General Fanfiction Fandom Poll

[shadowkat]

Here's the thing about posting polls - if you screw up, you can't go back and edit them.
So, keep that in mind when you read this. The other problem with polls, hence the reason I don't do them that often - is they are sort of pointless if no-one does it or only 10 people do it. And well, I always leave something out.

The reason I'm posting this - is I've been reading fanfic off and on again. Hunting for something to scratch an itch, haven't quite found it. So got curious about how others write and read it. What inspires them. What kinks turn them on. I left out the negative crap. Also chose not to ask about ships, because I don't have enough ticky boxes to list all the possible ships in every show that my flist writes about. You'd need 50-60 ticky boxes. So did this as a more general poll - with the hopes it will include everyone. And yes, I know, I left Supernatural off the ticky boxes at the end, but I ran out of ticky boxes - so if you're show or book or whatever isn't listed, feel free to mark other and mention in comments.

Also if you take the poll and know of any fanfics in your area of fandom you want to or would like to recommend - either do it in the comments or just link to an entry in your journal. They can be one's you have written.

[*RPF fic has a bad rep, which is odd considering how much of it has actually been published. Joyce Carol Oats published RPF on Norma Jean. The person does, normally have to be dead for it to be published. But the film Shakespeare in Love is technically RPF fic.]

ETA on Sunday, 9:40 am: Whoops! Apparently I don't know the definition of "bullet-proof" kinks and should have just put "kinks". My bad, guys and gals! Ignore the bullet-proof and just put whatever kinks you have. Crappy writing turns me off of stuff as well. What I meant was kinks that turn you on in fanfic.

[Poll #1453790]

Comments

[scrollgirl.livejournal.com]

Hmm, in that case I will go back to your poll and vote for the kinks/tropes that usually get me to click a link:

Memory Loss (amnesia) - Always fun!

Time-Travel - If done well, can be interesting. I don't like it when it's a cheat, the writer "fixing" canon by going back in time and taking away all the problems and angst the characters have endured.

Supernatural/Immortal Character Turning into a Human / Human character/Hero becoming a vampire or supernatural character - very rarely done well, and not really my thing. A super-powered character losing their powers can be interesting if it's a short-term thing, but it stretches my disbelief if they stay de-powered. And a regular human suddenly gaining new powers is more often than not a Mary Sue.

Evil character falls for Hero and/or good character / Hero and/or good character falls for Evil character - Generally have no interest in heroes and villains mixing like this. For fanfic, maybe (ie John/Todd), but I have no interest in seeing that happen in canon because, well, if FBI agents suddenly started falling in love with serial killers or vice versa, I'd seriously start wondering whether the writers needed some therapy or what.

Babyfic (hero or heroine has a baby) - I adore babyfic, but it's not that I particularly care about cute baby stuff, but I love kids as plot devices and as a unifying force in the lives of the adults around them. Kids force adults to change, to shift their priorities and examine themselves and what they want out of life. That's what I've been trying to write, and what I love to read.

Angst Fic (unrequited love/star crossed) - Unrequited love can be emotionally satisfying if I'm in the mood. I've even written it recently. I prefer a happy ending though.

Parent/Child Issues or Sibling Issues - Can be interesting. Daddy issues are so overdone, though.

Good character going evil / Evil character becoming good and being redeemed - Depends on what you mean by "evil". I really appreciate that Numb3rs calls the main character on his shady actions in beating information out of a serial killer. That's the darkest a good guy has gone, and it's still held up as immoral, as something with consequences. It's been a while since I've had an evil character become good--probably Buffyverse was the last one. Morally ambiguous characters, sure, like Vala who give up their con artist ways, but not murderers who suddenly have a change of heart.

Metafic - generally not my thing, but I've read some that were entertaining.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

I agree with you on memory loss - it is always fun. Difficult to do well though. But a definite kink of mine. I love to see how people change based on what they remember - and the degree to which memory affects who and what we are. I think our memories to a degree define us, not completely of course, but to a degree.
Having gone through the experience of watching someone I loved lose her memories - to the extent that she was to a degree a completely different person - it is a topic that I am even more obsessed with. (Altzheimers is one of the charities I donate to as a result of this experience.)

Time - Travel - oh, I so agree with you. It is rarely done well. A lot of people think you can change the time line and make it better, without taking into consideration the butterfly effect. I liked how the Star Trek film did it, and I think it can be done well without being a retcon. But it is difficult - you as a writer have to be aware of all the variables and exactly how they are changing. If the story or world is complex - it is very hard to pull off.

Turning a supernatural character human - is hard to do well. I have yet to read a fic that accomplishes it. I think the closest I've come to is maybe Brian Lynch's Angel After the Fall - where Angel becomes human, but Lynch removes the romantic elements and actually explores it as a punishment and a gift at the same time from Angel's perspective, while not stating it is actually better from ours. Most writers who attempt it - tend to write it as if it is a curse from the writers perspective to be human and being a vampire is the best thing ever - which is a bit disturbing, if you think about it. The other group - turn the character into a sort of saint or loathsome object - a Marty Sue or Marty Awful.