U3

Fanfiction
Title:	U3
Author(s):	likemadonna
Date(s):
Length:
Genre:	slash
Fandom:	U2
External Links:
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U3 by is a U2 story by likemadonna featuring Bono/Edge and an original female character.

It was originally posted to FanFiction.net in 22 chapters: first chapter.

This story was the subject of massive mocking at Smartania, see Smartania Suckfic Massacre.

Comments by the Author: 2002

The author addressed fans' negative reviews:

People. This thing you've been forcing yourselves to read was merely a silly diversion I used to get me through a lousy February, something I decided to write for my own amusement, no more, no less.

I'm an unassuming, nice person, and being blasted by anonymous strangers is a new experience for me. I'll admit it -- I'm sensitive; I do not take positive comments nearly as seriously as I do negative comments. I guess I need to develop a thicker skin, or rather an impenetrable exoskeleton if I am to continue posting my weird little stories here. Additionally, this is only my first fic. Please cut me some slack, especially regarding the Mary Sue issue. I had no idea there were so many complicated, unwritten laws and by-laws of ff.n.

After the hate-fest that was last week, writing this has become less fun, and I've considered removing the story altogether. However, it does appear to have some kind of audience. I look at the number of hits it has received and am astonished, although the love/hate ratio of said hits is something I do not wish to learn.

May I state the obvious? Nobody's forcing you to read this. Why anyone would waste valuable free time (or stolen office time) doing something they despise is beyond my understanding. Fear not; your suffering will end this week, at which point my story will finally be allowed to sink down the list and into obscurity. If you want to keep on flaming me, there's nothing I can do to stop you. But I don't have to read any of it. Thanks to all the dear people who have encouraged me. Thanks to all the other people who have hated this yet did not feel the need to link me to some mean-ass site for the delectation of train wreck enthusiasts.

New chapter Tuesday, probably. And. I reserve the right to be ridiculous.

Fan Comments

2002: Fanfiction.net

I. Still. Love. This. Story.

Before any of you get too terribly critical here, I recommend a couple of things. First, read some other fanfiction. Some of it is ridiculous, some funny, some tender. Some of it is very plausible and some is completely unbelievable. That's the joy of the fanfic universe. You never, ever know what you're going to get.

I can only speak for myself, but I write fanfic (although I've been shamefully slow lately) because I do also write so-called "real" fiction (non-real-people-fic.) I use fanfic as a writing exercise and to have fun. Fanfic=fun. At least for me.

Some of you criticizing likeamadonna have never published here before, and I'll bet one or two of you never reviewed here before. She has worked long and hard on this story, and I think she deserves some props for making the action so textured and detailed. Nobody's perfect. Lighten up, have fun, and if it really bothers you, then don't read it.

By the way: I *do* like slash, AU fic, etc. But I *also* like this story. A lot.

From a U2 fan of twenty years:

I LOVE this story! Very well written and Bono's charisma has been captured!

This is the first thing I've ever read here and I was blown away. It is all fantasy so I don't see why people get so worked up in a negative way about it.

Please continue the story or start another one, because I have found a new addiction to feed.

ahhhhh...you are a goddess. don't be gone too long. when do they return to chicago? i miss all three of you already.

thanks for a great story.

Please don't end it there. I enjoy reading each addition so much when i come home from school. You need to continue.

There's a reason you're getting all those hits, dear:

smartania

On the one hand, *ouch*. Seriously, that's got to sting. On the other hand, though...

Other than the "ew! Real People fic!" bit, which is just asinine, I have to admit that they kind of have a point. I thought the characterisation of Bono and Edge started out reasonably well, but then the story quickly became All About You--I Mean, "Kelly," and it rapidly started to suck. Ooh, look, rock stars love you. Special, that. Why should we care again?

And it is a pity, because you're very talented otherwise. You would do well to lose the narcissism and focus a little more on things like plot and characterisation. You could do great things.

Thank you- that was really one of the most beautiful stories I've ever read about this band. Your insight into their charming idiosyncrosies fit wonderfully. I'll never see the word "pearl" in the same light again.

Thank you.

Well, I personally loved that story and I'm sorry that it ended (or that you felt you needed to end it because of all the criticism.)

I look forward to reading more of your stories.

Okay, I have to review this fic. Seriously review here. And no, this isn't signed, because I have no account. But do not bring that into this because its not what this is about.

You have TALENT. So much. You really want to know why you get real, honest reviews? Because people, authors, know you have potential. If they thought that you were going nowhere, I doubt that they'd waste their time.

