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What do you hate seeing in stories?

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Misheard Whisper

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Jax said:
Edit: Ninja'd! Man, we're starting to get awesome again!
At the risk of jinxing it, I think you might be right. TK's back, Dagzar's back, you're posting a bit, I never really left am back too, and a few of these interesting threads are starting to pop up here and there. Maybe we're seeing a resurgence?

*derails thread*
 

TurtleKing

Turtles > You
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Journey Fics

I tend to read a lot of Journey fics in the beginning just to see how they will pan out for the first few chapters. As stated before, they tend to be cookie cutter and if I lose my interest, I doubt I will read anything else on that fic again. More times than not, Journey fics aren't completed, nor are they even out of the first few chapters (the protagonists journey 'ends' after the first gym, probably).

However, if someone is capable of delivering an original plot along the journey, I may be interested in taking a look at it. I personally was a big fan of journeying fics, but that well ran dry for me. When I was making PSM: DP, I'll admit, I was pretty much using the plot of the Pokemon Diamond and Pearl game and just adding different kinds of twists and personalities along the way to make it entertaining. The same could be said for my fic (that didn't last too long) Black & White.

Romance Driven Fics

Bleh. I'm not a huge fan of obvious romance and shipping in fan fics if that's the main thing in it anyway. However, I do like slow build up relationships in a story. As stated earlier, romance probably can't be avoided whether it's straight or slash, but authors have to learn that almost nobody wants to read a Pokemon version of The Notebook. When done right, romance should be a minor subtopic in a story.

Poke-Morph/Human-turned-Pokemon Fics

I never was a fan of Mystery Dungeon nor Poke-Morphs so I have no comment on those types of fics. Just seemed a bit Digimon-ish to me, ha!

"High School" based Fics

I never understood the purpose of Pokemon High School fics, nor how they could even be written. *points to siggy* Right now I'm in the process of writing Elite Academy and I'm trying my best not to make it high school-ish. I think the main thing about High School fics is that they tend to have no plot at all and that they are almost always romance driven. Let's face it, it's almost impossible to have a plot be taken seriously for a Pokemon High School fanfic. It just won't work. Not for me personally, anyway. I've yet to see a fic of this nature done right. Then again, I don't read them.

Use of Canon Characters in Fics

I have no problem at all with authors using canon characters in their fics. The only problem I have is if you're going to use them out of their personality, don't make the changes completely drastic. For example, Lt. Surge shouldn't be wanting to hug his opponents after he loses to them and Blue shouldn't be the type of person to immediately spark a conversation with someone.

When I use canon characters in my fics, I make sure that I study exactly how they were portrayed in their different medias (For me, it's in game or in the manga. Not a big fan of the anime anymore).
 

Dagzar

The Dreamer
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At the risk of jinxing it, I think you might be right. TK's back, Dagzar's back, you're posting a bit, I never really left am back too-
Technically, I never left either. It's just that I'm a natural lurker and don't post much. ;)

Alright, time for a bit of a rant.

I'd like to talk about the bad writing technique known as character bashing. I haven't seen it much in the Pokemon fandom, though I'm sure it's prevalent when people write about the anime. Either way, it's the one thing that I hate above all else. Let's take the Harry Potter fandom as an example. I find a fic with an interesting summary, but just as I'm about to click on it I notice the summary also has written 'Ron and Hermione Bashing! Manipulative Dumbledore!' My eye twitches and I wonder why the writer had pissed on those character. Bandwagon, legitimate hate? Either way, no way I'm reading something as cookie cutter as that, so I move on and try to find something that actually treats all characters fairly.

Character Bashing must be one of the worst writing techniques I've seen and it doesn't help that it's so popular these days, that people don't seem to know how bad it is. A writer's opinion of a character should never interfere with their work. Actually, no opinion at all should. When I read a story, I want to be so pulled into a world that I forget I'm reading a story, and character bashing is a very good way to pull me out of it. I know people sometimes hate specific characters, but I'm appalled that some people think their flawed interpretation is actually how the character acts.

