My Best Friend’s Exorcism

Author: Grady Hendrix

My rating: 4 of 5

Warning: Mature Audience

Ever since Abby’s birthday party at the roller rink, when Gretchen was the only guest to show up, they’ve been BFFs. They’ve shared secrets, done practically everything together . . . they even have their own secret expressions that no one else understands. But in high school, a very strange and scary experience at a friend’s beach house marks the beginning of change. Gretchen starts acting weirder and weirder, and it’s scaring Abby, especially when she begins to clue in to what’s actually going on.

My Best Friend’s Exorcism was a truly strange read, but I liked it quite a lot. It’s like a good, quality horror story–but one that has its roots in old-school pulp horror. There are tons of references to 1980’s pop culture (since that’s when the story is set). There are even a number of visual references–pamphlets, postcards, yearbook pages, etc.–to build the vibe, which I though was pretty cool. The story honestly begins reading like some kids’ coming-of-age story, with the girls becoming friends, growing up, sharing experiences. Then, about a third of the way through, things just start getting darker and scarier the further you go. The author does a great job of balancing the horror of what’s happening with the awfulness of Abby’s reactions–because what she in response to the changes in Gretchen is pretty terrible too. The whole story is a great picture of how we will do the impossible–and the unconscionable–for the people we love. This is an edgy yet old-school horror story full of friendship and 1980’s Charleston culture . . . as well as some pretty gross stuff. Recommended.

In Spite of Everything, the Stars (Merlin Fanfic)

Author: Polomonkey

Illustrator: mushroomtale

AO3 ID: 4647243

Status: Complete (10 Chapters)

My rating: 4.5 of 5

Warning: Mature Audience for slash and basically all the things, consider yourself warned (but it’s such a good story!)

Two boys have grown up in an alternate United Kingdom, one in which magic is real but where magic users are viewed with distrust and are treated as second-class citizens. Merlin Emrys is a powerful magic user, one who has hidden the extent of his power for years and who has in recent years as an adult become a leader of the political movement in favor of greater rights for Magicals. Arthur Pendragon has spent his entire life under his father’s oppressive thumb, being fed a Magic-hating propaganda he’s only ever half believed. Now, with an important vote to give Magicals greater freedoms on the horizon, Arthur has been tasked to kidnap Merlin in the hopes of stalling the vote. Only, he never counted on Merlin being so . . . Merlin.

In Spite of Everything, the Stars is one of those stories that hits hard and sticks with you long after you’ve read it. The prose is beautiful and moving, and mushroomtale’s art is just gorgeous.  We’re given a story that, on the surface, is a moving story about magic and about these two young men in an impossible situation who manage to roll with in and eventually find love and purpose and hope in spite of it all. But underneath all that, we’ve also got this powerful metaphor for minority rights and social justice that goes way beyond this imagined AU society and reaches to present-day issues in our own world. Having said that, I’m not typically a Merthur shipper (I’m actually pretty hard-core Arwen and Freylin, actually), but in this context, with the other issues being presented, it feels an appropriate ship. Also, fair warning that this story involves some pretty messed up stuff–kidnapping’s just the tip of the iceberg here–but it’s the endurance and courage of these two characters through all of this that makes the story so beautiful. So yeah, definitely recommended, if only for mature readers.

Note: You can find In Spite of Everything, the Stars at https://archiveofourown.org/works/4647243/chapters/10599906.

The Purity of Sin (Voltron Fanfic)

Author: IcyPanther

AO3 ID: 12592096

Status: Complete (22 Chapters)

My rating: 4.5 of 5

Rated T for violence/whump

Princess Allura has entrusted Lance with his very first diplomatic mission, to the cat-like people of Macka–a peaceful planet that has historically been allied with the Alteans. Lance is determined not to mess this up, although it should honestly be pretty easy, enough so that the team is only sending him and Keith to handle the meeting while the rest of them attend to another mission. Only, it seems the Mackans have changed a bit in the thousands of years since Altea last communicated with them, and now Lance and Keith find themselves dedicated as sacrifices to the Mackan goddess Lady Leora. And even when Keith manages to break them out, they must handle the harshness of the desert, Lance’s (magical) loss of his voice, his (equally magical) non-healing wound that’s bleeding all over, and a fierce group of Mackans fueled by religious fervor at their heels. But at least Keith and Lance are in all this together.

