Bonus Round 6

[hso_mods]

Bonus Round 6

Recs

Hey, shippers! This is the last bonus round, which we’re all very sad about. So let’s talk about some of the awesome stuff created throughout the HSO!

Rules

1. Rec at least three fanworks from the main or bonus rounds! They do not have to be connected to each other in any way.


2. You may not recommend material created by members of your own team.


3. Each recommendation must include at least three full sentences about why it’s awesome. Please use the format specified below.


4. You may recommend as many sets as you like, so long as each set has at least three recs in it.

Title & Rec Format
If you are doing a fill, use this format in your title.
FILL: TEAM [YOUR SHIP]
Replace [YOUR SHIP] with the name of the team YOU belong to; please use the characters and quadrant, not whatever portmanteau or nickname you've come up with.
If your team name is not in this format and in the title we cannot guarantee that it will be counted.

The content of the post should be in this format (extend as necessary):
<b>Rec 1:</b> (title) <b>Team:</b> (the team the creator belongs to) <b>Creator:</b> <b>Why I’m recommending it:</b> (please be as specific and descriptive as possible!) <b>Rec 2:</b> (Title) <b>Team:</b> (the team the creator belongs to) <b>Creator:</b> <b>Why I’m recommending it:</b> (please be as specific and descriptive as possible!) <b>Rec 3:</b> (Title) <b>Team:</b> (the team the creator belongs to) <b>Creator:</b> <b>Why I’m recommending it:</b> (please be as specific and descriptive as possible!)

Posts not using this format in the title will be understood to be unofficial discussion posts, no matter what they contain. They, like all comments on the comm, are subject to the Wank Policy.

Scoring
For fills (as stated here):
First 5 entries in each post: 30 (per entry)
Entries 6-10 in each post: 20 (per entry)
Entries 11-15 in each post: 10 (per entry)
Entries 16+ in each post: 5 (per entry)

If you have any questions, please ask them at the FAQ post here, or email them to us (homestuck.shipping at gmail). Otherwise, we cannot guarantee that we will see them in a timely fashion!

Comments

FILL: TEAM ERIDAN<3SOLLUX

[rawrimamidget]

Rec 1: Blight Of My Life
Team: John<3Karkat
Creator: Main round 1 entry
Why I’m recommending it: Help, this was so sweet I've gotten cavities! Its witty, a perfect length, and just absolutely adorable. Gorgeous art, as always. Those end notes just wrap it all up and put a neat little bow on top!

Rec 2: Star Fox
Team: Psiioniic<3Sufferer
Creator: po2iitronla2er
Why I’m recommending it: I have never even played Star Fox, but I'm reasonably sure most of us internet-dwellers don't need to in order to have a laugh at this one. Terrible but hilarious. The art is really solid and stands out nicely too!

Rec 3: Donkey Kong Country
Team: John<3Rose
Creator: jelajade
Why I’m recommending it: Oh gosh, I recognized what game it was immediately. The art style is really cute, and the background is spot on for one of the levels in the game. This made me so nostalgic that I almost pulled the game out of my closet just to play.

Re: FILL: TEAM DAVE<3TEREZI

[nextian]

Aw, thanks! I'm glad the fill worked for you. Also that Applebees fic is THE BOMB.

Re: FILL: TEAM Karkat♥Sollux

[nextian]

This rec set is beautiful.

FILL: TEAM JOHN<3VRISKA

[aloice]

Rec 1: Bend Around the Blades
Team: Dirk<3Jake<3Jane<3Roxy
Creator: veira
Why I’m recommending it: This entry is, to me, the perfect entry. It answers the prompt directly, has beautiful characterization of all four characters, and contains gorgeous art. So many things hurt and I don't even really know why.

Rec 2: The Weather in Europe
Team: Dad<3Roxy
Creator: Snyuuk (on AO3)
Why I’m recommending it: It handles a somewhat rarepair - Dad/Roxy - beautifully. Dad is a horribly difficult character to write for many reasons - we don’t even know his name - but this fic does a wonderful, wonderful job of bringing him to life. And the tragicness of the pairing? It shows it even better.

