BR4 recs, pt 1 (because gosh, I'm only up to page 7)
Rec 1:Untitled Vriska & Aradia art Team: John<3Rose Creator:jelajade Why I'm recommending it: The hovertext says "I'm fearless now, but it cost my soul," and that's exactly what this picture is of--dead Vriska and alive Aradia, surrounded by all their varied bad and good choices! Plus this art style could not be more adorable if it was painted in kittens. This is like the Blue's Clues guide to illustrative symbolism and I love it.
Rec 2:Untitled Terezi/Vriska fill Team: Bro<3Grandpa Creator:apollosglare Why I’m recommending it: This piece is in incredibly delicate balance, er, literally; Vriska leaning off the chair and Terezi leaning into it just enough that you can't tell if Vriska's being pushed, saved, or jumping. Perfect for a piece partially scored by The Cave. I also just love this Terezi's long face.
Rec 3:Untitled Jane fill Team: Eridan♥Feferi♥Sollux♠Eridan Creator:mementomoryo Why I’m recommending it: The soundtrack is a series of variously misleadingly cheery anime soundtrack pieces. Jane in full Victorian dress as Snow White flips the brightness of the soundtrack and capitalizes on the tragedy of, for example, Madoka. And it does so with gorgeous art!
Rec 4:Untitled Roxy piece Team: Equius<3Gamzee Creator:brightgray Why I'm recommending it: Okay, I'll admit I'm assuming the he in this is Equius due solely to the use of colors and pronouns. But the sense of void about the picture--the dark blue shading to black, the pixelation and vanishing of her scarf and the ice--is so good regardless. (The pixelation matches the soundtrack incredibly well, too.) The bulk of the scarf around her neck makes Roxy look tiny and determined. On a more technical note, I love the overlay technique used to paint the ice walls.
Rec 5:Untitled Aradia/Sollux piece Team: Nepeta<3Terezi Creator:fraymotif Why I'm recommending it: Using this soundtrack for Aradia and Sollux was inspired; it is exactly as fatalistic and sad and hopeful as them. Using close variants on their colors + green was even better; those are not colors that naturally go together, let's be real here, but the piece hangs together really well with a sort of sepia feeling to it. Aradia's AMAZING pants and Sollux's massive grin are serious bonuses.
Rec 6:Untitled Rose & Dave perv on their parents fic Team: Dave<3Rose<3Terezi Creator:megaparsecs Why I'm recommending it: UGH THREE SENTENCES FOR THIS IS SO HARD. I don't know why I can't just copy-paste "THIS IS THE ONLY POSSIBLE FIC FOR THIS PLAYLIST" three times, but here goes. 1) Dave's rambling bullshit is exactly correct. 2) "and technically Jade's half dog" made me splutter laughing. 2) THIS IS THE ONLY POSSIBLE FIC FOR THIS PLAYLIST.
Rec 7:Untitled Terezi<3Equius fill Team: Team Karkat<3Nepeta Creator:slippy Why I'm recommending it: I'm not sure how this fic got me shipping Terezi/Equius, which I can confidently state that no other power on God's Earth could do. It might have something to do with the use of the medics from Oglaf or it might have something to do with the idea that Terezi is, you know, a pushy mastermind. I think my favorite part though is the conceit--of course Equius smelling irrevocably and constantly like Equius would cause hilarious medical problems for Ms. Pyrope and of course she'd exploit the fuck out of that.
Rec 8:Untitled Dave<3<Gamzee fill Team: Dirk<3Equius Creator:cypher Why I'm recommending it: I love how fabulously uncool Dave is about his new hateboner. His running monologue sounding a hell of a lot more like Karkat's when freaked out by how much he's turned on is uh, extremely Dave Strider. I also love that this is convincingly balanced between sexy hate and actual, maybe-I-should-kill-this-dude hate.
FILL: TEAM DIRK<3JAKE<3JANE<3ROXY
Rec 1: Untitled Vriska & Aradia art
Team: John<3Rose
Creator:
Why I'm recommending it: The hovertext says "I'm fearless now, but it cost my soul," and that's exactly what this picture is of--dead Vriska and alive Aradia, surrounded by all their varied bad and good choices! Plus this art style could not be more adorable if it was painted in kittens. This is like the Blue's Clues guide to illustrative symbolism and I love it.
Rec 2: Untitled Terezi/Vriska fill
Team: Bro<3Grandpa
Creator:
Why I’m recommending it: This piece is in incredibly delicate balance, er, literally; Vriska leaning off the chair and Terezi leaning into it just enough that you can't tell if Vriska's being pushed, saved, or jumping. Perfect for a piece partially scored by The Cave. I also just love this Terezi's long face.
Rec 3: Untitled Jane fill
Team: Eridan♥Feferi♥Sollux♠Eridan
Creator:
Why I’m recommending it: The soundtrack is a series of variously misleadingly cheery anime soundtrack pieces. Jane in full Victorian dress as Snow White flips the brightness of the soundtrack and capitalizes on the tragedy of, for example, Madoka. And it does so with gorgeous art!
Rec 4: Untitled Roxy piece
Team: Equius<3Gamzee
Creator:
Why I'm recommending it: Okay, I'll admit I'm assuming the he in this is Equius due solely to the use of colors and pronouns. But the sense of void about the picture--the dark blue shading to black, the pixelation and vanishing of her scarf and the ice--is so good regardless. (The pixelation matches the soundtrack incredibly well, too.) The bulk of the scarf around her neck makes Roxy look tiny and determined. On a more technical note, I love the overlay technique used to paint the ice walls.
Rec 5: Untitled Aradia/Sollux piece
Team: Nepeta<3Terezi
Creator:
Why I'm recommending it: Using this soundtrack for Aradia and Sollux was inspired; it is exactly as fatalistic and sad and hopeful as them. Using close variants on their colors + green was even better; those are not colors that naturally go together, let's be real here, but the piece hangs together really well with a sort of sepia feeling to it. Aradia's AMAZING pants and Sollux's massive grin are serious bonuses.
Rec 6: Untitled Rose & Dave perv on their parents fic
Team: Dave<3Rose<3Terezi
Creator:
Why I'm recommending it: UGH THREE SENTENCES FOR THIS IS SO HARD. I don't know why I can't just copy-paste "THIS IS THE ONLY POSSIBLE FIC FOR THIS PLAYLIST" three times, but here goes. 1) Dave's rambling bullshit is exactly correct. 2) "and technically Jade's half dog" made me splutter laughing. 2) THIS IS THE ONLY POSSIBLE FIC FOR THIS PLAYLIST.
Rec 7: Untitled Terezi<3Equius fill
Team: Team Karkat<3Nepeta
Creator:
Why I'm recommending it: I'm not sure how this fic got me shipping Terezi/Equius, which I can confidently state that no other power on God's Earth could do. It might have something to do with the use of the medics from Oglaf or it might have something to do with the idea that Terezi is, you know, a pushy mastermind. I think my favorite part though is the conceit--of course Equius smelling irrevocably and constantly like Equius would cause hilarious medical problems for Ms. Pyrope and of course she'd exploit the fuck out of that.
Rec 8: Untitled Dave<3<Gamzee fill
Team: Dirk<3Equius
Creator:
Why I'm recommending it: I love how fabulously uncool Dave is about his new hateboner. His running monologue sounding a hell of a lot more like Karkat's when freaked out by how much he's turned on is uh, extremely Dave Strider. I also love that this is convincingly balanced between sexy hate and actual, maybe-I-should-kill-this-dude hate.