The Purity of Sin was the first of Icy’s works that I read, and it was brilliant then. It’s still brilliant upon re-reading. This story is definitely whumpish–there’s lost of violence and bloodshed, and Lance in particular just gets some really rough breaks. But there’s a ton of character development as well. The transition of Keith and Lance from awkward rivals-turned-allies to brothers is beautiful and touching, and the author does a great job of showing this in a myriad of little moments–new understandings, cuddles, sharing in hardships together. Also, I liked that the author didn’t make the Mackans some stereotypical “bad guys” but instead gave us a people with good intentions but misguided, fearful beliefs that lead them to terrible choices. The whole story is balanced well, and the writing is enjoyable to read–as long as you’re up for some pretty angsty moments. Recommended.

Note: You can find The Purity of Sin at https://archiveofourown.org/works/12592096/chapters/28681112.

Powerless (Danny Phantom Fanfic)

Author: PixieGirl13 

FanFiction ID: 4389824

Status: Complete (24 chapters)

My rating: 5 of 5

Rated T, mostly for whump/violence and Vlad-typical manipulation and evil machinations

Danny’s finally got the house to himself for a week and a half of unsupervised, (hopefully) ghost free summer relaxation. Even Sam and Tucker are going to be out of town, and Danny plans to take advantage of the opportunity to sleep in and take it easy for once. But nothing seems to go the plan for the teenage half-ghost superhero as he finds himself kidnapped by his (also half-ghost) archnemesis Vlad Masters and dragged halfway across the world to help save Tokyo (or at least Vlad’s evil drug-lord friend) from a golem that has been terrorizing the drug trade there. So much for a vacation!

Powerless was a brilliantly executed fanfic displaying, yes, the aspects I really want in a fanfic, but also a lot of what I would want even in a published short novel. It goes without saying that the writing itself was excellent, if in need of some minor editorial work in a few places. Very enjoyable to read, expressive, and engaging. The characterizations were remarkably well done. Getting into Danny’s head to write him in first person is never easy, but particularly so in such a tense, chess-like situation, and I feel like the author not only gave us a credible rendition of the character but also an insightful one. Not to mention, one that’s a lot of fun to read. And the interactions between Vlad and Danny throughout are spot on–not some over-indulgent father figure or some slashy nonsense, but rather the incomprehensibly confusing manipulation of a brilliant but self-centered and morally-lacking mastermind trying to mold/mess with a toy/protégé/pet. The insight into Vlad’s character and the ambiguous (is he evil? or does he actually care?) way in which he’s written is perfect, making the way Danny is manipulated by him entirely credible. Also major kudos to the author for writing engaging, complex OCs that are a delight to read; I’m not normally big on having OCs in my fanfic, but I’ll gladly make an exception for these ones. As for the actual story, it’s surprisingly, refreshingly plot-centric, with lots of interlinked pieces gradually falling into place. There’s a great balance of suspense and action, plus a good bit of whump. Also, the author’s dragging the characters out of Amity Park and into such exotic locales as Prague and Tokyo is a really nice touch that gives some much-needed variety and room to breathe and be creative. All in all, Powerless is a gripping, balanced story that I highly recommend.

 

Next Gen (2018 Movie)

Netflix with Baozou Manhua, Alibaba Pictures, & Tangent Animation

My rating: 2.5 of 5

Ever since her father left when she was just a kid, Mai’s life has been a rage-filled, lonely mess. Her mom doesn’t really pay attention to her, the kids at school bully her, she doesn’t have any true friends. It’s only a matter of time until all that anger finds a target; for Mai it becomes the robots that dominate her mother’s attention and give the other kids at school the power to hurt her. And when she stumbles upon a robot that’s different–on that has true artificial intelligence and that wants to be her friend–she suddenly has the power to do something about all the rage and hurt that’s built up inside herself. But Mai isn’t the only one with an agenda, and perhaps nearly losing everything is enough to make her realize that lashing out isn’t the answer.

