History YMMV / TheHillOfSwords

* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: Thanks to FollowTheLeader after this story made waves, the plot that was once really unusual and a major draw for readers is now the first one used for all ''Literature/TheFamiliarOfZero'' {{fanfic}}s ever.

* FridgeHorror: When the comparison of Shirou to Lancelot is made. So, ''LightNovel/FateZero'''s [[TheBerserker Berserker]] has [[InstantExpert the power to take control of any weapon he lays his hands on]], and he's fixated on Saber...

* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: Thanks to FollowTheLeader after this story made waves, the plot that was once really unusual and a major draw for readers is now the first one used for all ''LightNovel/TheFamiliarOfZero'' {{fanfic}}s ever.
* TheyCopiedItSoItSucks: A common criticism is that the story is essentially the same as ''LightNovel/TheFamiliarOfZero'', but with a cooler protagonist. This springs from the fact that most of the major plot points from the original light novel are essentially copied, with very little divergence despite Shirou's presence.

* BetterThanCanon: Some among the fandom see the story as better than ''LightNovel/TheFamiliarOfZero'' in [[strike:nearly]] every way.

* TearJerker: The entire end of the second story arc (Chapter 14). [[spoiler: Shirou's LastStand and HeroicSacrifice. Louise's realization after having a normal dream, rather than a [[BadDreams dream-cycle dream]]. And worst of all, [[DeathSeeker Shirou]]'s [[LittleNo re]][[RapidFireNo ac]][[BigNo tion]] to Tiffania [[UnwantedRevival resurrecting]] him]].

** The Zero Fighter. No wonder no woman can seduce him his love is only for weapons of mass destruction

* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: Thank to FollowTheLeader, the plot that was once really unusual is now the first one used for all ''LightNovel/TheFamiliarOfZero'' {{fanfic}}s ever.

* TheyCopiedItSoItSucks: A common criticism is that the story is essentially the same as ''LightNovel/TheFamiliarOfZero'', but with a cooler protagonist.

* BrickJoke: "Alright, Root. That does it. All the other stuff, I could handle in time. But now I have to worry about having unauthorized porn of me circling the country as well?" This gets even funnier when you've read ''Fanfic/InFlight''.

* ColbertBump: When it first showed up in a Fanfic Recommendations thread over on [[http://forums.spacebattles.com/forumdisplay.php?f=18 the [=SpaceBattles=] Creative Writing forum]], few if any of the locals had heard of ''LightNovel/TheFamiliarOfZero''. Much awesomeness and [[http://forums.spacebattles.com/showthread.php?t=176343 a well-placed plot bunny thread]] later, [=ZnT=] fics -- especially copycat crossover ideas based on "Louise summons ______ instead of Saito" -- more or less took over the forum for a couple of years.

* ColbertBump: When it first showed up in a Fanfic Recommendations thread over on [[http://forums.spacebattles.com/forumdisplay.php?f=18 the [=SpaceBattles=] Creative Writing forum]], few if any of the locals had heard of ''LightNovel/TheFamiliarOfZero''. Much awesomeness and [[http://forums.spacebattles.com/showthread.php?t=176343 a well-placed plot bunny thread]] later, [=ZnT=] fics -- especially copycat crossover ideas based on "Louise summons ______ instead of Saito" -- have more or less taken over the forum.

* BrickJoke: "Alright, Root. That does it. All the other stuff, I could handle in time. But now I have to worry about having unauthorized porn of me circling the country as well?" This gets even funnier when you've read InFlight.

* LoveItOrHateIt: The {{fandom}} loves it because they see the alternate familiar as much cooler than Saito, while the {{hatedom}} hates it because they see Shirō as mischaracterized and think the fandom hates on Saito too much.
** Some of this is addressed in the author's notes at the start of each chapter, mostly concerning whether Shirou is overpowered or underpowered compared to his ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'' self, the relation to ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'' {{Canon}} (which the author clearly explained as being an alternate universe where parts of the the Unlimited Blade Works route seeped into the Fate route so the author could use a Shirou x Saber pairing while having UBW's better character development and magic for Shirou), and some admittedly OutOfCharacter bits (Shirou has never sworn on the Root or really said much at all about the Root of the World in the entire Fate franchise so fans of the VisualNovel find it off-putting).
** The debates over whether this Shirou is overpowered or not largely center on the FinalBattle and how it kinda sorta totally breaks the rules of the Fate setting in half. In order, Shirou...1) [[spoiler: uses Unlimited Blade Works (which he doesn't have anywhere close to enough mana to use and required a huge donation of mana from Rin to use which he doesn't have here)]], 2) [[spoiler: uses Avalon inside UBW (while Shirou can project a perfect Avalon, it only works using Saber's mana and would be completely useless unless he had an active contract with Saber)]], and 3) [[spoiler: uses Excalibur (even if we assume it is Excalibur Image - an incomplete version since he can't Trace the real thing - actually using it would kill him instantly as he doesn't have enough mana]].

* CargoShip: Shirou's reaction to Derflinger had shades of this.
--> "Shirou," Louise said, her eye twitching, and her fists clenched as she eyed me strangely. "I'm glad you like the sword, but could you please stop rubbing your cheek against it? It's disturbing."
** The Zero Fighter too. No wonder no woman can seduce him his love is only for weapons of mass destruction
--> "I gave into the urge myself, and embraced the machine guns. "Oh! The armies we'll slaughter together!" I crooned, rubbing my face against the weapons."

