TSK: Howdy Hey, I'm TSK!
Lemon: Halfway to Heaven, I'm Lemon!
TSK: And this is Criticism With A Side of Coffee, the wormfanfic review blog! Alrighty then, Lemon. What fics have you been reading recently?
LEMON: I've been reading a couple of one-shots recently. Three of them specifically. All from different authors with very different stories, but all lovely to read. The first of which I want to talk about being Blue Hair, written by BurningCrab.
TSK: Oooh, I'm unfamiliar with that exact story, but BurningCrab is an author I'm aware of. As for myself, I'm bringing two one-shots of my own today: Incipit and The Girl In the Room, by babagaia and Discreet respectively. Both of which are favorites of mine that I can't wait to discuss: but please, tell me about Blue Hair.
LEMON: I don't think I've read those two but I've definitely heard of the writers. Coincidentally one of the snippets that I've been reading was written by Discreet as well! Blue Hair is one of the shorter one shots in the fandom, being around 1.8k words but all of them very pleasant. It first caught my eye by being rather different in two ways. The first of which is that it's written in second-person point of view, and it’s about Shielder.
TSK: second person! one of my favorite devices in literature and oh man, Shielder. A man oft ignored or turned into a joke.
LEMON: Indeed! Crab wastes no time in letting us get to know him in so few words and the second person is used marvellously. For me, I found it to ultimately be a rather cosy story about two very different people becoming friends who share one thing in common: blue hair. With the second person being used to really sell the feeling that it's not just Shielder becoming friends with Newter, but the reader as well as we see these two characters simply talk and get to know one another atop the Palanquin. The story is the definition of short and sweet, with a lot of well used dialogue. It also briefly features perhaps one of my favourite depictions of Lady Photon, even though she only appears to say a few lines over the phone with her son. Despite that, those few lines are used greatly. She comes across as a professional but we are also shown a nice moment between her and Shielder that shows us why she has the nickname Photon Mom. It really is a great story that perfectly executes everything it promises and more. I'd really recommend you and those reading to give it a go!
TSK: Okay I opened it in another tab, I'll definitely check it out. Not just for the second person and rare character choices, but because we should support more light-hearted fics in this fandom. This is probably a result of the source material being so dark, but man can reading wormfic get kind of exhausting sometimes- for several reason, but overall tone is one of them. I love me some good angst like every other sad lit nerd, but sometimes, It'd be nice to see more fics focused on character bonding and such, and it sounds like this is right up that alley. Also fics that aren't focused on action! I swear to god 85% of wormfics all try to be as action-packed as Worm was, and while I respect the attempt...it doesn't work for a lot of them. It didn't work for Worm itself in some places.
LEMON: Yee, it's always nice to read something that's less heavy, especially in a fandom like this for the reasons you just pointed out
TSK: ...I just realized of my choices are fairly sad so that defeats my own point :V
LEMON: Haha, well now I'm curious about how sad they are
TSK: Okay, first I wanna talk about Incipit, by babagaia. It's a 1.2k oneshot that focuses on a character who doesn't have a name within Worm itself. In fact, the short story doubles as both a character study of someone so small you don't remember them, but also as a meta-narrative about the nature of fanfic itself. This woman is aware of the nature of the medium she's in, and Gaia's flowing, beautiful prose perfectly balances long, lofty metaphorical segments punctuated with sharp conclusions, as if the character herself is getting lost inside the mass of words that is worm and the uncountable collection of fanfics. Gaia as an author in general is very aware of framing devices and knows how to use them for maximum effectiveness: another snip I wanna briefly mention of her's is Steel Owl, which also implies an unusual framing device to drive home an emotional story. It's the only PHO fic besides META I enjoy.
LEMON: Oooh, that sounds like an interesting premise .I recall reading Steel Owl and it was quite good from what I remember
TSK: It's fantastic- PHO interludes are something I tired of so quickly. So many wormfics have it: an interlude where PHO essentially just reacts to the last chapter, and mostly how cool Taylor is as well as some other tired fandom jokes like voidcoybow and cauldron conspiracies that were old the first five times they were written. Which really goes to show you how little of this fandom has actually read the source material since the PHO interlude in Worm itself is actually quite interesting and focuses more on what the framing device is meant to be: giving you a look at the lives of the non-powered people who live in this insane world. Steel Owl reminded me why I enjoy the epistolary-esque format. When you find an author that knows how to use the framing device, it's really something special
LEMON: I can agree with you there on the PHO Interludes and how they're usually used in Wormfic. They're usually chapters that I skim at best because of how they're typically written.
