the years have progressed, i really do continue to hold this fic near my heart.

What's the fic you've written with the happiest ending?

because i don’t write a lot of feel-good fics, it’s way easier to pinpoint a fic with an overall happy tone and ending! personally, i believe the happiest ending i’ve ever written is to my fic the sweetest rewards. it was definitely solely for my own enjoyment and had no intention of being sad, and i think the joy i had while writing it showed.

Do you write crossovers? If so, What is the craziest one you’ve ever written?

I used to write a few Disney crossovers, and I think one of them is up on ao3, but honestly, the one and only crossover that I’ve written that comes to mind even 6 (six!!!) years later is a captain america and narnia crossover i wrote that centered around bucky barned and susan pevensie. the premise of bucky and susan is actually super interesting to me, and i always meant to write another fic for them, but time passed and i never did.

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

one time someone commented on a fic and told me that toph and sokka wouldn’t have pet names, which like, okay i guess? but as a whole no, i typically don’t get hate. if i did though i’d probably treat it like i treat everything else on the internet -superficially. 

Do you write smut? If so what kind?

i do, but not often. I started more recently! i have two explicit fics, and three fics that are mature. the M rated fics more just ~imply~ sex, but the explicit fics are, well... explicit about it, lmao. the two explicit fics are definitely porn with feelings, and have just been me exploring and bettering my skills in the sex writing department. one of them is a tokka fic, called lazy sunday, and the other is a maiaang fic, called a better companion.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

o.o i don’t think so!

Have you ever had a fic translated?

i have! on ff.net, though. 

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

twice, once with my sister (first fic i ever wrote), and again for the pjo fandom. the pjo one was never finished, but that’s alright!

What’s your all-time favourite ship?

ooof this is such a HARD question! i’ve always loved tokka, since atla’s original airing. fremione has also always been close to my heart! i have many more pairings i love, but let’s just call it a tie between those two lol

What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

lmfao my pokemon black and white fanfic, truths and ideals (and the fallen in love). i left it open for a second part, but then i was like “eh, it works by itself too” and never went back to it even though to this day people still comment begging for a second part. it’s the chaotic energy for me lmfaoooo

What are your writing strengths?

i’d say my attention to the details of a setting (like a room or a person). i recently wrote a fic where i described aang’s tattoos in vivid detail, and i’m really proud of the explanation i came up with for how they just disappear in some places. i also have been told i translate emotion well into my writing without characters having to explicitly say what they’re feeling, which is good, because i think it’s rare for folks to actually come right out and express themselves.

What are your writing weaknesses?

while i give a lot of attention to a setting or a person, my attention to detail when it comes to dialogue and action is weak. i also am not the best at transitioning from scene to scene, most likely from the fact that i usually write fics that have long breaks of time between each moment.

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I don’t really do it in any languages other than English or Spanish. Even in Spanish I’m wary, because it’s such a rich language with different dialects. I speak El Salvadoran Spanish, which is virtually the same as Honduran and Guatemalan Spanish, but differs hugely from Colombian, Cuban, or Mexican Spanish (for example). Therefore, I’m always a little scared to write dialogue in Spanish even though I’m a native speaker, just because of those huge differences in dialect. And when it comes to other languages, I pretty much never do it.

What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Pokemon, lmao. It was a truth or dare fic series that I cowrote with my little sister.

What’s your favourite fic you’ve written?

worship the flame. it was like making a daydream your reality. i had spent countless hours just thinking about the concepts, and then one day after talking to some folks in the hive mind server, sat down and penned the whole thing in one sitting. not just a favorite, but THEE favorite.

[v-thinks-on]

tagged by: @wingittofreedom

I’ve never done one of these before! Thank you for tagging me! :D I like talking about my writing and am very indecisive, so this ended up a little longer than intended...

your name: My pen name is VTsuion (though for a little while I tried out Camille V. Watson when I thought I was going to be doing more original fiction). The V represents my real name and Tsuion is the last name that a friend suggested for my first OC way back in middle school, and somehow it just stuck.

fandoms you write for: These days, mostly Star Trek: The Original Series and the associated movies (sorry, no AOS), but my first love is the original Sherlock Holmes stories, and I will always come back to them. I’ve also been watching sports anime recently and am currently rewatching Kuroko’s Basketball, so there may be some of that brewing… Generally, anything I read/watch is fair game, but I do have favorites.

where you post: These days, mostly Archive of Our Own, Tumblr, of course, and I do still post on FanFiction.net, where my unpolished oldest writing lives.

most popular one shot: I wasn’t sure whether to measure popularity by hits or kudos, so I did both: the most viewed is A Hidden Personal Thing - Kirk and Spock mindmeld for the first time after “Dagger of the Mind” - and the most well-liked is The Language of Chess - Spock and Kirk flirt using the Vulcan language of chess.

most popular multi-chapter story: Murder and a Family Reunited - my ancient messy crossover between BBC’s Sherlock and Harry Potter - will probably always be my most well-read story by a long shot. Of the things I’ve written recently, For a Stranger - my first stab at Spock getting his memory back after “Search for Spock” - and A Prince Comes Upon a Tower in the Woods - Kirk is a prince who rescues Spock, a cursed knight, from a tower - are tied for most well-liked.

favorite story you’ve written: If I absolutely had to give one, I’d probably say Violin in the Middle of the Night - Watson wakes up from a nightmare to hear Holmes playing the violin - because it gave me a chance to do some pretty writing, and I think it works. I also think my silly crossovers - Spock in Wonderland, Millennium Deathnote (Yugioh and Death Note), and Stars (Star Trek vs. Star Wars) - deserve a shout-out just because they were so much fun to write.

story you were nervous to post: The story I’m most nervous to post is actually one I haven’t posted yet about Kirk and Spock undergoing pon farr together. No one actually has sex, but it has a lot of questionable consent just because of the nature of pon farr, and it’s the closest I get to addressing sex in any of my stories. I’m also not sure about the ending, so it may have to undergo some editing before I post it… Of my stories that are actually up, I was probably most nervous to post I-Chaya - pure Kirk/Spock fluff - because it was the first real fluff that I wrote. I was also a little nervous about Human, Vulcan, and Everything in Between because it reflects a headcanon that I have a lot of feelings about and isn’t very common (Spock is asexual, Kirk is polyamorous, and they make it work).

how do you choose titles: Sometimes the title will just come to me as part of the story. Otherwise, I try to take as much from the source material as I can, including titles, because I have a hard time coming up with additional details outside of the key premise of what I’m writing. I also like using song titles. If there isn’t anything obvious, I think of something, usually simple, short, and descriptive.

do you outline: On the bottom of the page, after all my longer stories, is an often multi-page outline detailing the planned events, character arcs, etc… Though things do often change as I write them.

how many of your stories are complete: 57 works are listed as complete on AO3, an additional 15 older stories have only been posted on FanFiction.net. I also have a significant backlog of 13 stories waiting to be posted, including the two that are coming out now (I don’t start posting anything until it’s completely done), plus one essay.

