Fics You Like That Everyone Else Hates

[Comartemis]

Sometimes you run across a fic. It can be a good fic or a bad fic, but you like it and you think it's good. So you hit up a fanfiction forum to talk about said fic, only to find that nobody else thinks that fic is any good. You may even be laughed at or insulted for liking said fic, but in the worst cases people will assume you're just a troll and either say so or ignore you completely.

This is a thread for fics like that. And I'm going to kick it off by saying that

I LOVE NEON EXODUS EVANGELION!

I'm part of the crowd that says DJ Croft is a deconstruction of a Marty Stu instead of an actual Marty Stu, but nobody I've spoken to has ever agreed with me. Everyone seems far more interested in bashing DJ than in actually reading the damn thing, and it's a great re-imagining of the series if you didn't like Eva's oppressively dark and depressing tone.

Your turn, Fukufics!

[Dumbledork]

I love almost every fic by Perfect Lionheart, Trimatter, Skysaber, chibi-reaper, Trugeta and Sunshine Temple (although I got somewhat tired of 'The Return')

Talk about any of their fics at Hawk's Fanfiction Forum and you'll get a hail of insults for even mentioning them.

[PCHeintz72]

Shrugs... I read... and I decide what I like or do not like. Sometimes, that goes against the common perception, in which case I could not care.

With each of those named that I've read stories for, there have been ones I've liked, and ones I've not liked.

No author can please all those that read his or her stories all the time.

Some authors though have actually made it hard to like them due to actions on their parts against the community, or in their attitudes toward C&C. Skysaber is one many dislike for pushing his attitudes on readers. Chi Lord once did the horrible act of deleting large numbers of posts over at Anifics way back when it was on Delphi and he had admin powers. Once called Little Tart actually started flame wars in his/her fanfiction.net comments sections... and went out of way to annoy readers. etc....

The Fanfiction Forum site has gotten more and more out of control. I blame at least part of that on Hawk not at least leaving a moderator. But he has all but abandoned the forum this whole past year.

[Gallicus]

I love almost every fic by Perfect Lionheart, Trimatter, Skysaber, chibi-reaper, Trugeta and Sunshine Temple (although I got somewhat tired of 'The Return')

Talk about any of their fics at Hawk's Fanfiction Forum and you'll get a hail of insults for even mentioning them.

I too enjoy most of their stories, for the most part because I think they go for the fan jugular and present scenes we'd like to see. Of course, those scenes may be somewhat clichéd and thus looked down upon for their lack of originality (which always amuses me when people are discussing *fan* fiction...).

As for you comment on The Return, I know what you mean. My two worries are that 1) the story is moving so far away from being Ranma 1/2 that there was little point in including that universe in the first place, and 2) that very few mammoth fics ever actually get completed. It is a case of being like the Wheel of Time in that the smaller plot issues take up too much of the writing and the main plot stalls, at which point a the fanfic writer usually either moves onto a new fic or gives up on the fandom altogether...

[Karei]

Typically I don't care about Sue-ness as long as it's entertaining.
That said, after having read just a few sentences of it, I'm going to say that Neon Exodus Evangelion sucks, simply because in general I hate OCs. I'm not interested in reading about characters made up by the fanfiction author. I want to see stuff about the characters I already know and love.

Anyway, back on topic.

I like The Open Door by Academia Nut. There are some who will tell you that it

"is a yawn-inducing tale of how God Mode Sues Always Triumph,"

or that

"these God Mode Sues are out of control and getting away with whatever they damn well feel like. Only in this fic could you find "heroes" who brainwash other heroes into joining them (among many other instances of jumping over the Moral Event Horizon) and still get portrayed as the good guys."

I disagree. I loved it from the start to its unfinished end. As I said before, I don't care about Sues as long as I'm entertained, and this fic is hilarious and thrilling and entertaining from start to finish.

But then again, perhaps it doesn't qualify after all, since I don't know of anyone who disliked it except the person from whom I got those quotes. Or perhaps there are more people here, besides just the one, who agree with the above statements?

Never mind then. I've got nothing.

So I guess I'll just have to agree with Dumbledork on some of his suggestions. I like Perfect Lionheart and especially Chibi-Reaper's fics.

[Comartemis]

Typically I don't care about Sue-ness as long as it's entertaining.
That said, after having read just a few sentences of it, I'm going to say that Neon Exodus Evangelion sucks, simply because in general I hate OCs. I'm not interested in reading about characters made up by the fanfiction author. I want to see stuff about the characters I already know and love.

Anyway, back on topic.

I like The Open Door by Academia Nut. There are some who will tell you that it

-SNIP-

Ah-hahahahaha.... that was me, for anyone who doesn't frequent the TV Tropes FanFic Recommendations pages. And I stand by my hatred for The Open Door, but not for the reasons I originally posted in those comments.

