3/4 Discushin Thred

[NumbuhInfinity]

Mispelling intentional. C'mon, I know there are some folks here that still like 3/4, but the bad fics on FF.net aren't helping things any most likely. There has to be a way to renew the faith of former 3/4 likers. Perhaps a decent fic for a change? ARE there any okay 3/4 stories out there?

If not, then looks like I have to save the day again, by writing one myself sometime.

[numbuheightbitstar]

There *has* to be a good 3/4 fanfic, simply on the basis that there's so many fanfics about them that the law of averages says one of them has to be good.

[scone]

*hopeful* ooooor we could just let the couple float off into obscurity?

j/k. i think.

[valerie]

3/4 is my faaaaaavorite couple! I just finished watching C.A.T.S. again, and I love the part where Numbuh Four tells Numbuh Three "I love you!" (Even if he is just pretending to be Mr. Huggykins. You know he meant it ;D)

[numbuh541]

I thought today's showing was very 3x4-centric.
I do believe it was OFFICE that makde me consider them a cute couple... (that, and ARCTIC).
I haven't seen the former in quite some time... not much at all tonight, as I just let the VCR in the front room record away.....

...*flails* Rainbow Monkeys! x3

[Nella (Numbuh 310)]

See, I would like 3/4, but there are two things that make it very offputting for me.

1) The fandom. Yes, I've said this before and I'll say it again: the rabid fangirls and badfic are killing this couple. When I go to ff.net, most of what I see is 3/4 badfic (with the occasional 1/5 badfic) with reviews like "THIS SI SOOO CUTE!!1 OMGLOL !!1!11!one!" I can't stand this - even if it's your favorite couple, you shouldn't support bad fanfiction. Also, every other KND site out there is devoted to 3/4. Some of the sites themselves are good, but after seeing so many, I just get sick of it.

2) The couple itself. Oh m'god, I said it. Now don't get me wrong - I love fluffy couples but...no. The couple's too obvious, too stereotypical - the tough guy and the innocent girl. Even though it's really sweet I feel like this couple type lacks originality. No matter where you look, there will always be a couple just like it. "Their personalities conflict so much - they're a great couple!" But are the conflicting personalities interesting? Not in my opinion.

Now don't get me wrong, I don't hate 3/4 - in fact, it's a couple I support. But I don't like it. (I hope that makes sense.)

Sadly, this couple is really falling from my favor. It's too two-dimensional to keep my interest. I can see why other people are obsessed with it (they are cute together), but I can see other couples involving 3 and 4 that are far more interesting.

Now if you are a 3/4 fan, please don't flame me. I don't think I deserve it. If you'd like to discuss this, I'd love to.
Just don't get me started on 1/5.

Edit: *kicks herself* Wow, after rereading that, I kinda sound like a flamer. *waits for someone to flame the 2/5 thread* At least that would get a conversation started there. XD Bring it on. =P

[maxk]

You've pretty much have taken the words out of my mouth, Nella.

Anyway, most 3/4 fanfics are bad because some of authors can't write, they have ridiculous plots and they make the characters OOC (The worst kind of OOC is... romantically OOCness.) I'm starting to think that most readers *cough*fangirls*cough* only enjoys fics if the fic has 3/4 and they pay no attention to the author's literacy.

Aww man, I can't think of any good 3/4 stories at the moment... but I'm sure I've come acrossed a few.

[pinkdenim]

I agree, Nella.

I used to be one of those dumb 3/4 fangirls, searching every inch of the Internet for anything 3/4. But (thankfully) I've matured since then, I still like 3/4 but it's starting to roll down my list.

I started liking 1/86 and 2/5, then I started noticing other couples involving Kuki and Wally and then I began ignoring 3/4 a bit more.

So now it just seems... Plain. I like it more than most other couples but I don't adore it any more.

And I agree on thinking that there must be at least one good 3/4 fanfic out there.

[forcedtowritethis]

JamesEightBitStar said:

There *has* to be a good 3/4 fanfic, simply on the basis that there's so many fanfics about them that the law of averages says one of them has to be good.

LOL. That's an (almost) true statement =)
I am a 3/4 fan, but I have to admit that a good 3/4 fan fic simply cannot exist! And here's my theory:

1) Numbuh 3. Even though she's one of my favourites, she is simply a one-dimensional, cardboard character that lacks any real depth or substance. Unless a serious writer knew the character inside out, it would be hard to center a whole fan fic around her.

2) Numbuh 4...has the I.Q. of a turnip, but at least we have been able to see different sides to his character. If a 3/4 fic was to work, they should put the 'romance' part on the backburner, and concentrate on this character alone.

P.S. The misspelling of 'discussion'? What were you implying, NumbuhInfinity?

[scone]

yay for nella! *thumbs up*

my thing about 3/4 is that - it never made sense. when i started looking at fandom stuff i was pretty undecided about my couples (i'm one of those "i have 2 or 3 OTPs and dislike all other couples so i'm picky about the ones i pick" people) and here's something i noticed about a LOT of those 3/4 fangirls.

