Black and Gold/YMMV


 * Alternate Character Interpretation: L.J. Either she's Broken Bird and victim of abuse that's made her a self-destructive Anti-Hero... OR she's a Brilliant but Lazy Manipulative Bastard who uses her tragic past to fuel her self-loathing, which she then uses as an excuse to Martyr herself and not have to deal with her problems.
 * The truth seems somewhere in-between.
 * And the Fandom Rejoiced: While the "arranged marriage" plot has become cringe-worthy in modern day fanfics, in Black and Gold it ultimately takes a back seat to the action, and is done well. The complex OC's also took more than a few people by surprise.
 * Also, OAS obviously became more comfortable after the first two chapters, as her writing style evolved significantly for those who stuck around.
 * The end of the haitus.
 * Anvilicious: "Self-loathing is bad" is brought home a few times, especially when you see where the self-destructive practices of Rachel and L.J. got them.
 * Some Anvils Need to Be Dropped of course, but insecurity -> becoming an Eldritch Abomination is a little harsh.
 * Crowning Music of Awesome: It has been stated by Word of God that the official song for Black and Gold is ofcourse "Symmetry" by Falling Up (of course). "Reckless Youth" by Pillar and "Sweet Sacrifice" by Evanescence are also given mention.
 * Die for Our Ship: Purposely averted. OAS states that she really wanted Kid to have a love interest, and the best way to give him a worthy and equal pairing was to create a counterpart. Canon characters aren't used much because the author fears writing them OOC.
 * Fridge Brilliance: Everywhere. The whole reason OAS' reveals come off as so damn shocking is that she lays these subtle hints all over her work, and then never draws attention to them again, so that they all add up to a big Wham! Episode. Little sentences or phrases in early chapters end up being part of the whole plot. Just see chapter 10, where OAS actually collected all of the hints foreshadowing, and you're jaw will drop at how you remember reading it but how it all went completely over your head.
 * For example, go back and pay very close attention to  No, just how that situation occurred is not an Aborted Arc, Red Herring Twist or Noodle Incident. It's pretty damn important.
 * Growing the Beard: The story matures from slapstick and playful humor to a rather dark, psychological study of maturity and fractured families.
 * Hopefully this will continue as the author puts more emphasis on the Lovecraftian themes of the story.
 * Holy Shit Quotient: Damn. Let's see,  The only thing keeping us from thinking Original Alien Superspy made this all up as she went along is that Fridge Brilliance is also everywhere.