Resuming Service
I've decided to start recommending fic again.
I've come to this decision due to a number of reasons. Among them are the fact that I now have the time, and my interest in fandom has recently been rekindled.
But, the main reason I've decided to start posting recs again actually has very little to do with me. It has more to do with a disturbing trend I've noticed over the last few years.
When I first entered fandom, it was widely dispersed over several archives and blogs (the Pit of Voles was around, but a lot of authors refused to post there), and so rec blogs were absolutely necessary in order to find the best fic out there.
Now, with Archive of Our Own becoming larger, and its ranking systems becoming more robust (although 'kudos' on AO3 is, in my opinion, terribly skewed away from 'quality' and toward 'trendy'), rec blogs have become less necessary.
However, not everything is on AO3, and not everything that comes out on top at AO3 is necessarily 'the best of the best', and so I feel like a tailored rec blog is still a necessity.
Yes, it is possible to find someone on AO3 (or delicious, or pinboard or diigo) who bookmarks works that appeal to you, and if you're really lucky, then they might add notes. But, bookmarking is still bookmarking. Not reccing. So, most people will bookmark lazily. They won't tell you how good something is, or why you should read it. Often, they won't even expand on anything beyond the fandom, or main pairing.
I used to have several rec blogs that I followed (and there are still some that I return to, even though they haven't been updated for some time... thefourthvine is a perfect example of just such a blog) and I revelled in the fact that I was almost guaranteed to find something there that I wanted to read.
Now, with the demise of crack_van, I only have two that I visit regularly: epic_recs and calufrax. There's no longer a score or more of blogs that I can visit regularly and expect to find a new, interesting and informative rec.
With this in mind, and with the hope of offering others something that I once loved, I've decided to start writing recommendations again. I can't promise to be posting weekly, but I'll try to keep this blog alive as long as I can.
Everything recommended here is something that I have loved, and most of them are epic. I tend to read long fic, and so most of my recommendations lean that way. So, if you like long fic this is the perfect place for you.
Happy reading.
P.S. If the rec blogs are still out there, but they're hiding on tumblr, or dreamwidth or somewhere else, then please comment and let me know. I've searched, but I haven't found anything that is suits me. (AKA consistent, discerning and skewed toward long fic.)
I've come to this decision due to a number of reasons. Among them are the fact that I now have the time, and my interest in fandom has recently been rekindled.
But, the main reason I've decided to start posting recs again actually has very little to do with me. It has more to do with a disturbing trend I've noticed over the last few years.
When I first entered fandom, it was widely dispersed over several archives and blogs (the Pit of Voles was around, but a lot of authors refused to post there), and so rec blogs were absolutely necessary in order to find the best fic out there.
Now, with Archive of Our Own becoming larger, and its ranking systems becoming more robust (although 'kudos' on AO3 is, in my opinion, terribly skewed away from 'quality' and toward 'trendy'), rec blogs have become less necessary.
However, not everything is on AO3, and not everything that comes out on top at AO3 is necessarily 'the best of the best', and so I feel like a tailored rec blog is still a necessity.
Yes, it is possible to find someone on AO3 (or delicious, or pinboard or diigo) who bookmarks works that appeal to you, and if you're really lucky, then they might add notes. But, bookmarking is still bookmarking. Not reccing. So, most people will bookmark lazily. They won't tell you how good something is, or why you should read it. Often, they won't even expand on anything beyond the fandom, or main pairing.
I used to have several rec blogs that I followed (and there are still some that I return to, even though they haven't been updated for some time... thefourthvine is a perfect example of just such a blog) and I revelled in the fact that I was almost guaranteed to find something there that I wanted to read.
Now, with the demise of crack_van, I only have two that I visit regularly: epic_recs and calufrax. There's no longer a score or more of blogs that I can visit regularly and expect to find a new, interesting and informative rec.
With this in mind, and with the hope of offering others something that I once loved, I've decided to start writing recommendations again. I can't promise to be posting weekly, but I'll try to keep this blog alive as long as I can.
Everything recommended here is something that I have loved, and most of them are epic. I tend to read long fic, and so most of my recommendations lean that way. So, if you like long fic this is the perfect place for you.
Happy reading.
P.S. If the rec blogs are still out there, but they're hiding on tumblr, or dreamwidth or somewhere else, then please comment and let me know. I've searched, but I haven't found anything that is suits me. (AKA consistent, discerning and skewed toward long fic.)