Fanfiction Recs

[Yoyomaster]

To be honest, I'm just surprised this website's still up and running after all these years.

Heh, Fate/GO wouldn't let it die so easily

[Menwearpink]

Media, information and people have absolutely changed for sure.

The internet, and the nerd-doms it fostered have changed with the times for better or worse.

To be honest I feel it's for the worse.

But I'm just glad we have places like this rather than everything being like say, Reddit. The lack of permanency of imageboards, the attitude and validation hunting of Youtube comments discussions.

Well, as far as fanfics go I think a lot of excited energy's died out as "first generations" have grown up and moved on, if that makes sense?

But sometimes you find something very nice once in a blue moon.

[neveron]

I feel like fanfiction's mostly given way to repost-friendly one-shot comics (generally not more than four pages, that being the twitter limit per post) and short 280-character-or-less script fic. A shorter more shareable format for a low attention span age.

Also memes, but those were always a primary export.

Fanfiction still exists and thrives, it's just generally speaking on the dedicated fanfiction websites like FFNet and AO3. Forums as a whole are a dying breed. I've definitely seen some promising new stuff pop up, though, and I feel like my impression that it's dead might just be me no longer having time to trawl through those places for new stuff.

[OverMaster]

Current pop culture has the quick throwaway mindset.

That's why the eloquent, elaborate discussion of the forums has been replaced by the quick, short comments of Reddit and the inane quips with extremely short word limits of Twitter, which I despise.

It's why streaming has replaced physical posession of a movie, why comicbooks, magazines and physical books are a thing of the past. Everything now is something that you have to turn your device on to enjoy and functionally stops existing while you turn it off, or worse, you lose it for some reason. We have grown totally reliant on them.

It's something that will ultimately bite us in the collective ass as a global society. It gives us shorter attention spans (largely noticeable on the children that will make the next generation), it makes us easier to control and shape and less likely to argument and think at lenght. It also widens further the cultural gap between populations and countries that can allow themselves those luxuries and those that can't, which will result in an even more unequal and unfair world.

[Mattias]

There's also the fact that there hasn't been any new material in quite some time outside of FGO. Case Files is fun, but you have to be pretty heavy into mage bullshit to pull off a good story in that vein. FGO adaptations don't have a whole lot of place for variance in the story, and the MC has so little character they make Sieg look good. Apocrypha is already a three years old. There's just nothing big that gives that spark of inspiration.

[neveron]

FGO also has some huge problems that make it ill-suited for serious fics: a lot of fanfiction likes to start at the beginning, but the first couple chapters of FGO are not good. Good luck writing your Shirou-gets-recruited-by-Chaldea fic when Septem exists.

It's great for more fluffy stuff that, much like FGO's interludes, can start and end wherever without it mattering all too much. It's alright for custom singularities, but then you need to invent an entire setting by yourself (rather negating the appeal of fanfiction). Crossovers work great in most respects, though.

Also, yeah, Fujimaru Ritsuka is bland as fuck. They've got a personality, I guess, but it's a super generic do-gooder Japanese high-schooler personality. You'd have a hard time picking them out of a crowd of generic shounen protagonists.

But there's been more Type-Moon stuff in recent years! It's just been stuff like Extella and Requiem that aren't terribly related to the rest of the setting.

[Draconic]

Media, information and people have absolutely changed for sure.

The internet, and the nerd-doms it fostered have changed with the times for better or worse.

To be honest I feel it's for the worse.

But I'm just glad we have places like this rather than everything being like say, Reddit. The lack of permanency of imageboards, the attitude and validation hunting of Youtube comments discussions.

Well, as far as fanfics go I think a lot of excited energy's died out as "first generations" have grown up and moved on, if that makes sense?

But sometimes you find something very nice once in a blue moon.

I should have mentioned that I was going to post a new fic her before I actually did it…

Why did no one say anything? *cries in corner*

[Lusor]

I have risen from a ten years slumber...!

To self promote my own fan fiction.

