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

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Mandemo Since: Apr, 2010
#1226: Sep 20th 2014 at 11:58:14 PM

Being too strict or too lax with the canon in general.

BaffleBlend Hey there! Having fun? from Somewhere Since: Dec, 2012 Relationship Status: LET'S HAVE A ZILLION BABIES
Hey there! Having fun?
#1227: Sep 21st 2014 at 6:45:15 AM

Big one for me; Bashing an aspect of a fandom to make the people following it the bad guy of the story.

Examples:

edited 21st Sep '14 6:54:06 AM by BaffleBlend

"It's liberating, realizing you never need to be competent." — Ultimatepheer
HeirophantsFool I use guns instead of magic. Since: Jan, 2013 Relationship Status: Tsundere'ing
I use guns instead of magic.
#1228: Sep 23rd 2014 at 12:48:38 AM

I personally considered protraying Organization XIII as total sociopaths as that's what Nobodies were in canon before Nomura ruined it by Pandering to the Base.

Super Robot! SUPER ROBOT! ◥▶◀◤ Also, if some of my posts don't make sense, please take note that I might lack slee
KarkatTheDalek Not as angry as the name would suggest. from Somwhere in Time/Space Since: Mar, 2012 Relationship Status: You're a beautiful woman, probably
Not as angry as the name would suggest.
#1229: Sep 23rd 2014 at 1:10:51 PM

[up] I personally dislike this approach. I mean, they still weren't "good people" by any means. Besides, I never really bought the whole "no emotions" thing. I mean, if that's the case, then what's going on with Saix's boss fight?

Anyway, I guess I strongly dislike Ron the Death Eater, especially when related to Die for Our Ship. I mean, if you want, for example, to have Harry and Hermione hook up, then why do you need to demonize Ron? Hell, why involve Ron in the pairing at all? Just pretend that the epilogue didn't happen, or that they decided it wasn't working out. I mean, it's fanfic, who cares if you make changes?

In KH in particular, almost every multichaptered story has the same three pairings, and while there's nothing wrong with that, I'd kill to see some variety outside of oneshots.

...Would you accept Namine/Xion? I know there's not really any basis for it in canon, but I could always just have it develop over time...

edited 23rd Sep '14 2:11:30 PM by KarkatTheDalek

Oh God! Natural light!
Psyga315 Since: Jan, 2001
#1230: Sep 23rd 2014 at 1:51:07 PM

[up][up] Wait, are you saying that characters who are properly portrayed as their canon persona (barring later retcons) is a red flag?

[up] That'd be cute.

edited 23rd Sep '14 1:54:26 PM by Psyga315

HeirophantsFool I use guns instead of magic. Since: Jan, 2013 Relationship Status: Tsundere'ing
I use guns instead of magic.
#1231: Sep 23rd 2014 at 1:59:19 PM

[up][up]Before Nomura pandered to the base, II hammered in that they were literal born sociopaths with the subtlety of a brick to the face. The only reason why they act like that is A) They don't know any better or B) They want to try and resemble humans as closely as they can.

[up] When I thought that plot bunny up it was around a year after KHII was out. I was going to deconstruct the whole concept of Nobodies. And no, I'm not saying that.

edited 23rd Sep '14 2:04:12 PM by HeirophantsFool

Super Robot! SUPER ROBOT! ◥▶◀◤ Also, if some of my posts don't make sense, please take note that I might lack slee
Dorked Since: Dec, 2012
#1232: Sep 23rd 2014 at 2:37:50 PM

Actually, the KH 2 novels did allude to the fact that they could develop feelings, if memory serves. I always figured that even with KH 3 D's revelations, they're still sociopaths by default, and it's only through indulging those memories of emotions and developing bonds that they actually start to grow replacement hearts. Hence why Saïx was so easily turned into a Xehanort vessel: he never indulged in those memories and always remained aloof and detached. Either way, I don't see the harm in exploring the idea of Nobodies as sociopaths in an AU. I've seen plenty of fics stick to earlier canon without too much scrutiny.

As for Naminé and Xion, sure, I think that'd be pretty cute, actually! But I'm the kinda person who will ship the chars I like in multiple pairings. I'd just kill to see some more Kairi/Riku and Replica/Naminé. The former seems to get a lot of hate from fans of Sx K and Sx R alike, and that makes me sad.

