Things you *hate* to see in fanfiction

Where stuff about fanfiction that doesn't fit into any other category goes. Try to make sure that new topics here actually couldn't actually go somewhere else.

Postby EdenB » Fri Aug 11, 2006 7:18 pm

Nekomata-sensei wrote:Harry/Ginny is a horrible pairing and Harry/Hermione is better

As well as how Harry/Luna rocks even more. :wink: I actually like all three pairings though as well as more even less likely ones, so i'm not saying any sucks.
~Back on topic~
When someone completely changes a character, without giving any reason whatsoever would be one of them. A fairly common one is where Akane is suddenly a saint who never loses her temper and openly admits she loves Ranma. Or Ryoga suddenly admitting his love for Ranma, only sneaking into Akane's bed to make him jealous of her.
It's decent when they actually explain 'such and such happened' like in AU's or if it happens after canon or give the character proper motivation to do something that they'd not usually do. But many don't.
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Postby Atlan » Sat Aug 12, 2006 12:24 am

I dont like it when they give one small reason, and suddenly a charecter changes personality completly.
Thats why i stay away from Harry Potter fics- they always seem to be "Dumbledore is manipulating Harry, and everyone arond him, reads all his students minds, and is generally as evil as Voldemort in his own way" when he's never like that in the books.
Or when someone finds out a single peice of information and the whole foc becomes an addolesnt angst filled dirary of one person who's had eveyone against them and never noticed it till now.
Like harry always seems to be in harry potter fics.
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Postby Cyber_Skaarj » Sat Aug 12, 2006 12:25 am

Nekomata-sensei wrote:What is CC?
Constructive Criticism of course.

This is a two way street. One of the things I hate to see is a fanfiction author being given good CC, but completely ignoring it because it's not the way they do things. It's especially bad when an author gets said CC about their spelling and grammar, yet makes absolutely no effort to improve upon it.
Also, don't diss writing styles.

I don't diss them when they work. Unfortunately, I've found so very few fics where the author has even put even the slightest amount of effort into the fic to make it so you can get past the style of writing and enjoy the story.
Sadly, I have a horrible feeling I'm going to get replies to this from people defending their opinions that girl Ranma fics are completley implausible and suck

You're posting this on fukufics, and you think you'll get people saying that? Heh, not bloody likely :)
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Postby crystlshake » Sat Aug 12, 2006 12:51 am

This is a two way street. One of the things I hate to see is a fanfiction author being given good CC, but completely ignoring it because it's not the way they do things. It's especially bad when an author gets said CC about their spelling and grammar, yet makes absolutely no effort to improve upon it.

Yeah, that is pretty anoying. Ill usually give a few chapter allowance for improvement if its not too bad. What I think is a worse crime is seeing pleas for good cc and reviews in a few of the earlier chapters, and then seeing some authors note response to a reviewer where they tell them off more directly along those lines. As an example- the review made recomendations or critisizm for problems and the author comes back with something like 'yeah i read your review and acknowledge the issues you brought up but im not only going to ignore them but tell you about it too'.
I dont always read AN since sometimes they spoil stuff or just the length of them, but seeing that kind of response where it gives the impression that there was some content to a review but the author is going to ignore it for some reason or anouther is a quick reason to kill my interest. I think there was one I read where someone pointed out a plot hole or something and the author replied to it (indicating that if not before, they knew about it now) that they wouldnt change it because of laziness or because they wanted to do it this way. Cutting your own path is all fine and good, but if you ask for help dont slap anyone who offers and expect to get more.
BTW Nekomata-sensei, I personally liked the depth you went into for your arguments. Examples are always nice (mine suffered from memory degradation of facts). I found the music analogy for writing styles especially nice. It was enough to make me reconsider writing off script format entirely. Ive read my share of plays, but a story would have to be pretty good to draw me into it the same way. Of course if could just be a matter of greater familiarity as well I suppose....
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Postby DCG » Sat Aug 12, 2006 12:57 am

Sadly, I have a horrible feeling I'm going to get replies to this from people defending their opinions that girl Ranma fics are completley implausible and suck

How about you read a thread before posting in it?
If you had taken the time to read this thread you would have noticed that ever one is fine with girl ranma fics.
You just need to put work into it.
On a side note, Drama queen more?
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Postby Nekomata-sensei » Sat Aug 12, 2006 6:16 am

Cyber_Skaarj wrote:This is a two way street. One of the things I hate to see is a fanfiction author being given good CC, but completely ignoring it because it's not the way they do things. It's especially bad when an author gets said CC about their spelling and grammar, yet makes absolutely no effort to improve upon it.

