[Writing disussion] what makes a good parody of [insert fandom here] fanfiction?

[I Hate Snatch Steal]

To clarify the title, every fandom has common fanfic plots that a lot of people dislike to the point where they attempt to write fanfics expressing their distaste. However I feel that just like good "regular" fanfiction writing, good parody takes effort and finesse.

I'm going to be using some Sonic the Hedgehog fanfics as examples of good and bad fanfics that parody some common Sonic the Hedgehog fanfic plot lines.

My first example is this:

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12616718/1/

Simply writing an over the top story by taking all the elements you don't like an amplifying them 1000 times doesn't make a good parody. I feel that it makes a fic that's just as bad as what its trying to mock. Stating that your trying to write a "trollfic" doesn't make it more entertaining either.

My 2nd example is this:

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/4784448/1/

I feel that a good parody points out why something is wrong, often through humor, breaking the 4th wall, or in this case a snarky narrator. EG, why is something OOC or why doesn't something make sense.

Finally, I have my favorite fanfic that parodies fanfics,

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10387121/1/

Which takes parody and turns it into a good fanfic with a plot while still having elements of parody that I treasure.

 

What makes good a good parody for you?

[Snatch Steal]

Well, it's hard to have a catch-all for every fandom, considering they're all good and bad in different ways. You wouldn't think a minecraft fanfic writer would look or act the same as a homestuck fanfic writer, basically.

 

I guess it comes down to reading a bad fanfic, observing the stereotypes of the fans, and throwing in the solid parodic archetype of the Mary Sue. 

 

In fact, I would argue that you can drive a whole parody on a Mary Sue's back, considering how humorous those characters can be. It's admittedly an overused trope, but if you were to write a successful story, the Mary Sue would never lose, contradicting the traditional paradigm of conflict in a story.

 

Conversely, a character who gets sheet thrown in his face left and right is another good archetype. This character allows you to satirize the Mary Sue more clearly, rather than appearing to succumb to it.

 

Basically, you can be subtly satirical or blatantly satirical, although if the target audience gets it, then you'll be in luck.

[Catterjune]

I'm currently writing a parody series (allegedly) called Arena...

Arena 1 is sort of a rip off of GX, following the beats of GX's first season. You can probably guess how it ends, but it's more about HOW it all ends rather then what specifically happens.

MASSIVE SPOILERS FOR MY FANFICS IF YOU CARE

GX - Jaden duels Crowler. Crowler's a dick. Jaden wins. Even so, Jaden gets stuck in the red dorm, the worst possible dorm.

My fic - Narrator duels the headmistress. She's actually really nice, lovely, and beautiful. He loses, and gets stuck in the red dorm.

SURPRISE TWIST: There's nothing actually bad about being in the red dorm and literally everyone lost to her before. The dorms are Hermos Red, Timaeus Black and Critias Black and all three dorms are equal anyway, so there's nothing inherently wrong about being a red. Dorms are based on what kind of Duelist you are. All out attack, super defensive, or stupid situational combos.


The sequel (Arena 2) is meant as a parody of fanfics in general.

We're introduced to a character that everyone loves, and SPOILERS she's literally (and I do mean literally) the daughter of the protagonist and a Goddess.

It makes sense in context.

And... it's explained why everyone loves her (she has mind control powers) and she's dumb and kind of a ditz, but instead of having a dumb ditzy Mary Sue as the protagonist... she's the villain of the story (for the first few chapters at least) and the actual main characters don't like her.


I think a good parody has to have something worth saying. For me what I wanted to say when parodying is:

Red vs Yellow vs Blue: Why is their a hierarchy in a Duel Academy? If there's some kids who are naturally better at Duel Monsters... why would they even need to go to school for it? In my opinion, all students are equally bad. So all dorms are equal.

Mary Sue Protag: I'm not in love with the idea of a Mary Sue, but... what would it look like from the outside? Someone who wasn't in her circle of friends, or someone who wasn't in love with her? Or someone who could see past her Sue-ness and realize that hey, this girl's a big dumb loser with no redeeming features?


Just pointing out that something is happening and it happened somewhere else is a reference, NOT a parody. Subverting it, taking the idea, taking the expected, and flipping it on its head is what I think a good parody should be.

in my opinion