The thing I feel like is often overlooked about fanfic in the mainstream is how good some of it really is. There are wildly talented people out there just producing really, really good stuff. And for free! Just because they like it.
The fact that Manacled was not meant for a general audience and yet it is the absolute most popular (edit: Dramione) fic on AO3 (3.7 million hits which are more than double what the 2nd most popular fic got), speaks volumes about its quality. It's written better than most books I've ever read and it's absolutely captivating.
As a fanfic reader across all fandoms i tell you the gems on AO3 specifically are unmatched. Some writers here are ultimate gems. And bcoz these are not published they have no restrictions on the plots and stuff the best spice i have read on AO3. Ruined all the edited spice on published books haha. That being said my favorite dramione fanfics are actually them being adults and have adult jobs like the war is over and they now have adult stuff going on. My favorites and I highly recommend all in AO3 - Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being in Love Draco is an Auror and is assigned to keep Hermione safe. Bcoz she made an important discovery but she wont tell him what it is so he doesnt know who he is protecting her from. Hijinx ensues. Also, vengeful nuns. This is so good the banter is top tier - Measure of a Man Hermione is a highly sought after Healer and Draco is working with Harry to fight off Death Eaters still. They met. She also meets Scorpius. Harry’s kids are also here. It’s a whole ensemble from the books. It’s amazing again I highly recommend. - Remain Nameless They’re both forever changed by the war and also happens to spend mornings in the same muggle cafe. Forced proximity to reluctant friends to lovers. Whew. - Wait and Hope Hermione wakes up in a hospital bed and feels like she forgots something. Then the healer tells her she’s Draco’s wife. It’s a series and she forgets him and it hurts so good and then it’s better. Highly recommend!!
@@airfullofspices it’s truly genius the writing is just top tier. The banter is so good the characterization. And everything is so funny. Also the plot and how it’s resolved?!? Perfection!
You definitely should read Terry Pratchett's books! There's more Pratchett than Neil Gaiman in Good Omens. And The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches is inspired by Pratchett's books. Oh, and you should see The Sandman because it's Gaiman's masterpiece!
@@TheBookLeo People have many different opinions on where to start with Pratchett, you should probably do some research though. It's generally considered a bad idea to start with Color of Magic / Light Fantastic.
I totally agree! I just read my first Terry Pratchett book this month (Reaper Man) and it was amazing! I have never read anything like it before. His writing style is so unique and incredibly punny :)
I'm dying because I'm actually a dramione shipper and I've read Manacled xd. I think it's their most popular fanfic in ao3. The thing is i've became a dramione shipper over the years because of their writters bc they are literally the best out there lol. For anyone wanting some recommendations: Isolation by bexchan, Measure of a Man by inadaze22, Remain Nameless by HeyJude19, All You Want by senlinyu, The Auction by LovesBitca8, Bring Him to his Knees by Musyc, Love in a Time of the Zombie Apocalypse by rizzlewrites, The Gloriana Set by ThebeMoon, Happy Pills by malfoy101, Lovelight by emlohamora.
also a second look by riverwriter for anyone who just wants cozy falling in love with almost zero drama !! it’s literally a comfort read for me at this point
I remember reading a dramione fanfic when I was a teenager, like a 12 years ago maybe and it was about the two of them getting trapped in the room of requirements (or somewhere, I'm not sure it was there actually) which slowly turned into a magical land of barley fields and cosy vibes and it was such a good slowburn and I've tried to find it ever since because I want to read it again, so if you have any idea what that fic might be called, I'd be so greatful 🙏🏼😅
I saw Dramione in the title and clicked SO FAST. I read Manacled faster than I ever thought I could read a 900 page story 😅 Truly addicted to it. It ended up not being my favorite thing, but it is definitely worthy of all the praise it gets. My personal favorite Dramione is Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being in Love. You should totally check that one out!! It’s a much lighter fic than Manacled but the unresolved sexual tension is ✨immaculate✨
The best fanfiction I've ever read (which also broke the internet a few years back) is All the young dudes by MsKingBean89. Its like a queer wizard utopia in the 70ies and tells the story of the marauders, especially Remus and Sirius. Its so freaking cozy and dark at the same time, its been my comfort read ever since. Whats also great abou it is the connection to 70ies music... every chapter gets a song and it makes the whole experience so vivid. Also the writing is just straight up perfect, if it wasn't for the legal rights of the characters that are unfortunately owned by JKR this could have gotten published.
