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What are your personal "red flags" before reading any fanfic?

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dmcreif Vault Dweller from Vault 33 (Troper Knight) Relationship Status: Robosexual
Vault Dweller
#6401: Jan 5th 2021 at 5:30:47 AM

Drabble fics are the worst offenders at that.

Okey Dokey!
Anasui Le fanfiction dei libri fanno schifo! Le fanfict from Mythlandia Since: Nov, 2020 Relationship Status: A teenager in love
Le fanfiction dei libri fanno schifo! Le fanfict
#6402: Jan 5th 2021 at 2:20:35 PM

Well, there were a few cartoon fandoms I've been to on both sites occasionally. For Tawog, the fics there are sort of ok. I mean, what with the pages being overrun with adventure fics (that I never bothered reading, though they are good), there were also some weird af ones in the M-rated side. There were some good ones on that side, but I couldn't say the same for the ones with low word count.

Regular Show. Eh, unfinished crap, some good smut (albeit the majority of it being multichaptered and unfinished), and whatnot. Never really went there a whole after that.

Screw Adventure Time. Tons of Pb/Marcelline and etc. But I'm being mean, I've never took a gander at it in like, forever.

Rbuk? About two writers there filling it up as it is all kinds of underrated. One guy doing it up with x-overs, the other guy... Uhhh... let's just say he's got a colorful imagination, but his original works on ao3 is something to behold (not really, but they're ok).

Besides those few, I found out people didn't mention the red flags in cartoons because a ton of newcomers flock to em and- ya know...

dmcreif Vault Dweller from Vault 33 (Troper Knight) Relationship Status: Robosexual
Vault Dweller
#6403: Jan 5th 2021 at 6:05:38 PM

I know slash fics were probably brought up at one point or another, but let me add pairings like 'Elsamaren' to this list of red flags.

Okey Dokey!
C105 Too old for this from France Since: Jan, 2012 Relationship Status: Yes, I'm alone, but I'm alone and free
Too old for this
#6404: Jan 6th 2021 at 1:15:41 AM

[up] At least that one is better than Elsanna or Helsa. I know I said it already, but I can't stand ships that turn a non-romantic relationship (Heterosexual Life-Partners or family members) into a romantic one.

Overly dark takes on a originally non dark story turn the flag red pretty quickly for me. I probably also mentioned that before, but I was recently exposed to (again) a Frozen fic that involved rape and people being sold into slavery. Simply reading a summary was not pleasant.

Edited by C105 on Jan 6th 2021 at 10:16:01 AM

Whatever your favourite work is, there is a Vocal Minority that considers it the Worst. Whatever. Ever!.
dmcreif Vault Dweller from Vault 33 (Troper Knight) Relationship Status: Robosexual
Vault Dweller
#6405: Jan 6th 2021 at 7:20:40 AM

In general, my criteria for ships is that they have to be rather healthy and there has to be canon evidence that they'd work as a couple.

Elsamaren, to me, feels like it actually does a disservice towards those wanting same-sex relationships to have representation since Honeymaren is barely a character, and more an expositional device in Frozen II.

The same is true of several other pairings. Drarry (Harry / Draco) and Harringrove (Steve Harrington / Billy Hargrove) are no-nos because as I see it, both are shipping a bully victim with the person who's abused them/bullied them/inflicted physical harm on them.

And then there's pairings like the "Kastle" pairing (shipping Karen Page with Frank Castle) over in Daredevil (2015) fanfic. I’m not surprised that the “Kastle” ship exists. You put any two characters on screen that make some kind of emotional connection, and somebody’s gonna ship it. But looking at Archive of Our Own, the number of Kastle fics significantly outnumbers the number of Karedevil fics (fics that focus on Karen's canonical relationship with Matt Murdock).

