Overdone Things You've Seen in FE Fanfiction

[icercube]

Or Fanfiction as a whole. Or Fiction as a whole. Whatever. What are some of the most overdone things you've seen in those kinds of stories?

I think Awakening novelizations are quite overdone to the point where you don't even have to look at the story but you already know what's going to happen.

If this isn't in the right place, then please move it.

Edited April 11, 2015 by icercube

[NinjaMonkey]

People including the pairings they support in the story, such as Ike x Elincia *hurls*.

Edited April 18, 2015 by NinjaMonkey

[FrostyFireMage]

Turning the characters you don't like into stupid jerks

[Knight Falchion]

I think Awakening novelizations are quite overdone to the point where you don't even have to look at the story but you already know what's going to happen.

This and Robin x whomever as well as Mark x whomever. Just... enough already.

[Draco]

Robin x Chrom and Robin x Lucina is absolutely everywhere. Other pairings are there too, but yeah, these two are the worst offendors. Eugh.

oh, and I'd love to see an Awakening fanfic that doesn't involve Robin. If I ever made an Awakening fanfic, I'd demote Robin to a very minor character that only shows up to give Chrom instructions for the next chapter. So something like:

Robin appears.
Robin gives instructions for the next battle.
Chrom: Thank you, Robin. You're dismissed.
Robin: Yes, sir.
Robin leaves.

and have them not be related to Grima or Validar or something. Or maybe they still are and just give Chrom's army the instuctions to end it.

[HF Makalov Fanboy Kai]

Turning the characters you don't like into stupid jerks

this is the worst one right here

[Jester Capri]

and have them not be related to Grima or Validar or something. Or maybe they still are and just give Chrom's army the instuctions to end it.

*Looks at my Fanfiction*

Well, I'm done writing this *tosses it in trash*

Picks it up while no one is looking

But yeah, some people who write FE:A fanfiction just join the Chrom x Robin, Robin x Lucina, or Sumia x Chrom bandwagon, which irritates me to no end. It prevents people to see much more unique ships.

Next thing you know, FE:if fanfictions are mostly composed of Kamui x Dancer Girl or Kamui x Camilla

Edited April 11, 2015 by Jester Capri

[B.Leu]

The problem with novelizations is that the author need to be really good to make it interesting, especially if he want to adds things like pairing. It can be good though. But even then, it generally takes a lot of time to read, I don't find that interesting.

The thing that annoys me the most, is when the author has an interesting For Want of a Nail idea, but do everything he can to still follow the established canon even if it doesn't make any sense to do so.

It wouldn't be so bad, if they didn't do it in the exact same way, using the same dialogue from the game.

Then again, it's a problem that all fanfic have, really, just take a look at the Naruto fics, oh god the wave arc...

Fanfic really are my guilty pleasure.

Edited April 11, 2015 by B.Leu

[Shin]

There's always the demonisation of hated characters, but what annoys me is either a character being sucked from "the real world" or a handful of original characters in a canon universe who manage to outshine everyone else.

I tend to really enjoy bad fanfiction though, so I actually kinda welcome a lot of these horrors.

[Magical Glace]

People basically mentioned what I would say.

OC Self-inserts

Robin and Mark Self inserting

Awakening anything really.

Novelizing, no unique plot.

[Sentacotus]

My biggest things are when a fanfic either has really short chapters (talking like 3-4 paragraphs) or when it turns out to be very well done but abandoned after like 9 chapters with the last update being from a year ago.

Don't really mind self-inserts much but I do much prefer that the default avatars (Robin) are used.

[Anacybele]

I don't mind Robin as long as he/she isn't Sueish and all and basically feels like any other good character. I don't mind pairings either as long as the writing isn't super cheesy or dumb and other characters aren't made to look horrible. Of course, there are some pairings I dislike and therefore won't read, but yeah.

The only exception to the latter for me would be something like what I have planned for Conflict of the Heart, where Jerec's love interest is at first already engaged to someone via an arranged marriage, but the guy is kind of a control freak and jerk, even though the girl still thinks of him like a friend/brother figure. He's not all bad, he just has some flaws that get to his head because of Jerec's presence.

Yeah, I just gave you guys a sneak peek of the next couple of chapters. lol

Anyway, I see a lot of Chrom/Lucina x Robin self-insert fics that are awful and stupid. I see Chrom x Robin the most, and I'm sick of it. >_< So glad I'm a Freddy x Avatar fan instead and actually attempted to write Kelli into a good character rather than a self-insert.

Edited April 18, 2015 by Anacybele

[Blaze The Great]

I don't hate these stories, but with FE7 fanfics I feel like there are almost no good stories out there that don't involve the tactician doing bad stuff and then getting found by Lyn and trying to redeem themselves while struggling with inner demons etc. Like these aren't bad, and some are well done (thinking of 1 in particular), but seriously people, get a little variety.

[Czar_Yoshi]

If a fic copy/pastes text from the game that isn't so iconic it would feel wrong without it, that's an immediate red flag.

If it specifically does this out of laziness (say, copy/pasting entire support conversations word-for-word in the name of character development), that's grounds to stop reading. Bad writing can still (sometimes) be entertaining. No writing never can be.

Edited April 30, 2015 by Czar_Yoshi

[BurningCandy]

There's always the demonisation of hated characters, but what annoys me is either a character being sucked from "the real world" or a handful of original characters in a canon universe who manage to outshine everyone else.

I tend to really enjoy bad fanfiction though, so I actually kinda welcome a lot of these horrors.

