Popular Things in Scifi and Fantasy that many people love but you hate.

[CarlManvers2019]

Yeah, read it years ago, Adam was a pretty nice bro

He even admitted there were some economic problems to deal with than just humans being bigoted

 

[CarlManvers2019]

You know, as many superhero movies I’ve watched, I gotta say, I sorta realise now that I barely like them

Like most of them feel like watered down versions of the comics and are kinda mocking them and going on for realism and the fact that the comics are trying to imitate the “realistic” outfits of the movies

Aside from the action scenes that have lots of good choreography, special effects and CGI, I honestly prefer the comics.

Though I gotta admit, I tend to feel that comicbooks in comparison to manga don’t put much effort into the actual fighting

 

[DarthOne]

There's actually a fanfic over on SB that I think does Grimm more justice; "The Games We Play" by Ryuugi is a AU where Jaune gets a different semblance that gives him the powers of the MC from Korean webcomic "The Gamer". In it, he depicts the Grimm as endlessly evolving nightmare-creatures that have successfully destroyed human civilization countless times, yet for their own reasons never actually finished the job. The do also have an ultimate master similar to canon, but he's far more interesting and threatening than Salem could ever be, not to mention far more terrifying in concept.

I mean yeah, it does turn into something of a powerwank fic, and almost none of the main characters from the original show are focused on for any appreciable amount of time, but it's still a fair sight better than anything Rooster Teeth has managed to produce; it even turns Adam and Raven into interesting characters.

I've read it and I wasn't a fan. Then again, I'm not a fan of most alt!power/Semblance fics. Or Gamer fics. Or Jaune-centeric fics. The name of the show is RWBY after all. Not JNPR. Or Jaune Arc's Most Excellent Adventures.

 

[Terthna]

I've read it and I wasn't a fan. Then again, I'm not a fan of most alt!power/Semblance fics. Or Gamer fics. Or Jaune-centeric fics. The name of the show is RWBY after all. Not JNPR. Or Jaune Arc's Most Excellent Adventures.

Understandable. But how do you think it compares to Rooster Teeth's RWBY, at least in terms of it's writing quality?

 

[DarthOne]

Understandable. But how do you think it compares to Rooster Teeth's RWBY, at least in terms of it's writing quality?

I’d say it’s not much better, just bad in different ways. At least from my memories of reading it back in the day.

 

[Captain X]

Most people like it only because it was Picard's first ship. If it was Captained by some random Joe Smoe. They would not give it so much love.

I actually like it quite a bit - to me it looks very rugged. In my Star Trek reboot, I actually have it serve as the template for the Miranda class and the Constitution class updates in-universe to explain why so many common parts are being used between ships.


As for things that are popular but I hate, I guess the biggest thing off the top of my head is that shows like Naruto and Bleach are so popular to the point that they are basically synonymous with anime. I would even go as far as to say I hate fighting animes in general because I find them uninteresting, and it kind of sticks in my craw that they're seen as the stereotypical anime while good stuff like Ergo Proxy tends to get ignored to the point most "fans" aren't even aware of its existence. Even worse is that it tends to be used as a reason to bash on all anime in general by some people, because to them, stuff like Naruto is what they think all anime is like, and the criticisms of them being formulaic and such are actually quite valid, it's just that they're mistaking this one genre as the entirety of anime.

 

[Syzygy]

Can we please stop putting LEDs in nonsensical places? I understand that light is shorthand for power, and an abundance of power implies advanced technology, but I am incredibly tired of science fiction designs converging on what I can only describe as fractal Christmas trees.

 

[Aldarion]

In Sci-Fi, I hate optimism and idealism, especially when combined with supranational / one-world government. I see human nature as too fucked up for such a thing. Frankly, Warhammer 40 000s Imperium of Man is probably the best interstellar state we could manage to build in reality. Even such a state is likely too optimistic, but unlike Federation, it is at least possible.

 

[Urabrask Revealed]

In Sci-Fi, I hate optimism and idealism, especially when combined with supranational / one-world government. I see human nature as too fucked up for such a thing. Frankly, Warhammer 40 000s Imperium of Man is probably the best interstellar state we could manage to build in reality. Even such a state is likely too optimistic, but unlike Federation, it is at least possible.

That's a bit harsh. I believe that an one-world government is unrealistic, more likely would be an Empire with certain loyal vasal nations being allowed to use the space-faring technology.

 

[Terthna]

I can't stand live-action adaptations of animated works; they're the embodiment of the belief that animation is somehow a lesser medium of artistic expression, which I thoroughly reject. The things you can do in animation far exceed what's possible in live-action, and yet people can't seem to get enough of the latter.

For example; who needs a live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender? Heck; who needs two of them? Because even after the disastrous attempt at a film that was Shyamalan's atrocity, Netflix is right now hard at work trying to get a live-action TV series off the ground. Why? Are that many people just too embarrassed to watch a cartoon, that they need something like this?

