Once
again, I find myself lacking the wherewithal to produce a full post
in time for Monday, so I'm stealing content from elsewhere on the Net
and calling it a friendly cross-promotion, or whatever. Ironically,
part of the reason for my malaise is that I spent Saturday at
Disneyland, taking in the re-opened Disneyland Railroad, Rivers of
America, and Fantasmic!—more on all that hopefully next week, after
I've had a few days to get my thoughts in order.
For
now, I offer you...fanfiction. Oh, stop making that face. It's true
that the vast majority of fanfiction—no matter the fandom—is
completely terrible, due to the barriers to entry being basically
non-existent. But by the same token, it's no harder for a talented
writer to self-publish online than a godawful one, so once in a while
you might stumble something genuinely worth reading. Today I'd like
to share a bona-fide unicorn: a fanfic about Disneyland itself,
starring actual Disney characters (not the author's own dull
self-insert) on an epic adventure to save the magic!
No,
it's not my own “Crowns of the Kingdom” (though if you'd like to
make my day...sidebar link, hint hint!). This unexpected treasure is
called “The
Happiest Place,” by fanfiction.net author ForTalosandtheEmpire.
Not only is it well-written in general, but it hits all the right
notes for my ideal
Disneyland-based story, blending action, fantasy, heartfelt character
moments, and, best of all, a baked-in appreciation for the magic
of Disneyland quite apart from its status as the place where
characters live. Most fanfic writers who tackle Disney theme parks
tend to go with one of two portrayals—either they're “just”
theme parks, or they harbor secret portals to the Magical Realms of
Disney (i.e. the settings of the movies, Kingdom
Hearts-style).
ForTalosandtheEmpire has somehow hit upon an elusive sweet spot
between the two, resulting in a depiction of Disneyland as we fans
experience it, not
necessarily as it is in objective reality.
If
you're feeling hard-up for some of that good old Disneyland magic and
have spare time for reading, you could do a lot worse.
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