*Shrug* I didn't say it was logical, just that it was a feeling that I tend to have.

Attempting to "invalidate" someone's opinion is, more often than not, a fruitless and ill-conceived endeavor... especially when that opinion is trivial enough to only affect the person to whom it belongs. And, attempting to "invalidate" what someone more or less already admitted (from context) was just a silly feeling, is stupid.

But, using what are your favorites (that is to say, your opinion) to do so is not only blatantly ridiculous, it carries at least a faint wisp of hypocrisy. "My opinion/taste is more valid than your opinion/taste."

Besides, what I said only really applies when I go looking for stories, myself (which I don't do very often, these days). If I see a recommendation here that sounds interesting, I usually just use one app or another to download the story. So, I never end up seeing its rating, anyway.

For that matter, I never said that it's a rule I rigidly adhere to or a compulsion I cannot overcome. If some other aspect of the story sounds compelling (the summary or pairing, for instance), it weighs far more heavily on my opinion than a rating (which some authors choose practically at random, just because they have to pick one).

...which should all fall under the auspices of "That goes without saying." and "Well, of course, don't be dense."

On a side note, of the stories you just listed, either I've read them already, I've downloaded them but haven't read them, I'm following them as they update, or I have much more valid reasons to ignore them than the rating. For instance, I have no desire to read a story with Dumbledore as the main character, and I'd rather eat dirt than read Snape/Lily. I don't care if it's written with all of the skill and talent in the world, if it's a subject I find abhorrent, then I'm not going to read it. It could be rated IFD for Intellectually Fuckin' Delicious, and I wouldn't care.

And, while the Alexandra Quick stories are among the ones I've downloaded, they also number among those I haven't read (making them some of more than 5,000 unread stories on my HD). I almost never read stories that don't have Harry as the main character. Sometimes, if it's a one-shot, I might commit my time to seeing if it's a good story, but the prospect of devoting time to a long story or series with another main character... unlikely in the extreme.



As such, I certainly haven't suffered any terrible loss of reading material over ratings. I'd go so far as to say that, where ratings are concerned, I probably missed out on more potentially good fiction due to the Great Purge of 2002 on FFN or the various LJ purges, than to passing over a story because it was K or K+.

 

Edit: Wow, just noticed I got ninja'd. Fuck that shit's annoying.

 

Wow.

Just...why are you two getting into a pissing contest over this?

 

Hi. Welcome to DLP. We argue over stupid shit. Enjoy your stay.

 

Not a contest anymore, Warlocke has just won.

 

A completed guilty pleasure.

It's full of deus ex machina, but fairly enjoyable if not taken seriously.

General knowledge of Star Trek TNG, the Borg, and strangely enough, The Matrix, will make it an easier read.

It starts off with Harry being brought in because Earth is being attacked and he just doesn't know about it as of yet. He pops in, saves the day, and then the story actually gets started.

There are tons of "WTF? You can't do that!" moments to contend with, but the story is good for a strange mood or a change of pace from the average HP story.

 

Party Crasher

I suppose everybody here had the dubious honor to read one of these crappy Reptillia challenges where Harry arrives in the Afterlife and is sent back. This is the first one which is actually entertaining as FPyearsofrebellion knows how to write.

 

It was amusing, certainly better than most of the other crap that challenge has spawned in damp puddles all over the world.

Ruskbyte's version is also good for a laugh or two.

 

It's much better then any of the other fics for this challenge. The description of the soulmates is quite good too in my opinion- As it stands now, I would read the shit out of it.:awesome

 

I read it a while ago on FFA, and it was pretty good.

 

I found this as insipid and annoying as this stupid challenge's results usually are. The cliched jabs at other cliches and the asshat feel to the afterlife just left a rancid taste in my mouth.

I want to see one of these written where Harry is so disgusted with the whole situation that he teams up with Voldemort and they destroy the bureacro-afterlife together.

 

Not really what it sounds like. Mostly an AU 6th year. Main problem is that it's all telling and no showing - if it'd been fleshed out into a full story, it would probably be roughly three times as long.

 

I would read it, but so far I'm not impressed. FFA says it was originally written in 2009, and its just and introduction. So there really isn't much there.

 

AU from PoA train scene where Dementors board and attempt to suck Harry's soul. Instead it sucks Voldemort's and leaves Harry with V's knowledge, personality traits, etc.

There are a couple of cliches here that I'm not fond of:

Awesome Occlumency Shields! born from his mind's constant battle with Riddle's soul (Horcrux).

Deux ex machina!Room of Requirement(s)

The first few chapters are a little too much tell and not show, but it's mostly Harry coming to terms with V's knowledge download and altered personality, so it's sort of needed.

The latter few chapters are top notch IMO and the story as a whole is almost good enough for review submission, but not quite. It's a very intelligent story, which I find refreshing.

 

This reminds me of Harry Potter: Dark Memories

 

Or Partially Kissed Hero, before the author went absolutely batshit insane.

 

Direct quote from the first page.

 

lol, I usually skip over Author's notes. Unfortunately, the story is also boring as hell, due to the constant internal monologues. And the instant dropping of Ron and Hermione because he has these memories dumped into his head is seriously off-putting and broke my interest in the story.

It's almost recommendable, but only barely in my book.

 

Typical Soxman material. Readable, maybe sometimes guilty pleasure material but there's always some major flaw somewhere. In this particular story Harry as a person gets really OC where at least I can't see much difference between him and some young Riddle. Personality transplantation without a believable explanation.

 

And thus the reason I didn't rec it in the Review section.

I didn't like the simplicity of Horcrux/Voldemort memories mesh. Yes, it's an explanation, but not a very good one. If it was a fight to integrate the two personalities/memories I think it would have been better. Having Harry take a memory potion over the course of a week and explain it over the course of three or four paragraphs, killed it.

It seems as if it was just done quickly so the author could get to the plot of the story and not have to deal with the trip to the plot.