Case (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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fandomsecrets2011-10-21 07:44 pm
case) wrote in fandomsecrets2011-10-21 07:44 pm
[ SECRET POST #1753 ]
⌈ Secret Post #1753 ⌋
Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.
01.
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05.
[Secret of Kells]
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[Shortpacked/Strangers With Candy]
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08.
[Ricky Gervais]
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10.
[Marshall Eriksen]
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11.
[Lady Gaga/Tony Bennett]
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14.
[ThouShaltNot]
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16.
[Russell Howard and Jon Richardson]
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[Queer as Folk]
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[Thor]
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21.
[Blacksad]
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24.
[The Iron Giant]
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[Dragon Age 2]
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[Fringe]
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27.
[Monster High]
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30.
[Tropic Thunder fake trailer]
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[Doctor Who]
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[Kane chronicles]
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35.
[BBC Sherlock]
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[Spaced]
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37. [repeat]
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38.
(Transformers: Prime)
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[ ----- SPOILERY SECRETS AHEAD ----- ]
43. [SPOILERS for Gears of War 3]
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44. [SPOILERS for SPN]
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45. [SPOILERS for SPN]
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46. [SPOILERS for FMA]
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47. [SPOILERS for The Mentalist]
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48. [SPOILERS for Marvel (X-Factor, Avengers)]
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49. [SPOILERS for Community]
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[ ----- TRIGGERY SECRETS AHEAD ----- ]
50. [TRIGGER WARNING for rape]
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51. [TRIGGER WARNING for abuse]
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52. [TRIGGER WARNING for sexual assault]
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53. [TRIGGER WARNING for gore]
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Notes:
Secrets Left to Post: 00 pages, 000 secrets from Secret Submission Post #250.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 1 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 1 2 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.
no subject
Is it bad that I was hoping that he would die in the end? I feel like I would have been slightly more sympathetic had he become a martyr for the wizarding world. (Not to mention that, with the sheer number of near death experiences he's had, it's a miracle he survived the series.)
no subject
However, it's a kid's series, and I can see the desire to cap off with a happy ending, especially after you've beaten up characters so much along the way. I know in my own writing it's always a temptation to write babies-ever-after for everyone, and writing sad endings for beloved characters takes balls.
Animorphs is one example of a kid's series unwilling to pull punches with realistic endings, and while the conclusion is very well written, a lot of fans are still pissed about it, 10+ years later.
no subject
I have a tendency to kill off the main character in my own writing. Maybe I am just twisted or something.
Animorphs is one of those series that I never read as a kid. Everyone keeps talking about how great it is. I'm tempted to pick it up now, though I worry about how many books there are and where to even begin.
no subject
*cue Animorphs ramble, feel free to skip*
If you want to read the series, now would actually be a good time to start. They're re-releasing the first six books, I think they have 2 or 3 out now, and depending on how that goes, they might do more. That means the fandom is getting a breath of fresh air, some new people mixed in with the old guard. The re-releases are fixing some of the errors from the early books, but are otherwise the same.
There are 54 books in the main series, 4 "Megamorphs" specials, which fit into the continuity but are not essential, 4 "Chronicles" which fill in back story for the bigger players in the war and world-build the Animorphs universe like crazy, and 2 "Alternamorphs" which are choose-your-own-adventure books, out of the continuity, and so hilariously badly-written that they are really fun to go through with friends. If you're worried about which extra books fit in where, going by release dates will always keep you covered.
The series definitely had its ups and downs, not aided by the extensive use of ghostwriters who varied in quality. But it has a great main cast, all of whom feel like real teenagers, wonderful world building, and a conflict that always feels immediate and real. The bad guys don't wait for the end of the school year to strike; they are always there, they are always a threat, and if any one of the main cast slips up once, they are all goners.
They did not pull their punches with gore (the morphing process healed injuries, so they could push the kids to the brink of death and bring them back) or with larger themes. By the end of the series, both sides have committed serious and extensive war crimes and this is never glossed over (like a certain Chosen One throwing out Unforgivables like candy). Tha certainly turned off some people, but it almost never felt like it was talking down to its audience.
Sorry for giving a whole rambly pitch for the series, but I just re-read it all last year, and it is still one of my favorites of all time. The books are relatively quick and short, so reading the first five doesn't take long and gives you a feel for all of the characters, the world, and the long-running conflicts. Hopefully you'll feel moved to give them a read!
interested passer-by
(Anonymous) 2011-10-22 02:58 am (UTC)(link)Re: interested passer-by
no subject
No no, I like rambly pitches. They have very useful information.
How long are these books, anyway? 54 books seems like way too many books for a series... or maybe I'm just used to 1000 page novels now.
no subject
(Anonymous) 2011-10-22 03:43 am (UTC)(link)no subject
The "saved by sacrifice and love" argument tended to get to me, especially how it related to people other than Harry. How had it never happened before? What made Lily's death so special? When Harry says in the final battle that his sacrifice protected everyone, was that sheer bluff?
