Bad Fanfiction

[jklinders]

Jul 8, 2010 1:12:47 GMT 1 ommadawn said:

;D

Still looking for a tea towel to wipe the egg from my face.

[Tillian Panthesis]

Even though I've stumbled a lot of questionable fan fics in the late while I was "doing" research, there's one thing that made me pondered.

Why people seem to judgmental and harsh when it comes to fan fics?

While you can get away with fan art because people seem to appreciate the different sorts of aesthetics to the point being forgiving, if you made a slight mistake on a fan fic ( mean a grammar wise in a minor sort of a way) people will call you out immediately. No, this has nothing do to with anyone on this forums, reason why I've asked this because I've ran into other communities on LJ and they tend to point and laugh at most of the fan fics with the grammar errors that seem to be minor, compare to the other shit that have also flooding on ff.net.

So yeah...

[Battlechantress]

I don't think there's any one answer. It probably boils down to some or all of the following: insecurity, maybe jealousy, and maybe even people just being hypocritical and clueless to boot.

[moonlight]

Nov 25, 2009 8:31:25 GMT 1 Tillian Panthesis said:

Anyways speaking of that, does usually crossover fics ended up shit? I know it's a good chance it will ended up as a craptacular mess but by any chance is there a well written crossfic? Or hope is neigh?

Actually, good crossovers exist. I'm not even kidding. But it depends on what kind. The best crossfics are when the two universes are seamlessly blended together, not your typical 'xxx universe faction goes into unexplained, never elaborated on vortex to yyy's universe and WACKY HIJINKS ENSUE' and there's actually a great deal of thought put into combining the themes and concepts. If we go by Mass Effect, then there's one that I cannot ever not mention and that's Renegade by Peptuck. It's pretty much the definition of a crossfic done right, in my honest opinion (although you might need to know a thing or two about C&C to understand some stuff). It's even got these awesome 'Codex' entries at the bottom that elaborate on the politics, technology and other stuff.

[jklinders]

I was about to write a supremely stupid set of speculations when I stopped and realized that the reason people are so crabby about fan fic is almost certainly a difference in opinion on the interpretation of canon characters. Or if the writer had the temerity to only work with original characters in the fictional universe people will crab about that.

Fanboys(or fangirls) can be a tough crowd. Especially if they still have some growing up to do.

[lieden]

Aug 20, 2010 3:50:17 GMT 1 Tillian Panthesis said:

Why people seem to judgmental and harsh when it comes to fan fics?

Perhaps because they can? Given the interactive nature of fan fiction (comments/reviews), it's only natural to receive all sorts of input. Also, fan fiction has a bit of an (undeclared) workshop status, and fan fic writers tend to be young-ish. So it's likely that people feel more entitled to be unsparing in their criticism. Anonymity probably helps, too.

On the side, I think it's an oversimplification (or even false consolation!) to dismiss harsh criticism as a result of insecurity and jealously. I'm not ruling these out as motives, but more often than not, if someone points out that something is off in a story, it is off.

[Battlechantress]

I brought up insecurity and jealousy in the case of nastier comments/reviews that I've seen (sorry, I should have clarified that when I wrote it).

[Nemonus]

I could go on a long time about the inequality between fan artists and fan writers, but I also wish to make the point that--and please, no one kill me for this, it's my personal experience--LJ is not the most forgiving and understanding of places.

I used to be the person who would jump on the smallest grammar mistake. I saw it as an entirely unnecessary thing. I don't think grammar comes down to skill. We all speak English, unless of course it is not our native language in which case none of this applies. I saw leaving grammar issues in internet-published fiction as a case of someone being too lazy to beta out.

I also have -- and had worse, a long time ago-- the tendency to sound harsher than I intend. We aren't all taught to pad critique with praise.

Anonymity and age probably also have a lot to do with nasty reviews.

[Tillian Panthesis]

Those are very interesting and thoughtful answers.

And btw, wall of text incoming.

