Milking Fanfics: Why Not To Do It · 12:11am Nov 21st, 2014
You see what you've done, fimfic?! YOU SEE IT NOW YOU BASTARD?!
Now, I bet you're all wondering what exactly is milking. I'll give you some examples.
Now, what is the first thing that runs through your mind? Okay movies? Well, yes, some of these movies are okay. But are the series are?
And that's where many of you will say no, the series aren't that great. In fact, it seems that whenever Hollywood gets a movie popular, they make a sequel immediately afterward. Now, this isn't necessarily bad. Sequels can be a hit or miss. But then they make another sequel. Now it's a trilogy. At least that's as far as the franchise will go, since it has definitely degraded in value with every installment. But wait, no, there's another sequel! It's a frickin series now! A series that Hollywood will milk until its beaten like the dead horse we all know it is.
It. Never. Fucking. Stops.
And Hollywood will just keep on going, far past the bruised and battered and very heavily decayed body is spent, because dem delicious dollars, yo. What does this have to do with fimfic, you ask? Well, instead of movies, we have stories. And instead of dollars, we have useless internet points. But one thing remains the same. Almost all reviewers agree it's a piece of shit, yet the masses blindly pay money (upvotes) for it anyway, swayed by the promise of the same trivial drivel that they consume because it's the goddamn internet and why not?
Oh, you've probably seen it before. A story gets popular through luck or being up at the right time, and is typically a oneshot. The author bows down to praise and want for more and makes another chapter. Not really a big deal, right? Oh, but then the author makes a sequel! A sequel that should have just have been included in the original story itself. But nope, sequel, just to get featured again. Because at the end of the day, that's what most people want. Heck, I won't be ashamed to admit that's what I wanted when I started out. But the box has lost its appeal to me. Particularly because the same goddamn stories keep on going in it. And I'm talking about the sequels especially. Now, sequels themselves aren't bad. Trilogies can be argued to be decent as well. But then there's the fourth installment. Then the fifth. Sixth. Side story. Prequels. Pre-sequels. It just keeps on fucking going into infinity. And you know why?
That's right, shove it in your mouth, you beautiful man. Yeeeeeeah.
I won't be ashamed to admit I've done this once or twice. Mostly because to goof off. I knew for a fact the useless sequels I made would never be featured, but fuck it, it was fun. But what I'm seeing a lot of today is that the merest inkling of popularity will make someone make more sequels, side stories, clopfic chapters, and even an entire goddamn verse, all of which is more awful than the original fic itself. Look at the box at any given day and a sequel is in it. Is this bad? Well, no, not particularly. Unless the fucking sequel could have been included in the fucking original story so we don't have to see the fucking series plastered over the entire fucking site every fucking minute because you love fucking shoving fucking milk in your fucking goddamn hole!
...
Ahem, yeah... sorry, got a teensy bit explicit there. But the overall message I'm trying to make is this: milking is bad. Make a sequel to improve the story and take it farther than it could of. If the sequel is basically the original story continued... that sucks. Good sequels involve the characters facing new challenges that are completely different than what they could have experienced in the first story. Heck, even a sequel from a different character's perspective would be a grand time. Don't make a sequel just to boost the first fic's popularity. Rather, make it because the original story could not sustain. They didn't just make the Star Wars trilogy (original, get outta here you prequel fuckers) just because they were restricted from a six hour time limit. In it Luke, the hero character, traveled across the Galaxy, learned how to become a Jedi, led a rebel army, destroyed not one, but TWO Death Stars (with help of course), defeated the Sith, and even managed to snag some incest kisses with his sis.
Lucky son of a bitch...
Anyway, the point is this: write what you want, have fun with it, but if you're writing is focused JUST to get popular, more often than naught it will be shit. This has been proven by the movies I listed up top, and from fimfic I could probably have several blog posts listing all the terrible sequels/series/verses that inhabit this site. But I won't because I'm a nice person, and also because I'm not allowed to drink for another month, so fuck that.
Also, clopfic chapter side stories I still think are useless, and shall now and forever know they are useless. And away I go!
Yeah, I'm totally not gonna regret making this blog. Totally.
Also, bonus gif. Use it when you need to.
Such words of wisdom that are wasted on so many blind people.
I write what I want ^^
I just wish I could play games how I want... so many sequels, reboots, prequels to games I don't give a shit about... sigh.
Well, I do enjoy the Pirates of the Carribean, but you're definitely right about Transformers; didn't even like the first one...
I've only ever done a sequel once, and I was lucky that it was at least tolerated by my readers (Sobu
)
At least you raise another good point about the crappy movie industry despite the blog being about this site in general
2607451
Shit, I knew I should have included the Call of Duty franchise on the list (specifically Modern Warfare, the bitch).