One Hundred and One Travel Logs (Fate/Stay Night crossover)
https://forums.spacebattles.com/thre...ssover.920501/

A most basic crossover changing fo Fate Stay Night, the kind that replaces Saber with the protagonist a JRPG and watched the ripples and changes unfold.
It is my intention to write it to be enjoyed without previous knowledge of what it is crossed with.

I have probably lost lots of practice over the years but I hope it's entertaining.

Also I'm sorry to say that since i'm not very interested in F/go I'll be not using most of it's related material and info.

Now I'll shall return to sleep.

[Urameshi Yūsuke]

I've been enjoying a Yu Yu Hakusho x Fate/Grand Order crossover called The Uncertain Case of Yusuke Urameshi, where he runs into a certain oni named Shuten Douji, and has to figure just how the heck had she escaped from the Spirit Realm where she supposedly was locked up.

I would second this. The quality of the writing is good, the the melding of the setting is well done. It's also one of two fics that include Ibaraki Douji in a meaningful capacity beyond cameos or status as a minor reoccurring character. Specifically, in an interlude which shows a still-living Ibaraki living in the modern day, with fairly heavy hinting that she'll be important later on.

The other being A Poisoned Chalice on Sufficient Velocity and fanfiction.net. The premise of it is that the catalyst system was never implemented, so the Grail summons servants based on compatibility with the master. Because I have something of a one-track mind, I'll just comment on the part that got my attention. It portrays Ibaraki Douji within a serious context, while still giving nods to her more human aspects we get to see in F:GO, such as her distaste for human flesh being hinted at (though, it can also just be thought to be her preference for sweets, but given Shuten did say she doesn't like it and her materials say she doesn't enjoy the act of killing and consuming people in and of itself...), but her complete willingness to partake in it as needs be. Other notable features include Kerry summoning Hassan of Serenity, Kariya ending up with Atalanta (and being much more stable because of it), and Kayneth summoning D'eon.

As a side note, when I said those were the only fics with Ibaraki as a major character, I do mean that literally. I trawled through the whole archive on fanfiction and found nothing else of value at all. So if anyone has anything to recommend in that area...that'd be really appreciated.

Nah the story is rather shit. You can tell the writer knew no one would read this shit because they spent way too long on character introductions for the entire damn cast when the story should be moving forward. However much you want to claim it’s fun it’s abundantly clear the pacing is horrible.

[Leftovers]

Bruh.

[You]

Disclaimer: This review will be as spoiler-free as possible.

Have you ever encountered a work that made everything else fall back into the background?

Has there ever been a work that made you realize everything in the genre you’ve read before it is trash and that you are a hack?

If you have not, I implore you to read:

Fate\last call : night, dawn, and the birth of stars by Random

Chapters available: 5 chapters. Each chapter has 4 parts and 1 interlude (~25 chapters)

Word Count: ~69000

Link: https://forums.nrvnqsr.com/showthrea...birth-of-stars

You Enjoyment Scale: A+

Main Genres: Zeitgeist Anime, 6^th Fuyuki Grail War

Why I Chose To Read This: After Fate/Lost I needed a palette cleanser and Random makes good sheets

Summary: A reimaging more than a rewrite of Random’s previous work “The Mercurial Star.” Fate\last call utilizes the same roster as their previous work only this time fighting each other in a Holy Grail War. 10 years after the Tohsaka matriarch dismantled the Fuyuki Grail, it has been mysteriously reconstructed and the ritual re-established.

High-Level Thoughts: Disregarding the Extra side of Fate, I believe you can place all Holy Grail War fics on a spectrum. On one end you have “What if X summoned X,” the most famous of these likely being Fate Zero Sense or From Fake Dreams. On the other end, you have “Yet Another Holy Grail War;” in canon, Fate Apocrypha, Fate Labyrinth, etc. The crux of this spectrum is determining a baseline level of transformative world-building that a premise requires. In the middle of this spectrum sits a curious sub-genre that I like to call 6^th Fuyuki Grail Wars. In most cases, this niche is full of works that attempt to use canon as a springboard to write a dismantlement (Hearts of Suffering) or to write a Next Generation (very easy to find). I may call it 6^th Fuyuki Grail War, but I believe works that deal with previous Fuyuki Grail Wars also count. Last Call takes on the challenge of creating a 6^th Fuyuki Holy Grail War. The work fills the war with original characters (“minor” returning ones) and establishes the premise as a driving mystery. To my knowledge, it is easily the best 6^th Fuyuki Holy Grail War ever written and one of the best, if not the best, Holy Grail War the fandom has offered (I have not read Manhattan Project II).

