#own voices reviewer

[us-the-voices-and-more-voices-2]

I forget sometimes you guys have not watched half the shows I have,

you guys would EXPLODE if I tried to explain mort lore.

(from yk dream works's Madagascar?? yeah that guy? little brown lemur? yeah fucked up, almost completely crazed fever dream lore.)

anyway I was thinking about the cinematic parallels with chef and Chris from total drama and how it's literally the same fucking thing that happens in Hannibal mostly.

murderous eccentric loved by many: Chris

manipulates, doesn't care how many he kills because it's exciting: Chris

mutilates and disfigures people for his own enjoyment: Chris

wealthy: Chris

gets sent to jail because he's a fucking murder: Chris

pulls a good guy and turns him evil and is gay for him: Chris

I can go on and on, uh you may be saying

"what the fuck?? that happens in this show??? what's it even rated??"

it's PG, guys.. it's a kids show. total drama is surprisingly dark, it's awesome I suggest it if you like weird shows that are a spoof of survivor.

but my god is the show literally just Chris being fucking murderous and gay for chef the entire time.

THIS MAN HAS KILLED 78 PEOPLE HE CANNONICALLY WENT TO PRISON FOR IT. CHEF LITERALLY GOT HIM OUT.

(mostly it was the show getting another season, idk how they got him out of jail. 100% it was chef tho)

like they are full on murder husbands, this show is so chaotic and cringe but mostly just "CHRIS WTF" it's fucking great.

literally inlove gay murder husbands, it's fucking crazy how similar it parallels Hannibal (2013) while being older than it.

I love this show it's awesome.

#-pop #tv and movie stuff #us-the-voices talks #us the voices reviews #total drama #chris mclean #chef #Hannibal #hannibal nbc #hannibal lecter #will graham #hannigram #chrism clean x chef #no literally mort lore is so incredibly crazed and requires watching “all hail king Julian” all 3 Madagascar movies AND #“Penguins of Madagascar” the tv series. literally like 5+ seasons and 3 movies and still it's impossible to explain #mort is both life and heat death. he is both man woman and wood chips he ate his fucking wife. he is is own father and a TON of other thing #mort lore is not for the WEAKKK #I forget people haven't watched the absolute masterpiece that is all hail king Julian. I should have got nominated for like 5 awards #it's for the fucked up queers and Madagascar fans (not really but yeah) #THE BELL SNAILS #OH MY GOD #I CAN'T TELL YOU THE AMOUT OF CRAZY SHIT

[submissive-and-readable]

Sheine Lende by Darcie Little Badger

Source: NetGalley ARC

Publisher: Levine Querido

Release date: 16 April 2024

Genre: young adult historical/urban fantasy (70s rural Texas)

If you like:

dogs (ghost dogs!)

various ghost animals, existing and extinct

no romance whatsoever

hope and community in the midst of grief and loss

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Synopsis

Shane works with her mother and their ghost dogs, tracking down missing persons even when their families can't afford to pay. Their own family was displaced from their traditional home years ago following a devastating flood - and the loss of Shane's father and her grandparents. They don't think they'll ever get their home back.

Then Shane's mother and a local boy go missing, after a strange interaction with a fairy ring. Shane, her brother, her friends, and her lone, surviving grandparent - who isn't to be trusted - set off on the road to find them. But they may not be anywhere in this world - or this place in time.

Nevertheless, Shane is going to find them.

Content warnings

Colonisation

Loss of close family members

Illness

Natural disasters

Grief

Review

I found out about this book while scrolling through NetGalley, and the second I saw that it was a prequel to Elatsoe, I had to read it.

This is a prequel about Elatsoe's grandmother Shane as a 17 year old girl, but you don't have to read Elatsoe to know what's going on, and both books can be read in either order as standalones.

This book is so well-crafted and thoughtful; it took me a little while to fully immerse myself in the story, because the setting and vibe is so different from Elatsoe, and it is a little slower paced, but once I got into the groove, the story flowed over me.

We follow Shane as she tries to figure out the mystery of her mother's and a child's disappearance, and along the way we learn about her history, as well as explore her relationships with her family and friends.

A strong focus of the book is on Shane's grief; grief from losing not only her home and her family members, but also losing her culture and language. This book tackles the harms caused by colonialism, which goes beyond stealing land, but also erases culture and peoples.