2607462 You know what's really nuts? I'm not even mad about Call of Duty. I was talking about Assassins Creed, about Dragon Age, about a few other bad games t hat have come out *cough* Sonic Boom etc... At this point having a new Call of Duty each year is like renewing the seasons almost... sad, but it's gonna happen.
This holiday season it feels like I have nothing new to play or look forward to... and so I continue to slave away on my game. First world problems~
Fuck Anonymous Pegasus.
2607466
I do not name names but I know of that name specifically because of the naaaaaaames.
Wheew! For a second there I thought you meant the other kind of milking! Had me worried for a moment. Kind of ironic that you just made this too, as I had just finished reading a fic with a sequel that definitely should have been included in the original story.
Hollywood at least has the excuse of being an industry. They stick with what's popular to keep themselves fed, it's a logical conclusion. Doing it with something like fanfiction kinda misses the point. You don't really get famous, you don't really earn anything from writing it, so you should try to at least have fun with it.
Well said, Bob, well said.
takedesigns.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/12257__safe_rarity_animated_clapping_citizen-kane.gif
2607466 Wow, that was direct. What'd this person even do? I'm a bit ignorant when it comes to fimfic goings-ons.
2607465 Gee, the Wii U has a plethora of great games coming out, Smash Bros being the king of them all, so all is well in my world at least.
2607486 Good for you.
2607487 Feel free to join whenever you so wish.
2607489 Feel free to add a single player campaign to Smash whenever they wish...
Well, this turned out better than I expected.
2607492 They kinda have, you know. Like, ever since the very first game on N64. It's called Classic Mode. There's also All-Star Mode, Event Mode, and the various types of Adventure Mode in every game. Besides all that, one can play the main Smash battles by oneself against CPU opponents who put up a tough fight at higher difficulties.
2607496 Is there a narrative in this classic mode? An adventure?
2607498 You know what, never mind. Clearly you're too insecure with yourself to bother playing anything aside from 'insert generic FPS game here'.
And yes, there's a narrative in Brawl's Adventure mode, Subspace Emissary.
2607506 I'm talking about the new Smash! The one for Wii u XD It doesn't have Subspace Emissary, nothing new like that. I don't enjoy multiplayer games and certainly not Smash and the way they do combat. But I would be curious for a story.
Seriously? Insert generic FPS here? Are you.... wow. *walks away from this one*
Why does this all suddenly bring to mind excessive video game Downloadable Content nowadays?
Oh, wait....
write for fun, not popularity it's good advice for anyone who writes and the newer people on this site (or any fanfiction site)
2607508 But you need to buy the dlc... it has contents...
I am happy to say that I've never written a sequel to any of my more popular stories just to get more praise. In fact most of my sequel/prequel work were planned from the get-go because, let's face it, I keep leaving the door open and want to expand my universes. It's fun to think about where I can go from what has already been given, and ambitious to try and make that happen... even if nobody cared about the original *coughNoHeroeshack*
The only sequel I ever wrote was literally milk-related.
There's one reason to use them, and it's a bit of a sell-out. That is to keep a fic rated teen or even everyone for maximum views, yet still have clop (for the jillions of views that pulls in) attached. It's basically exploiting both the rating system and the readers. I doubt it really succeeds much, though. The whole point of using clop chapters as a separate story to draw cloppers in is weak because most won't go any further than the clop. It also usually violates the idea of only doing things in the story that are actually useful to the story - mindless clop can be fun, but sex scenes in a real story need to be characterizing or plot-advancing or otherwise story-serving. Titillating? Sure, but don't forget the other parts.
These things might also technically fall under "don't upload the same story twice" or "don't put up chapters of the same story as different stories" in the rules, but I dunno. I guess it's too borderline a case to enforce.
2607514 I'm in the same boat. While none of my stories have yet to make the popular box, let alone the feature, I write them because I love writing the stories. I enjoy writing more stories to not only tell the story that I want to tell, I am wanting to expand upon the universe that is slowly unraveling with every new chapter and story. I know writing adventure stories is hard to gain much attention but that is a side thing to why I write. I write because I love my characters (both established and original), my setting, and my narrative.
If my stories happen to get popular as I go, icing on the cake.
And we all thought BTTF2 was wrong when Jaws 19 was shown to be a thing that would exist.
Also, this brings to mind that one series where I don't get the point of the length. All Rainbow Dash does is fly East in every story.
Calm the fk down bob it's been happening for years and it will continue to happen whether it's fanfic or blockbuster movie. this is nothing new and it's not all bad either it's just the layer of shit draws the eye then the quality spinoffs.
