Cliché Fan Fiction Elements

Come on! Can't you just imagine poor, dorky Jacen Solo with big sticking out ears? Making bad puns in a desperate attempt to get the girl he likes to notice him?

 

I've always pictured Jacen Solo that way, so yes, I believe I could.

~Inyri

 

Ah, yes, overuse of certain fanfiction elements... How much does this irk me? I think everyone knows.

I used to love Jaina/Jag or Jaina/Kyp or any combination thereof, but I can't read them anymore. I don't mean this as a slight against anyone, I merely don't enjoy the way all fics involving Jaina seem to blend into a huge blob of indistiguishable mush. Urgh.

And it's not even just the romantic plot contrivances either. There are certain types of characters that just seem to be ubiquitous, which means they're ubiquitously annoying. The guilt-ridden hero, the rebellious but vindicated protagonist, the world-weary and wise mentor... They are omnipresent, and I as much as anyone else am guilty of using them.

It really bothers me that all of the characters seem to fall into blatant good or evil categories. I mean, even when a hero makes a mistake, it tends to be some massive, dramatic, world-altering error that comes back to haunt them in a conveniently sympathetic way, so that they have adorable tortured angst scenes. Kyp is a case in point. Yes, he made a huge mistake, but where are his human faults? Where is his petty jealously, his stupid insecurity, his irritating neuroses? There are plenty of people that I would consider to be "good" people or "heroes," or people that have acted morally, whom I can't stand. But it never seems to work that way in fanfic. *sighs helplessly and ends her rant*

 

How many of us to-day run around to-day saying "Oh Vandals! Oh Visigoths! Oh Vikings!" Not too many, I think.

I will now!

A while back we were talking about pregnant Jaina. As far as I'm concerned, it's basically gotten to the point that the only way I don't mind it is when it's a story about someone else, she's married, and the fact is only mentioned in passing because she's just a background character.

Don't get me started on pure good and evil characters.

Going back to the top of the thread, I'll confess to air ducts, but solely for comedic effect.

 

I've done Vong air ducts, which were more like sinuses or vacuoles. I get to use my bio education to my advantage.

Jae Angel

 

Either Jag dies, Jaina dies...

Glad to see I bucked the trend. The only time I used them I killed them both!

*Maniacal Evil Laugh*

lordmaul13

 

lordmaul, eh, I've seen a bunch where they both eventually die, too.

~Inyri

 

Blast! I'm not so original as I thought.

Oh well, I've got to get back to work. The future of mankind depends on it.

lordmaul13

 

I think I killed it.

lordmaul13

 

No, you didn't kill it. Maybe that dubious honour will fall to me.

I was just thinking about the whole hurt/comfort thing, which is something I was definitely guilty of in my JA days. It seems to be on the decline now, thank the Force, but there are still fics where Obi-Wan gets captured and tortured, and then Qui-Gon comes along and rescues him. If Obi-Wan didn't know before how much he means to the older man, Qui-Gon gets another opportunity to tell him, usually in a drippy mush scene where they establish that they are like father and son.

How to avoid this? I don't know, to tell the truth. There's not much you can do to change it around, except perhaps take out the torture scene and maybe turn it into the opposite. What is the opposite of torture, anyway? Living in luxury?

Hmm, maybe the person who captures Obi-Wan is like the witch in Hansel and Gretel, and tries to fatten him up, plying him with calorie-rich foods six times a day? Won't let him exercise to burn it off, keeps him in a fur-lined cage where he's comfortable but can't move around much, and maybe even makes him bathe in milk to soften his skin?

Or maybe eliminate the drippy mush scene, and just have a 'masculine' exchange of words. "Hey, thanks." "No problem." "When's our next mission?" "Two days." That sort of thing.

Edit: Though then you might be getting into the cliche that men don't express their feelings.

 

Though then you might be getting into the cliche that men don't express their feelings.

That may be a cliché, but it's one you don't see too often in the fan fics here.

Could that be because the majority of writers on the boards are female?

 

Jane You made me laugh with that image of Obi-Wan being pampered to death. It screams for a silly story...and Obi-Wan protesting all the way as Qui-Gon drags him away from his silken pillows, fur-lined cage, and fabulous desserts!!!

As for me, I love mush. I know, I know but I do. But it does have to be well-written mush. And that's the trick, isn't it...

Or maybe eliminate the drippy mush scene, and just have a 'masculine' exchange of words. "Hey, thanks." "No problem." "When's our next mission?" "Two days." That sort of thing. I know that the would be a different way of handling the mush scene but I still would want some kind of exchange that shows the deep respect they had for each other. But, then I do like mush...

 

Okay. Clichés. Personally, in my not-too-wide experience of fanfic, I haven't come across too many really bad clichés. But, there you are.

One view is that cliché is all right as long as it's well written. True, quality counts, but frankly if the plot's so clichéd you know exactly what'll happen, it gets boring.

I've written very few fanfics, none of them yet up ( soon. ) and am trying to stay away from clichés. Unfortunately I tend to be on the serious side when I write and I end up rewriting loads to get rid of the obvious plot bits.

Oh, as far as cliché AUs go. Anyone here read/heard of/written a fic where Luke goes with Vader at the end of ESB rather than not? It's just I was planning on starting one like that and ... well, if everyone's already done it I'll stay away.

Precocious kids : I can't stand them, and they're always devilishly tricky to write. (I've tried, and given up every time).

Telepathy : Guilty as charged. However I might stop now, as someone said that GL said specifically that Jedi aren't telepathic.