At its heart, this book is about family and community. At times Shane may feel alone, like she has to take on her burdens by herself, but her friends and family are always there for her (dead or alive).

I also loved Rovina Cai's lovely illustrations at each chapter heading; they tell a story parallel to the main story, and they add another layer of depth.

Overall, this is book was written full of heart, and it shows <3

#sheine lende #darcie little badger #booklr #book review #rovina cai #readblr #elatsoe #native american #indiginous authors #urban fantasy #own voices #young adult #ya books #ya fantasy #ya fiction

[larrylimericks]

22Mar23

Congrats, Lou, on opening night! Thanks for sharing your fears, faith and fight. You deserve your success And that maximum bless — And that hug left us high as a kite!

#larry #louis #louis tomlinson #aotv #all of those voices #harry #harry styles #larry hug #larry hug 2.0 #i'm about to post my aotv review #accompanied by a surly limerick #which i kept feeling guilty about #so i wrote a celebratory one #choose your own adventure #aotv spoilers #limerick-lt #march 22 #2023 #i loved matt's line: #minimim stress maximum bless

[recurring-polynya]

Mods are asleep, post Akon gree cards

#akon bleach #mr regular voice: rare! RARE! ULTRA RARE! #(this is a joke from a corvette show review youtube video that my husband and i yell at each other all the time sorry to subject you to it) #why does everyone else get cards where they are dressed like clowns or toddlers or Santa Claus? #and akon only gets Dramatic Lab Power Poses? #i imagine he threatened to quit otherwise #oh man you know what would be great? Gotei stock photography #random collections of too many captains and lieutenants standing around a laptop showing a ppt about Valley of Screams situations #Yamamoto pretending to fire the kidou cannon #looks it's 10am on a Saturday this joke is very funny in my head #anyway i need to figure out how to make my own gree cards this man deserves to get silly. for a treat

[the---hermit]

Time Is A Mother by Ocean Vuong

As I think I have mentioned in other posts one of my goals is to get back into poetry. I loved it in high school, but after I stopped studying it I stopped reading any poetry. So I really took my time reading this book, I didn't want to rush it, and I still have to get back into being used to reading poetry. I read a few poems a day when I was in the mood for it, I annotated it, I savoured it. I have yet to learn how to review and discuss poetry collections to be honest. I don't know where to start. The author's writing is absolutely stunning,the imagery is beatiful, and the phrasing is gorgeous. I feel like it would be worth it to read just for that. The themes are varied, but you can always feel how personal they are to the author. Some of my favorutie poems from this collection were: Beautiful Short Loser, The Last Dinosaur, Not Even, Reasons For Staying and Almost Human. These of course are just a few, but I really loved them. I am definitely looking forward to read more poetry, to read more stuff by Ocean Vuong, because it's an absolute pleasure to read his words, and to reread this poetry collection in a few years. I feel like once I get more into reading poetry it will feel differently, and maybe being in a different moment of my life will make me pick on different things. In general I can only say that if you are curious about his work, is surely worth it.

Also I had completly forgot that I added this on thestorygraph as my book for the studyblr w/knives pride reading challenge #own voices prompt. So I should have waited to post my last reading challenge update, but whatever.

#as i said i really have to learn how to review this type of book #because it's a whole other thing from talking about novels or non fiction #book #books #2022 book #book cover #time is a mother #ocean vuong #book rec #book review #book recommendation #poetry #poetry collection #contemporary poetry #bookish #reading #pretty covers #studyblr w/knives reading challenge #pride reading challenge #own voices #mine #the---hermit

[teanderthalrex]

Kasey LeBlanc Acknowledgement in Flyboy???

Okay, so I have been reading Flyboy, which is an own voices YA magical realism story with a trans male lead. Well, I finished it today and got to the acknowledgements and

This was there?? I was so excited to get the chance to read Flyboy and review it for the School Library Journal because it's rare I'm given a book with a trans main character to review. Obviously, I don't review books from authors outright supporting genocide though. So fucking disappointing.

Anyway, send me recs for other good trans own-voices stories to fill the void!

