My first dislike is when a fan fiction is badly written. I can overlook the occasional mistake, but when a work is filled with errors in spelling, grammar or punctuation, this spoils the story. I don't want to have to struggle to understand what's actually written. It looks unprofessional, pulls me out of what I'm reading and ruins the illusion that the fan fiction could be an addition to or alternate version of the canon story. I understand that some people might not be writing in their first language, or they could be dyslexic or just poor at English, but in such cases they could use a beta or at least spellcheck. A similar, related dislike is stories which are written in one large block without paragraphs or spacing. Some of these don't even space out dialogue. It makes the story too difficult to read. I also dislike it when a writer doesn't use a page break or additional spacing to indicate that the story has moved on to a new scene.
Another aspect I dislike is when a writer has clearly made no attempt to research the location, time or culture the story is set in. I've come across some stories so inaccurate they're almost insulting. I've seen modern European countries portrayed as medieval dictatorships, and stories set in the 1920s where the characters still follow current social norms. There's always the possibility that a reader is a part of that culture, is an expert on that time period or has lived through it for more recent decades, has visited the location or even lives there. Making it up entirely is only acceptable when the location or culture is completely fictional, and even then there is still a need for consistency.
A pet peeve of mine is writing out of character. I know that everyone has their own slightly different interpretation of a character's personality, and differing ideas of what they might do in certain circumstances, but I've occasionally come across stories which take this to extremes. Some fans seem to ignore a character's true nature either to make them resemble their own preferences more closely or to fit into the story better. There are cases where a character does something they've rejected or strongly criticised in canon, without any attempt at irony by the writer. I also dislike stories where a relationship moves at an unrealistic pace, either physically e.g. a girl who blushes at a kiss in canon sleeping with a new love interest after he demands she prove her love for him, or emotionally, e.g. love confessions in the same scene as the first kiss for a character who is emotionally reticent in canon.
Yet another dislike of mine is character bashing. It doesn't matter how much the writer dislikes a particular character, they should still make the effort to portray that character accurately and not vilify or destroy them. Even the most unpopular of characters has some fans who could be hurt reading bashing in a story. In some fandoms where I like less popular pairings, works with bashing vastly outnumber stories genuinely about that relationship even when searching for those character's names. I particularly dislike stories which vilify a rival love interest or claim that he'd been abusive when there's no evidence of this in canon. Similarly, in cases where a character's friend or relative dislikes their love interest in canon, I prefer stories which work towards all those characters becoming friends or at least being civil towards each other, rather than stories where the main character cuts the other person out of their life entirely to be with their love interest. This is another aspect where I find keeping the antagonistic characters to be more realistic.
Another thing which irritates me is abandoned stories. I understand that sometimes real life can limit people's time and ability to write, or that someone can suffer from a writer's block or lose interest in the fandom. This means that it's probably best to write the story in its entirety before beginning to post it. I've come across one work which was deliberately abandoned on a cliff-hanger because of a diminishing number of reviews. The author's note in the last chapter made this clear. This was done years before I read the story or even became part of that fandom, but the only review I could have given at that point was angry ranting at the abandonment. I know how lack of feedback can be disappointing, and that writing takes a lot of time and effort, but surely the main motivation for writing should be wanting to get your story out.
Another dislike of mine is when a fan fiction simply reproduces the canon story almost entirely, with just some slight adjustments such as a different character's presence. If I wanted something like that, I'd just re-read or re-watch the original. These stories copy the dialogue word for word and describe every scene exactly as it happened. I also dislike when one character or pairing's significant scene is used for another. I like it when scenes are repurposed in a different context, but when changing the characters involved it often doesn't work because of differing personality traits and skills. Doing this with rival couples also gives me the impression of someone using the same line or romantic gesture with every partner they have.
There are a few other things I dislike but can usually spot and avoid. The first of these is Mary Sues. The majority of Mary Sue stories are recognisable from their summaries and I also think that fortunately they are rare in most of my fandoms. Another thing I tend to dislike is extreme AU stories. These tend to change the story so drastically that losing the setting means that the characters are no longer the same. I'll only read an AU if I've liked other works by the writer and the concept interests me. I tend to particularly avoid high school AUs and simplistic romantic comedy scenarios.
Another aspect I dislike is when a writer has clearly made no attempt to research the location, time or culture the story is set in. I've come across some stories so inaccurate they're almost insulting. I've seen modern European countries portrayed as medieval dictatorships, and stories set in the 1920s where the characters still follow current social norms. There's always the possibility that a reader is a part of that culture, is an expert on that time period or has lived through it for more recent decades, has visited the location or even lives there. Making it up entirely is only acceptable when the location or culture is completely fictional, and even then there is still a need for consistency.
A pet peeve of mine is writing out of character. I know that everyone has their own slightly different interpretation of a character's personality, and differing ideas of what they might do in certain circumstances, but I've occasionally come across stories which take this to extremes. Some fans seem to ignore a character's true nature either to make them resemble their own preferences more closely or to fit into the story better. There are cases where a character does something they've rejected or strongly criticised in canon, without any attempt at irony by the writer. I also dislike stories where a relationship moves at an unrealistic pace, either physically e.g. a girl who blushes at a kiss in canon sleeping with a new love interest after he demands she prove her love for him, or emotionally, e.g. love confessions in the same scene as the first kiss for a character who is emotionally reticent in canon.