Want a good example?
you know fallout equestria? well it spawned a spinoff (a lot actually but ignoring that) called Fallout Equestria:Pink eyes which is so much better then fallout equestria and weather you like or hate fallout MLP both or one it wouldn't of happened without the original
in fact ALL OF THE STORIES ON THIS SITE ARE BASICALLY SPINOFFS OF MLP WEATHER G1 OR FIM nothing to get upset over.
How Many Friends Have You Made Today!? Perfect exaple of a fic that does not do this. Quite a rarity to be honest. Got rewarded as hell for it too, started out as a little 400 like heart-warming one-shot. Now it's a big 2000 like superfic, and somehow never gets to the shitty featured page. Although, I'm actually glad for it, considering how shitty the featured page is. Idunno why authors consider it a big achievement to get to the featured page these days.
But Bob!
I need to make it big with Cupcakes 5: The Time Where Rainbow Dash Breaks Free And Kills Pinkie!
2607551
Oh am I remember this Fic. Well, remembered how much I disliked the first chapter and author arrogance, anyway.
2607544
Pink Eyes was okay. I wouldn't have really have lost anything if I hadn't read it. As for every fic being a spin off of G1 MLP or FiM, wow, shocker, it's a fanfic. That doesn't mean that fanfic won't be shitty because it becomes a repetitive sequel sequence to whore for more upvotes. And that's where the problem and rage lie.
2607450
"They listen when I talk, but they don't hear."
-Harold from Fallout 3
Bob, you forgot the obligatory spongebob gif!
2607533
It's so much more fun writing when one isn't fretting over how popular the story will be, no?
Can I get an 'Amen?'
2607483
He's written a series of fics that, honestly, could all be rolled into one massive fic split into arcs rather than sequels. Pretty much what Bob was talking about.
I will admit, I probably should have combined both This Date and it's sequel into one fic, because
then I could submit it to EQDit really was just one single story. Oh well, c'est la vie!That's my way. I plan a story and write it.
If others have a problem with it, fine for them.
I'm just making pony stories and hope others enjoy my brain puke.
For example. I have one story, where I said that I'd write more chapters if more ideas would come in. But until then it's finished. Why? Because it can stay that way and full stop. But with more chapters it's still done only with more content.
Another of my fics is going to be longer and I'm still debating if I'm going to make a sequel to it from another characters point of view. The thing is that I've barely begun with it and thus have all the time in the world to think. Even now that I think about it, new ideas for it keep invading my mind with scenarios, locations and actions.
Yet another one is completed and will never be touched again except for someone finding grammatical mistakes.
That's what I do and I'm not changing for likes.
If other users like my stories that's great. If they don't there are many buttons that lead away from my site and stories.
Dragon san
2607584
Damnit! Uh...
img4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20121124034746/adventuretimewithfinnandjake/images/9/96/Spongebob_gif_2.gif
There we go!
2607544
Gesundheit.
2607551
Because it means that, for one fleeting moment, a large amount of people actually care about your work. It's seen as an affirmation of your writing abilities; Fimfic has seen your labor of love and deemed it worthy. It's like the art teacher displaying your work on the bulletin board because you did such a good job on it.
Unfortunately, it also tends to inflate the writer's ego...
2607625 Mmm... CHOCOLATE!
2607630 Except stories don't have to actually be good to get in there.
2607557
2607557 Would you rather they had made 13 sequels?
Yes, but what if the amount of storytelling to do can't be done in a single story without it becoming Diary of a Madman? Yes, some will be mundane, but ultimately, it's better than over 100 chapters and 1000000 (one million) words.
2607681
I know, but a lot of users on this site don't. When they see a story in that feature box, they automatically assume that it's a masterpiece, even if it's crap. Same goes for the authors whose work is posted in it; to them, it's a little trophy inscribed with the words "Good Job!"
Sadly sequelitis is a fact of life. While I do enjoy Pirates of the Caribbean (and its sequels
), I will admit that Curse of the Black Pearl is the definitive movie of the series. Milking things *cough* any triple A game series, including CoD, AC, Mario, Sonic, BF, etc. *cough* seems to becoming more and more common as time goes, which might be one reason why I haven't written much on here aside from a couple of decently received fics, or maybe its just laziness. Either way, I would like to see more originality in the feature box, but sadly that probably won't happen.
Rush and Pony on!
T4E
There's only one proper response to this...
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2607582 My thoughts exactly!
Finally, somebody who speaks English.
2607712
If you're writing a story the size of Diary of a Madman, you're writing that story wrong. There's no need for a story, any story, to be of that length, because sure enough quality will drop drastically as the hundreds of thousands of words go on and on and on.