Of course, I think there’s a number of reasons the Kastle ship is a thing. It probably gotten bigger than it was ever intended to be and I don’t believe the Daredevil writers ever meant them to be shipped romantically, but there are many elements that make them appealing and I say this as a Karedevil shipper. Obviously, Jon Bernthal and Deborah Ann Woll do look good together, which helps. And within Daredevil season 2, after merely half a season of interactions (and then some more in Karen's limited role on Frank's solo show), Karen had more screentime with Frank to know more about him and vice-versa than Karen and Matt got to do across all three seasons of Daredevil. I'll admit I actually see their interactions less as romantic and more like twisted father-daughter type stuff (kinda like Bill Compton and Jessica Hamby), but I'll digress that screentime does mean everything.

And I also think Kastle was also born out of people’s understandable anger at Matt. Matt screwed up with Karen and Foggy big-time in season 2. They both deserved better than what Matt was giving them. The mistakes Matt made with Karen are ones that could have been avoided if he'd just been open and honest with her. So, in a way, the “Kastle” ship was created as some kind of punishment for Matt. People started thinking Frank would be a better romantic partner for Karen, nevermind the fact that Frank is a trainwreck who’s in no position to be in a relationship with anyone and certainly not Karen.

But where I draw the line with Kastle fic is when it seems like the fic writer's reasoning for why Frank should be Karen's boyfriend can be summed up as, “Frank is right for Karen because he didn’t do that stuff that Matt did!” Which is a wholly negative connotation that implies that their reason for pairing Karen up with Frank is because he’s not Matt.

As I see it, Frank’s fitness as a partner should depend solely on Frank’s qualities, and not negating Matt’s behavior. Kastle shippers whose fics justify the pairing because they see positive traits in Frank that would make him a good match for Karen, and don’t factor in Matt’s actions into their decisionmaking, I’m fine with. Obviously, I don’t agree with them, because I think Frank’s bad points outweigh his good ones, but at least they make some pretty solid arguments. I do take issue, though, with Kastle fic writers who constantly refer to Matt’s mistakes as if they are the whole reason that Frank is a good choice for Karen. Those people come off like that irritating, matchmaking friend who is just determined to pair you up with someone unsuitable, just because they want to see the two of you together regardless of your own wishes, or because they want you to be happy, or whatever argument they make. That’s what I think of when I see people who ship Karen with Frank just because Matt has, in their minds, proven himself unworthy of Karen.

Okey Dokey!
Adept (Holding A Herring) Relationship Status: Having tea with Cthulhu
#6406: Jan 6th 2021 at 8:16:09 AM

[up]Given that, I'm guessing Ships That Pass in the Night isn't your thing, either?

Another thing I often come across, especially in MCU fics, and seems common enough to become a red flag is turning a canon character into a trans for seemingly no reason. It's not even a Gender Flip, it's just a random, "hey, this guy character is actually still a guy in this fic, only he's a trans-guy."

At best, it's just irrelevant addition that seems more like pandering than any attempt at a character study. At worst, it just makes the character OOC because they have to deal with melodramatic baggage that's completely made up by the fic.

dmcreif Vault Dweller from Vault 33 (Troper Knight) Relationship Status: Robosexual
Vault Dweller
#6407: Jan 6th 2021 at 8:49:20 AM

The one good gender-flip MCU fic I've come across is The Boxer's Daughter, which flips Matt Murdock to a woman.

And I have no problem with Ships That Pass in the Night (I've read a few fics that shipped Ward Meachum with Trish Walker that intrigued me), so long as they're written well and the pairing seems plausible.

Edited by dmcreif on Jan 6th 2021 at 11:50:28 AM

Okey Dokey!
PresidentStalkeyes Eats moldy bread and flies into windows from United Kingdom of England-land Since: Feb, 2016 Relationship Status: Do you like me? (Yes ⎕ Definitely ⎕ Absolutely!!! ⎕)
Eats moldy bread and flies into windows
#6408: Jan 6th 2021 at 10:48:46 AM

[up][up]I've addressed that here before, and honestly I don't think that's an issue. I mean, there are fanfic writers who are either Trans themselves, or supportive of Trans folk, and since there's plenty of fictional characters whose gender identity is never explicitly addressed (even if they're assumed to be Cisgender by the fandom), there's no canon reason they can't be Trans. Hell, even if there is, they could just write an AU where they are.

