I see what you're saying, really. I know some people are going to be snotty with you for judging icons but honestly... it's like in American Idol or X-Factor where you see someone ahead of time and you just KNOW by their outfit/appearance that they're going to be a crap singer who genuinely thinks they can sing. (Additionally, these people MAY have put forth their best effort but Simon's right to tell them to fucking quit or at least make drastic changes so they don't keep churning out crap. People should not waste time on things they are not good at and should concentrate on what they CAN be good at.)

It's entirely possible that a bad icon = good fic. But I have to admit, if I see a bad icon, I think it's going to be a bad fic too because of how bad their judgement was in making icons in the first place. It's true though, no matter who you are, the cold hard truth is that first impressions are everthing. I don't think that's being mean, it's just how the world works.