The ride never ends.

 

Naruto: Altered History reviews Meet Uzumaki Naruto, the number one prankster ninja. He lives in Konoha...and has a dark secert so large that NOBODY knows, not even Naruto.Naruto - Rated: T - English - Adventure - Chapters: 32 - Words: 323,140 - Reviews: 2202 - Favs: 3,621 - Follows: 1,940 - Updated: Apr 23, 2008 - Published: Sep 11, 2006 - Naruto U., Ino Y. - Complete

It's well written and has a sequel. There was a number of Naruto stories mentioned before but I feel that Geor-sama's Altered Destiny should also get its five minutes in this thread.

It's seriously AU. How AU? Uchiha Clan is alive. Hizashi Hyuga is alive. Neji isn't a colossal prick hung-up over his father's death/sacrifice.

Kakashi isn't a teacher in this one. He's ANBU Commander.

Naruto is Naruto. He's a bit silly but gets a number of serious reality checks of the the - holly shit, this is for real - variety.

A lot of tropes are also played straight.

Spoiler

History repeats itself: Orochimaru - Anko - Naruto - Hanabi.
Love isn't a fairy tell: Betrayal. Manipulation. Being used. It hurts.
Relationships: Some survive. Other endure. Some break apart.
Living in a martial culture isn't a joke.

There are no: Let's be Friends no Jutsu, Talk no Jutsu, I forgive You no Jutsu.

Political intrigue is multifaceted and affects the world at large.

Ninja battles are all on the level of Kakashi vs Zabuza so if you like Dragon Ball fest the current Naruto degenerated into this fic isn't for you. Chakra exhaustion is a factor, so is experience, skill, certain techniques.

Sharingan is a powerful tool, but nowhere near as OP as in canon.

S-ranked ninja are fucking monsters and play in their own league.

 

Wasn't Altered History the one with the stupid mind control subplot with "Unity" or an I thinking of a different story? Since that ruined it for me

 

Yep, the Seals.

 

I have just one question.. do the characters ever stop being so damn open and honest? I have only read the first 5-6 chapters but so far it doesn´t seem like any of the cast can keep a secret or even tries it. Malcoms parents kept his heritage a secret for the 20 years and nearly the first thing he and Duncan do when they encounter other nobles is explaining this fact. Duncan tells everyone who wants to listen the failings of his youth and it also seems like being a thief is something to be proud of. Makes absolutely no sense.

And the whole recruiting scene is even more horrible. You don´t recruit the man who is second in line to inherit the kingdom and the most powerful Teyrn simply because you need another warrior, especially if that person would be willing enough to fight with joining you little band of brothers.

 

Yeah, mind control is incredibly hard to write well and have an internally consistent setting... and Altered History failed at it something fierce. Always hated the Imperius curse for that reason as well

 

Actually, this is a great way to win potential influence. It gives the Wardens a heavy tie to both the nobility and the throne, and possibly any favours that go with that connection. When trying to raise resources to combat the darkspawn, any group would find the elite of Ferelden more compliant if the one doing the asking is the spare King, or Bryce Cousland's son, than some sweaty hobo Orlesian in armour.

Not that I've read the story. I can't speak for how well the scene was written or the manner in which it was carried out. All I can say is that a golden goose is always useful. You never know when you're gonna need some golden eggs.

 

My Immortal, obviously.

...what? It's the most representative of the fandom as a whole!

 

Best example? Let's just hit "random" on FFN and take the median. Best? 30H's, bar none

 

DLP HP library as a whole.

Just finished Variant Strain. Simply amazing. Best Marvel fic, best game fic. Highly recommended.

 

The Naruto suggestions seem odd to me but then I was really into the fandom during the days of Nine Tailed Serpent, Houses of Holy, Tuebor etc. They're pretty redundant now as the manga has progressed but I would still rate them highly. Naruto: Altered Destiny is a solid choice and one of my all time favourites even if its sequel is a little weaker. Alternatively, Spying no Jutsu keeps an excellently light tone whilst still having some awesome fight scenes and seems to be a perfectly well-rounded choice.

For BTVS I would suggest:

Whisper
by Lizbeth Marcs
One lone demon is inspiring the population Sunnydale to commit suicide in public. One Scooby knows how to stop it, if he can remember or accept the past. Scooby friendship, no romantic ships. Xander-centric mystery with ensemble support.
Rated: Fiction T - English - Mystery/Horror - Xander H., Buffy S. - Chapters: 46 - Words: 89,213 - Reviews: 255 - Favs: 116 - Follows: 13 - Updated: Apr 29, 2003 - Published: Jan 14, 2003 - Status: Complete - id: 1177247

 

If you're going to rec Whisper, you've got to include the entire Whisperverse series located here: Fanfiction by Liz Marcs.

