Remove ads

The Best Damn Fics You've Ever Read.

Reader mode
FriedIce said:
I would like to rec:

I Know Not, and I Cannot Know--Yet I Live and I Love

By: billowsandsmoke
Severus Snape has his emotions in check. He knows that he experiences anger and self-loathing and a bitter yearning, and that he rarely deviates from that spectrum… Until the first-year Luna Lovegood arrives to his class wearing a wreath of baby's breath. Over the next six years, an odd friendship grows between the two, and Snape is not sure how he feels about any of it.

I don't have a detailed explanation as to why this is great. But it is. Give it a read, please.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Enthusiastically seconded. It's very much a character study of both Snape and Luna, and a canon-compliant one at that. It doesn't shy away from the less pleasant parts of Snape's character but it also gives a tremendous amount of insight into why he is the way he is, something that often gets skipped over because of what a bastard he is to Harry and company.

It's heartwarming and melancholy and just the right length. Give it a read.
 
Aris Katsaris said:
On that note...

Reccing Friendship Is Optimal: Caelum Est Conterrens (Heaven is Terrifying)

This is a take on the "Optimalverse" universe which I think is superior to the original story - it has a more memorable personality for its character and it also really delves into the fridge horror aspects of the situation significantly more than the original did, while filled with philosophy and melancholy.

I would normally recommend that people read the original Friendship is Optimal story first, to get the proper introduction to the setting... but that's not an absolute requirement. I think this story can be understood well enough on its own, and as I said I find it superior in most ways.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

I have trouble believing that anything written by Chatoyance of The Conversion Bureau fame deserves to be called "best ever". Is there none of the misanthropy shown in TCB in this specific fanfic?
 
Khaos said:
Is there none of the misanthropy shown in TCB in this specific fanfic?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
I've not read TCB, so I can't answer the question specifically. I'm sure there are some elements in Heaven is Terrifying that you could interpret as 'misanthropic' (a loner protagonist who is socially isolated and tends to makes harsh judgments on people) but the story didn't feel misanthropic to me. Her judgments are faulty, even allow her to be tricked by CelestAI.

As for the 'Best Ever' moniker, even if the story was misanthropic how would that exclude it from the 'Best Ever'? You may be saying that misanthropic stories are not to your taste, but what about those people who do have a taste for misanthropy?

I've heard the author has a hatedom because of TCB. On my part it seems I'm attracted to stories written by people with hatedoms. That actually makes sense since some of the things I value tend to polarize. (e.g protagonists with very strong ideas, or new takes on settings, or discussions of morality)

Which is why the policy of derecs in this thread means that most of the things I've most enjoyed will never be included, as people would only filll the list with stories that SOMEWHAT please almost EVERYONE, rather than with the stories who by polarizing BEST please some people while also very much displeasing others...

Part of me wants to make a new rec thread with my own rules, but eh, right now I feel too lazy to do it. Perhaps eventually.
 
Or you could assume that people disliking a work of fiction isn't some sort of "Hatedom" and maybe they have their own very valid reasons?

Creating a thread where disliking something and giving reasons why is ignored because you really like the fic makes it sorta worthless?
 
Last edited:
The Laurent said:
Or you could assume that people disliking a work of fiction isn't some sort of "Hatedom" and maybe they have their own very valid reasons?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

It's bad to assume. Some people will judge each work by itself on its own merits, others will judge it based on their preconceived ideas about the author or the genre or the content rating or whatever.
 
Aris Katsaris said:
It's bad to assume. Some people will judge each work by itself on its own merits, others will judge it based on their preconceived ideas about the author or the genre or the content rating or whatever.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

You seem to be assuming the opposite, though. That people disliking something you like is them not judging it correctly.

Assuming good-ish faith is pretty important to actually engage with stuff like this?
 
Last edited:
The Laurent said:
You seem to be assuming the opposite, though
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
I didn't.

That people disliking something you like is them not judging it correctly.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

No. I disagree with the confusion of preferences and judgments, and people treating things they don't have a personal taste for as somehow failing an objective standard. This discussion has been had already, though. I've seen enough episodes of South Park to see how often they do gross out humour, and it's not to my taste so I don't watch it anymore - but I would never object to someone who judged it the best thing ever according to their preferences.
 
Aris Katsaris said:
I didn't.



