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Complete In Flight by gabriel blessing - M - Fate/Stay Night x Sekirei

Discussion in 'Fate/Stay Night' started by Dark Syaoran, Jan 17, 2011.

  1. Dark Syaoran

    Dark Syaoran No. 4 Admin

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    Title: In Flight
    Author: gabriel blessing
    Rating: M
    Fandom: Fate/Stay Night x Sekirei
    Pairing: Shirou/Saber/Rin (Past) - Shirou/???
    Chapters: 44
    Words: 762,492
    Updated: Dec 22, 2013
    Published: Dec 15, 2010
    Status: Complete

    Summary: Honestly, Shirou was beginning to think that he should be used to this; being unwittingly selected to take part in brutal tournament that he had no idea existed until he found himself in the middle of it. Then again, second times the charm, right?

    Link: FF.Net

    I know a lot of FSN fans hate this authors stories, but I find them enjoyable enough to follow. Just like Hill of Swords, I know nothing of Sekirei as I knew nothing of Familiar of Zero.

    That doesn't bother me.

    Completely different Shirou compared to Hill of Swords, though. UBW-Good End!Shirou. He's a lot more balanced, but I'm sure purists can point out the flaws easily enough.

    Some interesting ideas here.

    Shirou comes into contact with his birth mother. That's right. His mother is alive. His father was too, but I believe he is dead now. I've never seen this done in any story - as few as there are - so this was quite a nice change. Normally, I hate it when parents return from beyond the grave, but he does this pretty well. No instant love, blah, blah, blah.

    Shirou running from the Clocktower is a nice touch.

    While not the greatest of stories, it is entertaining for those who enjoy Shirou. And if there is one thing this author does pretty damn well, it is writing some good fight scenes. We saw this in Hill of Swords - despite finding the majority of that story boring, the last two chapters were awesome because of the fights - and we see it here, though limited so far.

    If you are bored, check it out. It's worth a read, if nothing else.



    More to read (thx to Yak for the links):

    An index of almost everything in the "TFF Omake" threads:
    http://www.fanfiction.net/topic/88086/64885248/1/TFF-Omakes-3-The-Omake-trilogy

    And without index the ff.net forum Omake / sidestory / whatever thread:
    Shirou Emiya, Eroge Protagonist





    Checked by Minion, August 22, 2015
    If there is more to add, message the library staff.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 22, 2015
  2. yak

    yak Moderator DLP Supporter Retired Staff

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    I've never watched or read Sekirei. I don't like typical harem anime nonsense. It's the same reason that I'd never watch Familiar of Zero. If Gabriel Blessing can bring these worlds to life for me in a way that I can stomach, more power to him.

    Hell, yeah. That "spar" against Miya in chapter 8 was very well written. It didn't have any magic, special moves, ridiculous posturing, or any of the typical, overblown anime fare. It was simply about a man pushing himself right to the edge of human limits against an inhuman and superior opponent. I loved it. It ended in a satisfying manner.

    I hope that the plot can speed up a bit. I'm not sure that it'd make the story better, but I'm impatient and I can tell that there are some great things on the horizon.

    Shirou vs Contestants
    Shirou vs MBI
    Shirou vs Clocktower

    I'm not as big a fan of the relationship side of things, if only because Shirou seems to be frozen between his Saber/Rin relationship and any future ones with the Sekirei. We don't know the status of Shirou, Saber, and Rin's relationship other than that they were forced apart by circumstance.

    Shirou's sister is lulz, but I'm glad that we've only had to put up with her in small doses so far.

    Now that Shirou's got the strategist Matsu onboard, I'm really hoping that we'll see Shirou make some preliminary moves rather than being passive and reactionary. Doubtful, but would be fun.

    The antics of Shirou's Sekirei girls and how god-awful dumb they can be is a minor gripe of mine. One is dumb, one is forgetful, one is a silly little girl, and the other is an overblown pervert who enjoys speaking childishly. The only exception is the pretty boy Sekirei, who seems relatively powerful and level-headed. Every girl has been ganked with a character flaw that makes her dependent on the male protagonist. That isn't a flaw of In Flight, so much as it's a flaw of the universe it's being based on. That's one of the unfortunately common trends of harem anime.
     
    Last edited: Jan 17, 2011
  3. Orm Embar

    Orm Embar Auror

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    I wholeheartedly agree with Yak's assessment. The fight scene in chapter eight is quite well done, and I hope to see more like it. The tension between Shirou and outside elements like MBI/the sekirei/whatever-the-hell Miya-is really keep things going. I get the impression that he's wandering aimlessly towards a serious clusterfuck, and the threat of the Clocktower's enforcers creates some tension even amidst the female interactions. (You just know those buggers are going to show up at the WORST possible time. Coitus interruptus by magical assassins, anyone?)