What I Liked the Most: In Chapter 3, parts 1 and 2, Saber’s Master takes the protagonist to the Church to meet the overseer. Their small talk begins with a usual anime conversation that insinuates a romantic relationship between the protagonist and a cute girl. It peters out. The protagonist suggests the trio (Saber, Saber’s Master, and himself) do an ice-breaker his club commonly uses for new members, two truths and a lie, with the other two trying to guess the lie. Part 2 of Chapter 3 is dedicated to the ensuing anecdotes.

There are multiple reasons why this is a great scene; however, I would need to start summarizing swaths of the first two chapters. Beyond narrative beats, this scene condenses what I found so compelling about the work. At first glance, it seemingly embraces the anime tropes that commonly form the foundations of modern weeb media, as well as fandom interactions. Last Call plays with these tropes, sometimes recontextualizing and other times outright rejecting them. Then, it goes one step further, replacing or layering on top, how something is done in reality (e.g. two truths and a lie). However, although that replacement is grounded in reality, it exists as performative “fakeness” (two truths and a lie is something that you’re made to do by a camp leader not because it will actually break the ice in the group but because it is the ice breaker ritual).

I understand not many people who are reading Fate fanfiction care about innovation in this direction. Most don’t read fanfiction to engage with how the empty Romance in weeb media juxtaposes against the stilted Romance of modern-day life. You want to see your main guy or that cute girl doing badass things. Entertain me, please. Don’t get me wrong, this is a Romantic work. There are many, as Left would say, weirdcool things. It is just when those things happen, there’s an extra layer of meaning embedded to those characters, to those actions, to the results because the author is competent enough to establish the ideology and idiocrasies of these characters beforehand without having them diarrhea all over the page.

Every sentence, every word, seems deliberately chosen. It’s a promise that appeals, “believe in the plan.”

Technical Aspects: When writing a scientific article, you’re suggested to start broad and then narrow down as you start increasing in depth. It may not be a scientific article, but a good example of style of introduction is Strange Fake. The first few paragraphs are establishing shots of Snowfield, then the focus narrows to Faldeus and Rohngall, and finally each Master/Servant pair gets their own chapter. It is very easy to follow and allows the reader to choose their favourite POVs, the characters they’re “stanning.” The first chapter of Last Call waterboards you in four shallow pools. This is the barrier of entry, the price of admission. Although the work starts with action as a hook, there is “a lack of a frame of reference or character,” and it is easy to get confused. This is because this chapter is teaching you how to read the rest of the work. Last Call is not a true ensemble work, and nor does it only utilize a limited number of POVs. Like Strange Fake, Last Calls uses the literary equivalent of jump cuts to provide greater context or different perspectives of an event (most of the time at once). The difference between Last Call and Strange Fake is that Strange Fake used an entire volume to introduce its array of POVs whereas Last Call attempts to do that in one chapter. It is difficult to parse and wrap your head around who is who and whether they matter. A lot of potential readers have no doubt given up. Keep going. It’s done this way to transition you into the main style in which the rest of the work is written. Yes, the learning curve for this first chapter is steep, but it is well worth it.

The prose is snappy, even flippant. Although it reads fluidly, the flow of the prose is not smooth, but rather punctuated with turns of expressions or idioms that have been flipped. There are times when the author has attempted to be more descriptive and eloquent. These attempts do not always succeed. Personally, I believe the standard snappy prose is more fitting with the exception of a few characters e.g. Saber, the Overseer.

The work grounds itself based on the date. Instead of scenes, the Day itself is a chapter (in the most recent Day, 2 Chapters). Each chapter is then divided into four parts and an interlude. I am unsure why it is set up this way, my guess is it helps the brainstorming, outlining, and release. The last I want to touch on. Last Call is serialized, but I do not believe it should be read it as each chapter comes out. There’s a clear overarching design to the work. Intricacies will be lost unless you are reading continuously. It is entirely up to the author how they release their work and there are many valid reasons why they release the way they do. I will admit though that if I read this release to release, I would not have enjoyed it as much as I did.