Long hair : Depends on who the character is. Mara Jade usually gets long hair. Other female characters are either with me.

Mush : I usually err on the side of making my characters too serious. Anyone else suffer like this ?

Nemesis

 

Luke going with Vader at the end of ESB? Sorry to tell you this, but that one's rather old. But feel free to write, after all, you can still add your very own twists to it .

 

I have to agree with the crossover thing. Mainly because they're so one sided. They turn into a slagging off match on which universe is best and you have to be an expert on both to make it pluasable, espacailly with sw/star trek crossovers. I can't stand em!

 

"Oh, as far as cliché AUs go. Anyone here read/heard of/written a fic where Luke goes with Vader at the end of ESB rather than not? It's just I was planning on starting one like that and ... well, if everyone's already done it I'll stay away."

Almost all those pretty obvious AUs have been done; however, don't let that stop you. Everyone can add something interesting. I'm pretty sure the whole "Death Star didn't blow up" thing has been done *thousands* of times, but I think I was able to come up with a new spin on it in my Scoundrel Chronicles story.

 

I have to agree with Jane. I'm not sure I'd call hurt/comfort a cliche, necessarily, but it is a theme that does seem to be overdone and not always well done. The problem is that there generally is no really credible reason for the hurt/torture, except that the author needs an excuse for the comfort/mush.

And too much mush isn't believable to me, either. Men (the cliche again) may not express their feelings overtly. But they don't swoon and weep and slop mush all over each other, either. Watching TPM, something that got my attention was when Obi-Wan & Qui-Gon were talking on the balcony outside the Council chamber & QG put his hand on the back of OW's neck. I was so surprised; that is something my dad does to me very frequently. Particularly when we are in public, and he doesn't want to make a big sloppy scene. But after a quick hug, when he picks me up at the airport, he'll walk out with his hand on the back of my neck and I know he's showing he loves me. He's just not a mush/emotional kind of guy.

It's powerful, too, since the neck is such a vulnerable area on humans; to allow someone to touch your neck or to touch someone else's is a pretty intimate gesture and shows a lot of trust.

To me, something subtle like that is just right for mush: showing the extent of feeling between two people without overdramatization.

I've been asked to start the Laboratory thread, so anyone who feels like going in and playing around, please feel free! If anyone has suggestions or ideas, just jump right in.

 

*puts on safety glasses and rubber gloves*

Which way to the Lab?

Mawhahahahaha!

 

I don't know, crossovers can be fun, if you're creative, like every other thing in the world. I've been thinking of an Outlaw Star/Star Wars crossover where Han Solo is the captain of an Outlaw ship, freelancing across the galaxy with his crew of misfits(Chewie, Leia, Luke, maybe even Obi-Wan). Or a Macross/Star Wars crossover with the Rogues flying Valkyries. Sadly, I need to finish the Rise and Fall of Xim the Despot and the the first Scoundrel Chronicles book first, or Jane and several others will kill me

 

How right you are, Coota.

Mistress_Renata, great to see that the Laboratory is up. I'll run right over.

 

Reading throught this thread has been very interesting. I agree about the precocious children being annoying, and naming children after Padme when they wouldn't have known who she was. EDIT: I also think this discussion could be a good lesson to beginner (and more seasoned ) writers in what Not to do.

Since I'm not of the prequel persuassion, it's once in a blue moon that I even *look* at a prequel fic. It's got to have something really interesting going for it. I loved Sache's Heart of a Mother for that very reason. It's main characters were some of the most under used of the saga.

I read one J/J fic a long time ago and haven't read anymore since. They're all the same, and they're all mush. Mush is great, but let's have some substance to go with it.

I tend to write funny little vignettes that just make you smile. On that note, since I'm a L/M person, a cliche I don't really like is Mara's green, shimmering, strapless, low-cut dress. Good grief! Can we get this woman another dress? ;P

 

a cliche I don't really like is Mara's green, shimmering, strapless, low-cut dress. Good grief!
I always wondered how a strapless dress could be low-cut without being dangerous. And her sleeve blaster would then be pretty useless. And she nearly always wears green! Although I must admit, there aren't as many colours that look good on a redhead as, say, a blonde or brunette, but still! Mara needs a wardrobe overhaul.

EDIT: And oh yeah, the plot where Callista comes back and she and Mara fight over Luke, but I haven't seen that much since NJO started.

 

Mush is great, but let's have some substance to go with it. >>

AMEN!!

-Tim

 

Mush is a great vactation away from angst. It should not be the entire story though. These are SW tales, not Harlequin romance stories.

 

I have to agree with the crossover thing. Mainly because they're so one sided. They turn into a slagging off match on which universe is best and you have to be an expert on both to make it pluasable, espacailly with sw/star trek crossovers. I can't stand em!

thank you, emimar

awhile back, i wrote a x-over between angel and the vampire chronicles. i only saw the movie once (okay yes, I own it). i wasn't even that familiar with everything in the series but i still wrote what i had been thinking about over a year.

awhile back, on the classic board, i read a parody story about mara. basically, it made fun of how wonderful, beautiful mara is and how great she is. sorry, i can't remember the author at the moment but i know it was that type of thread, where you could add on to it.

also, i am guilty myself of bringing pt characters into the expanded universe. i won't deny it. my last fic, "I'd Miss You Still", I said was like writing a script for a soap opera. I watch soaps, been watching since 1997 so I know what to expect. I don't write with outlines, but still, if it happens, it happens but I try to avoid it as much as possible.

~aeryn