Subject: I've read it but I'm still trying to figure out what to say about it. (nm)
Author:
Posted on: 2021-04-30 23:59:09 UTC
-
Could it be... Neshomeh posting a mission?! (DMS, Harry Potter x Phantom of the Opera) by
on 2021-04-24 19:31:23 UTC
Writing
Plug
Reply
Yes! Yes, it is! It's been "nearly finished" for literal years, but here it is, at last! {= D
"The Phantomess of the Opera and the Half-Blood Prince" featuring Derik and Gall (also on AO3)
Summary: In which Faust is referenced a lot, but a devil’s powers are borrowed anyway.
Continua: Harry Potter x The Phantom of the Opera (Leroux, Kay, Webber, and Yeston-Kopit).
Rating: PG-13/T - Innuendo and violence.
Betas: Thoth and Tomash.There's a bit of an Easter egg for anyone who remembers the 2018 Halloween RP. Let me know if you catch it. {= D
~Neshomeh
-
Am rather crazy at the moment by
on 2021-05-01 23:08:02 UTC
Reply
Will form coherent comment when I can.
-
I've read it but I'm still trying to figure out what to say about it. (nm) by
on 2021-04-30 23:59:09 UTC
Reply
-
I finally figured out what I want to say by
on 2021-05-06 18:59:18 UTC
Reply
I just have a list of thoughts in no particular order:
- I like reading about Gall getting excited for things and snarking at the badfic.
- The hyperlinks turning into broken images for the Sue's clothes instead of actual clothes is hilarious.
- I like how the mission reads like a story than an MST.
- I think Derik getting haunted by Erik was foreshadowed well. Also reading about Derik and Erik was interesting.
- I like how you summarized the not-so-noteable parts of the badfic so that the mission doesn't drag on longer than it needs to.
- Gall and Derik ranking the costumes the characters wore at the party is amusing.
- I like the resolution. Gall got a bunch of loot including a violin for Derik after a mission!
- I wonder if it would be funnier if the cape's embroidered words turned out to be "something in French" or the French word for "something"
- The scene where the Frog Choir mimed the YouTube audio gives me a funny mental image.
- The Sue was super pretentious throughout the fic.
- I love this line: "Gall greeted her dragon, told him he was a good boy, and promised to buy him a special treat with the proceeds from her Halloween-costume haul."
Overall, I enjoyed the mission!
-
Aw, thanks! by
on 2021-05-07 04:51:01 UTC
Reply
I appreciate you taking the time to come back and do this. ^_^
Very nice, specific comments, too! I like the idea about the embroidery on the cape; that is now my headcanon.
I'm glad you enjoyed Gall, because I plan to write their next mission from her perspective for a change of pace. Should be fun, I hope!
~Neshomeh
-
Give me your feels; they sustain me! ^_~ (nm) by
on 2021-05-01 14:14:02 UTC
Reply
-
Read; enjoyed; disjointed comments ahead. by
on 2021-04-28 15:23:52 UTC
Reply
I don't... actually think I've seen an in media res mission start before. Huh. It works really well here, so well done?
"I have a small nose" - oh you poor deformed monstrosity how will you bear it.
It's really fascinating to watch Derik and his completely lopsided worldview nevertheless craft a consistent response to the badfic.
"She may, technically, have sounded like an angel, but only because some angels were mind-bending horrors." ^_^
"the stunt with Fellrazer in Beleriand" - [hides face in shame]
The perfectly-played Python reference shortly thereafter appeals to me immensely.
One catch: Derik says “It’s an insult! An insult to everything that makes Erik’s story tragic and poignant!”, but you earlier established "the Phantom of the Opera (Erik, though Derik never referred to him by the name they’d once shared)"
~
Y'know, in my head I'm really articulate and can write excellent reviews; but in practice I just devolve into random stream-of-consciousness notes. Huh.
hS
-
Have you seen my reviews? by
on 2021-04-29 19:08:14 UTC
Reply
They're mainly a dump of reactions with a short conclusion-shaped thing at the end and people don't seem to mind too much
-
Fun comments. {= ) by
on 2021-04-28 16:05:50 UTC
Reply
Oh, I've done in medias res with D & G before—in their last PotO mission, in fact. Given that was released six sharding years ago, though, it's no surprise if it's not fresh in anyone's memory.