No. I disagree with the confusion of preferences and judgments, and people treating things they don't have a personal taste for as somehow failing an objective standard. This discussion has been had already, though. I've seen enough episodes of South Park to see how often they do gross out humour, and it's not to my taste so I don't watch it anymore - but I would never object to someone who judged it the best thing ever according to their preferences.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

...actually, I could make a pretty good argument that South Park isn't the best thing ever that wouldn't have much to do with my own taste in humor.

Also, your claim here is somewhat nonsensical:

"as people would only filll the list with stories that SOMEWHAT please almost EVERYONE, rather than with the stories who by polarizing BEST please some people while also very much displeasing others... "

It assumes facts in evidence in regards to fics that you're not really demonstrating?

*****

More honestly, "It's all a prank subjective, bro" is the lamest dodge imaginable when it comes to talking about fiction.
 
The Laurent said:
More honestly, "It's all a prank subjective, bro" is the lamest dodge imaginable when it comes to talking about fiction.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Well honestly, if I wasn't lazy enough, I'd make a thread for people who do understand that human beings have different preferences, and that if there's any objective sense of 'quality', it's about how well the author achieved the things they wanted to achieve according to their own preferences.
 
Aris Katsaris said:
Well honestly, if I wasn't lazy enough, I'd make a thread for people who do understand that human beings have different preferences, and that if there's any objective sense of 'quality', it's about how well the author achieved the things they wanted to achieve according to their own preferences.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

In real life, people can freely discuss actual subjectivity of media experience. Online, I have only ever heard people bring it up specifically in reaction to criticism.

Conversation I've seen basically, like, dozens of times, and not just on this site: "I think this thing is the best thing ever."

"Here are my criticisms of this thing."

"Uh...it's all subjective!"

And, I do understand that human beings have different preferences.

But retreating behind subjectivity of media, in online debates, is almost always a refuge of, "Now that it's subjective I don't have to actually answer criticisms, right?"
 
Last edited:
The Laurent said:
But retreating behind subjectivity of media, in online debates, is almost always a refuge of, "Now that it's subjective I don't have to actually answer criticisms, right?"
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

If you are referring to anything recently in this thread, what are you referring to? The only 'criticism' towards Heavens is Terrifying is that the author wrote another work which is supposedly 'misanthropic'? Ok, where's the criticism there that I'm supposed to respond to?

Even if the story itself was misanthropic rather than another story of the same author, where's the criticism here? Is misanthropic supposedly an inherently bad thing, that I need to 'defend' the story from such an accusation?
 
How did I miss this thread. Apologies if any of these have been posted before, but I am lazy. I'll miss out those with explicit/semi-explicit sexual content for now - am I allowed to recommend them if I don't link/or put a warning?

Lines Drawn In Blood by QuoteMyFoot

Short and sweet Naruto oneshot. Examines the similarities between the 'current' generation and their ancestors.

Promises Unbroken by Robin4

A massive rewrite of the HP series with one premise - what if Sirius had been the Secret Keeper? Not strictly compliant with HBP and DH due to pre-dating them, but an excellent series nonetheless. A trilogy of three, I've linked to the first in the series.

Lunatique by Moczo

A retelling of Zelretch's famous battle with Crimson Moon - one of my favourite Nasuverse fics.

Better to Honour by QuoteMyFoot

Another Naruto oneshot by QuoteMyFoot - Premise: Danzo could have been a hero.

Transcendent Wreckage by YourFairyGodfather

BTVS oneshot, set post Season 7 - Faith-centric character study.

Fletching by AlfheimWanderer

A Nasuverse novella - Shirou Emiya wanders the Land of Steel.
I've got a couple of others I'd like to recommend, but I'm not sure if I'm allowed to under SV guidelines, so I'll leave them for now.
 
SECOND better to honor.

Dead Man's Logic (FF6)

Being dead, kefka's ghost is less crazy, but still a jerk. But he was a man of virtues once, and that's not all gone either.

Interesting character study of kefka, and a pretty fun story too.
 
I would like to recommend break through the limit by captain space.

It's a DBZ fanfic where piccolo was much stronger in the first episodes and raditz and Goku have to team up. Butterflies galore but in the last couple arcs captain space really shines. They are original arcs taking place after the battle of the gods. Movie. Enjoy.
 
