fyrecat posted a comment on Sunday 23rd November 2008 12:39pm for Every Rose has a Thorn

Another awesome addition! I loved the broom race and what you are doing with the whole triwizard competition. It really does make more sense this way than in JKR's original.
I love the mischievous nature HJ is developing too! I hope he bags the head girl! - and Fleur too for that matter!

Thanks again!

JBern replied:

JKR's TWT was just a plot device to get Harry to the graveyard.   I wanted to do something more with it.~Jim

Lynn Terald posted a comment on Monday 3rd November 2008 1:25pm for Every Rose has a Thorn

Beowulf? That movie makes me shudder, but makes for an entertaining laugh. You had me hooked at the first chapter yesterday.

This is the first and only first person Harry Potter that I like. The way you've crafted this Harry is almost like a what if, could have been and it feels natural when I read this story. "This" Harry has a more adult feel to him and I find that I can relate better and that just enhances the reading experience to a maximum. I wonder what trouble will next find him? It should be an interesting read when he finally meets up with the old snake wart himself. I almost feel sorry for the bastard...not really, I'll enjoy reading the part where Harry kicks his scaly arse to the moon and back too much.

The Hat I especially love. Just the way it is so cynical and vulgar is refreshing. I've never read a story with the hat like you've created and if I ever run across another one I'm sure that it will pale in comparison to yours.

The way you write the relationships was a little odd, but that was because I was comparing it with the original series. When I stepped back and looked at it on its own I could identify where the problems were and I noticed that none of them were over the top. Especially the Weasleys. I can see how most of the males would cluster around the "baby" and want to protect her, but it was just perfect the way Harry got back at the twins at his birthday.

...Anyways, I think I shall end this before I decide to add anymore.

This is a fantastic story and I shall continue on with my reading so I can find out what Harry will get into next. Keep updating and I'll keep reading, I really like the long chapters, too.

JBern replied:

Thank you for the long review.   I'm glad you can appreciate the more adult feel I try to bring to the characters.   I started with the premise of Snape's common complaint that Harry was just like his father and thought, "What if Snape was right?"

People enjoy the Hat, even if the language makes them a bit uncomfortable.

Regards,

Jim

King Darius posted a comment on Wednesday 18th June 2008 2:53pm for Every Rose has a Thorn

Im going to assume the grammatical errors in Karkaroff's speech is intentional, though, given the fact that he WAS a death eaterm i dont really see in a point in having a problem speaking english, most people tend to adapt rather rapidly in hostel situations, i have a friend whose in the army that has learned both Arabic and Purdu (the official language of Pakistan) while he was in the middle east.

JBern replied:

Igor hadn't been around England for a decade.   People's speech patterns change over time.   I was going with the sound of the actor from the GoF movie.

Regards,

Jim

Kieran posted a comment on Wednesday 5th March 2008 2:33pm for Every Rose has a Thorn

Hmmmn only after reading this chapter do I notice the fic is listed as Harry/Fleur, i'm interested how you are going to let this play out.
Finaly any news on an update for this or Turn me lose I need another fix ASAP

JBern replied:

Chapter 11 is now up.   The Author's Notes at the end talk about my update schedule.   Thanks for the review.~Jim

Rexnos posted a comment on Monday 18th February 2008 7:32pm for Every Rose has a Thorn

I'm on a review spree. I like hearing back from authors after I post a review. It's nice to know that my feedback is appreciated and all.

While not as off the wall as Bungle, this piece is still just as much fun to buzz through. The sorting hat is quite possibly my favorite character in any story I've ever read. You simply can't argue with an irritable old hat who is stuck dragging through a bunch of pre-teen skulls every year... I think your Godric would be laughing his head off.

I just love the darker tone and more realistic tone of both this fic and Bungle. It's a more mature Harry for older readers. I'm so often disgusted by the immature and childish writing I so often come across in most fan fiction. You're work is a refreshing change. It's completely off the wall, utterly unpredictable, humorous and still serious. I just can't praise this enough.

Admittedly, maybe I'm kinda biased since I don't get to find darker and more mature fics too often, but there's no way in heck I'm about to stop reading this one. The faster you update the happier I'll be.... Though I do understand the constrains of real life.

Rex

JBern replied:

Well today I'm in a reply it's pretty.   And I make an effort to reply to every review, even if it's the you are great update soon type of reviews.

That said, the more effort you put in your review the effort I put into my reply.   Chapter 11 has been outlined, but it I've been working on my original material this week.   I'm almost at my next waypoint.   So look for chapter 11 in about seven days.

Hopefully, the dueling scenes to translate from my mind to the keyboard without losing too much.   If I manage that, it should be my most entertaining chapter yet.

Regards,
Jim

DAMNED posted a comment on Monday 18th February 2008 7:22am for Every Rose has a Thorn

keep it coming

JBern replied:

Looks for chapter 11 about seven days from now.
Regards,
Jim

Ltank687 posted a comment on Sunday 17th February 2008 4:54pm for Every Rose has a Thorn

love it, please update, this is by far your bet story and i am just enamored by it.

