Stomp Fics

[ragnarok1337]

Okay, we've probably all read a stompfic at least one time. For those who don't know, a Stomp Fic is where a certain character curbstomps his way through the story, usually during crossovers, but it can be done other ways, such as superpowering a character.

Now, for the question. Can stompfics be good, or are they invariably bad?


Personally, I think a stompfic can be good, if it is written very well. Take the Scion fics, <a href='http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6507793/1/bScion_b_of_bZero_b' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>Scion of Zero</a>, <a href='http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5869677/1/Stargate_Scion' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>Stargate Scion</a> and <a href='http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6278727/1/Angels_and_the_Goddess' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>Angels and the Goddess</a> written by Arthur Hansen. These involve a demigoddess from the White Wolf series growing into her powers, and are essentially fix fics with the main character solving most problems with little difficulty. Despite this, they are very fun to read. Also the fic <a href='http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4023266/1/bGohan_bs_bDilemma_b' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>Gohan's Dilemma</a>, where Gohan post-Cell saga but before the whole high school deal is sent to the Naruto world. As expected, he's still pretty darn powerful, even with a seal putting a damper on his own abilities. It is also a good read. Plus, these examples are one of the few times Fan-Wanking has a positive spin to it.

Also, recently a thread began on Spacebattles where Illya from Fate/Stay Night is summoned by Louise from Familiar of Zero, and becomes the Mind of God, Myozunitonirun. She promptly decides to show Louise how to do a REAL summon, and summons Heracles, now sane and of the Archer class, making him at least 10 times more lethal. Again, though, the first bit is well-written, and I look forward to how the rest turns out. <a href='http://forums.spacebattles.com/showthread.php?t=187886' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>Here's the thread.</a>

Because let's face it, Gohan, Illya with Archer Heracles and a demigoddess becoming a full goddess stomping everything is exactly what would happen in these circumstances.




So, yeah. I think Stompfics can be good fics, if they are done well. However, I also admit that a well-done Stompfic is VERY rare. Nearly unheard of, in fact.

 

[Inaba]

I agree wholeheartedly, believing that examining the consequences of introducing such characters to a setting to be as potentially interesting as any other scenario. It's too bad though that most of them tend to read as the authors' . . . daydreaming put to paper.

Hearing that Scion is readable convinced me to give it a shot, thanks for that.

 

[Chuckg]

My criteria for whether a stomp fic is good are essentially the same as for whether a character-bash fic is good:

1) How competent is the writing? (This includes things like coherence, taste, not mispresenting fanon as canon(*), etc.)
2) How entertaining is the writing?
3) How much do I hate the target of the stomping and how much schaudenfreude can I derive from watching its face be pounded in?


(*) Not that I give a damn if a fanfic has fanon in it, for about the same reason I don't complain that a swimming pool has water in it. I just want the author to be able to accurately distinguish between 'here's what I got from canon, and here's what I made up myself'.

 

[Inaba]

Come to think of it, I might as well as throw in a link of one of the stomp fics I've read and enjoyed, though more because it was a Touhou crossover than anything else.

<a href='http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6089291/1/' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>And Then There Will Be None</a>, a Touhou/Twilight crossover.

 

[lord geryon]

...

I recognize that title. It's one of Flandre's spellcards.

Fucking Flandre.

I won't read this story, because it can't possibly do the images in my head justice.

 

[SotF]

Stomp fics tend to enter two broad categories from the start, first is the common Rape!Stomp where the entire point is just to have someone crush the other side. It's harder to do a serious one and most of the good ones are more of a parody (MEGAS XLR and Hellsing kind of veer close to this category anyway).

Then you have the Fall!Stomp which is a lot rarer and hard to write as comedy. That's more of the doomed defenders focus where you know they don't have a chance in hell and it is more about them throwing everything they have and go down fighting. Halo: Reach and 300 are this type of thing. It's rarer attempted and normally turns out as a rather interesting story.

 

[zeebee1]

You have a lot of experience with that. It comes with your tendency to make the main character overpowered.

 

[Inaba]

Given how much people across the world seem to love heroic losers (Leonidas, Roland, Yukimura, etc.), I'm surprised there aren't more 'doomed last stand' fanfics out there. Is this simply me not having across them or something? Cause if so, I'd love to get some links.

 

[SotF]

Given how much people across the world seem to love heroic losers (Leonidas, Roland, Yukimura, etc.), I'm surprised there aren't more 'doomed last stand' fanfics out there. Is this simply me not having across them or something? Cause if so, I'd love to get some links.

It's more that they're harder to write convincingly without either making the entire thing seem as though one side manages to cheat at the end when you make the heroes to strong or you can go the other way and they're to weak and you don't have time to develop those you're supposed to empathize with

 

[Watashiwa]

Hm... well, New Game+ WAS going to be one of these, until I started doing more research and realized delicious possibilities.

"For the Love of My Friends" is probably my favorite though.

 

[Inaba]

It's more that they're harder to write convincingly without either making the entire thing seem as though one side manages to cheat at the end when you make the heroes to strong or you can go the other way and they're to weak and you don't have time to develop those you're supposed to empathize with

Point noted, considering that most fics at least pretend to try to show both sides as protagonistic in their own right, barring certain bash fics. I suppose the easiest way to set up a last stand story would be using a faceless, mookish enemy like say, zombies or the Nids contrasted against the heroes of the series being crossed over with.

 

[SotF]

It's more that they're harder to write convincingly without either making the entire thing seem as though one side manages to cheat at the end when you make the heroes to strong or you can go the other way and they're to weak and you don't have time to develop those you're supposed to empathize with

Point noted, considering that most fics at least pretend to try to show both sides as protagonistic in their own right, barring certain bash fics. I suppose the easiest way to set up a last stand story would be using a faceless, mookish enemy like say, zombies or the Nids contrasted against the heroes of the series being crossed over with.

I actually have a few notes from one I'd considered working on about the Vong popping up in nBSG...

 

[Inaba]

Interesting, how would that have played out?

 

[SotF]

Interesting, how would that have played out?

Basic setup was about a year before the fall of the colonies when the Vong show up.

Problem was trying to figure out if the Colonials had anything they could actually use to hurt Vong ships as they can't use the same trick used in SW due to lack of lasers.

Cylons and Colonials pretty much get forced to work together and are still horribly losing as they evacuate as best they can.

 

[Inaba]

So, more a fighting retreat than a pointless last stand then?

 

[ragnarok1337]

You know that story I mentioned at the start of the thread, where Louise from Familiar of Zero summons Ilya, who then summons Herakles?

Yeah, turns out it won't be quite a stomp fic.

Because NRVNQSR MOTHERFRAKKING Chaos was just introduced.

 

[Nanya]

I admit, I've enjoyed a few Stompfics in my time.

It's just, most of them are horribly written, so I don't read them...

Though...

Jeff Wong's "Just Won't Die" is probably my favorite "stompfic" story ever.

 

[SotF]

So, more a fighting retreat than a pointless last stand then?

More of an attempt to leave something behind.

Somewhat similar to what happened during the last mission of the Protoss Campaign in SC2

 

[Inaba]

I see.