When I started reading TOD, I thought it was a pretty cool fic too and for a while I didn't care that New Chaos was walking all over everybody else because they weren't stepping on the toes of any characters I really cared about. That changed the moment the Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha characters were introduced; suddenly, Tzintchi is apparently trying to get Fate to turn her back on the others by using Alicia and Precia to split her loyalties in two directions, then his agents nearly kill Vita and start brainwashing her into switching sides.

In the space of a few paragraphs, New Chaos stopped being Crazy Awesome Heroic Sociopaths and transformed into irredeemable Complete Monsters. It is neither an exaggeration nor a metaphor to say that Vita's brainwashing scenes made me feel physically ill (specifically, I felt like my heart suddenly tripled in weight and tried to sink through my stomach. Not at all pleasant). All desire to keep reading died right then and there; no other group of characters, villains or otherwise, ever made me want to write a revenge fic as much as New Chaos did. I've even got a few ideas how it'd go, and they all involve a Super Robot Wars-style crossover matchup/epic beatdown.

The worst part, however, is that New Chaos is largely portrayed as the protagonists in this story, and it's unlikely they'll ever get what's coming to them (I'm not talking about losing the occasional battle, I'm talking about absolute and irreversible annihilation). That's why I called them God Mode Sues; upon reflection, Karma Houdini is far more appropriate, along with Villain Protagonist and Complete Monster. They are the most utterly unlikable group of characters I've ever encountered, and their usage of 40K's "we're assholes because our survival depends on it" excuse rings completely false considering they could easily appeal to one of the Multiverse's higher benevolent powers for assistance (The Culture or the Dai-Gurren Brigade, for instance, could flatten the Necrons and the C'Tan without blinking, and they would if Tzintchi just asked them nicely. But nooooooo...)

As for your comments on OCs, I respectfully must laugh in your face for your hypocrisy, Karei. All characters are original characters until you get to know them. Why would you not give DJ Croft a chance after you gave Shinji Rei and Asuka a chance? And it's not as if DJ is the only character in the story; Rei, Asuka, Misato and all the rest are still present, as is Shinji, though he doesn't come into the series until much later on.

[Karei]

Yes, I know that was you, and I vaguely hinted at it. Your name was attached to the original quotes. That's why I used them.

Anyway, I agree that the brainwashing bit was a major low point for the fic, but I still enjoyed the whole thing overall (part of my indifference I think stems from that fact that I didn't know Nanoha-verse at that point.) I also think I recall the author saying that New Chaos would eventually get their asses handed to them majorly at some point, but he pretty much stopped writing it before that could happen. Even if they didn't though, I would probably still have enjoyed it.

As for my view on OCs,I will clarify. I get interested in a new fandom usually because the characters created by the original author are interesting. Just from the opening paragraphs, I got the impression that the fic was about DJ, that it centered on him. Admittedly, that's not really enough to get a good picture of how it will actually go, but I don't like to keep reading if it doesn't catch and keep my interest, especially if it's particularly long. That's why I instantly get turned off from a fanfiction when it immediately starts off with an OC.
When I read fanfiction, I want to read about the characters I already know, and I want the story to center on them. That's why it's fanfiction. If I want to get to know and like new characters, I'll go find a new fandom that I haven't tried before. I do not want to read from a fandom I know, about a character that I don't know, right from the start of the fic.

Basically my opinion is this: Original Characters (at least as the main characters) should be limited to Original Fiction. In an existing fandom, I want to read about the existing characters (as the main characters,) and if I want to read about new Original Characters, I will seek out new Original Fiction (a fandom I'm not yet familiar with.)

There are exceptions, of course (crossovers being a major example,) that's just my general opinion on the subject.



NOW! Back on topic! I've thought of some fics I like that I think everyone will agree are absolutely abysmal and worthy of bashing: Most of Master Magi's Ranma fanfictions I've liked since almost as long as I've been reading fanfiction. Heck, I like them, and even I think they're abysmal. Their grammar, plot, just about everything about them is reused over and over in every single one of his fics.
Looking at his older fics, his writing does improve with time, but his plot never does. There are always key themes in every single one: Mother of Tendos (usually as progenitor of cursed springs,) control of curse, and tube tops and miniskirts are three of the staples. Also beware excessive use of the phrase "[Insert response noun here] to this," with little variation. Yet even so I still like them. How weird is that huh?

[Comartemis]

Yes, I know that was you, and I vaguely hinted at it. Your name was attached to the original quotes. That's why I used them.

I know, I'm just clarifying for the non-tropers (there has to be one or two of them around here...) who may not get the reference.

Anyway, I agree that the brainwashing bit was a major low point for the fic, but I still enjoyed the whole thing overall (part of my indifference I think stems from that fact that I didn't know Nanoha-verse at that point.) I also think I recall the author saying that New Chaos would eventually get their asses handed to them majorly at some point, but he pretty much stopped writing it before that could happen. Even if they didn't though, I would probably still have enjoyed it.