In summary, high barrier of entry, binge as much as you can, the prose is quite simple (except for some jargon) but it can take you for a ride (a good one).

Characterization: When I was reading the first chapter, I did not want to like any of the characters. I believed them rooted in anime archetypes that have been used to death in the mobage market (Strifecore gamer goth, British ojousama, mood maker femboy, spunky sensual older sister, sexy but chaste nun). It is a testament to Last Call’s writing that I like most of them, others I’m interested in, and at the very least neutral about the others.

There are still standard anime-isms in the work and something the dialogue will edge towards those anime-isms. The work will also call itself out (i.e. Frick). I am not a fan of these sections and know not all of those sections are there to make a profound statement. Everything else is good enough that I don’t mind them. Your mileage may vary, I know a lot of people who are really into tropey anime interactions.

Characterization is where Last Call shines. I would like to write about each individual character, but it would spoil what makes this work so special. How special? In Random’s signature, there are profiles for all the Masters and all the Servants. I clicked one, was about to open the sheet, and then closed the tab. Why? Not only because the pacing is good enough that I don’t need to look at a cheat sheet to understand these characters and their abilities, but more so because I want the story to reveal these characters to me. It does not matter which historical or mythological figure these Servants are, I want to know who Last Call Archer is, what her Master is capable of, the characters themselves are important, not the names or the power sets. This is extremely rare these days, especially in canon where the prevailing sentiment is “oh there’s a wolf man. Elden Ring reference. Who is he?” It does not matter who the Last Call Servants are because they’re all interesting characters in their own rights.

Verisimilitude: Last Call does not read like a Nasu work. It is definitely closer to one of the outsourced spin-offs. I’m still in the middle of Lost Einherjar. Most people who have heard me speak on that subject know I think it’s quite good so far. Last Call is definitively better in every aspect. Style-wise, I would compare it most closely to Strange Fake but with fewer references.

The work is set in Fuyuki, but I feel it underutilizes the geography and the culture. The work has the typical landmarks/locales (Center Building, Ryuudouji, the Park) and a few references to the culture of the place (Student Council vs Clubs, Ahnenerbe), but I feel it could be a bit denser. At the same time, most of the Fuyuki-sphere is built up in Hollow Ataraxia, not Stay Night. Due to the nature of the Holy Grail War, Last Call does not really have the bandwidth to lounge around which brings me to the next topic.

The pacing is almost breakneck. It is not full gas, there is breathing room and quieter moments. Those moments are not wasted and are essential to understanding what is ahead. The almost seamless transitions from Chapter to Chapter are the main reason why the pacing is part of the verisimilitude section. There are two major magical systems (by magical systems I do not mean specific magecraft systems but the power sets of the characters) being used in Last Call: calculation and divination. As of Chapter 5, all the Masters but one are explicitly related to these two systems. This is the in-universe rationale for the pacing. Masters are trying to predict the other Masters who are predicting them or force their own predictions to come true. As a motivator and driver for conflict, it works wonderfully well as none of the encounters are awkward (i.e. patrolling at night to find a Servant). The reader is told, “this is part of a plan,” and given the objective. The conflict arises as other predictors predict this plan and begin running interference or deciding to ally with the initial planner. Then there’s a Baccano and the result is dependent on which plan worked out the best and why. In short, which plan did or did not become Fate. This model for driving conflict forward may sound simple in theory, but doing it well is very difficult in serialized works. The author must not only keep track of the chess pieces, but also the repercussions of each move the pieces take five or seven chapters down the line. Once again, succeeding in employing this approach is a testament to the forethought and deliberateness this work is written with. It’s not something that you can pants.