3 is arguably the most popular female character. just look at parron's old thread about OFUKND. every likes "innocent, carefree" kuki way more than either abby or fanny (the only other major fem characters, the latter having only showed up later)

and 4 (at least when i started looking at fandom, this is debatable now) is the most popular male character, ESPECIALLY among the younger, more silly fangirlies.

so they stick the suckers together.

see, my whole theory is that it's NOT based on any sort of real personality compatibility or even mutual affection - it was based on the popularity (and the - arguable - point that the two are the "cutest"). and because those were everybody's fav characters, everybody would READ the 3/4 fics and be all "YAy! writ moRES!!!1112". and i'm sure you can see where THAT went.

Also - as far as i can tell from much digging through archives, the 3/4 couple was popular BEFORE season 2 when all the evidence started showing up. really, season one has about the same evidence for any couple as it does 3/4 - yeah, there's OFFICE, but there's also CAMP (2/3) and CANNON (1/4). and i hate to accuse Tom and Mo of selling out, but considering we have a documented pattern of behavior where they go on the 'net and interact with the fans......


so i do not and never had like 3/4. i think it's annoying and i think it's actually requires some OOCness from both of them. of course, i've NEVER liked love/hate relationships (there's only one in all my fandoms that i support - ZADR) and like people have said, the "tough guy/sweet girl" thing is sooooo overdone, come ON people!

so... yeah. i don't really have a point to this gods-long post, except that i've never gotten to rant about the couple and needed too. this is NOT a flame attempt, rather is just what i, personally, have seen in fandom.



ANYWAYS, about the plethoria of Bad!3/4fic - as i've said before, none of it HAS to be good, because the rabid little 12 year old ff.net fangirls are going to read anything with that couple and, as long as those two end up together, review it positively. nobody writes well because they don't have to in order to get reviews, which is all they really care about.

[forcedtowritethis]

To answer NumbuhInfinity's original post -- no, I don't think 3/4 has lost its popularity or appeal (if so, perhaps by the slightest margin).

I think that the 3/4 fangirls have gone increasingly obsessive with their couple shrines, their 'proof,' and their invasion on FF.net. (I admit, I'm guilty of visiting a few shrines)

But I'm curious -- is it the actual 3/4 on the show or is it the pervasiveness of the 3/4 fangirls that people are fed up with? I think there should be a clear distinction between the two.

When I think about the actual 3/4 on the *show,* only one thing is obvious to me -- Numbuh 4 has a crush on Numbuh 3. It is not obvious whether or not she likes him. It's obvious they flirt, but not so obvious that it should be taken seriously. And that is the only thing I see (unless I need glasses).

So to call these two a stereotypical 'couple' is a bit of an exaggeration, IMO. Numbuh 4's a fighter, but then, aren't they all? So Numbuh 3 likes Rainbow Monkeys and decorates her room with them (but doesn't Frannie do the same as well?)

And I only support this '3/4ness' because it is, in my opinion, the only canon 'couple' on the show not like 1/Lizzie, and again, I see it as more of a one-sided crush on Wally's part.

[numbuheightbitstar]

Radiohead, you hit the problem on the spot--it's not the couple itself, it's the fans of it (not that they're all bad, but still).

Everything you said just now... I tried to tell that to a former friend of mine. She went bonkers and told me how "ignorant" I was sounding and how everybody was starting to hate me because I'm "so so so WRONG!" (Even though I'm the one who had a position that could be backed up by facts--she was so beaten that she started claiming "I know I'm right cuz Tom told me so!" Then she got mad at me when I actually went to Tom to confirm this...)

(and before you ask, no, Tom did *not* confirm anything she had said).

[numbuhm]

THANK YOU NELLA!

I think..the fans themselves have taken the fun out of the couple IMO. I used to love the couple, like half of the other KND fans. But ever since the fans have been cussing me out, it's given 3/4 almost a bad name.

Like Nella said, I support it but I don't like it. I think it makes perfect sense. And it is stereotypical. Which is why I love 1/3 so much. Because it's original in a way. As well as 2/5 and 4/5 and 2/3, etc.

[NumbuhInfinity]

Whoa, look at what I've done. Almost all the posts here are negative or semi-neg. *shrugs* At least everyone's got a chance to vent.

I pretty much have the same opinions as most people posting here, except I still kinda like 3/4. It's just the fangirls (the bad ones anyway) need to settle the freak down! Plus I guess I don't like Kuki with anybody else except possibly Hoagie if 2/5 can never happen.

I already have a fic idea for 3/4 but I haven't completely formed it yet. I could tell y'all what I've thought of so far if you want but I'm likely to do 2/5 first.

Edit:

Circus said:

P.S. The misspelling of 'discussion'? What were you implying, NumbuhInfinity?

If you think I was teasing you or something, I wasn't. I don't think I was implying anything except Wally's intentional bad spelling in ROBBERS. ^^

[numbuh183]

Like Sam, I used to be a stupid little 3/4 fangirl. But then I saw how much flaming there was to those non-3/4 things and just stopped being so fangirlish. I agree with Radiohead, it's the fans, not the couple. Then again, it's also the canoness that's ruining couple.

I still like 3/4, but it's just starting to fall out of my support.