JBern replied:

Thank you for taking the time to review my story.   I the dueling scense are  planned out and if they translate my mind to keyboard without losing too much, they should indeed be very entertaining.

I should have Chapter 11 done in about seven days.   Right now I'm working on material for my original novel which will hopefully be published this coming summer.   If you like what I can do with other people's characters, I think you'll like what's going to happen when I unleash my own original ideas.

Regards,
Jim

penguins4me posted a comment on Saturday 9th February 2008 6:48pm for Every Rose has a Thorn

I thought you did wonderfully on the broom race. When you first mentioned in the story that it was 20 5mile laps long, I let out a groan. I was thinking something along the lines of the star wars pod race. You know, waaay to long and kinda silly. But you really kept me interested and enthralled.

I like the part with Sirius, HJ had a really good handle on the situation there. And, yeah! Barty Jr. is already taken care of. And thanks for thinking about the tasks in a logical manner. It did not make sense how she wrote it in the book to me either. This is such a great story, and I can't wait to see how you bring it around to be HJ/Fleur. Keep up the good work. And please be sure to pimp your orginal work here, as I would love to read that too.

JBern replied:

Glad you liked the race so much.   I hated that damn pod race!   I hated pretty much the entire episode 1.  

Next chapter coming in 1-2 weeks~Jim

vanishingact posted a comment on Monday 4th February 2008 12:31pm for Every Rose has a Thorn

No! The end! AHHHH! I desperately want more chapters.

I actually stumbled across this story a couple of times in the past (or the summary at least), and more or less dismissed it. Ah, what brilliant things boredom brings...Needless to say, I was quite wrong in avoiding this story as it is quite good and most definitely unique! Note to self: never judge a fanfic by its summary...

Thanks for a wonderful read!

JBern replied:

Makes me wonder what's wrong with my summary.   I think it's kind of apt.   Glad you like it though.~Jim

Viridian posted a comment on Saturday 2nd February 2008 8:55pm for Every Rose has a Thorn

Good to see Harry not automatically winning everything. But... that said, I am REALLY looking forward to Krum getting pwned during the duels. And Harry having an evilgasm doing it.

JBern replied:

Well like I said HJ is up against 5 of the most talented magical people of his generation.   It shouldn't be a cakewalk.~Jim

DTMC924 posted a comment on Thursday 31st January 2008 6:43pm for Every Rose has a Thorn

WOW. I am following both turn me loose and this story and honestly all I can say is wow. I loved the concept of the broom race and the fact that Harry didn't win. I like the twist with Flamel's penseive also. Can't wait for the next chapter. Laterz

JBern replied:

Thanks for taking the time to review.   I hope I can continue to deliver consistent quality with my stories.~Jim

Ravenclawchaser68 posted a comment on Tuesday 29th January 2008 12:16pm for Every Rose has a Thorn

I thought you handled the broom race quite well. The rings they had to fly through provided a bit of structure to it, and I like how it played out. The scene with Fleur in the forest was certainly entertaining, and I really want to see more interaction between the hat and Hermione. There's some real potential there. Overall, another great chapter. I don't mind about the order of chapters for this and TML, as they're both fantastic stories. Whatever you feel like writing is fine with me.
Jay

JBern replied:

Thanks.   I'm picturing the Hat corrupting Hermione.   Anyone ever seen a foul mouthed Hermione Granger?~Jim

warpwizard posted a comment on Monday 28th January 2008 12:23pm for Every Rose has a Thorn

I really enjoyed this chapter. One thing that sets this fic apart for me, among "retake" type fics, is that I know you won't have Harry always win, so I have a genuine interest in how the various Triwizard events go. It's more of a "plot" fic, which is good because the likeability factor of the characters is way down. :)

I liked the bit with Pronghorn Harry visiting Nekkid Fleur. More! :)

JBern replied:

Where's the fun if HJ sweeps the competition.   That's not interesting.   What's wrong with my characters?   Why aren't they likeable!!!!   You mean to tell me a sports phenom who'll do anything to win, a stuck up wench who shields herself with rudeness and a boy with the memories of his father who's taking ettiquette lessons from the crudest object ever created aren't likeable!~Jim

MonkeyAxman1302 posted a comment on Monday 28th January 2008 7:14am for Every Rose has a Thorn

Brilliant chapter. The broom race really worked well. I like the fact that your adding the idea of a staff duel. You've made HJ incredibly powerful so it seemed that the duels would be far to easy for him and adding a task that would be heavily influenced by physical strength balances that very nicely.
The idea of the new task with collecting the dagger is very interesting too.
The scene with Fleur was also very good.
Thanks for writing, can't wait for more.
Monkey

JBern replied:

The staff duel will have a magical component to it.   In many stories, staves are the ultimate in coolness.   Many people do the comparison between pistols (wands) and high powered rifles (staves).   Instead, I'm going to be contrasting pistols versus musket loaders.   Staves are crude wands that were affordable to everyone when wands were not.