 

[Captain X]

On the one hand, I'm kind of interested in how some of my favorite anime might translate into live-action, but on the other, I know this more often than not just leads to disappointment. Even as good as Alita turned out to be, I feel like I still liked the OVA better, and simply wished that it could have been finished at the time it was made so it would all be in the same style.

 

[Bear Ribs]

I despise heroes who are special because they are special, they don't work for it, they don't earn it, they're just born special and that makes them heroes. It could be a prophecy or genetic engineering; a magic dip in a chemcial vat, or some magic gear or a blessing, but the hero didn't work for it, they're just special. This is double if they're some brat in an apparent attempt to subvert the chosen one meme by being obviously unworthy.

Give me a Heinlein-style style omnidisciplinarian or a pulpy two-fisted professor who's two passions are boxing and ancient languages, somebody who earned their skills with study and practice any day. Give me Indiana Jones and Gene Starwind, not Ben Tennyson or Rey Palpatine.

 

[Terthna]

I despise heroes who are special because they are special, they don't work for it, they don't earn it, they're just born special and that makes them heroes. It could be a prophecy or genetic engineering; a magic dip in a chemcial vat, or some magic gear or a blessing, but the hero didn't work for it, they're just special. This is double if they're some brat in an apparent attempt to subvert the chosen one meme by being obviously unworthy.

Give me a Heinlein-style style omnidisciplinarian or a pulpy two-fisted professor who's two passions are boxing and ancient languages, somebody who earned their skills with study and practice any day. Give me Indiana Jones and Gene Starwind, not Ben Tennyson or Rey Palpatine.

Naruto is probably one of the most aggravating examples of this, because the narrative likes to pretend he isn't special, when he clearly is:

 

[Val the Moofia Boss]

Naruto is probably one of the most aggravating examples of this, because the narrative likes to pretend he isn't special, when he clearly is:

I'd say that's more of a case of the manga being extended by shounen jump past its natural conclusion, rather than the fault of the author.

When the Pain arc was happening in 2008, the fandom felt that the series was ending. Almost all of the Akatsuki were dead. The village had been destroyed. Several major character deaths had happened. Naruto had developed into a paragon character. Naruto was facing off against the big bad. You could definitely feel that "this was it". At this time, there was no "actually Naruto and Sasuke are reincarnations of the gods" nonsense.

And then the Pain arc finished... but Naruto was still one of Shounen Jump's most popular series (I can't remember if Bleach was bigger at this time). Shounen Jump forced the series to be extended, which resulted in a very obvious swerve in the storyline, with villains coming out of nowhere and sudden reveals like the aforementioned "actually Naruto and Sasuke are reincarnations of the gods" nonsense, and old villains being resurrected to pad out the run time. It's very clear that the author had not planned for the story to really go beyond the Pain arc, and the author was doing the best they could with their deadlines. You could also feel that Kishimoto was losing the passion for Naruto. Kishimoto didn't want to do Boruto. Kishimoto had the grace to allow Ikemoto to use the Naruto IP to launch his own manga, while Kishimoto was trying to create a new IP and story with Samurai 8 (which was sadly canned).

 

[Terthna]

I'd say that's more of a case of the manga being extended by shounen jump past its natural conclusion, rather than the fault of the author.

When the Pain arc was happening in 2008, the fandom felt that the series was ending. Almost all of the Akatsuki were dead. The village had been destroyed. Several major character deaths had happened. Naruto had developed into a paragon character. Naruto was facing off against the big bad. You could definitely feel that "this was it". At this time, there was no "actually Naruto and Sasuke are reincarnations of the gods" nonsense.

And then the Pain arc finished... but Naruto was still one of Shounen Jump's most popular series (I can't remember if Bleach was bigger at this time). Shounen Jump forced the series to be extended, which resulted in a very obvious swerve in the storyline, with villains coming out of nowhere and sudden reveals like the aforementioned "actually Naruto and Sasuke are reincarnations of the gods" nonsense, and old villains being resurrected to pad out the run time. It's very clear that the author had not planned for the story to really go beyond the Pain arc, and the author was doing the best they could with their deadlines. You could also feel that Kishimoto was losing the passion for Naruto. Kishimoto didn't want to do Boruto. Kishimoto had the grace to allow Ikemoto to use the Naruto IP to launch his own manga, while Kishimoto was trying to create a new IP and story with Samurai 8 (which was sadly canned).

I'd say it was an issue from the very beginning; made most obvious during the Naruto vs Negi chunin exam fight. Naruto didn't win because he worked harder or smarter than Negi; he won because of a combination of the Nine-Tailed Fox, and sheer dumb luck. Which honestly? Is kinda the reason he wins most fights for the rest of the series.

 

[Captain X]

I mean, I don't really much care for fighting shows in general, so there's that.