Comfort read? Girl... is it everything okay? 😅 (Sending you a big hug). But yeah... ATYD is the best fanfiction I've read, and in my opinion even better than the books. I mean, MsKingBean89 goes deep in certain topics like sexuality, social inequality, prejudice, etc... And the romance? * chef's kiss * The romance was what I missed the most when I read HP, it's just so bland there.
@@karlastelabento5635 what can I say I like myself a bit of drama and tragedy to feel good ^^ but I usually just reread the first two parts... The 3rd hurts too much.
Yes yes yes, All the Young Dudes, it was that one that has taken over my life for the last 3 months :D It is so calming and funny at the same time that its not just me, I am not alone :D But ATYD is soooo good, so well written and so emotional - also the '70s.. I am lost. Also - have you read the Sirius perspective? If not just run! It is even better..
YES TO MANACLED!!! I don't really read fanfic and I don't even ship dramione but I ended up reading this on a friend's recommendation and it's genuinely my fav dark romance ever.
I read manacled this time last year and i could feel my brain melting every chapter. My experience was the same as yours, it completely overtook my entire life for the week it took me to read it and ive consistently thought of it in the year since. im not even a dramione shipper.
Didn't expect you to mention fanfiction here :) But I'm glad I am not alone, as I read Manacled a few months ago (also because of tt). It was my first try reading fanfiction and it blew my mind.
Personally if I was going to Voldemort-wins-and-I'm-focusing-on-Hermione bit, I think I'd have a future where muggle borns are being experimented on to figure out how magic comes to Muggle borns. Can't envision a situation where Voldemort would want to dilute his pure blood family's bloodlines with Muggle borns. But to each their own. Have a great week, Leonie!
They didn’t have a choice because the pureblood witches became infertile, so to keep the magical population from essentially dying out, they had to resort to muggle borns. So very much like in Handmaids tale. So it does make sense in that context, but otherwise it wouldn’t have, you’re right about that:)
in addition to this, it was also more of a diversion tactic -- this theme is actually discussed in the book. Voldemort is losing power and getting weak and this is a ploy to distract the masses from the fact that no actual progress is happening.@@becksmtv3037
On Manacled: it has been a hot minute since I read this story but hearing you took about it has resurfaced so many emotions I have have repressed that I legit started tearing up. Manacled is one of the best works of fiction I have ever read and after I read it I couldn’t stop thinking about it for a long time. I am so excited to hear your review when you’re done!!!
This fanfic took a whole part of my life , I can’t recover although it’s been a month now since I’ve finished it. My heart is literally shattered to pieces and I live for it.
I was so scared you would hate Manacled.. I love it.. I still sometimes think about it and I read it few months ago. I'm def getting it printed and bonded - there are so many breathtaking versions of covers! I was devastated after reading it. Dramoine is actually one of the ships I truly love.
Neil Gaimen's Sandman is incredible! It makes u feel a real mixture of emotions through out, and is filled with deep stand out characters. Personally, I think it's one of the best series out there, and u probably want to go into it without not knowing much. Also love ur videos! :)
Manacled was the first fanfic I'd ever read, and I read it in one day. I've never been big into HP, but now I'm in love with Dramionie... Manacled lives rent free in my head all the time now.
i was a big dramione shipper a few years back and i HIGHLY recommend you read Isolation by bexchan if you want more of dramione. it’s one of the most famous dm/hg fanfics out there and my introduction to the ship!!
The timing of this video is just perfect. I got back into harry potter fanfiction a couple of days ago (mostly the marauders era tho) and saw manacled on tt. It seem intriquing! But, as I'm not a fan of dark romance I decided to pass on it. Glad you had fun with it tho! Watching you talk about fanfiction was refreshing. I hope we get to see you talk more about it on this channel.
