trace_by_echo

I'm backdating this to be just before the Recommendations post, as I like the idea of my first 50(!) large fandoms sticking together.

This is a Chinese donghua, a soon-to-be-released-in-English novel, and a blockbuster live action TV show, so you know MDZS has serious fandom behind it. Some of the plot twists differ among the adaptations (ex. the Yin Iron is strictly from The Untamed), but the core story is the same: a mixture of epic tragedy, coming of age during a war, fantasy horror, martial arts that lean heavily on use of magical talismans and musical instruments, homoeroticism, found families, betrayal, murder mystery, a romance that lasts beyond death... honestly, it would be difficult to pin MDZS into just one genre.

I have a few favorite characters (why hello, Nie Huaisang, I do see your machinations that lay undetected for years and raise a glass to you), but MDZS is appealing as an ensemble work, so I tend to look for a variety of Gen fic and pairings. Unless marked otherwise, expect canon Wei Wuxian/Lan Wangji to exist in the background. Fics will be marked Gen unless/until the pairing(s) become part of the plot. Note: when he's being a good/reformed character, I call him Meng Yao below; when he's evil, he's Jin Guangyao.

EDIT: Updated 9/24 to add a few fics and tidy up those which are completed.

( I don't know, I really don't know )

This, like Blue Exorcist, has also been backdated; I first began reading in this fandom in July 2020, and while it hasn't been long, I've been enjoying my dip into wuxia parody and deconstruction. If you liked isekai in theory but thought the plots had gotten stale, switching to older protagonists and a fantasy China setting might be just the ticket. Well, and it's extremely gay, which is part of the appeal. EDIT: last updated August 2023.

( Fans oneself dramatically )

I'm so pleased that one of my first fandoms has, with the release of its miniseries in May 2019, captured the attention of so many talented authors. I also love that everyone's being so cordial - there's no disagreement that the point of this story is the love between an angel and a demon, and the only room for nitpicking has to do with where they are on the asexuality-sexuality spectrum.

( The Plan? It's... ineffable )

I had this fandom in my Assorted Fandoms post for some time, but my list of recs has recently ballooned. This book, which won the Locus and almost won the Hugo and Nebula awards, is a very political fantasy story about a despised younger son suddenly inheriting the throne. Racism, sexism, homophobia, class issues and their causes are all discussed, and the politics focuses on progressivism (or, well, the fantasy version of it) and Maia's difficulties in converting a conservative court to accept his pro-female, pro-worker policies. And of course it features intrigue, assassinations (both successful and attempted), canonical same-sex marriage, witty wordplay, women who want to duel their fiance's enemies, and a ruler who opts for mercy and justice over personal revenge. Basically this book has most of my favorite things. Whenever I pick it up, it's almost impossible to put it down, even though it's almost 500 pages long. Everyone, read this book!

( Your Imperial Serenity... )

After the movies came out, I really liked LotR. Believe me, I cannot get through the books, ever: by the second book, I'm down to reading only the parts when hobbits are around, because everyone else is boringly epic and purple-prosy. Since the women in Tolkien are essentially wallpaper with names, naturally excepting Eowyn, this is mostly, if not entirely, slash recs.

LAST EDIT: 3/26/14, for more The Hobbit fics. Note that some of those have multiple excellent female characters, for once. I am grateful for Tauriel's existence. My taste in The Hobbit fics runs down two tracks: humor, and Fix-it fic.

( Gondor has no king. Gondor *needs* no king. )

The series by Bujold is one of my favorite sci-fi series - it's science fiction, it's adventure, it's crimesolving, it's courtly manners and diplomatic intrigue. It reads like a plausible future for the human race, and that really is rather unusual in most science fiction. The books are so good that there are very few narrative gaps to fill, so I don't have a ton of fics to recommend, but there are a handful of excellent stories. I tend to read about Ivan, because he is one of the few characters that I would like more focus on in canon.
EDIT: 11/20/16; I ran through a rec list and found some gems.