What I liked the least about Last Call was the “horny on main” energy that is sometimes used in the narration. Character narration can get slightly sexual in an FGO way where the main goal is to titillate, be sexy fun without being sexual in nature. If this is the author’s personal preference, I don’t mind it too much. We all have our stylistic darlings. But if it is an attempt to attract or retain readers, I do not think it is necessary. The only exception to this so far has been Berserker and her Master. I love their dynamic, Berserker’s voice being the toughest in the story when she’s a complete masochist and her Master’s deep, non-nonsense sadism. The “horny” language is used to great effect in their sections. In short, the “horny’ language used at times hurts the overall tone and atmosphere. On the other hand, I am sure there are readers who will enjoy this quite a bit.

What I Felt: Last Call is an emotionally engaging story, but right now, it is not an emotional story, yet. As the characters and their motivations are still being introduced, the main draw is trying to determine how all the puzzle pieces will fit together. There are one or two scenes with strong emotional payoffs. These inspire faith that the character arcs will be cathartic.

That is how someone can feel reading Last Call, but what did I feel reading this? Admiration, mostly. Hidden Blue/Alza has a comment on Mythologie that reads “Made me rethink the last 10 years of Fate fanfiction in a single night.” I sincerely say the same thing about Last Call. The last few years I have been harping on anyone who will listen to move away from Fuyuki (among other Fate fanfiction staples) and use other pieces of the expanding universe. Last Call has shown that you can use whatever you want to make an extremely well-written story. It is not the setting that is limiting fanfiction authors, it is imagination, attention, and dedication to the craft.

After reading the newest chapter of Last Call, I looked it up on google. The only hit was the BL thread. I then went on SB and SV and looked it up. There has not been a mention. I then went into every Nasuverse-related server where I advertise my own stories and typed combinations of the title into the search bar. Nothing. Last Call has roughly 3400 views on BL, it only has three comment-ers: Comun, TQG Imaginatorious, and Gl4re. I’m not counting Left because he said the formatting was difficult and dipped. Even using the excuse that the story is only on one website, there have been over 3000 clicks on that website. The last update was this very month. Why is no one talking about this story? It has everything going for it to appeal to a broader audience except Emiya Shirou. 1) Fuyuki, 2) Starts with a Servant vs Servant action sequence, 3) W R I T T E N A N I M E T I T T E S. The barrier of entry is not that high; there are a multitude of people out there consistently asking to read HGW fanfiction. The only conclusion I can come to is, simply a skill issue.

> We Need To Talk About The Heart, Bro: With only three in-universe days past, it’s difficult to parse the heart of the story. At this point, my general shot in the dark is the contradiction of duality. An example is given early in the story that it is easier for a magus to live cleanly if they divide their personalities into two, this is taken from the Sakura and Medea conversation in Hollow Ataraxia. Later, when karma is discussed, a character notes that there is no such thing as “good karma” or “bad karma” both are simply part of the flow. The invisible separations used to categorize do not actually exist. There is no difference between a fake or real side – or rather fake and real do not matter as the action is still performed. This is a story about those who recognize this, those who do not, and the conflicts that arise from this misunderstanding.

Do I Recommend You Read This Story? Stop reading whatever HGW you’re reading now and read this instead. It doesn’t matter what HGW you are reading, this will be better.

[Leftovers]

I made myself feel personally called out as a motivating factor and read the first 3 chapters. I wish neither to damn with faint praise nor paint an unduly harsh picture - particularly because this fanfic is many miles above the absolute dross that populates the cup fight genre, which in my eyes lands it in an echelon of fanfiction with higher standards of excellence - so I'll simply encourage anyone intrigued by You's review to follow up and read Fate\last call for themselves.

[warellis]

Statute Under Siege

Summary: Ron Weasley, auror in the British Ministry, is sent to Japan to track down a rogue homunculus with his senior partner Bazett Fraga McRemitz. There, they are embroiled in a plot to break the Statute of Secrecy and reveal magic to the mundane peoples of the world.

I recommend this crossover. The fusion feels really well done, the writing flows well, and honestly the characters all feel honestly in-character. And to me honestly, that is it's biggest strength right now.

It's a fusion of Harry Potter, FSN, & Negima, but it doesn't feel like the kind of fusion that requires a you to know all three settings that well.

