is this a bandwagon i see before me?

{Take the 100 Things challenge!}

Yup, so I'm doing this.

My first thought was that I wouldn't be able to think of 100 anythings. However! I am going to be doing 100 fics that blew my mind. No theme or whatever beyond 'holy shit, I love that!'. Some will be old favourites from HP, things I've loved in Merlin, some will be new things as and when I read.

Basically, I am a bit of a shitty commenter when it comes to fic, and sometimes I feel like I get so caught up in writing that I neglect the reading side of fandom. I adore and want to celebrate the skills on show in fic writing

fyi: these posts will be unlocked

Happy sunday, you gorgeous people. ♥

( Keeping a list under here for reference )

♥ 001

Title: Leave The Pieces by formerdinosaur
Fandom: South Park
Rated: R
Pairings: Stan/Kyle plus others, some spoilery under Cartman/Butters, Craig/Tweek, Damien/Pip, Kenny/Wendy
Author's Summary: Stan and Kyle meet as strangers in their mid-twenties, both of them astounded to meet someone else who doesn't remember the first ten years of his life. Only one person from South Park remembers that they existed, though no one has ever believed his ravings about the super best friends who went missing. When Kenny learns that Stan and Kyle have been reunited, he suspects the forces that separated them as children have returned, and that the town's only hope resides in their missing memories.
Word Count: 250k

Why I Loved It: Well, first of all, I cannot imagine a South Park world in which Stan and Kyle are not joined at the hip/brain. So the premise of this fic is in itself kind of heart breaking - what if they lost each other and never even knew it? The plot is tight and pacey, and it brings in so many of my favourite, criminally underused South Park characters.

The author has a bunch of South Park fics, and all the ones I've read do a fantastic job of taking the extremes we see on the show and making them into believable, recognisable adult characters. And also, of taking some of the South Park events (I'm thinking in this one, of Butters' parents behaviour) that are just part of the backdrop of the insanity of this little mountain town and saying no, hey, wait, how would this effect someone? Who would they grow up to be from this starting point?

The relationship between Stan and Kyle is a complicated, slow-burning thing, but their instant dedication to each other, you guys. They're both damaged by their amnesia and the lives they've lived subsequently in very different ways, and while finding each other is really only the start of this story, you can't help a sense of relief that Stan and Kyle are back together - the centre holds.

The other characters are wonderful. I cried genuine tears over Kenny. In fact, the sections from Kenny's POV (the POV changes, but not quickly, if that's something that puts you off) are possibly my favourite. I ached for Kenny, for the fervency of his belief in Stan and Kyle, and the consequences of this. This is why I love fanfic, okay? It makes me emotional over a clever cartoon about foul mouthed children, particularly the one who dies every episode. I cried buckets.

Full disclosure: formerdinosaur = hollycomb so it was always bound to be scary-good, right?