iamjackstitanicbreath

[iamjackstitanicbreath]

Favs of '23: Marvel:

10/10. That's it. That's the rating. Give it a Michelin or five if I could. My standards can't get higher now. I think this might be the best I've ever read. Winter Soldier origin story. No ships like Stucky or anything. Very dark, very cold, very very real. It's really a talent to be able to write a whole story in five chapters.

"Between the fall and the monsters, the Winter Soldier is in orbit. This is what happens in the Red Room. These are the people who make him what and who he becomes.

Inspired by comics canon, in particular Ed Brubaker's Captain America issue 11, which included pages from the Winter Soldier file, and far too many Cold War books. Because HYDRA in the movie uses the Winter Soldier as a blunt instrument, and blunt instruments do not become legends."

This could also be a 10/10 on its own but I put it in the same list as the first one so I have to lower it by a notch or two. It's like putting Joaquin Phoenix and Brad Pitt in the same room and labelling it 'Greatest Actors'. They're great, but on different levels. Anyway, this one's got amazing dialogue. Very in character. It's entertaining, but it's also a tragic comedy one-shot. It's fun and has a nice ending. For you Irondad and Spiderson lovers ig. But it's good. Well written. Superficially hilarious, but the actual message is kinda depressing but deep. Sums up Peter's college life pretty well if Tony were in the picture. It's the Goldilocks ratio of Raimi's Spider-Man, TASM, and MCU Spidey.

9/10. I read it a while ago, so I don't have much to say, but the writing is just beautiful. TW: relationship abuse. Skip Westcott.

But it's amazingly written and it's seen through the eyes of Steve. Like author's a genius with words. Check out their Batman stuff too 'cause it's just so so good. Good stuff. Like lick your fingers after eating kind of good.

Anyways, moving on.

Star Wars

9/10. Pretty sure everyone's read this one by now but same author, Beth Winter, so I had to give an honourable mention. I remember thoroughly enjoying this one and wishing we got to see more engineer Darth Vader and corporate environment in the Galactic Empire with Vader at the head 'cause I mostly only these kinds of stories in the comics and even then, not enough. I mean, for chrissake, it's a fundamental aspect of his character. I've seen some other ones with like Vader finding Luke through some sort of design submission or email and Luke's an aspiring Engineer from Tatooine but I'd give them like a 4/10. I have a very picky and very particular standard for writing though, and Beth Winter just writes very well. Same for the Gruoch fellow. I know I liked this one the most of all the Star Wars fics, but nothing hits the same as a Marvel Cold War fic so that's remaining at the top.

7/10. Started off so so so so good. Would've given a 10/10 if not for the ending. It's a series. Read both parts. Very very good. It's very beautifully written and it takes a very unique inspiration from the book A Secret Garden. It was a really clever combination and What If? so I love it. But I'm not the biggest fan of that abrupt ending. Anyways, SPOILERS AHEAD:

I feel like giving a character the possibility of redemption throughout and showing the more humane side and still at the very end judging them as too evil to live? Idk, I mean, it feels sudden. Like you feel me? The story was continuously leading to the possibility of a happy ending or at least something along the lines of a compromise. And then suddenly author basically said "actually Vader's an unredeemable piece of shit, so let's just kill him off. I know I made it seem like he had a good side and that there was a future where he could be a very good parent, but I changed my mind." Anyways, it's fanfiction. Can't be too critical. Nobody's getting paid to write this stuff so I'm not going to bash it too much for inconsistency, but it did feel like the story was desperately trying to show at first that the situation isn't so black and white, but then resorted to viewing it through a black and white lens at the end. Went from no such thing as "absolutes" to well, absolutes.

Ok, I'm done rambling. You get the picture. Next!

Harry Potter

Heed the warnings. 8/10. The writing's very good and the plot hooks you in immediately. But heed the warnings. Not for the faint of heart ig. Also covers sensitive topics. I'm kinda iffy about putting this on the same list as a Beth WInter fic but maybe I'm being overdramatic. It's not artsy is what I mean to say. Author didn't intend for it so come across as a poem. But the writing's still very very good and the plot is even better. UNFINISHED. I'm angrily waiting for an update. Like stalk author's tumblr waiting. Maybe that's why I'm being so petty with the rating and review.

Code Geass

Anything by this author:

Favorites are The Fool Ascendant and The House of Usher. 10/10, both. Haven't read all of them, but also, writing style is very artsy. Character and dynamic studies mostly, and snippets of things we didn't see in canon.