History Blog / DasSporking

* RevengeFic: This is a REALLY common response to canons with UnfortunateImplications and/or characters that are TooDumbToLive (though it's called "spitefics" on the actual community). There were so many ''Twilight'' spitefics that Das_Sporking eventually created a spinoff fic comm for them. (The comm is now shared by fics for ''Literature/FiftyShadesOfGrey'' and ''Feminist Fairy Tales''.) Of these fics, ''Fanfic/ForYouIWill'', ''Fanfic/TheWeddingCrashers'', and ''Fanfic/ToughLove'' have their own trope pages.
** On the other hand, they positively loathe crossovers that appear to be written only so the author can “prove” their favorite series is better than one they hate. This is the main reason ''Harry Potter and the Invincible [=TechnoMage=]'' and ''The White Devil of the Moon'' got sporked, being seen as needless attacks on ''Franchise/HarryPotter'' and ''Manga/SailorMoon'' respectively.[[note]]Both fics slowly become more respectful of their source material as they go on, but still have a lot of canon fail.[[/note]] Not all crossovers are sporked for this reason, but it is the most common.

* EveryoneHasStandards: All of he sporkers have their limits on what they will and won't spork. Usually it's because a work is unspeakably horrific (Mervin even added the "''Hogwarts Exposed'' line" to the comm rules, stating that anything that manages to [[UpToEleven be worse than that fanfiction]] is banned from being sporked there), although some sporkers refuse to do works on the grounds of them simply being ''boring'' (for example, this is why Mervin stopped sporking ''Child of Grace'' and ''Standing My Ground''). Mervin herself holds the comm at large to several ironclad rules, including certain types of fics that are ''not'' allowed, namely the aforementioned "squick-fics", troll fics (on the grounds that they basically spork themselves), things that run the risk of breaking the "no politics" rule (such as ''Literature/TheTurnerDiaries''), and real person fics. She also forbids making personal attacks/death threats towards the Suethors or their families. The only exception is Neil, who wrote the aforementioned ''Hogwarts Exposed'' and is hands-down the most hated Stuthor on the comm (though Creator/MarionZimmerBradley is quickly giving him a run for his money).

%%* AuthorPowers: How most sporkers force their special guests to read badfic. Also exercised by a handful of sporkers using the [[GreenLanternRing Keyboard of Power]].

%%* HairTriggerTemper: Some of the group are this way, Mervin stands out the most.

%%* RedOniBlueOni: A few examples
%%** Mervin is the Red to Hyde's Blue.

%%* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: One of the favorite results [[RevengeFic spite]] [[HateFic fics]]. Which also makes such stories DeconstructionFic.

%%* ViewersAreGeniuses: The comments on any given spork or recap are usually full of anecdotes and [[ShownTheirWork additional information]].

%%* VillainSong: Cherylbites wrote one to be sung by generic villainous powerhouses called "Onward, Sueish Soldiers."

%%* RantInducingSlight: Of course, once the ol' BerserkButton gets slapped.

** Ki no Shirayuki completely blows her lid and rants in ALLCAPS for several paragraphs at a Sue's horribly abusing a sword, up to and including putting him into solitary confinement for ''2 weeks'', one day shy of qualifying as ''psychological torture'' by the UN's standards, just because he refuses to be an ExtremeDoormat and kiss the ground she walks on, that is treated like ''comedy'' by the narrative and viewed by other swords as {{Tsundere}} behavior and her way of confessing her love for him.

* SingleIssuePsychology: In the ''Fifty Shades of Grey'' series, all of Christian's problems stem from his having been abused and poor until the age of four. Gehayi and Ket, both survivors of childhood abuse, take it to task. The comments similarly rip the flimsy excuse apart.