#free palestine #fuck zionism #fuck israel #kasey leblanc #flyboy #trans rights #trans story #own voices #palestine #free gaza #book review #well not really but hey #it is what it is

[theres-whump-in-that-nebula]

When British writers come up with an American character’s dialogue and give them the most painfully British things to say with their American accent and inflection and it makes the actor come off as stiff. :P

#The Oxford Murders (2008) #I mean it was a very well-done movie visually (that flowy choreographed camera work in the beginning WOW) #The plot was apparently hard to follow and it’s not just my lack of spoken dialogue comprehension and attention working against me #I always have to check reviews to make sure I’m not the only person having a hard time following a story #because I’ve been trained through life not to trust my own mind due to its faultiness… #Anyway: When Seldom said something like “…only mathematics can be proven. Basic statements like two plus two equals four #are the only things sure in this world” I— 💀 HELP no no no… one of the previous characters you played #would like to kiss this new character of yours on the mouth for what he just said— ashsisksnsksjjsjdjdmsksk #That is until you elaborated on it and then basically took the side of his persecutor… THAT sucked #And I know my speech right now does not come off as naturally as it once did (or is it) I have no idea #if this is my real voice or the absorption’s afterglow causing me to speak in such an uptight manner #but I don’t mind it #but I do mind it #because no matter what combination of words I use it doesn’t sound or feel as if I am the one speaking — I stitch together what I hear #or have I only been conditioned to think the way I speak isn’t natural because nobody in my immediate life speaks like this #Who says stitching together words into a gigantic quilt isn’t natural for me? #But that still leaves me with no soul. I’m Pete the Parrot. Or Bumblebee. #Maybe I shouldn’t speak or write; maybe I need to master visual telepathy #or a language comprised entirely of touch and eye movement #I always feel the need to create languages so I can express myself without falling into cliches and dialects #I want to be free of stereotypes #I’m tired of speaking this language… EXHAUSTED #I speak in predictable patterns and when I think I’m not using a pattern by being unpredictable; the unpredictability becomes a trend

[apalapucian]

Listen, listen! If We Only Die Once is like one of my favorite jily fics EVER! It's kind of like my TLAT, as in the fic I would spend my while life hoping to one day see finished. I still remember when I first found it on Ao3 and it only had one chapter and I was already addicted, and then I found it on ffn and it had more chapters and that was like the best day ever 🤣 So if you ever do decide to finish it or do a rewrite, please know I'll day from happiness 😂

HELLO THANK YOU

this made me turn off anon messages because i cant believe youre real actual people haha

i'm more likely to do a rewrite than to finish what's already there. i think i did have a solid idea for the prompt, and an outline as well, and i might just re-flesh it out sometime? maybe??? i just want to finish time lapse first!

#asks #the most recent ffn review is a rather scathing one about the dialogues in IWODO being awkward and stilted and i kinda agree #and i think i know why! #it's because #at the time #i was trying v hard to SOUND like all these other writers who had much much more knowledge and background on british-isms and westernisms #and just generally the World Out There #than me #i mean obviously it's a continuous learning thing but i like to think im much better writing from my own actual voice now #and theres less pressure to write a certain way #and more focus on just getting the story out there #lol

[dragqueenpentheus]

ouGh

#the tarot person i met at halloween and i have been talking like. EVERY day #and she just sENT ME A VOICE NOTE #and im just like. #blushy anxious and i wanna hang out and !!!! #am UNABLE to tell my OWN intentions let alone hers but im trying to just be CHILL and match her ENERGY #which means i DO have to send a voice mail back nsnskajNDNDJJD #but i think shes really cool and im so happy to have met someone new and on my own and like !!! #shes so KIND !!! and encouraging and smart !!!! #this should all be going in my journal but im feeling daring and posting instead #irl #personal #ANYWAY im excited i have made a grown up friend #i admire her willingness to be so emotionally open and just !! go for the things she wants!!! she runs her own tarot business like thats so #wicked #she posted my etsy review on her insta story and i was giggling all day about it #and weve been playing a game where ill post a daily rough for my tarot deck and she'll guess the card and its been FUN IM HAVING FUN!!! #shes a part of this group of local artists and craftspeople who table at shows and festivals and markets and they have just !!! #a cool little community!!!!!!!!! #i wanna get in there but i also dont want to be. too large about it #one of the people in that community does WICKED stick and pokes and ive been thinking about getting one from her #but what if i do my patened 'getting tatttooed' move and get soooooo awkward and get big foot in mouth disease huh what THEN #well. like all the other times i have done this (every single one) i get some sick forever art out of it #and id even go back to one of the artists probably without crying in shame on the bus the whole ride therebdjsksmmsms #ANYWAY THESE ARE TRULY JOURNAL THOUGHTS MY GOD

