Fandom Pet Peeves

[dreiser]

Do you guys have them? If so, what are they?



I really dislike people referring to their "muse" at length and how it won't allow them to write their fanfic. Bullshit. You have writers block. There's no damn muse. You're not in ancient Greece, so stop acting ridiculous. It's not cute.

And since I'm fixating a lot on AMC can I just say I hate hate hate HATE when people type out Bianca's nickname of Binks as "Binx"? There's no fucking x! It's spelled in the scripts with a k! And then when they do "Kinx" for the pormanteou awesome shipper name for Bianca/Kendall which is Kinks? That drives me crazier because it makes even less sense. Mostly I hate when random x's and z's are added into words for whatever attempt at coolness or hipster or just... ugh... god, don't use the x spelling. It's horrid.

What else? Metaphor sex in fanfics! I hate that. Just describe what's going on. Don't tell me about reaching peaks and touching soft globes and caressing mounds. Breasts. Pussy or cunt. Take your pick. Type that instead. At least if you do that I'll know what the hell is going on in the sex scene. I also dislike dirty talk in most porn because it's written horribly. Also, not everyone likes to talk dirty or even talk at all during sex it seems to be used a lot along with emotional sex crying. So odd.

I can't think of anything else. I'm sure there is more stuff because I can complain a lot when I'm in the mood but it slips my mind. Mostly I'm just in a daze from how fucking awesome Captain America was. Yay, Chris Evans, yay.

Comments

[shanejayell.livejournal.com]

Muses are peoples excuses to not write.

When I'm too lazy to write, at least I admit to it. *lol*

I will not apologize for using 'mounds' etc to keep a roughly PG rating for a fic. ^_~

[wolfie.livejournal.com]

I'd point you in the direction of fanficrants, but frankly they're just a bunch of entitled assholes over there who can't take a joke. Pretty insane when you're a group who's supposed to be a support system over TERRIBLE FANFICS.

Anyway, most of my problems with fic derive from OOCness. Though that's not to say I'm so militant to immediately toss your fic out as soon as there's deviance from canon; indeed if you make me buy something I will happily buy stock! :D

However, if you're going to just break them into itty bitty pieces of their personality and obsess over just a couple of them? No, thank you. And those are even for the authors who properly go that far instead of just upchucking some random complete OOCness.

Regarding the usage of clinical references for sexual organs, I have to say that's more about the mood of the piece. Some of them might pass properly with more flowery, vague terms; others which are more hardcore or kinky probably should flat out refer to those parts of the body for exactly what they are. Besides which, similar to epithets, you get to the point where saying it so many times in reference can be just as irritating as the less literal terms.

...that said there probably should be a compiled list somewhere that every smutfic author is required to read: "What Words You NEVER EVER Use". ;)

[sulkygeek.livejournal.com]

Oh! The "muse" one is definitely one that makes me roll my eyes. On the same token, I find myself a little perplexed when fanfic authors apologise for not writing fast enough, because hello, it's fanfic, not some time-sensitive document which has the whole fate of one's continued employment resting on its completion. I tend post everything at once, but only because I always go back to change stuff. However, if I did post stuff in-progress, I would never apologise for the length of time between updates because this is my piddly nerdy hobby and I highly doubt anyone CARES!

Same token, people who say "feedback makes me write faster" or the "more reviews, faster updates" shit. I think it's ridiculous to hold stuff hostage

We've talked a lot about metaphor sex, too. Agreed!

And lastly, the people who take fanfic way too seriously and get morally outraged about stuff. Obviously, I have my pet peeves, but not really enough to froth at the mouth the way some people do. I'm a turd-stirrer, so you know I take full advantage of those people, haha. (This reminds me of the time we deliberately trolled a certain forum, but it didn't have the explosive affect we hoped for.)

oh! But speaking of things that actually do outrage ME, but not enough to call someone out on it when I read it, just enough that I am turned off

1. When a character who has been sexually/physically assaulted and this typically extremely private thing is broadcast to the entire cast of characters for whatever inexplicable reason, because it's totally everyone's business.

2. Same token as above, but another character tries to inspect the damage by forcibly removing or pulling up the victim's clothing. Because when I've been assaulted, the first thing I want is to have someone do something to me against my will again under the premise of getting me to admit something is wrong.

[jailbaitjello.livejournal.com]

My peeves definitely have to do with OOC-ness. I mean, I can suspend disbelief on just about anything until it goes to OOC-ness. If you're gonna go there, why bother writing fanfic in the first place? Just make up your own damn character!

A note to make though is that character progression in which the end result of the character is very different from the beginning is okay, provided that it is justifiably explained by the events of the story.

And I agree with an above post in that the use of terms during sex really depends on the tone of the fic, lol.

Also, grammar is very, very important to me. Pleeease have a basic grasp of grammar and punctuation.

[dreiser.livejournal.com]

Eh, this isn't fanfic ranting so much as fandom and I don't post in communities unless I've finished a new fanfic sooo... rather not go there, thanks. lol.

I'm not fond of AU fanfics because it just seems like an excuse to write things OOC because it's AU so there's no such thing as OOC then. Bah.

[dreiser.livejournal.com]

I hate mounds. It's a candy bar not a body part! lol. The candy bar is tasty though.

[dreiser.livejournal.com]

The social justice warrior people. Yeah. I haven't had any run ins with those in my fics but I don't write angst as much as you do. Dude, people never do any sort of research it seems for fics using rape/assault and victimology. They just write whatever they thing. Hence magic healing sex that takes away all the pain and they're a-okay after their love interest sexes them up.