[Draconic]

Fate/Unbalanced Scales by Some Writing Guy
Summary: Become a Hero of Justice or protect his family? A question one man answered confidently each time it was asked. When the war he had been preparing his entire life for finally arrives, the question changes into a choice: Be the monster everyone believes him to be or watch his family die one by one. [Pre F/Z to post F/SN]

This absolute monster of a fanfic is probably one of the best Fate/ fanfics I've ever read, taking place from Fate/Zero through Fate/stay night, and it looks like Some Writing Guy plans on going even further. Where that's going to take the story, I have no idea, but I'm excited for it.

The premise is that Kiritsugu gets premonitions about the future, and these change how he decides to live his life: Instead of fighting to claim the Grail, he dedicates his life to protecting his family, and that's what he passes down to Shirou.

Unbalanced Scales has a very new take on Shirou, not being remotely Hero of Justice oriented and instead solely dedicated to his family. He's still an utterly broken excuse for a human being, but he usually still feel like the Shirou we're familiar with based on his speech and mannerisms. It features a very large cast of characters. Sometimes they're just cameos, but sometimes they hang around for a while. The most prominently featured characters are Kiritsugu, Shirou, Illya, Rin, Saber, and Sakura, but with the length of this story, most characters get a lot of time.

Of course, there are Grail Wars and mages in general. Characters die in this story.

If I have any criticisms, they would amount to the following: Certain plot points sometimes are shunted aside in favour of following others, but all the characters feel incredibly true to themselves, and if you're an Illya fan, a Rin fan, or a Kiritsugu fan, definitely read this story. But especially if you like Illya. She isn't paired with Shirou, but this reviewer considers Fate/Unbalanced Scales to have one of the best portrayals of Illyasviel out there.

There are two exceptions to this character accuracy rule with Reines being heavily out of character and kind of a two-dimensional sadist at the expense of everything else, and Luvia becoming more bloodthirsty than one would expect. Fortunately, Reines is not in the story very much, and Luvia behaves just as you would expect of her for most of her role in the story.

The primary criticism for this story is the some claim it shoehorns Archer into Shirou's role, but I would disagree. Shirou is very well written, and while he isn't a lot like he is in canon, he's nothing like Archer either.




Another Heaven by Steel Blackwing
Summary: Emiya Shirou died saving the world. The last thing he expected was to wake up in a reality where his father was alive and he was not supposed to know about magic. But darkness still encroaches upon Fuyuki and his family. Armed only with his prior knowledge and a power that may kill him, Shirou must master his own magecraft and save those he loves before they are lost forever.

HF Shirou dies and is isekaied to the Prillyaverse. This is a great Fate/ fanfic as it offers an excellent depiction of Shirou exactly as you'd expect him to be after HF. He's extremely driven to save Sakura, and Zouken is established very early on as the primary antagonist, but the most fun aspects of this story are in the interactions between certain characters. Shirou's business relationship with Raiga Fujimura is very fun to read. Shirou and Tokiomi also speak to each other and I must say that those are some of the most interesting conversations in the story so far.

My main criticism of this story is that it relies a lot on Zouken's heavy influence across Fuyuki to build him up as the big bad of the story, but he doesn't actually show up very often, or at least, he hasn't yet.

[Draconic]

ZOMG!
I found Fragments of Chaldea but it's actually content instead of all the interesting things happening in the background and out of the reader's perception!

Chaldean Chronicles by CosmicVlad and Owenchaser
EDIT: As of July 3rd, 2023, CosmicVlad has passed away. There are a few details in Chapter 74. Owenchaser has now added Yatsu to the team, but updates are slow. The fic might eventually get back up to speed, but it'll probably take some time.

Summary: A tale of three young teens and the perilous journeys they will face. From dragons, to gods, to demons, three young teens will face stand against the odds. And how their lives will be changed forever.

The main characters are Ritsuka, Mash and Gudako (Tatsuko Tachibana in this). Like I mentioned, it seems like it's basically Fragments of Chaldea but focusing on the action. So sort of like a novelization of F/GO but with more Servants, and Guda getting a voice waaaaaaay sooner than in canon. It's not a brilliant spectacle like either of my previous two recommendations were but I'm having fun with it.