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Late TMI Tuesday

by bbbuuu

Hey there everyone, figured I'd drop one of these with just 8 minutes left X'D Same deal as always!

My question is this: What are some pet peeves of yours in fanfiction? Prose that gets too purple? Script format? Too much meta or 4th wall breaking?

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Added:	7 years, 1 month ago 22 Feb 2017 05:56 CET

13 Comments on this Journal

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ManaAraxis

7 years, 1 month ago

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My pet peeves are two core things. 1. Stories written in script format. That's just plain lazy and should only be used for outlining your final draft. 2. Having stories told and not shown when written.

MidnightMuser

7 years, 1 month ago

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XD Yeah, you sure did cut it close! Hmm... for me, really, even though the above can be bad, the main thing that gets me is when characters are remolded into these horrible pseudo-versions of themselves. OOCness is the peeve of all pet peeves for me. I mean, I get AUs. The characters have to have adapted to these new worlds, and that means psychologically as well. But when you have a story that's supposed to be based off of an existing universe, damn, how hard is it to keep them consistent with the canon?! That irks me so much it makes me cringe.

For my question... what are some polyamorous relationships you like? And if you don't mind, share some details about the dynamic of them?

bbbuuu

7 years, 1 month ago

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@ MidnightMuser

Yeah, I've definitely read fics where the author made the character act far too OOC, in settings where it was supposed to be game universe and non-AU... it can be a cringefest to see them make a character like Tails go all emo lmao X'D

Hmm, interesting question... Polyamory is something I don't really think of for stories much, mostly because I feel the romantic bonds are stronger between just two XD If I did a serious polyamorous fic, it would probably be a triage, and would involve some BIGTIME angst about the relationship between the partners... after all, if two of the partners were pursuing the same guy initially, chances are, they wouldn't really feel love for each other, as much as that initial partner they pursued in the first place imo XD It could lead to some interesting interactions and dynamics XD

BUT, as for the pairings... in Sonic, I can maybe see Sonic x Knuckles x Shadow working out, but it would have to be very specific, in the way it happened. Like, two of them would have to already be in a relationship, and then they both decide to allow the third partner into that relationship. I think the dynamic for this pairing would be one of equals if they went for it; nobody would really be the designated 'dom' of the group, or the designated sub, I think they'd often switch roles, maybe even sometime two of them teaming up to work over the third partner (Sonic and Knux on Shadow, or even vice versa XD).

I also tend to like Sonic x Rouge x Knuckles, with Rouge being a little more sly, and able to egg the two boys into doing what she wanted more often XD I think this dynamic would be quite an interesting one, and would require a lot to play seriously rather than for the smut... Another odd one, is maybe Silver x Blaze x Sonic XD Sonic had excellent chemistry with Blaze, and then Silver came along with her in 06... I can see Sonic being attracted to both of them XD

For a non Sonic one, I think in Starfox, that Fox, Falco, and Katt could work, but again, I'd have to try to play it more serious... I kinda have a 'Fox is gay' headcanon (mostly because Krystal wasn't even meant to be a Starfox character, and she feels very shoehorned to be his love interest) and the only other girl that was gonna be a love interest for him, Faye, was in a game that got canceled, and she never saw fruition, so it's a little tough to put Fox in a triage with them, because I feel he'd be more interested in Falco than Katt... but if I altered my personal headcanon, I could totally make it work. It would likely be Falco and Katt deciding to allow Fox into the relationship, after Katt and Fox get to know each other a little better, and she notices that Fox seems to have a thing for Falco, and she thinks "Ooh, wouldn't THAT be hot to see? Let's see where this can go..." X'D

MidnightMuser

7 years, 1 month ago

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@ bbbuuu

Ooh, interesting choices! I actually like those ones as well, and I can completely see your reasoning behind them, having an established relationship and adding one into the mix. I'm not really familiar with Katt, but the idea of how the relationship forms sounds cute.

I actually really like those kinds of relationships, because mostly it's too often where something bad happens to one of the love interests. No doubt there would be some friction, but a story where things actually work out and there is at least a friendship between them, if not actual love, is really cute. Like, Sonic and Shadow both crushing on Knuckles, and maybe not falling in love with each other, but their rivalry cools through their mutual attraction XD

Sonic x Rouge x Knuckles I can actually see as Sonic having a crush on both, while Rouge and Knuckles lean more toward each other, but things work out thanks to Rouge's slyness, and they all start getting a little more attracted to each other and it makes things easier after a while.

Either way, I really like the idea of how these relationships would take time and effort to form, though no lie, the sex would be kinky as hell too XD.

