It's true. While some fics deserve the amount of reviews they receive, it's not usually the case.

E.g. RossWrock's fic which is mediocre, bloated and hasn't been updated in a looong time still has close to 4000 reviews. Whereas fics like Breaking Ties have little over 200 reviews for 75000 words. Life's unfair eh?

 

I'll go OT here and say I still don't understand why so many right that arrogant ass's jock. It's an average quality story, but I swear some folks treat it like the bible.

 

I don't know why you guys keep bashing this story and RossWrock.

The guy practically invented Independant!Harry genre.

Escape from the Private Drive, Goblins & hidden inheritance, the trunk, time-turner, Diagon Alley shopping trip, Knockturn Alley, removal of tracking charms, Harry hiding away from Dumbledore, hard-core training...

Yes these are all clishes today, but the point is that the guy INVENTED them. No one used this things before. The Power Of Time is NOT clished story - it's revolutinary story that everyone else (including all you guys and me) are copying...

I don't know about RossWrock being an arogant bastard, but even if he is, he definitely has a reason to be so.

 

I tend to agree with both sides on this one. I've never fully read Power of Time because it's Harry/Ginny and everybody here knows how I feel about THAT garbage. Still, I have read enough to see that the guy practically invented several devices that we all crap on as cliched now (magical trunks, Harry running away, pet phoenix, Harry v. controlling Dumbledore, et cetera). The fic had to have done something right if so many other authors use its ideas. Is is for all intents and purposes the original Independent!Harry story. I personally don't find its quality anywhere near being in line with all the rabid praise it gets, but I can still appreciate it for being a groundbreaking work within the fandom.

 

I wouldn't say he invented Independent!Harry by any stretch. Simply because there were independent Harry stories post-GOF before OotP even came out.

But he did use and utilize some of the best directions for indy!Harry, that hundreds of others copied and borrowed from. A number of the ideas in his fics are his takes and interpretations on bits like that in other fics. Trunks had been used before, time turners had been used before, inheritances, shopping trips etc... but his was easily one of the first and most extensive ones out there. Certainly a pioneer to the many clones since.

Arrogant bastard or not, his fic has given ideas to a massive amount of others whether directly or indirectly. The dragging out of the fic, the year since an update, and sheer amount of people dropping to their knees for him, makes him look even worse, through no real fault of his own. I remember reading his fic and grand griffon's "Rising War" and always looking for updates to both as post-OotP good Harry training and idea fics. Grand griffon's stayed with the shorter chapters and cranked through his story quicker. Ross' chapters got progressively longer and longer. And the time between updates seemed to grow. The quality in Ross's became higher as the detail became more in-depth and now I couldn't even compare the two, but after 11 months since Ross updated now I find myself simply caring less and less. The fact that his story is the first in a trilogy leaves me with doubts that storyline will ever be finished.

I'd call it a bloody great start and the measuring stick for most indy!Harry stories, but it's not the most overrated fic, it's not the most revolutionary fic, it's probably not even the best independent!Harry fic. For now, it's just a ludicrously popular WIP.

He just happened to pick all sorts of ideas and directions the vast majority of hpfanfic readers could agree and identify with. Considering the largest group that reads these stories are teenage girls, I'm not entirely convinced that's a good thing. That's why when I see authors like forfie (whose fic I admittedly haven't read), or say skarm's post-HBP fic, or Z-ro's good post-Hogwarts fic and sequel, all having long well written stories with inexplicably nowhere near the audience or reviews of some fics, it doesn't bother me. The more response often times is people with things to complain about. A good chapter leaves you with little to say about it. Hell, I think even Ross's little joke end to a chapter with Neville and Harry kissing, got just about more reviews about people complaining and bitching than anything else. If the fans are that stupid and gullible, then I think sometimes greater responses are a bad thing.

 

I too read RossWorks stuff, and over the past year became very jaded with the story when he didn't update. I've had some problems updating in the past four months, mostly because college got in the way, and felt I lots some of my fan base because of it. When it comes to reviews, I enjoy any feedback I get. Whether it is from my adoring fans, like HarryReader, [perhaps Adoring is too strong a word] or flames. I tend to like it when I have people try to shoot down my fic for things because it helps me explain it better in a way I can't put in the text. Like explaining all of Harry's emotion feelings and psychilogical quirks in a story would not be that exciting of a read. Also, when I defend my fic, I seem to strengthen it as well.