 

[Jaenera Targaryen]

I despise heroes who are special because they are special, they don't work for it, they don't earn it, they're just born special and that makes them heroes. It could be a prophecy or genetic engineering; a magic dip in a chemcial vat, or some magic gear or a blessing, but the hero didn't work for it, they're just special. This is double if they're some brat in an apparent attempt to subvert the chosen one meme by being obviously unworthy.

Give me a Heinlein-style style omnidisciplinarian or a pulpy two-fisted professor who's two passions are boxing and ancient languages, somebody who earned their skills with study and practice any day. Give me Indiana Jones and Gene Starwind, not Ben Tennyson or Rey Palpatine.

So...basically, the PCs of SWTOR? The Imperial characters are especially evocative of this. The Sith Warrior even gets a lecture from Darth Baras at the start of their storyline that they have to earn their place in the Empire instead of simply coasting on their bloodline. The Sith Inquisitor literally has a rags to riches story, a Force-sensitive slave forced to learn the ways of the Sith or die trying, and struggle their way to the top of the Sith hierarchy. Both the Imperial Agent and the Bounty Hunter start off as nobodies who get dragged into historical events.

 

[Bear Ribs]

So...basically, the PCs of SWTOR? The Imperial characters are especially evocative of this. The Sith Warrior even gets a lecture from Darth Baras at the start of their storyline that they have to earn their place in the Empire instead of simply coasting on their bloodline. The Sith Inquisitor literally has a rags to riches story, a Force-sensitive slave forced to learn the ways of the Sith or die trying, and struggle their way to the top of the Sith hierarchy. Both the Imperial Agent and the Bounty Hunter start off as nobodies who get dragged into historical events.

Never played but that sounds about right. I'll note that it's not so much "A nobody" as "worked for their happy ending" that I want to see. I have no issues with, say, Lara Croft who was born wealthy to a noble family but also trained herself half to death to become a Tomb Raider, or even Harry Potter being born to a family of wizards and having magic as a result given he has to spend years learning to use it.

Plenty of terrible heroes came from "nobody" backgrounds and became a big hero, but then they got a cheat power, or the Matrix downloaded Kung Fu directly into their brain, or some similar powerup. Some even work... a little... but it's usually clear, as in Naruto's case, that they're just plain special and normal humans could never reach their level or be as awesome.

 

[CurtisLemay]

"The Epic Battle" where both sides mindlessly charge into each other headlong with no thoughts into things like flanks, supporting fires, and any sort of envelopment. It all just degenerates into a graceless brawl that becomes a series of mano-a-mano duels meant to heighten the drama but bears no resemblance to the real thing. The worse offender was the last two Thanos Marvel films....and please don't get me started on the Wakandan Royal Guard...spears in a frigging fight with superheroes who have the firepower of your average MBT? Nope. I want more than a freaking pigsticker.

 

[Jaenera Targaryen]

Never played but that sounds about right. I'll note that it's not so much "A nobody" as "worked for their happy ending" that I want to see. I have no issues with, say, Lara Croft who was born wealthy to a noble family but also trained herself half to death to become a Tomb Raider, or even Harry Potter being born to a family of wizards and having magic as a result given he has to spend years learning to use it.

Plenty of terrible heroes came from "nobody" backgrounds and became a big hero, but then they got a cheat power, or the Matrix downloaded Kung Fu directly into their brain, or some similar powerup. Some even work... a little... but it's usually clear, as in Naruto's case, that they're just plain special and normal humans could never reach their level or be as awesome.

Ironically describes the main villain of SWTOR: the Sith Emperor, Darth Vitiate. Born the bastard son of Lord Dramath, from childhood he was marked as especially powerful in the Dark Side even for Sith Purebloods. By the time he was 10, without any formal training, he was powerful enough to simply overpower Lord Dramath, and to impress the reigning Dark Lord of the Sith Marka Ragnos. Not to mention devious enough to avoid drawing the attention of other Sith Lords, or even the Jedi and the Republic towards the end of the Great Hyperspace War. He also ultimately became the Sith closest to ever achieve complete immortality.

And ultimately subverted in the end, with the PCs - even the Imperial characters post-Shadow of Revan expansion - turning against him and finally destroying him once and for all. All of whom started out small, and struggled to become the heroes (or anti-heroes) they eventually became.

"The Epic Battle" where both sides mindlessly charge into each other headlong with no thoughts into things like flanks, supporting fires, and any sort of envelopment. It all just degenerates into a graceless brawl that becomes a series of mano-a-mano duels meant to heighten the drama but bears no resemblance to the real thing. The worse offender was the last two Thanos Marvel films....and please don't get me started on the Wakandan Royal Guard...spears in a frigging fight with superheroes who have the firepower of your average MBT? Nope. I want more than a freaking pigsticker.

Seconded; this especially annoys me, since it's as easy as watching a documentary or opening a history book to look up proper battle tactics. Even simple ones like double-envelopment, or a Cannae-style ambush.