* SomethingCompletelyDifferent:
** A side series was started called "Writers Against Cliches", with the intent of [[{{Deconstruction}} deconstructing]] hackneyed tropes and concepts and allowing sporkers to write fics that play with expectations. More obliquely, the_whittler once sporked one of their own works (with permission), and at least one member plans to [[MindScrew spork a bad sporking]].
** Sweettalkeress introduced her sporking of the ''Anime/CodeGeass'' LighterAndSofter fic "Euphemia's Surprise" this way because it was so different from the works she had been sporking.
** [=ZeldaQueen's=] sporking of ''Webcomic/HowIBecameYours'' was the first sporking of a fancomic, both by her and on the comm (though she had sporked the first ''Twilight'' graphic novel on her own journal).
** Ki no Shirayuki's translation-sporking of the ''Nobunaga-sensei'' anime cast commentary is the first sporking of foreign language material whose translation is provided by the sporker themself.
** Azra sporked a series of VideoGame/RuneScape fan-quests, which were written in the style of walkthroughs rather than as stories. She not only tore apart their failings as stories, but detailed the parts that would be [[GuideDangIt poor]] [[FakeDifficulty gameplay]] as well.

* RevengeFic: This is a REALLY common response to canons with UnfortunateImplications and/or characters that are TooDumbToLive (though it's called "spitefics" on the actual community). There were so many ''Twilight'' spitefics that Das_Sporking eventually created a spinoff fic comm for them. (The comm is now shared by fics for ''Literature/FiftyShadesOfGrey'' and ''Feminist Fairy Tales''.) ''Fanfic/ForYouIWill'', ''Fanfic/TheWeddingCrashers'', and ''Fanfic/ToughLove'' have their own trope pages.

* RevengeFic: This is a REALLY common response to canons with UnfortunateImplications and/or characters that are TooDumbToLive (though it's called "spitefics" on the actual community). There were so many ''Twilight'' spitefics that Das_Sporking eventually created a spinoff fic comm for them. (The comm is now shared by fics for ''Literature/FiftyShadesOfGrey'' and ''Feminist Fairy Tales''.) ''Fanfic/ForYouIWill'' and ''Fanfic/TheWeddingCrashers'' have their own trope pages.

%%* ActuallyPrettyFunny: Once in a while, for parts that had potential or were somewhat decent. Or, yes, when a joke was ''actually'' funny.
%%** For example, Midoriri admitted to being amused by an exchange in ''A Cold Winter's Night''. But she suspects it might have been ripped off.

* FakeDifficulty: One of Azra's big complaints about the 'Rangress' series of ''VideoGame/{{Runescape}}'' fan-quests is that their difficulty mostly comes from refusing to give the player any hints whatsoever (such as forcing them to run around talking to every NPC on Gilenor in hopes that somebody knows something, with no hint given as to who that somebody might be), having most of the quests take place in non-instanced versions of the Wilderness (leaving questers vulnerable to player killers), and saddling them with an unlikable flawless charater in a particularly annoying EscortMission. In terms of actual skill challenges, puzzles, and combat, it's sorely lacking.

* AdaptationInducedPlotHole:
** In "Identities," MG points out that since [[SparedByTheAdaptation Boromir survived]], Denethor's actions and characterization (which were more or less copied from Peter Jackson's ''Return of the King'' adaptation) don't make any sense.
** In "Gekkou", it's pointed out that since the government recruited the saniwa and depends on them to lead the protection of history in ''VideoGame/ToukenRanbu'' canon, their ''[[RonTheDeathEater actively]] [[StupidEvil harming the saniwa]]'' in the fic doesn't make any sense either.

** Azra hates romanticized adultery, stating the obvious constantly, familial or friendship love being dismissed as not as important as or lesser than romance, ProtagonistCenteredMorality, [[DesignatedHero designated heroes,]] and canon characters being upstaged in favor of a Mary-Sue character.

** Azra has reacted with horror to a few "comedic" scenes in ''The Final Fantasy Wars,'' most notably during a chapter in which the Mary Sues misfire spells, causing damage to the base and setting [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyX Tidus']] hair on fire--and are ''immediately praised for their skill.''

