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| Acmlm's Board - I3 Archive - Writing - Fanfiction Cliches |
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Proto K Gator                   Since: 11-17-05 From: New Brunswick, Canada Last post: 6300 days Last view: 6295 days |
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| This is a thread to list some of the most common (and annoying) cliches to be found in some fanfiction. Some stuff I stumble across often are usually things like the following:
- The most common in any type of fanfiction is the dreaded "Mary Sue". In general, this is a wish-fantasy character that is everything that the author wishes he/she could be. This new character is very powerful, beautiful, intelligent and is well-liked (and often loved) by the main characters, and often is the key to defeating the Big Bad Evil in that universe. - Mary Sues aren't limited to original characters. Sometimes, a main character can be warped by the author's twisted intentions to become nearly someone else entirely, often having powers and intelligence that they normally never have ("Out of Character", just another way of saying that this is basically a new character entirely with the same name). Besides Mary Sues, certain stories have cliches that are used too often. Here are a few from Harry Potter (may contain spoilers): Harry Potter: - Harry being the Heir of Something and gaining obscene powers that dwarf everyone else in the series, thereby becoming a Mary Sue himself. Despite this, it still takes 30+ chapters before he finally kills Voldemort. - Harry going back in time after he's killed Voldemort (in the first chapter), because he thinks he can make everything better. - Harry having a twin brother that is mistakenly hailed as the "Boy-Who-Lived", which leads to his parents neglecting him. - Hermione going back in time to 1971-1977 somehow and falling in love with Sirius or Remus. Spoiler:
- Harry as possibly being the sixth Horcrux. Usually revealed only late in the story even though you know it's been coming. Sailor Moon: - New Sailor Senshi. 90% of the time, these are Mary Sues. - Usagi being betrayed by the Senshi and Mamoru. Sometimes, this doesn't include the Outer Senshi (Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto) who either take her in or help in some other way. - Rei (Mars) yelling a lot at Usagi, often multiple times in one scene. It's not to say that all fanfiction is bad, but for every one good story to read you'll most likely have to sort through nine other stories of crap, especially at places like fanfiction.net. Some stories with cliches are actually good if used correctly, but most of the time they aren't. Also, if you begin reading a story and immediately notice horribly bad spelling or grammar, you should get out while you're ahead.. it's probably not going to get any better. All that aside.. what are some other cliches you've seen often? This doesn't have to be for a certain story-- it can also be fanfiction in general. (edited by Proto K on 01-28-07 03:28 PM) |
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Silvershield   580   Since: 11-19-05 From: Emerson, New Jersey Last post: 6308 days Last view: 6296 days |
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Might I suggest some spoiler tags for the Harry Potter points? I've never read the books myself, and truly do not intend to, but just out of courtesy for others who may be different from myself  .
One thing that annoys me is something that I see in virtually every piece of fan-generated content I've ever seen, and even transcends media so that it is just as common in video games and other such outlets. That is, the hero or villain who is the ultimate badass. You know the type. He wears all black, often a cape, has long hair, is physically large and imposing, speaks softly and rarely, is called "a loner," is emotionally troubled in some way...but is, of course, immensely powerful. I'm tired of the archetype. You can only see so many Sephiroth-inspired heroes and villains before you simply decide to never read fan fiction again. Can nobody create a character with more than one dimension? Am I totally off-base here, or is anyone else familiar with that character type? Is anyone else tired of it? |
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Proto K Gator Since: 11-17-05 From: New Brunswick, Canada Last post: 6300 days Last view: 6295 days |
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| There was only one point there that could be considered a potential "spoiler", so I fixed it.
As for the character type you mention.. it is basically another type of Mary Sue / Gary Stu which I don't tend to see as often, but still very annoying. What's even worse is when this is done to a main character by the author. When you change a main character so radically and suddenly so that they are nowhere near the same as they used to be, all you've done is create an original character and slap a main character's name on it. Unless something significant is given to describe just why this character is now different (usually by some tragedy), it won't work well. I've read stories where a main character is suddenly changed in the first few paragraphs with almost no reason given. I read a Sailor Moon story not too long ago that had a "Sephiroth-Type" original character. He was tall, dark, brooding, and immensely powerful (could outmatch ANY of the Senshi and all of the Dark Kingdom).. and very polite. At the end, he basically destroys the future or something like that.. I really only skimmed over the story but read enough to find the stereotype. Most original characters should be locked into a vault somewhere and never seen or heard from again.  |
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Rom Manic Since: 12-18-05 From: Detroit, WHAT?! Last post: 6295 days Last view: 6295 days |
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| What about the one where there are a set number of objects which are needed to defeat your greatest enemy who just killed your family and/or girlfriend and/or the woman you secretly love, and must have vengeance and a holy spirit told you to collect these items to defeating the enemy because IT IS THE ONLY WAY. | |||
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Silvershield 580 Since: 11-19-05 From: Emerson, New Jersey Last post: 6308 days Last view: 6296 days |
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| Or, to expand on that, the way an evil wizard / malevolent emperor / all-around nasty guy can only be defeated by a particular magical sword / chosen hero / arbitrary plot device. It's a plot cliche that's been done to death.