As a person who reads a lot of fanfics(AO3/Fimfiction), I read some of the best stories on the websites. I stayed up, I cried, I cried some more, there’s so many good stories on them it’s insane. Like… I read lovecraftian fics for my fandoms before that blew me away they were that well written😌
Manacled is a work of art. It’s so sweeping and intense. I was never a fanfic reader before I found Breathmints and Battlescars and it led me to Manacled. It’s everything.
You did such a good job describing "The Last Tale of the Flower Bride", some of it I just couldn't figure out how to put into words myself. I also loved the flashbacks the most, I could hardly wait to get past the groom's chapters just so I could get back to it.
Leoniee I can't help but recommend you read The Poppy War series, it's exactly the type os story you described you want to read. It's about what it takes to win a war and the consequences that come after, also about power and greed, I think you'd really like it!
you've convinced me to read the fanfic 😅 i've been seeing it everywhere for the longest time and have just been putting it off for ages. You also had me so nervous when you started talking about the last tale of the flower bride because it's the next book on my list to read, and now i'm worried because i struggle so much to read flowery writing 🥲
what you said about “the house in the cerulean sea” simplifying oppression to tell a heartwarming story is actually very spot on & gets even more disgusting when you find out the author’s inspiration for writing the story. made me so uncomfortable when i found out and i removed that book off my TBR so fast
On the topic of ENEMIES to lovers, there's a really good webcomic called Trapped (otherwise known as Olgami) and I know this channel is mostly for book lovers but if anyone's interested in comics this one is definitely worth checking out! It's about vampires and it's dark and their relationship is toxic and twisted and IT'S SO GOOD! The female lead isn't a good person at all and she isn't afraid to backstab and blackmail and the male lead is genuinely insane. Just wanted to put that out there, because I've seen a lot of people here wanting a good, genuine enemies to lovers trope.
Based off of what you said you like in this video during the dramione segment (mind invasion, pain lol), I’m BEGGING YOU to read the Farseer trilogy by Robin Hobb
@33:15 I absolutely agree. Hip-Hop is literally the most popular genre and sub-culture. The reason why it was so marketable was because it discussed injustice. Anger is very inspirational.
The best Fanfiction I have read are Crimson Rivers by bizzarestars and Choices by Messermoon, both are heart-wrenching marauders fics that basically rearranged my brain and got me actually through some very rough times. I'd only recommend them if you're not super easily upset tho
As an avid fanfic reader let me tell you that ao3 has some of the best stories out there (last year I read so many stranger things fanfics, specifically Steddie, because of how well written they were that honestly should be published)
Yes to everything you said about legends and lattes!!! I know it’s super popular, and I generally love the“cozy fantasy” genre, but I was so bored by L&L and the ending just had me rolling my eyes. Everyone seems to adore it so I was chalking it up to a “it’s not the book it’s me”. It’s so validating to hear others had similar experiences with it
You should absolutely read anything by Eleventy 7 and start with running on air they’re literally soo beautifully written and soo sad and heart wrenching too it’s simply so good
You might like To Be Taught if Fortunate by Becky Chambers, it has a cozy atmosphere and wonderful character relationships but still has high stakes and explores all kinds themes around what it means to be human. It is also a stand alone and pretty short
this was a wonderful video! as a massive fan of senlinyu's writing (and also your avid viewer), i squealed with joy when you mentioned Manacled! it's so so so so good. ugh. i could write essays about it. and thanks for other book recs! one little note though is that manipulation can't ever be subconscious on the actor's part: it's a conscious decision, and if you feel like you're "manipulating" someone else without yourself realizing that, it just means that you may have some maladaptive social mechanisms that you need to unlearn. that doesn't = manipulation, and saying that it is could potentially result in victimblaming. otherwise, awesome vid, as always! keep up the good work ❤
I saw you reading manacled on instagram and picked it up out of curiosity. It was wild, but it pulled me out of a reading slump, so thank you 😂 a win is a win
Was anybody else worried the whole time about her mug of coffee/tea? The whole time as the video progressed, I continually noticed that the beverage level was never getting lower and I kept getting progressively sadder that her drink was definitely getting very cold and she didn't even get to enjoy it. Leone, sorry that I am over analyzing your drinking habits, I'm just very passionate about enjoying beverages at an optimal temperature. I hope the drink was eventually enjoyed haha :)
I think fanfic can be so underestimated. Like, sure, not everything is good, but the same can be said about published books and that doesn’t take away from the really good ones. That being said, your telling of this really long fic and how it gripped you from beginning to end reminded me of one of my favorite fics. If you like BBC Merlin and are into Merthur, there’s a chance you’ve heard of Loaded March by Footloose. I read it at the beginning of this year and it took me two and a half weeks to finish it because it’s ridiculously long. But it’s so worth it. I didn’t start it with the intention of finishing it, but I was so captivated by the plot I couldn’t put it down.