I guess reviews also have this shallow meaning to me, about more people reading and liking my fic. Which is always a good, comfy feeling to have. meh.

 

I really don't know any true Independant!Harry post-GOF story, besides Draco664's stories and that one with a school for thieves. If you know any good one, please spill it out.

 

The only ones that I know of are Draco664's Harry/Cho Azkaban stories "Betrayal of the Best Kind" and "Midnight Duel, Midday Love", found here and WoldMoon's Deceptions.

I'd really like to see more, but there just aren't any. Powerful? Yes. Dark? Maybe. Independant? No.

 

Those are great fis. One of the first I read, truly outstanding. Far better than PoT in my opinion which is high praise from me. That draco664 person really is a good writer. He/She converted me to Harry/Cho for a while before I reverted back to my old ways.

I didn't say I hate RossWrock at all. His story is well written with many appealing and original ideas but it seems very bloated. 300,000 words later we're in Christmas and not that much has happened. I much prefer a shorter story that gets to the point.

Yes, that joke...well it certainly startled me when I read it. It was one of the only times tht I've really been open jawed while readin fanfiction.

Yes, it seems very strange. Skarm's fic, in my opinion, is just as good as RossWrock's fic. Not only that, but it has the 'popular' Ginny pairing as a bonus. At first, I was perplexed at the small amount of reviews. However his beta informed me that he has the same amount of hits as I do which proves that a good story sometimes leaves the reader with nothing to say.

 

He didn't invent it, as far as I was aware of there were several out before his that had the themes, although he combined them all in a tour de force for the first time. He did has some decent writing, but calling him the father of all this bullshit that infests the fanon world is ug.

And I'm sorry but I'm not copying it. There will be no timeturning, trunks (thou who use this should be castrated) shopping trips (ditto) He was among the first I'll give him that,and he did improve alittle on several existing ideas but he doesn't deserve the sheer amount of praise he gets IMHO.

 

It sort of depends on how you choose to define "independent". Sometimes people just want Harry to take some initiative of his own. Sometimes they mean anti-Dumbledore. Some might not want any romance at all, others just want Harry to take the lead in his life etc...

Thor Nairda, The Red Dragons Order, Miranda Flairgold all have fics and series set post-GOF that might be considered independent.

R.K. Thompson's Harry Potter and the Time Turner is a good one where he takes his own training personally, and secret from even his friends helping him with other training. But a fair amount of Hermy!fluff too. Still I think this is one of the better less recognized post-OotP fics about Harry getting his shit together and kicking arse.

Sloth's series has Harry getting training from Unspeakables and not a ton of interference a less than perfect Dumbledore.

Dauphin's When Darkness Falls throws Harry in Azkaban, and many of those could be considered independent. Maybe Ottilchen's Under Suspicion too.

(damn post split while I was writing this. Think the question was moved here.)

 

Midknight: Like I said, name a fic that had all that before the Power of Time.

There might have been mention of time turner or time manipulation before, but not for the training purposes. Conflict between Harry & Dumbledore? Not that I know of, at least not in any decent fic. Gringotts trip and Potter's hidden inheritence? Not that I know of. Shit, even that clishe with Harry recognizing Griphook is first mentioned here.

As for our stories not following it, think about it:

Traitors Within: Harry is pissed off at Dumbledore, he discovers his manipulations and breaks his ties with him, decided to start learning dark magic, gains Sirius' inheritance (hell, you're probably the best of us).

Potter's Resistance: Harry escapes private drive, gets a new wand, removes tracking charms, gets magical tent (instead of a trunk), breaks ties with Dumbledore and discovers his manipulations and gains a phoenix (sort of).

Dakaath: Harry escapes Private Drive, discovers his hidden heretage, discovers Dumbledore's manipulations and turns his back on him.

look through all the other pst-OOTP independant fics and you'll see that they all more or less follow a pattern that RossWrock established: Angsty Harry, angry Harry, escape, Gringotts, inheritance, wills, shopping trip, knockturn alley, hard core training, Weasley/Dumbledore bashing etc...

I really don't know any other story that introduced so many new directions and fresh ideas in HP fandom.

