Stuff I Love: Top Ten Edition Challenge 2
Feb. 9th, 2026 03:15 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
flo_neljaMake a Top Ten list for your favourite series and tell people exactly why you love it. This can be in any format - tv series, book series, radio plays, movie sequels, something else not mentioned here. Your series can be as short as two vaguely linked pieces of media and as long as... well, the sky is your limit. Whatever you like!
Alright! I wondered a bit if I should restrict by genre or by theme, and then remembered that on another website I'm celebrating femslash february, so
Top 10 of serial media where I ship the main(-ish) canon(-ish) f/f romance :D
1) Nevermore (webtoon by Red and Flynn)
One of my obsessions these days. A gothic webtoon inspired by Edgar Allan Poe.
Lenore and Annabel Lee are dead. Like all recent dead, they're amnesiac, but they're drawn to each other. They're forcefully recruited in a weird academy with haunting courses, and as the supernatural trial pile up, they start to remember they knew each other in life... but they don't remember their relationship the same way.
I love the memory themes of the romance, and the level of passion, I love the worldbuilding, the supporting cast is very good too. It's linked here, it's free, it's highly recommended! <3
2) Revolutionary Girl Utena (anime)
This might be the best anime ever, at 39 episodes (and a movie, but the movie isn't needed to have a real ending, if anything it mindfucks more)
Utena is a young girl who always wanted to be a prince. At school, she defies in a fencing duel an asshole who humiliated her best friend. And she gets involved in a dueling secret society where some of the most popular students of the school are fighting duels to "revolution the world", and, more pragmatically, for the possession of Anthy, the sister of the school director, the Rose Bride.
After she wins and Anthy comes lo live with her as a servant, Utena is not happy abuot this and tries to set her free, but the metaphysical games run deeper than she thought...
I love the atmosphere of this show, how it goes from deep tragedy family to crack humor with surfing elephants, how the internalized homophobia and patriarchy are heavy, but on purpose, how the subtext is written, the symbolist influences, the surrealist influences, the fairy tales references. It's also, often, disturbing, but purposefully, and to me it makes it even better.
3) The Locked Tomb (book series by Tamsyn Muir)
These books are often summarised with "lesbian necromancers in space", and technically it's true, but also the worldbuilding, and the main relationship, are incredible. i can't wait for book 4 but it's so laaate!
Gideon has been raised as an indentured space in a necromancy planet. She's unable of necromany, and dreams of running away to join the army. When the local necromancer princess, Harrow, is invited on a prestigious necromancy conference. She needs a bodyguard, but the only available is Gideon, and they hate each other. They make a deal: if Gideon plays her role, she'll have her freedom after the conference.
And then the murders start.
First volume is some murder mystery with enemies to not-exactly-lovers, and then the PoV change, and the worldbuildoing becomes more and more interesting, we learn about the necromancy in a cosmic setting, we learn about the past of the world and how it's the Earth's future. All the character are both tragic and funny with such cool individual personalities. The writing style has very vivid images and is very funny at times. I love it.
4) The Masquerade (book series by Seth Dickinson)
Once again, a fantasy series of three books for now and I'm waiting for the next one. It's about colonialism, mind games an political games, mental illness and cruel intolerance of the governement, including homophobia. It's not for everyone, it's very harsh.
Baru Cormorant infiltrates the administration of the evil empire that colonized her island, hoping to getting to the top and to destroy it from the inside. She will have to make lots of compromises in the way, that will almost destroy them.
Also, the empire is violently homophobic and she's a closet lesbian.
And the first repression she has to crush has a very hot and badass duchess among its leaders.
I'm fascinated by the worldbuilding, the tragedy (the intensity of the feelings) and the tightness of the manipulation plot. Also, main girl is an accountant, you almost never see this.
5) Tiger, Tiger (webcomic by Petra Erika Nordlund)
It's advancing slowly, but it should end in not too long, as we passed the middle of the last book.
In a Renaissance-like fantasy worls, Ludovica Bonnaire is obsessed by sea sponges and dreams to study them. But she's a woman, she can't go to the university or publis papers under her name, and of course, she can't travel to sea actual sea sponges. She decides to steal her twin brother's baot while posing at him, what could possibly go wrong?
There are sea adventures and secrets and also, the God of destruction is here. It's fast paced and funny and I love all the character.
