New Fic Recomendations: Hey Look there's a lot of Typewriters!

[Shay Guy]

I haven't read further than I think the Gaara rescue arc, but the impression I've gotten is that like Calvin, he's a mix of very bright and a complete idiot ("How can kids know so much and still be so dumb?"), that he thinks best under pressure, and that he spent way too much time growing up focusing on getting people to like or at least notice him, which can be attributed to upbringing. (Of course, it then becomes self-perpetuating -- people stop disliking him on general principle and start disliking him because he's an obnoxious loudmouth brat. It wasn't so much that Iruka gave Naruto a chance as it was that he kept expecting better and saying "Yes, but...")

As for the sabotage theory... eh, I blame Viridian.

---

Pronounced "shy guy."

[drakensis]

The War of Kings (Code Geass / Nasuverse)
(To expand on the recommedation above). Only two chapters so far but thus far it's very well blending together the beginning of CG with a Holy Grail War - the fourth, actually, although the players are a touch different from FSZ.

The man came to a stop. "What would you do if I told you...? Of a game where you can gamble your life, and win anything your heart desired?"
And miss. Lelouch's eyebrow rose. Not entirely disinterested, but... "... I think I would say that you're exaggerating your game, underestimating my heart's desire, or insane."
The man's gaze shifted a bit to Kokoro. "Girl, demonstrate. Something flashy."
Instantly obedient, Kokoro's fist lashed out at the brick wall beside her... and tore a hole through it.
"... You're fixing that."
"Yes, Grandfather," she meekly agreed.
Lelouch stared at the inhuman display of strength from a girl... barely his size. That was... they had something. Something he hadn't considered. Something he could use. Something Britannia wasn't prepared for.
The old man's gaze shifted to Rivalz - who was pretty much staring petrified, and looked about ready to run. "Boy, I'll be having you forget this conversation. Step back outside and wait."
Rivalz's expression calmed, and he nodded cheerfully. "Okay, sure. Hey Lelouch, I'll be out by the bike, okay?"
Lelouch swallowed, nodding slowly as his eyes returned to the old man. That hadn't been conversation. That had been another ability... if he could use anything like that, his dreams had just come years closer. Maybe even, finally, within reach.
Rivalz stepped out.
The old man smiled, slowly. He really was the devil, and Lelouch really was going to make a deal with him. And the man knew he had him. "Permit me to introduce myself." He slowly, elegantly, bowed. "I am Matou Zouken. Magus."

D for Drakensis

You're only young once, but immaturity is forever.

[Sweno]

I don't think this has been rec'ed before, but it's a rather interesting take on MLP:FiM

http://www.fanfiction.net...9/1/On_a_Cross_and_Arrow
-Terry
-----
"so listen up boy, or pornography starring your mother will be the second worst thing to happen to you today"
TF2: Spy

[Niteflier]

I don't think this has been rec'ed before, but it's a rather interesting take on MLP:FiM
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7211729/1/O ... _and_Arrow

An interesting story, but the pictures on the google docs make it just a teeny-bit more hilarious.

[Sweno]

I was unaware it was on google docs. I'll have to check that out.
-Terry
-----
"so listen up boy, or pornography starring your mother will be the second worst thing to happen to you today"
TF2: Spy

[Jinx999]

Velle Anima is a Zero no Tsukaima fic, with a severe kick at the end of the first chapter. Only one chapter - but it makes a decent short fic, as it is.

[darwithe]

Velle Anima
is a Zero no Tsukaima fic, with a severe kick at the end of the first
chapter. Only one chapter - but it makes a decent short fic, as it is.

Correction: Velle Anima is a ZnT-Surprise Crossover fic. First chapter is quite dark, sufficiently so that the thread really should have been flagged as such, and given the crossover and one of the authors it is likely to remain so.

[Sirrocco]

Not that I'm disagreeing, Darwithe, but isn't "crossover" pretty much directly implied by "Zero no Tsukaima fic"?

...and, honestly, you need to have a serious taste for angst to even read through that first (not at all short) chapter.  The author lays it on pretty thick.

[darwithe]

Well I suppose if it's been rec'd then yeah, crossover implied.
As for the angst, getting to the end isn't that hard... you just have to keep chanting 'Hold on Louise, things will get better soon' over and over. Which is why finding out you were wrong and it isn't going to get better, only worse, is disappointing and a bunch of other d-words at best.