I have kind of mixed feelings about Next Gen. I mean, it’s a good movie. The CG animation is solid and visually catchy; technically, it’s well done. But I find myself incapable of not comparing it with Big Hero 6, and it keeps coming up short. There’s the whole robot friend thing for starters, and 7723 (the robot here) is enough like Baymax that I can’t help but make comparisons, and yet it is not nearly so cute or so prone to push the protagonist towards good choices. There’s actually a lot of violence here, and a lot of it is caused by Mai and 7723 . . . and it’s not all against obvious “bad guys” either. Mai also reminds me somewhat of Hiro–more than even just the angsty teenager vibe, there are just aspects of their personalities that are pretty similar. Only, Hiro is an example of someone like that who has good friends and family supporting him and helping him make good choices, while Mai is a clear picture of someone completely out of control with no one bothering to notice enough to help her or stop her. On a completely tangential note, I feel like the big overarching storyline (the bad guy trying to destroy humanity part) was 1) too over the top to be credible and 2) not sufficiently related to the basic story (Mai’s life and struggles), although they certainly do interact over the course of the story. So yeah, on the whole, while Next Gen is a solid enough movie, it just doesn’t strike me right, partly because I just don’t enjoy stories that are so fueled by rage and hurt. On the other hand, Bookriot presents a differing perspective on this movie in their excellent post (which I recommend reading), pointing out that this movie provides much-needed discussion for kids on appropriate versus inappropriate ways to handle anger, bullying, and the like. Which, yes, I can see their point. Thus the mixed feelings. I probably won’t watch Next Gen again myself, but I wouldn’t say “don’t watch it,” either.

Based on 7723 by Wang Nima/Written & Directed by Kevin R. Adams & Joe Ksander/Music by Samuel Jones & Alexis Marsh/Starring John Krasinski, Charlyne Yi, Jason Sudeikis, Michael Peña, David Cross, & Constance Wu

The Visiting Prince (Merlin Fanfic)

Author: Emachinescat

FanFiction ID: 6965383/AO3 ID: 1263553

Status: Complete (17 chapters)

My rating: 3.5 of 5

Rated T, mostly for whump/violence

Prince Arthur remembers Prince Edmund of Stafford as a narcissistic, violent prat from their time spent together as children . . . but then, he was the same back then, right? It’s been years since they’ve seen each other, and surely Edmund has grown up and changed, just like Arthur has. As their kingdoms come together to sign a new peace treaty, Arthur finds this assumption challenged strongly when Merlin comes to Prince Edmund’s unwelcome attention. Because of course, Merlin can’t keep his mouth shut, and Prince Edmund was never one to let a challenge to his authority go easily. Or at all.

Emachinescat is, without a doubt, one of my all-time favorite authors–whether it’s fanfic or original fiction–and Merlin fanfic is one of the areas where her writing most shines. She’s got this great balance of bromance and whump that’s just a treat to read, and the characters and their relationships are just spot-on. That’s definitely the case in The Visiting Prince, although it’s actually not one of my favorite Merlin fanfics. In this story, we are presented with an OC baddie that we can truly love to hate; he’s really quite awful. As such, a lot of the story is focused on suspense and whump, with Merlin, Arthur, and the rest being backed into some pretty tight corners and not being able to do much about it. Because the threat is political and social rather than magical, we don’t get to see the BAMFery that shines in other Merlin stories. Also, due to the tight situations our heroes are stuck in, there is a limit to the bromance we get–mostly only the first couple chapters and then right at the end of the story. But what bromance we’re given is exactly in character and a lot of fun to read. So yes, The Visiting Prince isn’t my favorite of Emachinescat’s stories, but it’s a solid, well-written story that is definitely an enjoyable read.

NOTE: You can find The Visiting Prince on FFNet at https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6965383/1/The-Visiting-Prince or on AO3 at https://archiveofourown.org/works/1263553/chapters/2607037.

The Storyteller and the Thief (Voltron: Legendary Defender Fanfic)

Author: Laura of Maychoria/Maychorian

FanFiction ID: 12404441/AO3 ID: 10239332

The Cycle of the Five Lions, vol. 1

Status: Complete (7 chapters)

My rating: 4.5 of 5

Rated T/Dungeons & Dragons-based AU

In her quest to find her missing father and brother, Pidge has gone through a lot–giving up her career to become a rogue, leaving home, going by a fake name since she’s wanted under her own. But through it all, she’s taken comfort in the presence of the green fairy lion, Holly, who has been by her side, unseen by others. Or at least, unseen until one day when an annoying (to Pidge), flamboyant bard named Lance–also accompanied by a fairy lion, a blue one, that no one else can see–reveals that he can indeed see hers. He then proceeds to drag her to the inn where he’s staying with two elf friends, Coran and Allura, only to be told that they, and their lions, are part of something big–something that just may save the world from a threat so old and so awful that Lance and Pidge had always thought was only a fairy tale.

