Whatever, I like the occasional fluff trip, so this wasn't so bad for me. It wasn't good enough that I will try to defend it from the general hate, but I don't think it was that horrible for a fluff/crack fic.

Then again, what fucktard decided to nominate a fic like this for the DLP library. Come on.

 

The more I read into this the more it looks like This Means War! and Hope mixed together with a new plot device thrown in.

 

LOL uh...I believe you're looking for BAP, though I don't think he'd appreciate being called a fucktard.

 

I haven't seen BAP rip anyone a new asshole in awhile. Should be interesting.

 

Yeah, I saw after I posted that it was Born Again Penguin, but I wasn't going to take it down. Can't have my e-peen looking small, can I...?

In all truthfulness, BAP should have known better than anyone that this would be received in the same way as any H/G fic. Harry is strung along by Gabrielle in the same way he is usually strung around like Ginny.

I did like it, but I didn't expect anyone else to, as I said.

Unless you are another of those second accounts that the older members have, when the hell have you seen BAP rip anyone a new one?

 

Well, to be fair it was only the first chapter when he posted it, and it wasn't as horrible as it is now. After the first chapter it had some potentional, no matter how small said potential was.

 

My sarcasm-sense is tingling.

Truth be told, while I'm enjoying this, and jumping to read updates every Thursday night, I'm still not sure how I feel about it. Because I can completely see why so many despise this.

This kind of perturbed me:

Perturbing, because at this point, I'm still not sure where we're headed. What conclusion will be reached or wrapped up in 48 hours?

The whole fairy tale and prince/princess thing I'm not sold on but I don't think it matters because I can tell the explanation will be repeated repeatedly. Jeconais has been even more redundant and repetitive than usual, with every plan, manipulation, and clever idea explained numerous times to the degree that readers feel like they're being treated like idiots.

I'm fine with fairy tales, but if we're going to be honest with ourselves, "fairy tale" to me means we're trying not to say the main characters are Mary Sues. I know we don't all define "Mary Sue" the same way, but to me writing a "fairy tale" is essentially a cop out to admitting "I don't want my hero to have flaws." Quirks, maybe a questionable habit, and characteristics that define our heroes with their own unique, original take on them are not the same as flaws.

I'm not saying you can't write an extremely enjoyable story with Mary Sues and a fairy tale, everything works out kind of plot. Frankly, this is pretty close to what most Jeconais' fics are.

But even if I do come down on the "love it" side of the fence, I doubt I'll be defending the fic much here. Even when it comes to sickly sweet fluff, this so far tastes a bit like a carcinogenic sugar-free substitute.

Don't worry though Sree. My inner Jeco fanboy lives on.

 

You have one?

 

I just read the last few chapters and I think the story is better in larger chunks--read that way, it gets into more of a rhythm and doesn't have quite the same "trying too hard" feel to it. It still has flaws, but they don't seem quite as bristling.

As for the story, the following is from a reply to a recent review (ellipses mine):

I'm holding out hope that the "fairy tale" moniker indeed relates more to Gabrielle's self identification and insanity, that the central conflict will be how she reconciles this with cold, hard reality that isn't always so saccharine. Clichéd perfection overlaying a deeply flawed world and the tension between them could make for an interesting tale.

What wouldn't be interesting (to me, anyway), is if Gabrielle were able to deceive herself into believing the fairy tale and have reality simply step up and conform. Where's the fun in that?

 

Updated. The thing that's really starting to piss me off is how everyone just indulges Gabrielle's little delusion. That may just be the most unrealistic thing about it, IMO. This chapter was full of the Dobby love we all know and loathe, so you've been warned.

 

The new chapter seems to hint we may be headed in this direction. I think 'sociopathic Princess' is a new one to me. I've liked the last couple chapters more than the first few and think the suggestion to read the whole thing at once might be a good idea. The "updates" as small doses leave you more uncertain than satisfied.

