Okay, let's chat · 11:04pm Aug 23rd, 2020
Namely, about why I don't like 'fix fics'.
There's always been something nagging at me from the very start about fics like this. What these fics are, and why they become popular is... well, they're circle-jerking really. They play to a very specific audience and that's that. You disagree, you're in the minority in this 'audience'.
I mean, let's face it, Fix-Fics will always be popular even if the silent majority knows they're trash. See Anon-A-Mess. Write a fix fic and pander to a certain audience.... well, watch yourself shoot to the top of the box with no real talent involved. More to the point however, there's something else that bothers me about these pieces.
And I think I've finally figured out what it is. I just wonder why it's so hard for people to accept what's happened in canon is... well, it's happened. Okay, yeah admittedly things like Daring Doubt and Non-Compete Clause made me mad beyond belief. Like, frothing at the mouth mad. However, and this I say with equally great passion, these fics are not a way to go about it. Instead of using the characters as your mouthpieces, make us actually think. Make us ponder, instead of just nodding our heads like mindless drones.
Alas, that's not really easy to do. Saying: "This is what the show SHOULD have done" or the like in this type of way feels fairly disrespectful not just to the writers, who know more about writing than probably any of us but to fellow fans. This has been nagging at me for a while, and I finally figured out -with some help from a comment by Raritay- what is that rubs me wrong. It makes us feel... ashamed I guess? That's one way of putting it. Ashamed of having our own thoughts and opinions. Instead, we just get badgered into compliance and shut down if we dare to disagree.
There shouldn't be people picking sides like this is internet gang warfare, and this sadly is an attitude the internet breeds way too well. We should be able to accept all opinions on anything and disagree and agree as necessary or as we are allowed to do. But, this is the internet and people are stupid so... alas. And for Hell's sake, please if you've got an opinion that basically amounts to the show's staff needs to go suck an egg, go ahead and can it. We don't need that kind of toxicity here so go take a hike.
What I'm saying is basically, your opinion matters and anyone who tells you different is in the wrong. it's how you express your opinion that I would have words with you over. There is a right and wrong way to do things, just saying.
On a side note, I WILL be keeping an eye on the comments this time, so if anyone says anything out of hand... I will call you out for it.
I agree for the most part. I do enjoy seeing a hypothetical what-if to the series canon, but so often, they're not done very well, and I wish people can understand that what the writers say is the ultimate say in what happens.
Although in Game of Thrones' case, the book itself is the actual fix-fic. Ironic.
Nicely said.
One thing I've noticed is that some of the best stories on this site about a hated or contentious episode don't actually call themselves "fix fics".
Because really, regardless of whether your story calls itself a "fix fic" or "accusation fic" or whatever-the-fuck-else, yes you are right I think, the attitude behind it is pretty unpleasant. It's basically this kind of angry "fuck you writers, I know what's best!" thing, and I hate that. It's my opinion that you should never let anger really color your decisions when writing (especially for something like freaking My Little Pony or Equestria Girls - don't you have more worthwhile things to be getting mad at?). Because what's the point of it? What's the point, of raging about X episode (especially if it's something like Anon-a-Miss or Non-Compete Clause) or raging at X character because they did something that people don't like?
Why waste time on that negativity and anger when you could be doing something more constructive with it? You don't like Anon-a-Miss? Then write a fic about Sunset and her friends getting along, not about them dumping her. You don't like Non-Compete Clause, then write a story where Applejack and Rainbow Dash put their egos in check because they've matured enough to realize when it's okay to compete and when it's not! Put some love into your work, not hate! Because that shit is just poisonous.
...Sorry for the mini-essay / rant. But this is something I've had percolating for a while now, in some form or other, too.
5341644
THIS, ALL OF THIS.
It's really a bit of a waste of time, as it... doesn't change anything, the episodes still happened.