Rec 3: Untitled
Team: Equius<3Eridan
Creator: Equius<3Eridan team entry r1
Why I’m recommending it: Wonderful, wonderful Eridan here, the writing makes me want to hug him. The worldbuilding is great too. The language is just delightful.

FILL: TEAM DIRK<3JAKE<3JANE<3ROXY

[nextian]

Three femslash recs!

Rec 1: the ghost of rockschool
Team: Aradia<3Jade
Creator: Round 1 entry
Why I’m recommending it: This piece has it all: striking art, gorgeous prose, body horror. Aradia<3Jade is my secret vice and this fic did a great job illustrating why they should hang out a ton and maybe kiss. It's a completely excellent use of the prompt, too!

Rec 2: Two Alien Girls Making Out On A Pile Of Zombie Corpses
Team: Nepeta<3Terezi
Creator: Round 2 entry
Why I’m recommending it: fraymotif's distinctive style works so well here, giving the movie poster pose a feeling of vibrancy and motion. The slightly twitching hand in the right corner is a great detail. My favorite part is probably the creative zombie kills you can extrapolate from the corpses, though, including the one with Nepeta's claw glove still embedded in its skull. Hott.

Rec 3: To Catch a Thief
Team: Terezi<3Vriska
Creator: Round 3 entry
Why I’m recommending it: This could work just as well as a Terezi♠Vriska entry, but you get the red of it all in the way that Vriska's clearly about two seconds from finishing that note off with "XOXOXO pick up some milk please!!!!!!!!" God, though, what isn't gorgeous about this? Look at the tiny Batman pose in the bottom of the Terezi section; look at the artful way their constellations got worked in; look at the fond "HMPH" at Vriska's 8-ball breaking. Everything's intentional but it's still dripping with life!

FILL: TEAM DAVE<3JADE

[watchfob]

Bonus Round 1, part 1

Rec 1: Untitled Rose<3Sollux
Team: Jake<3Terezi
Creator: thatfeatheryprick
Why I’m recommending it: Regency Sollux/Rose is a thing I didn't know I wanted, until I saw this picture. The expressions are great; I can just imagine their banter, and it is glorious. Plus, Sollux in breeches? yes please.

Rec 2: Untitled Kanaya<>Karkat
Team: Aradia<3Jade
Creator: jadesprite
Why I’m recommending it: "It's perfect, that's why" is, unfortunately, not a long enough reason, but really, this ficlet is gorgeous. This was one of the few fills that really stuck out and lasted in my memory. The writing is wonderful and the emotions are so believable it's almost choking. I've heard the phrase "I'd read the long version" used before in reference to bonus round fills, and I have to say, this works well on its own, but I would read the heck out of the 'long version.'

Rec 3: Untitled Gamzee<3Tavros
Team: Jade<3Karkat
Creator: sakiexcel
Why I’m recommending it: When I saw this prompt, I knew something good would come out of it. I was not wrong. This fill is hilarious, both the mock book cover and the description. It didn't overplay anything, which would be easy to do with a prompt like this, and because of that, it was brilliant. A+.

Re: FILL: TEAM JADE<3KARKAT

[watchfob]

fdjhkg thank you! ;o;

Re: FILL: TEAM JADE<3KARKAT

[sakiexcel]

<3

Re: FILL: TEAM DAVE<3JADE

[sakiexcel]

Aaaah <3 <3 <3

FILL: TEAM DAVE <3 ROSE <3 TEREZI

[gomimushi]

BONUS ROUND 5

Rec 1: jade ♣ karkat permacamping @ Þingvellir national park
Team: John <3 Karkat
Creator: Eucleides
Why I’m recommending it: I was really glad that this prompt got filled! Þingvellir is one of my favourite places on earth and I think this picture totally captures the magic of the place! Stark but beautiful with the gorgeously drawn northern lights up ahead blending into the scenery, it is made homely and warm by way that Jade and Karkat seem to be enjoying themselves so much by the fire.

