[ SECRET POST #3279 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #3279 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 03 pages, 064 secrets from Secret Submission Post #469.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

Based On 8

[(Anonymous)]

What are since things writers do that drive you insane?

Re: Based On 8

[(Anonymous)]

writing "since" instead of "some"

Re: Based On 8

[(Anonymous)]

Writing in first person present tense, and using self-insert characters. And if fanficcing writing self-insert OC main characters.

Re: Based On 8

[feotakahari]

Writing stories about how awesome stories are and how much good stories do in people's lives and how the power of a story can change the nature of reality. I'm glad you love what you do, but have some perspective!

Re: Based On 8

[(Anonymous)]

Do you write Neil Gaiman hate mails over this? Because it's a very standard writer's sentiment and he's definitely a major headliner. Yes, it does get taken way too far sometimes - and there is absolutely a contingent of fanficcers that get all Grant Morrison Ritual-Sex-Chaos-Magick over this and think if they write The Best Fic then their top woobie will come to life and sweep them away -

but that shit is rare and the power of story is better and more durable than that. I *do* believe in that sentiment. A good story can legitimately change a perspective, make a life better. I won't drown you with it in a story, though, fwiw.

Re: Based On 8

[kaijinscendre]

Deleting fics on AO3 I got bookmarked. Because AO3 dies not delete the fics from your bookmarks. But there is a work around for that at least.

Something I've only seen recently is more annoying. That is just deleting the text in the fix but not the actual fic. So there is no way to tell if it is deleted until you open it or notice the word count.

Re: Based On 8

[silverr]

wow, that's ... wow.

But WHY?

Re: Based On 8

[(Anonymous)]

Describing the third-wheel female character as 'whip-smart'. I think I've reached saturation point with that term and now it's just fucking annoying.

Re: Based On 8

[philstar22]

I hate that term. It is always used for women, and it always sounds paternalistic and condescending.

Re: Based On 8

[(Anonymous)]

-I hate when a writer lets their personal feelings about a character bleed into how the character is treated in story. It annoys me so much, especially if they get mean spirited. Also "informed wrongness" with any choice or opinion that character has (we're told how petty, stupid ,selfish awful or mean it is but it really sounds kinda reasonable and you get the suspicion that if the author's darling proposed it, it would be right and inarguable).

Because I've been burned so many times, I have a hard time reading a fic when the author makes their dislike of a character (particularly one I like) known regardless of how well recced the fic is. Probably petty or silly but, eh I don't have time to read a fic that shits on a character I enjoy or is going to kill them off because the writer just can't stand writing about them. Though I do prefer just killing them off to keeping them around only to shit on them.

-Mary Sues. I mean OC Mary Sues but also canon characters the author has turned into their Mary Sue.

-Maybe similar to my first statement but. Ron the Death Eater in general. I hate when a character is made into a horrible person because the author feels like it or the plot just needs them to be. If your plot needs the character to be OOC, you need a new plot.

Re: Based On 8

[(Anonymous)]

-I hate when a writer lets their personal feelings about a character bleed into how the character is treated in story. It annoys me so much, especially if they get mean spirited. Also "informed wrongness" with any choice or opinion that character has (we're told how petty, stupid ,selfish awful or mean it is but it really sounds kinda reasonable and you get the suspicion that if the author's darling proposed it, it would be right and inarguable).

Because I've been burned so many times, I have a hard time reading a fic when the author makes their dislike of a character (particularly one I like) known regardless of how well recced the fic is. Probably petty or silly but, eh I don't have time to read a fic that shits on a character I enjoy or is going to kill them off because the writer just can't stand writing about them. Though I do prefer just killing them off to keeping them around only to shit on them.

Agreed on all of this.

Re: Based On 8

[(Anonymous)]

In a way, I think writing canon characters as Mary Sues is even worse. At least with OCs I can kind of see how it happens - and okay, maybe with some canon characters if they already skirt the line. But they should also have certain traits and flaws.