    Cons:

    It feels like he's juggling so many adjutants that there's no time for more than cursory character interaction. 'This girl manipulates ice and is forgetful, this one is smart and perverted, this one is young and cute, etc.' Having never been much of a fan of harem animes, I don't know if he's neglecting any of their finer traits, but interactions between the women that don't involve him would be nice. Beyond the initial characteristics, it feels like they're all defined by their relationship to Shirou.

    My second qualm is less significant than the first, and is possibly caused by my own ignorance of the Sekirei series. Based on what I've seen so far, I honestly don't see any opposition beyond the enforcers that can seriously compete with the likes of UBW (which I assume he has).

    TL;DR
    Good story if you don't mind female antics. Someone invite him over to DLP to break bread with us.
     
    Last edited: Jan 17, 2011
  4. yak

    yak Moderator DLP Supporter Retired Staff

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    I wouldn't have been able to enjoy the story as much without keeping these two links handy while reading new chapters. They really helped to keep all of the characters straight in my head.

    Sekirei character pics on someone's blog
    Sekirei character bios on Wikipedia

    There's also a Sekirei Wikia site which I used to try and find the difference between Akitsu's scrap number mark and the description of an ordinary mark. I've only used it the once. The pics and Wikipedia pages are ones that I keep on hand whenever a new chapter is released.

    I'm don't know if it's a rival for the UBW, but there is something about Miya's strength on Wikipedia:

    It is strongly implied that Miya is the strongest Sekirei, even referred to by #4 Karasuba as "another dimension". Miya was the leader of the first Disciplinary Squad (known as the "S-Plan Guardians") and displayed the power to sink several large warships.

    Also, Sekirei is not finished. I think the manga is about half way through. That leaves the universe fairly open for however Gabriel wants to interpret it. The Sekirei war has six stages, including organised matches, etc. So far, the manga is up to Stage Three, and the anime is in Stage Two. The story's only half way done. I think In Flight is still in Stage One, though it may be in Two; they're kinda similar stages according to the Wikipedia description.
     
    Last edited: Jan 17, 2011
  5. Dark Syaoran

    Dark Syaoran No. 4 Admin

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    I guess the important question is this: Can Shirou employ Unlimited Blade Works without Rin supplying him prana? He needed to form a contract with Rin in the visual novel to use the ability. Now that he is no longer with her, is their contract still in effect? Is he still getting prana from Rin, half way across the globe? Is it a matter of distance or a matter of Rin cancelling the contract purposely?

    I don't know. Do they need to have sex on a regular basis to sustain that contract? It's probably on the Typemoon Wiki but I can't be bothered looking.

    If he can employ it without her, problem solved, I guess. Maybe he'll form a contract with one of the Sekirei to power it. Probably Akitsu with how their relationship seems to be coming along.
     
  6. yak

    yak Moderator DLP Supporter Retired Staff

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    I'm wondering if Shirou is going to find a way to Wing Akitsu. He's been taking careful notice of the Winging process. Forming a contract with Akitsu may be a win-win situation for them.

    I must stick my penor in u 4 Winging and Great Justice!
     
  7. Fenraellis

    Fenraellis Chief Warlock

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  8. yak

    yak Moderator DLP Supporter Retired Staff

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    Thank god we finally got to a big fight scene. Unfortunately it wasn't written as well as the Miya/Shirou spar in Ch 8. Part of the problem is that it was a group fight scene, being told in the first person perspective, but the author still wanted to dwell on every aspect of it... at least in the beginning.

    I'd like to have seen Shirou leave no survivors on that roof top. He could have used Akitsu to freeze the Ashikabi in place to prevent his escape. I'm also not sure why Shirou decided to foolishly give his real name in that fight. He could have given a fake name for himself or refused to give his name to the dead [and then promptly murdered them both].

    I also don't know why Shirou agreed to a 2 vs 1 fight and ordered his Sekirei to not interfere... well, okay, I do. It was long denied battle lust, plus a desire to prove himself in a real fight against superior and worthy opponents. But it was still stupid. Stupid Shirou!

    I imagine that Shirou is going to have some harsh words for his Sekirei about the lack of skill and the lack of ruthlessness that they displayed.

    After the Miya/Shirou spar in ch 8, my favourite scene is the Miya/Shirou conversation in Ch 12 in which Shirou works through his thoughts on the Sekirei, their place on Earth, and the Sekirei plan.
     
    Last edited: Feb 10, 2011
  9. rj_stone2

    rj_stone2 Seventh Year

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    This is an enjoyable story and I can't complain about the update rate, but the volume of words involved seems way out of proportion to the amount of things that actually happen in the story. It feels like for every action we get the action described, a paragraph on Shirou's internal reaction to the action, then another paragraph as Shirou talks about what just happened.

    Re: the no survivors plan, my read is that was Shirou's preferance, but that his Sekirei weren't on board for straight up murder. I'm a little unclear on what the balance of power is in the Ashikabi/Sekirei relationship (is there a command seal equivalent?), but I can see why Shirou would want to avoid internal conflict at this point.
     