While there are trollers who have nothing better to do than make people cry by giving them a flaming review, I'm more interested with the ones who giving a harsh critique in the review, in a state of honesty. It's quite interesting how fan fictions are going into a workshop state at the moment. I think it's due to two things.

One is the web 2.0, where anyone can interact and voice their opinions around the globe as long they have the internet connection, hence the opportunity to turn the review section into a workshop due to technology that allows them communicate in realtime. Also counting the fact that now days, we're taking this interaction between the author and the reader granted, since back then we don't even have the option to voice our opinion to the writer. It used to be a one way street when it comes to media communication, where we can only receive the information and suck it up, while the author shows off it's authoritative stance due to being privilege of being published. With the web 2.0, it's a two way street now. If we see something that rubs us the wrong way, we can bitch about it in a second. Or 'discussing' the flaws with the author, telling them to fix on which section, hence similar to a workshop.

The 2nd reason is that we're living in a post-modernism era where we are free to form one's opinion and share it on the table... according to philosophy. Back then, after someone sees a movie with a friend, they go home quietly, without any sort of discussion about the movie since they are all in the same 'mindset'. Nowdays, as soon you step out of the cinema with a friend, what is the first thing you do? The both of you say 'wtf' before engaging into a discussion, where you're voicing your own opinions and arguements. Same goes to fan fics. It's a two way street discussion and arguements between the reader and the author, not like the old days where you publish something and moved on.

Now I've got my vent box about fan fiction in a workshop status out of the way, I've do agree with the other things why people seem to be so crabby with fan fics, especially with the fandom.

JKlinders did brought up about the different interpretations being a mismatch between the author and the reader. I've haven't got into reading other fandom besides ME and a bit of Warcraft. I've admit that, but personally writing a 'in-character' of Commander Shepard is hard, especially if the player character in the question was designed to be vague enough so the player can fit their shoes in. So there's bound to be an opportunity for someone call the author out for 'misinterpreting' the character. And don't get me started on other interpretation and sub-text that seem to have ho-yay elements in-game that spawned the other 'what-if' fics. (Kaidan and Shepard *cough*)

And of course, thanks for reminding me about the fandom's age can be young and quick to judge at times, hence the really pissed off reviews, clean-up agents fic and the farce MST. As TV tropes put it, "Most fan fic writers are girls... and young too."

[lieden]

I don't see a problem with receiving input on something published without the intention of reworking on it. Any critique can be carried over to the next project and enhance it.

Also, to be honest, I've yet to encounter, first-hand, a downright mean, scathingly critical review, so I'm not sure we're referring to the same thing. I'd say on FF.net they're non-existent, for one thing!

So, specifically, what do you think would be more appropriate? I think a big part of fanfiction is indeed the comments readers leave on each fic, and like you said, people ineract with content and with each other much more overall; they're direct and outspoken on the web than they would (or could) be years ago offline. Should those comments be more appreciative? (should they be solely appreciative?) Should critique be more gentle and considerate of the author's feelings?

[Tillian Panthesis]

To be honest, I've prefer the critique to be more honest and constructive, a big plus if they add a long detailed review on why this fiction is flawed and how should it be fixed, etc, etc. As much as I've like nice reviews, but I've prefer a review where someone writes how a proper review about the good and bad bits of the story, I don't enjoyed being praised by someone without a solid reasoning behind it.

Also, having people interact and critique the story is good thing imo, especially if they being policed by more blunt reviewers. We're going to need that in this day and age, given how S. Meyer brawls like a big baby, it's about time we readers and reviewers have the right to slap the writer over the head if they have gone too far like Meyer and Lurell K Hamington.

As for running into a downright mean and scathingly reviews, I've seen the worse of them while traveling into the far corners of the internet. So far, I'm being blessed that not many ME fan fictions have reach to the point where people took the pissed or being listed under "So bad, It's Horrible" section within TV tropes. Although, someone did a really scathing review of a ME fic before, which is still listed within our forums...

[Mr. Glow]

I'm nominating 'Unknown Author's' sensitively titled Assassin's Creed fanfic: 'Whore House: A BACKSTABBER?' for this thread. It has to be one off the worst fanfics I've ever read, yet it seems just good enough to not be a troll fic.

