TM Fanfics Index: Recommendations & Discussion. Updates never

[Phearo]

It doesn't matter.

I've recced stories as early as their second chapter. By the same token, I once recommended something at eight chapters that I later regretted once it went in a direction I disliked.

Edit: Well, it's a Sword Art Online crossover. That's something I'm never reading.

That's one of the reasons I'm wary on reccing it, too. Not a fan of SAO, believe it or not. by that I mean yeah I'll read a crossover fic even if only half of it is what I actually like

[Kishou the Badger]

It's the first rec? WHAT

Write a synopsis so I can +1 it.

*cracks knuckles*

Just an Unorthodox Thief by The Infamous Man (FF link)

Summary: Fate/Zero x Lupin the 3rd crossover. Kotomine Kirei, in trying to summon the iconic Assassin, gets a brightly colored thief instead. No one knows what to expect out of him, least of all his troubled master, and the stakes get even higher when Inspector Zenigata and the Owls of Minerva join the fray. One thing's for sure: Lupin and Kirei are going to have one hell of a time.

Review: I have this fic to thank for getting me into the Lupin series when I only knew of it off hand before. As Assassin, Lupin is not by any means a strong-arm contender like his competition, but he more than makes up for it with his variety of skills and plans. This leads to every Servant he's faced underestimate him, before it bites them in the ass. Even Archer isn't immune.

The fusion of both universes is well balanced in comedy and drama. It is interestingly believable that Lupin could ascend to the Throne of Heroes, and his death before becoming a servant was quite tragic. Everyone is in character, and are written in a way that you just want to root for all of the main characters. Assassin for his heists, Kirei for his unique characterization, Zenigata for his quest to arrest Lupin, and Saber for overcoming each obstacle related to Assassin.

So in short, +1.

[Rafflesiac]

+1 to Just an Unorthodox Thief.

It's rather interesting and entertaining.

[Fan_Fic_Reader]

+1 to Just an Unorthodox Thief

[SINIB]

+1 to unorthodox thief

[Fafnir]

+1 to UT

[Mattias]

I'll toss a +1 to Unorthadox Thief.

It's a nice blend of all the different iterations of Lupin that has been around, which uses the most recent from the "Fujiko Mine" series as the start point and uses the support cast as a tool to relate where any of the other Lupin characterization leaks through. It also has Kirei tempted down a differnt path by his own Servant, instead of the one suggested by Gilgamesh. Plus the story is full of hiests, one of my favourite genres. The only thing which bothers me is the Owl people from the aforementioned "Fujiko Mine" series reappearing, and their place in the overall events, but I'm sure that mystery is waiting for the climax to resolve itself.

[TheInfamousMan]

Thanks for the support guys!

Anyway, onto other things...

+1 for The Laughing Master.

While it does have some fandom things that irk me (By the Root ((Honestly if you're going to have someone curse, just have them curse.))) It does extremely well in portraying Constantine and how his presence and actions pretty much took canon behind the shed and shot it. Also does not turn Constantine into a Gary Stu, and makes it clear how much of a bastard he can be to get what he wants.

[Imperial]

I don't think I've put a +1 on The Laughing Master in spite of how long it's been around and how religiously I follow it. Weird

So, +1 on The Laughing Master

I'll admit I went into the crossover without much actual knowledge of Constantine and the Hellblazer series or its mythology (though I know enough DC to appreciate the Zatara nod), so I was a bit lost when he runs into an irate angel with whom he has history. But that's okay. Every scene crackles with such a lively characterization and attention to detail that I was able to breeze through the uncharted territory, which I find is a great thing in a crossover. Thankfully for Type-Mooners like us, it's not too often that it delves into the Hellblazer side of things, focused mostly on Constantine as a walking Murphy's Law to the Fourth War proper.

It's funny to think of Kiritsgu and John in the same story when they have so much in common as the ends-justify-the-means, tradition-can-suck-it attitude. But Leo does a great job in keeping them distinct and separate, both in their methods and in their voice. John is willing and eventually does things that even Kerry wasn't willing to do by the time the Fourth rolled around. In a sense, it's like watching a "pure" Magus Killer version of Kerry going through the Grail War without any pesky feelings of morality born of his connections to Iri and Illya. But I'm oversimplifying quite a bit. Leo's John isn't just Kerry without the wife and kid. Most every scene of his crackles with the kind of frantic wit you would expect from a man who has made an enemy of the world and has gotten used to conning and cheating his way out of it.