Frankly, I'm more excited by the sequel because I want to see Hogwarts life with these two as students. The whole 'changing the world' in two days theme here was pretty much covered in "This Means War", but a happy post-Voldie Harry going back to Hogwarts when no one expected him to is much more appealing. It's actually pretty similar to This Means War, in the massive, sudden sweeping changes to the world, culture, lifestyle, that achieve instant success utilizing just about everyone from canon, in their dream jobs that Harry helps them get.

Feel free to bitch about the excessive cliches, how horribly out of character everyone is, and the lack of conflict or even obstacle in their two day revolution. The new chapter doesn't give you much in the way of reasons to stop hating this. You either can accept the attitudes, characters, and cliches and enjoy the ride or not. And until it's done I don't think those of us enjoying the ride will even be able to accurately form an opinion of the story.

 

This one is alright. Probably a 3/5. But as has been said, this story is much more repetitive than most of jeconis's.

Though my low water mark for stories of his has to be White Knight, Grey Queen. I doubt I've been as disappointed as I was in that one, when Pansy allowed Ginny-Sue to join her and Harry. God what a cop out. That story started a 5/5 and then dropped to a 1/5. Of course, I despise Ginny.

This one is just mediocre, and probably harder for me to get into, what with Gabrielle just getting away with this and that. It's kind of the Gabrielle answer to the most blatant Ginny Sue fics out there.

The high point is Harry. Because any non-Canon compliant Harry, is better than what JKR finished up with.

 

I want to like this story but the cringe factor in every other paragraph really makes the story a chore to read.
The whole 'let's talk about how awesome we are thing' gets old quick unless it's actually funny (Denarian Renegade\Knight).
Or how about the whole hmm I think I'm going to have Hermione\Harry\Gabrielle break down Gabrielle's psyche this paragraph! Oh I did that in the last two and repeatedly in the chapters before? It's never enough unless the reader is drowning in it.'
I tried to give the story the chance because of the unusual pairing and because at least a little self-glorification by the characters is expected in Jeconais but it just went to far.

 

Well, normally, a title like "Happily Ever After" would be auto-fail in my book, but, for some reason, I decided to give it a chance. And now having read a significant portion of the story, I have come to the conclusion that I really should have judged this one by its cover. Maximum Phail. It's sad, really. I actually liked "Hope" (until the end, anyway... ugh), but this is just too much. I clicked the big red X when I started to choke on all the fluff.

2.5/5 for good writing (as usual for Jeconais), but a bad idea.

 

I apologize to the board for having recommended this fic. Especially after only one chapter... My only defense (as feeble as it may be) is I was going by the strength of the author's reputation, not by much else. I'll keep reading this to see of it gets better, but at the moment I am forced to agree with the consensus of the board, this is not one of Jeconais' better works.

It's gotten quite a bit repetitive and reminds me of Piers Anthony's last ten novels.

--bornagainpenguin

PS: My apologies to Korisovra for the lack of ass ripping, but the current hints towards the family being the big villian of this piece have begun to sour my stomach a bit. The fact I keep feeling as though I've already read these scenes in previous works by Jeconais doesn't help me much either. Feh.. the way we're currently going I wouldn't be surprised if Harry's going to have to do a reverse sleeping beauty rescue on Gabby in the near future....

 

@Shadowmage: He can't even take complete credit for the writing; he has an army of beta's, I think more than any other fanfics author out there.

BAP: Sucks to eat crow, doesn't it ?

Kidding; I think everyone had high expectations for this, for the same reasons you did. If you hadn't recommended it, someone would've soon enough.

I say kill this thread and wait for Castles in the Air; this part of the story arc seems beyond redemption IMO.

 

Nah...tastes like chicken.

I wish I could, if only to hide my embarrassment...

It'd take a rather large rabbit out of a increasingly smaller hat to save this fic as of this reading. I won't say Jeconais can't do it--I just find it very unlikely he could do it such that it would redeem the past few chapters.

--bornagainpenguin

 

Read the final chapter and felt disappointed. I really liked the story, but the last chapter was an epic failure in my book. It was just all thrown together and delivered poorly.

3.5/5