how many of your stories are in progress: I mostly just work on one story at a time, since otherwise I get overwhelmed by the amount of things I could be working on at any given moment. However, there are 8 more stories that I’ve started, but have been temporarily put on hold, not to mention all the stories in various stages of incompleteness that I don’t have any plans of getting back to (including 6 stories listed as in progress on FanFiction.net that were last updated before 2013). There are also 3 series of shorts that are essentially complete as they are, but that I could always add to. Really, most of my stories could gain an extra chapter/sequel if I thought of something or received a prompt for it.

coming soon: Since I post on a schedule with a backlog, I actually have things planned for months to come. One of the stories I’m currently posting, We Know That We Need, But Not What - Kirk and Spock sort out their relationship after The Motion Picture - has a sequel set on a planet with empathic plants which I’ll start posting pretty much as soon as the first installment is done (it’s already been written). My next major project, which I’m currently finishing up writing, is Generations - Kirk survives Star Trek: Generations, hangs out with the crew of The Next Generation, reunites with Spock, and makes a life for himself in the 24th century.

do you accept prompts: Yes! That’s actually one of the reasons I started this blog, though I’ve been keeping pretty busy with my own ideas. If there’s anything you want me to write, please send in an ask! Questions are also appreciated!

upcoming story you’re most excited to write: I’ve been a little bit all over the place lately. Until a few days ago, I was raring to get back to writing To the Stars and Back Again - Kirk is an astronaut, Spock is a NASA scientist, and they figure out romance amidst the space race in the 1960’s. But I’ve been rewatching Kuroko’s Basketball and I got a sudden urge to reread @umisabaku’s Designation: Miracle and after that I really want to write a short Midorima/Takao fic in that universe, so that’s what I’ve been thinking about for the past few days. There are also some Sherlock Holmes things that have been on my mind for a while that I’ll get to eventually...

tagging: @warpfactornonsense @plaidshirtjimkirk @umisabaku, and anyone else who has feelings about their writing!

[rueitae]

2018 Fic Roundup

I did this last year and it was nice to do some self reflection and make some goals for 2019. I encourage all my writer friends to do this! No tagging necessary, just tell each other to do it. <3

It’s long, so putting the rest of the fic and reflection questions under the cut.

Stats:

Fics Posted (Gen): 6

Space Birthday (9,595 words): Hunk can feel it in his bones; it’s his birthday. He wants to have a nice one... and does... after accidentally raiding a Galra outpost with Lance and Pidge.

Pilot (4,340): Shiro finds himself in a different reality post s2. Here, the mechs are called Gundams. (Shiro in the Gundam Wing universe/reality)

Code (7,321): Pidge and the others keep fond memories of Earth through oldies musical trivia. It comes in handy on a mission.

Self Insert (6,357): Lance reads a story to his niece and nephew on the eve he leaves for school at the Galaxy Garrison. The kids have Opinions on how it should go.(i totally still need to change their names to the canon ones)

Too Soon and Not Soon Enough (1,796): Keith is 13 and is supposed to go to the Galaxy Garrison next year at Shiro’s encouragement. Until the Galra invade and plans change.

Welcome to the Neighborhood (2,237): Allura gets used to being not dead and that includes meeting her cosmic neighbors.

Fics Posted (Plance): 17

Wrong Diamond (2,384): Gentlemen thief AU. “At midnight, I will steal the heart of Voltron,” the note says. Pidge has a thief to catch.

Diamond in the Rough (8,045): prequel to Wrong Diamond. How they meet!

Road Trip (4,710): Lance and Pidge are back on Earth. Zarkon has the others and the two are on the run from a bureaucratic Galaxy Garrison that doesn’t want the world to know about aliens yet. Oh, and Lotor is with them.

Exsanguination (16,255): Pidge is a vampire hunter captured by Haggar. She finds some unlikely help in the vampire’s similarly undead servant.

Power Up! (3,500): Pidge is on the cusp of finding out where Zarkon is holding her father using less than legal methods. She’s caught in the act by her lab partner (Lance, a superhero in training).

Plance on Ice (2,300): A figure skating AU! Pidge and Lance are former competitive partners having a date free time on the ice

Being Plance (3,900): Pidge and Lance pull a personality switch prank over on the rest of the team. Canon verse.

Keeping Cool (3,098): Mermaid AU! Pidge is in trouble with pirates and gets some unexpected help from the sea.

The Cake (839): Canon verse, Lance gets a cake for his birthday and assumes it’s from Hunk.

Frostbite (6,109): Pidge is a renowned super villain. Lance is a hero in training with something to prove. Lance over uses his powers one day and Pidge has some soul searching to do.

Crystal Clear (5,516): Another superhero AU. Lance is captured by his arch nemesis. They have a heart-to-heart, taunt, and flirt.

The Secrets of Beasts (2,007): AU canon verse. Years down the road, Green keeps Pidge from going on a mission with the others. It takes Kosmo to find out why.

See You Yesterday (8,132): Lance works nervously as a bartender for a 1920s mafia when all he wanted to do was leave the farming life. One night he gets a strange patron who changes his life - and his perspective of the world. Time travel AU

Shot Through the Heart (1,087): post canon AU. Lance and Pidge keep Nadia and Sylvio entertained.

Seasons of Magic (11,744): Pidge is a mage. Lance is her dragon familiar. Series of domestic-ish one shots. Not in sequential order.

Between Rocks and A Hard Place (8,144): Canon verse. Pidge and Lance are trapped due to a caved-in mine, with pirates waiting for them on the other side. And Pidge is hurt.

Cow-parent Trapped (1,099): s8 canon continuation. Pidge visits Lance at the farm and does not expect Kaltenecker to make them talk to each other.

Lotura 1

Birthday Prompt #5 (5,500): Oh gosh I never named it. Fantasy AU in which Lotor is essentially Rapunzel and Allura is Aurora with a better (depending on who you ask) birth-prophesy. Tiny hint of Shallura in this as well.

Collaborations: 3

First Encounters for the (Altean Plance AU): Pidge is an independent noblewoman and Lance is her bodyguard. Writing done with @hushman and @pidge-suggestions

To Sail, To Break, To Earn (Plance - 10,268): Lance is a pirate and Pidge is a mermaid. There’s also a curse involved. With @sp4c3-0ddity

It’s Beginning to Look a lot Like A Christmas Carol (Plance- 14,384): post s8 canon verse with @hailqiqi and @sp4c3-0ddity. Exactly as the title says. Lance is the subject of a ghostly intervention. Crack treated seriously.

Fey AU (Plance): with @vivalachocolate this was @sp4c3-0ddity ‘s prompt to Viva but I was nosy and added a chapter and I’m so glad she wasn’t mad at me for it. 😅

Ship/Character breakdown:

Ship breakdown:

I guess the 17 Plance fics speak for themselves. I did write one Lotura fic as a special birthday prompt because @ritsykitty is such a good friend.

