Fanfiction Pet Peeves

[Silver_Wolf_Kitty]

Authors notes are actually my top pet peeve. I really stopped reading most fanfiction because writers seem unable to grasp the idea that in a book, you don't just suddenly jump in with personal comments. If it doesn't make sense, rewrite it, don't try to explain it in an authors note. Furthermore, no more references to the movie. It is driving me mad!

To tack on to the growing list, I hate how women/girls tend to be handled very stereotypically. They are weak, in need of rescuing damsels in distress or super butch women who never feel love, until that right man softens them. It bugs me, there feels like there is no middle ground, every woman is an awful stereotype (she's smart prude, a street-wise poor girl, she was a rape/abuse/molestation victim that killed her abuser). My god, there are no truly representative women here. So sad because women are definitely the primary writers of fanfiction.

Also, wtf is up with the very strict allowances with sex? To explain, fanfiction writers seem to be obsessed with *** men, however cannot properly write scenes about them. Straight sex is just about always rape. If its not, somehow their love is taboo or the girl is saving the bad boy or the guy is so hot that somehow (linking back to point 1), the author has to argue with everyone over who "owns" him. Forget about *******s or transsexuals, they will not be making appearances here, except as icky monsters that hide under your bed. Its like there is no truly healthy sexual relationship in fanfiction. It all has to be dysfunctional.

[Miranda_]

Don't forget the B*tchiwitch stereotype who unfortunately has been appearing more and more in fanfiction. She's nasty, spiteful and a total cow; yet people still fall down at her feet, and all the men fancy her.

[Silver_Wolf_Kitty]

Didn't you get the memo? The lads are going to start falling at our feet Miranda all because of our awesomely harsh attitudes!

God, even trying to imagine someone that fits that mold being real boggles my mind. There is no way anyone that crazy, selfish, insecure, jealous, and whatever else makes those types up has guys falling over to be with that. No way.

[Miranda_]

More likely they'd be flicking spitballs at her. XD Especially since she often pops up in Harry Potter fanfic.

Another peeve, tho not mentioned as such earlier, is what I call My Immortal Syndrome; ie, constantly describing a character's clothes non stop. I mean, you only really need to describe clothes once or twice, so that you build up a picture of your character in the reader's mind. Doing it more than that is just awful, especially if teamed with Twilight Syndrome; ie, constantly describing a character's looks in vomit inducing detail.

[Cheshire1996]

I have to admit I absolutely despise plots which involve the main female lead being captured or kidnapped for the simple reason the author can't really think of anything else, especially when the character is quite strong. It just bothers me, and in my opinion a few of these stories even border on being sexist. Sure you can have a female character that isn't super tough and unbeatable but I hate to read the same plot line over and over again with the only real changes being in the names of the characters.

Please, if you want a character to be kidnapped have a believable backstory. Super villains don't just magically run around and find the heroe's love interest, it's much more likely for an innocent citizen to be taken and if you do want someone close to the hero to be captured then make it believable and do not allow that character to become nothing more then a se.x object. Honestly, it's a pathetic storyline.

Ugh, I'm irritated now

[Miranda_]

I also hate anti men feminist storylines, where the men in the story are constantly put down and bashed by the women. Why can't these writers understand that a woman can be strong without the men around her being weak? It's entirely possible to write a strong female character without her having to constantly save the male characters from their own stupidity all the time.

One more time; a word on self inserts. These are nearly always Mary Sues (it is possible to insert yourself into a fanfic without being Sueish; sadly, I've only ever seen it happen a couple of times) and are so obviously the author, it's pathetic. Lady Gala, Elven Sue is one of the worst of these; Kitty will know who I mean. XD

[spirit_queen]

Eh, these losers doesn't know what it means to be a writer; when your'e a proper writer, you're trying to breathe life into your ideas. It's a passion, and you always strive to top yourself, to do better. Real writers want to make believable and varied characters.

A great analogy is visual art, actually; a great artist is someone who is constantly making observations of the world around them and using that to inspire them. If they were to paint a portrait, they'd take the time to note lighting to note texture, proportions, the way light and color reflect and mix, depth, and other things of that nature. It doesn't matter what level this artist starts out at, so long as they strive to improve and work hard and honestly to get there.

A Sue-writer is like a supposed 'artist' who is not only bad to begin with, but doesn't want to learn. Everybody and anybody can draw a stick figure. So, as an artist, don't be surprised if you draw a stick figure and post it online that you get loads of criticism. It happens. A crappy artist, in my opinion, is someone who remans essentially static; they aren't trying to grow, they aren't making new observations about their work or paying any heed to proper critiques (not flaming, obviously). A crappy artist isn't doing everything I listed above that a good artist does. But, yet, a crappy artist and Su-writers behave as if the deserve to be treated as good ones!

Being a beginner is infe; we all start somewhere, after all. But there's a difference between a newb and a newb; a newb is a beginner who's willing to grow, a noob is someone who stubbornly refuses to keep their ways, flawed or no, and hates being told anything they do is wrong or could be improved.

[Cheshire1996]

Originally Posted by Miranda_

I also hate anti men feminist storylines, where the men in the story are constantly put down and bashed by the women. Why can't these writers understand that a woman can be strong without the men around her being weak? It's entirely possible to write a strong female character without her having to constantly save the male characters from their own stupidity all the time.

...and therefore they often become sue's. I think that as long as you keep a balance between characters, have different personalities, different fails and different pros, you'll end up with a good cast to work with. Giving on character all of the pros and the rest no personality whatsoever is a tad bleh

[Silent_Wolf]

About the mpreg fics:

There was a medical question book I read some time ago, think in high school, where one of the questions was, "Can a guy be pregnant or carry a child to term?"

The theory that the doctor who wrote the book posed was that, given that a woman can certainly carry a child to term outside the uterus (remember the woman whose baby was attached to her liver? O_o), man possibly could as well. If there's a good blood supply, adequate nutrition, hormone supplements, and an area the placenta could attach to, he could very well bring a child to term.

However, that's just pure speculation and based on the occurrences of out of womb pregnancies that women have had.

Just thought I'd point that out because it was interesting. >>

[spirit_queen]

But how is the baby supposed to come out of a guy? X.x I don't pity a man with child, then, no sir! They'd have to get a good C-Section for that, and a lot of crapfics put mpregs in societies incapable of this.