This sometimes does happen, but it's more often that it's either too much work to go back and fix a story they've got everything planned out for and at least somewhat works, even if it's a bit contrived at points, or they never end up continuing the story anyway, it dying out due to forgetting it for other ideas or work outside of the realm of fanfiction, or simply getting discouraged by negative reviews. (some people I've seen were really sensitive, even really good authors got a few negative reviews and reacted like the sky was falling and dropped the fic like a hot potatoe)
One of the problems with expecting people to fix spelling and grammer errors, is that if they think you can edit it properly, they tend to think it's still readable, and if they're lazy enough not to use a spell check or have a pre-reader anyway, they're too lazy for a re-post. Most of the time, those with the practically un-readable spelling/grammer/formatting errors don't have the writing skills to be able to write a good story in the first place, and thus shouldn't be posting. If they _can_ come up with a good story, then perhaps they shouldn't be writing and posting it in English but in their native language or trying to come up with another medium to use besides language if English is their first language. And, before anyone comments on this, no, 1337, isn't a real language, neither is chatroom speak, people who use chatroom speak outside a chatroom in proper writing when they are _not_ writing for the sole purpose of making fun of chatroom speak, are idiots. Slang forms are not considered generally readable lanuage. If you can't write in anything but a slang form, you don't have writing skills, and shouldn't be wasting other people's time with your writing outside of the medium where your slang is accepted (such as the chatrooms chatspeak originates from).
DCG: I _DID_ read this thread a while back. Many people are complaining about sudden, supposedly implausible changes in girl Ranma fics. From what I've seen of the anime and read in the manga, Ranma allready knows how to act and live like a girl, and by the end of the manga, onna-Ranma does say she's basically accepted the curse, which is only a step away from being able to accept becoming a girl in a more permanent way. I often see people whining about implausiblity when it's perfectly plausible if you go by manga evidence, I've not seen enough of the anime to be certain, but a lot of Ranma's whining about the curse and manliness tends to be fannon.
Ranma wasn't acting like the world was going to end during the full body cat's tongue pressure point arc, no, Ranma was dressing in girl's clothing, including dresses and kimonos and such, and while Ranma was looking for a cure, there was no evidence shown of Ranma being particularly rebeious against acting like a girl when stuck. People say that Ranma speaks in a male manner which doesn't translate when speaking casually, and thus claim this makes Ranma male at heart or something ridiculous like that, it sounds more likely to be related to habbit to me, Ranma, however, is shown to be able to easily switch to using female methods of speach when pretending to be a girl. Ranma is shown to be perfectly willing to use his girl form to get various things in the manga, yet I see people complaining about Ranma suddenly accepting his curse or something like that when people write about Ranma doing similar things in fanfiction. Yes, even on these boards (although mostly elsewhere).
I personally think there is almost no character development needed for Ranma to plausibly 'go girl' by the end of the manga, at least if you view the Ranma 1/2 world in a serious manner rather than the slapstick comedy it's supposed to be. This is based on my observances of Ranma's behavior in the manga in girl form. Perhaps the worst thing I've seen by the anti-girl Ranma peoples are when they have onna-Ranma refusing to wear dressed or anythin girly for any reason. She wears them on her own for sudden disguises that she pulls out of thin air! Okoto-Ranma often gets caught in them after a change when he'd been in a girl disguise! Some people act like it's the end of the world if Ranma wears a bra, but Ranma would put on a ton of racy bras and get pictures taken of herself in them to use to manipulate Happosai which is _far_ more degrading than wearing a bra for physical support reasons. The reason Ranma doesn't wear one is more likely because it would be more convienient to change back to a guy quickly or the only ones she has that would fit probably came from Happosai throwing them at her to try and make her wear them, and who knows where those came from, or they were stolen by Happosai from her (from the Ranko Tendo stuff).
Now, admittedly, it would take a great deal more explaining for Ranma to suddenly start liking boys (at least openly, I have my suspiciouns from various scenes in the manga that onna-Ranma at least likes boys otoko-Ranma the only evidence of such is unplausible and excuseable by mind control magic of the koi rod and the paper dolls, there is less evidence of onna-Ranma liking girls) or want to go all girl. But Ranma doesn't have any difficultly playing the role of a girl, from the evidence I've seen in the manga, and tends to enjoy herself doing it. (a good method actor I suppose) Perhaps the anime is different? I wouldn't know, I've only read the manga and a few episodes of the anime, the manga is the only source considered cannon anyway.
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Postby lwf58 » Sat Aug 12, 2006 9:27 am

