What are you reading?

[Dracos]

First Girl Wins is pretty damn common.  I still read Kenichi, but despite the handful of other girls in there it's always seemed like a joke of a competition: "So let's see, we have the Promised Girl who he met when he was a kid, who's family is training him into a super martial artist, and he's sworn to protect.  he also lives with her and his little sister is jealous of her...  So now, please believe that this chinese girl rival stands a chance entering with this already laid down, that a gardener girl that gets almost zero screen time really has a point being poignant and wanting about him.  Really?"


Anyhow, I'm still reading FateBlack Reflection.  It kind of seems to be going toward a: Everyone who isn't Bleach cast VS bleach cast, which is kinda a strange and sad way to go, especially as the bleach cast is represented to be on par or stronger than every fate character ("Ah, i see, not a single one of us can defeat you master.  So we'll all team up on you together!  GET HIM!") and a lot of it seems like it could be solved by reasonable attempts at communication (No, "Why are you after the grail" is not reasonable way to first meet someone).  The "Let's pseudo-nerf Ichigo after he's kicked almost everyone's ass, so that people can have a chance to get him" is kinda odd too, but also sorta irrelevant in the sense that the whole other bleach cast is there and able to back him up.

About the only character who hasn't taken a clear side against the bleach cast is Beznett(sp?), who is dead in the original Fate, but has her life saved by the bleach cast...but also they try and erase her memory of the event, so she's currently at "neutral/Benign" in her view of them.

It's biggest flaw is really that the bleach cast have sucked at gathering information, have clearly caused all of the fate cast to kick it up another level in 'oh shit, there's a bunch of ridiculously strong unknowns in the war', and have in spite of this, still failed to just take the easiest route: "How about we go as a group and next time we cross paths with one of these masters, if it goes hostile, we tackle them ten to 2, instead of 1 on 2?"  It seems pretty self evident to me.  I mean if you're going the escalation route, why not play to the fact that you are already a cooperative group of a competitive size with the entire cast of fate (Who all don't trust each other and are enemies at story start anyhow).  Even if it still goes hostile, then they can smack the guy and keep them locked up to get questions answered, instead of still running half blind to the whole scenario.

So, still enjoying, but yeah, it would be nice to see at least somebody on the fate cast working WITH the bleach cast.  It's fairly clear we're meant to cheer for the bleach guys, given they are the main perspective throughout the fic, but it sort of leaves the fate crew isolated.  Caster is clearly moving toward Big Bad with developing super-monsters based on the hollows showing up, but other than that, it's hard to take seriously the slow 'We gotta team up against Ichigo, cuz he's too damn strong' faction.

[thepanda]

The thing is, there really is no reason the Bleach cast should be where they are, powerwise. If instead of going post Aizen they went post rescue Rukia you'd lose nothing as far as the characterization goes and the power levels wouldn't be so lopsided. Or if the masters were treated like they had a two braincells to rub together and actually, you know, USED MAGIC like actual magi they'd go a long way to offsetting the power advantage. Every master in the city should already know where the Bleach crew are staying; and it sure hell ain't behind a bounded field. These people are supposed to be geniuses for crying out loud.

[Dracos]

Well, fate often is taken (and probably canon) that the reason there aren't tons of magical craziness going on is that maintaining a heroic spirit is a very magic expensive thing.  In the anime, most of Rin's spells are powered by prepared gemstones.

Truthfully as well, until very recently there wasn't much reason for any of them to try and go hunting for the bleach crew.  Sure, they could find them, but every encounter has had the bleach crew demonstrating an overwhelming power advantage.  Why would you want to hunt that down before you had something that could make that a win?  Until recently, there wasn't even clarity that they were competitors to  anyone but Ilya.

[Jason_Miao]

@Bri
I read Rosario after Big Human, since I liked Big Human quite a bit.  You're not missing anything by skipping it.

@Drac
That almost sounds like an idea for a twist in a 4th-wall aware fic.  The "great at cooking" girl, who never wins the harem-anime contest, realizes that she's destined to lose and plans around that.  Then the guy picks her (although if one isn't careful, this just devolves into every chick flick ever).


Not sure if this was ever posted by anyone:
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/764256/1/Right_Moments  - Ranma does Groundhogs Day.

[Anastasia]

Not sure if this was ever posted by anyone:
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/764256/1/Right_Moments  - Ranma does Groundhogs Day.

I did. It was interesting insofar as I felt it avoided certain stereotypes of fanon, but ultimately it degenerated down into being uninteresting. It didn't help that I found the author's style to be the opposite of compelling.

[Brian]

I like how it mentions the Umi-sen-ken and the Yama-sen-ken in the prologue, even though there's been no action sequences.

[Dracos]

Started reading out of nightmares.  It's kinda hard to get into.  Just sort of raw negative for the first while of it.  And hazy negative.  Kinda difficult to distinguish 'okay this is X's dream' from 'this is actually going on'.  And that it starts well after the fight with the dream monster, it is sort of dropping puzzle pieces to put together.

[thepanda]

You can skip straight to Into Dreams and not miss anything.

[Brian]

You can skip straight to Into Dreams and not miss anything.

Perhaps even maybe 'should'.

I realize my penchant for harem endings probably grants me extra tolerance vs. excessive angst (and yeah, it goes to eleven).  Possibly justified by the idea of the villain being empowered by anguish....

Yeah, I pretty much ignored all of the OCs, actually.  The Coopers were mildly amusing.

@Bri
I read Rosario after Big Human, since I liked Big Human quite a bit.  You're not missing anything by skipping it.

That was my suspicion....  I read the tvtropes entry page for it instead.

[thepanda]

At least read season 2. I has good artwork and the story is pretty good as well.

[Dracos]

Bah humbug!

Anyhow, Time braid ended with a sunny day type ending.  Kinda cute.  The good guys went back in time one last time, the day was saved, everybody won, and the future was bright.

[Brian]

At least read season 2. I has good artwork and the story is pretty good as well.

Hehe, you really want me to write that fic, huh? :p

Not sure if this was ever posted by anyone:
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/764256/1/Right_Moments  - Ranma does Groundhogs Day.

I did. It was interesting insofar as I felt it avoided certain stereotypes of fanon, but ultimately it degenerated down into being uninteresting. It didn't help that I found the author's style to be the opposite of compelling.

Well, it's interesting.  I, uh....

Hmm.  I like time-travel fics?  I'm right where Ranma repeatedly nukes Nerima to perfect his control.  It's, uh, interesting.

[thepanda]

Ha! That would just be awesome, I'm sure. 

I remember writing the series off for a long time before someone finally managed to get me to try it.

[thepanda]

In Flight chapter 25 up.

[Brian]

Finished Right Moments, finally.  It went a very strange place.  I found it interesting, but I didn't like some aspects of it.

Hmm.  I get the author saying, "Figure out who he chose yourself," but that seems really stupid in the face of the fic's already established acceptance of polygamy.

Also, Ukyou being intimate/affectionate with Konatsu before even the failed wedding....  Yeah, that part--  No.  Just ... no.  Also, why did Kodachi need to be a devil hunter instead of getting real character growth?  Eh, it's alright if you can handle the genre-shifts.