[Shepherd]

BajaB has started a sequel to Harry the Hufflepuff, his story about an absurdly lazy Harry Potter:
www.fanfiction.net/s/7330591/1/Harry_the_Hufflepuff_2
----------------------------------------------------

"Anyone can be a winner if their definition of victory is flexible enough." - The DM of the Rings XXXV

[Necratoid]

Really? Can you point me to an official source for this assertion? As I actually sort of like the series, I've watched every single episode that has actually been aired by my local cable provider (up to season 5 of Shippuden) and read most of the manga, but cannot recall any proof that anyone (even Mizuki) actively sabotaged Naruto's education.

My response is in spoiler text as a curticy for space concerns.  If you want futher discusion we need a new thread.  The short  answer is Naruto was shunned.

Spoiler

I'm going with the manga/anime canon as the sorce... that and basic sociology.  In fact one of the basic themes of the early show is establishing the active sabatoge of his academy days, as well as his social life in genral.  The active sabatoge is describable with a two sylable word: Shunning. Its one of the most devistating things any soceity can do to anyone at all.  Mostly reserved for the those that did something so bad its basically war crime equivalent.  The specifics of this vary, but the point is to actively traumatise the target into submission with the raw force of their collective displeasure through malignantly ignoring them.

Naruto got this from the time he was at least sixish, perhaps sense he was born.  They make it flagrantly clear that the Third Hokage made a law that forbade them from just walking up to Naruto and declaring him the 9 tails and beating him to various stages of close to death.  They couldn't beat him to death or assualt him with out getting ninja/ANBU assisted Darwin Awards.  So they did something that the Third couldn't stop them from doing.  So they did the social equivalent of making Naruto walk around with a billboard proclaiming ignore me till I die of it. They put a Shunning on Naruto.

All those flashbacks to Naruto's childhood.  All the kids being directed away from Naruto by their parents.  All those scenes with him on the swing... completely alone staring miserably at happy children with their happy parents.  Are all on screne examples of Naruto being actively shunned.  Naruto didn't break though, he dedicated his life to being impossible to ignore.  Its why he did pranks that culminated in doddling all over the single most obvious thing in the city.  He decided he'd be the Hokage... at first so everyone had to acknowledge him.  The reason he fixates on his 'precious people' is they are his real acheivemnts in life.  Every single one of them that breaks the shunning is a won battle.  One thing I wonder is if Sakura (probably from Ino's influence) treated him like he was annoying for something he actually did or if he fixated on her, because she reacts like he is going for with pranks.

The reason Gara starts off so screwed up is that he also got a Shunning.  Only with Gara his father actively made it worse, instead of instituing a stop gap counter measure.  To the tune of favorite relatives attempting to assassinate him... then going sapper on him while loudly proclaiming everything he knows that is positive in the world is a lie... he was 5 or 6 at the time.  When Gara calls his demon 'Mother' he wasn't kidding.  The psychotic Kaiju in his shoulder was literally the best parental figure he had to raise him.  All things concidered, Gara turned out a rather well adjusted, well toward demon society, even before Naruto beat some humanity into him.  Not sanity, Naruto beat humanity in Gara.

To get back to the active sabatoge of his skills at the academy, the instructers didn't need to 'teach him wrong, you know as a joke!' all they needed to do was give him the minimum they legally could in instruction.  Then spend all their class time fixating on everyone, but Naruto.  They can even point out he did fine in Taijutsu, got replacement down without the need for hand signs.  His Henge is imfamous.  He excells at stealth and traps (seriously the pranks and the chases he leads adult ninja's on on a regular basic in those days.  Well that and the whole pwned the Kage's tower fotress solo thing, detected by only the Kage who has active ANBU guards)... the only gaps are his classroom work and the bushin jutsu.  The series openly says what screwed him into failing is the bushin...   Mostly as he isn't illeterate or incapable of handleing money... so basic skills are there.  Classroom grades can be written off as average or meh.

The canon reason for bushin failing is he has far too much chakra for it to function.  This is something that should be known at some level of the academy... and watched for as this indictes future major player.  Naruto isn't the first one with tons of chakra to run through the place... so the only reasons can be stupid instructors or conviently failing to remember this factiod.  Repeatedly... over 18 months to 3 years.  He failed 3 times on bushin.  A little, 'but he brute forced his way through everything else' here.  A bit of 'I'm pretty sure I mentioned that' there.  Suddenly Presto!  Instance accontable deniabity... its not like he hasn't failed on that portion before... I mean after the first two times he failed, someone had to have been assigned to look into that.  One token 'but I did try to teach him... I though he just needed practice and I can't do that for him!'and some active passive agressiveness and Ba'da'bing! Ba'da'BOOM! no ninjahood for the demon!  His fault completely.