About the God of destruction: it's a non-binary entity living in the body of a woman, and even if first time reading I was thinking, Ludo is probably aro ace and here only for the sea sponges, I've reread recently, and damn, the UST with Luck (the lady pirate) is here! I was fascinated by their relationship (I love when humans interact with Eldritch things) far before I was seeing it as a potential canon sapphic ship, and now it's even better!
I think it qualifies as the main ship, even if the one with the brother and the captain is going very strong too. Ludovica is still the main character :D
6) The Engelsfors Trilogy (book series by Mats Strandberg and Sara Elfgreen)
It's a three volume YA series. Here it's a bit harder to say what's the main ship; there are 6 main characters after all, and a bigger ensemble cast, and lots of them get a romance arc. But only one ship is between two main characters, and it's f/f, so it counts to me ;D Be prepared though, it's only subtext in volume 1, it becomes text after.
A Chosen One should have appeared to protect the world from a demon invasion. But nothing happened as planned. The powers were divised, and seven people, six girls and one boy, each got a part of the powers.
They all go in the same high school in a small town of Sweden with a dying economy. Most of them don't know each other, some of them hate each other. The Guardians want them to work together. They might have other priorities, or just not trust them. Maybe even they're right.
It's one of my very favourite YA series. I love the plot, the worldbuilding, the characters, the f/f romance of course. I love the fact that it happens in a country that is not mine, and discovering things about their daily life. That it talks about class issues in daily lives even if it's fantasy.
I also love how every one's power doesn't work with their personality at all, is often the opposite of it. It gives interesting developments.
7) Claudine (book series by Colette)
This is so low because, while books one and two are among my most fave books ever, L'm less keen on the rest of the series.
The first book is slice of life at a school in the French countryside, end of the 19th century. The girls are working for their exams (a bit) and having fun (a lot). Claudine, the main girl, is a clever, stubborn high school student who tries to seduce the young trainee teacher... but she loses her to the school director, and the teacher's sister falls for her.
I love this book so much, it's fresh and joyful and also it's an all-lesbian love polygon.
Sadly in the second book Claudine has a romance with a man (it's still a good book though, where she discovers Paris), and in the following books she has affairs with women, but I could never love them as much as the first one. Maybe it's the femslash, but also maybe there was more joy in Ckaudine's young years.
I still love the writing a lot, and these are incredible books overall!
8) Sense8 (tv show by the Wachowski sisters and J. Michael Straczynski)
Two seasons and a movie tv show (it should have been three seasons!) about eight people in different countries who discover they're telepathically linked. There are conspiracies, but it's most of all a character-centric story about friendship, human connection, and how differences make us stronger.
Once again it's an ensemble cast, talking about main character or main romance doesn't really count. Nomi and Amanita aren't even really a romance, they're together from the start, but Amanita is the partner who knows the supernatural situation from the start, and they still have a few milestones in the show, ending with a wedding. They're central, they're positive, they're incredible. It had been a while since I had loved so much a healthy relationship with a happy ending, ha ha <3
9) Puella Magi Madoka Magica (anime)
One season and a movie, and there should be other movies? Normally? It's one of these shows where the main ship is mostly subtext, but ti's so intense subtext that I have no shame putting it here.
In this world, when you become Magical Girl, you're granted one wish. In exchange, you spend the rest of your life battling human-devouring monsters called witches. It's not tempting. It's very dangerous, and has... other drawbacks. Madoka has been saved by Magical Girls, thinks about becoming one, but what wish would be worth it ? She's happy as she is, and also, a mysterious girl tries to discourage her.
I love the Homura->Madoka relationship so much, and the show in general. The music. The animation of witches. The deal with the devil overtones. The looks-like-fantasy-and-turns-sci-fi worldbuilding.
10) Oniisama e (anime)
39 episodes, high school tragedy. Nanako enters a prestigious high school. She will discover it's a hard world, full of rivalries, jealousy, and secrets. Or maybe it's she who's getting older and understands more things. Even her safe place - old friends, parents, the guy who she sends letters too as an older brother because she always wanted one - could have secrets too.
Also she will fall in love with a girl one year older, who dresses as a man and doesn't really care for the rules, and is very sad. She's also in love with her half-sister. Probably. it's complicated.
I love the high drama of this show, also the slow way all the family secrets are revealed, so much! Nanako is naive, but she's not that slow to admit that she's in love with a woman, i was so proud of her! (their relationship has other problems)
Sadly it's a tragedy, and I can enjoy tragedy, but it's very frustrating because some very secondary het ships in the background get happy endings, shoo shoo. I can't stop being madly in love with the main love triangle and a few of the supporting cast girls though.