Hope that piques your interst.~Jim

Rebel Goddess posted a comment on Monday 28th January 2008 4:47am for Every Rose has a Thorn

As always, so good to see this continued. LOL at the whole "surprising a wood nymph while bathing" beginning. I love the way Harry decides to exploit the moment and you clearly revelled in writing "naked Fleur". I suspect Harry will be feeling frustrated for some time. Absolutely appropriate use of the word "shag" too.

You're clearly enjoying the James-part of Harry's mind in this chapter. "Any near death experience older than a month is fodder for jokes" is one of your greatest ever lines. LOL.

Nice line about Krum beating a boy or losing to one. The broom race is wonderful, reminding me of watching Formula 1 racing (bit like Nascar but with more expensive cars), where strategy is as important as speed. Excellent.

Loved the reasoning behind house elves. It even makes logical sense. Can't wait to see what you do with the duels and the Puzzle Room. As always, you've clearly put a lot of thought into the tasks and how they'll work. Fantastic chapter as always. More please.

JBern replied:

What's wrong with a little wood nymph scene?   Apparently, the only constant in my stories is that Harry in each story has seen Fleur naked.   I guess that'll have to be a running gag.

Glad you continue to leave insightful reviews.~Jim

CosmosGravitation posted a comment on Sunday 27th January 2008 7:58am for Every Rose has a Thorn

I was pleasantly surprised to find this chapter waiting for me. Not to long ago I noticed you had posted on the DLP board that you had yet to start writing the next chapter of Turn Me Loose so I figured it would be at least a week or two before I'd get to read more of your writing. Now I find not only more of your writing, but writing for my favorite fanfic story.

A strong chapter. Writing and such was up to your usual quality.

The opening scene where Harry stumbled across Fleur may have been a little to convenient. Not that it couldn't happen, just that the scene is a product of random chance instead of a natural progression of the characters. That's okay, just not quite as interesting to me. Although, I suppose just about any device used to get Harry to slightly warm up to Fleur might come across like that at this point. Besides, if it's one thing canon Harry had, it's luck.

The race was good. I like that Harry lost via cheating. Just will make it that much more sweet when Harry kicks Krum's ass in dueling. I assume if there's any event Harry will dominate it will be dueling. Not that it will be a cake walk, but I'm thinking he should win the wand dueling. Memories of a professional dueler and all that.

Some good interaction in this chapter all around. Harry seems to have mellowed a bit from the earlier chapters, which is good. I wonder if the Sorting Hat will be able to put Hermione off House Elves. Curious to see if you're going to do anything with Melinda.

A Pensieve is a pretty nice reward for a task in the tournament. I don't remember, did you establish how much those cost? Is the reward for the entire tournament 1k gallons?

Keep up the good work. If you have trouble getting through the next chapter of Turn Me Loose again, I for one won't complain if you work on the next chapter of this one.

JBern replied:

Thanks.   Right now I haven't really settled on the reason for the extra prizes.   There are 2 possibilities - 1 is marketing has really started to take a hold in the Wizarding World and with this being the first TWT in over 400 years everyone is using it as a vehicle to market themselves with the exception of the Pensieve which was donated by Flamel's widow.

The second option is that the fund that pays for the TWT has been doing nothing but gaining interest for the last 400+ years and they have a ridiculous amount of money to throw at the innaugural tournament.   I'm inclined to go with #1.

Thanks for the long review.   Now I must get back to TML.~Jim

verdant posted a comment on Saturday 26th January 2008 6:56pm for Every Rose has a Thorn

Another winner!

HJ is getting pretty devious these days, huh? I hope Fleur softens toward him soon, and that HJ doesn't screw up his chances with her. Hah, I won't hold my breath though!

Can't wait for the next installment!

JBern replied:

Where's the fun for the readers if HJ doesn't screw things up a bit?

Jim

Jason9 posted a comment on Saturday 26th January 2008 5:55pm for Every Rose has a Thorn

Another great chapter, love the Hat's personality and that all the characters in this story have a real depth, even if they are only seen in a minor roll. This complexity it one of the things that makes all of your stories such wonderful reads. Personally, a little more clarification or description would be nice as far as the broom race scene is considered, or maybe I just don't grasp the concept well. All in all, seeing your stories updated is often the highlight of my fanfic week, and I can't wait for the next installment of Turn Me Loose.

JBern replied:

Thanks.   TML 5 is in progress.   Look for it in 1-2 weeks.~Jim

Killedbykarma posted a comment on Saturday 26th January 2008 5:25pm for Every Rose has a Thorn

Fun. Fire. Can't WAIT to see the staff fights and HJ's visits to Fleur. XD

JBern replied:

Glad you liked it.~Jim

Prince Charon posted a comment on Saturday 26th January 2008 12:56pm for Every Rose has a Thorn

Very interesting, much moreso than the book.

Thank you for updating.

More soon, please.

JBern replied:

Thanks.   3-4 weeks for the next installent of this one.~Jim