Character breakdown:

I have a gen fic for each Paladin, but then the Plance fics outnumber those, so Lance and Pidge would be my go to.

Characters that had the main focus:

So for character POV, each Paladin has one, then within Plance, Pidge has 12 and Lance has 7. Interesting, I thought it was more even. Hunk had a POV in a Plance fic too briefly!

Specifics:

Best/worst title?

Best title: Urgh I liked a lot of them. Too Soon and Not Soon Enough probably. I like how it summarizes the story without telling you how, but by the end you know.

Worst title: Seasons of Magic aka I tried to come up with a clever title when I realized I wasn’t done with it. It’s so bland to me. I’m also basically trying to rebrand from mage/familiar AU. I don’t think it’s working 😅 (not that I care I’m trying to make it easier to reference but I’m too late)

Best/worst last line?

Best: “I love you too, Pidge,” he [Lance] says, nestling her head to his chest and not bothering to correct her. “You’re the best nemesis a hero could ask for.” - I love that line so much, from Crystal Clear. Enemies to lovers is such a good trope.

Worst: Pidge groans. At this rate her double life is definitely doomed to unravel. - for how much I love Frostbite, I really hate how lame it ends. Like I totally could have said that better or continued the scene a bit but I am LAZY.

General questions:

Looking back, did you write more fics than you thought you would this year, less than you thought, or about what you predicted?

I wrote waaaaaaay more than expected. I figured I’d write something every few months. Now I can write a 2k fic in a setting if I’m on game.

What pairing/genre/fandom did you write that you would never have predicted last year?

I was just doing gen fic last year, never would I have expected to be so taken by Plance that it became my main muse.

What’s your favorite story this year? Not the most popular, but the one that makes you the happiest.

Honestly? Probably Pilot. It was one of my earliest VLD fic ideas to do a Gundam Wing crossover and to actually finish a one shot early in the year (when I was still dipping my feet into fandom again) just made me so so happy. I still smile thinking about the continuation possibilities. One of my favorite parts of Shiro’s character is that he is the ace pilot. Because of Keith’s role that sometimes gets overshadowed. I was so pleased to get to highlight that.

Okay, NOW your most popular story.

On Ao3, that would be Exsanguination. No surprise there, it was my first posted Plance fic and I continued it.

On Tumblr it’s First Encounters, the first of the Altean Plance AU based on the art and headcanons. I was just struck with a clear opening image one afternoon and wrote it all right then and there. I had no idea it would be so well received.

Story most underappreciated by the universe?

Space Birthday. It may have been a bit of a mess since it was my very first VLD fic, but it has everything I love. Hunk bonding with an ‘enemy’ over cooking, Team Punk, Plance in distress, Hunk saves the day thanks to mechanics. Also heartfelt stuff with Keith. And he’s the only Paladin besides Lance to get an actual birthday themed fic from me.

Story that could have been better?

I really hate to say Wrong Diamond, but I totally could have done much better with it. It feels skimpy. Probably why I am still writing in the AU.

Sexiest story?

Ha. That would be a tie between Crystal Clear and Exsanguination. The first I actually tried and the second completely by accident. I’m not sure it worked though.

Saddest story?

All my sad fics have a bit of crack to them. Pilot is pretty melancholy. Crystal Clear has a good Plance argument that gets heated. Road Trip in general though might take the cake. It’s full of angst amid some humor due to the premise.

Most fun?

Shot Through the Heart in terms of tone.

Story with single sweetest moment? Space Birthday

"Uh, Keith, hold up a tic."

Confused, Keith turned back around. "What?"

Hunk rubbed the back of his neck. "So uh, you know we're friends right? Like, I meant what I said we're like brothers. We're tight. I mean, we share a mind inside of a giant robot."

Keith blinked, clearly surprised. "Yeah, I kinda got that from the hug you gave me back then. It was nice," he said with a smile. "And we work well together."

"Yeah so - wait what? No, I'm supposed to be giving you the pep talk here."

"It's fine, Hunk. I'm doing important work and so are you. I already had this talk with Allura."

"Oh. Well, what I'm trying to say is that we're friends. I care a lot about you and your feelings. So if I say something that's weird or you don't like, you gotta tell me. I'm a terrible and nosy person and I'm sorry."

Keith stood silent, processing the words, and then smiling. "I've accepted the side of me that's Galra," he said simply. "It's still a little weird, but I've always had this feeling that something didn't add up." He smiled a bit. "I don't mind a question or two, but I'm still learning myself."

"Deal, no Galra questions for a while then. Just as long as you come visit more often, okay? We all miss you.

"...hug it out?"

Keith snorted and obliged into Hunk's waiting arms. "Always."

Hardest story to write?

I struggled with the ending to Exsanguination. It took forever to come to me.

Easiest/most fun story to write?

I wrote The Secrets of Beasts in one setting and I still can’t believe how easily it came out. I blame the Plance discord folks for putting everyone on a baby craze.

Did any stories shift your perceptions of the characters?

Not particularly? I write based on my existing understanding of the characters and nothing really surprised to that note.

Most overdue story?

Welcome to the Neighborhood. I wanted to write that Allura gen fic all year (as I wanted one for all the Paladins) and I hoped s8 would give me the motivation. It was not worth the cost.

Did you take any writing risks this year? What did you learn from them?

Collaborations! And participating in a zine! And signing up for events (exchanges and bangs)! I learned that it’s not that scary. People are chill and so easy to get along with. Also the task isn’t as daunting as I think of it’s an idea I love.

What are your fic writing goals for next year?

This is hard because I’m already doing above and beyond what I ever expected to be doing writing wise. I suppose it will be to finish my gen fic since I’ve been writing a lot of plance lately.

[kalloway]

Is it okay if I read some of the dialogue you've put into your crossover idea. The Camarilla, Anarchs and Sabbat are going to be confused on what's going on.

Oh for sure - I wouldn’t doubt it’d cause quite a bit of chaos tbh!

And sure Anon - just know it’s nothing special - mostly just ideas I had on how I could possibly introduce Magdalene into the mix tbh 😅

I’ll provide a bit of context/commentary, cuz I do literally write *just* dialogue lmao (fair warning: it’s p lengthy):

“What you’re asking me to do is an utmost crime, Sorcerer. I refuse.”

“Even if it means becoming more powerful? Heightening your Clan’s position?”

“I don’t care about that. First and foremost, I’m loyal to the Camarilla, and Diablerie is a capital crime - irreversible.”

“Your kind is already doomed to the Netherrealm. Why bother upholding such a masquerade?”

“Because I don’t see myself as a monster, and I don’t forget where I came from.”

(This is an isolated idea between Magdalene and possibly Shang Tsung, after the latter finds out about the concept of Diablerie - possibly from the Sabbat, but also possibly previous knowledge from the Moroi?)

