Things you *hate* to see in fanfiction

[Cyber_Skaarj]

As the title of this thread states, I'm asking what you really hate to see in fanfiction. Anything from clichés to writing styles.
Here's my little hate:
Present Tense
As I stated in Rei-chan's little experiment, I find the use of present tense in fanfics (in describing events, not during a character's speach) to be completely wrong. It grates on my nerves so much that as soon as I see that a fic is written in it, I immediately close down the window that it's in.
Fanfictions are essentially people writing stories about their favourite characters or series/movies. And it is very incorrect grammar to write a story in present tense. When someone tells you a story, do they speak all in present tense to you? No, they don't, because it sounds entirely wrong if they are recalling events that have already happened as if they are happening right at that very second.
Why authors of fanfics cannot see this as they write - let alone when they read through it to see if it turned out alright - I really don't know.

[nuclear death frog]

First-person writing, and script format.

[Forum Troll]

General - Unintentional bad grammer, gross unexplained misrepresentation of a character diverging from canon.
Ranma fics - messing with the curse (perma locked, cured, split forms, different curse etc etc).
Ranmas curse is one of the reasons I really like the series and reading Ranma fanfiction. I think it is an integral part of Ranma and taking that away makes it seem like Ranma isnt Ranma.
However a well written engaging story I will usually read, no matter what happens in it =)
Forum Troll
PS: This is a non discussion thread right?

[Cyber_Skaarj]

PS: This is a non discussion thread right?

If you're wanting to discuss something that's been said, go ahead. I don't really mind.

[lwf58]

Script format is at the head of the list.
Bad grammar -- I've seen some really interesting-looking stories that I could only get a few chapters into because the grammar and spelling were so bad it was painful to read. Along with that idea, I hate it when people mispell character, place, and technique names. There are so many web sites out there that can be used to check how the names are spelled, there's really no excuse for it.
Fics in which Ranma willingly becomes a girl, doesn't mind being a girl, or becomes attracted to guys. For much the same reasons that Forum Troll listed -- that character may be called Ranma, but it isn't really him.

[Rei-chan]

Things I hate to see in fanfiction:
Any character losing what makes them who they are. I don't want Ranma's curse removed or for Excel to develop a long reaching concious.
A really uncalled for nor hinted at crossover. I don't want to see Solid Snake suddenly popping up in a veritech from nowhere and saving the Macross.
Certain other habits including going overboard with dialects and such in the dialogue. For instance, I found Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer to be almost impossible to read due to all the dropped g's and such to the point where I spent too much time figuring out what was being said. I realize this doesn't happen often in fanfiction, but I have found it enough that I find it worth mentioning its annoying.
Finally the most annoying thing: stories that just rap up all of the problems in five lines. Come on, show us some conflict.

[Mitchell]

ANC's who show up from nowhere who are better than Ranma or Ryouga at a comparable age. I'm not talking good in their field I'm talking powerhouses here who laugh at the skills of Ranma/Ryouga/Mouse etc
Fics where Charecter A suddenly declares their love for Charecter B despite the fact throughout the who series they either
1)Are very insecure and get very embarresed when feelings are even hited at
2)Have shown no interest in each other, or any interaction at all throughout the entire series

[Cyber_Skaarj]

Along with that idea, I hate it when people mispell character, place, and technique names. There are so many web sites out there that can be used to check how the names are spelled, there's really no excuse for it.

Quite true. The number of times I've seen "Nadoka" or other such variations is disturbingly frequent. The reason, I would imagine, is one fic author mistakenly mis-spells the name, but then other up-and-coming fic authors read that fic and believe that's how it's really spelt, and then go on to use it in their fics without even bothering to read up on the source material.

First-person writing, and script format.

Script format i'll definately agree with. If you're using a script, you may as well try and make it into a film or play, it doesn't make for a good written story.
First person isn't as bad though. There are some pretty good fics that use the format that I've enjoyed reading. Finishing What You Start and Can It Get Any Worse? are prime examples of where it's done really well.

Ranma fics - messing with the curse (perma locked, cured, split forms, different curse etc etc).

Fics in which Ranma willingly becomes a girl, doesn't mind being a girl, or becomes attracted to guys. For much the same reasons that Forum Troll listed -- that character may be called Ranma, but it isn't really him.