Living History
Summary: Xander, Faith, ensemble for Buffy the Vampire Slayer, OCs; PG; Gen (Hints of Faith/Xander in the very distant future) — Some people have come a place far, far away and a time far, far ahead to ask for help on an urgent matter. The time? February 2008. The place? Moscow. The problem? They’re in Cleveland, September 2003. And that’s just the beginning of the trouble…

Water Hold Me Down
Summary:
Xander, Faith, Anya, ensemble for Buffy the Vampire Slayer, OCs; PG-13; Xander/Anya, Xander/Faith — Who of us is happy until we get what we want? What price are we willing to pay for it? And once the toll is paid and we have what we want, will it really make us happy? Xander is about to find out.

I think Living History and Water Hold Me Down were actually better than Whisper. Actually, pretty much all of her BtVS writing is excellent. Cuckoo in The Nest also stands out, being the only Tony-centric Buffy fic I've ever seen.

Cuckoo in The Nest
Summary:Tony Harris, Jessica Harris, Xander, Anya, Giles, Willow; PG-13; Gen — Tony Harris always knew there was something off about the kid. From the day he was born, he and Jessica never had anything but bad luck.

Actually, this post covers almost all of the good fics I've found in the buffy fandom.

Other Recs:

Avatar The Last Airbender:

Eyes Open Wide by The Quiller
Summary: His eyes never close even as he dies, because he never, ever gives up without a fight.

Zuko dies. It's a well-written one-shot that's one of the few good stories I've found in this fandom.

Oh My Goddess

Haloes by Davner

The summary changes with every chapter, but basically Belldandy gets sealed away for what might be permanently. This story's about the fallout and how the character's deal with it. Sometimes the story feels too long, but the author nails the characters. One of two good authors in a fandom filled with shitty stories.

Firefly

The Horseshoe Nails series by Dyce starting with Two Gorram Days.

Two Gorram Days
Summary: PostObjects in Space, preSerenity. Jayne is left all alone with a bad leg and a crazy girl for two days. It doesn't go as badly as it could. First in the Horseshoe Nail series.

Already in the Library, but still the best Firefly fanfiction I've ever read. At moments, it's better than canon.

 

Houses of the Holy, Tuebor, and Altered Destiny were all excellent as I recall...but I think they have aged some. In some ways People Lie has as well. Konoha's ANBU and the Howling Wind are not just fresher, but I think the writing is a bit better too, which is why I think they edge in for "definitive work".

It's a hard choice though, for all the shit in it the Naruto fandom is large enough for multiple gems.

 

How many fandoms have we hit so far?

 

Surprised Dresden Files hasn't been mentioned more than once or twice so far.

 

We're doing the best HP stories now? I nominate Whatever Happened to Bromance?

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5445767/1/Whatever-Happened-to-Bromance

 

Don't forget about Black Comedy by nonjon.

 

Eh, Harry Potter probably has too many competitors to get a real image of the 'Definitive' fic of the fandom.

Still...I'd probably put up:

Sitra Ahra by Voice of the Nephilim
On the Way To Greatness by mira Mirth
Forging the Sword by Myst Shadow
Control by Anonymous58
Harry Potter And the Boy Who Lived by the Santi
Harry Potter And the Wastelands of Time by Joe
The Lie I've Lived by Jbern
Circular Reasoning by Swimdraconian

And there'd probably a couple I'm forgetting, because these are just off the top of my head, w/o going into crossovers. (And yes, I know Circular Reasoning might slightly be considered a crossover, but you don't need to know the works that influenced it to know what's going on, so I'm considering it 'pure.')

Though honestly, I probably wouldn't put up nonjon's Black Comedy as the 'Definitive' fic. It hasn't aged as well as it could have. Still an awesome fic, but I'd put it in the same kind of category as People Lie, if a bit higher than that.

 

Since HP is so much more difficult to narrow down, I'm hesitant to include it. But I will if we get a group consensus on something, which would be great. Let's say it must be finished, 100k+ or thereabouts. No bashing, i.e. manipulative Dumbledore, rapepotion conspiracy Weasleys, etc.

I don't really expect us to pick just one. There are a lot of good fics out there, so a lot of it will come down to personal taste with regards to genre and themes. Better to spend time looking through other fandoms, though discussion of a HP winner is more than welcome!

Are there any places you guys can think of where I might also look to quicken this process? I was thinking of flicking through TVtropes recs for the more prolific fandoms, but I've heard that they're of an abyssmal quality.