[poptartmochi]

oh i finally realized why the agathos are 💢💢💢 towards vergil 🤏🏻🕶️😳

#besides the whole wanting to go to hell thing being counter to their own beliefs and morals #because you know i think. given the context of being a Son of Sparda. there's an obvious and logical desire to know your father better #so i think the agathos Could empathize would that. many of them probably Would empathize with that! #so that overall argument falls flat bc the agathos Overall dislike vergil. why would All of Them go 😒😒 at him? #well it finally clicked :] if you sacrifice your right to peaceful eternal slumber to confine One Fucking Guy in time prison forever #and dumb people keep showing up to your time prison because the One Fucking Guy was notorious for hoarding secret knowledge #and these people keep getting killed in pursuit of evil knowledge + thus fueling the One Fucking Guy's ability to some day break the chains #of the time prison and invoke calamity yet again. Well! wouldn't it be quite frankly Alarming #if some dude with MegaBlood™️ that everyone can smell from a mile away waltzed in... get this!! ALSO in search of the evil knowledges #thus kind of threatening at its very core the exact thing you sacrificed your human soul and afterlife to.. #and despite your big red warning signs to LEAVE he just pushes further and further into your time prison and closer + closer to The One #Fucking Guy.. it's one thing for his travelling buddy to do that bc whatever 🙄 she's just a human after all. it will take like 400 more of #her to break the time prison.. but this one guy is like.. 500 of her in one convenient little package! fucked up!! #there is some vergil apologism amongst the agathos but overall they're like 😑😑😑 *skyrim guard voice* NEVER should've come here!!!! 💢 #i imagine a lot of them are like girl why would you want to go BACK to hell??? your dad ABANDONED that place!! 😭😭 0/10 reviews on Yelp!! #also we will Not Address the growing vampiric themes in the fprsq.. 😶 it is not my fault that arkham's little ritual relied so heavily on #blood and i based Many Things off that ritual! 🤧🤧😝 #sriracha.txt #fprsq #that is her official tag now ☺️ gioia deserves her own tag after all :]

[mishkwaagegekwereads]

This Is Our Rainbow Review

This is the book I needed as a kid.

  "This collection is perfect for the middle schooler (or kid at heart) in your life, but it'll also be meaningful to many adults who didn't get to see this kind of representation when they were in middle school themselves. "- A.J. Sass, author of "Balancing Act" This middle-grade anthology truly covers some of the most difficult and awkward parts of the Queer experience, while offering up hope that we are growing and learning as a society.  Each of the 16 stories brings a unique perspective, with an incredibly diverse cast, and they will have you feeling every emotion under the sun. This is truly an inclusive read, with characters covering every part of LGBTQ+. My favorite stories were "Petra and Pearl," "I Know the Way," "Balancing Act," and "The Purr-cle of Life." I would give each of these 5 stars! They cover a range of topics, from transitioning and pet loss, to generational trauma and first kisses. Each was brought something different to the table and I can't wait to re-read them. I will definitely be getting this book for my shelf, and would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a light hearted, hopeful Queer read. It brought out so many different emotions and made me mourn for baby queer me, who was unable to live life authentically. But through mourning comes healing, and I believe this book has the ability to help many heal, and prevent some of the pain from happening in the first place. 

CWs listed in order of major to minor occurrences based off my reading, and the warnings listed on TheStoryGraph 

CW: Racism, Bullying, Homophobia, Transphobia, Grief, Animal death, Misogyny, Sexism, Slavery, Ableism, Outing, toxic relationship, Death of parent, Acephobia Arophobia, Cultural appropriation, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Murder, Outing, Alcohol, Colonization, Classism

#lgbtq #queer lit #own voice #short story #poc lit #middle grade #storygraph #childrens literature #book review #fiction

[mrzastudies]

One of the things I love about #OnRotation is that even though it is a book about a woman of color, that is not all the book is about. The ‘diversity’ is just people simply existing, not having to explain why they deserve to be in the same spaces.

They just are.

If you’re looking for messy relatable characters who overthink a bit too much, then this is the book for you.

The book follows Angie, a Ghanaian-American medical student; juggling life, med school, friendships, family commitments, and relationships. There are times you want to scream, “Ohh just communicate!” But that’s what makes it so relatable. You empathize with her insecurities and struggles. It feels like a coming-of-age novel more than anything else it's described to be.

