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

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JapaneseTeeth Existence Weighed Against Nonbeing from Meinong's jungle Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Mu
Existence Weighed Against Nonbeing
#876: Apr 4th 2014 at 6:40:18 AM

I'm not a big fan of it either. Something about it just feels off.

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storyyeller More like giant cherries from Appleloosa Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: RelationshipOutOfBoundsException: 1
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#877: Apr 4th 2014 at 6:47:27 AM

I can't stand present tense either.

Why people continue to write Fanfics in second person and present tense will always be a mystery to me.

edited 4th Apr '14 6:47:51 AM by storyyeller

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SapphireBlue Since: Jan, 2001
#878: Apr 4th 2014 at 7:08:49 AM

Present tense is fine if you're writing first-person. Otherwise it just feels weird.

storyyeller More like giant cherries from Appleloosa Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: RelationshipOutOfBoundsException: 1
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#879: Apr 4th 2014 at 8:12:19 AM

Not that it's necessary even in first person. Worm for instance is 1st person past.

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Gideoncrawle Elder statesman from Put out to pasture Since: Dec, 2012 Relationship Status: With my statistically significant other
Elder statesman
#880: Apr 4th 2014 at 10:06:43 AM

With fanfics based on visual media, I suspect that people who write in present tense do so for the same reason that people who write in script format do that: they like to think that their stories are ready to be made into a canon episode. Thus, present tense can be seen as an attempt to imitate stage direction.

In the "new season" (aka "competition") stories that dominate Total Drama fan fiction, present tense can work reasonably well because it can give the feel of a sportscaster's play by play in the challenges. I still prefer past tense for these stories, though.

Bigotry in the name of inclusion is still bigotry.
CDRW Since: May, 2016
#881: Apr 4th 2014 at 1:03:02 PM

People who use "deadpan" incorrectly.

Psyga315 Since: Jan, 2001
#882: Apr 4th 2014 at 1:41:12 PM

I think I said this before, but Second-Person fics usually involve one thing: Fanservice.

NaomiHansen Gun Cat Enthusiast from elsewhere Since: Aug, 2011 Relationship Status: Gay for Big Boss
Gun Cat Enthusiast
#883: Apr 4th 2014 at 5:28:42 PM

I said that I've seen some good examples of second person, but the thing about the fics that I found them in was that they all had this really surreal, almost dream-like style that came with it, so it's possible that the writers included second person as a way to enhance the strangeness of the story or the perspective given to us, and that's why it worked for them.

[up] But yeah, any other time you see second person, it's most likely for fanservice.

"I do not approve of the fact that my favorite quotes are too long for this character limit." - Me
Mandemo Since: Apr, 2010
#884: Apr 5th 2014 at 7:10:51 AM

Well, here are few of mine. These usually don't mean I think the fic will be bad, just that I won't enjoy it.

  • Pairings I am not interested. Fic might be great, but for me, it just does not not work most of the time.
  • "X in Y. Can X Z?" formats, AKA drop "random dude" into setting. Especially if there is OC/<canon character> pairing implied.
  • Humanity, Fuck Yeah. I hate this crap, since nearly everything of it is "Humanity is Mary Sue" level of stuff. Mass Effect fandom is especially bad.
  • Low words/chapter count
  • Over an year since an update.

Most of the other stuff has been really said on the first few pages, didn't really read the entire thread but yeah... No point repeating. Just my biggest ones.

edited 5th Apr '14 7:11:27 AM by Mandemo

KorenSteen Since: Aug, 2011
#885: Apr 6th 2014 at 7:06:17 AM

I think I've mentioned this in my Tropers page but, eh what the heck. Here's mine, to name a few.

edited 6th Apr '14 7:06:57 AM by KorenSteen

caliburnplm GENIUS!, THE EVIL from VALHALLA! Since: Feb, 2014 Relationship Status: You cannot grasp the true form
GENIUS!, THE EVIL
#886: Apr 6th 2014 at 8:23:00 AM

OC's in general. Damnit, if I wanted to read about an original character, I would have bought a book I haven't read.That being said, OC's CAN be done right.

What is far, far worse is AU's. Most have absolutely NOTHING to do with the canon source except for the characters names. Not even personality. Note that this DOES NOT include fusion fics

Dark Fics in general. Damnit, who ever writes these needs to learn: Depressing stories are NOT always good. Just because Warhammer can pull it off doesn't mean everyone else can

Its so easy when your evil
NaomiHansen Gun Cat Enthusiast from elsewhere Since: Aug, 2011 Relationship Status: Gay for Big Boss
Gun Cat Enthusiast
#887: Apr 6th 2014 at 12:51:15 PM

OCs for me depend on what fandom I'm looking at. There's some fandoms—especially certain video game ones—where it's pretty much required that OCs be made and be the protagonists or otherwise be put in very important roles in the story, but if that's not the kind of fandom you have, then you'd probably be better off keeping the OCs as secondary characters if you really need them.

"I do not approve of the fact that my favorite quotes are too long for this character limit." - Me
Mandemo Since: Apr, 2010
#888: Apr 6th 2014 at 1:25:27 PM

Fanfics involving main character the player creates themselves, such as Skyrim, Mass Effect, Dragon Age, you name it, are more or less are always OC unless the sequel has given definite "This is what the canon protagonist was".

Heck, every single Shepard is more or less OC, since there is no "canon" Shepard. Unless you count "ME 3 with no previous games" as canon version...

So yeah, "OC" is not a red flag in itself for me at least. OC can be quite good, but it depends on how they are handled.

