enemyofperfect | Epic angsty kidfic, scattered television catch-up (Reply)

I got a little distracted by Chocolate Box this past week, but at last it's time for another round of Wednesday things!

READ

I'm not sure I ever would have given Silver and Gold by

scioscribe a try if

schneefink hadn't recommended it, but I'm so glad I did. It's 150k of an MCU AU where after Loki stabbed Thor for the first time when they were kids, Odin disowned him and gave him to Heimdall to raise, and it's... so beautiful and wise? It has so much to say about deep emotional wounds suffered in childhood, about grief, and about learning to trust and connect with others.

One thing does confuse me, namely the implications of even worse than canon parenting decisions from Odin seeming to result better outcomes for everyone. Like, in the context of the MCU itself, does this vindicate Odin's cruelty to Loki in the fic? Or is there still room to blame him for making such a complete botch of his attempted course correction? I guess if nothing else, the fic certainly did convince me that Heimdall is a vastly better farther than Odin, and maybe that's enough to make a difference for a vulnerable kid.

Anyway, after devouring that, I went on to enjoy the hell out of some of

scioscribe's other works, most notably the TOS fic Crete, in which Kirk distracts space pirates by... essentially making himself a living sex pollen dispenser, I guess. It's so idtastic, and absolutely do mind the warnings, but it's also written with a sort of humane clarity that I really admire.

I've already recced my two amazing Chocolate Box gifts, but they still deserve many more eyeballs!

if I can't show it (if you can't see me) is an as-yet anonymous ficlet told from Seivarden's point of view as she and Mercy of Kalr propose to Breq what they hope might be a mutually agreeable arrangement. At a little over 400 words, it's tiny, and so beautifully done.

its origin is the human heart is another anonymous fic, this one 5k long, telling the story of Dishonored's Corvo and Jessamine as their lives twine increasingly closely together, with plenty of loyalty, grief, and beautiful metaphors along the way.

get you on the springs (make you fall) is a third anonymous fic, also around 5k, this one telling the story of Geralt of The Witcher striving valiantly to resist Jaskier's seductions, lest Jaskier love him and leave him as he has done to so many others before. It's total catnip for my id. I only wish there were a sequel!

i'll let you in (but i'm so scared of what you'll see) by

splendidlyimperfect is another lovely little Witcher fic, with 2k of Jaskier trying to figure out what Geralt's deal is with touch in an effort to neither distress nor take advantage of him.

And finally, as of tonight I am happily and ravenously gulping down Call it Intelligence by

talkingtothesky with illustrations by

Singing_Orange so I can be ready for POI book club on Friday. It's 60k of Finch/Reese pining, believably bad choices, and really remarkably gorgeous self-defense lessons. Plus, Shaw is so good! And the art is so beautiful! And last month's book club discussion was so much fun, I really can't wait for this one.

I also loved Afterwards by

Scytale, a fan-haiku for the Hakuouki series of otome.

WATCHED

Bumblebee. Let's be honest, I was 100% here for the lonely car robot hesitantly getting to know a human kid; the action scenes and coming of age arc were competently executed but not really to my address. Content note for a couple of instances of ableist language: the word "idiots" used as an insult, and the word "cripple" used as a verb. I did enjoy that the big bad was voiced by a woman!

Doctor Who spoilers through episode 12x07, "Can You Hear Me?":

I'm so glad the gay couple in "Praxeus" lived! I was all ready to be so upset, but no! Graham was so sweet about giving advice, too? And it was kind of fun to see Ryan and the vlogger play off each other.

I also really liked how in "Can You Hear Me?", the Doctor does not suddenly acquire social adeptness just because Graham is confiding in her -- but, you know, she gave it her own quirky try. And that was so sweet in its own way!

Stumptown spoilers through episode 1x14, "Til Dex Do Us Part":

I kind of loved the tattoo artist, and Dex's chemistry with him, and the way they decided not to act on it because it really wasn't the time or place. And I have so many feelings about her blackbird tattoo, oh no. You'll always love him, Dex, and that's okay!

Also, Miles' mom has impeccable personal style.

BoJack Horseman episode 1x01, "BoJack Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Story, Chapter One". As advertised, this really is about a very unpleasant man who is also an anthropomorphic horse. I was struck by how often the other characters comment on how little he has accomplished lately, as opposed to how much of an asshole he is to everyone he interacts with. There are some fantastic sight gags, though.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine spoilers through episode 7x01, "Manhunter":

This might be nitpicky, but I really wish they'd given Jake even a one line reference to working on his overwhelming fear of parenthood in some way since the last time they talked about it. It's genuinely wonderful that he's dealt with his complicated feelings like he promised Amy he would, but I guess I just would have liked to see a tiny nod towards the fact that dealing with feelings that complicated can itself be a complex process?

I did love Holt returning his love/cherishing/respect, though. With a smile, no less! And Rosa was such a stand up friend to Amy, and I have to admit I loved the moment with Terry backing away from even the possibility of trying to intrude on a conversation about porn, despite being 99.99% sure that wasn't actually what they were talking about. Terry, you're a good guy! And I'm sure your kids love your triangleness! ♥