Yeah, that can get on my nerves as well, though as Forum Troll said, if the fic written well enough and thoroughly enjoyable then it's not too big of a problem for me.
Another one: The overuse of the word "figure" when describing some unknown person or persons. To me that just screams laziness on the part of the author, who obviously cannot be bothered to come up with variations on describing the unknowns.
And the use of the word to describe major characters going around incognito, when they needn't have bothered since the way they describe it means anyone with even a passing familiarity of the series used in the fic will know immediately who it is anyway (especially when it's used for Ranma in a cloak of some description so as to hide the curse).

[Sunshine Temple]

Where Ranma doesn't actually do anything and is some paralyzed victim of events.
Angsty fics grate on me, especially ones where Ranma's just being pushed around like flotsam.
Guess that ties in with fics where Ranma is the "poor victim" any other such nonsense.
Lack of research also irks me. If you're going to bother writhing something you should at least do your homework and get things correct.
I don't like it when the author doesn't bother with character growth. Though equally bad is when people do not change. Like a fic where Ranma becomes a Senshi, marries Akane, literally goes to hell, and yet still hasn't changed one bit.

[blackmamuth]

I agree with most of what has been writting here, and I would add something else:
Nodoka having a mega-wealthy clan and/or a family sword style. I can't really explain it, but I hate that. Hate that some generous and marysuish head of clan would appear and solve all problems.
Hate too some characters that despite being "normal people, with a normal life, +school, friends, etc..." Can kick Ranma's ass. Hello? Ranma spent all his life training, How come someone who didn't dedicate his life to training can beat him?? (THink like Akane. She has a Life outside the Art. Therefore, she will never reach Ranmma and Ryouga level)

[Frog]

1. Spelling names incorrectly. This has already been meantioned but Nadoko, Happasi and other such mistakes are enough for me to stop reading a fic immediatley.
2. Related to number 1: made up pet names for characters. This is something I've only begun to see recently but it makes me want to scream. Shortening Akane to Ak-chan, Kasumi to Kas-chan, Nabiki to Na-chan, or other such sillines. For the love of God, if you're going to use nicknames for characters at least make sure that they make sense in the context of them being Japanese. No japanese person I've ever met has taken kindly to having their name chopped in mid-syllable. To me, this comes off as both lazy and silly.
3. Script style. Won't even read it, I swear to God.
4. The entire premise that 'so and so is secretly GODLIKEGENIUS and has been manipulating everything and laughing at everybody behind the scenes'. Yeah, right.
5. Fanon depiction of Ranma and SM characters. Akane is a violent and mentally unstable sociopath, Nodoka is obssessed with grandchildren, Pluto is a time-traveller charged with the creation of Crystal Tokyo. Give it a rest will ya?
6. Stories were everybody finds a partner and lives happily ever after, yippie skippy. I've already mentioned this when we were discussing Dragon Lady of Macross in the previous incarnation of this forum. The one reason I could not find that story enjoyable was because everybody, EVERBODY, got a happy ending. Ok, suspension of desbelief for even reading fanfiction, but not nearly that much. No bloody way.
7. Author Created Characters. Seriously, just don't. The amount of authors that can succesfully pull off an ACC in the entire bloody internet can be counted in one hand. Just don't.
8. Stories that have lots of unattributed dialogue making it so that in a conversation you have to guess who is actually the one saying which line. Don't be lazy. Christs sake.
I'll write more as it comes to me.

[Bjorn]

-snip-
Present Tense
As I stated in Rei-chan's little experiment, I find the use of present tense in fanfics (in describing events, not during a character's speach) to be completely wrong. It grates on my nerves so much that as soon as I see that a fic is written in it, I immediately close down the window that it's in.
-snip-

Funny thing is, Finishing What You Start (which you mentioned later in the thread as an example of a good fic) is written almost entirely in present tense. It didn't seem unnatural to me... Just gives it a different kind of flavor, if you catch my drift.
Personal pet peeves include liberal usage of Japanese/Chinese/other foreign language outside the bare minimum needed. I'm fine with canon usage (For example, Shampoo often says "Nihao.") and things that are pretty much unavoidable, such as proper nouns and culturally unique words. But seeing things like "tadaima" when a simple "I'm home" would suffice? すみませんが日本語が多い話を読みたければ日本語で書いた話を読んでしまうでしょう。
Not much pisses me in terms of story, except for unexplained character development. I'm fine with Ranma becoming a ruthless killer who can destroy worlds if he sees fit. I'm also fine with Ranma being a happily wed woman who wants to have lots of children. As long as it's explained believably (which it's often not, and this difficulty of explanation often means that the idea is implausible or absurd), I can read almost anything.
Besides that, I guess the normal grammar/spelling things as well.

