Nasuverse Unlimited Gabriel Blessing Works
- Thread starter daniel_gudman
- Start date
The ending wasn't done. Or rather, it's missing the wrap-up chapter. I still wanted to see them going back to the inn. To have Yukari run away, to have the other become aware, Mia to react to Karasuba etc. etc...
The epilogue was too abrupt. It would be if the Lord of the Ring shifted to white a half second before Gollum hit the lava, before we see Frodo and Bilbo on the boat talking about how Aragorn got married, Sam got married, Sauron was properly distracted and killed along with the Ringwraiths, the eagles saved them (yes, out of order, and deliberate)...
Or Harry Potter had a final exchange with Voldemort before the next chapter has him being woken by his son/daughter because it's their first day at Hogwarts. Then they talk (because the child is familliar with the stories) about how he won, who survived, who married who etc.
You need the calm down. You need the victors standing in the battlefield and surveying the aftermath. No talk about what each other had gone through. The celebration about what will happen next. the wrap up of the bad guys not yet caught...
The epilogue was too abrupt. It would be if the Lord of the Ring shifted to white a half second before Gollum hit the lava, before we see Frodo and Bilbo on the boat talking about how Aragorn got married, Sam got married, Sauron was properly distracted and killed along with the Ringwraiths, the eagles saved them (yes, out of order, and deliberate)...
Or Harry Potter had a final exchange with Voldemort before the next chapter has him being woken by his son/daughter because it's their first day at Hogwarts. Then they talk (because the child is familliar with the stories) about how he won, who survived, who married who etc.
You need the calm down. You need the victors standing in the battlefield and surveying the aftermath. No talk about what each other had gone through. The celebration about what will happen next. the wrap up of the bad guys not yet caught...
I think the biggest problem with In Flight, honestly, wasn't the ending... It was... Well, Shirou.
IDK, but the early parts of the fic were really good, but I think it went downhill after the Fraga showed up. To me, it just... Seemed like Shirou did too much in the story and took away from everyone else to do something.
IDK, but the early parts of the fic were really good, but I think it went downhill after the Fraga showed up. To me, it just... Seemed like Shirou did too much in the story and took away from everyone else to do something.
Meh... I cannot comment on In Flight... but I thought Hill of Swords a great read. While I *did* get mildly irritated he did the ending chapter as he did, I see why. What I would have done different if he wanted the multiple option ending was a different end chapter to each of the main contending girls he had showed any interest in. Louise, Agnes, Henrietta, and Tabitha... maybe a Kirche ending for a gag... Or split off into the adventures the others had/will have w/o Shirou.
Another was 'Honor Thy Masters'. I admit the ending there could have been better or different as well. He could have done a multiple ending scenario just like I said for HOS... using Shigure, Miu, and the vamp as differing pairing or have a multiple end (vamp and Shigure at least were willing), not just end on Kenichi waking up.
But those possibilities change little. I'll reiterate. Of what I've read of his, I've liked most of them.
That is not to say I think the author perfect. But it is rare to have an author that writes good quality material, that actually manages to draw the reader in, *and* manages to complete almost every story ever done. He actually made me like Louise... which I had to that point though a near impossibility.
Even the hardliners complaining, I 'll note that you obviously read those stories to completion, or at least the endings, *and* are ranting about them years later.
Shrugs... I just think you guys may be perhaps a tad too hard on him.
Another was 'Honor Thy Masters'. I admit the ending there could have been better or different as well. He could have done a multiple ending scenario just like I said for HOS... using Shigure, Miu, and the vamp as differing pairing or have a multiple end (vamp and Shigure at least were willing), not just end on Kenichi waking up.
But those possibilities change little. I'll reiterate. Of what I've read of his, I've liked most of them.
That is not to say I think the author perfect. But it is rare to have an author that writes good quality material, that actually manages to draw the reader in, *and* manages to complete almost every story ever done. He actually made me like Louise... which I had to that point though a near impossibility.
