HBO Fan Fiction

[kr1]

Alright, the update’s small this week, and we’ve only got two stories to choose from here. They’re both some of my favorites here, though, so it’s gonna be a tough choice. So here goes the Fic Pick of the Week.

First, we’ve got Of (Some) Consequence by SeverianofUrth

This is true to Sev’s usual style. It’s a short piece about a woman who chose to stay behind during an invasion out of some dubious loyalty to her home. It’s got that dark, gritty feel, and I can’t help but think of the Russians that stayed behind in Enemy at the Gates.

Where this shines, though, isn’t the realism of the story so much as the character. Anna just feels refreshingly normal. She’s just a regular woman, getting over her fear of the war by trying to live her life like normal, and Sev fleshes her out with little details that really humanize her. He wraps it all up with a suitably grim ending, too. Maybe a bit too grim, but Sev will be Sev.

On the other hand, we have Attack on Installation 06, part 21 by Jake Trommer

Jake’s style is about the reverse of Sev’s, and much more true to the tone of the games themselves. It’s a kind of blend of space opera and military scifi, and while it’s not particularly lighthearted, it’s still fun.

As usual, and like Sev, Jake’s characters stand out. The cast is a mix of original characters and secondaries from the games, with each game persona staying true to character (save Hocus, who Jake more or less made his own character for lack of existing characterization), and the original characters each getting their fair share of attention.

There were two problems that jumped out at me, though, neither huge but enough to be noticeable. The first was Jake’s pilot Elites. He’s had this problem before, but they sound like humans. It can be explained away by cross-cultural training, but it’s still weird. The second was describing a character using movie characters. That’s just groan-worthy, Jake, and is especially bad in fan fiction.

Now, these are both good, and different enough in style and material that it really depends on your mood what you’d prefer. Both are short, solid pieces. But I’ve been on a post-apocalyptic bent lately, so for the Fic Pick of the Week, I’m gonna have to go with:

Of (Some) Consequence by SeverianofUrth

Sorry to break your second-place streak, Sev, and congratulations to both of you.
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[Jake Trommer]

Thanks for the tips; kr. I was kinda trying to drop some info about the UNSC's pop culture, with the Marines knowing those movies quite well. I guess it didn't work out.
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Sir Isaac Newton is the DEADLIEST SON OF A BITCH IN SPACE!

[kr1]

I kinda got it, but it just seemed weird that they'd even think of a 500 year old movie. Plus, using characters from other movies is a bad fan fiction trope. It didn't seriously detract from anything, just felt off.

And good job on upping the length. Short still, but not painfully so.
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