Template:Fairy Fiction/August 2013

  Carrot, what the hell is this? '''Hey everyone~! Welcome to a new article that I'll be writing in place of TMITA - at least, until the anime returns at its unknown date. As you probably gathered from the title, this article is all about Fairy Tail fanfiction, and each month I will pick out three fanfics from fanfiction.net that I have read and bring them to you with a small, non-spoiler review.'''

'''What is the point of all this? Well, firstly, many of you may have not discovered the amazing and completely awesome place that is the world of fanfiction, or, those of you who know it simply disregard it as fangirls venting their sexual tensions into writing. Whilst the second may be true in some cases, I can truly boast that there are some amazing and totally awe-inspiring fanfictions to be read, so my hope with this article is that you will find some totally awesome fics to enjoy. The world of fanfiction only adds to the world of Fairy Tail (and other series if you read them), so I'd seriously recommend checking it out. And hey, who knows... Maybe some of you are hidden writers that could add to the growing collection.'''

In general, I'll try to keep the three fics I review each month fairly different in terms of style, characters and plot, but I'll also make some polls each month to see what you guys want more of.

'''With this intro out of the way, let's get on with the show!! :D'''

'''P.S: Can I also just comment that it IS NOT my fault this article is so pink! Leli made the heading and I had to change everything to match. Fuckin' Leli >__>''' 



Hard Liquor, by Miss Mungoe A/U - Romance - Drama - GajeelXLevy - NatsuXLucy - M "Set in the Magnolia-version of New York during the 1920's Prohibition. Hired as the personal bodyguard of a deprived heiress with more sass than size, Gajeel Redfox soon finds himself in over his head. And in a world of hostile takeovers, bootleggers and speakeasies, two prejudiced individuals learn that getting along is about as easy as drinking in public."

Well, what can I say? I have read quite a few A/U fanfics in my time of fanfiction.net, but never have I come across one that has drawn me so completely into its world whilst still being 100% Fairy Tail.

As stated in the fic description, Hard Liquor is set during the 1920's Prohibition, a time when there was a national ban on the selling, manufacturing and transporting of alcohol. However, at this time there were a number of back-alley businesses that would illegally get their hands on alcohol and sell it to anyone who could get to their locations. Think you know how the Fairy Tail guild is portrayed in this fic? If you guessed that the Fairy Tail guild is one such illegal, alcohol-hosting bar, you'd be correct ;D

Enter the main characters. This fic mostly revolves around Gajeel and Levy, Levy being an upper-class heiress forced to flee to the protection of Fairy Tail after her father is murdered and she has nowhere else to go, whilst Gajeel takes on the role of the snarky, back-alley man forced into being her bodyguard and keeping her safe. Cue some hilarious dialogue between the two and you have an amazing duo that will immediately win you over and keep you engaged.

Aside from these two, Natsu, Lucy, Pantherlily, Loke and Cana also have starring roles, all being members of Fairy Tail or holding other back-alley positions that are perfectly written to match their personalities in the original series, so much so that everything just flows and you never have to question their characterisation. However, Miss Mungoe has altered each character amazingly to fit into her fic, writing believable back-stories and dialogue that keeps the characters so engaging and deep. Pantherlily is just one example of a character who came out unbelievably well, being the black owner of FT's favourite fight club who struggles against the racist prejudices often thrown at him.

Let's get onto the story though, and let me tell you, there is a lot of it - 33 chapters and still going as it were. Just as the character are varied and engaging, so to is the story Miss Mungoe dictates. There is fighting between the different speakeasies of the alleys, the mystery of Levy trying to find out what happened to her father, enough well written 1920's-style fights to poke a stick at, hilarious comedic moments and just enough romance to add to all of the chaos already happening. To add to this, though none of the characters posses their Magic abilities, each fighting style is written to match their original so closely, never getting lost in the fic at all. Unlike a few other A/U fics, Miss Mungoe has also done her research, perfectly portraying the time period she is writing from. Not only are her descriptions of the cities and the alleys so vivid, she also includes a lot of 1920's jargon, which just places the characters perfectly into the time slot.

Interested? I hope you are ;D I can't really expand on anything else here without getting into specific details and spoilers, so I'll just leave you to go read and be immersed yourself.

Though it has yet to be finished, I give this fic a well deserved 9.6/10

You can read Hard Liquor here. 

In A Heartbeat, by Aero-Cluster A/U - Romance - Angst - JellalXErza - T "—because if he could, he would. And he'd do it in a heartbeat."

Ahhhh... *sighs* Another A/U fic, but another that completely captured my heart and set my imagination running. I will admit, I didn't get into it straight away, but when I actually took the time to read and immerse myself, holy crap was this fic rewarding. I will warn you though, it does not hold back... at all...

