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From: Ahasuerus <ahasuerus@email.com>
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written
Subject: Re: Finding new (to you) SFF to read
Date: Mon, 25 Nov 2024 21:07:44 -0500
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On 11/25/2024 5:56 PM, Lynn McGuire wrote:
> On 11/24/2024 10:19 AM, Ahasuerus wrote:
> ...
>> The Worm fandom is somewhat unusual compared to other fandoms, perhaps 
>> because most canon characters vary from "deeply flawed" to "makes Dr. 
>> Josef Mengele vomit" for reasons that become clear later on. It 
>> attracts both fanfic authors who want to make everything better (like 
>> the author of _Taylor Varga_ mentioned earlier) and authors who want 
>> to write depressed, flawed, messed up, etc characters.
> 
> The author of "Taylor Varga" also wrote this story which is quite dark:
> 
> https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12405120/1/She-Summons-Sea-Things-by-the- 
> Sea-Shore
> 
> From
> 
> https://wormstorysearch.com/? 
> is_nsfw_eq=any&story_keywords=mp3&page=1&limit=20&sort=stories.rating&direction=desc&searching=true

Checking my notes, I see that I have read (or attempted to read) 15 of 
the 17 listed stories. My favorite is the novella _Insect Outside_ (21K 
words, https://archiveofourown.org/works/11861061/chapters/26780430), 
which is a bit longer than it has to be, but it does "optimistic 
existential terror" and "involuntary transhumanism" quite well. "She 
Summons Sea Things by the Sea Shore" is, at 8K words, also a bit longer 
than strictly necessary, but is decent-to-good otherwise.

I gave the rest of mp3.1415payer's fics anywhere between 5/10 and 5.8/10 
where "5/10" is "mediocre" and "6/10" is "decent". Mind you, even his 
mediocre fics have memorable and/or amusing moments now and then:

 > They said the best revenge was living well. It was possible they were 
wrong, and the best revenge was *revenge*, but Taylor was willing to 
give the first option a try. For now. ["Vespa"]

but they drown in a sea of giggles and repetitive mutual back-patting.