Stephan Sokolow's Blog

Title: Inu 1/2
URL: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/351730/1/
Author: manekochan
Source: InuYasha with a piece from Ranma 1/2
Rating: 5.5/6
Type: Semi-crossover (Jusenkyo water in the InuYasha world)
Length: 15 Chapters (Story Arc 1 complete. Arc 2 pending.)

I normally don’t read much InuYasha fanfiction. It’s not because I dislike the series but rather, because I find that it’s more conductive to the creation of the types of fiction which interest me less and I don’t have time to sift through it all. However, one thing I always wanted was to see some possibilities for how InuYasha would react if he had an “encounter” with some Nyannichuan (Spring of Drowned Girl) water from Ranma 1/2. I ran across one fanfic that did so but it wasn’t exactly well written. I’d probably give that one a 3/6. I kept looking but I never could find one… until now.

Inu 1/2 is definitely interesting. It does a good job of balancing the original series content with new possibilities and, at the same time incorporating some of the changes which would have appeared. The first story arc is complete (which is always nice) and the author has said that another one is in the works but real life is hampering it’s development.

It does try an interesting bit with Sesshomaru and some other Jusenkyo water and the personality development for both InuYasha and Sesshomaru is what I’d call “almost unbelievable” which essentially means that the idea is on shaky ground but the author managed to pull it through in a comfortable fashion. I enjoyed the story immensely and I’m going to give it a 5.5/6 with a 6/6 pending the re-read.

Originality: 5/6 (Combined two non-original concepts but did it in a nicely original fashion)
Overall: 5.5/6

Title: Otaku Four – Skysabre’s Choice
URL: http://zeus.cwes.net/~yar/fanfic/ornstead.html
Author: Jared Ornstead
Source: Ranma 1/2, Sailor Moon, and more
Rating: 5.5/6
Type: Self-Insert
Length: 20 Chapters (Incomplete)

If you read this without reading the reviews (and hopefully the actual fanfics) that come earlier in the series, you may be at risk for confusion, nausea, dizzyness, hearburn, and halitosis.

OK, now that I’ve got the ridiculous disclaimer out of the way, I have to admit that I’ve been wanting someone with previous knowledge of Spells ‘R’ Us to wander into that store for a while. I love what happens. It really smacks of Monty Python if you know what I mean. Following that introduction, it’s another Skysabre adventure. Jared does a good job of keeping the good parts of of each Otaku story and integrating them into the next in an original way.

As always, it has the perfect mix of originality and borrowed elements (not to mention a good storyline but peppered with some humor too) I still find the use of dub-only names annoying but I can tolerate it since the story is good. I got a real chuckle when an Akane who WAS a pervert came into the list of secondary characters. In fact, I’ve been wanting a blatant female pervert in a fanfic for a while now. It’s one of the only character types I haven’t really seen. (Akane didn’t show up enough to satisfy me but…) There are definitely some interesting parts. One part felt vaguely of Star Wars politics.

I can’t really describe it except to say I enjoyed it. The story arc feels almost over but, as with Otaku Three, another one may exist in Jared’s head. I’ll give it a 5.5/6.

Title: Realizations
URL: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/1260679/1/ (alt.)
Author: Wishweaver
Source: Harry Potter
Rating: 6/6 (and 1 bonus point)
Type: Alternate Universe (Takes place between books 4 and 5 among other things)
Length: 33 Chapters so far

Do you think you could live Harry Potter’s life? I know I couldn’t. He’s got a strength of character that’s downright inhuman… but so far, everything has been decided by someone else, be it Dumbledore, the ministry of magic, Voldemort, the Dursleys, or whoever. What if he was given an opportunity to shape his own life? What if he didn’t want to go back?

Realizations is a definite example of good fanfiction. The borrowed characters and settings feel realistic and in-character, the original characters are definitely well done (In fact, the author gets a +1 bonus point for them.), the writing makes you feel as if you are there, and it manages to feel familiar without re-using any of the existing plot.

I wish I could give this fanfic a 6/6 for originality but, because the setting is pre-existing, I have to give it a 5.5/6. (For it to be a 6/6 would require both familiar and well-done original characters in a new setting.) I know I’m being a stickler for the rules here but I don’t want to start handing out 5.9/6 ratings.

Also of note, this is my first time giving a fanfic a preemptive 6/6 rating. I haven’t re-read it yet but I have an extremely strong desire to do so and it’s only been a week. It’s got that “freshness” that is so rare in fanfiction but, when encountered, can even make original works feel cheap. Thanks to it’s lasting quality, this is currently my second favorite fanfic of all time.

Grammar: 6/6
Originality: 5.5/6
Overall: 6/6

Bonus Points:
+1 for doing such a good job on the original characters

Title: Naked Quiddich Match
URL: http://daisygrrl.com/quidditch/
Author: Anya (with a teeny bit by Karen)
Source: Harry Potter
Rating: 5.5/6 (and 2 bonus points)
Type: Alternate Universe (They have m-Mail)
Length: 10 Chapters (complete)

Have you ever considered the potential consequences of Magical Truth or Dare? It seems that Fred and George Weasley didn’t either. Because of them, the entire Gryffindor Quiddich team will have to play their next game naked.

This story is definitely funny. In fact, it’s the most hilarious thing I’ve read in ages. It loses grammar points for doing the first 8/10ths of it in the format of a batch of mMail (magical eMail) messages. (It’s easier to write since it’s similar to script format) but gains back for the quality of writing shown in the last two chapters, not to mention the skill shown in the decisions made for formatting and the fact that it takes proper advantage of the fact that it’s HTML and not just plain text.

It also gains points for taking the opportunity to show that just because a character is female doesn’t mean she has no interest in the bodies of the opposite sex. So many fanfics just ignore that fact or downplay it, especially comedic ones. It does get a bit out of character but it’s so fricken funny that I couldn’t care in the least.

This is how a fanfic should be. It gets you feeling something, uses the medium to it’s fullest, and brings you into the story.

Humor: 6/6
Grammar: 6/6
Overall: 5.5/6 (this is the closest I’ve ever come to 6/6 without re-reading.)
Bonuses:
* +1 for realism
* +1 for HTML-based beautification

Title: This Means War!
URL: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/1603039/1/
Author: Jeconais
Source: Harry Potter
Rating: 5/6
Type: Alternate Universe (Sirius is still alive and they have m-Mail)
Length: 8 Episodes so far (Unfinished but guaranteed to be finished)

We all probably know (or at least know of) one family where the older brothers try to scare away boyfriends for their younger sister(s). What if the Weasley boys from the Harry Potter series were doing so with Ginny’s Boyfriends? What if she had a counter-plan that had been brewing for years?

This is definitely funny. It’s a Harry/Ginny match-up that provides a good example of all-out many-on-many (plus false neutrals and advice givers) prank warfare. I have to admit, I love the addition of m-mail (magical equivalent to e-mail) and the contents of the m-mails that people are sending. The part about the teachers placing bets is also quite a hoot. I don’t want to give away too much of the following plot but I’ll say that it’s one of those “[name of main character] gets overly powerful” fanfics. In this case, it’s well enough written for that not to matter.

It’s incomplete so far (8 chapters) but the author has promised that, although it may take a while, it will be finished. I’m giving it 5/6.