“If what you’re suggesting is true, then we’ll need to take this to HQ. Can you be present tomorrow morning to meet?”

“That’s not possible. I’m a night person - I only conduct business after sundown.”

(Whispers to the other) “…telling you - vampire.”

“Very well. Tomorrow evening then?”

“Sure. But let’s keep it brief, alright? I can’t stay away for too long.”

(Just a goofy bit where one of the Kombat Kids (as I’ve heard Cassie, Jaqui, Takeda, and Kung Jin referred to), or maybe just another soldier in general, is super convinced she’s a ‘classic’ vampire, but no one else is buying it)

“Woah, woah! There’s not supposed to be civilians here!”

“What are you doing here?”

(Magdalene): “Investigating.” (She glances at their uniforms) “What’re the Special Forces doing in a dump like this?”

“Investigating. You really shouldn’t be here-“

“My superior begs to differ. This matter is of the utmost importance, and he’s sent me to look into it on his behalf. I’m not leaving.”

“Do you know anything about this incident then?”

“…not much. Probably about as much as you do: It’s a strange series of events leading up to this by some unknown and unseen party.”

“I’d call this a bit more than strange.”

“Whatever you call it, it’s a problem - obviously for the both of us. The sooner we find out what happened, the better.”

“You’re going to help us?”

“And you’re going to help me. If we’re after the same answers, why not make this whole situation mutually beneficial?”

“Well, we don’t really know anything about you. Plus, this is SF business, we can’t really release much information. Classified, you know.”

“My name is Magdalene Brandeis. You don’t know me or my superiors, but we’re on the same side for the moment.”

“‘For the moment’?”

“I have no say in their choices. Kinda what happens when you join in at a bad time.”

(i’m not really sure how I wanna write Mags, so she kinda jumps between super formal and more casual here - it’s her encountering the Kombat Kids while investigating an extremely suspicious incident that resulted in a lot of strange deaths in the building/area - definitely Sabbat work. Imo they grow much bolder after the turn of events leading to the news of new realms.)

“Hey Cass, I did some looking into that woman we were with at the scene of that incident, and got something really weird.”

“What do you mean ‘weird’? The whole thing was way outta wack.”

“Yeah but this is… weirder. I did a search on the name she gave and eventually got a match on a Missing Person’s report from over in Santa Monica, but… That Magdalene woman’s been missing for well over a decade now.”

“What? No way… what do you think it means?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know if I should bring it up to General Blade or not regarding the incident. She didn’t seem like she was involved in it at all.”

“She definitely seemed like she didn’t want to be seen there… like she was keeping a low profile. Maybe she was involved?”

“But she gave us that insight on those other incidents that match this one.”

“Probably ‘cause she knows about them. How would we know if she was involved? But it fits the alibi.”

“What do you mean?”

“Think about it Cass - a woman that’s been missing and presumed dead for over ten years, suddenly shows up at the scene of one of the most horrific crimes in recent history, then starts talking about other similar instances we’d missed going back a few years? She’s definitely in on it.”

“But we have no evidence she’s an enemy-“

“And nothing to prove she’s an ally either, besides her word. Can you trust someone like that?”

“…I’m not sure.”

“I say we report it anyway. At worst, it’s a bad hunch, but at best we possibly nab the person responsible - or one of their lackeys, anyway.”

(I wanted a bit that touched on Mags’ prior involvement in VTMB, so this is just a small call-back to that)

“How did you get in here?”

“Through the front door, actually. I have information you might be interested in, General.”

“And why would we trust someone who waltzes into a military facility like they own the damn place?”

“Because if my superiors found out where I was and what I was going to say, I’d be dead ten times over by now.”

“…who’s your superior?”

“Let’s call them a Council, for simplicity’s sake. They keep a tight leash on their kind, but I’m not… exactly a normal case. Now do you want to hear what I have to say or not? I don’t have all night.”

“Why come at night?”

“It’s quiet at night. I prefer it.”

“Hm. So long as it’s relevant, we could use any help we could get.”

“What causes these incidents - these murders - isn’t like you or I, but something much more primal.”

“An animal?”

“A beast with a superiority complex, honestly.”

“And you think we’d believe that?”

“What else have you encountered could do something like that?”

“I could name a few things…”

“I believe it’s the work of the Sabbat.”

“…the what?”

“The Sabbat. I’ve been informed you’ve heard the term before-“

“Yeah, and it’s strictly SF information only. How’d you hear about it?”

“Everyone knows about it, where I come from. They’re a persistent problem that’s grown wildly out of hand, in recent nights. Do you know what the Sabbat are?”

“We deduce they’re a gang going around murdering innocent people with no rhyme or reason as to why they’re doing it.”

“Hmmm… not bad, not bad. But there IS a reason, and the rhyme may be… disturbing to you.”

“If you know what’s causing the murders and taking our attention away from other more stressing concerns, then by law you’re obligated to inform us.”

“The Sabbat, in essence, strive to be everything you are not: Inhuman. They reject the basic code we all as a society follow, for the most part. They’re arrogant, have no regard for life, and see themselves as higher beings than you. The Sabbat are dangerous, and we’ve been trying to keep them in check for years. Ever since we all found out about the other realms after that incident years ago, we’ve been unable to get a handle on them.”

“…so you’re saying you’ve let them get out of hand?”

“No. The Sabbat are like cockroaches - you can’t seem to ever get rid of them entirely. They’ve never been this persistent or problematic since Los Angeles.”

“What happened in Los Angeles?”

“…nothing worth noting, to you.”

“I-“

“All I’m here to do, is inform you that these are not people. They are not reasonable, and they will kill every single person - human or not - that gets in their way.”

“So what are they, exactly, if they’re not human?”

(I’m not sure I really like this idea, but it was involving Magdalene going out of the way to try and p much stop these guys (Special Forces) from just waltzing to their dooms while also investigating the Sabbat instances. I liked the idea of them being aware of the name, but not aware of what they are. I never decided how to finish that up though, hence the dead-end here)

“The fact that we may very well be able to ascertain our own origins is an interesting premise, don’t you think? Poetic, even. We’ve spent so long in the dark, only to realize it was only *this* realm that held us back.”

(I typed this up after Beckett was mentioned in a previous ask - idk if it’s something he would say, but it’s a line of dialogue I kind of like so 🤷‍♀️)

Aaand that’s all I got, for now Anon! 

Sorry it’s not much - it takes me a long time to sorta piece ideas together or some up with a *coherent* plot of any sort 😂 (it’s why my in-progress fanfic is taking… so long….)

i’m juggling so many AU ideas rn, it’s not even funny. Idk how you writer types ever stay organized or on top of ur fics in reasonable order… I just wing it every time and hope for the best, ngl ᕕ(ᐛ)ᕗ

[hawk-in-a-jazzy-hat]

Anime Review: The Seven Deadly Sins (Season 1)

In a world where humans and magical beings had yet to split, signs of war were imminent and the country was protected by the group of mages known as the Holy Knights. But there was a group that split off, and terrorised the land. A group of seven immensely powerful beings, each branded with the sign of their sin, and designated the Seven Deadly Sins.

