When I first heard that Bpen was killing Points of Familiarity, I was rather sad because I'd grown to really like that fic. However, after just the opening of Surrogate, I knew Bpen had a winner on his hands, and boy, has he proven me right. The angle that Bpen has taken keeps the principal story of PoF intact (at least so far) while toning the angst down several notches and bouncing back and forth from comedic to serious quite frequently. Asuka is narrating the fic from inside Shinji's head (if you've read PoF, you'll know why she's there; not spoiling it otherwise) and her sarcasm and abrasiveness make for some truly hilarious commentary, especially when she's jawing at/with Shinji. Shinji is essentially the same here as in PoF, but a bit more stable and not quite as out-of-his-mind with despair, which makes for a more compelling character. The concept of who and what Shinji is is handled more clearly but in a way that makes it less intrusive than it was in PoF. I don't know much of anything about Zero No Tsukaima so I can't say much about Bpen's treatment of those characters, but Shinji's interactions with Louise are just as entertaining as they were in PoF.
To close, this is a highly recommended fic, and can be enjoyed without needing to read PoF. Give it a try; you won't be disappointed.
Better than its predecessor
When I first heard that Bpen was killing Points of Familiarity, I was rather sad because I'd grown to really like that fic. However, after just the opening of Surrogate, I knew Bpen had a winner on his hands, and boy, has he proven me right. The angle that Bpen has taken keeps the principal story of PoF intact (at least so far) while toning the angst down several notches and bouncing back and forth from comedic to serious quite frequently. Asuka is narrating the fic from inside Shinji's head (if you've read PoF, you'll know why she's there; not spoiling it otherwise) and her sarcasm and abrasiveness make for some truly hilarious commentary, especially when she's jawing at/with Shinji. Shinji is essentially the same here as in PoF, but a bit more stable and not quite as out-of-his-mind with despair, which makes for a more compelling character. The concept of who and what Shinji is is handled more clearly but in a way that makes it less intrusive than it was in PoF. I don't know much of anything about Zero No Tsukaima so I can't say much about Bpen's treatment of those characters, but Shinji's interactions with Louise are just as entertaining as they were in PoF.
To close, this is a highly recommended fic, and can be enjoyed without needing to read PoF. Give it a try; you won't be disappointed.