It’s an established fact that Maychorian is an amazing writer. But it’s only just recently that I’ve gotten into her VLD fanfics, and I’ve got to say that her work in them really shines. She’s got a good feel for what the fandom generally tends to enjoy, her style suits the series well, and her understanding of the characters is phenomenal. But even in light of that, with The Storyteller and the Thief,  I feel like she does something really special. Here we get almost a retelling of the Voltron story, but set in a D&D-based universe. So, for instance, Coran and Allura get their tragic backstory of losing their whole nation of Altea and being in stasis for years and years, only they’re elves and the stasis is effected by a spell. Pidge is still looking for her father and brother, but they were lost in a mission to the Dragon Waste as opposed to on Kerberos. Lance still deals with homesickness and livens everyone around with his words, but his family are sailing merchants and he’s a bard. And of course, the lions are fairy-like creatures of mysterious origin as opposed to giant magic robots. In an interesting meta sort of way, we get some D&D mechanics coming into the story as well, like named spells, classes of adventurers, and limits on arcane energy per day. In essence, the idea behind this story is one that sounds pretty weird at first, and yet in execution, it’s basically brilliant. I’m really looking forward to reading the rest of this story cycle!

Note: You can find The Storyteller and the Thief on FFnet at https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12404441/1/The-Storyteller-and-the-Thief-The-Cycle-of-Five-Lions-1 or on AO3 at https://archiveofourown.org/works/10239332/chapters/22716101. You can also find some awesome art created for this series by karovie at https://archiveofourown.org/works/10239131/chapters/22715762.

Supernatural (2005- TV Series)

The CW

Status: Ongoing (13 Seasons)

My rating: 5 of 5

Warning: Mature Audience/rated TV-14

Two brothers, Sam and Dean Winchester, travel the country in the 1967 Impala that is more home to them than any building has ever had the chance to be. They start out searching for their father who has disappeared while hunting the demon that killed their mother years ago. Along the way, Sam and Dean hunt as well–fighting monsters, ghosts, demons, the stuff of nightmares, and saving people from horrors they can’t even imagine. Sometimes their efforts go utterly unnoticed; other times, they meet incredible people who help them on their journey. Regardless, they always have each other, except for those rare, horrible times when they just don’t. And somewhere along the line, hunting simply becomes who they are–it’s no longer just a revenge mission or a search for their father. Sam and Dean are, quite simply, hunters; they save people, they save the world. A lot.

I’ve put off reviewing Supernatural for, like, 2 years now because I love it so very much, and I know I can never do it justice in a review. So know that first, before I delve into details; this show has my heart in a crazy way that almost no other story ever has, and it has continued to consistently for years now. I couldn’t say exactly what makes this show so incredible, largely because it’s a lot of little, subtle things combined. I love the characters, first and foremost. Jensen and Jared do such an amazing job of getting in their characters’ heads and of portraying them deeply and transparently, as do the immense number of wonderful guest cast members. So much so that, although this is at times a monster-of-the-week kind of show (much less so as you get to later seasons), it manages to be highly character driven. The characters grow and experience a lot of internal conflict over the course of the series as well, which is another thing I love–the show evolves as it goes, so that just when you think they’ve done it all (I mean seriously, we hit the biblical apocalypse in season 5) you find yourself seeing things afresh, finding new frontiers. And the writers do such a great job keeping the balance between all the angst (and yes, here there be angst) with family support and outright humor (e.g., recently in the midst of this big series of episodes focusing on busting into an alternate dimension to save family members–lots of angst and tension–we get a random crossover with Scooby Do that, while darker than typical for the cartoon, is brimming with laughs and fun as well). I guess what I’m trying to say is that Supernatural somehow manages to be a lot more than hot guys fighting scary monsters and saving the world, although yes, it’s definitely that. It’s family and understanding and acceptance and so many things that I long to see more of, and I highly recommend this show.

