TM Fanfics Index: Recommendations & Discussion. Updates never

[Kyte]

Updating the index gave me a chance to discover some new fics I hadn't seen before.

Namely, Prism Mayhem.
Man there's so much to say about it.
It's fun, it's snappy, it just nails that blend of comedy and seriousness that characterizes PI, but at the same time it doesn't take away the dignity of the FSN characters. The twists come hard and they come fast, everything's loopy just magnificently. The characters are spot-on, they just feel super right, which is doubly impressive considering the writer admitted to not having played the VN. They have strong characters arcs, they're excellently played off each other. Kuro vs Archer presents a dilemma similar to Shirou vs Archer but still distinctive, Cu is a good foil, Ilya struggling among so many strong personalities and of course Ruby being her Ruby self. Too bad for her Seiba and Cu are far more effective at keeping her under control~
The only one that gets shafted characterization-wise so far is Shirou, but that's natural at this point, particularly with Kuro eating Emiya's attention and Ilya arguing on his behalf. Hard to get your views challenged when an adorable little girl is defending you. I'm sure that'll change, evolving into a Shirou-Kuro-Emiya triangle or perhaps if/when he has to face his own parallel self and finds himself looking at two extremes of himself. Who knows! I'm excited. So many possibilities.
There's also FSN Ilya and Prisma Bazett and the impending arrival of Iri/Luvia/Rin and who knows what else. So much to look forward to. I'd be fanboying in the thread but I don't like necros.

[Ausreford]

I'm squealing like a fangirl so much right now. Seriously, you have no idea how happy reading that made me. Holy cow.

I'll be honest: every time I post a new chapter I'm scared to death that it'll be the chapter that'll ruin everything. It's nerve-wrecking. Knowing that so far it's a decent enough work makes me really happy. So thank you. No sarcasm.

[VelspertheCat]

+1 for Prisma Mayhem

It has fun with its story while being clever and well written. I don't think the author should be worried about their skill level at all, they're great.

[Fan_Fic_Reader]

+1 for Prisma Mayhem
It is a decent fic, the only one who suffers the characterization is Shirou, the rest of the characters in character.

[Asunder]

If anyone remembers that Cu vs Achilles versus fic I posted a while back, the writer has started posting another one which just so happens to be relevant to my interests.

Wrought Iron vs Unrivaled

[Rafflesiac]

Moral of the story: Burn Mephistopheles.

[Kyte]

VELSPER SHILLING TIME

The fic where all the Fate/Zero cast are losers:
http://forums.nrvnqsr.com/showthread...=1#post1312030
This time it's Sola and Kayneth!

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/1175056...uy-With-50-Yen
Also a Dagashi Kashi thing because why not.

[Kirby]

+1 to In Consideration of Courtesies Exchanged, by Glow

A character-focused fic where Waver, now Lord El-Melloi II, becomes engaged to Luvia in a political marriage thanks to Clocktower politics. Well, there's not much there so far other than set-up, but it reads very nicely, and provides interesting looks into Luvia and Waver's characters, for all that's there at the moment.

[Leo Novum]

+1 to In Considerations of Courtesies Exchanged.

[Imperial]

Here's a long overdue plus one to Njeri.

I've been meaning to read that one for ages, but I finally got around to what is now in the running for my favorite Type-Moon fanfic next to Lunatique and Heldenhaft.

The prose is absolutely beautiful. I admit I found it a touch too purple at first, but I read plenty of authors whose prose is so purple I want to eat grapes when I'm done. More importantly, it fades into the background pretty quickly and becomes an almost lyrical ballad to Illyasviel's quest for her catalyst. It seemed like a big chunk of text at first glance, but Bryn kept me moving with a knack for language and a sense of wonder. I wanted to learn more about Illya's sidekicks (though I have to wonder why not Sella and Liz?), more about the mysterious guide, more about the rival racing them to the catalyst, more about the city itself.

But Bryn also manages to tell you just enough. There's a war going on in the background and a lot the supporting characters could say, but Bryn keeps the story a moving target to avoid getting bogged down in minutiae. It also does a great job of conveying the rush to the catalyst before the other party finds it and/or the city is swallowed up by war.

And then there's Illya. I really loved this stab at her. She's presented as going along with the revenge plan wholeheartedly more often than not by other materials and sources, but Bryn puts an interesting spin on her as someone who is acutely aware of her place as a pawn, which is something you don't see too often. Granted, even if she wins the Grail War, she loses, which this story doesn't really touch on, but it already covers a lot of ground. The Grail hangs over everything she is or does, and Bryn carries that off without getting too heavy handed.

Sure, I could split hairs over the cameo near the end of the story or the occasionally awkward phrasing, but this story is still head and shoulders above the majority of Fate fiction. That it uses a less common character in a less typical pre-War format is only a point in its favor.

[Adrian Gecko]

Hey, any reason why "A Demon Lord's Hero" shows up twice in the Bad Stories section?

[Laith]

its double bad

[Kyte]

I forgot to check or whatever.

[Five_X]

its double bad

Probably this, actually.

[Alternative Ice]

It should be in there three times.

[Historia]

Is it really that bad?

[forumghost]

Is it really that bad?

Shirou is an OP Author Insert that is there to explain why the canon cast suck.
Huge numbers of characters are rewritten because basically the Author doesn't like them.
Random Sekirei crossover because reasons.

Yeah, it's genuinely that bad. It's made quite clear from both the story and the AN that the fic was only written to show how shit DxD is and how the fic writer is totally better.

[rovert10]

Is it really that bad?

Depends. How much do you like seeing Shirou getting wanked to no end?

[Alternative Ice]

Shirou is an OP Author Insert that is there to explain why the canon cast suck.
Huge numbers of characters are rewritten because basically the Author doesn't like them.
Random Sekirei crossover because reasons.

Yeah, it's genuinely that bad. It's made quite clear from both the story and the AN that the fic was only written to show how shit DxD is and how the fic writer is totally better.

Which is weird considering that the writer admits near the beginning of the fic that they never actually read the DxD LNs.

Those aren't a very high bar to jump either, so the fact that the author trips and falls flat on their face just makes it even more sad.

[Arashi_Leonhart]

Depends. How much do you like seeing Shirou getting wanked to no end?

Well, it'd be more interesting if it were blowjobs to no end, that's for sure. Wanking isn't difficult, most people should know that.