Not to mention what's probably in my top five pet peeves. Namely, a protagonist whose parents were killed when he was a child, and he watched them suffer and die and pledged to avenge them when he matures. I've seen it around eighteen million times, and it never gets any better. |
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Schweiz oder etwas [12:55] (Dr_Death16); I swear, the word drama needs to be stricken from the dictionary, for I've heard it so many times, it will permanently be imprinted on my brain  Since: 11-17-05 From: Kingston, Rhode Island Last post: 6296 days Last view: 6296 days |
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| The first rule of fanfiction is, in large, brilliant red letters,
NO RELATIONSHIPS OUTSIDE THE SOURCE MATERIAL!!! I am, in large part, enraged to see loads of crappy, terrible fanfiction written in the name of placing an original character (typically a self-insertion character) in a relationship with a character from any kind of previously written media, thereby completely destroying the series canon. Typically self-insertion characters are Mary Sues in and of themselves, in an attempt to make the author feel better about him or herself. I'll make many inflammatory remarks about people who are desperate to be seen as legends in their own mind, and I'll make twice as many for people who do it multiple times, masking it with the idea of some kind of continuity of their own that continues to rape the original content's canon mercilessly. I do not like fanfiction. |
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Proto K Gator Since: 11-17-05 From: New Brunswick, Canada Last post: 6300 days Last view: 6295 days |
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| Not all fanfiction is bad, but you have to know how to sort through the rubbish. Avoid reading a fanfic if:
- If you notice any self-insert reference in the summary. The most common is "being sucked into" something. Nearly all self-insert fanfics are lame, and the author's character is usually a Mary Sue. - If you notice a lot of bad spelling or grammar in the summary, or in the first page of the fanfic. - If the fanfic is a crossover with another fiction series. Very rarely do two different fiction media blend well together.. one side is usually favored and overpowered over the other. - If the fanfic has nothing to do with the series canon, except the names and likenesses of the main characters ("Highschool" fanfics, and others). Those points are pretty much only for looking over the summary or the first page of a story, to try and immediately tell if a fanfic is not worth reading. You always take a gamble when you try to read any fanfic, warning signs or not. |
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C`aos Porcupo  Since: 03-02-06 From: AB, Canada Last post: 6297 days Last view: 6297 days |
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| When someone realizes there's this great wide fandom out there for them to contribute to, the general consensus is to either write about 'MY PRESENCE CAN MAKE THIS ALL BETTER' or 'WOW WHAT IF X AND Y MET LOL'.
I know. I was like this once. My first fic was a crossover. I thought it was the greatest thing since sliced bread then, but reading it a year later almost made me vomit. I hope I've learned something since then however, as I still do write them. I don't deal with combining whole universes. There's a zillion things that could go wrong with that. If I don't have a Bachelor of Fine Arts specializing in Gundam, I will not pretend I do and destroy the entire canon in the process. For me it's more interesting and far easier to throw characters in original 'melting pot' situations, after carefully studying X and Y, and A and B and Z perhaps, and determining how their personalities/powers/backgrounds would make them interact with oneanother, using that as a secondary means to guide a plot. Of course like Proto said there is the possibility of one/some characters gaining more 'screen time' than others, this is something I try to avoid. If I want to use a character or place, I try to make sure I have enough canonical knowledge about it that I can use it as frequently and fluently as others. There's nothing wrong with original characters as long as they have enough glaring faults to make them human (or less than), either by being innately less powerful or being less than likeable. On the other hand I think it's perfectly legitimate for them to gain power, but they should be willing to go through hell to accomplish it, or gain other unresolved problems in the process. And of course, they shouldn't need the overwhelming support of the fandom characters to get anywhere, nor should the fandom characters have any great dependancy on him/her. |
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Silvershield 580 Since: 11-19-05 From: Emerson, New Jersey Last post: 6308 days Last view: 6296 days |
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Originally posted by C`aosI'd take this a step further and say that an original character is, in fact, better than one that's been lifted from a different source. You have far more control when the character is your own, and you don't have to worry about walking all over someone else's intellectual property. As far as a character gaining power: one of the hallmarks of a believable, well-written character is that he has the capacity to change over the course of a plotline. That traditionally means that his personality will shift in some way in response to his experiences, but it could certainly include an increase in power (whether that is physical power, or intellect, or whatever else). It should be backed up by legitimate plot points that would explain the transition, though, else you're just shifting the character on your own authorial whim. And that is Bad Form. |