And on the topic of ships, another red flag for me is when two chars hook up, and suddenly their romance is all they care about. Like two leads pair up, and their other friendships are somehow diminished as a result. Or worse, their other friends become jealous, and there's this whole angsty jealousy plotline in the middle of an adventure story. It's the kinda thing that has to be handled very carefully, especially if the story has a bigger plot going on.

My Fanfiction Account | Kingdom Hearts: The Antipode series
Psyga315 Since: Jan, 2001
#1233: Sep 23rd 2014 at 7:11:56 PM

I think for a while, the Org XII being sociopaths idea stuck to some characters. I remember a web comic that opens with Axel burning an orphanage. Which is Played for Laughs.

Then I think what happened was that likeable characters came out of the woodwork and people felt sorry for whacking them around. Especially since it's foreshadowed that they can have hearts (Axel, for one).

edited 23rd Sep '14 7:12:47 PM by Psyga315

Sharysa Since: Jan, 2001
#1234: Sep 24th 2014 at 12:47:04 PM

Ansem Retort is the one where Axel burns an orphanage. I love that comic.

KarkatTheDalek Not as angry as the name would suggest. from Somwhere in Time/Space Since: Mar, 2012 Relationship Status: You're a beautiful woman, probably
Not as angry as the name would suggest.
#1235: Sep 24th 2014 at 1:09:12 PM

[up]I tried to read it for a bit, but I guess I just didn't find the first few strips that funny, so I didn't read any further.

Some of the stuff that I read about it on this site seems amusing, though, so maybe I'll give it another try someday.

edited 24th Sep '14 1:09:22 PM by KarkatTheDalek

Oh God! Natural light!
Bleddyn Since: Feb, 2014
#1236: Sep 24th 2014 at 3:02:48 PM

I am going to repeat this again as I keep seeing this appear over and over again in fanfic descriptions and I find it irritating. I cannot stand Shipping with no buildup or very rushed buildup whatsoever. Fanfics were a Fanon couple is already established have this issue a lot as flasbacks usually are not proper buildup.

To be quite frank I pretty much at this point despise most shipping done bad in general (although I can get a good laugh if they try to include a Lemon scene and fail to at the very least to appeal to any of the perverts)

edited 24th Sep '14 3:05:08 PM by Bleddyn

KnownUnknown Since: Jan, 2001
#1237: Sep 24th 2014 at 3:06:46 PM

A red flag for me: while a fic that has a single "what if x happened instead" in a summary can get my interest, a summary that has an obscene amount of "what if"s will turn me off near every time.

Like... "What if X character was the opposite sex instead. And the evil group were actually good, and going out with the protagonists. And they all grew up together. And the MacGuffin of power didn't actually exist. And it all took place in Victorian England" - that's an exaggeration, but it's not so far off from stuff I've actually seen.

Basically put, what the summary is actually saying is "what if this were a totally different/original story," but instead of describing it like an AU they instead imply that there's some connection to the actual plot. I'm not a fan A Us that are basically original stories with original characters who happen to have the names of canon characters in general, but I still prefer it if the summaries are actually honest.

Mandemo Since: Apr, 2010
#1238: Sep 24th 2014 at 3:24:33 PM

Yeah... stories that have no connection to the original work beyond names is a red flag for me too.

PPPSSC Since: Nov, 2009
#1239: Sep 24th 2014 at 10:18:17 PM

This is a real problem. On the one hand, we have people writing original fiction and inserting well-known character names to get views. On the other, we have people, mostly advising others, to write fanfiction and insert new names to get money. Like people can't tell the difference.

FOFD Since: Apr, 2013
#1240: Oct 2nd 2014 at 7:29:57 AM

"Powerful, but not unbeatable OC."

"Really powerful OC."

"Skilled OC, but not godlike."

"Strong OC with plenty of weaknesses."

If you have to tell us this, you've already failed at characterization.

IAmNotCreativeEnough himitsu keisatsu from asa kara ban made omae o miru Since: Dec, 2010 Relationship Status: GAR for Archer
himitsu keisatsu
#1241: Oct 2nd 2014 at 10:51:20 AM

@Known Unknown

The most hilarious part is when they go "takes place in Victorian England" and instead it's the Dark Ages, because they don't know the difference.

[up]I'd be thankful if those authors just flat out didn't post their masturbatory literature.