The only other explaination is it never occured to the teaching staff that maybe, just maybe they should try teaching him one of the 50 million other types of bushin... I mean Rock Lee passed that portion with after images.  Granted it wouldn't be shadow clones, I'm pretty sure that would have killed some random copy catting student and it is restricted for good reason.  However, water and earth clones or any over type of clone would have worked just fine.  The only other workable theory is that the academy is made of complete fail having 20 other students in Naruto's class (over half of which weren't from major class) pass the bushin skill examine, I just can't warrant that as a nonjoke explanation.

[Shepherd]

My response is in spoiler text as a curticy for space concerns.  If you want futher discusion we need a new thread. 

 

New thread started (http://www.accessdenied-rms.net/forums/s...?tid=11117).
Also, Rorschach's Blot has a new Batman one-shot titled The Woodsman's Axe: www.fanfiction.net/s/7318915/1/The_Woodsmans_Axe
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"Anyone can be a winner if their definition of victory is flexible enough." - The DM of the Rings XXXV

[kestrel404]

THE CASE FILES OF HARRY DRESDEN - MULTIVERSAL TROUBLESHOOTER

http://forums.spacebattle.../showthread.php?t=200089

Only the intro hook is available, but it's definitely hooked me. Spoilers for the ending to Ghost Story, though none of the really big surprises are spoiled (yet).
"Not this again!" Minerva said. "Albus, it was You-Know-Who, not you, who marked Harry as his equal. There is no possible way that the prophecy could be talking about you!" - Harry Potter and the Method of Rationality, Chapter 84

[stormcloud]

Yet another  Zero no Tsukaima crossover from Spacebattles forum.
Summoning the Sun (ZnT/Okami)  3 chapters so far but be warned third ends in a cliffhanger.
An interesting read even if you've never heard of the crossover game like me.
A link to the game is included in the forum threads.
Crossover is so far managing to avoid all the standard ZnT flag events while still introducing/interacting the characters in a believable and interesting way. Index thread post linked below. Please feel free to mention if you find this one interesting as well.
http://forums.spacebattles.com/showthread.php?t=193752

[stormcloud]

Brutal Harry by LordsFire HP fic.
Systematically abused and degraded children do not suddenly turn into well-adjusted members of society when removed from the abusive situation. Nor do they tend to be very trusting of others, or forgiving.Harry Potter - Rated: T - English - Supernatural/Drama - Chapters: 10 - Words: 80,900 - Reviews: 752 - Updated: 8-27-11 - Published: 6-18-11 - Harry P. & Hermione G.
10 Chapters so far. There is some element of "Power Harry" but built slowly in response to his situation.
No romance yet and only just starting 4th Year. Interesting read so far.
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7093738/1/Brutal_Harry

[stormcloud]

Dungeon Crawling in Chicago by LordsFire  SI (powergaming) oneshot
Have fun trying to identify all the mix/match RPG systems
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6282011/1/D ... in_Chicago
Take a decently fit Nerd, throw him into a slightly more magical version of the real world in 1990, and give him the ability to gain power as per D&D levelling system. A completely gratuitous piece, written purely for the author's own satisfaction.

[Jinx999]

Unfortunately, the RPG mechanics are the only thing going for it - and I can't follow them.

[Necratoid]

I think you missed that its a lot of in jokes I'm not sure are all intentional... the basic premise is that a self important twit with a fetish for taking classes most DMs won't let you use outside of a for giggles campaign.  Much of his power gaming comes directly from reading other people's builds from random magazines... he is hellbent on gaining skills that rely on a high wisdom score... which is apparently his dump stat (probably a negative ability modifier flat +0 at best.)  This is important as he is constantly an moron about choosing things based on his character build of ultra optimization (that someone else designed and he read about)... and not his actual abilities.  Which is why he is constantly failing to activate the abilities he takes.
In fact, most of his character build requires abilities and classes that ignore the concept of balance in the system.  He is so inept at picking abilities he actually can use effectively over what looks awesome on paper... that even the abilities he gets aren't working properly.  Inertial armor is an always active feat for psions that grants a full body energy field, on the protection level of chain mail that works against ghosts.  For some odd reason he needs to actively activate this before combat.  This guy is only surviving because of divine/writer intervention.. how else would he get to take an ability ignores cross classing of skills or class restrictions on skills.
Add that used the terribad 3.5 awful edition of 'advanced' psionics (read rewritten by moronic drunks watching DBZ on acid with a deep hatred of balance)... and that he took an ability of +1 to AC from spider senses over self healing or Fist of the North Star... and you can start to understand the raw fail of this guy and how much effort the invisible DM is putting into keeping him alive.