* FakeDifficulty: One of Azra's big complaints about the 'Rangress' series of ''VideoGame/{{Runescape}}'' fan-quests is that their difficulty mostly comes from refusing to give the player any hints whatsoever (such as forcing them to run around talking to every NPC on Gilenor in hopes that somebody knows something, with no hint given as to who that somebody might be), having most of the quests take place in non-instanced versions of the Wilderness (leaving questers vulnerable to player killers), and saddling them with an unlikable MarySue in a particularly annoying EscortMission. In terms of actual skill challenges, puzzles, and combat, it's sorely lacking.

* TheManBehindTheMan: In [=RiffingAcademy=]'s sporking of ''Pretty Cure Perfume Preppy'', he makes reference a couple of times to an unnamed collaborator, whom he accuses of having [[EvilMentor suggested to the fourteen-year-old primary author]] to have included [[CorruptTheCutie several story elements that are not appropriate for children]]. Because the collaborator is never named, it is impossible to be certain, but [=RiffingAcademy=] has strong suspicions that the collaborator was a pedophile, and just using [[UnwittingPawn the Suethor]].

%%* VillainSong: Cherylbites wrote one to be sung by MarySue characters called "Onward, Sueish Soldiers."

%%* RealityEnsues: One of the favorite results [[RevengeFic spite]] [[HateFic fics]]. Which also makes such stories DeconstructionFic.

** Sweettalkeress tackles stories [[TropeOverdosed that think they're]] [[LifetimeMovieOfTheWeek Lifetime Movies Of The Week]] often, especially in the Franchise/{{Pokemon}} fandom.

--> GEHAYI: I'm not going to say what it took to persuade the queen and princess of Arendelle except that it involved kittens, the Hubble Telescope, and Ket karaoke.\\
KET: And a really bad clam. *shudders*

** Riffing Academy tends to pick up stories in canons he knows that frequently have at least one MartyStu in them and female leads, especially canonically powerful ones, getting [[{{Chickification}} Chickified]] a lot.

* VoiceOfTheLegion: When The Riddler tries to get his hands on the magic keyboard at the end of [[http://das-sporking.livejournal.com/1046482.html Chapter Nine pt. 2]] of ''Fifty Shades Freed'', Mervin pops in to remind him who's boss:\\
'''Mervin: [+ YOU PITIFUL, INSIGNIFICANT ''FOOL''. I AM THE BEAST, THE ABOMINATION, THE ''GOD'' THAT RULES THIS CYBER REALM. +]'''

* WorldOfSnark

** RC88 hates [[TooDumbToLive obvious stupidity]], [[IdiotPlot stupidity-induced plot holes]], and [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney being expected to applaud rich people getting away with horrible behaviour]].

* FriendlySniper: In a metaphorical sense. The sporkers and commenters are remarkably polite and sympathetic people. It won't stop them from skewering works that they find flawed. (This may overlap with [[Main/BewareTheNiceOnes Beware The Nice Ones]].)

** During the ''Nobunaga-sensei'' sporking, [[VideoGame/ToukenRanbu Heshikiri Hasebe]] says while he isn't fond of his old master Oda Nobunaga, the latter still doesn't deserve to have his historical impact ignored to be portrayed as a bland harem hero.

* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: Deconstructed in the ''Mists of Avalon'' spork. In Book III Chapter 2, Gehayi, [=ZeldaQueen=] and Idiot Alchemist mention that the book’s horrific implications and terrible writing were always visible, but that since there were few if any FeministFantasy books around at the time of publication, and since the zeitgeist was just right to make most people overlook the book’s problems and strongly favored ComplainingAboutPeopleNotLikingTheShow, it acquired a large fan base, when that would not have been possible had it been written today. (A comparison is made to ''Fifty Shades of Grey''.) They also claim the book is only remembered fondly [[NostalgiaFilter because of nostalgia]], with most of its fans not having read it for years, if not decades, and first did so as teenagers.
%%* ServileSnarker: Mervin generally portrays her special guests as behaving this way toward her, most notably Sands and Snape.