  Re: 4th disc
                                       
                          Lady_Aeris_the_bagel_bearer
                            (22/F/The...Promised Land?) 
                                                       09/10/1999 07:34 pm EDT

   Oh, yes. Interesting tale, namely the final chapter depicting our polygamous friend and
   his....transition, so to speak. I must say the hentai on the storypage garnished the piece of
   fanfiction especially well.

   I knew some people with disturbingly overactive imaginations, but you, Sir Zhang, top all. I'm
   uncertain whether or not I will be able to look at any Final Fantasy VII character in the same
   way ever again. (But what can I say? I was the one who sat down and read the story.)
   However, I must say it's well-written. Very strange, knocking the characters' personalities
   worlds beyond their Final Fantasy ones, but extremely well-written. 
    
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Deus Ex Jenova is the best damn fanfic I've ever read for any game, period.
Yes, I'll admit it that chapter 5 was my favorite.  can't remember how many
times I jerked off on that chapter, I lost count.  My only question is are
you going to write a similar fanfic about Squall and Rinoa and FF8, and if
so, when?  Email me at ozzman547@aol.com when you get the chance.  Thanx

signed RY.....

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I think your fanfic, Deus ex Jenova, really sucks.  Chapter 5 is a diss to
the female race, you rotten piece of shit!

~Christi~

===========================================================================================
                                  Nanaki

By now, there are plenty of Fanfic stories out there. Well, some of them
are definitely worth your while, while others should be avoided at all
costs. I have written a brief description of some of the fanfic stories I
have read so far, and rated them on a scale of one to ten. While I do
appreciate good punctuation and spelling (and grammar, outside of the
dialogue), what really counts in my book is plot, and character development
most of all. Now, on with the reviews.

Final Fantasy VII Fanfic

"Deus Ex Jenova" - Max Zhang
Everything you know is a lie. That's the basic premise of the plot in this
incredible story. Everything you learned about the planet, the lifestream,
Aerith's death... All untrue. The very first thing this story does is bring
Aerith "back to life," although you'll find out that this wasn't really the
case... Anyway, it's very well done, and she's brought back because she has
a pivotal role to play in the story, and no other reason (Well, it made
Chapter 5 that much better, but that's beside the point here.) She was
brought back by an intersteller "Enforcer" named Greylorn, who is without a
doubt the most arrogant son of a bitch I've ever seen in my life. Greylorn
has been sent to the planet to track down an interstellar criminal. Namely:
Jenova. I can't give away too much more of the plot without spoiling a lot,
but it is very powerful stuff. I didn't even like the way the plot was
resolved, but that doesn't stop me from realizing that it was incredible.
There are only two things I can truly complain about as far as the plot
goes. Early on, Cloud seems to be developing an internal conflict about
whether he is truly a protector, or simply an avenger. This seems to be
dropped later on. Second, the Turks are in Mideel for no apparent reason,
and no explanation is ever given as to why they were there.

However, the plot is nothing compared to the characterization. This is
where the story truly shines. The thing that makes this story absolutely
great is that the writing is totally uninhibited. The author has no fear
about bringing up offensive or controversial subjects. He always did what
would be best for the story, not for the reading public... Anyway, at first
I was going to complain that some of the people were a little out of
character, but then I realized that this is exactly how the heroes of FF7
would have behaved if they hadn't had to be toned down to have mass market
appeal. In the apparent "lie," we discover more truth than was in the game
itself. His original character, Greylorn, truly believes that the others
are below his station, unlike most arrogant people who claim that, but
really don't think that way. Of course, Aerith's return allows for some
amazing scenes. In fact, Chapter 1 has simply the best scene I've ever seen
anywhere. Yes, ANYWHERE. I set no parameters for that statement.

Anyway, I could extol the virtues of the story for pages and pages, but
this may give you a clearer picture: This is the first story since "The
Shadows" that I've truly been addicted to. I happened upon it the week I
was supposed to be packing up for my move to college. I pulled a couple of
all nighters to finish it before I left, because I couldn't wait to read
more. I hungered for more of it, and then I nearly cried at the end of
Episode IV. No single event in the story was all that crushing, but finding
out that everything you ever believed was a lie, and in such a painful
fashion... Well, it really got to me. And then after all the battles and
brutality and hurt... ..you get a reward. Boy, do you get a reward.

You're supposed to be 18 to read Chapter 5 (I read it 5 days before I
turned 18. Sue me.), but there didn't seem to be any safeguards other than
a written warning... Anyway, perhaps the best thing about Chapter 5 is that
if you manage to look past all the sex (I know it's hard, but try.),
there's actually a whole lot more good story in there. If you don't manage
to look past all the sex, well, guys, get ready for girl on girl action
between Aerith and Tifa. I don't know if there's all that much in there to
recommend it to the ladies, but as far as comparisons between the sexes on
this subject go, it's like comparing a campfire to a nuclear power plant
anyway... As for a little detail at the end that a few others found
disturbing... Well, if that gets to you, you definitely haven't seen enough
hentai. That little bit is nothing. (Boy, you're all finding out more about
me than you wanted to know, aren't you?)

Anyway, I'm not just raving about the story because of Chapter 5, though as
you can imagine, that certainly didn't hurt it any. This mass was at least
700K, and I could have read ten times as much and still wanted more. True,
I didn't like the plot resolution in Episode IV, but I loved every second
of the first three episodes, especially Episode I. No single greater
chapter will ever be written, I'm sure.

Now, in case you haven't noticed that this review is ten times longer than
all the others, I'll spell it out plainly for you. This is absolutely,
100%, without a doubt, the best fanfic I've ever read!! Drop everything
you're doing and go read it NOW!!! Skip your homework, skip jury duty, skip
lamaze class, ship the wife and kids off to Grandma's for a week, and READ.
You won't be sorry. - 20

(Like FF7 itself, this is a twenty out of ten that could have been a thirty
out of ten. It's greatness comes from its simple lack of inhibition.
Somewhere, sometime, someone with a greater talent for writing will also
become uninhibited, and we'll be witnesses to a masterpiece then. Maybe
it'll be Krazy Sam. Maybe it'll be ZealPropht. Maybe it'll be me. Maybe...
it'll be YOU. I'm looking forward to it.)
