Must Love Ned Flanders
is a fanfiction of The Simpsons.
It centres around a young woman named Naomi Sanders from our world who watches the TV series and has a crush on the character of Ned Flanders, who then tries to woo him when she gets transported to The Simpsons universe via a plane crash.
Must Love Ned Flanders provides examples of
- Accidental Misnaming: Homer accidentally calls Naomi "Natalie".
- Alien Abduction: Mentioned in a "deleted" scene where Kang and Kodos the aliens are said to be "always abducting the Simpsons".
- Amazing Technicolor Population: When Naomi lands in the Simpsons universe, she turns yellow, like the majority of the characters there.
- Artistic License – Geography: Naomi gets on a plane to "Springfield, America" without having to specify, even though there's over thirty American towns with that name.
- Author Avatar: Naomi is meant to represent the author.
- Bad Mood Retreat: Ned Flanders goes to church when he's unhappy.
- Bears Are Bad News: Naomi gets chased by a bear when she's in Alaska.
- But Liquor Is Quicker: Implied when Naomi says that "the whole town came [to her and Ned's wedding] and got drunk, including yours truly, excluding Ned who carried me to our room where we... ahem, you know."
- Cassandra Truth: Ned disbelieves Naomi about coming from another dimension.
- Censorship by Spelling: In a "deleted" scene, Ned says, "But [Smithers is], um, g-a-y."
- Crack Fic: The fanfic's premise is a little out there, but it gets really nuts towards the end when Naomi runs off to Alaska, where she meets all of Ned's previous love interests, including a zombie Maude.
- Curse Cut Short: Edna says, "If that son of a..." then falls over and finishes her sentence when she gets up with, "...wants to live with his mother all his worthless life, then let him."
- Eaten Alive: Discussed when Ned wonders if his sons are being eaten alive.
- Faint in Shock: Naomi passes out when she meets Homer, then again when she meets Ned, and yet again when Ned proposes to her. She even lampshades it.Naomi: "And when you asked me to marry you I would have said yes if I hadn't passed out. But, really, what can you expect from me? I've probably been unconscious for at least half of this book."
- Flipping the Bird: Naomi flips the bird to Jimbo when he asks, "Where's your boyfriend?".
- Freudian Slip: Naomi accidentally calls Ned "hot" instead of "sweet".
- Hands Looking Wrong: Naomi first realises she's entered the universe of The Simpsons when she sees that her hand is yellow.
- Idea Bulb: Referenced when Naomi says, "Light bulb" upon getting an idea.
- Large Ham: Naomi talks about how Ned Flanders is "the love of her life", storms off to Alaska after one bad day, and "sighs dramatically" due to not wanting to watch the news.
- "Let's Watch Our Show" Plot: One chapter has Naomi show Ned episodes of the show to help with his self-esteem. Unfortunately, she shows him "A Star is Born Again", which really does give him self-esteem issues.
- Medium Awareness: Edna's somehow aware of America voting for her and Ned to stay together, even though nobody told her about Naomi's "dimension". Several characters are also aware of The Simpsons Movie and later, Naomi implies that she's aware she's in a "book".
- Naked People Are Funny: In a "deleted" scene, Homer is lying in his hammock naked for no reason.
- Narrative Profanity Filter: When Naomi storms off, she "mutters something profane".
- Original Character: Naomi is not an official Simpsons character.
- Out of Character: Many characterisation problems...
- One of the first things Homer Simpson, who's canonically an uncultured slob, does, is tip his hat. He later invites a woman he just met home for dinner, which his family seems to accept as normal.
- Marge thinks it's sweet when Naomi stalks Ned, even though canonically she's one of the most rational, moral characters.
- Ned takes matters into his own hands when Naomi passes out instead of getting a doctor. He also shrugs when zombie!Maude is possibly eating his kids.
- Perverse Sexual Lust: Naomi had a crush on Ned even when he was fictional to her.
-
Portmanteau Couple Name: When Naomi mentions that Ned and Edna used to date, she mentions "team Nedna" as the group of Americans who wanted them to get together. Later, Edna herself uses this word and adds, "not Nedomi or whatever." - Say My Name: Naomi exclaims Ned's name so much that it's practically her catchphrase.
- That Came Out Wrong: When Naomi asks for employment, she asks, "What can a girl do to make some money around here?", then adds, "That's not what I meant! I mean, like a job."
- Trapped in TV Land: Naomi gets trapped in the Simpsons universe, but she doesn't seem to mind.
- The Undead: Maude Flanders comes back as a zombie towards the end.