This can happen with OCs too when a writer doesn't know better. They create a character, maybe a bully for the main character, and then proceed to make sure that character is constantly humiliated and taken down by the main. There are no redeeming qualities to the hated character. They're just there to be shat upon and maybe try to fight back in a stupid, dumb way.

It's just so annoying! I don't want a read such a black and white story where everyone is either all good and all evil. And it drives me nuts that stories that don't bash characters are so very rare that I have the take a shovel and go digging for them.

Arggghhhhhhh.
 

TurtleKing

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They create a character, maybe a bully for the main character, and then proceed to make sure that character is constantly humiliated and taken down by the main.

Some characters tend to have that Paul Syndrome too, where their rival is all powerful and stuff like that. Character development is a MUST for ALL characters who are appearing in multiple chapters in my opinion. What good is a rival for your main character if he or she doesn't develop as well? Is he or she not human?
 

Onyx_X

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Fics altogether annoys me. I do original stories, and one only use another person's characters if commissioned to do so.
What really turns me off is bad grammar. I've pretty much given up reading anything labeled fanfic. Especially Pokemon.
 

*Latias

It's so cool.
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Some things turn me off about fanfiction

1. Yaoi/yuri. It's severally overrated and it's stupid that two canon characters who are the same sex can't be friends without the fandom paring them as a romantic couple. Also same with OC's. I find that most people pair two people of the same sex together to say "LOOK IM NOT A GAYE HATUR!11" or just to be trendy. After being in the Sonic fandom and seing the amount of yaoi/yuri fics on FF.net, it's not original. It's annoying. In fact, there was only one good yaoi fic I've read and it was on DA of all places. I liked it because it seemed natural and not forced. And the characters were themselves.

You're so right! D:
And many times you see pairings of people who practically don't even know each other. It's so annoying. One example is Naruto.
 

icomeanon6

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Fics altogether annoys me. I do original stories, and one only use another person's characters if commissioned to do so.
What really turns me off is bad grammar. I've pretty much given up reading anything labeled fanfic. Especially Pokemon.
That's not a common stance around here to say the least. I can see where you're coming from, though. I don't like using characters that aren't my own either, but that's actually why I focus on Pokemon fanfiction of all things. Pokemon is actually the most conducive property for fanfiction that I can think of. By its very nature, it's a world that invites new characters and new stories to fit in. In my experience, most people aren't attracted to the games or anime because of the characters or plot, but rather because of the monsters, the settings, and the rules that the world operates by. At its core Pokemon is a framework for stories to take place in, be they traditional trainers' journeys, stories about snappy-dressing-mobsters, stories about creatures of myth and legend, stories about scientists, or stories of any sort you can think of.

You say you've "given up" on anything labeled fanfic, which would suggest that you've been interested in fanfiction before. It's true that the vast majority of fanfiction, including Pokemon fanfiction, isn't worth reading, but I wouldn't let that deter you. There really are some interesting stories out there written by talented authors. I'm sure any of us would be glad to direct you to some of our favorites if you're interested.

EDIT:

Oh, just noticed:

Fics altogether annoys me.
...
What really turns me off is bad grammar.
Poorly timed slip-up. It happens to the best of us. :)
 

Onyx_X

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I don't bother trying when I'm just posting. But 'altogether annoys' is correct, I'm fairly certain...I realize "fics annoys" isn't.

I've read a few here.
 

TurtleKing

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I don't bother trying when I'm just posting. But 'altogether annoys' is correct, I'm fairly certain...I realize "fics annoys" isn't.

I've read a few here.

There are some really good stories here if you take the time to read them. We're a tight nit community here so criticism is welcomed if that's your thing. I love criticism. ^^
 

Azurne

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Script fics generally have me backing out faster than anything else. Even when I was required to read professional scripts for high school it was a chore because I simply didn't like the format. Badly written script 'fics' on any writing forum/website make me lose a little more faith in people. :p

Colored text and different fonts are also a given, for self-explanatory reasons.

Titles are also a quirky pet peeve of mine. If the words "chronicle", "journey", "pokémon", "legend", and [insert any region name here], could be temporarily removed from the english language, a good chunk of the fictions I see every day would be without a title. Yes, you're posting this in a pokémon sub-forum/category. We all know it's pokémon. There is no need for you to put it in the title.