 

meh RossWrock.
I'll admit i liked his story somewhat but when it went harry/ginny i was like. meh i'm done with this.
and amazingly as soon as i said that he stopped updating haha.
but i did like a lot of his ideas because at the time they were not as overly used as they are today.

 

...I don't think I write a manipulative Dumbledore. Maybe to a degree, but it's more Harry being a general bastard and blaming the old man for it than it is Albus actually being responsible for the boy's actions. Open to interpretation, but I feel that Dumbledore is more the good guy in Dakaath than anybody else. It certainly isn't Harry.

 

Liked Thor Naida works, but those are more super than independant. Still, good call, Harry is truly not a pussy in these...

Never read The Red Dragons Order's stuff...

Miranda's early stuff is in all honesty too childish and rushed for my taste..

I searched my HD for R.K. Thompson's works and found that I read both fics. I gave them 8/10 at the time, but now, I can't remember anything about them for the life of me... I guess that's why these stories had fallen into obscurity...

Never read Sloth's stuff coz of constant "Romance" tags in genres and summaries... Seemed like another one H/G or H/Hr fluffy epic. Might give it a spin now...

Never read "When Darkness Falls", put it high on my list.

Started "Under Suspicion", but never liked the beggining... Seemed too common and predictable (Harry hiding his identity with many of his ex friends suspicious, falling in love with Hr, Voldemort finding out, kidnapes Hr, Harry breaking his cover, blasting Riddle away, clearing his name.... am I right?)...

Still, none of this can't compare with good ol' post-OOTP dark bashing story...

 

R.K.'s used the time turner for training before Ross did. Actually R.K.'s was finished before Ross started posting. But it's not quite the same by any means.

And I think Ross's influence needs to also be recognized directly and indirectly both from those using similar ideas that he used, as well as all the other indy!Harry stories that were inspired by Ross's and came up with their own slightly better takes on some of the themes. Example, Lord Ravenclaw's Time of Acceptance. I liked it better than Ross's fic, so of course L.R. took it down. And all the Ross-haters could appreciate his stuff while happily hating Ross. Smallville Potter's fic was another clone, but also enjoyable on its own. There's tons of these.

The fact that there really isn't anyone else even in this discussion about who truly nailed down and pioneered the modern post-OotP Indy!Harry is a testament to the fact that even if you disagree, Ross has influenced many.

Similar to Rorschach Blot started the "Lord of Azkaban" idea that a great many fics have borrowed utilized, made their own versions of etc...

Sloths fics have romance, but it's much better than typical (even if in the last one he ends up with Ginny) and there's enough other stuff that they're definitely worth reading. Kind of in a Bobmin way, where there's a bit of every genre happening. And it's not instant love predestined crap. I mean hot vampire love, cho-love, a hermy one-night stand ruining a friendship, OC quidditch teammate chaser love, some hollow models too. Certainly more realistic than 95% of the romance out there. There is a lot of Quidditch too, so it helps if you like that.

And you might like Ottilchen's story more than you think. Seriously no romance at all for Harry, though Hermy sort of holds a special place, it may just be the best friend compassion. Probably not, but it's not an issue or factor at all yet. Mainly it's the last few chapters and battles now that Harry versus Voldemort action is picking up. And his name just got cleared after a trial that Voldemort sat back and watched. And Voldie is finally beginning to show weakness. It's not Super!Harry way more super than Voldie like most.

And yeah, it really was OotP that made Indy!Harry so much better and gave us clearer targets.

Red Dragons Order's OotP and Green Flame Torch are pretty far out there ridiculous but definitely fun (and romanceless). Those and Malena's Dueling Master are my favorite fan-made "Order of the Phoenix" ideas. Better than simply Dumbledore's bird watching club.

 

why doesnt he update anymore though?
i swear ive saw neither hide nor hair of him and his story since 2004.
thats a long time ago haha.

 

Ross seems alright. I rather liked his guidebook of various fanfics; might not agree with his rating but they did provide me with some titles since I never saw/read many of the ones in fictionalley. His BoBS girls dorm smut was also pretty good, being practically pure-smut in the every high school boy's dream kind of way... but it got kind of boring.

Question: Why does everyone think of him as being arrogant? Stand-offish maybe, but if you have that kind of I guess prestige, good or bad, wouldn't you do the same?