I hate fics that make characters bad just to make the fic work. I once read a fic where the author said she made a character bad to make the songfic work. Just use a different song.

Re: Based On 8

[(Anonymous)]

Shit yeah, I can't stand obvious character hate in fic. Back in the day, I had to hit the back button on a couple of Chrono Trigger fics because the authors took it upon themselves to describe what an empty-headed useless bimbo that Marle was. By total coincidence, of course, either Lucca or OC would be described as gorgeous and/or dickhardeningly smart and obviously waaaay more appealing by comparison.

Re: Based On 8

[skeletal_history]

Spellchecking but not proofreading.

"Anyways" instead of "anyway" in descriptive passages.

Using fandom terminology in description or dialogue where it's OOC and OOPlace.

Posting dozens of 1,000-word fics as separate titles, when they're clearly parts of the same story, instead of posting them as chapters of the same title, ESPECIALLY when it's a tiny fandom or rare-pair. I hate clicking on a tag and seeing "104 works for this tag" and getting excited, and then realizing 102 of them are written by the same person and are set in the same universe and don't work as standalones. WHY.

GOT/ASOAIF FANDOM: FUCKING TAG YOUR FUCKING MODERN AUS.

Re: Based On 8

[philstar22]

I hate modern AUs, but at least the Silmarillion fandom mostly tags them. Some of my friends write them, though, and I feel obligated to read them and reblog since I reblog just about everything for my OTPs. But I really don't like them.

Re: Based On 8

[(Anonymous)]

I already mentioned this in a comment to secret 8, but writers who upload other fics that were deleted from the internet. It happened to a writer in a fan circle I was in, and that's really not fair to her. She had personal reasons for taking it down. I agree the fic was pretty damn good, and in all honesty I think even with her reasons it was a little unnecessary, but it was her call, not her fans. Really, if you like a writer so much, why would you do that to them?

Oh boy, where do I begin?

[(Anonymous)]

Sticking mostly to fanfic-only annoyances, because if I got started on published literature I'd be here all day.

- Characters constantly humming. "She hummed in approval" or "he hummed with pleasure." That sort of thing.

- Marking whenever there's a POV switch, like Chapter 1 has a header that says Draco POV and then Chapter 2 has a header that says Ginny POV, etc.

- "Character X speaks Language Y. Clearly what this fic needs is sporadic chunks of Google Translated Poirot Speak!"

- "Character X likes Food Y in canon. In my fic, that is the only food they ever eat, and they are obsessed with it." (See: CAPSLOCK!Thor and his love of pop-tarts.)

- First person fic, except for canons that are written in first person to start with. First person fic of The Hunger Games? That's fine with me. First person fic of a Jane Austen novel? Instant backbutton.

- Crossovers where the whole point is to show how the characters from Fandom X are ~sooooo much better~ than the characters from Fandom Y. Unless it's an intentionally silly parody (and it rarely is), fuck that shit. That's not what I read crossovers for.

- Similar to the above, non-crossover fic that's all about how Character X is ~sooooo much better~ than Character Y, and where Character Y's friends OOC-ly constantly put down Y in favour of X (classic example: most of the Weasley-bashing fics in the HP fandom).

- That badass female character you loved in canon? SHE IS NOW A DELICATE, HELPLESS WAIF WHO NEEDS HER MALE LOVE INTEREST TO RESCUE HER, AND HOLD HER IN HIS MANLY MAN-ARMS AND WIPE AWAY HER DAINTY FEMININE TEARS.

- That badass male character you loved in canon? HE IS NOW A DELICATE, HELPLESS UKE WHO NEEDS HIS SEME TO RESCUE HIM, AND HOLD HIM IN HIS MANLY SEME-ARMS AND WIPE AWAY HIS DAINTY UKE TEARS.

- "Let's take two characters with a complex and fascinating relationship and reduce them to a generic lovey-dovey couple whose relationship is totally devoid of any of the qualities that made it appealing in canon!" (See: most of the femslash fic in the Homestuck fandom, and most of the dudeslash fic in every anime fandom I've been in.)