Speaking of which, anytime you want to get back into the Beleriand one, I'm game! Time is no object, clearly. {X D
Anyway, glad to hear it works.
Re. "completely lopsided worldview," how so? I mean, I can guess, but I'm curious about what you noticed.
Credit to Thoth for the angels joke! He pointed that out while beta'ing, and I had to incorporate it. I should put that in my notes.
Worship the Python, for it is very Monty. ^_^
Stream-of-consciousness is good, because it tells me what jumped out at you enough to say something. Thank you!
~Neshomeh
-
re: mission by
on 2021-04-27 02:28:01 UTC
Reply
This is more of a general observation of all your recent stories, rather than this one in particular, but you do a really good job of fitting as many jokes and references into each mission as you can, but you also do it in very few words, such that it doesn't turn into tangents that distract from the action and make the timing between agent banter and fic narration feel fuzzy. Your footnote section helps this, since it allows for deeper explanation of things without slowing the narrative down. I'm trying to say you're just really smart about how you pick what words and jokes to use. My favorite in this one was Gall assuming the "Red Death" was the dragon species from her home world, and reacting accordingly. It makes perfect sense for Gall to make that assumption, but her reaction stays realistic without taking too long. (As for me, I was gunning for the agents to drop Erika into Prince Prospero's party, but I guess that would have been less satisfying for Spoiler.
And speaking of the spoiler, Spoiler
Ah, only in the PPC could the question of whether Wrackspurts exist become such a practical topic. If they are indeed real, the PPC is probably quite overrun with them by now, after so many decades of Harry Potter missions getting looted. So at least the violin is in good company? If it's infested. If Wrackspurts are real. >_>
—doctorlit, Wrackspurt agnostic
P.S. It's embarrassing, because I don't usually think in memes, but on reading the line, "Dumbledore, who’d started a roll-call of students participating in the costume contest, reached Erika’s name, and the doors flew open on cue," all i could hear was ♪SomeBODy once told me . . .♪
-
That means a lot to me. ^_^ by
on 2021-04-28 01:55:10 UTC
Reply
I strive to "omit needless words" and make sure there's a reason for everything I put in a story to be there, so it's really nice to hear that it's paying off. Thank you so much.
Ha, I almost wish I'd thought of dropping Erika into the actual Masque of the Red Death; it's a great idea and probably would have satisfied both agents, too. But, well, yeah. {= )
Re. spoilers: Well, it sort of is! Just somewhat different causes. And no, I don't think Derik would mind getting banned from the continuum at all. (Which is why it won't happen.)
More spoilers and some rambling:
Totes legit spoiler: Derik has had Wrackspurts this whole time! It explains everything! {= O
Also I blame you for making me have a dream with Donkey in it last night. ^_~
~Neshomeh
-
re: Erik + wizarding world . . . by
on 2021-04-28 12:08:36 UTC
Reply
Like you mentioned in the mission, Erik would have had a much better life as a wizard, since the WW is a lot more meritocratic than most of Europe, and would have overlooked his appearance in favor of all his talents. The much more interesting option for a story would be a Muggle Erik discovering magic, either by seeing magic performed while creepily spying on people in the theater, or by attacking/trapping a witch/wizard and forcing them to defend themselves/escape with magic, then getting away before they could charm his memories. Not that I'm planning on writing this, just brainstorming here.
Did Donkey at least make you waffles?
—doctorlit
-
I think I'd start earlier in his timeline. by
on 2021-04-28 17:21:47 UTC
Reply
Specifically, his time in the Persian court. By the time he ended up there, he already had a reputation as a magician/sorcerer, IIRC. In a crossover, maybe he's witnessed some real magic previously and come to track it down, or maybe someone in the Wizarding World notices him while he's there and ends up drawing him in, either way. Rewriting that bit of the story would be an opportunity to fix the underlying racism from the original and the Kay novel, and also to expand on an untouched part of the Wizarding World and on one of the coolest and most underappreciated characters in PotO (the Daroga). I am in no way qualified to write this, but I'd sure love to see it.