Lex

7 years, 1 month ago

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I've read so much bad writing, especially in fanfiction, that it's hard to pick them out; there's so many.

Writing that deviates from standard format. I've suffered through quite a few stories whose authors for some inane reason felt inclined to write all of the dialogue like a screenplay or something equally stupid. I'm pretty much gone as soon as I see either that or tactless meta references and fourth wall breaking.

"	STEVE: What's your name? PAUL: Paul STEVE: Paul. Check this out, Paul.

Spamming simile. Holy shit, give it a rest. There are other ways to describe things.

Using too much detail where it isn't needed. I don't need to know this guy's getting dressed routine, or exactly what he's wearing or how many steps it takes to get to the bathroom. A story is not a movie for the blind; not everything needs to be included. On the other hand, glossing over events that could use some more attention is also pretty shitty.

Bad dialogue. Probably the bane of most fanfictions. Speaking out of character, out of universe, or just plain contrived dialogue is about the most cringey thing imaginable in writing. That and using caps lock and lots of exclamation points to simulate volume and emphasis (Parasite Eve is so bad about this). Also, for some reason, it feels like the most telltale sign of imminent shitty speech is when any character starts off their dialogue with "Look,"

"	"Look, we all just barely made it out of there alive," Thomas said as he slid three more shells into his shotgun like a shock trooper to fill the chamber with seven shots in all. Then they went to Georgia where they found a shelter.

Blatant wish fulfillment fanfiction. There's nothing inherently wrong with writing for vicarious wish fulfillment, but the least you could do is try to implement some tact or subtlety; maybe not make the entire story about some stupid dream you wish you had. It's the reason why "Human in Equestria" stories are generally frowned on in the MLP community.

Shipping fan characters with canon characters (except in an AU). Under most circumstances, so much as mundane interactions between the two can often feel contrived (but very cool when it actually works). Taking it to the next level is beyond indulgent.

Breaking the flow of the narrative to shoehorn a gratuitous author's note. I still don't get this. If you're trying to make a joke or a statement, put in a little effort.

"	Jake suddenly pulled out a rocket launcher (don't ask me where he got it from, he just has it okay?! XD)

Frequent shifts in character perspective. Doing that at all is rare in good writing for a reason, and even then is typically used sparingly if at all. It might work fine in some movie you watched or game you're playing, but getting it to work in writing is hard.

Inconsistent tense. Why is this so hard for people?

"	The sound of the explosion had shaken us even more than the windows. Estelle drives slowly and surveys the wreckage.

Bad spelling. The biggest red flag that it's either a troll fic, or you just don't give a shit.

Fics that read less like a story and more like a list of events that happened and things that people said. Just because the Holy Bible is written that way doesn't make it acceptable writing.

Repetitive vocabulary. Best example I can think of is this one fic I've actually read multiple times (it was amusing how many of these pitfalls it fell into without being unreadable) where whenever the narrator wanted any character to express surprise or fear, she would say that their eyes widened. I think she watched too much anime.

There's so much more, but I'm running out of space, haha.

MidnightMuser

7 years, 1 month ago

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@ Lex

^ Also very valid things, though the tense bit is a little more forgivable if the author happens to be writing a story in English when it's not their first language. I got that first-hand when proofreading a fanfic recently. Everything else, though, I do have to cringe at, even if I enjoy the plot.

I will admit to the caps lock thing, but I use that VERY sparingly, such as in drabbles when I'm trying to keep the word count lower, and never go beyond the standard double-exclamation. I try to experiment a lot with different things in my writing XD.

Lex

7 years, 1 month ago

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@ MidnightMuser

There's a lot I can forgive for non English speakers. Language is hard.

MidnightMuser

7 years, 1 month ago

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@ Lex

Amen to that.

bbbuuu

7 years, 1 month ago

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@ Lex

Omg, yes, you hit a ton of points I've seen all over XD

Script format is a big irritating one, and I tend to skip the story if I see it written that way... it tends to be something that amateur writers who've never done a story before try to do, without realizing it's a no-no for the most part XD And the dressing routine is another one that's a red flag for a beginner, but I've seen others do it too XD Like where they describe every little thread and button on the outfit, or how badass it looks lmao X'D Glossing over details in situations that would benefit from them I've definitely seen... like, in an action fic or something, where someone is trying to defuse a bomb, and they'd just put "And then they defused the bomb" instead of throwing in the tenseness of the situation, or the panic and racing thoughts of the one defusing it.