I once saw an interesting fic where yes, a chara was sucked from the real world, but they kept messing up the games "script" and they kept dropping hints that she wasnt belonging there.

Like, she couldn't fight in a battle, battles were literally the gameplay, and Chrom said "We'll know when to go once we get a... Signal", referencing tapping the icons on the map, and when she asked, he denied it entirely, pretending that Gameverse was real.

And then it was disconyinued :T

edit: Sorry for necroposting.

Edited July 17, 2015 by BurningCandy

[Loki Laufeyson]

Original characters in fanfiction that is supposed to be continuations or mid-quels of canon. I hate that shit with a burning passion. Seriously, if you want your OC in there (and its not like, Avatar), please freaking make it an AU or something. <.<

I also loathe placing too much importance on romance in these stories. Usually, if im rummaging around in the fanfic dumpster, im there for two reasons: Seeing my favorite character(s) kick a ginormous amount of ass. Or im there for smut. If im not specifically looking for smut, but see a bunch of gooey romance, im going to eyeroll. Hard. and it not even being smutty is going to disappoint me freaking greatly.

Canon characters being Flanderized in fics. Meaning one trait or quirk is exaggerated to the point where their entire characterization is overtaken by it. Example: Soren being standoffish and/or seemingly to only care for Ike. And the entire fic, thats the only trait he displays. Ugh.

Also, when writing same-sex relationships, one character must always be the "feminine one". *flips a table* cut that shit out.

[Jedi]

Original Characters need to die in a burning fire for the most part.

[Anacybele]

Wow, so canon characters must be the only people that exist at all in the FE verse. Makes a LOT of sense. :/

Seriously why hate OCs? Okay, some are bad. But that doesn't mean they all are horrible.

[Sunwoo]

OCs having too much of a focus in a story that already has a large cast of established characters is going to put off people who do not want to read about your OC. Most people do not start reading a story with the intention to read about how one's OC is glorious and saves the day and gets the guy or girl. Most people, myself included, start reading a story with the intention of reading about the established characters that we like. Even the avatar in FE13/14 can be a bit shaky because every writer has a different vision for their avatar. Even if the story features a pairing you like, you may not agree with the way the avatar's actions are portrayed and that can become hard to relate to.

Another problem is that most OCs are just not very well written. There are a rare few people who CAN write characters well. That is because they understand people, and I believe that to write a good character the first thing you need to do is understand real people and how they tick. But most writers are young, or they just don't understand people that well, and therefore their character comes off looking like a giant Mary Sue because they can't get the other characters to react to their OC realistically. Yet another problem attached with OCs are that a lot of people who say that they are against Mary Sues … really don't get that their own characters are big Mary Sues and they are always crying, "But my character is different!" They're not.

[Anacybele]

Oh, I see. That explains things a lot better for me.

I like to think I'm one of those rare few that can write good characters, but of course, I still try to get better and better at it and I won't call myself an expert or anything.

[Terrador]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect

Real talk, lack of skill at a craft isn't a bad thing, but failing to recognize it is counterproductive and is painful to witness--for your own sake and from the shoes of those who've clawed their way to competence.

---

Real talk though, haven't read much FE fanfic, but even from the tiny bit I've read I'm already no fan of Avatar. when's somebody gonna write them like Brammimond already, they're a bloody amnesiac

Edited July 19, 2015 by Terrador

[Thor Odinson]

One thing I hate in fanfics is completely changing the personalities of characters just to fit their vision of a ship. The two characters could actually have a great dynamic in their canon personalities, but some people must change one or the other (or both) to fit their view of how a relationship is.

I'm mostly talking about the dynamic of a specific pair that I'm fond of outside of FE, but it applies very broadly to fanfics with any kind of shipping, really.

[Sunwoo]

I like to think I'm one of those rare few that can write good characters, but of course, I still try to get better and better at it and I won't call myself an expert or anything.

"I'm one of the rare few who can do this" is not a very good attitude to have in writing. I find that people who can write very good characters are more often than not the ones who believe they cannot, and the people who believe they are good at something are likely to be more closed off to criticism because they think they're that good and other people are wrong. Most people don't think they're writing a Mary Sue and they think they're the rare few who are the exception rather than the rule. And most of the times, they're not.

Aside from things related to OCs, though, what I really hate in fanfiction are when certain characters are made OOC to justify a certain pairing, and unrealistic dialogue. Some other things that annoy me is when the occurrences in a story are so ridiculous it could never happen IRL without consequences, and yet everyone acts like it's normal for the sake of "the plot". Another problem is when writers include items that cannot exist in the time period they are writing for or contradict their own guidelines for a setting for … I don't even know! Let's face it, there are so many things one can do wrong in writing.

[I'm gay dabadeedabada]

het

(This is not in any way directed at another member, I didn't even notice any potential targets posted until after I decided to post this.)

[Florete]

Overdone things in fanfiction? It existing, of course!

I kid (or do I!?). I haven't read any in quite some time now, but poor grammar and spelling is always a huge turn-off for me. I know these are fanfiction and therefore not professional for a reason, and I'm not expecting perfection, mistakes here and there are fine, but some of these people really need to use a spellchecker.

Original characters in fanfiction that is supposed to be continuations or mid-quels of canon.

Original Characters need to die in a burning fire for the most part.

By "original character," is this assumed to be referring to an OC protagonist? I've only barely dipped into fanfiction culture, so "original character" to me just means a character not in canon, regardless of role. The one FE fanfic I wrote, for example, had an OC villain, and only because no existing character could fit the role. Is that bad?