Title: Maharal.
Author: joethirteen.
Genre: Time Travel.
Fandom: Worm.
Pairings: None.
Summary: After Gold Morning, Golem goes back in time to the mid-1990s and joins the Chicago Wards under Legend.
Link: http://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/maharal-worm-time-travel.316647/

This deserves to be in the library. Let me quote myself from the Worm fic thread:

And I have been quite happy to read it! The original characters have developed nicely, and the current arc keeps up the writing quality and intrigue. This feels like Worm, just how none of the characters have plot armor and can exit the story suddenly or in pieces.

Golem is a great protagonist, but if you find him boring or don't like a lot of OCs being thrown at you, you might want to skip this fic.

Either way, I give this story my full recommendation.

5/5.

 

Well, for my part I find this fic incredibly dull. Golem is dull, the Wards are dull, this fic somehow managed to make even Cauldron dull. I tried my best to read till the end on multiple occasions, but I'm pretty sure I ended up asleep at least once.

2/5, because it was well written.

 

This is one of those essential stories in the fandom. Easily belongs in the library.

4/5 because the author was a dick and let me believe for an entire chapter that it was Taylor centric.

 

Yeah, this is a pretty good time travel story. Golem isn't suddenly a worldchanger or a huge player, but he does talk to Cauldron about how they can do things better, and he is himself making waves. I like the characterization of everyone involved, especially people we know next to nothing about in canon and aren't usually expanded on. The interludes also give us alternate perspectives which tie in with the story itself very well.

5/5

 

This story is relatively original, and unique among Worm stories. The protagonist is interesting, particularly the difference between how he views himself, and how others view him. Character interaction is meaningful, and character development is done very well.
5/5.

 

My favorite Worm fic updating right now. Leagues better than most of the shit being put out right now. 5/5

 

Agree with everything said so far. Definitely one of the best stories in the fandom.

5/5

 

3.5/5 -->4/5

Technically great, but it's just not exciting. I don't feel like Golem is important in the grand sense of things-- maybe the fic is building to that with his assumption of Ward leadership and some recent plot, but I just don't see it.

It's a good slice-of-life, but it's not too exciting.

 

I have mixed feelings about this fic. There were some parts that felt really bad to me (particularly Golem's interactions with Cauldron), but it redeems itself. Then Golem talks with Hero, and it just feels terrible again...
And then it gets pretty great.

I'd say 4/5. There are parts that are 5/5, and parts that are like 2.5/5, but overall I think the good outweighs the bad. I can see why people would give up on this fic though.

 

It's solid, though as Mock Moniker, some of the Cauldron scenes were awkward.

Not on the level of Weaver Nine though, let alone of Cenotaph/Wake.

4/5

 

This is good, though Golem plays things so freaking straight! He's almost totally upfront with the whole future knowledge thing. I think Weaver's a better candidate for this kind of story, since she's so manipulative and sneaky, but being on the straight and narrow..certain deceptions not withstanding..it's still fun to read.

4/5 - Mostly because there needs to be more Ward interaction.

 

I hadn't actually heard of this story before seeing it here in review. I liked it well enough, but a lot of it just seems like filler, without any real direction for it to go in. Like, even the finish of Arc 2 was a bit disappointing by the time Alexandria's interlude came around

Spoiler

since Jack Slash escaped the city alive.

As a side note, I can't stand when an author refers to someone by their classification (the Brute, the Thinker, the Trump, etc). I'm not sure who started that trend, but it's dumb. I don't think Wildbow did that at all.

I'd give it a 4/5 as well.

 

Preobably SB's background in RPG's and shit. They are thinking of them as classes like "Warrior" etc when they're a tool for use in the field.

 

Quoted for truth. I never cared much for Golem; especially not as a protagonist. He's just so, well... dull. The writing is good, I'll second that, but as the OP pointed out, if you aren't into OC's (which I don't mind), or Non!Taylor centric fics, this one definitely gets a raspberry/thumbs-down combo.

 

Read the first few chapters and just couldn't get into this story at all.

There are so many awesome and interesting characters in Worm, and I just can't muster any interest over someone who, in my opinion, was one of the most boring. He had one decent scene - where he managed to keep cool as Jack Slash talked to him - and that was it.

Not only is he dull going into it, but his actions in the first few chapters do nothing to change that. Most time travel fics add tension by having the protagonist keep everything close to their chests, with the anticipation of the "big reveal" a cheap, but effective plot device. But as @Chime said, everything he does is just too straight. He tells Cauldron everything, he joins the Wards, etc etc. You usually go to fanfics for things that are just that bit more crazy/ridiculous/epic than canon, not for things that tone everything down.

Anyone I feel I haven't given it enough of a go to give it a proper rating, but figured I'd share my impressions anyway.