It has been brought to Majo-chan’s attention that there are people who take one look at the sheer length of the monster fanfic known as Slayers Inversed and decide to not tackle it for fear of being devoured. In a desire to be helpful (and to overcome her writer’s block), Majo-chan has compiled this list in hopes of helping those people agonizing (yeah right^^;) over whether or not to read her fanfic.
Like all things, please read this in a well-lit room, at a comfortable distance and angle away from the computer screen.
Before we start, here’s some info on the subject at hand.
Name: Slayers Inversed
AKA: Inversed. SI. The-fic-that-ate-my-life. The horribly long epic that doesn’t seem to end.
Author: Majo-chan (much to her dismay)
Occupation: Slayers Fanfic
Age: 1 year +
Status: Parts 1 and 2 finished. Part 3 ongoing. 4 parts planned, not including interludes, one-shots and epilogues.
Length: Part 1, 4 chapters. Part 2, 12 chapters. Part 3, 10 chapters, ongoing. Various one shots completed.
Genre: Alternate universe. Adventure/drama
Warnings: Angst, AU, OOC, occasional swearing and violence.
Now, on to the good part!
-Do
not like long, plot-oriented stories
Surprisingly, and perhaps sadly, Inversed is long. In fact, it has almost reached the proportions of an epic, much to Majo-chan’s dismay (why am I referring to myself in the third person?^_^;). And it is plot driven. Missing one chapter will probably result in weird looks, feelings of confusion and irritation, and lots of mental frustration. There are frequent cliffhangers that might leave the reader annoyed and craving for more. So if you are looking for a nice, fluffy, easy-to-read fic that won’t be taxing on your brain, Inversed is not for you.
(that is not to say that I have anything against shorter or simpler fics. I myself have often skipped fics because they seem to be too long.^_^; I usually don’t read long fics unless I get a major recommendation or if I’m currently obsessed with the series.)
-Do
not like stories with a minimal amount of romance
Once again, the plot thing. The author (er…me…why am I referring to myself in third person???^^;;;) disapproves of instant romances, and is a latent romantic by most accounts. Therefore Inversed is also latently romantic, but the hints are pretty faint and have to be looked for. As a firm believer in the ‘realism’ of relationships, Majo-chan (here we go with the third person thing again-_-;) refuses to simply make relationships, preferring to build them from the ground-up instead. So if you are a fan of fluffy, sappy, cavity inducing whirlwind romances…Inversed is not for you.
(that is not to say I have anything against sap. I love sap, actually, especially well-done, in-character sap. I am also embarrassed to say that I’ve written quite a few pieces of gratuitous sap which are by NO MEANS well done sap…but fortunately Inversed does not fall into that category.)
-Do
not like traditional pairings
To the Lina/Zel, Xel/Amelia, and all the other pairings that Majo-chan accepts but do not endorse, the author offers humble apologies. What faint hints of relationships and relationships to come in Inversed are rooted in the canon couplings that the series seem to suggest. Of course, the debate for the Xel/Filia pairing can take up most of this page and then some (and also cause flames, fights, and the end of the world…), but lets just call it a traditional pairing for now for the sake of simplicity. For those of you confused by the term ‘traditional pairings’, Majo-chan will now explain. It means that the romantic couplings, if romance ever decides to make a showing for Inversed, will be based on the pairings of Lina Inverse and Gourry Gabriev, Amelia Wil Tesla Sailloon and Zelgadis Graywers, and Filia Ul Copt and Xelloss Metallium. Other pairings such as Rezo/Eris might pop up…but they’re so minor that it doesn’t really matter. So if you have a thing for alternate pairings, the author respects your opinions and warns that Inversed is not for you.
(That is not to say I have anything against alternate pairings...I’m a firm believer in the fact that stories are told by the author, and that fanfiction gives everyone the freedom to express what they believe about the series. In fact, I’ll gladly read any fic with an abnormal pairing if that author makes the story convincing and interesting. There, my two bits on alternate pairings^_^)
-Do
not like alternate universe stories
The author realizes that she forgot to mention that detail very specifically (and she apologizes for it), but Inversed IS an alternate universe story. The basis of it, the Sealing of the Mazoku Lords and the Dark Lord himself, completely deviates from the canon story and changes everything after the War of the Monsters Fall (or the Kouma War, if you have a problem with Software Sculptors translations). While every effort has been made to stick mostly to the Slayers universe, Inversed is still a story of the what might-have-beens. It involves characters that are not canon, situations that are not canon, and changes much of what passes for ‘canon’ in the character’s pasts. Therefore if you dislike alternate reality fics, Inversed is not for you.
-Do not like other people’s versions of pre-existing characters that have never appeared before in the series that might or might not be the same as your own
Besides the usual Slayers cast, Inversed also includes many characters that are mentioned but never shown in either the series or novels. Those characters are written as Majo-chan (this third person thing is really irritating me-_-;) imagined they would be like if they had been part of the show, but most of the interactions and personality traits, even their appearance, is made up. The author does not claim any validity to her own version, but she likes them the way they are. So if you believe that Xellas and Garv really are a couple or that Majo-chan is INSANE to think that Xellas could be so motherly, then Inversed is not for you.
-Do
not like original characters
Inversed contains a cast of original characters by Majo-chan that are pretty essential to the plot. While Majo-chan claims that she did not indulge in her creative tendencies and create characters just for the heck of it, it is impossible to avoid bumping into an occasional original character or two while reading Inversed. It could be exasperating to encounter people you do not know about, so if you cannot stand original characters (this ties in indirectly to the whole issue of alternate universe fics), then Inversed is not for you.
-Do
not approve of scenes that don’t rank at least a R rating
Inversed was written by Majo-chan, who will not tell us her real age, but admit that she is at least, legally an adult. Therefore there are content that are for more mature readers, but not quite to the point that the sentence might imply. No, there are no graphic violence or sex in Inversed. It rates around a PG-13 for language (even that’s occasional), some violence, and mental/emotional angst. Oh, there are lots of explosions, descriptions of the end of the world, death, and emotional trauma. But nothing serious enough to be rated R. Sorry to all the people expecting gruesome deaths, explicit sex scenes, and lots and lots of blood (I’m not quite as bad as the CLAMP ladies…), because if you are looking for that, Inversed is not for you.
-Do
not like Xelloss
Majo-chan freely admits (and even if she doesn’t, you can figure it out pretty easily. Just look at her fanart/fanfics/fan page in general) that Xelloss Metallium, also known as Xelloss the trickster/mysterious priest, the purple haired guy who looks good in a dress, the weird mazoku, etc, is one of her favorite characters. Inversed shines the spotlight on the mysterious mazoku a lot more often than it does in the actual series, and he still manages to be as mysterious as ever. So if you find the Juu-shinkan intolerable, then Inversed is not for you.
-Do
not like Filia
Majo-chan also freely admits that she likes Filia Ul Copt. (see note for Xelloss above). Not only does she like Filia a lot, she also gave her a make-over for Inversed. Inversed Filia is changed almost to a point beyond recognition. So if you do not like Filia, or can’t stand a Filia that is non-canon (i.e. No frilly pink dress, pointy hat, tendency to sing, and love for pottery), then Inversed is not for you.
-Do
not like Lina
How can you not like Lina??? Why are you here if you don’t like Lina???^_^; Um…nothing much more to say than that. If you don’t like Lina, then I wouldn’t suggest visiting any Slayers page…