008: Crack Treated (almost) Seriously

Episode 10! It's our Tenthennial Extravaganza, please laugh. Be sure to hop into this week's episode at least for the first 10ish minutes for an important update, ya'll. And then maybe stick around to hear about crossovers! There's a certain manic, absurd, surreal nature inherent in crossovers that just feels very 10th episode special worthy. Tier List: https://tiermaker.com/create/fanfic-tropes-787657 Tumblr: https://alien-ariel7.tumblr.com/ "Kaiba Seto vs. Pokemon" by KarasuNei "Unexpected Romance Route" by aj_linguistik

Episode 9! Where Ariel makes it all about her. This week: a trope that was supposed to be saved for a special, but Ariel had a bad week and decided to cheer herself up. ABO, or Omegaverse, is a trope so infamous at the moment that even Spencer has heard about it; but, luckily for Ariel, he also has absolutely no idea just how awful it can get. Tier List: https://tiermaker.com/create/fanfic-tropes-787657 Tumblr: https://alien-ariel7.tumblr.com/ "'Tis the Season of Harvest" by Candlewax "Six Skeletons in Your Closet" by MsMK

Episode 8! Now with obscure Ohio-centric history. Welcome back to our normal setup! This week, to get them both back into their usual podcasting formula, Ariel picks a somewhat notorious, but surely, surely fun trope. Right? Or at least interesting, right? Crack stories have never disappointed Ariel before... right? Tier List: https://tiermaker.com/create/fanfic-tropes-787657 "Westerosi Host Club" by LilyRose9 "An Honest Attempt" by Kealpos

Episode 7! Spencer cashes in. This episode is a special one: Spencer's riding high and Ariel's sinking into the floor. Can you guess why?  Tier List: https://tiermaker.com/create/fanfic-tropes-787657 "Bandit and Bitey" by Alien-Ariel

Episode 6! Spencer is annoyingly good at our game. Tune in to listen to Spencer do what Spencer does best: frustrate Ariel by being extremely good at guessing things. To be fair, this episode's trope--Fix It fics--isn't all that difficult to get; except maybe for the author of the story that gets read. To quote Spencer: "what part of this is fixing things?"  Tier List: https://tiermaker.com/create/fanfic-tropes-787657 "Back Home" by PewDiePie "Not So Difficult" by sherlockian4evr "Chateau Lobby #4" by andromeda_starline "sunsets" by SeraphFighter

Episode 5! Spencer likes AUs, pass it on. For this episode, Ariel brings back the AUs, because Spencer seems to prefer them. And hey! He kinda sorta maybe enjoyed Soulmate AU! This week's examples may be pretty cringe, but the core of the trope shines through anyway.  Tier List: https://tiermaker.com/create/fanfic-tropes-787657 "Gone" by madmeridian "Sneaking airpods into Hogwarts wasn't that bad of an idea after all" by IzzyMRDB "Skin Deep" by opossumm "Written in Red Ink" by veroniqueclaire

Episode 4! The trope that let Ariel down. This week, listen to Ariel go from mega excited to ultra disappointed as her and Spencer investigate the drunken confessions trope. And laugh along with Spencer as she totally blows her own cover and admits within the first ten minutes where she ranks it on the tier list. Tier List: https://tiermaker.com/create/fanfic-tropes-787657 "A Drunk Mind Speaks a Sober Heart" by DivineVarod "crows buried side by side" by objectlesson "Charmed Life" by ZeroLight "High Rollers" by ValentinesValentine

Episode 3! Our first Mostly Dead trope. This week's trope is a classic, in perhaps the saddest sense of the word. Bodyswap is a staple, but the kind of staple that's been around long enough to become a bit overplayed. Finding a fic this time took Ariel four hours, so what did she end up finding to read to Spencer? Tier List: https://tiermaker.com/create/fanfic-tropes-787657 "Physical Connection" by eroticnarwhal "Witches Suck (or the One Where Sam Tries to be Hella Smooth)" by songflightgirl "I Watch, You Watch" by Hexiva "trading faces" by hoppnhorn

Episode 2! Is this a genre tag or a trope?  Now it's time to start getting into some classic fanfiction material. Hurt/Comfort may have started as a genre tag, but now it's a full-blown trope, and Ariel can't wait to annoy Spencer with some of that good, weepy nonsense.  Tier List: https://tiermaker.com/create/fanfic-tropes-787657 Fic Libs: https://www.etsy.com/listing/573466267/fic-libs-shipping-fanfic-story-maker?ref=yr_purchases "Blissful Acceptance" by fullfirefafar "Bad Days and Good Nights" by TheLilyoftheValley

Episode 1! Where to start with fanfiction bs?  Ariel takes Spencer back to school with High School AU, and then finds him the most perfectly imperfect fic to get him started on his fanfiction journey.  Tier List: https://tiermaker.com/create/fanfic-tropes-787657 "A Routine Day" by gayboycolor "First Date" by OmniscientProstitute "Games We Play" by Siancore