Well, where's the line between, "this is a fixfic" and "hey, I thought this would be a cool alternative/funny alternative"? Been wanting to make an Anon-A-miss where everything goes hilariously unplanned, but I don't want to come across as one of these guys.
5341653
I think it's what SC said below, he hit the nail on the head. Basically, don't make it explicitly obvious what you're doing. I dunno, one of the only times I did Anon was to savagely poke fun at it and the other time wasn't really focused on the event itself...
there's definitely a difference between writing a postscript or a follow-up to an episode and a fixfic that hams things up to unrealistically theatrical and bombastic levels of cringe, rage and spit when it comes to addressing gripes/calling out characters for being dumb and unfortunately there tend to be a lot more of the latter in the Accusation Fic Collection group than the former *cough* Black Kyurem DKM *cough*
they almost all tend to follow a specific formula too:
granted there are a few fics that have done this well, even Anon-a-Miss ones, and I've read a few of them, but for the most part they tend to be written by bitter, angry people who want to vent their frustrations through these specific characters because "GRR WRITERS BAD ME GOOD ME WRITE ANGRY STORY" - I'm sure the Anon-a-Miss fics will die out eventually, just like the endless amount Canterlot Wedding fics that are usually "Twilight gets mad, friends feel bad, Celestia retires out of shame, world goes to shit, Twilight has to save the world, friends reunite, the end"
5341657
Gave it a read, I think I'm safe for my thing. It's gonna be a more jokey affair wherein the secrets getting revealed only results in net positives.
I don't think I can really say anything new or informative. You and everyone else have basically summed it up.
Admittedly I'm not sure if I had done that before... although I do recall being crazy when I first started writing and kinda forced a sorta 'fix-fic' scenario in the first story I posted on this site. ... I am not proud of that.
Although most of the time (at least I hope) if I'm doing anything that could be close to something of a fix-fic title, I usually want to make an alternative spin. Like that idea about a nice Vignette Valencia, that's something I wanted to make as an alternate universe story, as a 'what if' scenario, not doing anything to really 'fix' the original story in any way. ... that make any sense?
5341664
I think the important bit is what SC said, the best of the best don't actually try and be fix fics. They are basically their own entities, they address the issues yes but subtly and so well you might not notice it or if they do it's not a major focus of the story itself. Or if it is, it's done cleverly and by someone who cares about the characters and the world but not enough to let their emotions rule them.
Dear god you're right... They are excessively formulaic, aren't they? Like romance novels in that regard, and if that's your thing... shrugs
HAH. If only, because they're so annoyingly common they're creating a cycle. People discover fics, wonder what's what, read the comic, rage and write their own and people discover those fics.
5341668
See, that's different. What ifs in that regard are AUs. Not fix fics, they are acknowledged to be AUs and they go from there in increasingly crazy or subtle ways. Of course, this like anything else is subject to Sturgeon's Law and 90% of it is crap.
I do enjoy reading some of these Fix-Fic’s, when they put some effort into crafting a well written story. The problem is almost every time they require someone to act very differently then they have ever done. I saw one recent story where Twilight told Celestia no to her retiring and having Twilight take over. That Twilight did list some very good reasons of why she shouldn’t but Twilight just can’t bring herself to call out Celestia.
Well all of this is, you know, your opinion. I happen to like these sort of fics, as when they're done well (from my perspective; I know you hate them all), they help me move on from my distaste towards a particular episode.
Is that really a good use of your time? Some people won't change just by you chiding them.
5341675
Well, I like anyone else am allowed to state my personal opinion. Have bad experiences with keeping crap bottled up inside anyways.
I don't know, I think there's good fics out there that fix canon. I don't really like the anon-a-miss fics but I also think that people should be allowed to write whatever they want without being called talentless just because someone else doesn't like what they're writing. A ton of things are bandwagon-y (lookin' at you, Fallout Equestria); that doesn't mean the concept of doing that idea is inherently cringey. It just means a lot of people like it.
