Firefly Fanfiction: What Are Your Pet-Peeves?

Can anyone point me to a "My Favorite Firefly fanfics" thread with recommendations? I have not tried much because there is so much of it. Even prowling for high-rated stories with more than a few raters seems like a lot of clicking. Anybody got favorite stories or favorite authors to recommend to give me some good places to start?

Edison

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I have a question for you guys. How do you feel about the translations of the Chinese texts? I've had someone comment that it's distracting having to scroll down to the bottom to see what a Chinese exclamation means, which I can understand. On the other hand, having a translation in brackets in the middle of a conversation seems to me to break up the flow of a story. Is there an answer?

I know that normally this would be a very small stylistic point but in Firefly it becomes more of a major issue!

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Quote:

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Originally posted by EmmaRigby:
I have a question for you guys. How do you feel about the translations of the Chinese texts? I've had someone comment that it's distracting having to scroll down to the bottom to see what a Chinese exclamation means, which I can understand. On the other hand, having a translation in brackets in the middle of a conversation seems to me to break up the flow of a story. Is there an answer?

I know that normally this would be a very small stylistic point but in Firefly it becomes more of a major issue!

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I don't know that there's a good compromise for that. Putting the translations at the top still means that people have to scroll.

There's the HTML abbr tag, which would let people see the translation by rolling their mouse over the word or phrase in question; but 1) not all authors will know how to use that; and 2) I don't know if people can use HTML formatting when submitting Blue Sun items.


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The computer augments the brain and this makes it very unpopular with totalitarians. - Charles J.C. Lyall

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For Edison:

The closest thing to a "Favorite Fanfic" thread might be this one:

http://www.fireflyfans.net/thread.asp?b=12&t=19673

It contains recommendations for what a new reader might like to start with.

Hope it helps!

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I've been posting my fics sans translation or explanation. (And I made up some of the swearing, too.) I figure, I'm using common phrases from the show (mostly), and/or you get the sense from the context. Doesn't spoil it for me to read without translation, unless it's whole sentences that aren't obviously expletives or endearments. Plus, I think research is part of the fun. I mean, I needed an arsonist bad guy and two expendable henchmen, so I named them Dangerous Smoke, and two variations on 'red shirt', which I got from an online dictionary.

SpaceAnJL

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Quote:

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Originally posted by Edison:
Can anyone point me to a "My Favorite Firefly fanfics" thread with recommendations? I have not tried much because there is so much of it. Even prowling for high-rated stories with more than a few raters seems like a lot of clicking. Anybody got favorite stories or favorite authors to recommend to give me some good places to start?

---

There are a few of those threads around, somewhere in the forum. I can point you to a few recommendation threads/sites I found:

http://fireflyfans.net/thread.asp?b=12&t=19673 <-- A good thread with a great deal of recommendations, most of which are definitely the cream of the crop and you should check them out. (Edit: This is the same thread HAWKMOTH recommended above).

http://fireflyfans.net/thread.asp?b=12&t=20708 <-- The Convince Me thread has some recommendations from authors for specific pairings, mostly non-canon, hence the reason of the title: trying to find convincing stories featuring pairings you wouldn't otherwise see working.

http://mysite.verizon.net/vzenvl6n/bsastrawberries/id20.html <-- This is the 2005 Blue Sun Awards for fanfiction in the Firefly verse, so you'll have both winners from previous awards and many recent nominations to sort through in there.

These are just the most recent I've stumbled upon... there are others but searching through the archives can be tiring. The Blue Sun Board should have more threads dedicated to recommendations, I think. Hope it helped you. Just don't think you're going to be able to get off the computer anytime soon. Some of these fanfictions are really addictive.

*******************************
Wash: This landing is gonna get pretty interesting.
Mal: Define "interesting".
Wash: [deadpan] Oh God, oh God, we're all going to die?

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Hi all,

Publishing my first fic was terrifying and exciting beyond belief. It was the first bit of fiction that I had written that was read by anyone other than me.

So... I have respect for anyone who has the nerve to do it more than once, whatever pairing, plot or situation. Spelling and grammar rarely bother me because I can't do either. This is why I now have a great beta reader and I cannot recommend it enough.

Firefly tends to be a love affair, not just a one night stand so I guess I'm not the only one who writes because there just wasn't enough of it.

So I don't have peeves, but I do have things that generally don't float my boat:

Zoë and Jayne pairing,
Mal and River ditto,
Very anatomical sex.

I accept they probably provide all sorts of buoyancy for others.

Anyhow I want everyone to keep writing lots, gives me my escapist fix every day.

Regards

Pony

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Quote:

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Originally posted by Xeyra:
Well, erm, can I believe that you'd give a Malver a chance then, based on this opinion? 'Cause you did say that pairing shouldn't ever exist, in a previous post. *sheepish grin*

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You're totally right!! "Shouldn't exist" was the wrong way to say it, oops!