Alright! I wondered a bit if I should restrict by genre or by theme, and then remembered that on another website I'm celebrating femslash february, so
Top 10 of serial media where I ship the main(-ish) canon(-ish) f/f romance :D
1) Nevermore (webtoon by Red and Flynn)
One of my obsessions these days. A gothic webtoon inspired by Edgar Allan Poe.
Lenore and Annabel Lee are dead. Like all recent dead, they're amnesiac, but they're drawn to each other. They're forcefully recruited in a weird academy with haunting courses, and as the supernatural trial pile up, they start to remember they knew each other in life... but they don't remember their relationship the same way.
I love the memory themes of the romance, and the level of passion, I love the worldbuilding, the supporting cast is very good too. It's linked here, it's free, it's highly recommended! <3
2) Revolutionary Girl Utena (anime)
This might be the best anime ever, at 39 episodes (and a movie, but the movie isn't needed to have a real ending, if anything it mindfucks more)
Utena is a young girl who always wanted to be a prince. At school, she defies in a fencing duel an asshole who humiliated her best friend. And she gets involved in a dueling secret society where some of the most popular students of the school are fighting duels to "revolution the world", and, more pragmatically, for the possession of Anthy, the sister of the school director, the Rose Bride.
After she wins and Anthy comes lo live with her as a servant, Utena is not happy abuot this and tries to set her free, but the metaphysical games run deeper than she thought...
I love the atmosphere of this show, how it goes from deep tragedy family to crack humor with surfing elephants, how the internalized homophobia and patriarchy are heavy, but on purpose, how the subtext is written, the symbolist influences, the surrealist influences, the fairy tales references. It's also, often, disturbing, but purposefully, and to me it makes it even better.
3) The Locked Tomb (book series by Tamsyn Muir)
These books are often summarised with "lesbian necromancers in space", and technically it's true, but also the worldbuilding, and the main relationship, are incredible. i can't wait for book 4 but it's so laaate!
Gideon has been raised as an indentured space in a necromancy planet. She's unable of necromany, and dreams of running away to join the army. When the local necromancer princess, Harrow, is invited on a prestigious necromancy conference. She needs a bodyguard, but the only available is Gideon, and they hate each other. They make a deal: if Gideon plays her role, she'll have her freedom after the conference.
And then the murders start.
First volume is some murder mystery with enemies to not-exactly-lovers, and then the PoV change, and the worldbuildoing becomes more and more interesting, we learn about the necromancy in a cosmic setting, we learn about the past of the world and how it's the Earth's future. All the character are both tragic and funny with such cool individual personalities. The writing style has very vivid images and is very funny at times. I love it.
4) The Masquerade (book series by Seth Dickinson)
Once again, a fantasy series of three books for now and I'm waiting for the next one. It's about colonialism, mind games an political games, mental illness and cruel intolerance of the governement, including homophobia. It's not for everyone, it's very harsh.
Baru Cormorant infiltrates the administration of the evil empire that colonized her island, hoping to getting to the top and to destroy it from the inside. She will have to make lots of compromises in the way, that will almost destroy them.
Also, the empire is violently homophobic and she's a closet lesbian.
And the first repression she has to crush has a very hot and badass duchess among its leaders.
I'm fascinated by the worldbuilding, the tragedy (the intensity of the feelings) and the tightness of the manipulation plot. Also, main girl is an accountant, you almost never see this.
5) Tiger, Tiger (webcomic by Petra Erika Nordlund)
It's advancing slowly, but it should end in not too long, as we passed the middle of the last book.
In a Renaissance-like fantasy worls, Ludovica Bonnaire is obsessed by sea sponges and dreams to study them. But she's a woman, she can't go to the university or publis papers under her name, and of course, she can't travel to sea actual sea sponges. She decides to steal her twin brother's baot while posing at him, what could possibly go wrong?
There are sea adventures and secrets and also, the God of destruction is here. It's fast paced and funny and I love all the character.
About the God of destruction: it's a non-binary entity living in the body of a woman, and even if first time reading I was thinking, Ludo is probably aro ace and here only for the sea sponges, I've reread recently, and damn, the UST with Luck (the lady pirate) is here! I was fascinated by their relationship (I love when humans interact with Eldritch things) far before I was seeing it as a potential canon sapphic ship, and now it's even better!