Once Erik is in the Wizarding World, witness a Muggle revolutionize magic on a purely theoretical basis through sheer brilliance. USA and possibly Britain panic; everyone else laughs at them. Beauxbatons (or maybe the hypothetical school that serves the Middle East?) becomes the world's preeminent school of magic with a truly stellar music program. {= D
~Neshomeh
-
Yay! Mission! by
on 2021-04-27 01:31:21 UTC
Reply
(Apologies if I come off as a bit nonsensical. I just finished my project that my teacher also literally pushed the due date back on. Two minutes after I had finished it. Oh well, free extra credit.)
Very good, as usually. The cool CSS trick kinda fudged with me a little bit (the words went out of the box a little, but I fixed it by turning the phone sideways) but I liked the story, as always.
I was kinda missing your work a little bit
enough to reread the mission over "Bloody Raining Night" heheso I'm glad there was a new missionthat I can reread to death.But yay!
kA, who needs to learn to stop writing missions while their other mission still needs beta-ing.
-
Thanks for reading! by
on 2021-04-28 01:17:23 UTC
Reply
Hmm, I don't see what you describe with the hidden paragraphs on my phone; the text all displays while staying contained where it ought to be. I wonder if you're using an Apple device, since mine's an Android?
~Neshomeh
-
I'm on Android, but it might be the browser I'm using. by
on 2021-04-28 13:10:01 UTC
Reply
Not your fault. I've had issues with DuckDuckGo's browser displaying things before.
kA
-
Hm, okay. by
on 2021-04-28 16:14:41 UTC
Edited
Reply
I'd like to fix it if I can, since I might have a future use for the CSS in making NSFW content optionally viewable, but I dunno if there will be a fix for DuckDuckGo, since it's not one of the major browsers. It did hide the content correctly, though, right?
Edit: Also, apparently DuckDuckGo is a browser extension, not an actual browser?
~Neshomeh
-
DuckDuckGo is an app on Android. by
on 2021-04-28 19:43:02 UTC
Reply
Unless I'm imagining things
It his things correctly, just the text kinda went off the page in vertical view, but don't worry about it, I'll just read it with my phone horizontal.
-
Too low on spoons for a proper reply, but—I loved it. by
on 2021-04-25 23:10:03 UTC
Reply
I missed seeing these two in action. Great stuff as always, and I left you some kudos over on AO3. :) Gall's blunt abrasiveness and telling Derik to pull his head out of his butt seemed like the sort of pep talk he needed to get him through his crisis of identity. chef's kiss
(I can't help but note the similarity between Ix getting possessed by an inner wolf and the [spoiler] that happened here—which IIRC Derik did hear about in another Halloween RP—so now I'm just kind of quietly amused at yet another mirror instance between them, considering he and Ix have had a few tumultuous interactions before.)
And yes, I did go back and look for the little clues. Loved it. :)
-
That's a pretty good reply. {= ) by
on 2021-04-26 02:35:40 UTC
Reply
Hmm, it doesn't look like Ix getting possessed came up explicitly—and Ix and Charlotte being at that party got more or less un-happened anyway due to timeline issues, I think, so Derik wouldn't remember if it had. Still amusing, though. (And looking into the 2017 RP has made me notice that a link or two are broken on my site, so that's good, because now I can fix it!)
I'm glad you enjoyed engaging with the story. Thank you! ^_^
~Neshomeh
-
Eya, mission! by
on 2021-04-25 08:05:01 UTC
Reply
This is my first time reading a mission with these two, but I'm already quite invested in them. I picked up their dynamic enough that now I want Derik to be okay! And Gall to get all the shiny things!
-
Thank you! by
on 2021-04-25 18:41:22 UTC
Reply
It's always great to hear that people have connected with the characters. ^_^ Let me know if you read their other stories!
~Neshomeh