I've found a lot of Outsiders fic I really like, some that I couldn't read because there were so many spelling mistakes it looked like Chinese, and some that were just so badly written it was like it was inspired by something other than The Outsiders.
But I have a few things where if I read the summary (oh GOD, please write accurate and good summaries! I am not going to want to click on it if your summary sucks!) I'll want to read the story. And conversely, there are some things I roll my eyes and it won't make me click on the story.
LikesPre-Novel Stories - I like them because it's the easiest to write with Dally and Johnny not being dead as it doesn't contradict the novel in any way. It's easier to believe things happened before the book than after and somehow the book got the ending wrong. I don't mind post-novel stories either, as long as Dally and Johnny are dead, or it's well determined how they survived.
Dally/OFC - aka a "Dallymance" lol (tm Artemis Rex). I know a lot of people hate this, but I really like seeing how Dally interacts with women. It's a tough line though, as Dally would never turn into Mr. Romantic, but I think there would be a different side to him with women than we saw of him in the book - no chick would ever date him if he wasn't decent to them in some way. I like to see this part of him. Unfortunately most of the Dallymances out there are awful - wish fulfillment from an author that wants Matt Dillon, not a character that falls for Dallas Winston.
Tim Shepard/OFC - For many of the same reasons I like it with Dally. Tim is such an awesome character to me. He has all these elements just like Dally, but doesn't meet his tragic end. He also has more control, as well as siblings he seems to care for. So there are elements to him that Dallas doesn't have, and it really interests me. Whether it's a Tim story without romance, or a Tim/OFC or Tim/canon girl, I don't care. I'll read it all.
OFCs - I prefer it when a story starts out in a canon character's POV - just so I know it will be a story that focuses on a canon character. But if the OFC is well done and not a Mary Sue, I do like reading stories with OFCs. I enjoy seeing how someone outside the gang sees these guys, and an OFC is a good way to show it. The problem is most people make the story ABOUT their OFC and not the Outsiders. So as long as a story is about the guys/canon characters, then I don't mind OFC POV.
Two-Bit POV - I just get a kick out of him. He's hard to write though ... you've got to have humour and seriousness, and it's a tough balance. It's hard to find good Two-Bit POV fic where he's not acting like a total clown or drunk all the time.
Two-Bit's sister around - This ties in a lot with the next one, but I've always wondered how his kid sister fit into things, or into his life at all. There have been some great fics with her in it where she isn't a female Johnny, and I like reading about her when she's a strong character who has her own life and isn't necessarily part of the gang.
Female Characters from novel focused on - Evie, Sandy, Sylvia, Kathy etc. Mentioned but never involved, I like stories that bring them into the Outsiders world more. I like seeing how they all interact with women.
Set in the '60s - And written well enough to show it without being too obvious. The book was set in the '60s. So was the movie. I like that, it affects everything in their world. I like when people research enough to have some info in the book about period stuff, but it's not so overdone it feels fake.
In the future - "all grown up" stories - it all depends on how they're done. Some really suck, some are pretty good. I always wonder what happened to everyone.
The Shepards - I really wish S.E. Hinton had done a book just about them lol. I love stuff that expands on Curly, Tim and Angela Shepard.
Authors That Develop A Plot - I love stories where you can tell the author has spent time on it - their spelling is good, their grammar is good, they formatted the story correctly. They've done research on things, they've got the setting down, the canon characters seem just like they were in the book, their OC (if any) is a fully realized character with faults, the action is described and things are allowed to develop over time instead of happening too fast and if there's a relationship it takes time to develop. I like stories that appear to be plotted out well, and the author has an idea of what they want to say and how they will end up saying it by the end of their story. In short, I like stories that are written well. Unfortunately, that means only about 2% of the stories at ff.net qualify.
DislikesCliche Plot - I hate seeing the new girl show up in town in chapter 1, getting jumped by (usually) the Socs, rescued by the gang, where she's either angry they saved her because she was just about to kick their asses, or grateful they rescued her. She either A) reveals she's looking for one of the gang and surprise! she's related to them or B) the gang takes her to the Curtis house where she stays for ages. She then usually falls for the greaser of her dreams, a bunch of shit happens and in the end she either dies and everyone mourns her because she was just that awesome, or she ends up happy with the greaser of her dreams. I have literally read HUNDREDS of stories that have this plot in the Outsiders fandom. It sucks. I don't like it. It's not believable. It's not original. It's almost always Mary Sue.
Chapter 1 is OFC City - When Chapter 1 is all about the history of the OFC, her family problems, why she's in Tulsa, what her full name is, what she looks like, why she's so tough, who she left behind in her old town, what she's doing in Tulsa and everything under the sun about her - I hate her. I don't want to read about her. I want the gang, not this annoying character the author is trying to foist onto me to love.