On a side note, I also loved the way complex family dynamics are portrayed, it was also refreshing to learn about traditions from a culture I have no exposure to.

If you prefer audiobooks (even if you don't), I would also really recommend it! The voice artist brings Angie to life! Oh, this would be so good on screen too!

My biggest issue with the book is that it got over 😒

Very excited for what the author blesses us with next 🥺

#book blog #bookblr #medicine #own voices #bookshelf #bookstagram #buying books #bookworm #bookish #booklover #books & libraries #bookstore #books and reading #book review #booklr #book quotes

[sometimesraven]

So excited to get my first 5 star review!!! It's so wild to me that there are people out there like,,, reading and enjoying what I do???? It's such a good feeling sdjsghk here's hoping it's the first of many!!

#book review #5 star review #urban fantasy #science fantasy #bookblr #authors of tumblr #truth saga #the truth saga #tbr #book recommendation #queer representation #own voices #excerpt #sneak peek #;truth #;reckless #;reviews #mine

[ninsiana0]

Read THE MEMORY THIEVES (Conjureverse Book 2) by Dhonielle Clayton if you love New Orleans, secrets, rewriting history, perfume, pandemic narratives, elections, familial legacies & the passing down of knowledge, standing up to oppression, fear responses, uncovering the truth & masks.

#THE MEMORY THIEVES #Dhonielle Clayton #The Marvellers #The Conjureverse #Read This If #book review #book reccomendation #book recs #readers on tumblr #readers of tumblr #readmore #diverse voices #own voices #magic schools #i read books

[pahuapants]

Give Me a Sign

I loved this story so much - GIVE ME A SIGN by Anna Sortino was a wonder and I'm gonna recommend it to literally everyone. Gichi miigwech for reading!

And maybe, if the loss were profound, my family would be forced to finally take learning American Sign Language seriously. I’d seem “deaf enough” that my classmates would truly understand my need for all those school accommodations, rather than silently judge and question me. Because right now, they know I’m not hearing, but I don’t fit their expectations of deafness, either. It’s a strange…

View On WordPress

#book review #Deaf culture #disability rep #GP Putnam&039;s Sons #highly recommended #netgalley #own voices #romance #YA fiction

[ziskandra]

I posted 3,294 times in 2022

That's 3,140 more posts than 2021!

130 posts created (4%)

3,164 posts reblogged (96%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@mxkelsifer

@ithoughteventheboneswoulddoot

@ziskandra

@illusivesoul

@ultraviolet-ink

I tagged 3,177 of my posts in 2022

Only 4% of my posts had no tags

#the unreliable q - 2,029 posts

#dragon age - 1,352 posts

#ace attorney - 579 posts

#meredith stannard - 519 posts

#orsino - 225 posts

#mass effect - 171 posts

#about me - 152 posts

#miles edgeworth - 139 posts

#anders - 138 posts

#franziska von karma - 127 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#especially the pro tip about being about differentiating between having empathy for one’s friends and acknowledging that they’re being mean

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Reply to this post for a DRUNKEN EFFUSIVELY COMPLIMENT okay

20 notes - Posted December 3, 2022

#4

you are SO right for autistic Manfred lmao that is also my hc. This dude once screamed at the top of his lungs in the middle of court cause someone interrupted his routine. He's so fucking relatable unfortunately

TRULY. I too want to scream aloud when things don’t go as I’d planned in my head!

Like, there’s the other obvious things: law is clearly his special interest. He’s the kind of person who has a place for everything and everything in its place.

Then there’s the just fucking off-the-wall things, like, he retrained the parrot. Even thinking to ATTEMPT it doesn’t seem like allistic behaviour to me, and by god, Manfred succeeded.

But the biggest thing to me is just how … rigid he can be when things go wrong, and how he really struggles with emotional lability in times of crisis. I know relating villain’s crimes to autistic traits can often be controversial, but I believe in most cases with villains I personally headcanon as autistic, it’s the lack of support in their life and society that contribute to the crimes, not simply being autistic.

Which is why the part about the tragedy of it all — how it hurts more — if Manfred had been trying his best in your meta really hit home to me! I know for myself one of my autistic traits is obsessing over what people tick and what makes them do the things they do. I don’t think anyone’s truly evil, but I do believe that people so often act in the preservation of their own self image and … yeah, it that doesn’t explain Manfred’s actions … perfectly (ba dum tsch).

