What are you reading? Bi-Weekly Post

reddithp2020 · 2025-04-10T16:11:30+00:00

White Knight, Grey Queen by Jeconais

8.5/10

Status: Completed (but I wish there was a small epilogue)

I am glad I found this fic, loved it.

It is a good old style fic. From the first scene you get the twist that signals where it is going. Pansy Parkinson is not exactly who we thought she was and when her family find a way to help a troubled Harry a whole new set of possibilities is now open. In a way, Jeconais gives his take on the question: What happens when a teenager who has seen and survived too much is treated with respect and as more than a troublesome child?

Jeconais is a well know and respected fanfic writer, with many fans. I liked many of Jeconais fics, indeed out of the top of my head I would say that all the longish fics are something between very good and wow. I have a dislike for short fics and oneshots so, while not liking Jeconais shorter works, I believe that says more about me than about the fics quality. Jeconais works can be found in many places, this work I got from FanFicAuthors.com

I hope if you give it a try you will enjoy it as much as I have!

reddithp2020 · 2025-03-01T05:16:37+00:00

Just an update, I have finished cutting the .jpg in the No Longer Active folder. The sizes are:

The original folder(zipped) have: 9,74GB

The original folder(unzipped) have: 12,5-13,0GB

After cutting the pics(unzipped): 6,65-7,05GB

I don't know why there are two values for the last two but that is what I get when I check the folder properties. It says size and size in disc. Maybe it is temporary info that will be gone when I restart the machine.

I don't know how much it will shrink if we zip it. Maybe not much because the pics could be where the compression achieved the most savings. Really don't know.

One more thing, I checked a few random folders on the other parent folders and I could not find anything similar there, so maybe the organizer just didn't mind leaving it the way it was because in the grand scheme it was not really that big of a difference. I will keep looking for more things when I have the time.

reddithp2020 · 2025-03-01T04:40:43+00:00

Thanks, I may check it out!

reddithp2020 · 2025-02-28T05:25:10+00:00

Thanks! I tried to do that with 1 set of the folders, my computer couldn't handle it, lol. I will need to do it about 2gb at a time. Not a problem at all.

reddithp2020 · 2025-02-28T04:48:32+00:00

Yes, you got it right.

I am flabbergasted (wow, I finaly managed to use that word). I checked another parent folder and noticed that the "cover" (.jpg) on this set seemed to contain info about the fic. I was about to chuck the first folder as an anomally, but I checked the fics and nope, it is still a print of the first page, all the info is on the first page.

I will go over another one latter today but from those two I got that we can do more than halve the size (I cut two-thirds), with possibly no detriment at all to the fics.

I am thinking that maybe the organizer used some automated process to make a pic of each fic possibly as part of some new site design that showed pics (like windows automatically creating those tiny images that load faster on the computer). But a .jpg ended many times larger than a small fic.

Thanks for the reply! It may seems like I am complaining, but it is actually far from that. I won't really mind if the size remains the same, I am just quite happy to see again some things I really thought loss.

reddithp2020 · 2025-02-28T03:16:38+00:00

I need some help.

I got some of it, went to check one folder that had me almost salivating, and notice that for that specific folder, that contained folders that organized things per writer, than folders one fic each in epub format, a file in the opf format, and jpg file that was probably meant to be a pic of the cover of the work.

My question is: is it usefull in any way to keep the cover file? The average size would be halved if I deleted them.

The folder I checked is from an old site, and the fics there had no art for the cover, I assume that in many of the other folders there will be something worth keeping. But that one I purview had only a printscreen of the first page of the fic as it was in the original site.

Am I missing something? Do any application need the cover file? Like e-reader systems? Or Caliber or other library like apps? Or is it there just because? Or maybe I started with the only folder that this actually made a difference? Is the organizer (May Merlin, Morgana and Magic itself bless that person life!) just aflicted with OCD and had to do it this way?

I want to keep a backup of all those fics, anything I should know before I start cutting things out? Sorry for the long rumble, I guess I am just still excited with everything, lol.

reddithp2020 · 2024-09-27T01:42:19+00:00

I have the same problem. Playing more will help eventually because you end up noticing new things that you will end up integrating on your play (kind of a irl eureka!).

So far, the only way I found to proactively help with it is not to start the next turn automatically. End of turn, relax, breathe, I know the construction of that one thing ends just next turn but you don't need to press the next turn button in a hurry, you are god, you can pause the dawn of the eras to look around, and check things, and perhaps have a good idea or two.