[The Wanderer]

..I'm not sure you read the same fic I did. While you're apparently much more familiar with the RPG systems involved than I am, I am at bare minimum not sure where you're getting the "using a character build that someone else designed" thing from; the way I read it, he was specifically designing a build on-the-fly based on his own familiarity with the various D&D systems which seemed to be being used and on the exigencies of the situations he found himself in.

If nothing else, the reference to not having the spreadsheet he was used to using to keep track of skills and feats and levels per class and so forth would seem to indicate that he was at least used to designing these builds himself before all this happened...

And to keep this vaguely (vaguely) on topic, there's a sequel to the same fic also available on the author's page, done as a HP crossover. Unfortunately, it's incomplete, and the author has stated that it's unlikely to see an update ever again.

[Foxboy]

Well, "Malevolent Greater Good" Dumbledore is a good indication of how badly off he is, and the Transformer for the hell of it... meh.

It fails as a "serious" endeavor at fanfic writing, but it does fit the bill of the power fantasy fic.

Might also be a case of the guy realizing that he was going off the rails like Skysaber/Perfect Lionheart, since ISTR a Skysaber/Sailor Moon fic that started off okay as an "I'm so SMOOVE I can outdo the Spells R Us wizard, but wait, ohcrap I'm dropped somewhere I NEED all the munchkinny stuff I "honestly" earned in a 1st ed D&D Campaign..."
''We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat
them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.''

-- James Nicoll

[CattyNebulart]

Add that used the terribad 3.5 awful edition of 'advanced' psionics (read rewritten by moronic drunks watching DBZ on acid with a deep hatred of balance)...

Methinks you are confusing 3.0 psionics with 3.5 psionics. Not that I have read the fic yet, but 3.5 psi was a vast improvement over the borkness that was 3.0 psi.
E: "Did they... did they just endorse the combination of the JSDF and US Army by showing them as two lesbian lolicons moving in together and holding hands and talking about how 'intimate' they were?"
B: "Have you forgotten so soon? They're phasing out Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

[Ebony]

Add that used the terribad 3.5 awful edition of 'advanced' psionics (read rewritten by moronic drunks watching DBZ on acid with a deep hatred of balance)...

Methinks you are confusing 3.0 psionics with 3.5 psionics. Not that I have read the fic yet, but 3.5 psi was a vast improvement over the borkness that was 3.0 psi.

And, in my opinion, could easily have been used to create a "spell points" system for the arcane and divine magics if you wanted to.
  
Ebony the Black Dragon
http://ebony14.livejournal.com

"Good night, and may the Good Lord take a Viking to you."

[Shepherd]

Inertial armor is an always active feat for psions that grants a full body energy field, on the protection level of chain mail that works against ghosts.  For some odd reason he needs to actively activate this before combat.  This guy is only surviving because of divine/writer intervention.. how else would he get to take an ability ignores cross classing of skills or class restrictions on skills.

Add that used the terribad 3.5 awful edition of 'advanced' psionics (read rewritten by moronic drunks watching DBZ on acid with a deep hatred of balance)... and that he took an ability of +1 to AC from spider senses over self healing or Fist of the North Star... and you can start to understand the raw fail of this guy and how much effort the invisible DM is putting into keeping him alive.

Actually, since he is using the 3.5 psionics system, Inertial Armor is a power that must be activated rather than an always active feat.