i have never been on booktok or booktube and only ever heard of these things recently; i generally keep my reading habits to myself only because i didnt realize this comnunity existed. but your channel popped up on my feed and i cant stop watching - so many good recs i added to my list! so thank you for being an awesome intro to booktube :)
Oh hey if you wanted a breather from Manacled (I know it can get really heavy), I'd recommend Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying ordeal of being In Love (DMATMOBIL, or humorously referred to by the readers as BATMOBILE) - it's a lighter, funnier, Dramione fanfic that topples other romance books I've read easily. Would love to see your reaction, hope you'd give it a thought!
@@daisymae6 ur very welcome, I hope you enjoy the relief from the psychotic break that is manacled. batmobile personally got me kicking my feet n shit, hope it gets u too xx
15:34 Omg, I didn't quite grasp why I was so hyped about The House On The Cerulean Sea, but now that you mentionned that its writing looks like The Good Place, it all makes sense now! The Good Place is also my favorite TV show of all time. I really enjoy your videos, the vibes are unmatched
My favorite fanfiction along with all the young dudes is Crimson Rivers by bizarrestars. Its a crossover of Harry Potter ( the marauders era, that follows the world pre Harry Potter) and Hunger Games and it's BRILLIANT. The characterization is amazing and the way the author mix the references of both worlds is excellent.
If you loved "Serious Concerns" I would recommend "Two cures for love" also by Wendy Cope. I would also recommend another favorite of mine: "Book of matches" by Simon Armitage. Not as witty or funny perhaps but also accessible and uses a lot of word play.
When you talked about Wendy Cope it really reminded me of Mascha Kaléko (I love her with my whole heart)!! I think you might really like her too, she was also criticised for writing too lighthearted and simple poetry and made fun of those people within her poems. And her poems also rhyme and have rhythm! She's just great and I hope her poetry is translated to to english or dutch already
MANACLED has been tearing my soul for weeks now and I have finally succeeded in reading the thickest book I have ever read. 1700 pages of raw darkness in all its possible forms. I didn’t even ship Dramione and used to find it clearly odd. I can’t take it out of my head and it changes the way I see Harry Potter’s originals now. SenLinYu has awakened a part of me where I crave Dramione and HP fan fiction now. It is traumatizing to read it, each time you think you’ve reached the most heartbreaking awful, disgusting part, SenLinYu laughs at you and trough at you the bloodiest tortured chapter next. I don’t know if I will recover from this. It has been the darkest journey I have ever crossed with a book. The moral of it is borderline, and yet understandable. The world is hopeless, so much I have found I reached a point when I read where I didn’t even hope of a good chapter ending. Very hope you have, this book will crush it. Your darkest fear? It brings it to life. And you’re right in the middle of it -as Hermione, as Draco.- The wold building is prodigious, and the research the author has made about Harry potter’s world, but also psychology and anatomy are mind-blowing. The details were very very precise, that is also why the tortures’ descriptions were so hard to watch. I don’t even know how I succeed to not DNF’ed at some point when it was so depressing, so disturbing, desolating. The characters are so well reproduced, it is difficult to believe it is “only” a fan fiction rather than the actual last book of HP. Some of the original events of quotes are perfectly faded into the story. Nothing is left behind. I have smiled, cried but mostly pitted, and am unconditionally obsessed with MANACLED. My soul isn’t the same since I read it. Praise for this talented author, and also the amazing @avendellart who has a talent to bring to life the best moments of this masterpiece.