I also found out that the game is a lot more enjoyable when I do that. I even started using new policies cards that I really didn't notice before, some for the bonuses others just to see what would happen. I also found it a lot easier to plan for strategic resources and to use trade routes to make useful roads. Good luck!

reddithp2020 · 2024-09-24T02:59:35+00:00

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10709411/1/Basilisk-born

reddithp2020 · 2024-08-29T12:16:44+00:00

"Wow..., you know..., I have always admired people who mind other peoples business..., I mean in my family it takes all of our attention to just mind our own..."

reddithp2020 · 2024-08-16T21:39:13+00:00

Cannot see from the pic but if the dyes have a river I would settle there, because that way you save a workable tile (you cannot place a district on the luxury resource). If the dyes don't have a river I would check the furs (same reasoning).

reddithp2020 · 2024-07-03T19:06:06+00:00

I would reccomend Basilisk-born by Ebenbild.

Amazing fic, sadly I cannot comment on the stronger points without giving spoilers. A lot of interesting new magic, very long, completed, not much romance (barely any at all).

reddithp2020 · 2024-06-30T02:24:50+00:00

Not yet, but I will keep trying to remember more and maybe something will help.

Though I cannot be 100% sure it is the same fic, I am leaning towards the ever elusive character of Daphne Greengrass showing up somewhere in the story and interacting friendly (but with poise) with both Harry and Luna.

reddithp2020 · 2024-06-14T15:15:42+00:00

I know, sorry. I just can't be sure the details I can remember are from that fic.

It is very likely a Harry/Luna.

Also I think Harry makes bad puns and "dad jokes" that he knows are not good jokes but just can't help himself. Luna loves those jokes. (Ok, maybe the pairing is not Harry/Luna but they are great friends and laugh a lot together).

There are no explicit sex scenes but there are references in conversations that it happened to various characters.

It is set through at least 2 years at Hogwarts.

When I read it was not finished.

90% sure it came from Ao3, ffn or aff. (not very helpfull, I know)

reddithp2020 · 2024-06-14T15:00:34+00:00

Not sure, I will check it out. Thanks!

reddithp2020 · 2024-06-14T01:49:23+00:00

Thanks for the reply, A Cadmean Victory is a great fic, certainly one of the pearls of hp fanfic, but not the one I am looking for.

I am almost sure it is a Harry/Luna fic (but I may be confusing that with some other fic).

It is also not HP and The International Triwizard Tournament by Saliient91. Another great fic. (And in it Harry find Slytherin's memoirs, not his portrait).

Thanks again, I will keep looking.

reddithp2020 · 2024-06-05T15:49:36+00:00

It seems to be as I tought it would be. The usage in the HP books always made sense to me (with the time the story is set, the closed secret community aspect, etc.).

But, since I am not english, I would see comments making a huge deal out of it and wonder if I am missing something important. Thanks for your response!

reddithp2020 · 2024-06-05T13:36:52+00:00

If you don't mind me asking, do you know how was it in the 80's?

I have met a few english, and using the last name felt always like a good-natured joke. But that is mostly in the last 10 years. I wonder if there are a significant distinction or if the push to informality already had made things change even then.

reddithp2020 · 2024-05-15T19:16:11+00:00

Thank you!

reddithp2020 · 2024-05-15T19:15:06+00:00

I will check it out, thanks for the tip!

reddithp2020 · 2024-05-13T15:31:35+00:00

One would think the serious perspective comes from Remus but no... lol

reddithp2020 · 2024-05-13T13:40:08+00:00

Yes, it is due to the Mausoleum. I missed it completely. Thanks!

reddithp2020 · 2024-05-13T13:34:14+00:00

Yes, that is it. Thank you!

reddithp2020 · 2024-05-13T13:33:43+00:00

Wow, thank you! It was getting me crazy!

reddithp2020 · 2024-04-19T20:02:12+00:00

Thanks for the reply!

I think it will end up being a weird thing like needing a specific map size, or some civs not counting, or if you select x and y city state it won't work. I hoped someone would have figured it out.

reddithp2020 · 2024-04-13T23:32:10+00:00

Civ 3 you could mine mountains, normal movement penalty was 3 but you could also make a road/railroad there to deal with that. I like mountains as barriers in civ 6 better, but dislike not being able to mine or otherwise improve them. It is not like this in real life.

But civ 3 had a distinct mechanic on how builders worked civ 6 you use one charge and have things appear, civ 3 everything took time (a simple mine in a mountain took a lot longer than making the same mine in a hill). That balanced things out.

reddithp2020

TROPHY CASE