TSK: Yeah, like: I sound really harsh here, but I really wish people would do more PHO interlude stuff and have actually, like...be an interlude? There's so many interesting stories to tell in the world of Worm beyond Taylor, which was the entire point of those chapters! Speaking stories to tell beyond Taylor: The Girl In The Room, by Discreet. Man. What an experience. It's like no other fanfic I've read, because it's not just prose. Discreet, madlad that he is, made a twine game that plays in Ao3. If you're looking for inspiration to mess around with medium blending in fanfic, The Girl In the Room is a good place to start: Discreet blends auditory cues with an unusually (for him) spartan prose to get you inside of the girl that the story's perspective is from. I refuse to spoil it, so all I'll say is that it's not Taylor. And it's damn compelling. Much like incipit, I think it barely hits a thousand words. Something that always makes me sad is when I see people dismiss fics that don't reach a certain length, as if that's some kind of bar you need to clear to be "a real fanfic." It's never made sense to me. Isn't a story that's more compact and well-thought out more enjoyable
LEMON: Wow that now does sound different from the usual. I can't say I've heard of anyone else making a twine game in Wormfic before. Definitely something I need to give a look. And yeah, the relation between what people consider an enjoyable story and story length in fanfic is an odd one. Speaking of stories written by Discreet, I've been reading one myself that sounds quite different to what you've read, which is: I don't sell Regent body pillows because I want God to hesitate before he sends me to Hell
TSK: oh my god yes. that legendary fic
LEMON: It's quite funny, being a story about a Regent fan at a cape convention meeting the real one and only realizing it at the end. Outside of just being funny and light-hearted, I think the thing I can appreciate about it the most is that it doesn't overstay its welcome. Which is something I find tends to happen a lot when people focus on writing comedy. Discreet finds the perfect length to keep the reader laughing without dragging it out and manages to not lean too hard into it in a way that ends up making the humor fall flat. Ending it on the perfect note, where you can't help but feel just a little bit of sympathy for Justine as she tries and fails to convince her friend that it was the real Regent
TSK: Regent was also just perfectly in-character: going to a con in the Spirit Halloween version of his costume is exactly what he would do and it's hilarious
LEMON: Ye, it makes it all the more better that it really does feel like something he would do.
TSK: It's just a really fun little story, and I definitely support more humor fics. Speaking of, have you noticed this weird thing where either a fanfic is 100% serious or it's crack? I see it a lot on forum discussions, where fics like the above or Tank, That Sounds Like Work, ect, are all called crack when I feel like that's...not accurate at all
LEMON: Oh yes definitely
TSK: Crack, imo, is based off that very 2008-internet style of humor where LOL SO RANDOM and 4th wall breaking were the only two jokes we had back then. It's a disservice to the mentioned fanfics because there's genuine thought put into them. I think a good way to draw a line between them is characters being...well, more or less in-character, at least how they're presented in fic. The reason why I don't sell Regent body pillows because I want God to hesitate before he sends me to Hell is funny because Regent is entirely in character, and the POV feels like a real fangirl. It builds off of the source material to create this absurd but plausible scenario, the kind of thing you'd read and the news and go "oh of course that happened, why not?” Alright I think I've exhausted everything I can rant about, haha.
LEMON: Yee, I agree with you there. There's a difference between crack and humor fics that I find people either don't notice or ignore, much to their own detriment, especially when they decide to write their own fanfic. Last but not least, my most recent read was A Knight's Favour, by AParticularlyLargeBear
TSK: Ohhh, I read that one too!
LEMON: It's a well-written snippet, that masterfully explores the connection between Self and Costumed Self through the lens of the trans experience. The depiction of Gallant and Glory Girl, both as individual characters and as a couple, is also very refreshing. One of the few fics I think explores how and why a cape might change how they present themselves in costume to reflect changes in their own life. In this case, Gallant, as she comes out as transgender Like Blue Hair, it's a very warm snippet, showing us how Victoria supports Therese (Gallant) and gives us little glimpses into their relationship before ending on a triumphant note as Gallant holds her head high after coming out to the public
TSK: The depiction of Gallant and Victoria both was so heartwarming and refreshing. This fandom hasn't been particularly nice to either character, so seeing an author depict them as the genuinely good people they are is...so fantastic. And just all of Therese' adjustments and whole-hearted embracing of who she is, it’s like food for the soul. AParticularlyLargeBear is very good at writing comfort scenes that don't overload you with fluff but still leave you feeling content inside, I recommend her entire body of work.
LEMON: Yee, she's a great writer and A Knight's Favour is just one of quite a few fics that show how good she is when it comes to writing character relationships
TSK: Character relationships, one of the cornerstones of good fiction. I'll be sure to link her as well. And on that note, I think that just about wraps things up. Aside from recommending that people give shorter fics a chance in general, I don't think I have anything more to say for this session. How about you, Lemon?
LEMON: I would also recommend giving shorter fics and one-shots a chance. They're always a bit under appreciated despite requiring so little time investment in comparison to the much bigger fics that dominate. Alrighty then, that's it!
TSK: Thanks for joining me again, Lemon.
LEMON: No problem! I hope anyone reading this has enjoyed!
TSK: See you later!
DISCUSSED FICS:
Blue Hair, by BurningCrab
Incipit, by babagaia.
The Girl in the Room, by Discreet
I don’t sell Regent body pillows because I want God to hesitate before he sends me to hell, by Discreet
TANK, by maroon_sweater
That Sounds Like Work, by FlabbyKnight
A Knight’s Favor, by AParticularlyLargeBear