Even though I know there's a great deal of people who eat it up like it were candy coated... Well, in the end, I guess it isn't too important. The grand majority of them are fairly bland and forgettable. The fact that if you've read one of them you've read them all helps.

himitsu keisatsu seifu chokuzoku kokka hoanbu na no da himitsu keisatsu yami ni magireru supai katsudou torishimari
Sharysa Since: Jan, 2001
#1242: Oct 2nd 2014 at 11:55:28 AM

[up][up][up] Yeah, it really doesn't help that Fifty Shades Of Grey is one of the more (in)famous examples of "write fanfic, then file off serial numbers, PROFIT."

KarkatTheDalek Not as angry as the name would suggest. from Somwhere in Time/Space Since: Mar, 2012 Relationship Status: You're a beautiful woman, probably
Not as angry as the name would suggest.
#1243: Oct 2nd 2014 at 12:22:03 PM

[up][up] Well, a lot of people just write fanfiction for fun, or for practice, or maybe they have this story that they just really want to tell. And since they're posting it online for free, it's not like you can argue "that was such a waste of money!"

Maybe a waste of time, but hey, if they enjoyed writing it, then they probably didn't think it was. And you're the one who decided read it for free, so...

edited 2nd Oct '14 12:22:18 PM by KarkatTheDalek

Oh God! Natural light!
theAdeptRogue iRidescence Since: Nov, 2011 Relationship Status: Having tea with Cthulhu
iRidescence
#1244: Oct 2nd 2014 at 2:18:33 PM

[up]On the flip side, the moment they post it up in public, they've opened their stories for subject of both praise and criticism.

KarkatTheDalek Not as angry as the name would suggest. from Somwhere in Time/Space Since: Mar, 2012 Relationship Status: You're a beautiful woman, probably
Not as angry as the name would suggest.
#1245: Oct 2nd 2014 at 2:38:53 PM

[up] This is true, of course. I think it just bears remembering that, unless the story is, say, morally reprehensible, it doesn't deserve the lashing some works in other mediums might get.

Oh God! Natural light!
Swanpride Since: Jun, 2013
#1246: Oct 2nd 2014 at 2:58:24 PM

I really like it when characters watch the movie/read the book. I absolutely hate it when the writer either changes the content of the movie/book or changes the pairings/gender of the characters around. I mean, what is the point? I want to read how the characters I like react to the story I know, not a bunch of ooc people reading about a so called "improved" version of the original.

KnownUnknown Since: Jan, 2001
#1247: Oct 2nd 2014 at 8:02:19 PM

[up] I once had a "fun" time reading a Hermoine/Sirius shipping Reading The Books fic where Hermione goes back in time and reads Harry's parents and co. the books - whenever the relationship between Ron and Hermione inevitably came up, seeing the author try to write around it was part amusing, part annoying. To the point of writing the blatant stuff like the Big Damn Kiss in the last book as entirely one sided on Ron's part, and pulling bad fanfic's favorite "it only lasted a week before they broke up offscreen" bit to explain it.

I too very much like the concept of Reading the Book / Watching the Movie fics, but they tend to be ruined by bad characterization, cookie cutter jokes, lazy writing and a general lack of creativity with the idea. Most of the good ones - at least, the good Harry Potter ones - were purged from the internet, too.

32ndfreeze Since: Mar, 2012
#1248: Oct 3rd 2014 at 4:30:09 AM

I once read some of a Reading the Book's fic that had Harry/Draco and Snape/Voldemort as its pairings. As well as Evil!Dumbledore. I guarantee that had more working around the actual source material that almost anything else you could read.

IAmNotCreativeEnough himitsu keisatsu from asa kara ban made omae o miru Since: Dec, 2010 Relationship Status: GAR for Archer
himitsu keisatsu
#1249: Oct 7th 2014 at 6:45:44 PM

@Karkat

A great deal of them are morally reprehensible, presenting a supposedly heroic protagonist who steals, lies, tortures and cheats.

Take something like Partially Kissed Hero, one of the most popular fics in the Harry Potter section. In that fic, the protagonist is a monster, who's also presented as being infallible and always, 100% morally correct, even when he's going against the very things he's preaching about.

And really, that's only one amongst many, that just happens to be one of the most popular.

himitsu keisatsu seifu chokuzoku kokka hoanbu na no da himitsu keisatsu yami ni magireru supai katsudou torishimari
KarkatTheDalek Not as angry as the name would suggest. from Somwhere in Time/Space Since: Mar, 2012 Relationship Status: You're a beautiful woman, probably
Not as angry as the name would suggest.
#1250: Oct 7th 2014 at 7:36:44 PM

[up] I won't deny that. But not all of them are.

Oh God! Natural light!

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