Fanfic pet peeves?

[Draconic_Espeon]

Reading all this makes me feel like the villians in my story are all very flat... Granted, I knew that already, but still, I'll probably be going back and smoothing out things when I get done with it.

Honestly, one of my biggest pet peeves (aside from lack of grammar) is probably when people get characters out of character. I don't know that this applies so much to Pokemon fanfiction, considering most of the characters are made up, but in others that I've read, it seriously gets on my nerves. Especially if the main character randomly falls in love with the writer's original character. >> I won't usually mind it if it is very gradual and feelings develop over time, but not all abruptly. And not when it's very obvious that they were going to from the beginning. I always try very, very hard to keep canon characters as true to their personalities as I can.

[Gravity]

I personally cannot read a story with an insane amount of spelling and grammatical errors.

[Scytherwolf]

One of my pet peeves is when people act as if the species of a pokemon character is the only thing that matters. Personally, I honestly don't care if the main character is an eevee or a seedot-it's the personality that I'm really looking for. Plus with how often humans are used, I find the belief that overused pokemon are bad simply for what they are to be silly. I'll take a well characterized eevee over an underused pokemon with a badly written personality any day.

Then again, I'm one of those people who just likes what I like and doesn't give a hoot about how popular or unpopular said thing is, and therefore I am honestly mystified by the concept of having the desire to base the species of characters...and what species I like or dislike, off of the general opinion of others (whether it be for or against said opinion). I wish people wouldn't get so caught up over this and would just write about the pokemon that appeal to them and/or that fit the story and focus more on making a good character.

In short, I like stories with good plot and characterization, and I am unimpressed with people using certain species just to be "kewl"...when that happens, I'm like, "hey, so uh...what's there to celebrate about this? Got a good character planned out here? Or is it just UNDERUSEDPOKEMON?!!?1!!ONE!!!??" It also bugs me a bit for other reasons, since I tend to admire the authors that write about the subjects they want to based on their own likes and dislikes, not those of others, even if the subject that author wants to write about is a species that is frowned upon by other writers.

[Deathspector]

It actually really bugs me when people write about the most obscure things simply because they want to be original and not do what people done before. It's my firm belief that cliches, if written well, can be pulled off just like anything. If a good author were to take the heavily cliched plot of the Pokémon anime and write it well, then I'd find it a good story.

I don't like people considering cliches as taboos in writing because they've been overused for a reason: they're fun to write about and fun to read about. What people mistake for cliched writing is actually poor writing. There is a difference.

And on the villain topic, I have to disagree. Purely evil villains with no goodness in them can be brilliant to read/write about.

[Scytherwolf]

Originally Posted by Deathspector

And on the villain topic, I have to disagree. Purely evil villains with no goodness in them can be brilliant to read/write about.

Well, to be a good character, they'd have to have a well thought out personality, and a reason for being that way, right? I do think that a villain so messed up that they could be considered "pure evil" could be a very interesting character and make a story exciting to read, but it saddens me when authors won't delve into such an idea and make a really good character like that when they have a "pure evil" villain. The standard villainbots who aren't well thought out that bug me. Ya know what I mean? There's a difference between using the "pure evil" idea and making an interesting and complex character out of it, and just having a villain with no personality who's character is never explored.

I agree about the cliche thing (if you mean what I think you mean), since there often many different ways a plot idea or device can be used. And the idea of using a plot device just for the sake of using it or trying to stand out without it actually being what you want for the story never appealed to me.

[Deathspector]

Originally Posted by Scytherwolf

Well, to be a good character, they'd have to have a well thought out personality, and a reason for being that way, right? I do think that a villain so messed up that they could be considered "pure evil" could be a very interesting character and make a story exciting to read, but it saddens me when authors won't delve into such an idea and make a really good character like that when they have a "pure evil" villain. The standard villainbots who aren't well thought out that bug me. Ya know what I mean? There's a difference between using the "pure evil" idea and making an interesting and complex character out of it, and just having a villain with no personality who's character is never explored.

Yeah, I know what you're saying. The villain needs a drive and a reason for being evil. What I'm saying is that he/she doesn't have to have had a horrible past and been tortured as a kid. They could just be really greedy individuals who want lots of money and so steal and cause problems for the hero. =P

Originally Posted by Scytherwolf

I agree about the cliche thing (if you mean what I think you mean), since there often many different ways a plot idea or device can be used. And the idea of using a plot device just for the sake of using it or trying to stand out without it actually being what you want for the story never appealed to me.

Yeah, totally second you on that one.

[Scytherwolf]

Yeah, I know what you're saying. The villain needs a drive and a reason for being evil. What I'm saying is that he/she doesn't have to have had a horrible past and been tortured as a kid. They could just be really greedy individuals who want lots of money and so steal and cause problems for the hero. =P

Lol, when I did I mentioned tortured pasts? I just said they had to have a complex character and not be villainbots. =P Um...wait, I actually don't know what your comment had to do with my post. I was basically saying that their characters needed to be explored, not just left as "generic bad guy" so uh...

Pet peeves.

Um. Oh yeah! In gym battles, when the main characters are shown to have emotions and reactions to the events in the battle, but the gym leader's pokemon...don't...at all. It bugs me...unless there's some sort of weird reason the gym pokemon are like that...like they're really some sort of creepy emotionless pokemon out to murder the trainer...or they're possesed by ghost types or something! Uh...or not, but whatever. That annoys me.

[KantoChamp46]

Originally Posted by Deathspector

It actually really bugs me when people write about the most obscure things simply because they want to be original and not do what people done before. It's my firm belief that cliches, if written well, can be pulled off just like anything. If a good author were to take the heavily cliched plot of the Pokémon anime and write it well, then I'd find it a good story.