Rec 2: Dave/Rose @ King's Landing
Team: Dirk <> Roxy
Creator: Pyrokineticvampire
Why I’m recommending it: Holy shit this is like every guilty pleasure I've ever had rolled into one fic and deliciously spiced. Dave and Rose fit BEAUTIFULLY into the roles of the Lannister twins in the cutthroat world of Game of Thrones and wow, just wow. It's everything I ever wanted from this AU and now I wish there was more Game of Thronesstuck out of it.

Rec 3: Terezi/Karkat @ The island of Berk (from How to train your dragon)
Team: Aradia <> Sollux
Creator: Orm
Why I’m recommending it: I laughed so hard when I saw this fill. It's such an adorable snapshot that wonderfully captures both Karkat and Terezi's personalities in the context of the alternate universe. I especially love how the dragons' expressions perfectly match those of their masters'!

Re: FILL: TEAM DIRK<3JAKE<3JANE<3ROXY

[gomimushi]

Wow, thank you so much!
It makes me so unreasonably happy when people say my art reminds them of old school shoujo manga;; /A\ I really appreciate it!

FILL: TEAM BRO<3GRANDPA

[macca44552]

Rec 1: Bingo Royale
Team: Jake<3John
Creator: Main Round 1 Entry
Why I’m recommending it: Old men are the greatest. And here we have Jake and John portrayed as retired men living in a facility. And it is hilarious and poignant and basically everything you'd want it to be. The dialogue is really fresh and believable and by the end of it I really just wanted to adopt both of them. The art was also stunning and the music links were a treat.

Rec 2: ==>Dolorosa: Be Free
Team: Dolorosa<3Mindfang
Creator: Main Round 1 Entry
Why I’m recommending it: There is just so much depth to this fic--I can't even. Despite not really having much in the way of canon characterizations, the Dolorosa and Mindfang are both very enjoyable, plausabile, and oddly relatable. The Dolorosa's mindset is especially intriguing to read. The dialogue was fantastic, but the thing that sold me on this fic was the attention to detail and the world building--especially the stuff involving the signless' plights alfkja;lsfd. This is all wrapped together with some beautiful art.

Rec 3: Jackpot
Team: Gamzee<3Tavros
Creator: Main Round 1 Entry
Why I’m recommending it: The art man, the art. It's adorable, distinctive, and I absolutely love the character design. The expressions and body language are also really effective, especially poor nervous, anxious Tavros. The dialogue is also really cute and, gah, the situation is hilarious, okay? Two trolls with no clue how to gamble? It's just as amazing as it sounds.

FILL: TEAM JOHN<3VRISKA

[aloice]

Rec 1: And Somewhere in the Darkness the Gambler, He Broke Even
Team: Rose<3Roxy
Creator: attentionmerrymakers
Why I’m recommending it: This, without question, is the entry that hurts. No melodrama, no violence, no screaming and crying, nothing forcing you to sob and cry, but the words just wash over and you’re like, wow, I want the tears to stop but they just keep coming. The Roxy is beautiful.

Rec 2: Bets Worth Taking
Team: Aradia<3Rose
Creator: Aradia<3Rose team entry r1
Why I’m recommending it: The language in this fic is simply stunning. Life is colored a shade of rust and violet and they love as everything ends. The last couple of lines are just heartbreaking.

Rec 3: The ghost of rockschool
Team: Aradia<3Jade
Creator: retraux, Somniferum (on AO3)
Why I’m recommending it: The idea of those two as a ram and a dog is just endearing and unique. The Aradia and Jade here are absolutely precious and what happens, oh. It makes your heart glow and break at the same time.

Re: FILL: TEAM Karkat♥Sollux

[doubleohally]

Wonderful set! But I think you might have messed up rec 2 the story/team isn't the same as the summary

EDIT: OHHHH I'm stupid please ignore me for some reason I was thinking it was one of the round things?? Yeah omg sorry!

FILL: TEAM DAVE<3JADE

[watchfob]

aka what did i do to deserve all these awesome fills

I'm gonna preface this with: all the fills I got were totally awesome. Saying this as an unbiased party, despite them being for my prompts. I kind of really want to just link all of them, but these ones in particular stand out a smidge more than the others.