But, you said that this is your first fic. So of course, there are problems. Nobody's first fic is their best, and yes, it takes work and practice. For a first try, you did very well. My first fic has yet to be posted, for lack of account and the fact that I simply don't think that I'm ready to post it. Mine needs great work in characterization too, and it needs to be worked on. Maybe one day I will post it, but its not ready yet and I realize that. You do need more charactarization, its true. I know you may not want to hear it, but it is truth. As for plot, yes, that needs to be worked on too. If it is PWP, you should label it as such. Although, I did see a slight, underdeveloped plotline in there, so its a start.

Okay, the Mary Sue thing. I think no one should write Mary Sues. As in no one, not even the best authors. As likeable as they may be, many people just don't like them, because they seem so unrealistic. I count myself among them. I have yet to see a realistic Mary Sue.

You have so much potential, and I would love to see more from you. Please, don't let the fact that all your reviews aren't great discourage you from writing. I write this review because I know that if I posted, I would like to recieve honest reviews. I understand many of your fans say to "ignore the bad reviews" but I don't think you should. Read over your fic, look at things you might want to change, then keep that in mind for your next fic.

You know I'm still with you, and you're still my hero. I wanted to cry when I saw all the crap posted for this fic...it's bullshit. Don't even think on it. This fic was a wonderful piece of work, incredibly fun to read and imagine. You write beautifully, and I think that the ending was very nice. Please don't let some morons (who can't admit to themselves that they had to keep reading this because they liked it) make you stop writing. You played out some dreams, and not just for yourself. A lot of us stayed along for the whole ride and enjoyed every minute of it.

Oh, everybody's a critic... particularly the ones that never seem to put themselves out there. Let me shed some light on the clueless ones: this site is "Fan Fiction"; therefore, you just might find fictional stories (are you following me, here?) written by (take a wiiiiild guess) fans of (by george, could it be?)...REAL CELEBRITIES! If it was not, it might be called (duh) "Fan NONFiction" or it might be a site devoted to fiction that had nothing to do with celebrities & their fans! The whole concept should be understood just by reading the name of the site! So, what the hell are you doing here if you are too ignorant to figure that out in about, oh, one second?

likeamadonna- I loved it. And even if I didn't, I still wouldn't understand the pointless comments made by these people. It came from inside of you and it was beautiful. People often throw around the words "characterization", "exposition", "plot development", "narcissism" and such to make themselves seem more intelligent than they actually are, or just to take the smile away from somebody's face. I think it's one helluva first try. You should feel proud that so many really liked it and eagerly looked forward to the next chapter. Don't let 'em take your pride ;)

Okay. Because I believe that a review should be a review, I'll be honest about this and pray that no feeling are hurt.

First of all, know that I haven't read this whole thing. I frankly don't have the time, and from what I've skimmed, I don't really have the patience. Nevertheless, I'll give my general impression.

1. This could have been good. Because you write very well, and you write a lot, both of which are things I like.

2. This wasn't good, because you left out some very important things: a) plot, b) characterization, and c) realistic sex. There's nothing worse than improbable PRON. Dur.

3. Mary Sues are bad. BAD. Wrong, bad, and painful. And nothing will induce me to feel otherwise.

Let me elaborate on several of these points.

Bono and Edge WOULD NOT, in any circumstances, behave the way they do here. Unless they were drugged, or the whole fabric of reality as we know it were rearranged. They might kiss. They might have sex. But I can't see why they would drag a fan into it this way, and frankly, I'm a bit distubed just to be reading about it.

And I had Bono cut Edge's throat, and then shoot himself. So that's saying something.

As for plot, well, there wasn't any. There was no point to the story, other than massive, rampant fucking. Erotica, I like. PRON I simply don't have strength for. And even that I can stand, so long as the characters are dealt with realistically and interestingly. Which they weren't, in this case.

It's like you just took two random people and named them after our favorite rock stars. If you're going to do that, just post it in the 'Originals' section and have done with it.

I could go on, but I won't. Suffice to say, I'm disappointed. And I hope you keep writing, because you really could be good. I KNOW that you're capable of better stuff that this.

[...]

And just a note: If your story can be reviewed, expect reviews. Real ones.

Many people here critique you because they know you can be better, and want you to be better. Not because they hate you. If YOU don't want to be better, say so.