As for why they would do this, well I'd imagine it's just for representation; last time I checked, there's plenty of Trans/Trans-supportive writers who want more stories with Trans protagonists which aren't about Trans issues, in the same way that there's lots of POC writers who want more stories with POC protagonists that aren't about race. These characters don't need a reason to be Trans/POC/whatever beyond 'because they exist in real life', or in other words, 'just because'.

Those sell-by-dates won't stop me because I can't read!
Adept (Holding A Herring) Relationship Status: Having tea with Cthulhu
#6409: Jan 6th 2021 at 5:47:57 PM

Unless the character in question has an Ambiguous Gender Identity, or has plenty of good reasons to get a Trans Audience Interpretation to begin with, I'd prefer to go with the default assumption. I don't like changing things for the sake of changing things (representation is one of them), and I'm not too fond of Race Lift for those very reasons as well.

Gender Flip stories that changes nothing but the characters' pronouns is equally bad, as are For Want Of A Nail storylines that includes far too many changes in story and characterization that has nothing to do with the original nail.

Edited by Adept on Jan 6th 2021 at 8:48:17 PM

Anasui Le fanfiction dei libri fanno schifo! Le fanfict from Mythlandia Since: Nov, 2020 Relationship Status: A teenager in love
Le fanfiction dei libri fanno schifo! Le fanfict
#6410: Jan 7th 2021 at 4:02:27 PM

Ugh, people stay taking about the Harry Potter fandom and all that. If it's that hard finding a good story in a row of overrated fandoms that are full of shit, then find another category (Games, Cartoons, Comics, etc) to invest in.

Anasui Le fanfiction dei libri fanno schifo! Le fanfict from Mythlandia Since: Nov, 2020 Relationship Status: A teenager in love
Le fanfiction dei libri fanno schifo! Le fanfict
#6411: Jan 7th 2021 at 4:06:03 PM

For PPPSSC, it would be best to make the category of underrated couples grow on your terms if you can manage as such.

Anasui Le fanfiction dei libri fanno schifo! Le fanfict from Mythlandia Since: Nov, 2020 Relationship Status: A teenager in love
Le fanfiction dei libri fanno schifo! Le fanfict
#6412: Jan 7th 2021 at 4:27:54 PM

And another thing, why don'tcha ever review these people's trash fanfics? If you know better than they do about writing a fic and all that, why not teach em to do it better. And also, why do a rewrite of an ancient fanfic you did years ago when you could just edit the document you typed your story on? It's easier to do so on AO 3 too.

Anasui Le fanfiction dei libri fanno schifo! Le fanfict from Mythlandia Since: Nov, 2020 Relationship Status: A teenager in love
Le fanfiction dei libri fanno schifo! Le fanfict
#6413: Jan 7th 2021 at 4:28:29 PM

And one more thing.

What is your list of bad fanfic writers and why?

VeryMelon Since: Jul, 2011 Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
#6414: Jan 7th 2021 at 5:04:46 PM

I think you're very confused about what type of thread this is, and what we actually talk about.

Discar Since: Jun, 2009
#6415: Jan 7th 2021 at 5:08:21 PM

Also, there is no need to double post, much less quadruple post. You can edit your existing post with new information.

Writing a post-post apocalypse LitRPG on RR. Also fanfic stuff.
Stillalive Since: Aug, 2010
#6416: Jan 7th 2021 at 5:21:30 PM

Also, I feel like listing bad fanfic writers here is somewhat tasteless. It really wouldn't do anything other than invite harassment on them.

Let's leave that kind of fandom behavior back in the early 2010s. Complaining about trends is fine, about specific people is not.