Deciding not to change one's story to suit other people and ignoring C&C are two different things.
It's perfectly okay to read someone's comments and say, "I can see your point, but that's not the story I want to write." It's not okay to solicit comments and then say "I don't like what you are saying, so I'm going to ignore it."
It's a matter of manners. Reading a story and commenting on it is time-consuming and takes a real effort. The people who undertake the job want to feel that what they've done is appreciated, even if their suggestions aren't used.
An example of how not to treat the people who take the time and trouble of posting thoughtful comments can be found in this forum. In this example, a debate over how characters were being written, and how big the plotholes were was in full swing when the author decided to end it. But instead of wording his rejection politely, he did it by dissing everyone who'd been commenting by saying that the thoughtful debate was useless.
http://www.fukufics.com/viewtopic.php?p=54299#54299
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Postby Drawde » Sat Aug 12, 2006 3:43 pm

Here's something that I hate in fusions and, though you don't see it as often, going-back-in-time-to-do-it-over fics. When, despite the new character, or old character knowing the future, things go almost exactly the same. I can expect the start and introductions to be similar, but the farther along the story is, the more things should change. If you remove the fusion characters from the new story, and can barely tell the difference from the old story, there's no point to doing the fusion in the first place. I've seen stories where entire conversations later in it go almost word for word as in the original. This also affects AUs where only one character or fact is changed.
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Postby Matrias » Thu Aug 17, 2006 12:38 pm

I hate character bashing, even against characters I don't like. It really takes me out of the story to see that.
There's this theme in Ranma crossovers lately that drives me fricking bananas. It's where Ranma will go to another dimension, or be reincarnated in another or world, or run away from his 'crappy life,' and any number of other premises that promptly discards the entire Nerima cast excepting him. I like the Nerima cast! The Kunos, the Tendos, and the Amazons are great! Taking everyone but Ranma away makes things... Not Ranma.
I'm a bit of a nazi when it comes to pairings, and don't really like seeing anything non-canonical. It's a preferance thing, so I don't actually consider it anyones fault but my own.
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Postby Mitchell » Sat Aug 26, 2006 7:03 am

Ok what really gets to me in fanfiction is something that I'm seeing a lot in fanfiction nowadays. It is blatent stuff like a charecter reacting in a way that would not be logical for their setting.
For example I read in a fic where Naruto merged with the Kyuubi at hte age of five and became ANBU. Somehow, despite being in anbu for seven years he did not kill anybody, and then when he did kill two people he starts becomming despressed and brooding about it. What the HELL? Naruto grew up in a village where the need to kill some people is a way of life, furthermore he grew up in the ANBU where most of the assasinations and stuff would happen. I somehow doubt he would become a ANBU captain without killing at least one shinobi, and the fact that he spent a lot of time winging about having two just wrecked the plot.
I really hate fics that impose the morals and societies views of our world onto the anime ones. FOr example somehow I doubt a ninja, being raised to kill, would try and take EVERY enemy alive, and this was happening in a BLOODY WAR. I could have just bloody screamed.
<edit: Actually im not sure taht he did merge with Kyuubi or just had a outbreak of using hte Kyuubi's chakra>
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Postby Ninsaneja » Sat Aug 26, 2006 2:12 pm

In response to the whatever about girl Ranma fics - I hate those when they have no reason to them as it goes directly against the characterization given by Takahashi. That said, I accept reasons such as the popular (for these forums) "I'm a reincarnation of a girl" or perhaps "Traumatizing event" or even "Brainwashed by Nodoka." I have read plenty of girl ranma stories without any rhyme or reason to them where Ranma simply wakes up one day and decides he's going to be a girl and I generally stop reading when the author changes Ranma's name to her own and starts living out their little mary sue fantasy so blatantly it can't be ignored.
I also hate stories where the characters name is changed for no apparent reason. I understand having to escape. I understand hiding from the NWC. I do not understand suddenly deciding that Stanley is a way cooler name.
Last, but not least, I hate Xmen crossovers where they give Ranma or even any NWC member a stupid or irrelevant power that has nothing to do with what they can do in the series - if Ranma is a mutant, it's easier to beleive that this is why he can do what he does instead of gaining him the ability to regenerate his freaking underwear or some S***.
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Postby Acey » Mon Aug 28, 2006 2:07 am