This A/U fic is set during 1941, with the Second World War raging. In Poland, Jellal works for the Schutzstaffel, an organisation under Hitler, and is one of the high ranking officers on charge of the Auschwitz, a concentration camp. Tasked with processing prisoners of war and killing anyone who just happens to piss him off, Jellal is clinging to the last threads of his sanity with only co-officer and friend Laxus keeping him from going completely nuts. That is, until a scarlet-haired war prisoner enters the camp and catches his eye, continuously going out of her way to tempt him into killing her.

Intrigued? Come on, I know you are ;D

This fic has so much going for it. Aero-Cluster leaves nothing to the imagination: every person killed, every wound Erza receives from the insane SS leader Zancrow, the sick experiments and tortures being performed on the prisoners by the mad Zero, everything is here, and everything is believable. Erza and Jellal do not have it easy... they fight hard and they fall hard as well. This fic is not glossed over in any way, but it's for that reason that it's so engaging and captivating. You come to just root for Jellal and Erza... You want them to push on and get through all of the trials they face.

...

...

However... I won't lie. If you are looking for a fanfic with a happy ending, you will not find it here. This fic is not flowers and rainbows, and though the ending is amazing in it's own way, it is likely not what you wanted.

Don't let this deter you though. Aero-Cluster's writing is amazing and the story is very engaging, mostly due to it's historical accuracy. It is not very long - only 9 chapters - but each is written so well. Both Erza, Jellal and all of the supporting characters - Laxus, Zancrow, Zero and Lisanna - fit their roles amazingly well.

My only wish is that the fic had been longer (__;) Such good A/U's are hard to come across.

I give In A Heartbeat a glowing score of 9.4/10

You can read In A Heartbeat here. 

Seven Secrets, by SmurfLuvsCookies Drabble - Humour - Makarov - Mirajane - T "Makarov is bored, and thus devises a plan to amuse himself: trick everyone in Fairy Tail into spilling their seven deepest, darkest secrets. What scarring confessions will await him, and what will he do when his children find out they've been tricked?"

Hahaha XD After the other angsty, full-on fics I reviewed this issue, I think it's time to lighten the mood. And what better way than with Seven Secrets, a hilariously cute fic that anyone can enjoy.

As stated in the description, Master Makarov one day becomes bored and decides that he requires entertainment. What does this lead to? Why, him convincing the FT guild that they need to each write down their seven deepest secrets so that he can send them to the Magic Council for a job request. What ensues is a fun little fic as Makarov kicks back and reads through the secrets of his guild members... that is, until they find out about his little game, and plan a revenge of their own ;D

Need I say more? This fic is just very light-hearted and fun. Nothing much else to it. It is certainly engaging and I found myself laughing aloud multiple times. SmurfLuvsCookies has definitely focussed on getting the characters correct and the writing style is very nice too :) With 12 short chapters to enjoy, Seven Secrets is one of those little fics that won't fail to entertain.

I give Seven Secrets a score of 8.7/10

You can read Seven Secrets here.  Endword

'''Well, hopefully you guys enjoyed seeing some great fanfics, and, if you went on to read them, I hope you enjoyed yourself and got a taste for what exactly fanfiction has to offer you as a reader. Most importantly, I hope you go on to search up some fanfictions on your own, because trust me, there is so much out there to find, and I'm certain that even if you didn't like something I reviewed this month, you'll eventually stumble across something that you love.'''

'''However, I'd also like some feedback on a few things so that I can plan this article for next month. As such, please vote in the polls below so I can bring more of you exactly what you want to read ^__^'''

Are you okay with me reviewing heavy smut fiction that contains very graphic sex scenes? Yes! Yes! Bring it on! \( ^__^)/ I'd prefer if you didn't, but I just won't read them, so go ahead :/ No. Please don't post such things in this article. You read that stuff Carrot?? o___O Of course! But only if it's smut about *insert your OTP here*

What kind of fiction would you like to read more of? Alternate Universe fics are great! I'd like to see less of Fiore and more of a new world with cool new things :D Can I pleeeeease see some cute high school fiction? :3 Something close to the original series... Like... Maybe the characters just screwing around at the guild or doing some silly quest. Steamy, sexy smut fiction!! I wanna read about my OTP getting it on >:) Anything hilariously funny will do ;D Hmmm... Something with OC's would be great! Other (Please comment)

One of the fics I reviewed this month was incomplete. Are you okay with me reviewing fics that are still being written? Yep. So long as it's good, what does it matter? I'd prefer if they were finished, but I guess it's okay :/ No. I hate waiting.

Thanks for your help ;D Carrot out~!