Title: The Camera Loves You
Author: Asynca
Rating: M
Genre: Action/Adventure
Status: Story and its sequel are complete
Fandom: (New) Tomb Raider
Pairings: Lara Croft and Samantha N.
Summary: How do you recover from an ordeal like on Yamatai? Lara, with Sam's help, is trying to answer this question whilst also coming to terms with the fact she's not the same person she used to be. It's a welcome distraction when another promising job offer is made to her. TR1/TRA/Survivor Plot Remix. Lara/Sam, with complications from a familiar foe.
Link: Fanfiction.net

Title: Dreaming
Author: Asynca
Rating: M
Genre: Action/Adventure
Status: Complete
Fandom: (New) Tomb Raider
Pairings: Lara Croft and Samantha N.
Summary: Sequel to 'The Camera Loves You'. Lara and Sam escape for a well-deserved holiday all the way down in Australia, but don't manage to escape anything at all. Still negotiating their fledgling relationship, they get caught in the middle of a fight between mining companies and beings who've watched over the land for 50,000 years. Contains some elements of Legend & Underworld. F/F.
Link: fanfiction.net

Well, I really enjoyed both stories. First story clocks in on 130,861 words and the second on 256,960. Despite what the first few chapters would like you to believe, this is mainly an action/adventure story, very true to the spirit of Tomb Raider with the archaeological sites and the supernatural elements. It is very competently written and makes for a rather compelling story that made me power through the first story in one night, leaving me with only one hour of sleep.

I haven't finished the game, or played any other Tomb Raider game, so, I do not know how much of this has been a completely original plot or a mishmash/retelling of other Tomb Raider games, but either way, I really liked the story of both fics. Quick research (and the summary) showed me that the overall plot is similar to the first TR games, but from what I can see, the author made drastic changes. The action is handled really well, the characters are distinctive and do evolve over the course of two stories and not necessarily for the better. There are some issues that I would have preferred to be addressed more but I have hopes for a third story and believe that they will be mentioned there, if that happens. The romance is quite gripping, as you do care about Lara and Sam and the issues they are struggling with, alongside the danger they face.

Second story had me actually angry at what happens to certain characters and the ending there, while bittersweet, did leave something unfulfilled but I have been convinced that I was simply irrational on that matter.

So yeah, overall, 4-5/5, really enjoyed these stories and powered through both without stopping. Think they deserve a place in the library.

 

Read this last few days on Nemrut's recommendation. No knowledge of any of the games, so just read the synopsis of the 2013 game on Wikipedia and had no real issues understanding the fic.

I'd first like to emphasize that despite the fact the first few chapters seem to be suggesting something more smutty, it really is more of an intense thriller. So if you don't like the romance aspect, give it a bit longer before making your decision.

One thing that stands out about both fics is that they are really cohesive as stories. Most fanfics start with a concept, but an actual story is not really planned from start to end in detail - authors kind of make it up as they go from chapter to chapter, and then the story never finishes. So having two *complete* stories with cohesive plots is really good and left me feeling more like I read a proper book rather than a fanfic (that could just be that I'm not familiar with the fandom or the source content though).

As for the romance, I liked the way it was handled. It wasn't the focus of the story, but it still played a pretty big role. It wasn't overly dramatic, or too in your face (which makes sense, given that there were more important things to worry about).

tl;dr, I came for the yuri, stayed for the plot. =P

4/5

 

I started reading The Camera Loves You shortly after I beat the game, which would be last March now. I was told there were lesbians. >_>

I stuck with it for a while but eventually let it sit. It wasn't a serious reading thing, more like something I'd check in on every so often if I was curious. I think I still have an inbox full of the update emails I never read. I remember leaving the author a quick review but I forgot what I said. Based on what I remember of what I had read (until chapter 30-ish I think?) I'd probably give it a 3.5/5. It was good but it wasn't something that would stick with me.

 

Surprisingly well written. I was expecting WAFFy lesbian romance but it was actually a compelling plot with damn well written characters. I couldn't tell which ones were OCs and which were from the early Tomb Raider games until I did some research after.

Spoiler

It should have ended with a foursome between Lara, Sam, Min and Bree.

 

I actually found the writing to be not that good, especially the plot. It just seemed a bit too simple/unreal for me. I would have liked a bit more realism and detail in many aspects of the story.
2,5/5

 

So the author has been writing a spin-off (prequel) story about Min and Bree called Under My Skin. Kinda interesting side note is that she actually raised money for this on kickstarter ($5k in fact).

To be honest, not really feeling it all that much though. The self-deprecation feels a bit forced and there's too much of it - it needs to be just a bit more subtle I think.

Also, does it mean I've already descended into becoming a corporate slave if I got really excited that Min got an awesome opportunity at work, and annoyed at Bree for being a disruption to that? =P

Still, this success of crowdfunding does make me wonder if this could be a thing for people with original webfics.