** Some of this is addressed in the author's notes at the start of each chapter, mostly concerning whether Shirou is overpowered or underpowered compared to his FateStayNight self, the relation to FateStayNight {{Canon}} (which the author clearly explained as being an alternate universe where parts of the the Unlimited Blade Works route seeped into the Fate route so the author could use a Shirou x Saber pairing while having UBW's better character development and magic for Shirou), and some admittedly OutOfCharacter bits (Shirou has never sworn on the Root or really said much at all about the Root of the World in the entire Fate franchise so fans of the VisualNovel find it off-putting).

* TearJerker: The entire end of the second story arc (Chapter 14). [[spoiler: Shirou's LastStand and HeroicSacrifice. Louise's realization after having a normal dream, rather than a [[BadDreams dream-cycle dream]]. And worst of all, [[DeathSeeker Shirou]]'s [[LittleNo reac]][[BigNo tion]] to Tiffania [[UnwantedRevival resurrecting]] him]].

* BetterThanCanon: Some among the fandom see the story as better than ''LightNovel/ZeroNoTsukaima'' in [[strike:nearly]] every way.

* ColbertBump: When it first showed up in a Fanfic Recommendations thread over on [[http://forums.spacebattles.com/forumdisplay.php?f=18 the [=SpaceBattles=] Creative Writing forum]], few if any of the locals had heard of ''LightNovel/ZeroNoTsukaima''. Much awesomeness and [[http://forums.spacebattles.com/showthread.php?t=176343 a well-placed plot bunny thread]] later, [=ZnT=] fics -- especially copycat crossover ideas based on "Louise summons ______ instead of Saito" -- have more or less taken over the forum.

* HilariousInHindsight: The 2012 ''Zero no Tsukaima'' anime gives us, for the first time, [[spoiler:Disintegration]] Void Magic. Several years after it appeared in this fic.

* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: Thank to FollowTheLeader, the plot that was once really unusual is now the first one used for all ''LightNovel/ZeroNoTsukaima'' {{fanfic}}s ever.

* TheyCopiedItSoItSucks: A common criticism is that the story is essentially the same as ''LightNovel/ZeroNoTsukaima'', but with a cooler protagonist.

* ColbertBump: When it first showed up in a Fanfic Recommendations thread over on [[http://forums.spacebattles.com/forumdisplay.php?f=18 the [=SpaceBattles=] Creative Writing forum]], few if any of the locals had heard of ''LightNovel/{{Zero no Tsukaima}}''. Much awesomeness and [[http://forums.spacebattles.com/showthread.php?t=176343 a well-placed plot bunny thread]] later, [=ZnT=] fics -- especially copycat crossover ideas based on "Louise summons ______ instead of Saito" -- have more or less taken over the forum.

* HilariousInHindsight: The 2012 ZeroNoTsukaima anime gives us, for the first time, [[spoiler: Disintegration]] Void Magic. Several years after it appeared in this fic.

* TheyCopiedItSoItSucks: A common criticism is that the story is essentially the same as ZeroNoTsukaima, but with a cooler protagonist.

* TheyCopiedItSoItSucks: A common criticism is that the story is essentially the same, but with a cooler protagonist.

* ItsTheSameNowItSucks: A common criticism is that the story is essentially the same, but with a cooler protagonist.

* TearJerker: The entire end of the second story arc (Chapter 14). [[spoiler: Shirou's LastStand and HeroicSacrifice. Louise's realization after having a normal dream, rather than a [[BadDreams dream-cycle dream]]. And worst of all, [[DeathSeeker Shirou]]'s [[LittleNo reac]][[BigNo tion]] to Tiffania [[UnwantedRevival resurrecting]] him]].

* HilariousInHindsight: The 2012 ZeroNoTsukaima anime gives us, for the first time, [[spoiler: Disintegration]] Void Magic. Several years after it appeared in this fic.

* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: Thank to FollowTheLeader, the plot who was really unusual is now the first one used for all ''LightNovel/ZeroNoTsukaima'' {{fanfic}}s ever.

* BetterThanCanon: This story is better than ''LightNovel/ZeroNoTsukaima'' in [[strike:nearly]] every way.

* TearJerker: The entire end of the second story arc (Chapter 14). [[spoiler: Shirou's LastStand and HeroicSacrifice. Louise's realisation after having a normal dream, rather than a [[BadDreams dream-cycle dream]]. And worst of all, Shirou's [[LittleNo reac]][[BigNo tion]] to Tiffania [[CruelToBeKind resurrecting]] him]].

** Hell, this actually might as well be an AdaptationDistillation or an out-and-out FixFic.

* HilariousInHindsight: The 2012 ZeroNoTsukaima anime gives us, for the first time, the [[spoiler: Desintegration]] Void Magic. Several years after it appeared in this fic.

* HilariousInHindsight: The 2012 ZeroNoTsukaima anime gives us, for the first time, the [[spoiler: Disintigration]] Void Magic. Several years after it appeared in this fic.

* BetterThanCanon: This story is better than ZeroNoTsukaima in [[strike:nearly]] every way.

* ColbertBump: When it first showed up in a Fanfic Recommendations thread over on [[http://forums.spacebattles.com/forumdisplay.php?f=18 the [=SpaceBattles=] Creative Writing forum]], few if any of the locals had heard of {{Zero no Tsukaima}}. Much awesomeness and [[http://forums.spacebattles.com/showthread.php?t=176343 a well-placed plot bunny thread]] later, [=ZnT=] fics -- especially copycat crossover ideas based on "Louise summons ______ instead of Saito" -- have more or less taken over the forum.
* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: Thank to FollowTheLeader, the plot who was really unusual is now the first one used for all ZeroNoTsukaima {{fanfic}}s ever.