If there is one problem the story has, it's that it doesn't spend quite enough on Kerry and John. They're similar enough to be a great compare/contrast piece, and there's the simple fact that the theft of the sheath forces the Einzberns into damage control mode, leading to Kerry's summoning of Caster in Saber's place. I would have liked to see the two go head-to-head more than they have. But Leo is doing a fantastic job of picking up the slack with his stab at Kirei, whose POV chapters are fascinating as he quickly grows into a secondary protagonist.

Best of all would have to be Leo's avoidance of the familiar. There's still a fair amount that happens here that we first saw in Zero, but I always like the story that pulls away from canon instead of shamelessly aping it. How many stories regurgitate everything from the battle at the docks to feast of kings with only a token effort made to acknowledge that new players would push the game in a different directions? Leo is throwing some great curveballs, and I love it.

[TheInfamousMan]

Read Hellblazer. John is pretty much Kiritsugu with more of a sense of wit and dry sarcasm, but is even more of a bastard at times. (It takes balls to make both Heaven and Hell, along with any supernatural deity in between, to hate your guts) If I had to be a guessing man, I would say that Kiritsugu was actually inspired partly by Constantine.

And if you have to read a specific run, I highly recommend Dangerous Habits by Garth Ennis. Where it turns out being a magician doesn't let you avoid cancer if you smoke around thirty sticks a day, and John basically going 'fuck that' and trying to find a way to cure himself.

[Flere821]

+1 to Just an Unorthodox Thief. It's a bit slow at the start, I didn't think it deserves a rec until I got to the 2nd Interlude, but after that it was good

[pulsor93]

+1 to The World Without, by Lunaludus Scribex

As much I hate what happened to Shirou and Taiga, the story is very thrilling to read. Plus it gives a good way for Shirou to have a Illya route(Other than the much safer fanfic for Shirou, Chaos Theory) since Shirou learns the harsh truth from Illya's backstory and pain, on the plus side Illya learns Shirou's life. The characters are in character, having good reasons why they act that way.
https://allthetropes.orain.org/wiki/...ht/Fanfic_Recs
Has more reviews.

Could you please PM me what happened to Shirou and Taiga? I'm too squeamish to consider reading, but to curious to not want the details.

[Nephirin]

Well, Shirou gets Dead End 1. Entire premise of the fic. Its really worth reading though.

[Lunaludus Scribex]

Taiga...well, Shinji kicks her during the Bloodfort like he did in Fate. Unlike in Fate, though...

(Shinji pays for it.)

[Fan_Fic_Reader]

Taiga...well, Shinji kicks her during the Bloodfort like he did in Fate. Unlike in Fate, though...

(Shinji pays for it.)

Basically that but even worse. That was one of the best Karmic punishment I saw done to Shinji.

[Rafflesiac]

A hearty +1 to Siriel's WAKAME SENTAI! SHINJIRANGERS!. It is the tale of the innocent Fuyuki City's greatest hero, the young yet extraordinarily stylish and incredible Matou Shinji, and his battle against the unspeakably evil Doktor Zolgen. As a giant robot threatens to wormify everything, can Fuyuki City survive the battle of heroes?

Very funny crack, with multiple humorous characters and quite the ending.

[Christemo]

I second that +1.

[Gray]

+ 1 to Fate Reach Out. I've only played persona 3 but despite my lack of general familiarity with the SMT side of things I found it interesting and the story has a lot of potential, interested how the eventual (probably dozens of chapters away) would go. But character interactions are cool, and made me laugh a few times. So way to go Kishou

[Kirby]

+1 Third Option by Frostyvale

Someone finally wrote it. A Shirou/Sella lemon, based on that Prillya OVA where Sella dons the maid outfit. Fluffy, funny, and so on, though the lemon part's pretty short.

- - - Updated - - -

Huh. Apparently, I never recced Reach Out. So +1 to that, too.

[Fafnir]

+1 to Third Option. This was much needed.