What do you find is the biggest single problem with fanfics?

[matt0044]

If you want a series where the characters aren't as goody-two-shoes as the anime, go read the Pokémon Adventures manga.

I read Pokemon Adventures (see my threads in the Manga sec.) but still when contrasted with the rest of the Anime, Paul is by all account hateable I don't blame reynard a bit but for me, his hateableness is what makes him appealing to me. But I guess I'm just weird like that.

 

[Zekurom]

If you want a series where the characters aren't as goody-two-shoes as the anime, go read the Pokémon Adventures manga.

I read Pokemon Adventures (see my threads in the Manga sec.) but still when contrasted with the rest of the Anime, Paul is by all account hateable I don't blame reynard a bit but for me, his hateableness is what makes him appealing to me. But I guess I'm just weird like that.

I see. Okay, then. Well, I have weird tastes sometimes too, just not that one.

 

[Bluecat]

The sheer amount of mind-scarring fiction there is out there, ESPECIALLY for the Pokemon fandom. Makes the normal, sane stuff look bad. There was a particularly sickening one I read yesterday, starring Burgh, a Caterpie and a Sewaddle... that's all you need to know about it.

 

[Stratelier]

If it co-starred Rule 34, then yes, we don't need to know any more than that.

 

[Bluecat]

If it co-starred Rule 34, then yes, we don't need to know any more than that.

It went further than Rule 34, and that's all I'll say about that.

 

[Stratelier]

Nothing goes further than Rule 34; Rule 34 is like infinity.

 

[matt0044]

I'd say that while I don't have real qualms about mature stuff since I am a Higurashi fan, some fanfics rated M give off this vibes that the author is trying too hard to be gritty and edgy. It's hard to explain but it seems to come off as a kid trying to be what he thinks is "mature." Don't get me wrong, other fanfic do this right but I'm just saying there are others that don't.

 

[Almonds]

Some writers using swear words in their stories without even knowing what they even mean. It doesn't sound cool at all. Maybe one or two swear words for emotional outbursts might work, but please, not every single sentence.

 

[matt0044]

Some writers using swear words in their stories without even knowing what they even mean. It doesn't sound cool at all. Maybe one or two swear words for emotional outbursts might work, but please, not every single sentence.

Yeah, it's part of the misconception that "swearing" equals "instant maturity."

 

[Pokémon Master Ash]

The sad realization that some are better than the actual anime series. Especially in Pokémon's case...

 

[Nereus]

The sad realization that some are better than the actual anime series. Especially in Pokémon's case...

How's that the biggest problem? It's great I think. And I wouldn't say some, but a lot of FF is better than anime, because let's be honest... Pokémon anime ain't that great

 

[Pokémon Master Ash]

The sad realization that some are better than the actual anime series. Especially in Pokémon's case...

How's that the biggest problem? It's great I think. And I wouldn't say some, but a lot of FF is better than anime, because let's be honest... Pokémon anime ain't that great

Well, I mean, that shows me how little effort is put into the anime. It wasn't always the way it is now. Maybe it was always childish, but I still learned things from it and had fun. I still have fun watching the older seasons...can't say the same with the newer Pokémon anime (for the most part: there are a few diamonds in the rough every now and then).

 

[Stratelier]

...some fanfics rated M give off this vibes that the author is trying too hard to be gritty and edgy. It's hard to explain but it seems to come off as a kid trying to be what he thinks is "mature."

Yeah. I've seen one of those firsthand and while I never got to the most "gritty" parts of it, I did catch wind of it while skimming down the topic. The author later had second thoughts about it and took it down. I do not blame them....

 

[voidcritter]

...some fanfics rated M give off this vibes that the author is trying too hard to be gritty and edgy. It's hard to explain but it seems to come off as a kid trying to be what he thinks is "mature."

Yeah. I've seen one of those firsthand and while I never got to the most "gritty" parts of it, I did catch wind of it while skimming down the topic. The author later had second thoughts about it and took it down. I do not blame them....

On that note, a lot of people go overboard with the gore. It's not scary at all and just manages to be kind of immature and gross. Really, most people's imaginations are capable of imagining things far worse than what you can probably write. Omitting some of the gritty details enables the reader to imagine whatever's most gruesome for them.

Using a creepypasta example, Where Bad Kids Go is excellent in this area: it gives the reader the suggestion of just what happened, while letting them imagine just how it went down.