Free at last...they didn't like your fiction...but they cannot take your pride... ;)

I know I'm out on a limb, but at least it's not a lonely one. I think this story was unique, fun, and DEFINITELY untrue and unlikely. So the fuck what? I liked reading it anyway. Come on back. I think a good bunch of us (including me!) will welcome your next fic with open arms.

And those of you who didn't like this fic are entitled to your opinions, and kudos to those of you who can be critical without being stupid. But, speaking for me, I liked it. And I want more, dammit. :)

Your story fucking sucks, get over it.

Don't give up the day job.

Seriously, I think to say it lacked character development is a small understatement. I prefer the hacked version. If you enjoy writing, do continue, I have nothing against you writing, just... a little more character research wouldn't be a bad thing.

Hey, I just read the parody of this fic (smartania) and I was not impressed. They have nothing on you, dear. It's sad that three people have nothing better to do with their lives than to trash someone else's work. *pause* You probably have no idea where this is coming from, but that's ok. I just read the parody and it really annoyed me that they actually make fun of other people's stories. They shouldn't open their mouths until they put something on here themselves. 8) Yeah, I'll hush now.

ok, as someone relatively new to the wide world of fanfic, can someone please just put me out of my misery and explain a couple things? what the heck is mary sue? and PRON? if someone would enlighten me i'll be much obliged. -daf

Let's think about this. One the one hand we have the author of this, who I would guess has probably just written for her own entertainment and enjoyed doing so. She's let other people read her work, perhaps because she thought they may enjoy it and some people have enjoyed it.

On the other hand, we have the webmaster of smartnia.com who has wandered into fanfic.net, taken a dislike to someone else's work and instead of deciding that s/he could do better, had proceeded to write some cruel and extremely unamusing comments about the story.

Forgive me, but regardless of my opinion of this story (and for the most part I enjoyed it) I have a lot more respect for the person who creates something and shares it with others, than I have for the person who can only write cruel words about another person's work.

Please continue this. Do i have to get down on my knees? Oh okay then, pleeeaaasseee!!! How can you end it there? You evil evil person you.

Um... OK this is fiction y'all. It really scares me that some people don't like this fic because they deem it *unrealistic*. Since when should we censor our fantasies because they're unrealistic? That's what fantasy is all about. You are obviously a better writer that 90% of the people out there, and I think a lot of the negative reaction is motivated by jelousy.

Keep writing - I loved it.

alright here's the deal, I've read reviews by some of the critical people before and they are talking about hard core fan fic slash stories. Every story is different has various degress of sex, etc.

How can it be said that this story had no plot, no characterization? She nailed the characters of Edge and Bono. It's the stuff that *I* dream about- and I saw it here in this story. Incoporating things into the text only a serious fan would recognize.

Since fucking when do fantasies have to match reality? If "Bono and Edge would never behave this way" THEN that implies NO ONE can ever fantasies or write stories about them AT ALL. OR anyone else, for that matter. That's such ridiculousness- the whole point of this is that it's a fantasy story.

likeamadonna, I'm sorry you received such negative feedback. Please trust me that when I saw I've read reviews, on other boards also, by certain people who've posted here and they've lacked tact and insight. End of story.

THANK YOU for writing this- *I* loved it.

hello~! i really liked your story and now i demand a sequel~!! something like.... "two years have passed since that day......" and make bono and edge come back for another wild week end.

your doing great~! ignore all those bad ppl out there cuz they just suck~!

2002: Elsewhere

There is some slashy stuff (not a lot ... just some Bono and Edge lip locking) ... I guess people in the ff world call it a Mary Sue (has a girl who gets to get it on with the heroes).

Gah.. I dont get it.. enlighten me please, why would you guys want to read that garbage? Gee - ross.

Ah yes, it's very good. Beyond the subject, it is just written so well. I almost started a thread.

Have any of you read the story U3 on ff.net by likemadonna (it's an NC-17 story).

Hoo Boy ... its so good and she keeps adding more. I needed a cigarette after reading it.

Now because it is NC-17 ... don't go there if you're underage ok.

I don't like reading slash about the guys - I read like 1 paragraph once of some hard core stuff and lmao & stopped reading b/c I don't see them like that BUT I thought this story was SO well written- I loved the little quips she used about Bono and Edge, and I thought the slash was v. v. minimal and easy to skim over if you dont like that, and the rest of it was sexy.

HHAHAHAHAHAH i write shtuff that should be rated nc-17, no slash, though. yes U3 is really good. i'm only 15. LOL