*Ani-ramble, part 2, now with more wordy goodness!*
Like the person above said, Animorphs are about 150 pages each, and in a relatively large font; I always thought of them as "popcorn books", really quick and easy. The Chronicles take longer and are generally denser, as they dig into a bit more prose. All 62 continuity-books are in first person, so there's a fair amount of dialogue that eats up page space (Alternamorphs are ridiculously bad second-person. Seriously, those books are the butt monkeys of the fandom).
There are some books that fall into the filler category, and they tend to come directly after really heavy books; the narrators rotate in a set pattern, so unfortunately the character who narrates directly after the walking angst-bucket usually gets saddled with fluff plots; this pattern of heavy-light-heavy generally holds until the late 40's, as the last ten books or so take place over about a month, building to the climax. The series as a whole covers three years, save the Chronicles which go back decades, and the expanse of time is really important in how the characters grow and change. The shy kid becomes the recluse. The brave kid becomes the blood-thirsty thrill seeker. The funny kid becomes the shrewd cynic. The everyman becomes the world-weary general. By the time the series comes to an end, you've spent so much time with these kids, who are only 16 in the finale, that you actually feel the extent of their descent. So I'd make the argument that having more, shorter books sets a tone for the series that larger installments wouldn't have captured.
I'm up for answering any more questions, seriously keep pitching 'em at me!
no subject
I never really got the "saved by love" argument either. Voldemort killed so many people. Surely Lily and James weren't the only ones who were willing to give up their lives for their families. Why is Harry the only one who survives his parents' sacrifice? I mean, I know there's a prophecy, but it seems like the prophecy should hinge on something more than ~the power of LOVE~
So Alternamorphs are like those "choose your own adventure" books? I wanted to like those types of books so badly as a kid, but I could never get into them. Good concept, horrible execution. I've yet to see any book that could pull it off.
You have me sold! I will definitely look into the Animorphs books, though I have a few current books I need to finish first. People keep reccing things to me and I cannot keep up!
They didn't happen to release multiple books in a discounted set, did they? Like a "three books in one" type thing? I've seen this happen for some of the more popular manga series and even some novels. If not, this could get really expensive. (I'm going to check my local library first, of course, but I buy any series that I like enough to read multiple times.)
no subject
The difference between Lily specifically and all the other people who might have gotten between their loved ones and the end of a wand was that she didn't have to die. She was given the chance to live. ("Stand aside...stand aside, girl.") Previously, it's easy to guess that Voldemort simply killed everyone. Lily was given the chance to live because Snape asked for her. She was in fact a special case.
Voldemort never gets this either. Right at the end he offers Harry the chance to live himself--to either run off and let him kill everyone in the castle, or to walk into the woods and sacrifice himself. Even if Harry hadn't come back, he wouldn't have been able to touch the defenders after that.
It's not just self-sacrifice--the person has to be offered the explicit choice as to whether they live or die, and choose to die to save the other person/people involved. (There's some fan speculation Grindelwald tried to do this for Dumbledore, in fact.)
This sadly also means that unless there was a Death Eater Voldemort favoured who was in love with Alice Longbottom, the Neville as Chosen One AU isn't really viable...not going off the canon interpretation of the prophecy, anyway.
[/infodump]
no subject
I'm still not sure I buy into it--I can see why the circumstances are special now, but not necessarily why the special circumstances would make a difference in the end--but at least now I can see what Rowling was trying to do.
I was never really a fan of Chosen One Neville AUs, but that's probably because Neville is portrayed as a spoiled brat in all the ones I've run across.
no subject
Animorphs books tend to run pretty cheap if you can find them in used book stores. They used to release sets of the first five, but with the rereleases they probably won't do that for a while again. Hmm, I'd say library or...
*casts sneaky glances around*
Here.
http://animorphsforum.com/ebooks/
There are a handful of typos scattered throughout, but overall very good copies. Glad that you're up for giving the series a shot!
no subject
Thank you! <3
no subject
I do like how much detail there is to catch in HP. Animorphs is far more of a war story than a school story, so while there are questions to return to, there aren't a ton of side characters to fall head over heels in love with (says the loud and proud Millicent Bulstrode fan). For all its flaws and mind-fuckery, HP is a great world to just hang out in.
no subject
(Anonymous) 2011-10-22 04:24 am (UTC)(link)When he told Lily to step aside, she said (paraphrasing) "No, not Harry! Kill me instead!", and I think Voldemort agreed verbally? Anyway, so when he killed her with the Avada Kedavra, he implicitly had agreed to her deal: he killed her instead of killing Harry, but then he went and tried to kill Harry, breaking their agreement, so the Killing Curse bounced back in retaliation.
I personally like the idea that sometimes shows up in fanfiction that Lily had placed protective magic in Harry as a fail-safe, in case Voldemort found them, so that she could sacrifice herself to save Harry.
no subject
Then my family grew the fuck up and my brother read all of them, and I read a bit over his shoulder but by then I was too much of a prissy teenager to really care.
Of course, now that I'm twenty... sort of want.