Enochi said:
Really? Everyone says its a good fic and I tried reading it but got bored and didn't finish. Huh. We obviously have very different tastes.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
I realise I'm picking up on this a month and a half on, but someone liked one of my posts on the same page and I realised I'd never replied to this.

Dreaming of Sunshine is an odd beast. I totally get why you're not a fan, some parts are massive slogs (hence why I probably wouldn't recc it for here, even if it was finished) but the author can write a fight scene and it does some genuinely really interesting stuff with the fillers and the latest arc has been amazing.

If you want something very tightly written with plenty of fight scenes I'd recommend Realignment. It's got some of the best action writing I've seen.
 
Xegzy said:
I would like to recommend break through the limit by captain space.

It's a DBZ fanfic where piccolo was much stronger in the first episodes and raditz and Goku have to team up. Butterflies galore but in the last couple arcs captain space really shines. They are original arcs taking place after the battle of the gods. Movie. Enjoy.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
I can't in good conscience second a fic I haven't been able to reread, and the powerups start getting ridiculous once it gets past the BoG part, so I ended up dropping it. De-rec.
 
Last edited:
Marika Oniki said:
Not sure if it's been mentioned here yet, but:

Heir to the Empire by Ozzallos

Probably the only fic I've read more than twice. Definitely the only finished one that I'd consider a Best Damn Fic that hasn't already been mentioned.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
I'm gonna derec this.

Above all, Ozzallos's fics exist to serve one purpose: to find a way to make Ranma Saotome into a full-time, fully accepting female. This may be better than some of his other attempts, and it's certainly more finished than most of them, but it's an agenda-fic and that agenda seeps through the entire story, making it feel entirely OOC.
 
I feel as I got lucky by missing Ranma in the 90's, like when the bbeg is looking over a set of children to kill and I'm to the left of the poor sap that was eaten as an example of their evilness.
 
Reyemile said:
I'm gonna derec this.

Above all, Ozzallos's fics exist to serve one purpose: to find a way to make Ranma Saotome into a full-time, fully accepting female. This may be better than some of his other attempts, and it's certainly more finished than most of them, but it's an agenda-fic and that agenda seeps through the entire story, making it feel entirely OOC.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

I feel this is a distinctly unfair de-rec - you're allowing your own bias of the author to colour your interpretation of the fic. Indeed, just because a topic or genre doesn't appeal to you doesn't make something warrant a de-rec in my eyes. I don't think I'm going to recommend it myself, but that's just because I didn't think it was amazing - I do not accept your reasons as valid ones for a de-rec. In fact, I'd argue your given reasoning for the de-rec undermines the point of the thread.
 
I'm going to maybe de-rec because, just to look it over, I went to the last chapter and found several egregious spelling errors. That's not enough, but I'm not sure the prose really is that compelling. I swear I've read it before and found it very average (and the gender politics, if I remember, were kinda...iffy?)

I'd at least definitely not recommend it.
 
The Laurent said:
I'm going to maybe de-rec because, just to look it over, I went to the last chapter and found several egregious spelling errors. That's not enough, but I'm not sure the prose really is that compelling. I swear I've read it before and found it very average (and the gender politics, if I remember, were kinda...iffy?)

I'd at least definitely not recommend it.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Oh, that's fine - I don't think it's particularly amazing myself. It was the reasons for the de-rec that I had issues with.
 
Stormwhite said:
I feel this is a distinctly unfair de-rec - you're allowing your own bias of the author to colour your interpretation of the fic. Indeed, just because a topic or genre doesn't appeal to you doesn't make something warrant a de-rec in my eyes. I don't think I'm going to recommend it myself, but that's just because I didn't think it was amazing - I do not accept your reasons as valid ones for a de-rec. In fact, I'd argue your given reasoning for the de-rec undermines the point of the thread.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
The topic DOES appeal to me, and I'm sorry if my post doesn't make it clear.

The problem is that because he's so focused on the end result, he handles the topic with none of the grace it deserves.

One chapter Ranma is canon Ranma.

The next, she just decides to not turn back to a man. No real explanation except reincarnation, I guess.

Not to mention that the first two chapters have a bunch of fanfic cliches like the "Usagi is a ditz and home" and "everyone attacks Ranma in the schoolyard."
 
Reader mode
You must login or register to reply here.
Remove ads
Back
Top