The owner of a travelling pub known as the Boar Hat finds himself in an interesting situation when a rusted suit of armour bursts through his door, only to collapse, revealing an unconscious girl inside. It soon turns out that the Holy Knights are searching for her, for she is Princess Elizabeth, third princess to the kingdom. She ran away, claiming the knights are corrupt and tyrannical, and her mission is to gather the Seven Deadly Sins in order to rise up and save her family and her kingdom. But after the owner of the bar gets himself involved, she makes a miraculous discovery; he is in fact Meliodas, the Dragon Sin of Wrath and leader of the Sins themselves. Together, they pledge to go out into the world and find the other six Sins, and maybe bring this fractured land back to rights.

But what is the true agenda of the Holy Knights? And what are the true characters of the Sins themselves? Are they misunderstood heroes, or is there some truth to the terrible legends...

I’m reminded at this point of an anime reviewer I follow called Jacob Chapman (formerly JesuOtaku). He does very good and very in-depth reviews and honestly he was the one who got me into anime in the first place. I want to quote something he said back, when he was doing videos, when talking about a more classic show called the Vision of Escaflowne.

“Can a series be great on execution alone? Could perfect pacing, taut delivery and gripping tension save a story and characters that are old as dirt and nothing special?” [JesuOtaku’s Top 25 Favorite Anime]

Far be it for me to steal his thunder, but I honestly cannot think of a better question to ask when addressing the Seven Deadly Sins. Well, sort of. I want to add a little extra from my personal experience, since it will very much determine the final score I’m going to give this show:

Is it possible for a good show to be made great solely due to a single episode?

We’ve laid down our learning objectives, so with that, we can begin.

The animation is by A-1 Pictures; the Dreamworks of anime studios. They can push out some of the best shows and some of the best-looking shows on the market, but they push out so much stuff (Sword Art Online has obviously set them for life) that the quality can be a bit of a roulette wheel, though I will admit there’s more good than bad. Thankfully Seven Deadly Sins is on the higher-end of that scale, at least on the animation front. It’s straight shounen, and it has all the straight-shounen animation tricks; bright colours, simple but well-directed talking heads and panning shots mixed with some genuinely impressive fights. There is a lot of magic at work here and a lot of the characters are reeeeally powerful, so it’s nice to see the animation can handle it well. It’s not One Punch Man level, but the fights are still immensely fun to watch.

The music is Hiroyuki Sawano. I need say no more; you know exactly what you’re going to get, and you know it’s going to be absolutely epic. It’s also themed well, having a goodly amount of Celtic fiddle and fast-paced percussion, mixed with powerful vocals and guitar riffs. It’s symphonic rock, and honestly that’s perfect for this kind of show. The openings and endings are pretty standard rock fare, with the exception of the second opening which relies a bit more on the vocals and a bit less on playing-as-fast-as-possible, making for a more emotional opening. But overall, s’good stuff.

Now, those who know me may know that I’m not really the biggest fan of shounen. I tend not to hate it, but I tend not to love it either. And that’s what Seven Deadly Sins is; a paint-by-numbers, very safe and very standard shounen with all the standard shounen tropes. Cute animal sidekick? Check. Naive, weak (usually female) side character who acts as the human contact but ultimately means little to the main story? Check. Team member who is likely to betray the main character at any point? Double check. Initial villain who makes a heel-face turn? Checkity-check. Slightly goofy but insanely powerful main character with a very dangerous daaaaark siiiiiide? Oh boy, check. Pretty much every plot twist and character arc is on the table from the moment it’s introduced, so much so that it doesn’t seem worth going through it at all. I could just say ‘it’s a standard shounen’ and leave it at that.

But I won’t, because there are four very good reasons why this show in particular got me in ways that HunterXHunter, or heck, even Soul Eater, couldn’t quite.

The first is very simple; I’m a sucker for this setup. Any show which involves running around trying to ‘get the gang together’ as it were is just immediately attractive to me, probably because I like seeing different and insane characters bouncing off of each other. Add in the nice high-fantasy setting and the interesting setup with the Holy Knights (and for once, pretty much all of the standard one-off villains are actually unique in design and power, which you don’t see often), and I was left inherently excited for the concept.

The second reason is as I mentioned above; while the premise and characters are standard, the execution is very nearly spot-on. There is practically no filler in the whole show (granted it’s only 24 episodes, but for a shounen that’s still impressive). The show is heavily serialised, with elements and characters being introduced in early arcs, being left alone for a few episodes, then coming back again at the opportune moment. And it’s not just the ‘get the gang together’ plot happening at any time; there are rumblings going on within the Holy Knights, there are important items to collect, and of course all the characters have their own troubles to work through. And it all ties together very nicely; the discovery of a new Sin can also lead into the origin of a new villain and foreshadowing for the big final twist. It sounds like basic writing practise, but honestly in shounen, which is usually so arc-based with very little crossover in between, it is an utter gift to see actual PLANNING for once.

In fact, it’s planned so well that by the time the ending comes around, everything important is wrapped up. Not absolutely everything; heck, we only meet six of the Sins and only go into four of them in any depth. But as an actual ending, it addresses everything important that was brought up within the show. The initial objective? Addressed. All the side-arcs and villain-arcs? Addressed. Even things that are left open are purposely left open; characters turn round and say “I haven’t forgotten this, but let’s just wrap this thing up first.” It’s really quite stunning because, again, you see it so rarely in this kind of show. I want to see a second season, but I would be happy if it ended here. It’s open, without being unfinished, and that is such a breath of fresh air like you wouldn’t believe.

So a premise I like with near flawless execution. Is it still enough to get past the standard tropiness? Well...that’s the thing; there are one or two original ideas here...I...think. Not so much with the plot or the world, but especially with the characters. Not so much the side characters; while they are explored well and in-depth, the Holy Knights never really become something ‘new’. Even Elizabeth and mascot character Hawk are kind of familiar roles, despite both being done well. But what I did find interesting were the Sins themselves.

On the one hand, it’s nice to see some diversity. It’s not just a bunch of powerful warriors; we have a giant, a fairy and immortal(s?) on board, and everyone is visually distinct and has their own unique powers. That’s all well and great in itself, but then we find out which sin they each represent. And I’ll be honest, I was often taken aback.

The seven deadly sins as a concept has been done to death by this point; FullMetal Alchemist, Se7en, heck, even Pokemon and Digimon have had a crack at it. And with each variant you always sort of see the same ideas being pulled out; sloth is lazy, lust is an attractive woman, envy is wormy and obnoxious etc etc. You can usually guess who will fit each role, but here, it doesn’t always go with what you’d expect.

For example, the leader Meliodas is short, kinda pervy but immensely easy-going and even cocky. You’d expect him to represent pride, or maybe sloth at a push, but nope. He’s wrath.