Oh yes, that dialogue as well... I'll admit, when I was first starting, the caps and exclamation points were a thing I did, before I learned how to utilize italics for emphasis, though I'll still throw in an all caps word every now and then if a character is shouting for emphasis XD at least I never did script format though lmao! But yeah, stuff where a character who is normally goofy or happy go lucky, suddenly turning into Archimedes and spouting off hardcore exposition to explain a situation, is major crap... (I've wanted to try Parasite Eve for a while, but the gameplay seems a tad odd X'D)

Oh yes, wish fulfillment stories are annoying as well, self-insert OCs, or blatant writer-proxies XD Those go hand in hand with pairing OCs with canon characters as a taboo thing to do, though I'll admit, I've seen a VERY small number of fics where the author made it believable. Sometimes OCs are given names that don't even fit the universe, which makes things stand out even more as a 'this character doesn't fit' kind of thing. LMAO, the author's note, I've seen that quite a bit too X'D Putting it at the start or end of the chapter, can be alright, but shoving it into the middle of a narrative is complete crap X'D

Ooh, perspective shifts... I'll admit that I like to dabble with it, my Starfox fic Drifting Roses switches between Panther and Fox's perspectives usually twice a chapter, but not in the same scene for the most part, so it isn't jarring, and is transitioned better. But I've seen stuff where they'll be in the middle of a big scene, and then BOOM, suddenly you're not following the main guy, but one of his friends or something XD It takes people out of the experience, definitely to be avoided XD Tense mistakes as well... it's definitely something you'd think would be easier to get a handle on, and can be blatantly obvious when they've not read through it to catch mistakes XD

Bad spelling is a big one too... especially if it's simple words they've mispelled, or something that is obviously spelled wrong, but they didn't fix it. And definitely, the 'documentary' style of fanfic writing is pretty crappy, where instead of weaving a tale, or setting up narrative exposition, they just go "There was war, bombs were dropped, and now everyone lives in underground cities."... it's like they're writing a cliff-notes version of a story, instead of writing an actual story XD

Repetitive vocabulary is a big one too, and one that I worry about a lot in my own stuff, especially longer stories; you've always gotta watch how many times you've described something a certain way, and try to use a different phrase, lest you take the reader out of the flow of the narrative... I've seen fics where the author uses the EXACT same phrase that he used two sentences ago, and then he busts it out a third time in a row in the same paragraph, and it kills the vibe of the descriptions because of it. Definitely something you must remain vigilant about in writing.

I love all the details you put into this, I love reading comprehensive explanations! Oh, and btw, you forgot to leave a question lmao X'D

Lex

7 years, 1 month ago

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@ bbbuuu

Rofl, fuck XD

Would you ever want to pursue writing as a career, or are you maybe turned off by the stress of deadlines and editors with no possible way of publishing (smutty) fan works?

Also, Parasite Eve 1 and 2 are great. Even the story is good, but the dialogue is poop.

bbbuuu

7 years, 1 month ago

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@ Lex

Heh, funnily enough, when I was in grade school and middle school, I wanted to become a horror writer XD I wrote some B-movie grade type stuff back then lmao XD But nowadays, it's mixed bag; I'd love to actually release a story onto something like Amazon, cuz I wouldn't have the deadlines of a traditional publisher, and yeah, not being able to put some naughtiness in it would be an issue XD I think if I really put my mind to it, I could do it! I've seen some horrible crap sold on Amazon's ebooks, that people legit paid money to read, so even if my story turns out to be garbage, at least SOMEONE might enjoy it lmao XD

I think they've got Parasite Eve 1 and 2 on the PSN store XD I might buy'em both at some point, and check them out!

JC75

7 years, 1 month ago

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I think i've been in FF.net so long that i've learned to stomach most of them x3
Probably my least favorite things to see are like Mana said, writing in script form, idk how anyone think that is good to read or even looks good. Another i don't like is author's noting, it just breaks up the flow and i don't think there's anything to say that couldn't be said after the story is read and done.

What's the sexiest body type? |3c

bbbuuu

7 years, 1 month ago

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@ JC75

Definitely, FF.net was a haven for a lot of that kind of stuff, though I think they cracked down on Script format stuff (which, as much as I dislike the style, if people want to use it that's their choice, I don't think they should've banned it XD) And yeah, mid-fic author's notes just slaps you right out of the story, and kills the vibe... it's like if you were watching a movie, and then suddenly someone changes the channel X'D

Oooooh, that's a surprisingly tough one! I really tend to like more twinkish bodies for guys, or lither tones, but I also like more muscular ones in some cases as well, as long as it's not outrageous looking XD

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