- "Their tongues explored each other's mouths." / "Their tongues battled for dominance."

- "I love Show X, so my favourite characters must all love Show X as well. They share all my ships too. Steve Rogers, Pepper Potts, and Loki all get together and write Sterek fanfiction in their spare time. Because that is entirely plausible and not OOC at all."

- "THE PLOT WILL NOW GRIND TO A SCREECHING HALT FOR SEVERAL PAGES SO OUR HEROES CAN HAVE AN LENGTHY UNNECESSARY GRAPHIC SEX SCENE LOL" (This one applies to both fanfic and published literature.)

- AO3-specific beef #1: Fic that's tagged femslash but actually focuses entirely on a dudeslash or het ship, with a brief mention that Female Character X and Female Character Y are totally dating.

- AO3-specific beef #2: Shipping fic that's tagged as gen, because apparently in the minds of some people any long plotty fic (or any fic that isn't straight-up PWP) = gen. Nope. Gen = fic that does not focus primarily on romantic relationships. THAT'S IT. THAT'S ALL IT MEANS.

- AO3-specific beef #3: Crossovers that aren't tagged as crossovers. It makes them harder to find when you want to read them, and harder to filter out when you don't want to read them.

- FF.net-specific beef: If you feel the need to break the site's rules and post explicit smut, could you at least rate it M? Ratings exist for a reason. Your T or K rated fic should not have penises flopping out all over the place.

- tumblr-specific beef: If you're going to post your fic on tumblr, GIVE YOUR BLOG A LAYOUT THAT DOESN'T MAKE IT IMPOSSIBLE TO READ.

Re: Based On 8

[tabaqui]

Writing every single character as 'needing' coffee in the morning like they need oxygen or something, even character who we have *never actually seen* drinking coffee. Omg, just stop.

Re: Based On 8

[dratinis]

Making Indigenous characters have the same two superpowers: changing into an animal and being supernaturally in-touch with nature. Please stop with that nonsense, writers.

Re: Based On 8

[(Anonymous)]

Most of the traits I hate have already been covered, so I'll go with: Characters who are praised as being "at the top of their field" and "amazing and great" but when they actually demonstrate the skills they're supposed to be good at, they're really kind of shit.

Probably the most common (and annoying) example I've seen is when a character's writing is constantly held up as literary masterpieces that deserves to be a part of the Western canon, but when you read examples of said character's writing...it's pretty terrible.

Re: Based On 8

[(Anonymous)]

Just came across this one: an author who is inflating her comment count by posting a reply to anyone who's ever commented on the fic -- EVERY TIME A NEW CHAPTER IS POSTED.

Re: Based On 8

[caerbannog]

*cough*shoehorninginareligionnotfromthecanonmaterial*cough*

Re: Based On 8

[(Anonymous)]

Author's notes in the middle of the story. Drives me up a fucking wall.

Re: Based On 8

[(Anonymous)]

Authors forcing their own likes/dislikes on characters. That's just annoying.

Here are a few:

[(Anonymous)]

Contradicting something they wrote a couple of chapters earlier. I get that it's easy to do when writing a WIP, but if I'm reading a completed story, Author, please go back and change that (not including intended unreliable narrator).

When everybody is sooooo mean to the Author's favorite character (woobie). I can stand it up to a point, but, man, when most of the other prominent (and canonically honorable/right/good) characters are suddenly evil caricatures of themselves, well, I just can't.

Gratuitous and excessive crying for no apparent reason from a character who very seldom or never cries. I don't mind crying and I think some characters could use a good cry, but it should make sense character-wise and shouldn't be at every little thing, unless there's an underlying reason (grief, hormone-imbalance, etc.).

The dreaded homophones, of course. Beyond to/too/two, their/there/they're, your/you're, and its/it's, there are also waiving/waving, discrete/discreet, apart/a part, lead/led, undo/undue.