Rec 1: Untitled Dirk/Rose at Wan Shi Tong's Library
Team: Dave<3Rose<3Terezi
Creator: gomimushi
Why I’m recommending it: It looks exactly like a scroll from Avatar. That was the first thing that impressed me, and probably what I love most about this picture. Plus, Rose is completely enthralled with the scrolls in the Library she's totally ignoring the giant spirit owl behind her, while Dirk is the one defending. That's totally how their trip to the Library would go.

Rec 2: Untitled John/Vriska
Team: Aradia<3Sollux
Creator: icylily
Why I’m recommending it: This picture really fits the soundtrack! The beginning of the 'track starts off upbeat and a bit psychedelic, but gets progressively darker, and that is perfectly reflected in this piece. "A one way trippy ride to shipping hell" really is the perfect way to describe it. Plus, the colors are gorgeous.

Rec 3: Untitled Rose<>Vriska
Team: Gamzee<3Karkat
Creator: sempiternalserpent
Why I’m recommending it: Okay. This prompt received three amazing fills, and this one was the first one. It pieces together eight different sources and manages to paint a vivid picture of two girls who successfully dispose of a prominent historical figure and does it so, so well. Found poetry was (is) a new genre to me, and this is a wonderful representation of its possibilities. I'm trying to pick out a particular stanza that I like best right now, and I really can't-- it's all great.

Re: FILL: TEAM DIRK<3JAKE<3JANE<3ROXY

[slippy]

Thank you for reccing me! I must confess, I didn't intend for those to be the Oglaf medics, which would actually have been really cool. It was a case of 'argh, troll OCs, I need completely generic speech quirks!!'

Although now I want to put a bunch of non-human, non-alien characters in space and inflict trolls on them. Terezi will also miss the Howl's Moving Castle-type fire demon that does the mess hall cooking. She and Equius communicate with their friends off the radar by sending messages with Sandman nightmares that Gamzee has made friends with.

Fill: Team Rose<3Roxy

[eclecticillustrator]

Rec 1: Gamzee==> Be the Hero of Myth (http://hso2012-r2s1.dreamwidth.org/5422.html)
Team: Gamzee<3Roxy
Creator: Round two team entry.
Why I’m recommending it: This is a ship that I admit to being rather skeptical about from time to time. As such, in all honesty I wasn't really expecting to enjoy this fic nearly as much as I did. The characters are portrayed well, the dialogue is funny, and the concept is allover worked through fantastically. Props to team WonkHoNk for this fun little work of fiction.

Rec 2: Magical Girl Flirtini: Episode Seven (http://hso2012-r2s1.dreamwidth.org/2307.html)
Team: AR<3Roxy
Creator: Round two team entry.
Why I’m recommending it: I understand it's probably not showing the best form recommending two fics from the same sector and the same round, but I couldn't leave this one behind. The premise seemed amusing and quirky, and I simply had to see how the team pulled it off- well, with an excess of hilarity and a great deal of classic shoujo style, that's how. It's a great little read and kept me fairly amused, so here's me recommending that you all give it a go.

Rec 3: Bonus round 1 fill: Zombie Apocalypse+Sorcery, Kanaya<3Rose (http://hs-olympics.dreamwidth.org/13513.html?thread=2467273#cmt2467273)
Team: Bro<3John
Creator: deadkidsclub
Why I’m recommending it: Quite honestly, it really caught my eye as a piece. The subtle tone differences are lovely- plenty of impact without needing an excess of colour. The anatomy is great, the poses pretty damn badass, and just check out Kanaya's expression! Head on over and have a look at it.

FILL: TEAM KARKAT<3SOLLUX

[astraldeveloper]

Rec 1: Untitled trickster Jade and Rose picture
Team: Dave<3Rose
Creator: gomimushi
Why I’m recommending it: [gif warning!] This picture is really cool and I am a sucker for vaguely ominous trickster gifs! The colours are great, and I like how they manage to make Jade and Rose look like they belong in the same picture even with the really different colour schemes. Also I just think it's an excellent idea for the prompting soundtrack! Tricksters fit perfectly with the cheerful/creepy nonsense songs.