Yet another dislike of mine is character bashing. It doesn't matter how much the writer dislikes a particular character, they should still make the effort to portray that character accurately and not vilify or destroy them. Even the most unpopular of characters has some fans who could be hurt reading bashing in a story. In some fandoms where I like less popular pairings, works with bashing vastly outnumber stories genuinely about that relationship even when searching for those character's names. I particularly dislike stories which vilify a rival love interest or claim that he'd been abusive when there's no evidence of this in canon. Similarly, in cases where a character's friend or relative dislikes their love interest in canon, I prefer stories which work towards all those characters becoming friends or at least being civil towards each other, rather than stories where the main character cuts the other person out of their life entirely to be with their love interest. This is another aspect where I find keeping the antagonistic characters to be more realistic.
Another thing which irritates me is abandoned stories. I understand that sometimes real life can limit people's time and ability to write, or that someone can suffer from a writer's block or lose interest in the fandom. This means that it's probably best to write the story in its entirety before beginning to post it. I've come across one work which was deliberately abandoned on a cliff-hanger because of a diminishing number of reviews. The author's note in the last chapter made this clear. This was done years before I read the story or even became part of that fandom, but the only review I could have given at that point was angry ranting at the abandonment. I know how lack of feedback can be disappointing, and that writing takes a lot of time and effort, but surely the main motivation for writing should be wanting to get your story out.
Another dislike of mine is when a fan fiction simply reproduces the canon story almost entirely, with just some slight adjustments such as a different character's presence. If I wanted something like that, I'd just re-read or re-watch the original. These stories copy the dialogue word for word and describe every scene exactly as it happened. I also dislike when one character or pairing's significant scene is used for another. I like it when scenes are repurposed in a different context, but when changing the characters involved it often doesn't work because of differing personality traits and skills. Doing this with rival couples also gives me the impression of someone using the same line or romantic gesture with every partner they have.
There are a few other things I dislike but can usually spot and avoid. The first of these is Mary Sues. The majority of Mary Sue stories are recognisable from their summaries and I also think that fortunately they are rare in most of my fandoms. Another thing I tend to dislike is extreme AU stories. These tend to change the story so drastically that losing the setting means that the characters are no longer the same. I'll only read an AU if I've liked other works by the writer and the concept interests me. I tend to particularly avoid high school AUs and simplistic romantic comedy scenarios.
“You’re going to regret this” Rebekah said trembling. “That’s my necklace. I lost it, back in the twenties. On the night I met your brother” Klaus never said she couldn’t tell Damon.
“You’re lying” Damon replied supercilious.
“Am I, now?” Rebekah said slowly as she stepped closer to Damon. “Stefan knew how to experience all the perks of being a vampire. We had so much fun together, while you were probably sulking over your dear Katherine”
“And you’re telling me this, because?” Damon wondered.
“Stefan and I have a past, a present and if you back off and don’t pull of stunts like you just did, then we might have a future” Rebekah answered threatening.
“But pulling stunts is so fun” Damon replied.
“You don’t want be on my bad side, Damon” Rebekah threatened. Suddenly she gasped, her eyes bulged and her face turned dark grey.
“No” a female voice said. “But I do”
Rebekah fell down and Katherine appeared.
“You’re lying” Damon replied supercilious.
“Am I, now?” Rebekah said slowly as she stepped closer to Damon. “Stefan knew how to experience all the perks of being a vampire. We had so much fun together, while you were probably sulking over your dear Katherine”
“And you’re telling me this, because?” Damon wondered.
“Stefan and I have a past, a present and if you back off and don’t pull of stunts like you just did, then we might have a future” Rebekah answered threatening.
“But pulling stunts is so fun” Damon replied.
“You don’t want be on my bad side, Damon” Rebekah threatened. Suddenly she gasped, her eyes bulged and her face turned dark grey.
“No” a female voice said. “But I do”
Rebekah fell down and Katherine appeared.
The Hospital
The door of the examination room slammed open and doctor Fell looked up. “Would you mind waiting outside, please?”she said annoyed.
Tyler ignored her and walked straight to the bed.
“How are you feeling?” he asked worried.
“I’m okay” Veronica said. “Doctor Fell gave me a miracle drug. I’m as good as new”
Meredith shot her a warning glance.
“How did you know where I was?” Veronica wondered.
“Rachel told me” Tyler explained. “She told me Rebekah attacked you”
Veronica shook her head. “Actually it was Stefan” she said.
“Why would Stefan want to hurt you?” Tyler asked skeptic. “He doesn’t even know you”
“Neither does Rebekah” Veronica shrugged. “They know. They know that we’re going to try and take them down. We’re going to have to move fast”
“No, what you need to do is stay away from Rebekah” Tyler said. “I mean it, Ronnie, she’s dangerous”
“So am I” Veronica said sharp.
The door of the examination room slammed open and doctor Fell looked up. “Would you mind waiting outside, please?”she said annoyed.
Tyler ignored her and walked straight to the bed.
“How are you feeling?” he asked worried.
“I’m okay” Veronica said. “Doctor Fell gave me a miracle drug. I’m as good as new”
Meredith shot her a warning glance.
“How did you know where I was?” Veronica wondered.
“Rachel told me” Tyler explained. “She told me Rebekah attacked you”
Veronica shook her head. “Actually it was Stefan” she said.
“Why would Stefan want to hurt you?” Tyler asked skeptic. “He doesn’t even know you”
“Neither does Rebekah” Veronica shrugged. “They know. They know that we’re going to try and take them down. We’re going to have to move fast”
“No, what you need to do is stay away from Rebekah” Tyler said. “I mean it, Ronnie, she’s dangerous”
“So am I” Veronica said sharp.