What are you reading?

[Jason_Miao]

Mother of Learning updated.

[Yuthirin]

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4438449/1/Path-of-Decision

Finally got around to reading this. Made it five chapters in before I had to stop. Not only did I not like it, it felt very unlikely to me.

Spoiler: ShowHide

I find it extremely unlikely that a group of men would abduct Harry and get away with it. While canon Dumbledore isn't the greatest caretaker in the world, he's at least having Potter watched. I'd like to think that he'd have stepped in once the Dursleys were out of the picture. While Dumbledore didn't necessarily care for his well-being, he at least know where Harry was most of the time. Him gallivanting off to France alone for fun would probably trip some wires.

As an aside, I was wrong. This isn't the story I recall reading a few years ago. That one was significantly more light-hearted.

[Yuthirin]

Delenda Est updated, it is now finished!

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5511855/46/Delenda-Est

Read it. Not happy, but I sort of expected it to end this way. It all came across as very mechanical and foregone. Whooooole lotta OOC on Voldemort's part.

Spoiler: ShowHide

Voldemort always struck me as the type of villain who was absolutely self-assured in everything he does. It's one of his greatest character flaws, and one that I believe defines him. He doesn't look at his snake and decide that now is a good time to hide. He faces his enemy because he believes himself unassailable. Wards may fall and minions may die, but he is LORD VOLDEMORT and he defeated even DEATH. Any portrayal otherwise without drastically altering the history of his character is reprehensible. For a time-travel rewrite fic, it doesn't do that. The only altering force here is that Harry is a big bad spellslinger (though from what we're shown, not actually all that much better than he is in canon) and that Bellatrix is playing politcs. It's not a change, so much as a self-serving nudge. For all this coordination and maneuvering, canon Voldemort could have walked out of his HQ, confronted all the aurors and everyone else out there and won, for the simple fact that he is Voldemort. His power, skill, and force of personality are enough to carry him through nearly everything he has done in his life with complete success; the sole exception being the murder of Harry Potter. It killed him, but he got better.

He's designed to be this insurmountable task, an unbeatable enemy. People don't fear him because he hides in a hole and sends out terrorists. They fear him because, when he deigns to grace the field of battle with his presence, he is a force of absolute cruelty and destruction. He is great and powerful and terrible and willing to go to any lengths to succeed in whatever he decides to do, and make no mistake that he will succeed. Even Dumbledore, vaunted hero of the Light and a man with a well-deserved reputation of being extremely powerful, could only grind him to a halt. A duel to a standstill and only for a scant few minutes, with no clear victor.  Voldemort is something to be feared.

He's supposed to be a big bad villain, with everything that goes with the mantle of said villain. Taking that away just makes me not care about his death. Or his defeat. Or however you decide to spin it. If Voldemort as a canon villain is too much for you to write around, the decision to diminish him speaks very poorly of your skill as a writer.

End rant.

Also, the author is excited to write a sequel with multi-dimensional political intrigue. I'm so fucking done.

Edit: Added rant.

[Anastasia]

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8560965/21/God-Slaying-Blade-Works

God Slaying Blade Works updated. Don't have much of an opinion about the chapter, except that it felt like not much really happened.

[Anastasia]

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6372400/21/Chaos-Theory

Chaos Theory updated. Decent chapter bordering on good, in particular because of one line.

[spoiler]"You would think," Zouken said finally, "that someone as old as her would be wise enough not to tempt fate so blatantly."

[Grahf]

Miracle of Zero updated.

[Jason_Miao]

Found and read a Ranma/Eva xover.

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6434872/1/Switching-Places-Evangelion

Pretty random.

[thepanda]

Found and read a Ranma/Eva xover.

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6434872/1/Switching-Places-Evangelion

Pretty random.

Is that the one with the panties angel?

[Jason_Miao]

Is that the one with the panties angel?

Yes. 

I was debating to myself whether to mention those or the "unRei"-cloning bit in spoilers or not, but figured "random" probably represents the fic better than any particular event or quote.

[Arakawa]

I was debating to myself whether to mention those or the "unRei"-cloning bit in spoilers or not, but figured "random" probably represents the fic better than any particular event or quote.

I think Gendo sums up the fic most aptly:

This was not in the Dead Sea Scrolls.

[JonBob]

The Melancholy of a Normal Girl is up to chapter 4 (linking to 2)

It's got a... desperate (melancholy?) feel to it. And it's a lot more about what's going on in their heads than outside.

[Jason_Miao]

I think Gendo sums up the fic most aptly:

This was not in the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Heh!


Found this, and plan on reading through it within a day or so:

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8868025/1/Just-An-Unorthodox-Thief


Fate/Lupin.  I don't know much about the Fate world (other than from Gabe Blessing's fics, and with the amount of ranting about those fics I suspect that it might not be accurate), so can't really field a meaningful opinion from that aspect.  I don't think there were ever many Lupin fics written in the first place, so it could be interesting.

[Dracos]

Hmm, while Lupin summoned as a hero would be be kinda hillarious, there are 2 initial problems there:

1)Lupin barely ever kills, so having him as an assassin?  An archer would be less dumb at least.
2)Fate doesn't have a role for a thief and has a whole killing requirement that tends to fiercely limit the room for the playful antics that make Lupin so fun.
3)Kotomine is the most opposed personality to lupin you could get.  Even Tohsaka would be less bad.

[Arakawa]

So, that raises the question... what would be a good series to cross Lupin over with?

[Dracos]

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7021752/28/And-What-Alice-Found-There

Continues to update, though sort of moves slow.

Might be more fun in 5 chapter chunks.