#fanfic writing pet peeve

[i-am-a-secret-ssshhh]

Pet Peeve:

Does anyone else find it really annoying when people misspell character's names when their character information is easily accessible? I'm thinking of two in specific, but I'm sure there's more.

This sweet young boy who may or may not have attempted to commit murder, and it's none of my business to spill what he may or may not have done:

This is a character from My Hero Academia. His name is NOT Lida Tenya, it's Iida Tenya, or Tenya Iida. With an I. I as in pronounced like eye.

And this motherfucker!!

This motherfucker is named Chrollo Lucilfer. His name isn't Chrollo Lucifer. Lucilfer, pronounced like if sulfur was spelt with an I.

I understand some of these are because of language barriers, and I am not at all criticizing that, I understand how difficult English is. But every time I see the misspell it makes me want to comment, but it's hard to do that without seeming like a critical bitch.

Use at your own discretion, I guess I can't stop you from misspelling their names, just a pet peeve of mine. There are others as well, but these two are the ones that come to mind.

[sugarcoatednightshade]

thinking about how Humans Are Space Orcs stories always talk about how indestructible humans are, our endurance, our ability to withstand common poisons, etc. and thats all well and good, its really fun to read, but it gets repetitive after a while because we aren't all like that.

And that got me thinking about why this trope is so common in the first place, and the conclusion I came to is actually kind of obvious if you think about it. Not everyone is allowed to go into space. This is true now, with the number of physical restrictions placed on astronauts (including height limits), but I imagine it's just as strict in some imaginary future where humans are first coming into contact with alien species. Because in that case there will definitely be military personnel alongside any possible diplomatic parties.

And I imagine that all interactions aliens have ever had up until this point have been with trained personnel. Even basic military troops conform to this standard, to some degree. So aliens meet us and they're shocked and horrified to discover that we have no obvious weaknesses, we're all either crazy smart or crazy strong (still always a little crazy, academia and war will do that to you), and not only that but we like, literally all the same height so there's no way to tell any of us apart.

And Humans Are Death Worlders stories spread throughout the galaxy. Years or decades or centuries of interspecies suspicion and hostilities preventing any alien from setting foot/claw/limb/appendage/etc. on Earth until slowly more beings are allowed to come through. And not just diplomats who keep to government buildings, but tourists. Exchange students. Temporary visitors granted permission to go wherever they please, so they go out in search of 'real terran culture' and what do they find?

Humans with innate heart defects that prevent them from drinking caffeine. Humans with chronic pain and chronic fatigue who lack the boundless endurance humans are supposedly famous for. Humans too tall or too short or too fat to be allowed into space. Humans who are so scared of the world they need to take pills just to function. Humans with IBS who can't stand spicy foods, capsaicin really is poison to them. Lactose intolerance and celiac disease, my god all the autoimmune disorders out there, humans who struggle to function because their own bodies fight them. Humans who bruise easily and take too long to heal. Humans who sustained one too many concussions and now struggle to talk and read and write. Humans who've had strokes. Humans who were born unable to talk or hear or speak, and humans who through some accident lost that ability later.

Aliens visit Earth, and do you know what they find? Humanity, in all its wholeness.

[leons-lady]

I'm gonna hold yalls hand when I say this again

if you're gonna name the reader that isn't Y/N or (your name), or the character saying their name without those two I mentioned if it bothers you

tag it properly as oc x canon. not x reader. that is NOT my name.

(and yes, I will be blocking, but it's still gonna pop up everywhere so I need at least SOMEONE to try and get me.)

[emkayewrites]

Fanfiction Pet Peeves

I'm currently reading as well as writing fanfiction (Lukola/Polin). There's so many fanfictions out there catering to every taste and fantasy.

It got me curious - what are your pet peeves in fanfiction? What do you see that automatically ruins it for you?

[paymechildsupport]

IDK man,

does it just kinda put anyone else off when a piece has a giant "IF YOU ARE ___ ALIGNED DO NOT INTERACT" ? Obviously, a writer is entitled completely to their piece and who has access to it, -- but it sometimes just comes off as really hostile. As a man myself, I completely understand how infuriating the lack of m!reader fics is and i'll continue to cry on that hill until the day I die >:(

Still, seeing those few gorgeous m!writers having big 'NO FEM!ALIGNED ALLOWED!!!' signs just make me sad, -- it's not the readers' fault most x reader fics are predominately fem aligned, and it just really only seems to serve to further widen the already big gap between the two kinds of readers-- which is NOT needed. Personally, even if it they aren't the intended audience, -- yet they still wanna read even knowing your work doesn't cater anything to them, -- then I believe people should be able to enjoy every piece of fiction. It always makes me so happy when I get a variety of genders (fem + m + other) enjoying my m! works, knowing that my writing was enough to outweigh the fact that the piece objectively didn't serve any purpose to them as non m! readers.