OH, and there’s also just like, his sense of humour? It’s so arrogant but dry: “My PIN is 0001 because I’m number one!” “My granddaughter’s dog is named Phoenix, are you saying you’re her fiancé?” “Defense attorneys are like bugs to me, needless things, to be crushed.”

God, I love this man.

21 notes - Posted November 29, 2022

#3

introduction!

BASICS. Asha. Late 20s. they/them. autistic & adhd. brown. biracial. bisexual. shift-worker. Fascinated by fictional villains. FANDOMS. Primary: Ace Attorney & Dragon Age Dabbling in: Mass Effect, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Suits, Schitt's Creek (see fave characters and ships list here) LINKS. ziskandra on Ao3 ziskandra on Twitter ziskandra on Dreamwidth ziskandra#7191 @ Discord

Dragon Age Fanfic Masterlist [Ace Attorney & Mass Effect Masterlists TBA] ABOUT THIS BLOG.

I'm a fanfic writer and occasional art doodler & cosplayer from Australia. This is a personal blog, which contains everything from my own rambles about daily life, to reblogs of content I enjoy, to my own fandom creations.

I enjoy fannish meta but am generally disinterested in discourse. To clarify, I'm always down to read other people's takes and interpretations of media, but dislike being told what to think, or that there's only one valid way to perceive something. I'm more than happy to be friends with people who disagree with me over fandom things, if the same courtesy is extended to me in return. As a general rule, I don't talk about international politics in this space. I do, however, talk about Australian politics (#auspol) Big fan of curating one's own space. To that end, if there's anything I'm not tagging which you would like tagged, please feel free to ask! Caveat: I might not agree to do so, but would not hold any hard feelings for the request and/or if you needed to unfollow or block me as a result! Do what you need to for your best experience, as will I.

21 notes - Posted November 20, 2022

#2

ngl but rewatching the first season of the handmaid's tale after watching season 5 is so funny. one of the first things serena says to june is 'i want to see as little of you as possible'. followed up with basically 'if i'm given trouble i'll give you trouble back'

and now they're going to be raising their babies in exile together and you know what. good for them.

22 notes - Posted November 24, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Fanfic Author Self-Recs!

@haljathefangirlcat tagged me to rec five of my own fanfics with you all — thank you, friend! 💖 I've tried to go with a variety of different fandoms and have mostly focused on older works. I also purposely haven't recommended any of my Dragon Age works as I feel DA has been occupying a lot of my brain space lately, and I wanted to give some of the spotlight to my other fannish interests! I'm gonna tag @mxanigel, @barbex, @joiningthefandomeightyearslate, @chocochipbiscuit and @fandomn00blr to share five of their works with us (if you so desire!) Without any further ado, I present my self-recs: 1. Retrospect - Mass Effect: Andromeda - Alec Ryder/Ellen Ryder (10k, rated M)

They say your life flashes before your eyes before you die and he's about to find out just how right they are.

A series of vignettes exploring Alec Ryder's relationships with his nearest and dearest, and the faltering steps he took to bridge the gaps between them.

Every time any sort of self-recommendation meme comes up, Retrospect is always the first fic that comes to mind. To this day, I still consider it my magnum opus, as I feel it really captures my strengths as an author. Character study of a morally grey, controversial character? Check. Non-linear narrative? Check. Experimental prose? Check. Vignettes? Check. Themes of family and struggling to fit in? Check check. If anyone ever wants to make my entire fucking month, please read this fic and tell me your thoughts on it. You will have my undying gratitude! 💖

2. Grounded - Mass Effect Andromeda - Calvin Kosta/Joelle Kosta (2.2k, rated M)

Calvin remembers the first time he held Liam in his arms. Big baby, nine pounds. His son is an ugly, wrinkly thing and yet also the most beautiful sight in the world. He smooths down the infant’s hair, kisses the soft spot on his head and whispers, “You’re gonna do great things." During the Reaper War, Calvin Kosta reflects on his relationship with his son.

This fic did really well on Tumblr (one of the few times I'd ever gotten over 100 notes on a post), but didn't quite get the same level of traction on AO3, which was quite interesting to me at the time as I'd never had that happen before (or since!) Honestly, it covers a lot of similar themes as Retrospect, but this time focused on Liam's family and how they deal with the Reaper War when they're left behind on Earth. IDK, I'm just obsessed with examining the human drive to live and survive, and what we struggle for, and how both our past experiences and our hopes for the future shape our actions, whether we're willing to admit it to ourselves or not.