When you meet Diane, the awesome giant lady and my favourite character, she’s a little ditzy, but obviously immensely strong with a short temper. You’d really expect her to be either sloth or wrath, or maybe gluttony or...envy? Yeah, in a weird twist, the arguably most outgoing member of the group is the representation of envy. That...never happens, and it took me a little while to figure out why it was her. I mean yes, they gave her a crush on Meliodas, but it seemed a little superficial when compared to what her actual character was.

It wasn’t until about halfway through the series when I figured it out, and why it seemed so far removed from other examples I’d seen. With things like FMA or Digimon, the sins are the literal representation of, well, their respective sin. But here, despite the name, the Sins are not represented by their respective sins; if anything, they are held back by them. Each vice represents each member at their absolute worst.

When you look at it this way, a lot of the backstories and character quirks suddenly explain a lot. Diane being envy actually makes a lot of sense, since as a giant around humans she often feels out of place and awkward, and is looking for acceptance. Her envious side is the worst side of herself. Ban of greed and King of sloth have similar issues; each one tries to be the best of themselves, but are forever branded and atoning for past sins they committed. And then there’s Meliodas of wrath, and let me just say...yeesh.

It’s very rare in a shounen that main characters are defined by their worst aspects. Even if many of them have fascinating flaws which are well explored, not often are they pushed to the front and centre of their every action, sometimes unfairly. The only one I can think off would be Yusuke Urameshi from Yu Yu Hakusho, who is such an annoying arsehole for the entirety of the series that it actually flips him around in the latter half and makes him stronger.

The Seven Deadly Sins are constantly fighting against the worst of themselves. Unless they ever atone, they will always be damned by their own title. That’s both a creative way of using the sins (despite being weirdly obvious) but also allows for some really interesting character stuff. I honestly can’t wait to see what they do with lust, because the reveal of their actual character was perfect, and I can’t wait to see how far they go down their darkest road.

So despite the plot being simple, the main characters actually have quite a bit of depth to them. Even so, I wouldn’t say it was so well handled that it would push it anything up from a straight recommendation. It’s immensely entertaining, with a bit of depth and drama to it, but nothing absolutely stunning or mindblowing.

Except...there’s one more reason why I find this show awesome. And it goes back to my other point, because it is all a single episode.

That is episode 19. And it might just be the single greatest episode of shounen I’ve seen in my entire life.

Everything came together at the right moment. The character arcs had hit the right place, and the tension was at its peak. The most interesting villain of the show was ready to strike, and I was genuinely scared for one of the sins. And then, just when it mattered, we finally discovered the full story.

I was marathoning this at the time, and I don’t know if any of my fellow members noticed, but I was actually on the verge of crying throughout this episode. It was beautiful, it was adorable, it was immensely tragic yet still hopeful, and it explained EVERYTHING. THAT is how you do backstory. Heck, that’s how you do characters to begin with. And for the characters in question, it totally appealed to both the worst of themselves, while finally breaking through and showing the best of themselves.

I loved this episode. I wanted to take it home and watch it again and again with a pot of houmous and just live in the moment again and again. Just...that right there? That is my jam. That is what made the Seven Deadly Sins for me.

Can a tired concept be made great through perfect execution? Honestly, of course it can. Originality can only get you so far. All those important things like pacing and planning and foreshadowing and editing; all the things that you need but nobody remembers, probably make up for at least half of every true great out there. Heck, you don’t need me to tell you this. Look at the Lego movie. An utter cash-in based on a toy which needed no effort put into it whatsoever, and yet what did we end up with? A movie so absolutely wonderfully brilliant that people were angry that it didn’t get nominated for an academy award. Any concept can be great if you do it right; no matter how tired it is.

As it stands, Seven Deadly Sins is a solid recommendation. It’s not perfect, and yeah it’s not finished either, and frankly it’s not really my kind of thing, in theory, but it’s done so well and so completely that I can’t help but give it a solid 7.

Is what I would say.

But frankly, when something is as solid is this, and then does one thing – just one thing – really, really astonishingly well, it would be lax of me not to take notice.

So, I can proudly boost my score by a whole point, making this show not only one of the greats, but without a doubt my favourite shounen as of yet. The effort that went into making this show the best that it could be – pushing the basic structure further and further to make it as perfect as possible, is utterly admirable. The animation and fight scenes are wonderful, the music is phenomenal, the characters are delightful and the whole thing is just immensely fun from start to finish.

Who could have guessed? Even a curmudgeonly old critic like me can be won over if something’s done well enough.

My score: 8/10

[phoenixmartinez-ride]

Iron Wings

A Maximum Ride/MCU crossover.

Basically Max ends up in Avengers tower with a badly broken wing and the flock hangs out with Tony and the gang. 

Hey Guys, I'm back from the writing graveyard. And, yeah, I know I should be working on MtP or even D:tNG but a) I have writer’s block on those at the moment and b) I actually had written new chapters for both of them but then my laptop crashed again and I lost what I had written. This is something different, though. It’s kind of lame and Mary-Sueish in places but I don’t really give a shit, because this idea has been bugging me for nearly a year now. So I haven’t done anything for the Maximum Ride fandom in years and I haven’t written anything for the Marvel fandom AT ALL yet so this is kind of different. Like I’m writing this mostly for myself, because it’s total crap, but sharing is caring and all that so I'm posting it anyway. Note: there’s been a significant timeskip between the Max Ride books and this story. Max is about nineteen in this. Also, I’m disregarding the last few books in the series, because they’re crap. It's set after CA: CW too.

Max POV We landed in a clearing a few miles away from the building. We’d spotted the abandoned School building about a month ago and had been watching it ever since, to make sure that it really was abandoned. No one had come in or out and there had been no deliveries, so we were relatively confident that no Whitecoats was inside. Normally, we would have totally ignored any building to do with the school and flow away as fast as possible but we’d only recently escaped a different School after being held captive for eight months. We needed supplies and money, and abandoned Schools were always a good place to start. For one thing, they always had a large stash of cash on the premises in case they needed to bribe or pay off somebody. It was a gamble whether or not it would still be there, but there was always a large pile of expensive scientific equipment that we could offload for cash. “So, let’s go over the plan one more time.” I said as we huddled in a circle. “Max will go inside and sweep the building for any Whitecoats or other dangers. If she doesn’t come back within two hours, we will all storm the building and find out what’s wrong.” Said Angel. “Thank you, Angel. OK, so I’ll see you guys within the next two hours.” I adjusted my backpack and walked a little away from the group. Fang followed me. “Are you absolutely sure you want to do this alone? I’d be totally happy to come with you.” I rolled my eyes. “Yes, Fang, I’m sure. You know I’m stronger than the entire flock put together. I can look after myself.” “Ha-ha. You got a new power of super strength. No need to rub it in my face all the time.” I shrugged. “What’s the fun in being the strongest member of the Flock if I can’t tease you about it?” “Har-de-har-har. Just make sure you come back, okay? And I love you.” He said, pulling me into a hug. “Love you too. And of course I’ll come back. I’m the one and only Maximum Ride.”