5341681
Oh, I agree. It's just like everything else there is 90% schlock you gotta wade through. And yes, we are allowed to critique things, the problem is there is a right and a wrong way to do it. And needless to say, the wrong way to do it is be all big and blustery. No, I think the best way to do it is politely deconstructing what's wrong with the fic, say your piece and move on. Not hang around and be an asshole insulting anyone who dares to disagree. Or just hanging around and continuing the argument really.
Yeah, I've been thinking the same thing for a while now—especially seeing as it's gotten alarmingly popular over the past few months. To be fair, some of my favorite fics technically count as "Fixfics", but the more recent batch feels uncomfortably blunt. Maybe it's just a matter of timeliness—those aforementioned fixfics date back to Seasons 2-4 (which I wasn't around to witness firsthand), and the recent lot centers on 8 and 9—but I still can't shake the feeling they've grown too unsubtle.
If the fandom does indeed die someday, I wholeheartedly believe it'll be at the hands of those who say "Walk like me or I'll break your legs."
Us and them, and after all, we're only ordinary men...
5341697
I mean, I doubt it. I suspect, deeply, that when we move onto G5 and we will believe you me most people will move on from these fics. They'll find something new to gripe over in G5. Also, appreciate the Pink Floyd ref. Not a big big fan, but I do love classic rock. Blame my parents.
5341703
Maybe, but I still can't shake the feeling we'll be seeing far too much of "You're not a REAL fan if you like G5!"
There's going to be a literal Generation gap, and if the new writers screw anything up, we're all going to fall into it.
5341703
Can't say I'm a big Floydian myself, but I bought Dark Side of the Moon on a whim a few months ago, and I fully understand where all the hype comes from.
5341705
That was always inevitable really. Every reboot has this subset of insane fans from She-Ra to Transformers to Pokemon. It's just that one unavoidable hazard.
5341677
As long as you don't intend to make me feel ashamed of my opinion like you accuse those stories of doing.
Can someone tell me what a fixfic is? Please I really don't understand what all of this about.
5341916
Essentially, a "Fix-Fic" is a fanfiction that is written with the intent on "fixing" what someone deems "wrong" or not what they wanted from canon. It is usually written with anger in mind, as the people who write them want to make things "better" than what happened in canon.
5341921
Ooh thanks, though I don't remember reading such a thing (on the other hand considering my love for crossovers it's understandable).
I really need to watch my feeds, nothing more i can add but that i agree.
I generally cant help but roll my eyes when i see these fics because they usually arent well thought out and generally dont make a lot of sense for the characters or even the ramifications of what the new events will bring.
Whats interesting with fix fics is they arent limited to just events that happen in an episode but also apects of the show itself.
What i mean is i read a fic, forgot what one, where twilight leaves equestria, find a nation without a leader, becomes its leader because no one else bothered dtepping up.
And the nation as a whole from people to cuktire can best be described as "better then Equestria in every way"
They made a mary sue of a nation and then put twilight in charge of it and the only flaw the nation had was its lack of leadership and direction. The secind they had it they became utopian.
Which is a really crappy setting as what makes Equestria is the fact it is an idealize world but isnt perfect. It has flaws. It feels lile its a place that could really exist.
5343149
Which, in itself is BULLCRAP as if a nation's gone that long without a leader, no way they should be that easy to bring up to speed and become paradise. Look at Griffonstone. That's a more realistic outlook and until someone steps up... And even then it'll be a long road. I don't know if you know this, but governing a kingdom is hard.
5343275
It is, he'll just play a grand strategy game and watch how hard it is to keep things running smoothly and that has less random chance then real life.
But yeah I brought it up was an example of how fix fics don't just apply to events in the show but also places, people and any aspect of the show.
But the fics excuse for why it was brought up to speed so easy was ........magic....
Twilight is so good at magic she can build a 100 buildings in 2 weeks just with magic and and nearly all issues can be solved with her horn.
I never finished the fic.