Dept. of Oh No She Didn't

[kaffy_r]

OMG

OK, I thought I was entering dangerous fannish waters when I started reading Entirely Too Much "Guardian" fanfic (which I continue to do, even though I haven't visited the Guardian communities, bad fan me, but I digress.) 

Now?

Help me, Obi Fan Kenobi - 

- I'm writing an Arcane fixit. 

Sweet weeping jeebus ....

*goes off to find Arcane icons*

Comments

[elisi]

I have never heard of this show. But enjoy!!

[beccadg]

I don't know for certain, but I suspect from having seen her mention the series in the past that she is referring to the Netflix animated series Arcane. It's based in the universe of the League of Legends video game. I haven't given it a try myself yet, but I've not only heard it's very good--I've seen that it won 9 Annies at this years Annie Awards.

[elisi]

I've seen that it won 9 Annies at this years Annie Awards.
Wow. That's very impressive. Thank you for the information.

[beccadg]

You're welcome. Netflix did very well at the Annies over all. Along with Arcane winning 9 of the short form awards, The Mitchells vs the Machines won 8 of the feature length awards. ;-)

[kaffy_r]

Bingo! And it's just a surprisingly good piece of animation, story-telling, and world-building. I linked to a few descriptions and reviews for elisi.

[beccadg]

Thanks! Glad to know I have been paying enough attention to guess right. :D

[kaffy_r]

In yet another late response - this is Arcane. As beccadg says, it won all the awards it was nominated for in this year's Annie award for animation.

Even had it not won a single award, it would hav been due them; it is perhaps the most beautiful piece of animation I've ever encountered, and its story is a sophisticated tragedy with love and loss between two sisters, in a world that's riven by class warfare and an emerging technology that blends magic with science.

Here's some more information about the show, which took its production team (the video game producer Riot Games, who worked with French animation studio Fortiche) six years to develop. I haven't been able to find a single negative review. They're more apt to be like this, or this.

Ahem. Just a little bit obsessive, I know, says the woman who's now part of the Arcane subreddit, and who is disappointed that there's so little going on in the way of fanfic or Dreamwidth community for the show.

[beccadg]

Heh. I looked through several pages of User reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, knowing there had to be some negatives keeping it from having the perfect 100% fresh that it has with professional critics. I came up with three, one of which didn't seem to have actually watched any of the show, the other two sounded more "your mileage may vary." One didn't care for the story and the other didn't care for the world building. I haven't seen it because I haven't been too sure I'd like the animation style or the story. I trust that the world building is well done.

[kaffy_r]

You were a better detective than I was, but it sounds as if the negative comments were kind of superficial, which makes me happy.

The story is surprisingly sophisticated, especially considering it was generated from a video game. It's also pretty much a tragedy involving two sisters who love each other very much but find themselves on opposing sides in a struggle that includes class struggle. One of its main characters struggles with what we would describe as some form of mental illness, but she is always treated with respect, and the illness plays an organic role in the plot.

It's well worth dipping your feet into, at least for the first couple of episodes; enough to make a decision on.

[elisi]

Hmmm. It's available on Netflix UK so... we shall see. Maybe I shall join you. :)

[kaffy_r]

ihopeihopeihopeihopeihope -

Ahem. Did I say that out loud?

[sallymn]

Isn't it amazing how a show can grab you?

[kaffy_r]

Indeed - and when it's something that you really thought would be just an enjoyable time-passer, and which turns out to grab your heart - that's even more amazing.

[promethia_tenk]

*snort*

Ah yes, we've all been there.

Congratulations and I'm sorry.

[kaffy_r]

Yep. I knew that you and elisi would understand. *snrk*

I'm almost finished with the fic, and will probably put it up on my AO3 account, possibly with enough of an explanatory note that people who aren't too connected to the source material might be able to read it without being completely lost. I've been disappointed in a lot of the AO3 Arcane-based fic I've found; I'm hoping to discover some better material, and in the meantime, I'm trying to create some better material. I think I can do it, she said arrogantly.

I actually was a little hesitant to mention what fandom I was dipping into, thinking that folks would think I was childish - and then I remembered that for 15 years I've written fic about characters from a cash-strapped British show concerning a shape-changing alien traveling in a police box.

[beccadg]

I actually was a little hesitant to mention what fandom I was dipping into, thinking that folks would think I was childish...

Really? It's not like Arcane was the winner for "Best TV/Media - Children." That was Maya and the Three. Apparently Netflix really cleaned house at the Annies. It was "Best TV/Media - General Audience." The other animated series it beat in the category were Bob's Burgers, Love, Death + Robots, Star Wars: Visions, and Tuca & Bertie. Those are older audience shows, even if the Star Wars one has some very sweet parts. Not to mention some of us enjoy not only animation geared towards adults, but animation geared towards kids. I'm sad that Maya and the Three lost to Arcane in every category they were both nominated in, but glad it could at least win the Children category and music for TV/Media. I'm glad you're really enjoying Arcane, and I may give it a try eventually. I'm just not there yet.

[kaffy_r]

I really would like to see Maya and the Three, and I'm glad it's on Netflix. I admit that I was confusing this with "Raya and the Last Dragon", which I also want to see.

I think my initial reticence about "Arcane" was simply because I hadn't thought it through. I have friends who write in other animation fandoms, something I'd completely forgotten. I'm a little disappointed in myself that I felt that way, even for a minute since, you're right, it's definitely not for kids. Someone described it as being like an animated and sombre YA novel. That works for me.

And if you are ever able to get around to watching Arcane, I'd love to hear what you think of it!

[minnehaha]

I thought "that British newspaper has fanfic?"

K.

[kaffy_r]

*snort*

In the broad world of fanfic, I wouldn't be surprised to see some RPF porn featuring Guardian editors and reporters.

I'm not going to seek out it out, mind ....

[beccadg]

Rule 34

[chez_jae]

Ha ha! It's fun to get sucked into a new fandom, although it can also be exhausting.

[kaffy_r]

Fun and exhaustion ... yeah, that's the ticket. Heh!

[a_phoenixdragon]

Love it!! Eeeee!! I am watching Arcane soon so I can read that awesome fic. :D

*HUGS*

[kaffy_r]

Oh, I'd really love to hear your reaction to the show!

*hugs back*

[a_phoenixdragon]

So far, I'm loving it! But then, I knew the game had a rich storyline (and Jinx is a fav amongst gamers and vidders - complicated mechanics, but she has the biggest 'bang' for the gameplay, lol!) - but a lot of games like this have marvelous stories. I'm rather excited for Borderlands (which is rumored to come soon! EEEE!) and I was happy to see RE (Resident Evil) getting its crack at it (we won't mention The Witcher - as technically it is cheating, if only because Witcher was a book series THEN a games series). I figured if LoL was producing a series, it would be good - and it definitely does not disappoint! Now let's see what they do with Borderlands and HALO which also have good stories and vivid, rich characters. :D

But yes, League of Legends has been a popular game series for a while (not one I have personally played or followed, but it is not my general genre of play) - and Riot Games is well known for their character design, concepts and storylines. :D