11th Best Fanfic I've Ever Read-Royal Survivor: Stars by Mindblower

11. Royal Survivor: Stars by Mindblower

Section: Mario
Genre: Reality TV Game Show
Rating: 7+- a mostly clean story, with occasional censored language and intense scenes.
Type: TV Show Format
Status: Twelve Episodes In, 95,000 Words
Latest Update: April 23, 2011

Starring Characters: An assortment of the most famous Mario series characters, including two OCs as reps of two Koopa Species.

Description: In an original remastering of the Survivor system, Mindblower creates a game show for the most famous characters of the Mario series.

Review: 99% of the time, if you see a reality TV show based fic... it sucks. Sorry, but usually it does, and at the best is forgettable. With the exception of the above mentioned Amazing Race: Dreamland, though, this is perhaps the most intelligent, most realistic and enjoyable without being a guilty pleasure.

There are two things that make this a great experience. One is that everyone is IN CHARACTER, with one exception. (The one exception is huge, noticable, but intended, so it passes.) You don't have blatant overreactions and using Mario characters as vessels for your own stereotypes, you have the actual characters, and that's pretty much an auto-win for me. In fact, the characters are very enjoyable- her OC Bro Mamma, my pick to win, is a ton of fun to read about and frankly should get her own fic. Mindblower even explores and fleshes out what is already there- the intelligent Bowser is more IC, in my opinion, than typical fanfics and is pretty much the archetype I imagined him to be/ plan to base him off of in upcoming fics.

Jeff met the Hero tribe on the dark side of the island. He handed each member a torch. "Fire represents life. If your torch goes out, so do you.

"Each of you will write a name down on a peace of paper, the name of the person you want most to go home. This person does not have to be the weakest. Keep in mind, throughout the game, that there can only be one Royal Survivor."

The second thing that makes this successful is that Mindblower creates an original Survivor system, called Royal Survivor, hence the name. Whilst Inspector Brown created an unique world, Mindblower creates original rules, almost entirely dissimilar to Survivor but feels entirely like a Survivor fic anyways. I can't name all the changes (the first chapter has a good introduction), but the most notable include coin challenges, regular auctions, and all three teams living on the same island and therefore interacting.

Perhaps the strongest point, however, is that Mindblower takes full advantage of being in control of the show (something that, presumably, reality TV shows are not) and therefore creates great scenes, moments, twists, ideas, interactions and other such things, making sure that you stay tuned for the next chapter.

Overall, a story that breaks the trend of bad Survivor stories and creates a stakehold and sets an example for its successors.

17th Best Fanfic I've Ever Read-The Amazing Race: Dreamland by Inspector Brown

17. Amazing Race-Dreamland by Inspector Brown

Section: Misc. TV Shows
Genre: Reality TV Game Show
Rating: 7+- a mostly clean story, with occasional censored language and intense scenes.
Type: TV Show Format
Status: Finished, Thirteen Episodes, 112,000 Words
Latest Update: October 24, 2006

Starring Characters: An assortment of fan-picked characters and OCs from various forms of media, including King of the Hill, A Series of Unfortunate Events, The Incredibles and Back to the Future. See first page for full list.

Description: In a fictional world based off of your wildest imaginations, several fictional characters race through unimaginable, incredible obstacles for a fictional million dollars in The Amazing Race: Dreamland!

Review: This is perhaps the most detailed, thought out and incredible reality TV show reconstruction you'll ever see. If you're a fan of The Amazing Race like I am, this will sate your between season-induced appetite. Fans and friends of the author, Inspector Brown, sponsored their own characters, whether original fanfiction characters or already existing, to run through his version of the Amazing Race. But this is no ordinary Amazing Race- with fictional characters, you need a fictional world. And that is what makes this fic remarkable.

"You know," Klaus said, "I've studied a thousand or so maps and atlases, and never have I found such strange nations as the ones in Dreamland. I heard rumors that in Dreamland, there's a place that looks like an 1876 western town, but was actually built in 2004! Of course, these are just rumors, and not fact, but still…"

Every kind of fantastical, out there childhood storybook or video game-esque idea or world you could think of is here. A land inhabited by animals, a mall that houses an entire city, a leg through a suburban giantess mother's house, Inspector Brown acknowledges that the possibilities are endless and therefore he does not let the ideas stop. And it's a mesmerizing read.

But in order to make a reality TV game fic great, you have to tend to the game side of the story itself. He also does a great job at that. With the jittery, edge-of-your-seat race feel that the actual show trademarked, the defining of the teams' personalities, the tasks, the pacing, the attention to the actual rules of the show, it's all there, as if he were writing a season for the actual show. Another remarkable feat.

If you're ever curious for a fantastical, one-of-a-kind experience, there truly is no story like this one- fun, creative, thrilling and true to its source. The only true shame is that Inspector Brown hasn't written since 2006.