Rec 2: Untitled Jade/Rose picture
Team: John<3Rose
Creator: jelajade
Why I’m recommending it: It's an adorable picture of Rose and Jade! And a cute little short-haired Jade, and Rose with white hair! The style is really cute, and I like the adaptation of their canon outfits a lot. (Also Jades playing stringed instruments)

Rec 3: The Frost Witch and the Lady of Thorns
Team: Jade<3Rose
Creator: Team Jade<3Rose (I don't know who specifically??)
Why I’m recommending it: The whole thing is just so amazing and sad in an awesome way? The art is so perfect, especially the first older Jade one! The writing is excellent and oh the little details about the other characters and Jade and Rose's life together before Rose disappeared. It just has this feeling of being the end, of a great long story that's happened before and no one is left but the two of them. This entry is too good and everyone should read it. (and probably has, but oh well.)

Re: FILL: TEAM Karkat♥Sollux

[magnificentbastards]

"Perhaps, in some way, we are all within Hella Jeff."

A+

FILL: TEAM GAMZEE<>KARKAT

[rex]

Bonus round entries that have made me laugh stupidly:

Rec 1: Dave<3Rose, vampire romance + sports fiction
Team: John<3Dave
Creator: seer_of_void
Why I’m recommending it: An utter disaster of a sports game, narrated by Jade (opinionated) and Jake (asleep). Short, but gold. I pretty much giggled all the way through this.

Rec 2: Colonel Sassacre and Betty Crocker, honeymoon
Team: Dirk<3Jake<3Jane<3Roxy
Creator: shitletsbedogtier
Why I’m recommending it: Because it's hilarious. Like, straight-up ugly-laughter hilarious. Sassacre is a wonderful mix of optimistic and obtuse as he deals with his new bride's foibles.

Rec 3: Johnc3<(Tavros/Vriska), dark comedy + instruction manual
Team: Dave<3Rose<3Terezi
Creator: herfortythieves
Why I’m recommending it: A short instructional manual wherein John demonstrates how to get your ash on safely and effectively. Cute and silly, and John's expressions are adorable! The "do not" section makes me laugh pretty much every time I look at it.

Rec 4: Gamzee<>Karkat, Sweet Bro and Hella Jeff + Shakespeare
Team: Dirk<>Roxy
Creator: pyrokineticvampire
Why I’m recommending it: Delivers everything you'd want from a prompt like that. It is glorious. 5/5 honls.

FILL: TEAM GAMZEE<>KARKAT

[rex]

Carapace recset:

Rec 1: AR<3PM<3WV, pourquoi story + grocery list
Team: Kanaya<3Vriska
Creator: kolkhozi
Why I’m recommending it: A perfect little carapace creation myth! It's calm and lovely, with just the right amount of bittersweetness. I particularly like the parental tone it uses.

Rec 2: PM<3WV, sword and planet + letters
Team: Dirk<3Jake<3Jane<3Roxy
Creator: nextian
Why I’m recommending it: Such a wonderful WV voice (I am specially fond of I USED MY ETIQUETTE ON HER AND SHE SMILED AT ME WITH ALL HER PECULIAR TEETH)! It's funny and sweet and thoughtful, and PM comes across as a badass, which is always nice. This is all kinds of charming.

Rec 3: White Queen + Dirk, Prospit
Team: Dave<3Jade
Creator: asherdashery
Why I’m recommending it: It's just plain gorgeous. This is really well-written; the description of Derse and Prospit is excellent, and all the little details are great (bow wow, pow pow). Little Dirk is wonderfully awkward, and the White Queen is lovely.

I want to print all three of these off and put them in my wallet to coo over whenever I'm down. ♥

Re: FILL: TEAM Karkat♥Sollux

[sakiexcel]

Hamlet... :(

Very glad you liked it. <3

FILL: TEAM JADE<3KARKAT

[sakiexcel]

Jade/Davesprite

Rec 1: Untitled
Team: Alpha!Dave<3Alpha!Rose
Creator: lionpyh
Why I’m recommending it: I really love fics that play up Jade's scientific abilities, which this fic does well (and I have to add, calling Dave's constructed wing a .wng file made me laugh like a dork). Dave's characterization is great, and the scene in which his wing is completed is perfect. (He really is a total ham.)