[dreiser.livejournal.com]

I dunno, I can never go for metaphor sex. It's never good, imho. But I just get irritated when I only get vague descriptions of what's going on in a sex scene just because if you're going to write sex, write sex, don't elude to it in an irritating manner. Anyway.

OOC is why I don't read AU fanfic mostly. It seems like AU is an excuse to write rampant OOC because, well, it's AU so there's no such thing as OOC then.

[jailbaitjello.livejournal.com]

Bah, that's not what I consider AU at all. I mean, take No Defense for You. Definitely not canon compliant, but I don't think the characters were OOC.

...Unless AU doesn't mean what I think it means...

[dreiser.livejournal.com]

Alternate Universe. I tend to think of fics that have... like, Shizuru and Natsuki inexplicably as pirates or whatever. Things like that. It's what I consider AU not fanfics that make changes to canon because, well, then all fanfic would be AU then since it all makes changes to canon, you know?

[jailbaitjello.livejournal.com]

Not really, I mean, a continuation fic could totally be in keeping with canon... just that it's a continuation. Or a "between the scenes" fic, which just fills in a missing piece rather than make a change to canon. Or a prequel fic.

[dreiser.livejournal.com]

I think we'll have to agree to disagree on this one.

To me, anything written by a fanfic writer (continuation or prequel) cannot be canon simply because it's written by a fanfic writer. They have no idea what the original creator had in mind. They're using their own ideas. And there's pretty much no chance a fanfic writer is going to do 100% what the original creator will had in mind for their own work. People can call their works canon because they follow as close to the original work as possible but it's not the original.

I don't mind fanfics calling themselves canon, that's fine, but in my mind, if you want to be technical (and I tend to be very detail oriented) the nature of it being a fanfic makes it slightly AU just because it's not a work from the original creator. Certainly, none of femslash I've written I would consider canon, especially when it involves characters never canonically said to be gay.

Anyway. Agree to disagree. That's my two cents.

[jailbaitjello.livejournal.com]

Actually, I totally agree with you there. Fanfic writers can't write canon. The best they can go is canon-compliant, to various degrees of success, haha.

[sulkygeek.livejournal.com]

heee. Half the fun of being an angst monster is that I am sure there are people out there who like, tear their hair out about it and think I'm a total cunt. It's actually made fanfic writing really fun. Remember when I was kind of whining about moving up here because I don't really have any friends and blah blah blah and even if I did, I can't do anything anyway because I'm either at work or home with the kids?

Well, following the angsty exhortations of my melodramatic Korean soul IS fun for me! haha. God, I'm a nerd.

[dreiser.livejournal.com]

Yeah, most of my fanfic friends who write super angsty stuff use it to work out stuff IRL life. I think most people have gotten better about understanding that. Certainly as long as you warn for all the fucked up shit in the fic and put it behind a cut I don't see why anyone should bitch about what you write overall (unless it's something just horrible and innapropriate like the person who wrote a fic using the shooting/bombing in Oslo) because, hello, you're not forcing them to read it and you warned for it.

When are you leaving for Korea? How long are you going? I know it's going to be crazy with all the kids and the long flight but dude, I think it sounds fun! I mean, it will be stressful I imagine but still fun. Or maybe that's my prejudiced opinion as someone who loves traveling.

[sulkygeek.livejournal.com]

I just like stirring the turd-- it's fun for me.

We leave tomorrow morning! We'll be in Korea for 2 weeks-- we're staying with various family members. I'm a little worried because I'll see my brother, his wife and their new baby (I told you that my brother and sister-in-law were deported back to Korea, right?) But we'll see.

After that, we're going to be in LA for four days to visit with my family, then we come back.

And then in Septmeber, Jen is moving into her dorm at UCI! I'm driving her down. God save us.

[sulkygeek.livejournal.com]

and I'm really hoping the kids will sleep through most of the flight. I feel really bad for anyone who sits near us if they don't go to sleep, because oh my God, they never shut the fuck up

[dreiser.livejournal.com]

No! I didn't know that. Wow. Yeah, I can see how that might be awkward/bad with Jen and James.

Haha, I just read your comment about the kids. I always get stuck on flights with noisy/active/kick my seat kids. The powers of iPod and various technology to keep you busy work wonders on long flights for beleaguered passengers.

Is Jen an undecided major? It's so fucking sad, dude, I was taking classes at community college and now I'm thinking of transferring to get another Bachelors and then going even further. Oh god. All the money. All the studying. I can't even believe I'm considering it but I feel like I need to just because I'm not happy with my current situation over all in work and I want a new career direction and you sort of need education to do that. Plus if I don't do it now I won't have much time in said new career.

As it is, I might be looking at being done by my early forties which leaves, what? Like 20 something years of new job employment? Ugh. I hate being directionless in my career. It sucks hard.

[nike-ravus.livejournal.com]

:D You know, I think I probably try to violate as many people's pet peeves as possible, (not metaphor sex though, because it's stupid. If i don't want to write sex, i will just fade to black, and if I do I say what I damn mean. Although, I can't use dildo, I will go to extreme lengths to avoid that word.) Mainly, what I hate most is prejudice. I try anything once. I'll give things a chance. So when people start getting on all of those terrible AU and crossover writers, I just get irritated, because, yeah, there's a lot of crap, but if you're willing to take a look, you can find the best writers and the coolest stuff.

I was thinking of a bunch of other things, but i can sum them all up. Mainly, I get pissed when people don't read my stuff... Hmmm.

And being one of the people who apologizes for not posting enough, yeah, I just get worried that everyone is going to be like, 'this girl is flakey, I'm done with that shit.' and go away. They don't, but I fear it.

There seems to be a theme here.