Not all OCs are Mary Sues, not are all Mary Sues OCs

edited 6th Apr '14 1:26:59 PM by Mandemo

KnightofLsama Since: Sep, 2010
#889: Apr 6th 2014 at 3:57:25 PM

Fanfics with the character gender flipped. Whoever they are, just...no.

Even when there are canon gender-bending shenanigans? (Not necessarily as a main plot element ala Ranma but even as side elements).

KorenSteen Since: Aug, 2011
#890: Apr 6th 2014 at 6:42:04 PM

Even when there are canon gender-bending shenanigans? (Not necessarily as a main plot element ala Ranma but even as side elements).

I think when it's for shipping purposes, then it becomes a problem and his/her gender-bent state is like stuck for the rest of the story. You know what I mean. This male character and this female character who is actually a guy in canon and they're portrayed as a couple, being all romantic and whatnot. I'm just like... huh?

Dark Fics in general. Damnit, who ever writes these needs to learn: Depressing stories are NOT always good. Just because Warhammer can pull it off doesn't mean everyone else can.

Oh yeah! I forgot to add that. I agree, I never liked these depression inducing stories that are just served to bring me down for the whole day. Of course, there will always be exceptions as far as I've read some but most of them, I just can't. Especially when it's only served to Kick the Dog some more or worse, Yank the Dog's Chain just as the story seemed like it will be all fine and dandy by the end...for that character.

edited 6th Apr '14 6:52:01 PM by KorenSteen

storyyeller More like giant cherries from Appleloosa Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: RelationshipOutOfBoundsException: 1
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#891: Apr 6th 2014 at 9:01:31 PM

I think anything that derails into shipping in general should be a red flag.

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JapaneseTeeth Existence Weighed Against Nonbeing from Meinong's jungle Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Mu
Existence Weighed Against Nonbeing
#892: Apr 7th 2014 at 8:43:43 AM

Unless it was meant to be that way from the beginning, of course.

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storyyeller More like giant cherries from Appleloosa Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: RelationshipOutOfBoundsException: 1
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#893: Apr 7th 2014 at 9:24:04 AM

Even then, it's sometimes annoying.

I remember coming across one fanfic which was supposed to be an AU where Twilight was blind, which sounded kind of interesting. The first chapter was roughly a retelling of the first episode, ending with the return of Nightmare Moon.

The second chapter skipped past Nightmare Moon and her defeat without a single mention in the story despite the obvious questions raised "because it's not interesting or relevant to the story" and suddenly changed to Twilight/Fluttershy shipping instead.

It clearly was planned from the beginning and the story was tagged romance (no mention of shipping in the description though) but it's still really stupid.

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JapaneseTeeth Existence Weighed Against Nonbeing from Meinong's jungle Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Mu
Existence Weighed Against Nonbeing
#894: Apr 7th 2014 at 9:42:20 AM

[up]Yeah, that's just a straight up failure to actually follow through on the premise.

Which is another issue on it's own: stories that have some interesting twist to the premise, but don't really use it. I.e. one of the characters is blinded, but instead of actually examining what effect that might have on the character, it just turns into a shipping story where one character happens to be blind.

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AdvFinny Since: Apr, 2014
#895: Apr 8th 2014 at 4:30:44 AM

When authors use A/Ns as blogs. Author's notes should only be a warning of the content in a story not the author's opinion of a character/ship, their personal issues, and other drivel.

"This my first fanfic" A line lazy newbies use to try to make readers forgive their bad writing.

When a pairing name is mentioned in a summary despite romance and the paired characters included in the tags.

When authors use cliff-hangers to try to gain more reviews.

KnightofLsama Since: Sep, 2010
#896: Apr 8th 2014 at 4:49:08 AM

Another thing I find troubling. When authors throw all their plot ideas into a single fic. (For example fic changes one thing from canon in the summary but when you get to change it the author has also changed points B, C, D and E. One Ranma fic I read gave Ranma a deadly, hard to control technique and dealing with the consequences from that from the summary, but reading it also had other things like changing the personalities of the Tendo sisters and a few other changes completely unrelated to the main premise).

RN452 X-ALL! from Kakiland Since: Nov, 2011
X-ALL!
#897: Apr 8th 2014 at 5:59:26 AM

When authors use A/Ns as blogs. Author's notes should only be a warning of the content in a story not the author's opinion of a character/ship, their personal issues, and other drivel.

Heh, I'm guilty of that one. In my case it wasn't shipping, but I decided to apply stuff I learned in college in my analysis. I even realized how stupid I was and apologized in the next chapter.

My work is here. Current main fic: Tengen Toppa Gurren Solvernia
Night The future of warfare in UC. from Jaburo Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Drift compatible
The future of warfare in UC.
#898: Apr 8th 2014 at 2:13:06 PM

I frequently end up using the A/N to address something that can't be done in the text of the story, but it's still about the story rather than me.

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mega-dark Moe Game Console from Planeptune Since: Feb, 2010 Relationship Status: [TOP SECRET]
Moe Game Console
#899: Apr 8th 2014 at 5:12:16 PM

(Insert Song here) in the middle of a fic. That just cooks my grits.

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theAdeptrogue iRidescence Since: Nov, 2011 Relationship Status: Having tea with Cthulhu
iRidescence
#900: Apr 9th 2014 at 3:40:21 AM

[up]That annoys me as well. Especially since it's mostly used as a lazy attempt to add dramatic elements without actually writing/developing anything.


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