[mice]

mice dislike it when people rely on uncle bill to spell check their stories leading homophones everywhere.
How many times have have you read weather when they mean whether (although mice always like wether as a misspelling as it means castrated sheep ^_^; ).
a recent story on ff had herd when they meant heard a number of times. and waste when they meant waist...
>_< far too many...
http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/errors.html is a good site if you want to check for common spelling/meaning mistakes.
--
mice not grumpy just irritated...

[DCG]

My mind seems to edit out most minor spelling and grammar mistakes when reading so that’s never a big thing for me.
1: jerky plots. Where it’s going along good one moment then takes a hard right blowing past the guardrail and flying off the high way.
2: Curing ranma and some times locking. Ranma can play the girl just fine, even live as one. But instantly 'cure/lock'ing the curse to make plotting easier on you is the sign of a bad writer. If you want a super model ranma that’s dressed to kill and leaving the guys senseless, fine. Just put some work into getting there damn it.
3: Ranma SI's that don't know there SI's. A couple fics come to mind, one that sticks out is Genma’s daughter.
4: As a follow up on 3, I hate the plots that have ranma born as a girl. Or he finds that out later and then bam she becomes the perfect high school student and gives up the art.
WTF. No child raised by Genma would turn out like that.
5: As sunny said. Character growth is a big thing with me. Things happen in your fic. (That’s why you writing it) they need to effect the people in it. Ranma is highly affected by the people and places around him no way he can

becomes a Senshi, marries Akane, literally goes to hell,

, and stay the same.
6: Nodoka. Well this isn’t something that I really hate. As any Nodoka can be a good one. Nodoka can't really be OC, as she has no character to start with. She had what... maybe 50 lines total? She harped on ranma about being manly when she caught him doing girl things as a guy. When ranma is female, she does not care at all.

[lwf58]

2. Related to number 1: made up pet names for characters. This is something I've only begun to see recently but it makes me want to scream. Shortening Akane to Ak-chan, Kasumi to Kas-chan, Nabiki to Na-chan, or other such sillines. For the love of God, if you're going to use nicknames for characters at least make sure that they make sense in the context of them being Japanese. No japanese person I've ever met has taken kindly to having their name chopped in mid-syllable. To me, this comes off as both lazy and silly.

Actually, the Japanese, especially girls, do have shortened pet names for each other. What annoys me about the ones in Ranma fan fiction, though, is that they are
a.) Not canon. The characters in Ranma never used pet names for each other. The closest anyone came was Nabiki and her deliberately insulting use of "Kuno-chan".
b.) The flippin' fan authors never even check to see if the pet names make sense. NO Japanese would ever call someone "Kas-chan", because that's impossible in the language. Her name breaks down into three characters, "ka", "su", and "mi", and the pet name would be made up of a combination of those phonemes. "Kasu-chan" might work, or maybe "Sumi-chan". You might even get away with "Su-chan". Never "Kas-chan". The same goes for "Nab-chan" or "Nabs". Those are impossible in Japanese. Having said that though, "Ak-chan" is possible... It sounds like you have something stuck in your throat and are trying to cough it out, but it's possible.

6: Nodoka. Well this isn’t something that I really hate. As any Nodoka can be a good one. Nodoka can't really be OC, as she has no character to start with. She had what... maybe 50 lines total? She harped on ranma about being manly when she caught him doing girl things as a guy. When ranma is female, she does not care at all.

This is not true. Nodoka is fleshed out enough to get a feel for her. First off, it's shown rather dramatically that she can never be portrayed as a serious swordswoman. IIRC, Genma says she isn't at one point, and in the Yamasenken story arc, when startled by Ryu Kumon she tries to defend herself by drawing the sword. She pulls it out of the sheath so hard that it slips out of her hand and ends up embedded in the ceiling of her home. We also know that she's just like every other Takahashi female when it comes to beating the menfolk. In a flashback where Genma tells her that he wants to take Ranma on the training trip, she beats the heck out of him with a metal washtub the same way Ukyou does to Ranma with her battle spatula. And there are a lot of other little tips about her scattered through the stories.