Curtis sister - Yeah, I like some AU fic, but this is not one of them. It's easier for me to pretend that Dally and Johnny are alive than it is for me to imagine Pony just magically forgot he had a sister. I actually don't like most fics with the "surprise, I'm your brother/sister" plot device in them, I don't care what character it's for. If you want to write sister fic, try a sister they actually mentioned in the book - Two-Bit's. Or cousins that were mentioned - Steve's and Dally's.
Cherry/Dallas - I've read a few decent one-shots where they have encounters or meet up with each other in some way, but no stories where they are a couple. It just is too unbelievable.
Mary Sue OFCs - Some MS tendencies can be okay, but when she's the gangs pet, Dally loves her, she fights better than Steve, she's better with a car than the guys, she has a unique name, she's got amazing hair and violet eyes and is so beautiful ... barf.
Soc based stories - I need greaser in my Outsiders fic lol. Call me silly, but I do. I don't find the Socs that interesting in the book itself, so in fan fic, I don't get it either. I don't mind them being minor characters, but not a whole Soc story.
Slash - Not really my cup of tea in this fandom, although I've read some really good slash (but not in his fandom lol). It's hard to do well, so I usually skip it because most if it reads like a 13-year-old girl is writing about it. It seems like most of the people that write slash in this fandom have never had sex and have absolutely no idea how the male body works. Their stories end up being about 2 of the canon characters written as if they're girls rather than gay men. Slash is so hard to get right, and in a fandom where it's 1966, it is very very hard to be accurate with the portrayal. I have yet to see a slash fic in this fandom that is really good. The A-Team fandom has some fabulously written slash - but then, the authors are usually over 21 and know what sex is.
Totally out of character moments - Dally, Tim, Two-Bit, Steve crying etc. I thnk a good writer can take OOC moments and use them well, because they are capable of showing WHY the character is out of character and how it came about. The bad writers in the fandom just drop in this out of character stuff and expect us to buy it. You have to set up the reasons why a character is acting OOC if you want people to believe your writing.
Different Setting - For the most part, I like the Tulsa setting. I haven't read too may good fics that aren't set there. The gang is not going to pack up and go to LA for fun. They just aren't.
Incessant mentions of Two Bit and Mickey Mouse; chocolate cake every five seconds - We get it, you watched the movie/read the book a dozen times and you remember these details. But for God's sake, so did everyone else. Technically Two-Bit loving Mickey isn't canon if you're writing off the book either.
Major anachronisms - If I read that one of them is on a cell phone ... so help me I will pound someone. Especially if they set the book in the '60s and just magically forget that during the writing. Other things are harder to catch - backpacks weren't what people carried their books in to go to school back then. You're only going to know that if you do some research. I LOVE finding stories where the author does research on the time.
Bad Names - Original female characters named Madison or Caitlin or Jasmine are so wrong. Can you say author insertion? Do a little research ... she's more likely a Susan, Marie or Janet. If your Mary Sue has a name like Juniper or Cloud Button because she's original (she's a Curtis), then I'll just barf and go on my way.
Rape/serious issues not treated seriously - I have read some truly terrible stories where the author uses rape as a plot device for her character to be cared for by the greaser of her dreams. Issues like rape or serious diseases etc can be written about in fan fiction - but you have to treat it with some dignity and respect. Don't use it just to create drama and make people feel sorry for your character. You want it to be realistic, but also mean something. If I read something about a serious issue and I can tell that it's just being used to woobie the character, I start hating the fic. It offends me to find serious things not given due care in writing.
Incest stories - Yes, there are incest stories (mainly about the Curtises) on ff.net. For the most part they should be removed due to graphic content (as should any fic with graphic content, since it's not allowed at ff.net - they should be over at adultfanfiction.net). Usually it's written by girls who think it's hot to imagine Rob Lowe and C. Thomas Howell together. There is never any real point to it except boy sex. It really is sick that the people who write incest fics don't see it as a serious problem - they see it as a fun thing. Yeah, it's illegal and abusive, but OMG they're so hot!!!! Whatever. I think a real incest fic could only be written by someone who takes it seriously as a problem, not some little girl who thinks it's sexy.
A few other things I can mention...
- I like longer chapters rather than short ones.
- I like author's notes at the bottom. NOT midway through the story in the middle of everything.
- I don't mind if someone uses Matt Dillon's description rather than the books ... I always picture the characters as their movie alter egos in my head. I write Dally as a blond, but I don't mind if someone else doesn't.
- I like learning about their families - if it's done right.
- I tend (myself) towards using North and South side, because I know that was how S.E. Hinton originally wrote it; Francis Ford Coppola restored that in the movie. It was changed to East/West since North/South was the real rivalry. I don't mind either way, but I just prefer using the original.
- I like writing that flows and is descriptive, with natural dialogue and good character development. I don't like writing that seems sloppy or is just plain hard to read because of the problems in it. I try and read my stuff over and over again to get the flow right. Some ff.net writers go through their scenes at lightning speed and you end up not caring about what happens because it all goes too fast.
Tags: fan fic dislikes, fan fic likes
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