I don't like people considering cliches as taboos in writing because they've been overused for a reason: they're fun to write about and fun to read about. What people mistake for cliched writing is actually poor writing. There is a difference.

And on the villain topic, I have to disagree. Purely evil villains with no goodness in them can be brilliant to read/write about.

Wow! I've been waiting for someone to say this! That's what bugs me, too, is when people use obscure plot devices for the sole reason that no one's written about it before. So what? If it's written well, yeah, then said obscure plot device can be awesome, but if only for the sake of being "innovative" or "original"? I don't think so. Personally, I love "cliches." Like you said, there's a reason they're used so much. They work. They just have to be well-written more often, so people don't get tired of them.

But yeah, pet peeves. Obscure plot devices for no reason. That one kills me.

[Giratina]

If it's an obscure plot device and it's an obscure plot device played well, I'm all for the idea. Same goes with 'clichés'. Like you guys have said already, though, if it's been added just for the sake of being added, then the fic might start looking more like the Pokémon-anime-with-literary-devices than an actual fanfic.

Originally Posted by Draconic_Espeon

Reading all this makes me feel like the villians in my story are all very flat...

Haha, me too.

[Griff4815]

Originally Posted by Graceful_Suicune

I actually have a thing with Pokemon fan fics how something like a simple Scratch attack could make a Pokemon bleed and then get infected and then they could die from it. -.- I know it's realistic, and animals can get injured by scratches, but it seems wrong with Pokemon. Especially with the anime and the games--how everything's simple and doesn't kill them. I mean, it does make it easier to write and stuff, but yeah... x3 Doesn't make the story less good, though. :P I mean, two of my favourite stories - TPoD and AWSB - have the bleeding Scratch thing.

I have to agree. I always like when there's realism in stuff like this. I try to apply that to my stories as much as possible.

A pet peeve for me is when people make their fics excessively... I don't know how to explain it... aesthetically extravagent (format-wise) for the sake of being different.

For example, something that might look like this (the gibberish are place holders for example sentences):



//gr2oiifgbqilubeibqpibqpg



~~~ igu2pipriawubhgpiuwbhgqpguihw ~~~


GEiqehgoehpwqhqohwg2rpohqwrg...




uiowghrpqhgpouhpoghgrwgwg

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I've actually seen stuff like that. It bugged me a lot. That and purple prose also bugs me.

(Edit: the post seemed to take out the large gaps in spaces that I put in there)

[Lusankya]

Originally Posted by KantoChamp46

Wow! I've been waiting for someone to say this! That's what bugs me, too, is when people use obscure plot devices for the sole reason that no one's written about it before. So what? If it's written well, yeah, then said obscure plot device can be awesome, but if only for the sake of being "innovative" or "original"? I don't think so. Personally, I love "cliches." Like you said, there's a reason they're used so much. They work. They just have to be well-written more often, so people don't get tired of them.

But yeah, pet peeves. Obscure plot devices for no reason. That one kills me.

I find any kind of device for no reason rather annoying. If it serves no purpose, why's it in there?

On the villain subject: Both pure evil villains and spark-of-good villains are good if done well. It all depends on how they're portrayed. Pure evil villains are enjoyable for their BAness. Lord Voldemort, for example, is as irredeemable a character as ever existed, yet he is in no one a boring, one-dimensional character. On the other hand, a more relatable villain is more human, more believable.

[Professor Geoffrey]

I'm easily pleased with fanfiction. Most of the time, when I read fanfiction, the problems lie in punctuation, spelling, and grammar. Although my spelling is not perfect in fanfiction, either (Xanthe would know... xD), but I filter it as best as I can with Word. Small mistakes, such as Poké Ball being two words, wrong sex pronouns, stockings accidentally being stalkings... As long as Word filters most of the punctuation, grammar, and spelling, I'll be happy. :3

[Smuds]

Err, well I obviously don't have much of a say because when I make a fan-fic there is going to be like, hundreds of stuff people don't like. But the thing I can't take is when there is NO humor through out the whole story. I mean, I understand if the story is about an emotionally messed up kid and his family died in a fire or something so he is really sad and the whole story is supposed to be sad. But, if it's like, a Pikachu going to go save the world, there HAS to be humor to keep the crew going. Well, it's pretty hard to make a story with NO humor I think, unless sadness is your strong point or whatever

Dumb, I know.

[Giratina]

Actually, Smuds, I agree completely.

I've been told I add humor into my fics, but only about half of it was intentional. This is why I didn't like the second and third The Trial of Juno (yes, I actually read that) stories - starting off with the main character in a war somewhere in the Phenac Desert and having a generally extremely dark outlook after that didn't rest well with me. If it starts off good and cheery and stuff and then descends into grim unpleasantness, I won't be enjoying it too much; if it's a tragedy-laden story from the get-go, I probably won't be reading it. xD Sad but true.

[scalec]

What bugs me? My first fanfiction. Written and semi enjoyed here. Ugh! I was so embarresaed from it that I just quit writing it.
So from that, I guess my peeves are actually when things get really corny in a fanfiction. I'm not a fan of corny movies either. I actually end up leaving the room and hiding in the pantry because of the sheer corniness of it.
And, since my move to Fanfiction.net, I get really annoyed when stories are given a fine begining but then are never continued after that first chapter.
...
Of course...I shouldn't be such a hypocrite, now should I?
And then of course (I remember having this same discussion with Lunar Latias earlier in my time here) is the classic overused and annoying villian. I love good villians. Cruella DeVil for example. Awesome character right there.
And Sytherwolf's villian, Cyclone (The Vaporeon, right?) is one of my favorites. Evil but not always evil...but yet evil seems to be the best side of him.