Generic journeyfics also make me sigh every time I see the standard opening - kid wakes up, gets pokémon from professor, goes on journey. At this point in time I've seen them so many times I'd encourage people to actually write about different people other than starting kids. Or if the kid must start somewhere, start your fic well after he's gotten his first pokémon so you don't have to write about it much.

High school fics I avoid all the time, on a daily basis. Sorry, been there, done that, don't want to go back. Even if you've tried to be different with it, I just can't force myself to sit down and watch/read a kid go through high school with 'drama' up until graduation. My high school years were very fun and memorable, but I'd prefer that they stay behind me and remain in the dusty cobwebbed corner of my mind. There are hardly any fics I see that actually put high school in a normal light anyway.

Shipping fics I tend avoid as well. While I'm a hopless romantic, there are certain fandoms where romance doesn't interest me at all (for example, pokémon :p), and I'm only there for alternate 'what if' stories. Sometimes though, I'll click on a pairing if I think they could potentially have interesting dynamics.

Creepypasta and horror fics are actually my favorite type of story - if done right. Making my heart physically race or giving me goosebumps while I'm reading is doing it right. If there is just random blood and gore with a 'twist' it makes me want to just sigh, sit the writer down, and ask them what really made them think this was creepy/scary. I could go on all day about atmosphere, subtlety, and the use of the human psyche, but I'm not sure they'd understand until they've truly been terrified themselves. Fear of what is in front of them is not what scares people, it's largely fear of the unknown. (i.e. Is this monster nice? Will it attack me? Where did it come from? Are there more? Will I die? What will happen when I die? Is it painful?)

Dark fics are a toss-up. I've written/plotted a few out myself (currently writing one, actually) because it's almost therapeutic and puts my own emotions into perspective - but that's only for original characters that I've made. Canon characters I can't do unless the character calls for it. For instance, my eternal muse is a wonderful assortment of the nietzsche wannabe, misanthrope supreme, and woobie destroyer of worlds tropes - but he didn't just wake up like that one morning, his past and current life problems made him that way. Considering what had been done to him anyway, his character pretty much calls for the darkest of dark beginnings. He makes my problems look microscopic in comparison, and it makes me feel like if he lived that long living like that, I could get over a problem or two of my own. So, all in all, I don't mind dark fics so much so long as the original character called for it. As long as the fics are credibly decent and not done for the sake of being ~edgy~ they are good reads. Bad dark fic I back out of though, because it makes me roll my eyes and even laugh on occasion about how over the top it is.

I do realize though that some people might also write dark fic to try and work themselves out of a funk, but are simply bad at writing/expressing it. So usually I'll simply back out and never touch it again rather than leave a review. (Bad Azurne, bad!)
 

TurtleKing

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Another thing that annoys me is that authors try too hard to be something that they are not. For example, if you're good at writing the traditional story of a hero over coming the odds on his or her way to the top, then write that. However, don't get into writing noir-type stories where everything is dark and bleak, and leads to a tragic ending. More times than not, it doesn't sound right nor does it sound like your writing. It all leads to confusion and leaves a bad taste in the mouth of the reader!
 

icomeanon6

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I don't bother trying when I'm just posting. But 'altogether annoys' is correct, I'm fairly certain...I realize "fics annoys" isn't.
"Altogether" doesn't change the subject "fics" into singular. It just clarifies that you're referring to the entirety of "fics" instead of a subset. "Fanfiction altogether annoys" would be correct.