3. Best Served Hot - Ace Attorney - Miles Edgeworth/Franziska von Karma (2k, rated E)

Franziska's gloved fingers seized Miles's jaw, digging into the sides of his face. "We were never siblings," she said. "Papa made sure of that. But if I can't best you in any other way, then I will have this."

If Retrospect is my ultimate magnum opus, then Best Served Hot is my franmiles manifesto. It truly is all of my feelings about this complicated and messy relationship dynamic carefully distilled into a fanfic! Anyway, I'm obsessed with the fact that Franziska regularly refers to Miles as her little brother, but Miles never refers to her as his sister.

However, the way that Miles acts with Franziska is SO sibling-like, whereas Franziska's a bit... weirder. She never really had normal familial relationships modeled to her (Miles, on the other hand, at least had something of a normal upbringing before his father's death).

Franziska is also a character who, for lack of a better term, weaponises her femininity. She's so young but she's built this whole aesthetic around tight miniskirts and kitten-heeled boots and carrying and using a fucking bullwhip. So, I 'm particularly fascinated by the cross-section of Franziska's obsession with Miles Edgeworth and her insecurities (and how she over-compensates for them).

Of course, if she stopped to think about it for a minute, she should have realised that Miles Edgeworth is perhaps not the ideal target for her feminine wiles, but Franziska's not exactly known for keeping a cool head in a crisis.

Finally, this fic also explores another point in Franziska's life that I'm fascinated by, which is her reaction to Phoenix Wright's disbarment. Phoenix is the only lawyer who has ever bested her (if she can even admit that much), and I think she would be INFURIATED by the insinuation that he owes his career success to forgery. Franziska von Karma would NOT be bested by a fraud! (And also she would be furious that Klavier Gavin got the chance to do what she's always wanted to do -- that is, defeat Phoenix Wright -- but that's a topic for another fanfic.)

4. Intermission - Crazy Ex-Girlfriend - Audra Levine/Greg Serrano (2.3k, rated T.)

Recently divorced Audra Levine visits West Covina to provide moral support during her frenemy’s open mic night. Greg has always had a type.

While gregaudra (graudra?) might be something of a random ship, I was really surprised by how well they worked together (although in hindsight, it should have been obvious -- Greg really has a type, huh). I love Audra as a character, and I'm always obsessed with giving her room to grow and move on as a character and determine the shape of her own life, the way she wants, much as Rebecca (and Greg) got to do in the course of the series. (Also, its sequel, Realization, still has one of my favourite lines I think I've ever written: Audra's been busy filing away the parts of her life that don’t spark joy while retaining the parts that do, like she’s Marie Kondo-ing the weight and burden of everyone’s expectations instead of her household possessions.

I so rarely write in contemporary fandoms that it was a fun exercise to write stories where the popculture references actually help ground it in time and place.)

5. Sink or Swim - Harry Potter - Percy Weasley/Oliver Wood (12k, rated T.)

Percy has always struggled to keep his head above water.

(Or: the story of Percy Weasley, from his youth, through to his estrangement with his family, to the end of the war.)

It feels weird to be recommending HP fic in this day and age, but my complicated* feelings towards the fandom aside, I'm still really proud of how this fanfic turned out and how I was able to cram all of my Percy Weasley analysis into a coherent story. I particularly loved delving into how Percy was pushed into positions of responsibility from a young age (and then simultaneously derided for the very same qualities his parents reinforced), and how he struggled with his conflicting desires to fit in but also to succeed and be recognised for his talents and efforts. There's a couple of sentences from the fic which really encapsulate how I see Percy's relationship to his family, which I'll quote here:

In bits and pieces, Percy tells Oliver all about the estrangement to his family: how he’d always gotten along with his dad best growing up, no matter how his mother had doted on him. How when he was younger, he’d wanted nothing more than to be the next Arthur Weasley. How he’d always thought that his dad deserved more.

How it was easier to blame his father’s idiosyncrasies and personality for his family’s struggles with money, than to acknowledge it as a failure of the society he’d been raised in.

How he’d foolishly thought that if he studied enough, worked enough, succeeded enough, he could change it all.

Percy's story really is that of every working-class child who's sought to improve their life (and their family's life) through education and I just... relate to that a lot!!

25 notes - Posted November 27, 2022

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