I think it qualifies as the main ship, even if the one with the brother and the captain is going very strong too. Ludovica is still the main character :D
6) The Engelsfors Trilogy (book series by Mats Strandberg and Sara Elfgreen)
It's a three volume YA series. Here it's a bit harder to say what's the main ship; there are 6 main characters after all, and a bigger ensemble cast, and lots of them get a romance arc. But only one ship is between two main characters, and it's f/f, so it counts to me ;D Be prepared though, it's only subtext in volume 1, it becomes text after.
A Chosen One should have appeared to protect the world from a demon invasion. But nothing happened as planned. The powers were divised, and seven people, six girls and one boy, each got a part of the powers.
They all go in the same high school in a small town of Sweden with a dying economy. Most of them don't know each other, some of them hate each other. The Guardians want them to work together. They might have other priorities, or just not trust them. Maybe even they're right.
It's one of my very favourite YA series. I love the plot, the worldbuilding, the characters, the f/f romance of course. I love the fact that it happens in a country that is not mine, and discovering things about their daily life. That it talks about class issues in daily lives even if it's fantasy.
I also love how every one's power doesn't work with their personality at all, is often the opposite of it. It gives interesting developments.
7) Claudine (book series by Colette)
This is so low because, while books one and two are among my most fave books ever, L'm less keen on the rest of the series.
The first book is slice of life at a school in the French countryside, end of the 19th century. The girls are working for their exams (a bit) and having fun (a lot). Claudine, the main girl, is a clever, stubborn high school student who tries to seduce the young trainee teacher... but she loses her to the school director, and the teacher's sister falls for her.
I love this book so much, it's fresh and joyful and also it's an all-lesbian love polygon.
Sadly in the second book Claudine has a romance with a man (it's still a good book though, where she discovers Paris), and in the following books she has affairs with women, but I could never love them as much as the first one. Maybe it's the femslash, but also maybe there was more joy in Ckaudine's young years.
I still love the writing a lot, and these are incredible books overall!
8) Sense8 (tv show by the Wachowski sisters and J. Michael Straczynski)
Two seasons and a movie tv show (it should have been three seasons!) about eight people in different countries who discover they're telepathically linked. There are conspiracies, but it's most of all a character-centric story about friendship, human connection, and how differences make us stronger.
Once again it's an ensemble cast, talking about main character or main romance doesn't really count. Nomi and Amanita aren't even really a romance, they're together from the start, but Amanita is the partner who knows the supernatural situation from the start, and they still have a few milestones in the show, ending with a wedding. They're central, they're positive, they're incredible. It had been a while since I had loved so much a healthy relationship with a happy ending, ha ha <3
9) Puella Magi Madoka Magica (anime)
One season and a movie, and there should be other movies? Normally? It's one of these shows where the main ship is mostly subtext, but ti's so intense subtext that I have no shame putting it here.
In this world, when you become Magical Girl, you're granted one wish. In exchange, you spend the rest of your life battling human-devouring monsters called witches. It's not tempting. It's very dangerous, and has... other drawbacks. Madoka has been saved by Magical Girls, thinks about becoming one, but what wish would be worth it ? She's happy as she is, and also, a mysterious girl tries to discourage her.
I love the Homura->Madoka relationship so much, and the show in general. The music. The animation of witches. The deal with the devil overtones. The looks-like-fantasy-and-turns-sci-fi worldbuilding.
10) Oniisama e (anime)
39 episodes, high school tragedy. Nanako enters a prestigious high school. She will discover it's a hard world, full of rivalries, jealousy, and secrets. Or maybe it's she who's getting older and understands more things. Even her safe place - old friends, parents, the guy who she sends letters too as an older brother because she always wanted one - could have secrets too.
Also she will fall in love with a girl one year older, who dresses as a man and doesn't really care for the rules, and is very sad. She's also in love with her half-sister. Probably. it's complicated.
I love the high drama of this show, also the slow way all the family secrets are revealed, so much! Nanako is naive, but she's not that slow to admit that she's in love with a woman, i was so proud of her! (their relationship has other problems)
Sadly it's a tragedy, and I can enjoy tragedy, but it's very frustrating because some very secondary het ships in the background get happy endings, shoo shoo. I can't stop being madly in love with the main love triangle and a few of the supporting cast girls though.
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