Onyx_X said:
I've read a few here.
If you've only read a few, then you probably haven't read any of the best work. I would recommend Daydream's For All the Right Reasons. Unfortunately, it hasn't been updated since January, but that just goes to show that you can't really get an impression of a forum's writing just by looking over the first few pages of threads.http://www.pokecommunity.com/showthread.php?t=238253 http://www.pokecommunity.com/showthread.php?t=238253
 

Dagzar

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Another thing that annoys me is that authors try too hard to be something that they are not. For example, if you're good at writing the traditional story of a hero over coming the odds on his or her way to the top, then write that. However, don't get into writing noir-type stories where everything is dark and bleak, and leads to a tragic ending. More times than not, it doesn't sound right nor does it sound like your writing. It all leads to confusion and leaves a bad taste in the mouth of the reader!
But what if the writer wants to write a story like that? It doesn't matter if they're not good at it at first, they'll most likely learn how to write the genre correctly as they go. I love reading dark and horror stories (cosmic horror, especially!) and I have several ideas in mind for future projects. I don't know if I'd be any good at it, but that's definitely not going to stop me from writing the genre. A writer shouldn't be limited to writing only something they're good at.

Also, Azurne, high-five! Horror is my favorite genre too. <3
 

Misheard Whisper

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Exactly, Dagzar. I started writing pseudo-horror out of curiosity, even though I thought I'd be no good at it. Turns out I'm not, really, but I still enjoy it greatly. Broken, Crushed, Digital Demons and so on . . . they're so far removed from anything else I've written, but I really loved writing them and apparently people enjoyed reading them. So there's not so much of a problem there. I accept that sometimes people should 'stick to what they know', but at the same time, it can't hurt to be adventurous.
 

TurtleKing

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But what if the writer wants to write a story like that? It doesn't matter if they're not good at it at first, they'll most likely learn how to write the genre correctly as they go. I love reading dark and horror stories (cosmic horror, especially!) and I have several ideas in mind for future projects. I don't know if I'd be any good at it, but that's definitely not going to stop me from writing the genre. A writer shouldn't be limited to writing only something they're good at.

Also, Azurne, high-five! Horror is my favorite genre too. <3

I guess that makes sense. Practice makes perfect. I stand corrected!
 

Onyx_X

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Too many S's...

I can't get into that one, either. Burnt out too soon. It isn't like I'm blaming the writers for my lack of interest in PC's fics, but...there's only one I find outstanding.

On topic, I don't like when stories suddenly swap main characters. I realized it because I was doing just that, and did not favor the result.
 

Misheard Whisper

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Well, fics where the main perspective changes from time to time are fine, if that's what you mean. But if you're talking about those where the focus suddenly shifts off the one who you thought all along was the main character, then . . . yeah. That's annoying, because it shows the author a) has gotten bored with their MC or b) just doesn't care about/realise what they're doing.
 

Dagzar

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Well, fics where the main perspective changes from time to time are fine, if that's what you mean. But if you're talking about those where the focus suddenly shifts off the one who you thought all along was the main character, then . . . yeah. That's annoying, because it shows the author a) has gotten bored with their MC or b) just doesn't care about/realise what they're doing.
Oooooh, yes. I hate it when a story opens up with this one character and I'm like, "Hey, this must be the protagonist! Nice to meet you, buddy." Then that character either dies or is shoved aside for a different, usually cooler and more mysterious character, who's actually the protagonist. My reaction is usually thus: "SCREW YOU, STORY. I DO NOT ACCEPT YOU, NEW PROTAGONIST. GO BACK TO THE OTHER GUY."

I dunno, I'm kind of like a baby bird that way. I attach myself to the first character I see or who I label as the main character. Once that's done there's no turning back and any attempts to shake my attachment is met with rage.
 

Onyx_X

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Yeah this is exactly what I was talking about. But the other protagonist doesn't have to get killed off. Sometimes he gets out shined by a character who frequently comments on his own awesomeness, and then the new guy is the star and the old one goes into support/sidekick/background role.
 

Aura Vitae

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I'll list everything that will cause me to hate a fanfiction.


  1. Cliche Endings/Characters. This is probably my biggest gripe with fanfiction. I like to see originality in a work of fanfiction. I most likely won't read a fanfic if it has characters with cliche characters who each get their own cliched happy ending.
  2. Lack of Details. I've seen this in many fanfictions. Constantly I'll browse FF looking for interesting fanfictions and what I'll find instead are stories where all that I'm told is what the main character is doing and where they are. I'm not given any descriptions of the surrounding area and sometimes not even the appearance of the main character.
Those two are the main ones for me.
 
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