The highlights include:

Rosa, a thief from Venice, going to Paola, who runs a brothel in Florence for relationship advice. Those cities are at least 200 miles apart, and this is 1488, so I don't think she used Skype.

Rosa, back from her presumably week long journey to Florence, manages to work up the courage to ask Ezio out, so they go to the Amassin's Buro for dinner. I can only assume the Author meant 'Assassin's Bureau', unless the Buro is some Renaissance nightclub I've never heard of.

Two things wrong with that (three, if you count restaurants not being invented yet.) First, there haven't been any Bureaus since Altair took the order underground in the 13th century, And second, Ezio and Rosa went here:



...For a romantic dinner?

Author's Note: I don't own any of the rights to Assassin's Creed, according to Unknown Author, that would be PLAYSTATION THREE. Not Ubisoft, or even Sony, an actual games console is apparently the legal owner of the series.

[Nemonus]

I do think people take the feedback system for granted now, and also that as a writer I for one enjoy that system immensely. I would be a very different writer if I hadn't been raised (okay, gone through high school) with the thousand-monkey feedback system of the internet. Having people follow your story is a great way to know that you're entertaining (or not), and it really is a workshop at your fingertips, albeit one with no qualifications to get in.

I like the point that was brought up about people discussing movies as well. That's definitely something that I take for granted, that part of the fun of a movie is talking about it afterward with friends, really picking it apart. Is that a modern phenomena?

[Tillian Panthesis]

I'm still burnt from see a fan fic that landed onto the So Bad, It's Horrible Fan Fiction section on TV Tropes, that happens to be under the Mass Effect fandom. I know it's a matter of time till one of the fan fics from ME will ended up having the dishonour to be put into the hall of shame, but still it kinda hurts me a little.

The fic in the question was this: www.fanfiction.net/s/5786891/1/A_Story_of_Our_Lives

I've did read most of it through, I have to say it's not the worse of the bunch, as it TV Tropes said it. While I do admit the writing quality isn't so bad, she would be a decent writer if she was aware the elements that make a fan fic turned sour. I've seen it worse but it still annoying enough that I'm going to have to rant about it. And I thought my snarking MST days are over. Apprently it's not, sadly. I've tried to act mature and keep calm about this but I failed. So here are the highlights I've managed to read so far before I gave up for now.

1. Human/drell hybrid babies. Shepard had a little nudger from Thane. How does it work? I don't recall having hybrid babies in the ME universe and the closest thing you can get is a non-pureblood asari. This is not Toril or World of Warcraft damn it!

2. Speaking of that, this author didn't do any homework about the ME lore. Feron as Thane's brother. *facepalm*

3. Character Derailment. The usual faults that you see in most fan fics written by teens that was going though motions 'amateur" fan fic writers. However, three notable ones are Kaidan Alenko who turns into a psychopathic stalker in the likes of Edward Cullen but worse, Kolat, who turns into a bratty little boy and of all people.... EDI! I cannot believe you can derail an AI in an impossible way. And that leaves us to...

4. Idiot Ball. Seriously EDI is holding the idiot ball to an impossible level! Look, in the ME universe, EDI wouldn't allow any old crook walking into the Normandy, let alone having some as dangerous as Cullen!Kaidan into to Shepard's private quarters. Even something did happen in the ship, wouldn't EDI set up a defense mechanism or something? Remember AI stands for "Artificial Intelligence" not "Artificial Idiotic"

Those are my rants. And no, it doesn't feel like an AU fiction. She's using that genre as an excuse to write the characters the way she wanted. Also, one of my pet peeves with most ME fan fiction is turning FemShep into a whiny submissive bitch chick. Personally the reason why I like FemShep in-game is mainly due to her dominance attitude, like she's a type of person who would put a boot on some guy for giving her the wrong look. Well it's my interpretation. anyways here's a picture that sums up about this fic.

[Mister Buch]

I like that picture

I still think you're being a bit hard on that fic. I mean it's bad, but not horrible!