Also, 3.5's Expanded Psionics Handbook is indeed orders of magnitude better than the 3.0 Psionics Handbook (I own both). OTOH, 3.5's Complete Psionic book is indeed utter trash (buying that book was a big mistake). Your assertion that the system is unbalanced is one I've heard from a number of people who don't understand how the system works (especially the hard limit on how many points you can pump into a power). Even the rules lawyers over on the D&D optimization threads agree that tweaked out Psions tend to be significantly weaker than tweaked out Wizards, Clerics and Druids. Psions are the weakest of the core 'casting' classes.
As for why he took 'spider senses' instead of 'self healing' or 'Fist of the North Star', I'd assume that it is because Defensive Precognition is a first level power (available at first level) while Body Adjustment is a 3rd level power (only available at 5th level). I'm not certain which psionic power you're referring to with the Fist of the Northstar reference. Additionally, the Defensive Precognition power provides a +1 bonus to AC and all saving throws as a base effect; spending additional power points boosts the bonus by +1 per 3 spent. Damn nice considering how many saving throws he had to make in the fic.
----------------------------------------------------

"Anyone can be a winner if their definition of victory is flexible enough." - The DM of the Rings XXXV

[Necratoid]

They did create such a system Ebony... its called Psionic 3.0.  Its just something that should largely be only for spontanious casters.  Its a simple spell/power point system that makes first level powers 1 point, 2nd 3 points... 9th 17 point.  (then the extra power points for)  It gives exactly as much abilities to do things as any other casting class.  The oddity of psion is that it has 6 major ability score stats as casting/manifesting stats.  Thats right all of them are not instant dump stats.  That every 4 levels ablity score boosts may never hit your primary stat.  Psions have 6 core focus fields and each of them is based on a stat.  You can take any power you want basically, but need that  fields prime ability score high enough to take it.   Character growth can be completely rewritten by your lower stats.  Its a fun class for people with half a brain.
On the other hand is the abomination of a war crime known as 3.5 edition psion.  Its now inexplicably a class based entirely around one ability score, intelligence.  Also starting at like level 5 you get twice the power points for no reason.  This makes 3.5 psion twice as powerful/dangerous as a wizard in raw terms of casting potential.  You know the concept Linear Warrior/Quadratic Wizard... 3.5 psions are exponential growth characters that destroy the system.  Fist of the North Star is not a first level ability... as an after thought.
Add in the hybrid fighter/caster class of Psionic warrior was made more worthless than a tone deaf bard... One of their prime abilities, , was spending 5 points (a third level power) to turn melee attacks into touch attacks.  You could be awesome for like one minute a day that way... 3.5's version of Deep Impact is spend an entire round staring off into space blankly and then get one attack the second round as a touch attack... I don't think you can even make a concetration check to use it again next round if you miss.  Apparently 'balance' to those mad writers is nerfing another class to boost that abilities of a different one.  Garbage.
That doesn't even get into doing things like making teleport with error into a subclass bound skill for the teleportation and movement based psions... and the version without error as a generalist skill.  Focusing all your efforts on something means its far less effective.  Add in Fist of the North Star is a first level generalist skill... YES I'm dead serious about that.  In 3.0 disapating touch gave you a +1d8 of teleportation damage on a touch attack and could be concentrated into sticking around next round if you missed.  Basically a single hit with a longsword with a wierd damage type.  Useful (for grapples and breaking binds as well as melee attacking with your d4 HP manifestor.).... 3.5 disapating touch does Xd6 pionts of teleportation damage. as a touch attack.. where X is capped at your manifestor level... meaning at 20th level you can do 20d6 damage as a touch attack... with quicken power you can do 20d6 damage and 16d6 damage of the teleportation type as a touch attack every round AND you have twice the casting resources of any other class... for no reason.
In short you touch people and the explode messily.... this is Fist of the North Star's description.... this is not a first level ability for anything but an Epic level prestige class.  3.5 Psion is a Core class.  Concidering this 3.5 psion doesn't so much break the balance of the game so much as bypass it completely.  You shouldn't be able play this class without the DBZ theme blaring behind you and should require you to be wearing your pants on your head.  3.5 psioics are a war crime against the gaming community.

[yesilmavi]

Brutal Harry by LordsFire HP fic.
Systematically abused and degraded children do not suddenly turn into well-adjusted members of society when removed from the abusive situation. Nor do they tend to be very trusting of others, or forgiving.Harry Potter - Rated: T - English - Supernatural/Drama - Chapters: 10 - Words: 80,900 - Reviews: 752 - Updated: 8-27-11 - Published: 6-18-11 - Harry P. & Hermione G.
10 Chapters so far. There is some element of "Power Harry" but built slowly in response to his situation.
No romance yet and only just starting 4th Year. Interesting read so far.
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7093738/1/Brutal_Harry

Interesting indeed. The author also quotes Sun Tzu -the art of war, before the AN, which is nice. The scotish accent when a certain animagus gets emotianal while still being understandable is also nice.