Rotten Smells Of a Fictional Nature

[Jason_Miao]

Titles make sense.  Hell, if the writer actually knows how to use honorifics, that would probably be okay (although when people who have studied the language for years say that they think they might have gotten them straight, but aren't sure, I don't really foresee the average Japanophile actually knowing this) because you could write about cool things like situational social hierarchies contextually changing on-the-fly, without having to explicitly write out whenever a change happens -- just change how the characters refer to one another.


My recent annoyance is when writers have their characters swear to God by using "Kami".  This irritates me because (1) it's the aforementioned word substitution (2) to my understanding, Japanese people don't swear like that, which means the writer didn't both even trying to keep a characterization (3) I could be completely wrong about this since I've never bothered to study the language, but my understanding is that if you were to reference God in Japanese, he'd be referred to as "kamisama".

Now imagine how an ancient Roman would cringe reading Harry Potter.

I tried reading the first book of that as well, and couldn't really get into it.  But for different reasons.

[alethiophile]

As far as I know re: 'kami', it's a common, not a proper noun. There isn't really a concept of something like the Judeo-Christian god in Japan, or wasn't until Christians introduced it.

[Edward]

3)Poor Injured Superhero.  -  So Ranma was raised in the wilds, Naruto was an orphan, Harry Potter's family didn't love him, yadda yadda.  This hero has had a harsh childhood of some kind, but despite (or because of) that, in canon is usually more powerful and capable than most around them.  But if only they hadn't suffered from it, they'd clearly be far more powerful.  Now our naturally benevolent sage, wizard, parent, or super-scientist can provide healthy food or magical restoration for all the clear suffering and undiagonosied problems that they have been dealing with all their lives and make them tremendously better.  This undoubtedly comes with healing brain damage in almost all cases, eye damage as well goes away, and the hero is always taller and stronger afterwards because their very growth was hindered by this harsh environment that they grew up in.  Usually shows up in chapter 2 or 3, once they've established the nefarious villians as incompetent douchebags.

CSO (Character Shaped Object) - It's Ranma! Never mind that he's now a six foot five, hard-drinking lesbian assassin that never met the Tendous, never went on a training trip, never got cursed, and doesn't have Genma as her father. Oh, and her name isn't Ranma.

But she's totally Ranma! The author said so! (Despite the whole 'blonde girl born in America To Eric and Lisa Burclair' backstory)

Don't these two describe every Hung Nguyen fic ever written?

[Dracos]

3 is in pretty much every Hung Nguyen fic.

CSO (of the kind that Panda was mentioning) only about half?  But only because he's not really describing character shaped entities, but names being stamped on something totally different that isn't even trying to be the character it is 'shaped' like.

Ngyuen at least attempts to make them Ranma shaped half the time (half the time he doesn't even bother).

[Jason_Miao]

I dislike blatantly obvious spelling errors littered throughout a fic.   I don't usually complain about them, but they have me 'dieing' inside.

[thepanda]

Raistlin Majere Loves Aerosmith - When an author cannot help but add all their own likes/dislikes to a character. Especially jarring when the work is in a universe dissimilar to our own.

[Brian]

Oh, brilliant.  I like that, Panda.  Great name, too. :D

[Brian]

The "X is too sexy to be evil!" retcon.

Most frequently applied to characters like Belatrix from HP, and added to whatever other tropes the author uses to water down/justify past evil actions.

[thepanda]

The "X is too sexy to be evil!" retcon.

Most frequently applied to characters like Belatrix from HP, and added to whatever other tropes the author uses to water down/justify past evil actions.

Draco In leather Pants?

[Brian]

Yeah, I thought about that one, but Draco (specifically) has the required "hint of redeemability".  Belatrix does not.  Then again, the trope doesn't require it.

[Jason_Miao]

That a staple plot twist in original works.  I think it even made The Evil Overlord list - something about fiendish yet beautiful princess of evil overlords inevitably betraying them for the dashing hero.  If a fic were done well as a continuation of an original story, I could see a writer pulling off a villain who changes his or her mind, or a carefully and elaborately styled retcon that takes little quirks of the villain to add depth of character.

Of course, the nuance you need to pull it off without looking ridiculous is something you won't find out of most fanfic writers.  I think this is less of a indication of bad fic per se, and more about writers who reach for the stars while being too stupid to realize they're standing in front of a cliff.