But - I must explain in more detail - I'm with other folks in this thread that say any pairing can happen, if care is taken getting the characters from where they were on the series to this new partnering. Even Malver could happen, but if I open a story that has River just creeping into Mal's bunk and ripping his clothes off, I hit the back button. That seems unlikely to me. Mal views River as a daughter, and, down-deep, he's a very moral man, no way he'd just do her. And River is inexperienced - I'd even call her innocent as regards sex and stuff. Not a seductress.

Sure, if captain-daddy/crazy-girl is your taste, write it! Nothing wrong with erotica. But this coupling weirds me out, and I can't read it.

I guess it seems lazy to me, having two non-canon characters fall into bed without any explanation of the attraction. I'm not going to enjoy their relationship, even if the sex is wicked hot, if I don't believe it's the characters I love from the series. It can be the characters a year down the road when they're very changed, but help me understand the changes, all right?

Like CAbridges said above, you have to earn the pairing!

BUT... no matter what I think of a story's premise, I certainly don't leave a comment calling the writer sick, or send them hate mail, which I guess actually happens. Hate mail? Over a fanfic? I just don't get it! This is the real source of my rant. Hate mail to fellow browncoats? Come on!

Anyway, if someone will point me to a Mal/River fic that is actually believable, that takes care developing their relationship past the father/daughter thing before they hook up, I'll try it gladly! I've just never encountered one.

Gotta admit, I once thought Mal/Jayne was beyond belief, but I've actually found two that work. Who'd a thought?

squish: thanks for sharing the laugh! I've been picturing Zoe doing needlepoint ever since I wrote that, and it cracks me up!

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I'm the president. I don't need to listen.

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Quote:

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Originally posted by mal4prez:

Quote:

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Originally posted by Xeyra:
Well, erm, can I believe that you'd give a Malver a chance then, based on this opinion? 'Cause you did say that pairing shouldn't ever exist, in a previous post. *sheepish grin*

---

You're totally right!! "Shouldn't exist" was the wrong way to say it, oops!

But - I must explain in more detail - I'm with other folks in this thread that say any pairing can happen, if care is taken getting the characters from where they were on the series to this new partnering. Even Malver could happen, but if I open a story that has River just creeping into Mal's bunk and ripping his clothes off, I hit the back button. That seems unlikely to me. Mal views River as a daughter, and, down-deep, he's a very moral man, no way he'd just do her. And River is inexperienced - I'd even call her innocent as regards sex and stuff. Not a seductress.

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Exactly! I am a very big fan of Mal and River so them just jumping each other is just wrong to me. The same applies to River jumping anyone, actually, including Jayne. But I have read some good stories that are believable and make some kind of sense. Doesn't mean I believe River is the only girl for Mal (some people actually say they'll stop reading something if they feature a pairing they're not fond of and that is something I think is just silly). In fact, I'm a very big fan of Inara, and am more the kind of person who prefers a story where River isn't out getting sexed by the captain, the mercenary or her brother... But that's just me. LOL.

Quote:

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Originally posted by mal4prez:
Anyway, if someone will point me to a Mal/River fic that is actually believable, that takes care developing their relationship past the father/daughter thing before they hook up, I'll try it gladly! I've just never encountered one.

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Hmmm... I am never sure with recommendations when it comes to particular pairings. People's tastes are different and what works for one doesn't much work for others, but, well, let me try giving you these:

http://hereswith.livejournal.com/24721.html#cutid1 <-- A series of small ficlets that are actually, at the moment, still pre River/Mal. The author is really good and her words just flow. I really like reading them. The link leads to a list of these ficlets, to be read in order, but I think she has written at least one or two more that aren't in that list yet, so just poke around her LJ if you liked the previous ones.

You Can't Go Home Again ( http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2794145/1) and its sequel, Tears of the Fallen ( http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2847109/1/) were great reads for me, the first story developing the relationship between Mal and River in a platonic way before leading to romance in the sequel. This story may work for those who don't want to read sappy romance novels, because these stories have a plot and adventure, the romance being just a small part of it, not the whole of the story itself. One of the first Mal/River stories I read, and one that was, in my opinion, very convincingly done, though the author has a tendency to overdo a bit River's "kick-ass" aspects at times (then again, she did defeat a buckload of Reavers by her lonesome in the movie...), but it is still a favourite.

But, as I said, it's my opinion. People have waxed poetic to me about certain stories that use pairings I am not so fond of and they still didn't do much for me.

Hey, Mal4prez, what Mal/Jayne stories are you talking about? Me very curious.

Anyways, shutting up now. LOL.

*******************************
Wash: This landing is gonna get pretty interesting.
Mal: Define "interesting".
Wash: [deadpan] Oh God, oh God, we're all going to die?

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