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Really? Kitties and all? o.O

Edit: Sorry for off-topicness, I just thought it was kinda neat that I reminded someone of someone... So.... Yeah... >.>

.... And I voted Sephy, 'cause he's hot and so conflicted.

VINCENT!!!!! Vincent is the best character... he is just so cool he is always in my party with cid those two and cloud are my fav characters other than sephiroth

I'd read it if it was well written, and the character wasn't a Ms. Mary Sue.... Cause when the self-insert or OC is perfect in every way, more beautiful than everyone in the game, and has NO flaws, than I won't read it.


But, if the person has flaws, and seems okay, than I'm okay with it. I'd rather read a well written OC+FF7 fic than a crappy FF7 fic.
One other kind of fanfiction I can't stand with OC inserts are T or D ones, when they are made by rabid fangirls. They'll do something like

Random OC: "Cloud, truth or dare?"
Cloud: "Truth."
Random OC: "Do you love me, or Tifa?"
Cloud: "Psh, Tifa of course."
Random OC: Either
A: *stabby stabby on Tifa* "Now, love me!"
or
B: *Death glare*
Cloud: "I, I mean I love you!"

Then, then it gets annoying to read stories with OCs. But, like I said before, if it's well written, I have no qualms with reading it

as long as it is done skillfully, wth realilistic characters, and the story is kept resonably on earth (ie made-up characters aren't perfect or aren't complete messiahs for everyone's problems) then i don't mind reading it. sometimes its interesting to see what other people would do if they were in teh game.

Strawberrie, I wanted to say that I completely understand your rant. However, I think that the problem doesn't lie so much in having an original or perfect new character as it does lie in the author being a poor writer. You said your self, not all of the aforementioned original characters are bad, just most. And I agree.

Typically when I write fiction, I include a character of my own creation. I'm trying to get away from it, but it can sometimes be difficult to write a fan fic without original characters and not either repeat the story of FFVII or completely trash it.

Again, I think it's all in the writer. With a talented author, I think anything is possible. ^_^

Edit: I voted for Sephiroth. As a writer, I've got to say he's the most challenging (and interesting) to attempt to portray.

it depends on how the fanfic is writen...I mean if it sucks BECAUSE of the new character add ins then I will never read it again...but if it is really good with new character add ins then I'll read it... obviouse huh?

Meh, it's not really so much of the pairing as how well it's written. I've read plenty of mature fanfiction in my time, and what irks me is that DECENTLY written ones are few and far between, but not so badly as it is with the younger generation in the fandom. However, when young authors who usually aren't even legally old enough to READ that sort of thing make an attempt to write it, then we get those nasty fics where things are just screwed up.

You know those really crappy romance novels and the sex scenes some of them have? Think of that, with really bad spelling and grammar, as well as a general lack of knowledge of the human anatomy for either gender.

It gets really ugly, although I'm quite sure you've seen a few in your time.

Also, to build up on what you mentioned. What really, REALLY irks me is when a writer will only write a pairing to see the characters screw without keeping them in character. Sure, I highly doubt that Vincent and Cid would ever sleep with one another, but Vincent is no simpering whiny idiot, and neither is Cid a rapist.

It's just as bad as those fics that, in which the author is so desparate to get Tifa or Aerith with Cloud, they'll demonize the other female cast members and bash them repeatedly just to make their pairing valid. They'll portray one girl as the b***h, and another as a perfect, innocent angel.

Those kinds of fics get my blood boiling.

As for soiling the name of Final Fantasy VII, that actually wasn't really done by badfic. In fact, any soiling of the name is mostly from issues that arrive due to over obsessive fans, like pairing wars, or other forms of 'wank' (a.k.a. really stupid arguments) that come up on the internet. You know, like when Person A says "OMG TIFA AND CLOUD FOREVER!!!" but Person B comes along and says "NO Tifas a slut Areis is Cloud's one true wub!!!eleventy-one11!!!111" and then idiots will congregate to that place, the wank calling them, and a huge argument of massive proportions ensues.

Badfic only adds to it, but it's not as bad. Final Fantasy VII is usually viewed (negatively speaking) as the fandom with a bunch of obsessive idiots clamouring for an old game with sucky graphics, discounting the fact that the graphics were pretty damn good for the time the game actually was released. Actually, I'd say the Harry Potter fandom is FAR worse off than we could ever be, in terms of soiling.

But yeah, like all the others were saying. It's not so much as the content nowadays, but really the ability and skills of the writer who wrote the story. I can tolerate (and actually enjoy) reading a well written and wonderfully characterized story about Red XIII and Yuffie finding true love, but I can't stand a story with Cloud and Tifa in it if all they're doing is shagging like bunnies with bad spelling and grammar.