I landed on the roof of the building of a crouch and folded my wings in. I glanced around. It looked like the roof of every large building. Ducts and vents and air conditioner exhausts. Trash and pipes. I spotted a small building with a door. It was locked, of course, but that was no longer a problem for me. I turned the handle and pushed the door hard and heard the thin metal of the locking mechanism snap in two. The door swung open and exposed a dimly lit staircase. I walked down the staircase silently, making as little noise as possible. I looked in every room I passed just enough to make sure no one was inside, but no more. My job here was to sweep the building for people, not search for money or other valuable items. We would do that later when I had confirmed that no one was going to attack us. When I pushed open I next door, I had to take a moment to catch my breath. The room was filled with dog crates. I walked through the room slowly, brushing my fingers along the bars of an empty cage. Suddenly, I heard a noise out in the hallway. Quickly, I jumped up on top of a cage by the door and crouched down, ready to pounce on anyone unlucky enough to walk through the door. Soon, women with curly red hair in a black catsuit. She had a holstered gun strapped to each leg. I jumped off the cage and knocked her to the ground, catching her by surprise. The first thing I did was grab her guns and throw them across the room. She looked at me in shock for a second before jumping back up and aimed a kick at my face. I managed to dodge it. we fought for a few minutes. she was a good fighter, probably better than me, but I was stronger, faster and more agile, which gave me an edge. After a while, I managed to pin her against the wall. She struggled but I managed to keep her pinned. "Who are you and what are you doing here?" I asked angrily. I couldn't believe I'd been so stupid! Why on earth would they have left a School abandoned without someone to guard it? She continued struggling. "Tony! Little help please?" she yelled. So she was going to be difficult. I put my hands around her throat. "I'm Going to ask again. Who are you and where are the rest of the Whitecoats?" I heard footsteps outside the door but before I could turn to investigate the room filled with a high pitched whining noise. Shocked, I let go of the women and we both dropped to our knees, her gasping for air and me with my hands over my ears. I saw a man step into the room and help the women up. At least, I thought it was a man. He looked like a red and gold robot. I didn't have enough time to think about it anymore, though because I was starting to get tunnel vision. I slumped over to one side and passed out.

OK, so that's the first chapter. And if you're wondering, yes Max fought Natasha. Like I said, this is pretty cliched but whatever. It's fun to write and that's what matters. Fly On, Phoenix (and no, that not a reference to Max and Fang's daughter from the last book because I've been using this name for years, so Patterson can suck it.)

[thevalicemultiverse]

Things You Need To Know About: In The River Valley

Tag: ~V: In The River Valley

Premise: Victor wasn’t sure what would come after the Land of the Dead, though he knew something must. A strange pastoral landscape dominated by a river, with his body restored to 19-year-old youth, was not what he expected, but he’d certainly take it. One problem – he’s revived in this new world separated from his wife. Fortunately he’s already made some new friends ready and willing to help him find her, including one Alice Liddell. But then there’s the next problem – he’s starting to develop feelings for Alice…

This AU is basically a post-canon crossover between Corpse Bride, the Alice games, and the Back To The Future trilogy & BTTF: The Game using the rough setting of the Riverworld from the Philip Jose Farmer books. In this world, Victor had his adventure with Emily, and then settled down into married life with Victoria with no further issue (well, other than Pastor Galswells calling him damned, meaning they had to get another pastor in for the wedding). He lived a happy, full life, complete with taking over the cannery when William finally retired (in name, anyway -- everyone knew that it was the foreman who was really running things), getting two new dogs (a husky named Bayard and a corgi named Lightning), and having three children with Victoria -- twins James and Emma and single son Charles. He died at the age of 85, waited patiently for a year in the Land of the Dead for Victoria to join him, spent another two years with her exploring the pleasures of the place, and then prepared to move on with her at his side.

To his surprise, "moving on" seems to involve waking up on a grassy riverbank in a strange one-piece blue outfit, restored to his 19-year-old body -- and surrounded by strangers speaking what he later learns is Italian. Baffled, he searches through the crowd for someone who speaks either of the two languages he knows -- English and French -- and comes across a lady who speaks both (as revealed when they start off in French, but then she notices his accent and switches back to English). She introduces herself as Alice Liddell and explains that she had roughly the same experience as him -- she'd been in the Land of the Dead, preparing to move on with her family, and had woken up here all alone. And while she can't complain about the look of the place so far, she's a bit sour at being separated from her parents and especially her sister yet again.

Victor, understanding this feeling, makes her an offer -- they stick together and look for his wife and her sister together. She accepts, just in time for someone else to hear the conversation and ask if he can join too. He introduces himself as Dr. Emmett Brown, saying he's been separated from his wife and his best friend and would appreciate the help in looking for them. Victor and Alice are open to having another companion, and scour the crowd to see if there's anyone else who wants to join them. There is --and to Victor's delight, it's Bonejangles, restored to life just like the rest of them. He's keen on finding Emily, whom he's missed ever since she moved on. The four band together and, after a bit of adjustment to the rules of this new world (such as apparently magical mushroom-like things that fill cannisters with food -- Dr. Brown's going on about 'energy-matter conversion' but it's all Italian to Victor), head out along the river to find their missing loved ones.

It's a long trek, though a pleasant one -- the "mushrooms" provide food and other things; the weather is largely pleasant with few periods of rain; the landscape is beautiful, with a largely pastoral air; and the company quite entertaining. Victor happily resumes his friendship with Bonejangles (aka Sam Thatcher), and rapidly grows close to both "Doc" Brown (whose stories of the future time period he lived in Victor finds fascinating) and Alice. Very close to Alice, in fact -- about two months into their journey, he realizes that he's starting to develop feelings for her. A near-miss kiss on the banks of the river one starry night confirms she's starting to fall for him too, but both of them agree to delay any start of a relationship until they're both certain Victor's unlikely to ever find Victoria again.

Two weeks later, they come across Victoria -- and Doc's wife Clara, and his best friend Marty, and Marty's wife Jennifer, and Emily, and Alice's sister Lizzie.  The latter two are chasing around two other men -- Victor recognizes in horror Barkis Bittern, while Alice furiously informs him the other is Angus Bumby, the man responsible for her losing her family in the first place. There's a bit of chaos as the three groups collide, which is eventually broken up by someone demanding order on "his" bit of the river. Doc recognizes the man as an old foe of his, Kid Tannen -- but it seems age and being deposited on the "Riverworld" has mellowed the man out some, as he merely asks what the hell is going on and how he can stop it interrupting his card game. Barkis and Bumby are outed as the murderers they are, and they're chased off by some of Tannen's friends. Tannen himself tells them to take a hike as he doesn't like the look of their faces, and they're only too happy to comply -- after a few minutes for a joyous reunion, of course.