Rec 2: Untitled h/c
Team: Jake<3Jane
Creator: primitiveradiogoddess
Why I’m recommending it: I'm a bit of a sucker for hurt/comfort fics. It's an interesting concept for a sickfic, using a computer virus for a(n at least partially) digital character. And Jade caring for Davesprite is very sweet.

Rec 3:
Team: John<3Davesprite
Creator: chouettechouette
Why I’m recommending it: Okay that is simply too much effort and too fucking quality to be hidden away in a Bonus Round thread. The coloring! The lighting! Their precious faces! This is seriously impressive work.

FILL: TEAM BRO<3GRANDPA

[gjarble]

Here's one fill from each of the three Main Rounds that I read for Phase 1 and I wish made it to Phase 2.

Rec 1: Bingo Royale
Team: Jake <3 John
Creator: unknown (Main Round 1)
Why I’m recommending it: We need more elder!fics in the world. Hell, we need more elderly characters in general, and my team affiliation is in no way an indication of any bias. >_> The characterization and the way the retirement-home scene is set are perfect, and the fic's sense of humor is excellent. The links denoting when each song starts in the fic's implicit FST make for quite a clever flourish. I loved the watercolor-y art style, too- John and Jake are still adorable after all these years (and I like the interpretations Equius and Sollux, too).

Rec 2: from my heart and from my hand
Team: Dave <3< Gamzee
Creator: hupsoonheng [AO3 username; unknown DW username]
Why I’m recommending it: By far the creepiest of any of the Main Round 2 fills I read. Considering the "monsters" theme and my love of creepy, that's a huge asset. The descriptions of Dave's new body are so visceral and beautifully detailed; I could actually imagine how Dave physically felt, and it sent shivers down my spine. It's one of the strongest interpretations of kismesissitude I've read, too- it really nailed how to psychologically reconcile hatred with romance, and yet how difficult it is for humans to empathize in precisely the way trolls feel it. Had this one made it to Phase 2, I would've voted for it again there. It's just that good.

Rec 3: Fire and Ice
Team: Psiioniic <3 Sufferer
Creator: unknown (Main Round 3)
Why I’m recommending it: This was one of my favorite interpretations of the "balancing act" theme. While many fills had two writing sections with parallels in their language or actions, few of them did it quite like this. Most of the fills used their parallels to point out the similarities between two situations that had similar meaning, or to show the same situation from different perspectives. However, this one chose to draw completely opposite meanings from nearly the same events! There must be some wizardry involved here, because they managed to make the same exact phrases sound comforting from the Signless's mouth, yet sinister from the Condesce's mouth. I admire the feat, and the art showing the true differences between the two situations is icing on the cake.

FILL: TEAM ARADIA<3FEFERI

[rochisama]

Rec 1: Untitled (Gamzee <> Karkat Bonus Round 1 Fill)
Team: Dirk <> Roxy
Creator: pyrokineticvampire
Why I’m recommending it: Nobody can deny the artistry involved in this piece. The idea of prompt itself (a combination of Sweet Bro and Hella Jeff and Shakespeare) is hilarious, but pyrokineticvampire's execution of the prompt is almost too good for words. If you have not yet seen this comic, you are missing out.

Rec 2: Says the Dragon to the Mama Cat (Nepeta <3 Terezi Main Round 1 Entry)
Team: Nepeta <3 Terezi
Creator: fraymotif
Why I’m recommending it: The fun idea, good use of the gambling prompt and adorable art are what made this comic one of my favourite entries from this round of the competition. I loved that roleplaying was used, and how it all seemed to be so needlessly dramatic. The art style and use of colours was also really awesome.

Rec 3: The Princess, the Prince and the Beekeeper (Eridan <3 Feferi <3 Sollux <3< Eridan Main Round 2 Entry)
Team: Eridan <3 Feferi <3 Sollux <3< Eridan
Creator: saccharinesylph
Why I’m recommending it: The main thing that stood out for me in this entry was the shadow puppet style of art that was used. Not only was it eye-catching and novel, but it fit perfectly with the fairy tail-style story. It was well-written, filled the prompt and was altogether a very enjoyable entry.