  10. SmileOfTheKill

    SmileOfTheKill Magical Amber

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    Out of the massive amounts of words in this chapter, this line is a good reason for that.

    "It was a custom to guard the bodies of fallen Sekirei until MBI could be mustered to pick them up."

    I don't think he would kill all of the Sekirei so regardless of what he does, info is going to be leaked. He then decided to make the best out of it by acting like Berserker.

    Also rj pointed out obvious problem with this story. Too many bloody words for the amount of content here... but I don't care too much. Still an great work and only needs slightly less words to be amazing.
     
  11. Nuhuh

    Nuhuh Dastardly Shadow Admin Retired Staff

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    Akitsu really came alive in this story, really enjoyed her depiction. The rest is more of a better main character taking place of a lousy main character, but nothing especially exciting beyond that really. I do like some of Shiro and Takami interactions though. Looking forward to how he deals with his sister.

    But I agree a lot of this could have been done with a lot less words. But if you don't know Sekirei, maybe this is better for immersion.
     
  12. Onii

    Onii Slug Club Member

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    I hate and love the words, i love the descriptions given with them but hate how almost nothing gets done in the long run.
     
  13. yak

    yak Moderator DLP Supporter Retired Staff

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    Gabriel Blessing didn't always write like that. His older work is much tighter. He wrote grand plots in fics that could be read in one evening. I prefer it to his current style.
     
  14. Tehlaziboi

    Tehlaziboi Ninja Meido

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    I hated his Hill of Swords story ever since I read the first few chapters and realized how terribly OOC Shirou was without any real reason. Apparently, the backstory for such a change came later but I just didn't have the desire to go through chapters just to find out about it.

    On the other hand, I'm much more mellow on this story. Shirou isn't completely OOC, actually bordering to being Archer-like (Which is probably why I like this story so much more). He handled the explanation on Shirou's past fairly well and the interactions between characters were fluid. As someone who has not, and will never, watched Sekirei, I can't say anything about their characters but I suppose they are well fleshed out.

    Eyebrows were raised at that one slashy scene but considering how Homura seems to be scratching his chest, I'm going to assume that his sex is actually...

    As someone who is already quite familiar with Nasu's works, I have pretty much glossed over most of the walls of text in his chapters. When I tried reading them, they seemed completely redundant and unneeded.

    I also had to nitpick on him describing the aliens as "Type-Sekirei". TYPE is a term to describe "The Ultimate Ones", the strongest entities of their respective planets. It's not a designation used for alien races and every time he describes them as such, it gets frustrating to read.

    But overall, his story is written very well. I read through every chapter and mostly liked them, which is a lot more than what I can say for his other work.

    4/5 with room to improve if he continues as he is now.
     
  15. Nuhuh

    Nuhuh Dastardly Shadow Admin Retired Staff

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    Story updated. Not a whole lot has happened in this chapter plot wise except that a phase of the story is complete so if there are to be any divergences they should happen from this point forward.

    Having a scene with Takami in there was a good surprise. As I said before Shirou/Takami dynamic is one of the good points of this fic and their scene showed some development. On the other hand I had been looking forward to the meeting with Yukari, and that ended up being pretty disappointing. It had the same old anime jokes rehashed. Anyway, it seems that beyond this Yukari will come into her own, given the author's note. I hope he is able to come up with a good characterization for her as he has for Takami.

    The conversation between Homura/Takami/Shirou was pretty funny though.
     
  16. Jormungandr

    Jormungandr Prisoner

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    I just wish that he'd get back to (expecially) 'Ruinous' and 'Door of Air'; they're pretty awesome.
     
  17. Orm Embar

    Orm Embar Auror

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    Well, there's a new chapter up on ff.net now. It's a nice and humorous interlude, though it ends with yet another bloody cliffhanger; at this point I'm convinced he likes seeing us squirm. The plot looks like it's going to pick up the pace a little bit, seeing as
    The Clock Tower has caught up with him.
    Shirou has gathered the majority of his Sekirei, and MBI's going to be implementing the next phase of the Plan soon.
     
  18. Cruentus

    Cruentus Chief Warlock DLP Supporter

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    Dude, shit just got real:awesome
     
  19. Oxy

    Oxy Seventh Year

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    Another chapter up. After last chapter you would expect things to go rolling, but unfortunately it was more of an filler in my opinion.

    Edit:
    Come to think of it, is it even possible to use UBW inside your own body? If I recall correctly Shirou was having that problem with Archers arm in HF, which was killing him.
     
    Last edited: Mar 17, 2011
  20. SmileOfTheKill

    SmileOfTheKill Magical Amber

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    It was Archers ideal, not the item itself.

    But yeah, this chapter was too much filler. Most of everything he writes now feels like filler though, is quite sad. Hopefully the next chapter has some interesting things going on but knowing how he writes now, it will be about two conversations that last 10k words each.
     
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