Title: Double Cross
Author: LacksCreativity
Rating: T (No official rating provided, but Spacebattles-safe)
Fandoms: Worm / The Dresden Files
Genre: Action / Mystery
Words: 55k
Status: Work in Progress, chapters updating regularly Tuesday/Friday

Link: https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/double-cross-worm-dresden-files.551909/

This is a fic with a simple premise in many ways, but one with angles rarely explored these days in the Worm fandom and with very good execution. During the Echidna fight, Skitter gets crossovered into the Dresden universe, and shenanigans ensue. So far, the story is entirely first-person-Skitter and the narrative reads a lot like Worm does, in a good way. I know a lot less about the Dresden fandom than the Worm one, but all the Dresden stuff seems Dresden-y enough to me.

For those of you drowning in a sea of alt-power Taylor crying out to see good old fashioned classic era Skitter again, this is the fic for you. For those of you looking for an action-packed Worm/Dresden cross, this is the fic for you. For those of you who fucking hate interludes, this is the fic for you (so far).

Some people might recognize the author from the much older and longer (1 mil+) A Cloudy Path. I gave up on Cloudy a while ago, but in my opinion in this new fic we see both improved quality and something that emphasizes the author's strengths better. After seeing more than 50k of this I'm entirely sold.

 

It's pretty solid. I like that Dresden and Skitter mistrust each other/hold things back, there is that constant tension/being outclassed in mortal peril that both series have and it is most definitely not, at least so far, Dresden rescuing Taylor and then lecturing her. That said, didn't quite like Molly's rant at Skitter but it guess it depends on what comes after it.

So yeah, worth checking out at least.

 

Here's my 2 cents:
Grammar: Solid, and Lacks does seem to have a beta reader, which helps a lot. 4/5
Prose: Above average for the SB/SV crowd. Very readable, even by DLP standards. Taylor's voice is quite well handled. 4/5
Characterization: Well, there are a few issues. Skitter is fairly well characterized, but the Dresden Files side of the crossover is a bit hit or miss. Harry geeking out over a world of super heroes is neat. Butters and Molly were a bit off, though. Molly in particular was grating. We also haven't met many of the Dresden cast, which given the length is worrying. 3.5/5
Plot: Here's where I think Lacks has the biggest issue, over all. Almost 60k words, and we're still not clear as to what the plot is, other than Hunt the Wendigos. It's entertaining enough for me to keep reading, but this is a weakness of the story. 3/5

14.5/20, averaged to 3.68/5 but I'll round up to 4/5 since I figure that once things get into motion it will improve, much like Lacks' other work.

 

So I’ve got a problem with Worm: I hate Taylor. She is flat out infuriating to read, and this piece does ‘Taylor’ in extreme detail. Edit: To be clear, I don’t really like any Taylor. Fanon or canon. I like the shitty fanon ones the least.

There is a quote in the last chapter that pretty much sums up my feelings on the entire fic:

Spoiler

To be honest, from beginning to the current and foreseeable end, it feels like absolutely nothing really happened, which I realize is a bit ridiculous given the entire plot surrounding the wendigos.

That said, it is extremely well written. Taylor is very much the character that Wildbow designed and the same is true for Dresden, trademark snark and all. It also feels very Dresden, including the pacing and the structure of the story.

So, I suppose I’ll give it a 4/5 and keep my own biases out.

 

I enjoyed this story a lot as it was being written, and somewhat in contrast to pbluekan's words above I really like how Taylor is the character wildbow wrote. So often in fanfic the writers are simply obsessed with making Taylor perfect and having anyone who opposes her both irredemably evil and incredibly idiotic, but LacksCreativity manages to both capture her flaws and puts her against believable opponents. Naturally this drove the lowest common denominator of fans on SB and SV insane leading to the author's departure from the sites to places as of yet unknown, but I do like their works in general and this one in particular.

4/5, it's unfinished and I suspect it will stay that way, but it's a fun adventure and the opening scene is one of the truest portrayals of Taylor and Dresden written in fanfiction.