Even the hardliners complaining, I 'll note that you obviously read those stories to completion, or at least the endings, *and* are ranting about them years later.
Shrugs... I just think you guys may be perhaps a tad too hard on him.
What happened with In Flight, I think, in the end, is the same trap nearly every author, even myself, has fallen into at times when writing a crossover.
Giving one side, or one specific character, preferential treatment compared to the others.
It's one thing to have a character that's purposely overpowered compared to others. But when you do that, it can be hard to check the urge to have them show off how awesome you see them.
Even in non-crossovers it happens. All of the "Uber Mage Shirou" or "Uber Ninja Naruto" or... Well, I can go on. But, thing is, it happens to a lot of writers out there for one reason or another tend to, even if they don't mean to, end up writing a fic that, by the end, can be kind of dull due to the lack of challenge.
I think Gabriel just fell into that trap. Sure, he's got a good foundation, but, like Hill of Swords, he follows the plot pretty tightly and doesn't do much deviation, which, I think, ultimately weakens the fic.
Honestly, I think his best fic of all time is "Finishing What You Start".
Giving one side, or one specific character, preferential treatment compared to the others.
It's one thing to have a character that's purposely overpowered compared to others. But when you do that, it can be hard to check the urge to have them show off how awesome you see them.
Even in non-crossovers it happens. All of the "Uber Mage Shirou" or "Uber Ninja Naruto" or... Well, I can go on. But, thing is, it happens to a lot of writers out there for one reason or another tend to, even if they don't mean to, end up writing a fic that, by the end, can be kind of dull due to the lack of challenge.
I think Gabriel just fell into that trap. Sure, he's got a good foundation, but, like Hill of Swords, he follows the plot pretty tightly and doesn't do much deviation, which, I think, ultimately weakens the fic.
Honestly, I think his best fic of all time is "Finishing What You Start".
I *did* like that one, a lot. Some of the transitions could have been better, but one must remember that was also one of his early works.
As for uber fics... shugs, I can see your point, but some like that. I also can see the point of sticking too close to plot, but there is of course the opposite. I've seen authors derail the plot so much that the core universe is hardly recognizable.
Take NGE stories.. just to name a easy series to identify it in. The angels are separate from humanity until their arrival. pretty much anything occurring in series regarding Nerv and human interaction should not disrupt the order or type of angels except perhaps Tabris, that is a independent sequence of events... I cannot conceive of why a few authors have mucked with that with no basis in story at all.
As for uber fics... shugs, I can see your point, but some like that. I also can see the point of sticking too close to plot, but there is of course the opposite. I've seen authors derail the plot so much that the core universe is hardly recognizable.
Take NGE stories.. just to name a easy series to identify it in. The angels are separate from humanity until their arrival. pretty much anything occurring in series regarding Nerv and human interaction should not disrupt the order or type of angels except perhaps Tabris, that is a independent sequence of events... I cannot conceive of why a few authors have mucked with that with no basis in story at all.
'For want of a nail' stories shouldn't change the order, unless it specifically arises from the nail, such as the nail being finding the Angel in the volcano early.
But if that's not the premise and you can get something out of it, extra drama for example, then there's no reason to keep the order. For example, you could call in the 17th in shortly after Shinji shows up and have him as an eventual betrayal with all that entails.
Or you could have the halo of light show up and kill of one of the pilots in the first half of the story, because it probably shouldn't have taken as long for a casualty to show up.
You could even have the one that screws Asuka up mentally arrive early on and have to deal with the recovery from that while the world goes to shit around them.
If there's no reason to keep the order, then why not mix it up?
But if that's not the premise and you can get something out of it, extra drama for example, then there's no reason to keep the order. For example, you could call in the 17th in shortly after Shinji shows up and have him as an eventual betrayal with all that entails.
Or you could have the halo of light show up and kill of one of the pilots in the first half of the story, because it probably shouldn't have taken as long for a casualty to show up.
You could even have the one that screws Asuka up mentally arrive early on and have to deal with the recovery from that while the world goes to shit around them.
