things in fiction that make me sad (or crazy, your pick)

[mickeym]

1. They're 'friends' in one paragraph and in the next, referring in their heads to the other as 'lover'. When this is their first time doing anything.

2. Taught =/= taut. 'Taught' is when you're teaching someone. 'Taut' is pulled tight, stretched to the limit, no slack. THEY ARE NOT THE SAME.

3. 'The older/elder', 'the younger', 'the blond', 'the brunette'. No. Please. When in doubt just type out someone's name. That works. Really!

I should sleep. Headache/earache finally gone \o/ And there was much rejoicing. Or something.

Bedtime. Yes. G'night (moon). :)

Comments

[munibunny.livejournal.com]

#3... Oh my, yes! This one bugs me SO much!

[obstinatrix.livejournal.com]

Urgh, I agree so hard on all counts. 3 tends to mark something out as badfic immediately. My biggest concern is how frequently I see #2 even in fic that is otherwise very well written. Really, people? Really?

[embroiderama]

Yeees on all counts. #3 is one of the pitfalls of going back and reading fic from a dozen years ago, SO MANY epithets!

[gooferdusty.livejournal.com]

Lol grumpy! ;)

[janissa11.livejournal.com]

*hugs* OMG, the epithet use drives me beyond batty. And get this: "Sam" and "Dean" are much shorter words! Far less typing than "the taller brother" or "the short-haired brother!"

::facepalm:: Epithet use is one of the hardest to kill, I think.

[de-nugis.livejournal.com]

The older/younger one drives me even more crazy than the other epithets, because I think it contributes to the tendency some writers have to write Sam way too young -- he's twenty-nine in canon time, even leaving out all the hell time complications. And age differences make so much less of a gap as one gets older; the four and a half years between Sam and Dean should be a lot less noticeable when you're writing them as 29 and 33 than when they were 22 and 26. The whole sentimentalized puppy-eyed little brother thing gives so little credit to awesome Sam and tragic Sam and BAMF Sam and damaged Sam and generally INTERESTING Sam.

/rant

[passing-through.livejournal.com]

Well said!

[de-nugis.livejournal.com]

Also, to add to #2: you POUR a drink. You PORE over a book. If you are pouring over your books, you should consult your local preservation/conservation librarian about water damage. (Granted, hunter research, especially at Bobby's, seems to involve a lot of pouring as well as poring, but it's still good to keep the two strictly separate.)

[road-rhythm.livejournal.com]

#3: Oh, holy hell, how much do I wish fandom would get this memo? There have been so many fics that I badly wanted to read, but just couldn't get through because of the completely insane epithets. Homer sez, "Only I, the poet who has talked with gods, may write like this. The rest of you sonsabitches can learn to use some fucking pronouns."

[passing-through.livejournal.com]

Haha, #3 used to be a staple in the Queer as Folk fan fic (ad exec and the younger blond). It makes me want to scratch at my eyes when I read it in fic.

I've found that I'll forgive some "bad fic" traits if the rest of the story is well written and the author doesn't go too overboard.

One thing that really, really bothers me is when writers refer to Jensen as "Jen" when they're talking about him as opposed to another character talking to or about him. That's one of my personal pet fic peeves. (Jen walked across the room. vs. Jensen walked across the room.) Bugs me every time, lol.

Right there with you!

[mistressace.livejournal.com]

My worst one is this:

Vice - sin
Vise - clamped tight

[fufaraw]

I did a post on this a while back, with illustrations. A lathe is a large, loud, whirly power tool that spins a length of wood so the operator can chisel material away in the round. What's left is, essentially, a spindle. Or a bowl, or a cup. Point being, if you lathe something, you're spinning it at whatever rpm while removing a large percentage of its mass with a sharp implement.

Now I know lots of people have sharp tongues--but that's a metaphor. Met.a.phor. And if you're lathing a beloved or a sex object with a sharp implement, it's going to be bloody and messy, and not in the good way.

To lave is to bathe, to lavish with attention (and yeah, water or something else. wet.) So let's review. Lathe? Painful and unlikely to cause (or enable, sheesh) repeat occasions. Lave, on the other hand? Yeah, I think so.

[metallicarskank.livejournal.com]

Pardon me while I just jump right in....first of all, AMEN to all the previous comments. My pet peeve is this: Sam Winchester is taller THEN his brother Dean. The word you are looking for is THAN, people. THEN refers to a period of time. Please to be remembering this. *climbs down from soapbox*

[kashmir1.livejournal.com]

Ugh, I looooooathe epithets SO MUCH.

And to add to #2, I hate when people confuse "taunt" with "taut. NO ONE HAS A TAUNT STOMACH. Grrr.