I sense lulz to ensue.

 

Ha. I'm gay so it's not that strange.

 

Well, I've never read this story before. So, when I followed your link I was pleasantly surprised after reading the first 5 chaps, not including that intro thing.

 

Inb4Schrodingersropes

 

I really enjoyed Dark Respite and always thought it was underrated. Granted, it has its flaws but it was entertaining and a good read.

 

How does Song of the Trees succeed in getting your interest? The very first paragraph is just so bland in its description. And I've read till the invisibility cloak, and I remember the Cruciatus curse lasting very long and permanently making Harry an insomniac not making any sense. Perfect grammar doesn't count for anything since I expect it to be a given anyway.

Gentleman Usher I would agree with were it not for the Lovecraft aspect and underwhelming ending. Fun read, but all in all the sum of its parts.

Equal and Opposite, the writing wasn't polished as Amer admitted, and after the hiatus the plotting went sour, and there was that pseudo-artistic ending with analogues for misogyny or some such, so agree with Ellisande there.

Lost Time is genuinely underrated.

What Lies Beneath is underrated. A lot of copouts as I recall, like MS avoiding the first meeting with Tracy and the formation of Harry's new group of friends through using a diary. Still deserving of a lot more recognition than it got.

 

As to Gentleman, I think the underwhelming on the hole due to the fact that Heather had intended to do a sequel. Now the wench just needs to turn up more often again and start writing more. :|

As to Lost Time; I've got a love/hate with this. It was a genuinely interesting, to me, and I loved it for being the unique experience it was. But also when I started it I had a huge craving for Harry/Hannah, so the interactions kind of turned me off a bit..

 

Underrated now? Well:

The Best of You by e-chan16 deserves more attention than it's gotten, but that's probably because it demystifies Luna quite a bit. I guess not everyone enjoys a Luna-that-isn't-off-kilter.

>_>

<_<

Ice Princess by Luan Mao. Nice long one-shot, even if the ending is kinda abrupt. It was nice to read a story with Daphne in it that didn't portray her as Aphrodite's gift to mankind.

 

I absolutely loved psychic serpent, it was among the fics that got me really into fanfiction and the possibilities of escaping the JK world. But oddly enough, I never finished the trilogy. For one reason or another, going past the first story I never managed to stay that intrigued. I've gone back a couple of times, but it has been long enough that I'd have to start from the beginning, so I haven't done it. So personally, even though I'm probably here because of it, I would have to agree. It is probably a bit overrated.

 

Up until the ending, this was my favourite fanfiction.

The ending fails to give us what was promised to us in the first chapter.

 

Three-dimensional characters. A Daphne Greengrass which is not the 'ice queen' and yet Slytherin enough in a real and engaging way. A post VM hero who hasn't reached godhood who has an unfamiliar personal battle to fight than just the next 'big bad.' Daphne's panties. The list goes on.

Edit: The list going on: Political intrigue which is not not the lord of noble houses and wizengamot(sp?) wanking. The interdepartmental intrigue between Aurors and Unspeakables is riveting. You don't know everything as the reader, there is very real suspense, and again, original characters that feel real and are interesting in their own right. Oh, and did I mention the best McG characterization? She's seen only a few times but man it makes me want to read more about her.

Cruciatus curse in canon drives people insane if held on too long. In this it made him an insomniac amongst several other side affects. That could be considered too much creative license, or it could not. But in spirit the Cruciatus having a debilitating effect is reasonable.

I agree that Song of Trees is one of the most underrated stories here or on FF. It stands apart in the list of stories where one can really become immersed. The environment and mood is real, the characters are interpreted in new ways, instead of being caricatures borne of juvenile conceptions of heroes, anti-heroes, objects of lust/love.

 

Which is why I could never really get in to it, unfortunately. It's extremely well written (if slow paced) but it's nowhere near escapist enough for me. If I wanted realism (not to be mistaken for coherence), I'd go downstairs and have a chat with my housemate. My problem with Song isn't its quality - which is indisputable - but its lack of fantasy. It's kinda the anti-Wastelands.

 

Pics or it didn't happen. :awesome

 

I think the Alexandra Quick series is underrated. It commits the crime of being non Harry-centric, but it pulls it off extremely well and is one of the only fics in which I still eagerly check my email for a new update.

As for overrated DLP fics, I would have to say Sitra Ahra. It started out very engaging, but turned quite meh during the middle and later chapters.

 

I agree. I got so sick of the Flamels and it's way too long. It's taken up to now to just get to the end of the first summer!

 

As far as overrated fics go I would agree that Psychic Serpent is very overrated, but I'm a little surprised that no one has mentioned Power of Time, which committed original sin in regards to ShoppingTripHarry!, BachelorPadHarry!, and HedwigTheMagicChicken!

Also An Aunt's Love is shit.

As far as underrated fics go, I'd have to go with Three Wizards, which is short, just beginning, slow to update, and has impending character problems - but is intriguing in a way that deserves more then 88 reviews on ff.net

Although going by ff.net, Skitterleap and What Ever Happened to Bromance?, Vlad's Cormac Epic, are underrated too.

 

IP82 recommended this and its a pretty underrated okay story. http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3622404/1/Jack_of_All_Trades

 

Ha. Oz, that is brilliant.

Actually, no. Power of Time kind of 'invented' the standard for what are now awful, horrible, mind-numbing cliches. For all the thousands of ShoppingTripHarry! stories out there, you'll find that 99.9% have taken the idea from Power of Time.

There is also a scary rumour that after 4 years, RossWrock may soon be updating that story. Seriously.

 

This. PoT is what graced FF with what were original ideas and then everyone and their mother insisted on using them.

And, Joe...that is really scary. Where could he even go with it anymore? A thousand writers have taken his set-up to it's many logical conclusions already.

 

Yeah I spoke to the guy a few months ago, although I'll believe it when I see it.

No idea where he could take it. If it were me, I'd throw in some demons, a white rose of death, apocalyptic final battle that pales in comparison to the true final battle, and then some beer and chips.

Seriously, I'd read it again if it were finished. Simply because it still stands as a readable story. It was the first to do half of the now awful cliches, but even six years on it still did them the best.