If there's no reason to keep the order, then why not mix it up?
On that we agree, although I'm usually willing to allow for things occurring behind the scenes that we don't find out about because of limited perspective.
Just because sometimes the character isn't going to know he's just dropped a massive bollock until the consequences hit him, like Shriou having Saber sleep in the other end of the house in UBW rather than in the room next door (or in his room).
Just because sometimes the character isn't going to know he's just dropped a massive bollock until the consequences hit him, like Shriou having Saber sleep in the other end of the house in UBW rather than in the room next door (or in his room).
Soo... now that In Flight is finally finished (I only skimmed the epilogue and last chapter since I've been busy, but it seemed kinda eh to me, which I'm glad to see I'm not alone in) what is he going to be doing next? I know he has a couple MSG crosses going, but those don't strike me as main focus stories, more side-fics he works on when the mood strikes him.
Do you think he's going to start up a new fic, and if so, what kind?
Or is he going to direct his focus onto one of his current works? Or possibly finish off an old one (I'm looking at you Ruinous...)
And for the record, I much prefer Debt of a Sword over In Flight. Beginning, Middle, and especially End (in comparison).
Do you think he's going to start up a new fic, and if so, what kind?
Or is he going to direct his focus onto one of his current works? Or possibly finish off an old one (I'm looking at you Ruinous...)
And for the record, I much prefer Debt of a Sword over In Flight. Beginning, Middle, and especially End (in comparison).
I cannot think of a better time to start up a IS/FSN crossover then right here; nascent EMIYA bombs in and saves him.
Chifuyu-nee shows up and all those terrorists are dead. "Oh no," she thinks.
She comes home like a month later and Ichika is there, smuggled back by a wandering ally of justice (who made a couple pit stops along the way to deal with other stuff).
Definitely Ichika inherits the "saving people thing"; probably he inherits a little magecraft knowledge as well (he had Circuits, so teaching him to control them enough to not draw attention was a good minimum amount of knowledge; or maybe the "saved him from kidnappers" thing ended up being a magecraft fight).
Jump cut, forward ten years.
After surprisingly finding out he can activate IS, after finally getting a little settled into the school, Ichika is wandering around, and realizes that one of the cafeteria chefs is "Sensei", who is privately frustrated that his infiltration and data collection mission just got a spot light shined on it (Waver hired him, a free lancer, to figure out if IS operate on magecraft or not, or because they already know it is, so it's time to assassinate the Creator because she's a threat).
So everyone's like, "who's this schmoe that Ichika wants approval from, what's their relationship"; people get suspicious about his past, shenanigans go down, etc.
Oh, and Ichika ships Sensei/Chifuyu-nee, because he's the only guy Ichika can entrust big sis to. Or something like that.
Chifuyu-nee shows up and all those terrorists are dead. "Oh no," she thinks.
She comes home like a month later and Ichika is there, smuggled back by a wandering ally of justice (who made a couple pit stops along the way to deal with other stuff).
Definitely Ichika inherits the "saving people thing"; probably he inherits a little magecraft knowledge as well (he had Circuits, so teaching him to control them enough to not draw attention was a good minimum amount of knowledge; or maybe the "saved him from kidnappers" thing ended up being a magecraft fight).
Jump cut, forward ten years.
After surprisingly finding out he can activate IS, after finally getting a little settled into the school, Ichika is wandering around, and realizes that one of the cafeteria chefs is "Sensei", who is privately frustrated that his infiltration and data collection mission just got a spot light shined on it (Waver hired him, a free lancer, to figure out if IS operate on magecraft or not, or because they already know it is, so it's time to assassinate the Creator because she's a threat).
So everyone's like, "who's this schmoe that Ichika wants approval from, what's their relationship"; people get suspicious about his past, shenanigans go down, etc.
Oh, and Ichika ships Sensei/Chifuyu-nee, because he's the only guy Ichika can entrust big sis to. Or something like that.