Created by Eric Kripke/Starring Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles, Katie Cassidy, Lauren Cohan, Misha Collins, Mark A. Sheppard, Mark Pellegrino, & Alexander Calvert/Music by Jay Gruska & Christopher Lennertz

 

Secret Santa (Miraculous Ladybug Fanfic)

Author: TheLastPilot

AO3 ID: 5386433/FanFiction ID: 11644460

Status: Complete (7 Chapters)

My rating: 4.5 of 5

Talk about good luck! Marinette draws Adrien’s name for their class’s Secret Santa exchange, giving her the perfect opportunity to give him the handmade coat she’s been designing just for him–with no excuse to back out in stammering embarrassment. Little does she know that he’s drawn her name and is putting a lot of thought into getting the perfect, thoughtful gift for her too. Gifts exchanged lead to more conversation, plans to hang out, and Marinette’s realization that for all the glamour of Adrien’s rich-kid/model life, he’s actually pretty lonely, especially when his other friends leave town for the holidays. Marinette’s not about to have that, so she pushes her (huge) crush on him down and determines to give him the happy family holiday he’s never had.

I know, I know, this is totally out of season, but this adorable story was too utterly sweet to not post about, regardless of the season. TheLastPilot is probably one of my absolute favorite Miraculous Ladybug fanfic writers because the tone is spot on (pun only slightly intended), the plots are thoughtful and well-planned, and the characters are the best, most enjoyable versions of themselves. Secret Santa is a great example of just that. It’s mostly this sweet (like, watch out for cavities, seriously), adorable friendship-to-maybe-more fluffy story with a big emphasis on the friendship. Marinette and Adrien’s awkward but growing friendship is really fun to read, especially with the way they esteem each other’s alter-ego without knowing their true identity woven into their interactions. And yeah, we do get a great reveal eventually. But there’s a lot of these two just being teenagers, too–shopping, playing video games, hanging out with Marinette’s parents (who are also awesome)–and that is lots of fun. The sense of humor that pervades this story is just perfect, balanced with just enough angst (mostly stemming from the notorious Gabriel Agreste) to balance it out and make the happy parts all the sweeter. Secret Santa is definitely recommended, regardless of the season.

NOTE: You can find Secret Santa at https://archiveofourown.org/works/5386433/chapters/12440687 or at https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11644460/1/Secret-Santa.

 

That Awkward Moment When . . . (Miraculous Ladybug Fanfic)

Author: breeeliss

AO3 ID: 7770289

Status: Complete (7 Chapters)

My rating: 4.5 of 5

Much as she and Chat Noir were careful to keep their true identities secret from everyone–including each other–Ladybug was well aware that they would probably find out eventually. But she never expected her superhero partner to be her hopeless crush, the boy she sits behind in class. And neither Marinette nor Adrien expected to find out by running into each other in a back hall of the school in the midst of transforming back to their normal personas. Awkward. . . . The two struggle to combine their images of each other–Ladybug and Marinette seem pretty different to Adrien, and Marinette could say the same about Adrien and Chat Noir. And how do they even relate to each other now?! The challenges of teenage awkwardness facing these two could very well be enough to break the good thing these two superheroes have together . . . or maybe, just maybe, it could be the start of something even better.

Okay, this fandom is totally killing me with cuteness. I blame it entirely for my lack of posting much recently (okay, and I’ve been in a slump, but mostly I’ve been reading ML fanfic). I feel like That Awkward Moment When . . . does something special, even for this adorable fandom. Because it takes the reveal between these two and gives it to us in a lighthearted, humorous manner . . . but it also draws out a real, human side of this pair’s situation, a side that has relevance even to normal everyday relationships. It shows clearly how these two focused on each other in a surface-only manner and obsessed over someone who wasn’t even the real person at all. And it also shows a growth of real relationship that goes way beyond the surface level, becoming something meaningful and lasting and beautiful. You get a beautiful, real friendship that, yes, eventually grows into something more (but maintains a canon-typical rating, which is nice). I enjoyed the characterizations in this story, the way the people were written, as well as the writing style itself. That Awkward Moment When . . . managed to make me laugh (a lot), think, and even cry a bit at the end. Definitely recommended.

Note: You can find That Awkward Moment When . . . at https://archiveofourown.org/works/7770289/chapters/17722588.