Goes both ways too, fem! reader fics barring m! aligned readers from reading is the exact same.

I'm a firm believer in creative reading freedom, - if a fem identifying / non-binary reader wants to pretend they have a massive dick, or even just a strap-on, -- then that's fucking awesome, go for them. Normalize people of all groups experimenting and enjoying varied pieces of literature.

And fellow m readers? I see you my brothers and I will continue amping up production of x m!reader fics 😈😈😈 🫶🫶🫶

[lifenconcepts]

*violenty sobs until my eyes are all red and puffy* whY CANT pEOPLE KEEP OUT ships and ROMANCE out of my SILLY. LITTLE. GUYS.

can’t a goober enjoy a show around here without having to filter every single sexual and romantic tag the world has ever existed just to be able to safely scroll through their fics ??? PLEASE I BEG I just want some good angst, perhaps even just some chill stories, BUT WITHOUT THE FICICUIDKSMDMCNB *SOBS* THE STUPID. DAMN. FLUFF AND SMUT. STOP IT. PLEASE. I BEG OF YOU.

NO FANDOM OF MINE IS SAFE

IM LITTERALLY APART OF LIKE. DOZENS. AND ALL MANAGE TO GET UNDER THE RADAR AND STILL SHOW STUPID FUCKING SHIPS AND GAYS.

LIKE. IM FINE WITH GUYS KISSING! BE LESBIAN, PAN, STRAIGHT, WHATEVER, JUST PLEASEEEE GIVE ME ATLEAST ONE LITTLE FIC WHERE THWYRE NOT VIOLENTLY FUCKING AND MAKING OUT PLEASE I BEG

[parkakeet]

none of you know what an octave is, I'm convinced. 'their voice jumped several octaves' no the fuck it didn't. actually fucking wild. like what. are we talking C2 to C7 here or...

average vocal range is like. 3 octaves. are we saying they speak in the very absolute basement of their range on the daily and then got nervous and all the sudden skipped half the damn piano?

anyway

[moonlightdoesgenshin]

Clawing at my enclosure on TikTok because why are they giving me fanfic pet peeves videos, I don't like that shit :/

Sure everyone has them(including me) but you don't need to air them out on social media. All that's gonna do is let some poor beginner see you calling something about their work a "pet peeve" and discourage them from ever writing again

The comments were a hellhole too like some of the stuff they were talking about is like really personal preference but they were talking about whatever it was like the worst thing on Earth. It's so toxic

Keep your fanfic opinions to yourself guys, it ain't a book so you ain't paying for it

[agaypanic]

if you write something that’s a ‘[character] x oc’ and you tag it as ‘x reader’ i’m trying to blow you up with my mind and i hope you can feel it

[sarahowritesostucky]

Okay there is one type of comment that annoys me:

I try not to be entitled about comments on Ao3, I really do. I try to remember that any comment is a gift that I should be thankful for. And for the most part, I succeed. I am grateful even for comments that consist of nothing but emojis. Unlike many authors, I even enjoy respectful critique and debate over writing choices.

But doggonit, I can't help but be a little 😑 when somebody takes the time to type in the comment box, and the only words they can motivate their fingers to type out are: "When is the next chapter gonna be posted?"

And I'm left like this ⬇️ because I worked my butt off for this last chapter and was looking forward to people's reactions as I recovered from the hard work I put into it.

Please oh please, the only comment I'll ever complain about is a "when's the next part coming?" comment that doesn't say anything else. I'd rather have a comment with respectful criticism than that.

[breakandbuildfiction]

Logical Through Lines

I know that there is an expectation of suspension of disbelief when it comes to stories, and fanfiction especially, but I feel like there should still be an expectation of logic in how some things operate even if we ignore the impossibility or at the very least improbability of those things existing in the first place.

For example, there are officially published stories where only one biological sex or one ethnic group have superpowers or magic. And yet the world progressed up to the modern day almost exactly the same way as it did in our world. The same jobs, the same nations, the same governments, alliances, culture, curses, insults, fashion, everything. And if it was a very recent thing I could accept that, but when you then say it has been the case for hundreds or even thousands of years? No. That isn't how things work.

There has to be some kind of consequence to these drastic changes to the world and history.

You can't just say 'Oh they were scared of the evil white man with their flintlock rifles to risk showing that they had pyrokinesis and could teleport' and leave it at that. That's just lazy, uninspired, and really just straight-up insulting to whatever sex or ethnic group you are giving superpowers to.