Something that annoys me in fiction is the inevitable duel to decide the characters' fates. Not only is it clichéd, these fights never resulted in any change to the regulars' behaviour in the manga (While Ryu was greatly affected by his duel, he was by no means a recurring character) and seeing them being portrayed as the major plot points in fanfics grates on me.
Another point relating to the above peeve is the last minute mention/description of all the recent 'special training' one of the characters has done to vindicate either a) presenting a character Ranma can handily defeat in the manga as a real threat in the fic or b) facilitating the writer's decision to have their favourite character defeat their rival and earn their shared love interest's hand. Nine times out of ten, this entails Akane soundly beating Shampoo or one of her other rivals for Ranma.
Suffice it to say, this gets old - fast.
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Postby Atlan » Mon Aug 28, 2006 4:08 am

Last, but not least, I hate Xmen crossovers where they give Ranma or even any NWC member a stupid or irrelevant power that has nothing to do with what they can do in the series - if Ranma is a mutant, it's easier to beleive that this is why he can do what he does instead of gaining him the ability to regenerate his freaking underwear or some S***.

I cant help but think you mean my "Hellfire Days and Wild Knights" there, as most ranma xmen fics have Ranma with healing/wolverine powers.
So I would like to mention that in x-men, the powers are toataly unrelated to what they might wish to get. Commic Rogue was a playfull, pasionate womman and her powers stopped her from touching someone. Beast's power was to look like a savge animal, yet he was a geek with umpteen gazillion university degrees. Collousus was a gentel man, a painter, yet his power was invunrability and strength.
Why should Ranma magically get lucky and get cool powers that suit him perfectly?
On a more general note, a persistant peve of mine would have to be the way that EVERYONE execpt ranma and his love intrest get bashed in fics with monotnus regularity. I mean, have ANY of these people read the manga? It can be found online, easilly! Yet EVERYONE IN THE WHOLE FRICKEN UNIVERSE (or at least it seems that way) forgets the reversal jewl arc, or how Akane pined away for Ranma during the Herb arc and cried and hugged him when he came home. Or how Ukyo was prepared to give up Okonomyiaki for Ranma.
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Postby TerraEpon » Mon Aug 28, 2006 11:19 am

Don't forget how quick Ranma was willing to rescue Shampoo from the Ghost Cat, and even that he helped Kodachi against Asuka...
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Postby Ninsaneja » Mon Aug 28, 2006 7:21 pm

Atlan wrote:I cant help but think you mean my "Hellfire Days and Wild Knights" there, as most ranma xmen fics have Ranma with healing/wolverine powers.
So I would like to mention that in x-men, the powers are toataly unrelated to what they might wish to get. Commic Rogue was a playfull, pasionate womman and her powers stopped her from touching someone. Beast's power was to look like a savge animal, yet he was a geek with umpteen gazillion university degrees. Collousus was a gentel man, a painter, yet his power was invunrability and strength.
Why should Ranma magically get lucky and get cool powers that suit him perfectly?

I'm actually referring to something completely different, I'm a fan of hellfire days... It's mostly spamfics with other problems as well, and I don't mind an irrelevant power if it still ends up making sense at the end. What I meant was, if NO ONE BUT THE NWC has any sort of martial arts skill AT ALL and ranma's power turns out to be spot-on-the-wall. "Oh wow, that Mouko Takabisha is a great mutant power" "Wait a minute, his mutant power that we detected with Cerebro is actually his Atomic Fart power! That's stuff anyone could do!" This situation annoys me because they DETECTED him out of so many mutants and his power is stupid, small, and he hasn't used it.
... And like I said, even that could be overcome with a good plot. I'm flexible when it comes to things I dislike, you could do one of them and if you don't mess up anything else I'd still read it...
EDIT: Wolverine powers are overdone. I like a few of those but they get old also. I prefer a "copy-power" which explains his martial arts skill and the fact he absorbs techniques. Genma's power would be the harnessing of Vacuums for the Umi and Yama - senkens and to enhance his speed and strength. Ryoga's power is the "Heavy Ki" thing, etc.
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