AegisP Kindhearted SSSSSNAKE Man Since: Oct, 2014 Relationship Status: And they all lived happily ever after <3
Kindhearted SSSSSNAKE Man
#6417: Jan 7th 2021 at 5:40:44 PM

Also I dont get what your this post is trying to say Anasui.

"Ugh, people stay taking about the Harry Potter fandom and all that. If it's that hard finding a good story in a row of overrated fandoms that are full of shit, then find another category (Games, Cartoons, Comics, etc) to invest in."

NEVERMIND, got it.

Edited by AegisP on Jan 7th 2021 at 5:44:44 AM

As long as this flower is in my heart. My Strength will flow without end.
SapphireBlue Since: Jan, 2001
#6418: Jan 7th 2021 at 5:43:30 PM

[up][up] This. Sometimes people will complain about specific fics here, but best to leave it vague ("found this one where x happens and it reminded me how annoying that is") and not actually name authors.

Seems like it's considered better etiquette to ignore fanfics you really hate than to leave comments about how much they suck. Some authors specifically ask for constructive criticism, others are more sensitive about it (for various reasons). If you're going leave critique, best to do it politely and make sure it really is constructive.

Edited by SapphireBlue on Jan 7th 2021 at 5:50:42 AM

Anasui Le fanfiction dei libri fanno schifo! Le fanfict from Mythlandia Since: Nov, 2020 Relationship Status: A teenager in love
Le fanfiction dei libri fanno schifo! Le fanfict
#6419: Jan 8th 2021 at 9:41:51 AM

Feels kinda similar to a post somewhere else where a guy said that teaching new guys the ropes, if they listen, is of some importance. It's not worth it if they don't or refuse to. And ya know, if you can do it better than they can, you might as well go for it.

Anasui Le fanfiction dei libri fanno schifo! Le fanfict from Mythlandia Since: Nov, 2020 Relationship Status: A teenager in love
Le fanfiction dei libri fanno schifo! Le fanfict
#6420: Jan 8th 2021 at 9:54:06 AM
Thumped: This post has been thumped with the mod stick. This means knock it off.
AegisP Kindhearted SSSSSNAKE Man Since: Oct, 2014 Relationship Status: And they all lived happily ever after <3
Kindhearted SSSSSNAKE Man
#6421: Jan 8th 2021 at 9:58:47 AM

The mods do. Please stop. You could get the thread locked.

As long as this flower is in my heart. My Strength will flow without end.
Anasui Le fanfiction dei libri fanno schifo! Le fanfict from Mythlandia Since: Nov, 2020 Relationship Status: A teenager in love
Le fanfiction dei libri fanno schifo! Le fanfict
#6422: Jan 8th 2021 at 10:29:26 AM
Thumped: This post has been thumped with the mod stick. This means knock it off.
SapphireBlue Since: Jan, 2001
#6423: Jan 8th 2021 at 10:29:58 AM

[up][up][up] People do care if you make fun of their stuff on other sites and actually link to it or name names. That is not what this thread is for.

[up] Because we're walking a fine line here, and if we cross it into being an outright complaining thread, it'll get locked?

Edited by SapphireBlue on Jan 8th 2021 at 10:33:50 AM

Anasui Le fanfiction dei libri fanno schifo! Le fanfict from Mythlandia Since: Nov, 2020 Relationship Status: A teenager in love
Le fanfiction dei libri fanno schifo! Le fanfict
#6424: Jan 8th 2021 at 10:32:50 AM
Thumped: This post has been thumped with the mod stick. This means knock it off.
AegisP Kindhearted SSSSSNAKE Man Since: Oct, 2014 Relationship Status: And they all lived happily ever after <3
Kindhearted SSSSSNAKE Man
#6425: Jan 8th 2021 at 10:38:45 AM

No. It's because the mods frown on negativity.

As long as this flower is in my heart. My Strength will flow without end.

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