fandomsecrets | [ SECRET POST #6795 ]

[ SECRET POST #6795 ]

⌈ Secret Post #6795 ⌋

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

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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 01 pages, 14 secrets from Secret Submission Post #972.
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.

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General comments:

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What characters do you think are never written well in fanfiction?

Children.

Tomboys and more feminine men.

I'd also say that while I don't think it is never written well, it is really hard to get the tone right in things set in the more distant past or past-like settings. A lot of fics in these fandoms just feel too modern.

Villains are also hard to get right. And characters getting redeemed.

It's rare to see children written well. Writers mess up basic developmental stages, which I'll admit can be tricky unless you research it. But irritating babytalk dialogue, or the reverse where an 8 year old who's supposed to be a regular kid ends up talking like Jeeves.

Even many professional can't write children well so I guess I can't expect fanfic writers to but damn. Just google some milestones or something!

What are the most egregious examples of characters not acting their canon age?

by which I mean written badly so they're not believably the age they're supposed to be, not characters who are comparatively mature or immature

I can't stand the "female character who knows everything and slyly looks on with her knowledge."

Bullies. Antiheroes who are just really terrible people.

Actually, generally, characters who are terrible but we're somehow supposed to root for them anyway. I love a good villain. But if your character is supposed to be the one we're rooting for, I want them to be decent.

Player male characters who are terrible until they find the right girl and then somehow miraculously change.

I can’t stand the ‘bad boys with a heart of gold’ archetype, because they’re not even good dudes underneath it all, just jerks that the narrative gives way too much allowance to. Like I can get that it’s a fantasy of someone loving you so much they do change for you, but I never feel like any of those types of male characters are ever worth the godawful headaches they actually are.

Yes. The only time I think they end up actually having a heart of gold, they usually weren't that much a jerk, only just a tiny bit.

I don't like female characters are total assholes, but it's framed as them being independent and empowered.

SA

*who are total assholes

Ugh, I need to slow down.

I especially hate when people point to characters like that as examples of strong female characters.

AYRT

Definitely!

I really don't like the equation of strength with what's kind of antisocial behavior. A woman can be sure of herself, resilient, assertive...without feeling the need to treat other people poorly.

Yup. Then again, I don't like total asshole characters in general.

The always wise cracking guy with a one liner. So any of Joss Whedon's favorite characters.

Female characters who are smart but let their dumb male partners think they're the smart ones who solve everything and take the credit.

Oh god yes. In general, when female characters make an effort to stroke male ego. Also, male characters with a ton of masculinity insecurities are also really annoying.

I hate that too, and even more the subtype of that character whose strength is supposed to be the power of persuasion, which in practice turns out to be that she can turn the tides of war with a speech that usually boils down to "If you do this bad thing you're going to be making a big mistake" and everyone listens and it's presented as some powerful strategic move on her part. It's not, it's the writers telling you she did something smart and writing something that would never happen for real. In reality she'd be laughed at and then ignored.

Male protags who save the world with a Power of Friendship speech get a bit more of a pass because I'm a misogynist - okay no, that's what fandom would say, but it's actually because they're almost always from media that have a less realistic and more Rule of Cool tone to them. I still think that's lazy writing too, though.

It's generally an issue when authors who are decidedly not genius level are trying to write plots/characters/twists that are supposed to be genius level.

I read a book once that was generally really good at having a smart main character, but then his biggest genius move at the end was... really basic and dumb. The Big Bad could defeat you just by saying your name, and the "twist" was that the MC's name wasn't his real name and had been an alias the whole time. Well duh, I'm no genius and I figured that out as soon as "needs your name" was told to us as the strategy, and that was way way earlier in the book than the finale.

I don't like chaotic evil characters. They are usually very beloved villains by fandom.
This anime type of shy timid girl. So cute, so perfect, so timid. Agh.

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[ SECRET POST #6795 ]

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Kind of based on 4

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What character types do you hate?

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