Give Billy Collins a try for poetry! Wry, almost sarcastic, yet surprisingly insightful. I'm also not a huge poetry person, but he's one of my favorites. His collected, "Sailing Alone Around the Room" is a good starting place. :)
I read "The last tale of flower bride" and really loved too. My favorite book this month weas "I who never know men". I read too a nofiction book that reallly supriese me about the oxford dictionary called "The professor and the madman". And a historical fiction about the Ancient Vietnam, "Bronze drum" that tells the story of two sisters warriors that tries to fight their opressers and give the independece for their people. I really like the Virgina Woolf essay, is very powerful and inspiring. I read for a subjet to my master degree in literature .
We don’t talk enough about how fanfiction not only provides some of the best content you’ll ever read (like genuinely I’ve read more deeply moving stories about humanity and exploring all the emotions and facets of being human and doing deep dives into sexuality, politics, mental health in the Harry Potter and One Direction fandoms than in published work) BUT IT DOES SO FOR FREE. These people write encyclopaedia length bodies of work and publish them for our own free pleasure!!! We don’t have to pay a cent for them! Right there on ao3!!! Fanfics writes are a gift we’re not worthy of and I hope they know how much love and appreciation they have from everyone.
Maybe you have already explained this somewhere (I started to follow your channel only a few months ago), but I wanted to ask you what you think about fanfiction in general. I love what you are doing btw. I like how you combine humor with serious analysis. And that fox is very cute. 🙂
Finally, someone who shares the same thoughts that I did about Legends and Lattes. I was over it quickly. Didn’t live up to the hype, and I just wanted to be done with it. You are not being harsh with your review 😂😂😂
yay for digging poetry! my last video was a reading vlog about the new collection of poetry by rachel oates, and i highly recommend that little book. some of the poems are about darker topics like abusive relationships, but a lot of them have that whimsical wendy cope kind of flavor 💙
All those fics I wanted to write about have already been mentioned before. All the ones I like very much have been written for a long time, and among the new ones there are few that grab me. Recently I found a new one Turn into sea foam by Poqui Probably one of the rare occasions for me to read an ongoing.
The kind of humor in Good Omens is more similar do Terry Pratchett than Neil Gaiman, so maybe you should give Pratchett's Discworld a try. For you, I would recommend starting with Equal Rites, it's about witches! But if you want to try a more humorous Neil Gaiman book, Anansi Boys is a great option.
I feel like poetry only works for me in my native language. And although my English is good I lack the understanding of/the "natural feeling" for the language in order to really grasp the beauty of poems that are written in English.
Ahhhhhh man I've had such a rough week and it's so nice to see a video from you. I can't explain it, just the background or your outfits or your voice or something just makes these videos so relaxing. Even if we don't really share the same book tastes, I love hearing you talk about books and it makes me want to check a lot of them out. I've been reading "History of the Rain" by Niall Williams. It's...been a little hard. This book is very highly reviewed but the narration style is just not clicking with me and the narrator has some...writing quirks? that are sooooooo distracting and they even make like meta remarks about it. I think it's supposed to be funny but it's just lost on me. But I am trying my best to get through it, I'm about a third of the way through so I'm hoping things will pick up and get better as everyone says it does. Thanks for the video, it was a nice bright spot in an otherwise abysmal week/monthj :)
Dramione fanfics always have the most interesting stories, ranging in genres, and they are well written too. Some of my faves are Isolation, Wayward Familiar, Innocent Monsters, Nightmare and Nocturnes, Rewriting History
Hi leonie! It seems a recurring subject of your interest in book themes is the exploration of an intense and twisted relationship between 2 people, something I’m also very interested in reading (although just a disclaimer, as you probably know as well, that they’re just interesting to read, but NOT good to have irl). I recommend two books: first is my brilliant friend by elena ferrante, it’s about an extremely intense and toxic friendship between 2 girls from 1960s Naples. Initially, that synopsis may sound very boring, but it’s the psychology and the beautiful writing style that will have an ABSOLUTE CHOKEHOLD on you. The second book I recommend is brideshead revisited by evelyn waugh. This time, it’s about a friendship between two men in late 1800s Oxford and how this friendship changed the life of the protagonist in more ways than one. Sorry this comment is long, but I really think you’ll like these books!