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Proto K Gator Since: 11-17-05 From: New Brunswick, Canada Last post: 6300 days Last view: 6295 days |
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| Just for fun, I went to fanfiction.net on a Mary Sue hunt. I ignored any Humor or Parody category summaries (since those are intended by the author to be purposely bad), but found some others pretty quickly:
[WIP] US Air Force security police officer gets pulled into Middle Earth. What happens when she meets the man, opps elf, of her fantasies? LegOC. When a girl from our world suddenly is sucked into ME finding she is more than what she appears how will our young heroine adapt to this new strange world? LegolasOC pairing Three girls are taken to middle earth and dropped in Minas Tirith in the middle of a war. Will they get completely jaded, drive themselves insane or distance themselves off entirely. Or learn to love in a whole new way? Full summary inside. Michelle mets the twins in a horrible twist of fate and they have to decide whether or not to protect her from her self and mero. Title subject to change. Ensign Desrochers is a member of the crew of the Starship Voyager Ensign Desrochers is also an Omniversal traveler from an alternate reality undergoing tests to train him for some great destiny, Ensign Desrochers is now a father... R&R This is my first Doctor Who fan fic, set 2 years after Doomsday. The Doctor meets a new girl who is strange but captivating. He finds himself falling in love but can he bring himself to admit and can she admit the same fact? [AU]Connections are a dangerous thing. Especially for Mina, a young Canadian witch transferred to Hogwarts. When she befriends thirteen year old Harry Potter, she realizes she has two choices : control herself or hurt others. Rated T for safety. Sapphire's adventure to show courage. Along the way, she falls in love, got her first kiss, won her first ribbon, got her first badge, and finally found the friends she was looking for. You would think it would be easier to win a game of Pokemon, wouldn't you? Well that's what Rachel Pendragon thought before she was dragged into the game itself! This has become more than a game, it's life or death, and every turn counts. There's a new girl at school. She bumps into Usagi after her first day and they become friends. But suddenly the senshi are fighting again. And it seems that the new girl has a great secret! Who is she? Friend or Foe? Also the Starlights reappear! R&R! To the world, Sailor Moon is only a Japanese anime. But one August day, it becomes a way of life for four schoolgirls from Crystal Town, Illinois. With no help, they must master their powers and find the Moon Princess. I can't tell for sure just by the summaries, but they're not a good sign that the stories are any good. |
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PCD Octorok Since: 01-27-07 From: Krypton Frank Last post: 6296 days Last view: 6296 days |
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| Pretty much, I'm wary of any combination of original characters with canon ones. You see, having a fanfic with entirely pre-made character can work. A fanfic primarily centered around a unique character without much canon-character interaction (An original student at Hogwarts with little-to-no mention of Harry Potter? Unheard of!) has a lot more hope as well. Heck, even if you have your characters interact, but there is no romantic intwining, you've got a fighting chance.
These are not guarantees, but are a bit more likely to not make a sentient reader claw their eyes out. (...And that's what we call a run-on sentence.) Also, if they've got decent grammar--even just in their summary--it's a better chance. Pretty much the world's biggest warning sign: If the main character has "Long, raven hair, caramel-colored skin, and crystal blue eyes that told of a dark past." Seemingly creative but incredibly lame adjectives used to describe a character (Usually only ONE character, the main original, while others maybe get the color of their hair touched on) guarantees a horrible time. |
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PrincessPeach Buzzy Beetle  Since: 11-18-05 From: Rüti ZH Last post: 6303 days Last view: 6303 days |
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| "Oh My! Clichés", Kasumi said.
After exploiting the first Clichés of Fanfiction, reducing characters to catch lines, or, like in Ranma 1/2, to the persona at the end of the series. I would like to come to something completely different. There are some authors, which can pull those clichés of. Be it a crossover or just a self insert (I did once a SI too.. I'm not too fond of it now, but I created an original character, now It just needs a believable background). Anyone ever read someones worse days? I do not remember the author, but it was basically a self insert where God screwed with the author (It's a parody, go figure). A good fanfiction, or story, is where the characters get alive and the story just evolves, as in written by itself, instead of an author (would be good if it where so all the time, much more good fanfiction, but than we all had too too less time, no?). But the worst onces are: "Tis is my 1st fic, pls rr", or like Ozzallos has a nice guide in his profile about summaries, plot devices and grammar (And there are still authors out there, which can't even write the characters Names correctly all the time). |
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