 

[voidcritter]

...some fanfics rated M give off this vibes that the author is trying too hard to be gritty and edgy. It's hard to explain but it seems to come off as a kid trying to be what he thinks is "mature."

Yeah. I've seen one of those firsthand and while I never got to the most "gritty" parts of it, I did catch wind of it while skimming down the topic. The author later had second thoughts about it and took it down. I do not blame them....

On that note, a lot of people go overboard with the gore. It's not scary at all and just manages to be kind of immature and gross. Really, most people's imaginations are capable of imagining things far worse than what you can probably write. Omitting some of the gritty details enables the reader to imagine whatever's most gruesome for them.

Using a creepypasta example, Where Bad Kids Go is excellent in this area: it gives the reader the suggestion of just what happened, while letting them imagine just how it went down.

 

[Stratelier]

That also applies to "horror" movies. Horror movies aren't about blood, gore, killing, etc. (Heck, war movies may have that in spades but is it horrifying? Nope.) They're about the psychological horror, the terror, the fear.

 

[reynard]

That also applies to "horror" movies. Horror movies aren't about blood, gore, killing, etc. (Heck, war movies may have that in spades but is it horrifying? Nope.) They're about the psychological horror, the terror, the fear.

I agree with this so very much. I hate gore movies. I mean, yes, gore is a part of horror. But it is a minor part. Real horror is more about psychological terror and the unexpected. Pure gore doesn't so much scare you as it scares your stomach out of its contents. Gore can be paired with other horror, but can't stand on its own.

And really, if you use gore, it should be when gore has a purpose, when it works for the story, and not just violence for the sake of violence. Actually, that rather applies to all of writing...nothing is without purpose, nothing is meaningless. Everything has to work together to create the better story.

 

[LightningTopaz]

That also applies to "horror" movies. Horror movies aren't about blood, gore, killing, etc. (Heck, war movies may have that in spades but is it horrifying? Nope.) They're about the psychological horror, the terror, the fear.

I agree with this so very much. I hate gore movies. I mean, yes, gore is a part of horror. But it is a minor part. Real horror is more about psychological terror and the unexpected. Pure gore doesn't so much scare you as it scares your stomach out of its contents. Gore can be paired with other horror, but can't stand on its own.

And really, if you use gore, it should be when gore has a purpose, when it works for the story, and not just violence for the sake of violence. Actually, that rather applies to all of writing...nothing is without purpose, nothing is meaningless. Everything has to work together to create the better story.

Excellent point--what's scarier to me is NOT seeing the monster/psycho.

 

[reynard]

That also applies to "horror" movies. Horror movies aren't about blood, gore, killing, etc. (Heck, war movies may have that in spades but is it horrifying? Nope.) They're about the psychological horror, the terror, the fear.

I agree with this so very much. I hate gore movies. I mean, yes, gore is a part of horror. But it is a minor part. Real horror is more about psychological terror and the unexpected. Pure gore doesn't so much scare you as it scares your stomach out of its contents. Gore can be paired with other horror, but can't stand on its own.

And really, if you use gore, it should be when gore has a purpose, when it works for the story, and not just violence for the sake of violence. Actually, that rather applies to all of writing...nothing is without purpose, nothing is meaningless. Everything has to work together to create the better story.

Excellent point--what's scarier to me is NOT seeing the monster/psycho.

Yeah. I am just remembering the Wolfman remake from 2010. That movie had gore and violent death. But it was complimented by the atmosphere the movie was trying to create, werewolf myth, and dark characters. And it worked anyway because werewolf myths partially came out of the shunning of cannibalism, in the same way vampires are rooted in wasting disease. So the idea of a werewolf not only hunting and killing, but eating its prey doesn't seem out of place at all. Of course I also loved watching a tape of the original Wolfman when I was a kid.

Speaking of not seeing the monster, do you know about an internet reviewer named Linkara? He usually reviews comic books, but he is a Pokemon fan and he had a story arc on his show involving a creature called The Entity. It was spread out for quite a while with lots of hints and I can sincerely say that it scared me. And he ended up finishing off the arc on the episode where he finally reviewed a Pokemon comic (he stated that normally he doesn't feel qualified to review manga): The Electric Tales of Pikachu volume 1.

 

[Tophat Dragoneye]

Besides what has already been said, there's one thing that is a big problem within fan-fiction writing. It is a rarity for it to appear, but giant walls of texts without any space between can definitely scare readers away, me among them I have to admit. Another thing that is problematic is when entire chapters or fics only have sentences in them, not even a little bit of description in them.