Later on, safely settled out of Tannen territory, Victor guiltily confesses to Victoria about the near-kiss, and how close he's grown to Alice. Victoria's response?

"...would now be a good time to admit I kissed Emily?"

As it turns out, she and Emily ended up developing feelings for each other while on the search for him and Emily's other Land of the Dead friends. Victor, not sure how to take this, asks Emily about it, and she confirms the story -- and admits she's not quite over him either. Fortunately, it's about this point that Marty asks what's going on -- and, upon being told, informs them of some interesting discoveries regarding romance and sex that his time period was privy to; namely the "queer"/LGBTA+ spectrum of sexualities and polyamory. Having names for some of their feelings helps Victor, Victoria, Emily, and Alice sort things out, and they decide they might as well try having a sort of open relationship all together. ("After all, it's not like we can really get married again here -- unless you want to track down Pastor Galswells." "Oh God no!") It works out surprisingly well, and the gang decides to just keep traveling together over the world. After all, there's a lot of it to explore -- and maybe someday, they'll figure out why they're here in the first place...

This verse has two distinct time periods/locations threads can be set in:

For I Would Walk 500 Miles: The period of time before Victor, Alice, Doc and Bonejangles encounter their missing loved ones again. Victor's roaming along the edge of the river and surrounding environs, searching for his lost love. He's worried about Victoria (and his children -- did they end up here as well?), and is wondering if he'll ever see her again...but at least he has excellent company on the journey. Although...the way Alice makes him feel...but no -- he and Victoria had that incident with Emily already. He's going to stay faithful. At least, until he's certain she's gone forever. Could you help him make sure?

We'll Be Counting Stars: The period after the three groups collide and everyone is reunited. Victor really didn't expect his wife to be so understanding about him falling in love again with another woman -- but then, he also didn't expect her to have fallen in love with what is technically his ex-fiancee. And the fact that they're all willing to give just being together in one little group a try...not to mention all the new friends he's made with Doc Brown and his family, plus the McFlys and Alice's sister...when did he ever get so lucky? Probably best not to question it -- just enjoy it while it lasts. And besides, he's got bigger things to worry about -- now that Victoria's been found, it's time to locate his kids! And his pets, if he can find them.

Common NPCs:

Alice Liddell (throughout)

Victoria Everglot (We'll Be Counting Stars)

Emily Cartwell (We'll Be Counting Stars)

Lizzie Liddell (We'll Be Counting Stars)

Emmett Brown (throughout)

Marty McFly (We'll Be Counting Stars)

Jennifer Parker (We'll Be Counting Stars)

Clara Clayton (We'll Be Counting Stars)

Bonejangles (throughout)

Scraps, Bayard, and Lightning (We'll Be Counting Stars)

Shipping: More poly fun! Between Victor and Victoria having been happily married in the past, Victor and Alice developing feelings for each other while on the search for Victoria, Victoria and Emily developing feelings for each other while on the search for Victor, and Emily and Victor rekindling their spark upon reuniting -- well, it just made sense for them to fall into a four-way relationship. They're all a little surprised at how things turned out, but very content with it too.

NPC Ships: Marty McFly/Jennifer Parker; Emmett Brown/Clara Clayton; Lizzie Liddell/Bonejangles

Important Facts:

While this AU uses the general Riverworld  setting, certain elements have been tweaked -- you'll notice that nobody ended up on the banks of the river hairless and naked! There's also more animal life than just fish in the river (Victor can still chase his butterflies, and I have an idea that stray pets are wandering around having fun waiting for their masters), and the matter converters that provide the food can also provide other things upon request (Victor will eventually end up with a very futuristic roll-up keyboard for his musical needs). Basically this is "Riverworld, but with everything I thought was stupid taken out/changed."

Speaking of that, don't expect to see any "canon" Riverworld characters, in particular the famous Richard Burton. I -- well -- all right, I actually loathed the first book I read in the series and found Burton in particular to be a horse's ass. I just like the general idea behind the universe. Fandom fun only here!

NPC Alice's history includes both games and a smidge of Otherlands -- while there was no great "Leviathan" threat to all of London, Alice did figure out she had a magical talent for jumping into other people's minds. She used it to help out the children of London, working part-time at Houndsditch with Dr. Wilson and June Thatcher (her other job was at the Royal Opera as a stagehand, as hinted in "A Night At The Opera"). She died at the age of 83, not perfectly content with her life but figuring she'd made the best possible of it. Her parents and sister had managed to hang onto themselves long enough to meet her down there (though they'd decayed all the way down to skeletons -- No Rot only works for so long), and the four had prepared to move on together when they were taken to Riverworld. The elder Liddells woke up together in a different spot on the river, and they're on the move looking for their daughters, much like Alice (and later Lizzie) are looking for them.

Doc, Clara, Marty, and Jennifer's history includes the trilogy of movies and the Telltale Game, with just a bit of the Ride -- after the events in 1931, Doc and his wife set up a proper part-time home in Hill Valley 1986, with Doc eventually gaining fame as the inventor of personal hover technology -- first in the form of the hoverboard, then in flying cars. He and the boys (Jules as a fellow scientist, Verne as the PR guy) set up their brand as the Institute of Future Technology, which developed into a full-blown lab on the outer edge of the town, employing and encouraging the best and the brightest. Marty, meanwhile, became a reasonably-successful musician with the Pinheads for a few years, before retiring to a life of songwriting. He and Jennifer married in a proper chapel and eventually had twins -- Douglas and Marlene (Marty slightly soured on "Marty Jr" after his first trip to 2015), though -- as he learned when they were five -- they were actually Marlene and Douglas. They all spent a happy life together, managing to keep future time travel trips to the "sightseeing" kind. Doc naturally was the first to pass on, and was absolutely dumbfounded by the Land of the Dead -- he spent most of his time before his wife and best friends arrived making a thorough study of the place. Like the Liddells, they'd planned to move onto whatever came next together, but the Riverworld had other ideas. When resurrected, Doc resembles his 1931 self, Clara looks like the teenage version of herself briefly glimpsed in the comics, and Marty and Jennifer as they do in BTTF I.

Much like Alice has her Otherlands "enter other's minds" ability, Victor has some minor magical talent -- the whole experience with Emily and the Land of the Dead inspired him to research it. He and Victoria both know Scrub & Shine, Mend The Shattered, Warmth & Chill (heating and cooling spell) and Flower's Blush -- Victor also knows Glowing Orb and Break The Bonds Of Earth (allows levitation of objects).

There will probably be appearances from all the children and parents of the main characters as applicable. This doesn't have to be in NPC form either -- if you play one of the appropriate characters, feel free to jump in! Think of how hilarious it'll be for poor Victor to have to explain his current romantic situation to his mother, Maudeline Everglot, AND Lorina Liddell.

This verse is open to everyone!