For a less daunting example I'm going to point to the Nartuo fandom. A common trope to pull when wanting to give Naruto Uzumaki a harem is to say he is being given permission via the 'Clan Restoration Act'. Which, in itself, is a logical thing given setting and power systems of the Naruto universe. Some families, some bloodlines, have special superpowers tied to their genetics and as such it can be seen as very important to keep those families as plentiful as possible. Heck, we even see several powerful clans that have been reduced to very small numbers in the canon story, so it makes sense that at some point the powers that be would make a law like the CRA.

But then the authors will just have things play out so Naruto goes around dating more than one girl and nothing else.

If someone's bloodline is going to be considered important enough to bypass local laws, customs, and religious doctrine to ensure it lives on, why the Hell would the powers that be just say 'Okay, go and find as many girls willing to share you as possible and knock them up on your own time'? That doesn't make any sense. If the government decided 'we need more people with this bloodline to exploit the shit out of their superpower later down the line' they would not stop at just encouraging polyamory. They would demand a series of girls that they deem somehow 'strong' or 'fit' enough to maximize the potential of the bloodline holder's offspring-- or if they were being 'nice' they could pick out a handful of their female prisoners-- and force them to either get screwed the guy or be subjected to artificial insemination. Or they would arrange marriages based on the best genetic and political potential they could and demand the last member of the clan with the bloodline NOT GO ON ANY DEADLY MISSIONS until they had some kids.

Heartless? Yes. Historically accurate? Also yes. Does it make logical sense? You bet it does!

I don't care if there are nonsensical things in stories. Part of making a story is being imaginative and it being different to what is reality. But I do care when people ignore the obvious consequences of the things they put into their stories and the reactions others would have if presented to these changes to their established cultures and reality.

Just something to keep in mind next time any of you all decide to write something. Please.

[holly-the-trash-writer]

Question.

When a different language appears in a fic, do you prefer the translations in the line below or in the notes at the end?

Please let me know 🩷

[valewritessss]

It’s refreshing to read a fic or a book where the characters kiss a while after getting together

[pixiemage]

A few writing pet peeves I've collected over years, all things I've found in fanfics or occasionally in written messages between friends. They're all small and simple mistakes, and with how widespread they are across the web, I can totally understand why! But I'd love to spread a little English knowledge to help fellow writers catch themselves and un-learn a bad habit for the future :3

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

To wander is to walk. To wonder is to have thoughts.

If something is definitely broken, there's no doubt about its condition. If something is defiantly broken, the person who broke it did so out of rebellious opposition.

If you could care less, then you probably care a little bit since there is a lower level of caring (or not caring) available to you. If you couldn't care less, you're at the lowest level of caring possible and can't go any lower. You don't care at all.

To nip it in the butt involves biting someone's backside. To nip it in the bud trims the flower before it can bloom, stopping a situation before it can get any further.

Someone who is rabid over something is going a bit feral/insane about it. A rabid animal goes crazy. Rabid as in rabies. Someone who is rapid about something is going very quickly. A rapid animal just has the zoomies.

If you have wrapped attention (not a real thing), I'll only assume you're watching gift-wrapping tutorials on YouTube...or that you are currently in a blanket burrito. If you have rapped attention (also not a real thing), someone drew your focus by knocking on something, or you somehow got in touch with Slim Shady. If you have rapt attention, then you are extremely focused on or interested in whatever has your attention.

Could of isn't a real phrase. If you remove the "could", does it still make sense? "I could of fallen" -> "I of fallen". Wrong. Could have is the proper usage. Try turning that possible situation into a definite one. "I could have fallen" -> "I have fallen". Correct. (This trick only works with "I" or "they" or "we", but it's still a good way to test it out!)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

[Do any other writers out there have certain fic-found pet peeves that you'd like to add? Feel free! I'd love to help bring awareness to small mistakes like this to better help other writers and fic authors in improving their work! <3]

[emkayewrites]

Fanfiction - Polin or Lukola?

Interested in gauging the room on this topic - what do you like to read and/or write? Lukola, Polin or both? And why?

I'm currently writing and reading Lukola fanfiction. I am not completely delulu. I know they are actors but they did do too good of a job during the press tour. I adore Polin but currently, me entire bandwidth for fantasising is taken up by Lukola.

[spaceaces00]

My Fic Pet Peeves:

1. Just a block of text (pleaseee break up your paragraphs I cannot read a screen of text)

2. No enter after someone talks (every person gets one paragraph then it breaks for the next guy :)

3. Like no tags?? (Gotta hook me in with those tags and summary)

4. AI fics (absolutely not)

5. When it’s incomplete but the chapters are complete (like please just mark it as incomplete so people don’t gotta be devastated😩)

6. 1700 tags for a fic only 1K words