That's news to me. Then again I don't keep track of TOD or the fanbase; they tend to write off my comments as me just hating the series for the sake of hating it or something like that.

As for my view on OCs,I will clarify. I get interested in a new fandom usually because the characters created by the original author are interesting. Just from the opening paragraphs, I got the impression that the fic was about DJ, that it centered on him. Admittedly, that's not really enough to get a good picture of how it will actually go, but I don't like to keep reading if it doesn't catch and keep my interest, especially if it's particularly long. That's why I instantly get turned off from a fanfiction when it immediately starts off with an OC.
When I read fanfiction, I want to read about the characters I already know, and I want the story to center on them. That's why it's fanfiction. If I want to get to know and like new characters, I'll go find a new fandom that I haven't tried before. I do not want to read from a fandom I know, about a character that I don't know, right from the start of the fic.

Ah, a much more reasonable stance than simply hating all OCs.

Depending on how you look at it, Croft actually gets either more or less attention than Shinji did in the original series. He gets more because he's a new character and he needs to be introduced and fleshed out more than Rei or Asuka do, but he gets less because he's sharing the spotlight with a bunch of other characters who also get development time; Rei in particular gets a lot more character development than she did in canon Eva and winds up being rather awesome before the whole thing is over.

It may help if you look at DJ less like an original character and more like a concept that forces character development on the people around him, I believe you called New Chaos something similar in your counter-recommendation of TOD. Either way, DJ is one of my favorite OCs (right up there with Vtan Arume, the Elite Shipmaster from the Halo fanfic The Enemy of My Enemy).

[ckosacranoid]

i am not saying a like or hate....but i just have to say "artimes lover" by oscar.........
sorry, just had to say something that is just feared by everyone......

[Battlekrome]

hrmm

probably the unholy mess of crossovers that is Just Won't Die (curse the author for falling out of writing)
it starts off with Ranma being able to take down the Knight Sabers no sweat... and he goes up in power from there... eventually hitting god like powers at least twice...

[Té Rowan]

NOW! Back on topic! I've thought of some fics I like that I think everyone will agree are absolutely abysmal and worthy of bashing: Most of Master Magi's Ranma fanfictions I've liked since almost as long as I've been reading fanfiction. Heck, I like them, and even I think they're abysmal. Their grammar, plot, just about everything about them is reused over and over in every single one of his fics.
Looking at his older fics, his writing does improve with time, but his plot never does. There are always key themes in every single one: Mother of Tendos (usually as progenitor of cursed springs,) control of curse, and tube tops and miniskirts are three of the staples. Also beware excessive use of the phrase "[Insert response noun here] to this," with little variation. Yet even so I still like them. How weird is that huh?

Not that weird, even if you want to replace some sections with "#include <master-magi-5025.h>".

[Pusakuronu]

hrmm

probably the unholy mess of crossovers that is Just Won't Die (curse the author for falling out of writing)
it starts off with Ranma being able to take down the Knight Sabers no sweat... and he goes up in power from there... eventually hitting god like powers at least twice...

Everyone hates that? I remember trying my best (and failing) to read the whole thing in one go.

[Raneko]

On a clear day you can see forever.

I mean seriously what's not to like about this fic. Sure the updates are slow but damn it, it deliver it takes a few chapters for things to build up but once they do HOLD ON!
Maybe I should direct people to the TV tropes site first before reading the fic.

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/F ... nukzwikxmd

[Spokavriel]

I haven't found anyone who didn't like that story yet. Its really well written. I'm wondering what would happen to the world if it got reconnected to other worlds. And with Usagi's connection... I'm kinda surprised Rei hasn't had a few reactions over it. Too bad Hotaru's relative ended up causing so many casualties among the sisterhood.

[Comartemis]

I haven't found anyone who didn't like that story yet. Its really well written. I'm wondering what would happen to the world if it got reconnected to other worlds. And with Usagi's connection... I'm kinda surprised Rei hasn't had a few reactions over it. Too bad Hotaru's relative ended up causing so many casualties among the sisterhood.

Well now you can say otherwise; it's been a long time since I even thought of that series, but I HATED it when I first read it because it was too god-damned dark for a Sailor Moon fanfic. I don't know about the rest of you but I found nothing even remotely entertaining about the whole "Rei is an evil cultist therefore she's a traitor to Usagi!" twist and subsequent wangst-fest by everyone involved. And when the fic stopped being entertaining, I stopped reading and never went back to it.

I can say the same of another fic everyone around here seems to like but which I despise with the burning fury of a thousand suns: The Return.

Yes, Sunny's "masterpiece" is one of my most-hated fanfics of all time, right up there with The Open Door and On A Clear Day You Can See Forever, though Clear Day is a very distant third compared to my hatred for the other two. And I'm really glad I didn't read The Return any further than I did, because judging from what I've learned from its' TV Tropes page, if I had it would probably be one of those fics I can't even think about without descending into a simmering homicidal rage.