I second My Brilliant Friend by Ferrante! Besides complicated female friendship, there are also themes similar to Virginia Woolf's Room of one's own. I listened to all series on audio - excellent narrator (Hillary Huber)!
I am currently reading my all time favorite fanfic, which is "the Pugilist's Creed" by bardelow. It's Six of Crows fanfic which could legitimately be a third book in the trilogy. It's absolutely high quality and quantity (30 chapters/123k words)!
Hi Leonie...I have been following your channel for quite some time and I can definitely say that you have some of the best book recommendations...Love you lots 😇❤
I never comment on your videos, but based on what you're saying about that Dramione fan-fiction and that it is everything you were looking for in a novel for a very long time, I really want to recommend you a book, because based on what you're saying, I feel like you might appreciate it as much as I do. The book I'm talking about is "Exquisite Corpse" by Poppy Z. Brite. I feel like you would "enjoy" this (enjoy is a really not good word to describe the experience with this book, but it's hard to describe it in a different way), because it's also really twisted, dark, gory, centers around VERY problematic, toxic relationships and has A LOT of very interesting commentary on different subjects including AIDS, loneliness, fear of abandonment, abusive relationships, what loneliness and that fear of abandonment can push people into doing. It has a load of trigger warnings, so be sure to check them out before picking it up (or I can just write them up here for you, if you're interested in this book), but yeah, based on what you're saying about that fan-fiction I feel like this book might be your thing? Might, just might, please, don't pick it up only to see if it's unhinged or not though, because that really won't do this book justice and it already pains me that some people don't appreciate it for what it is and completely twist the meaning/purpose of this book.
TW: eugenics One of the reasons I cannot suspend my disbelief enough to read Manacled is because the Death Eaters were very much for “purity” in the wizarding world. Why would they put a “mudblood” with someone high ranking in the pecking order? To me it falls completely out of the realm of believability for an entire group of people dedicated to the genetic purity of wizards that were villains for an entire book series because of their views on that very specific thing. Like are we trying to backtrack and make it seem like they weren’t really that bad because they weren’t actually about tearing down people like Hermione? Idk maybe I’m missing something but it just feels weird to me.
Books mentioned here: - Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree (high fantasy, low stakes. Fantasy character turned coffee shop owner aka cozy fantasy) - The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna (wholesome found family, fantasy/witches) - The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune (cute found family, fantasy) - The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi (gothic fantasy/marriage with secrets/mystery/toxic-codependant relationships) (a lot of imagery so as someone with aphantasia, it might a hard read for me/people with aphantasia) - Serious Concerns by Wendy Cope (poetry) - Period Power. by Maisie Hill (nonfiction, learn about and plan around/with your menstrual cycle) - A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf (essay/nonfiction about women (in the 20s) could get to write (money, peace, and time, aka circumstances & (lack of) privilege vs talent). Pretty stream of consciousness) (*Which, I didn't know these terms existed and now I realize that it represents exactly what I wants recently)
i'm currently reading stardust by neil gaiman and i'm really enjoying it! it's a little different to gaiman's usual style and sort of more tolkein-ish which i'm loving!
I absolutely adore your channel! My favorite book tuber! I have a recommendation: Only a Monster by Vanessa Len (enemies to lovers, time travel, a little bit of gore, magic, found family) AND BOOKS WITH LEO READ IT TOO!the first 100 pages will suck you in. Would love to hear your thoughts. The sequel, Never a Hero, was just released.
I have two recommendations for you. I think you should definitely look into reading some Terry Pratchett based on what you liked about the house in the cerulean sea. I would also recommend the Neopolitan Novels (first book is My Brilliant Friend) by Elena Ferrante if want a really excellent examination of intense female friendships, whilst learning about life in Naples in the mid-twentieth century.
Super cozy video and omg first time I ever seen someone not like L and L (totally fair ofc!) I love the variety in this vlog and the landlord interruption 😂
I feel the same about poetry! For a long time it made me feel dumb for not understanding it. Wendy Cope was a great introduction for me! Specially when english is not your mother language (i'm chilean)