( Where shopping trip = headhunting )

Harry Potter was, no lie, my Big Name Fandom from 1999 to 2003. We parted ways after book 5, but I occasionally drift in via crossovers or specific authors. I particularly like the characters of pre-OOTP Harry, Snape & Draco (probably due to the 3-Year Summer and the fanon it created), Neville and Luna in any context, and Percy Weasley (whom I still feel was cut a raw deal). LAST EDIT: 8/23, to add some fics b

( Harry Potter, or, How I Stopped Reading and Learned to Hate the Canon! )

I enjoyed the books, although only really from book 4 on, and I've only just caught up as of late 2012. Fandom is so much easier to keep up with. LAST EDITED: 12/30/12.

( I'm in the book. )

I like the Regency era in general, so it made sense to put the related fandoms all together. I'm surprised that I found enough readable Austen fanfic to put in this post... not that I don't love Pride & Prejudice or Northanger Abbey, but I figured most of the fic would be terrible. All the books will be represented here, if I find decent fics to recommend. Only non-canonical or minor pairings are marked.

( A truth, universally acknowledged )

So... let us go now, you and I... to a boarding school in Canada.

( You *wish* you went to Macdonald Hall )

Discworld was not my first fandom, and honestly I'm so happy with canon that I only go fishing in fandom once in a blue moon. But when Discworld fics are good, they are excellent.

( Here there be - well, slash, mostly )

Being an older fandom participant, I remember this trope back when it was commonly referred to as genderswitch. As times have changed and society's become more aware of the nuances of gender (with nonbinary, genderfluid and trans individuals educating us), some of the older fics in this genre might not have passed muster today; I try to bear in mind the date of publication. As for the mechanics, I'm equally happy to see always-a-different-gender as I am suddenly-by-magic-or-technology plots. I consider this trope to include physical changes to gender, as well as simple playing with gender expectations (ex. drag).

When I read physical genderbenders, I'm primarily looking for a specific set of plot threads, and will enjoy the fic if at least one of the following apply: the person learns about other genders and their societal preconceptions are adjusted; the person is no less capable now that they are a different gender; if kink is involved, it is actively the choice of the characters and not merely author fetishization; there is no enforcement of gender stereotypes.

Finally, all of these are included in their respective fandom posts - this post is simply for ease of access.
( I suppose Ranma 1/2 would be redundant to post here... )

Mostly, this is for the kind of small book fandoms where I either loved the canon and thought fanfic wasn't too necessary, or I disliked something about canon and went looking for fix-its. If it has both a literary and television presence, then whichever form of media I prefer determines which post it goes in - it won't be in both.
*Yes, literature includes comics if I don't follow the movies/television version(s).
**Literature also includes mythology, as long as it isn't explicitly from Hercules/Xena fandom.
***Created in October '17 and backdated to keep all Small Fandom posts together.

( Why isn't time-travel more useful? )

This post is a collection of any and all fics of mine. I hope you enjoy them, if you decide to check any out! Updated and consolidated 7/31/16.

( Read more... )

Fandom #50: Mo Dao Zu Shi (a.k.a. The Untamed)

Fandom #48: The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System

Fandom #45: Good Omens

Fandom #39: The Goblin Emperor

Fandom #17: Lord of the Rings & The Hobbit

Fandom #15: Vorkosigan Saga

Fandom #13: Harry Potter

Fandom #11: The Dresden Files

Fandom #10: Regency: Georgette Heyer, Jane Austen, Horatio Hornblower, and the Temeraire Series

Fandom #2: Bruno & Boots, or Those Wacky Canadians

Fandom #1: Discworld

Fandom Trope #2: Genderbender

Extremely Small Fandoms, Literature

My Fanfiction: Summaries and Links

Profile

February 2025

Syndicate

Most Popular Tags

Page Summary

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags