What are your most hated fanfic tropes

[Amazon Climber]

And the second is like it. Talking to the computer.

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This one I don't have a problem with, as long as the computer is an actual character. Which means they have their own goals, ideals, quirks, and flaws, some of which will cause conflict with the protagonist. If your Lantern Ring is a slave who acts as a sounding board, yeah, fuck 'em. But add in something like halpfully calling for backup against a cute villain they want to seduce, or holding back unnecessary lethal force against one they wanted to execute, and you've got an actual story to tell about them.

 

[Kandagger]

This one I don't have a problem with, as long as the computer is an actual character. Which means they have their own goals, ideals, quirks, and flaws, some of which will cause conflict with the protagonist. If your Lantern Ring is a slave who acts as a sounding board, yeah, fuck 'em. But add in something like halpfully calling for backup against a cute villain they want to seduce, or holding back unnecessary lethal force against one they wanted to execute, and you've got an actual story to tell about them.

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Like every trope. It's in how you use it...and it's really easy to use this one badly.

"Bob the Skull" from the Dresden Files is a good example of this trope done well. He "represents" Harry's magic laboratory turning the tedium of magic research into a compelling conversation. He also has a past as an artifact of evil, a present as quirky horny lab assistant and a pile of futures he worries about happening. But at the end of the day--he's literally a talking head for Dresden to bounce ideas off of.

But yeah, Bob the Skull is also my benchmark for this trope...your computer voice must be at least THIS interesting to be tolerated.

 

[shadowdice]

I truly hate the evil/incompetent Dumbledore stories.

It is so common that I almost always have to drop HP fanfics when they show up.

Also, AltPower Taylor. The problem with Taylor is not her power (which is not weak no matter what the edgy teenage girl says in the beginning of the story) but her shitty personality.

edit

somewhat related. Greg fics have gotten to the point where I just look at it and go "Okay, why not have this be an entirely different character since it is one already."

 

[Bear_Mint]

I hate evil/competent caricatures in general. A lot of beloved characters get unnecessary shit from the fandom because the portrayal in the most consumed adaptation made them seem that way.

I never understood what all the fuss was about with Greg.

 

[shadowdice]

I hate evil/competent caricatures in general. A lot of beloved characters get unnecessary shit from the fandom because the portrayal in the most consumed adaptation made them seem that way.

I never understood what all the fuss was about with Greg.

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originally

Greg is a sort of nerdy kid in a shit school that has no social skills and is a prolific poster on a forum site where he gets lots of temp bans while also trying to talk to the main character and figures out her identity before plot contrivance makes him decide he was incorrect.

I almost believe Wildblow made him as a stand in for the fans

 

[Blundo]

I truly hate the evil/incompetent Dumbledore stories.

It is so common that I almost always have to drop HP fanfics when they show up.

Also, AltPower Taylor. The problem with Taylor is not her power (which is not weak no matter what the edgy teenage girl says in the beginning of the story) but her shitty personality.

edit

somewhat related. Greg fics have gotten to the point where I just look at it and go "Okay, why not have this be an entirely different character since it is one already."

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Well, let's be honest, most of those Taylor fics are AltPersonality Taylor as well. It's just that the replacement personality is typically boring as hell, generic-quest-protagonist tier.

I get why many Greg fics are Greg in name only or a very softened version of him, to be honest. One fic which actually bothered to portray Greg as a period-accurate very-online edgy 2011 teenage boy with dogshit social skills ended up getting permalocked and censored on SB for it. Tamzar's Duellist (on this site) is solid, in my opinion — while Greg at the current point in the story is an extremely different guy, it's been a relatively gradual development involving a lot of insane stuff happening that'd change anyone's personality. Even then, the original Greg traits still do leak through.

I never understood what all the fuss was about with Greg.

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Surely it's fairly obvious? He's a named male character who:
- starts out in Winslow, providing an excuse for involvement with Winslow shit, which most fanfic authors seem to want
- is someone the main character is aware of the existence of, and while she doesn't like him he's not part of the bullying campaign or whatever
- is an excessively online nerd ("he's just like me fr" bait)
- has no powers, allowing you to toss whatever one you want onto him for some zero to hero shit
- is someone Wildbow has actually provided pretty in depth info on characterization for
Aside from him, for random unpowered guys who would let writers do what they want to do, you have what? Danny Hebert? Mr. Gladly? Both present problems with the fact that most of the authors want to write protagonists who spend a lot of time hanging out with teenagers.

 

[Bear_Mint]

One fic which actually bothered to portray Greg as a period-accurate very-online edgy 2011 teenage boy with dogshit social skills ended up getting permalocked and censored on SB for it

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SB would not survive a day in an Xbox Live lobby in 2011.

 

[Love_Monger]

One fic which actually bothered to portray Greg as a period-accurate very-online edgy 2011 teenage boy with dogshit social skills ended up getting permalocked and censored on SB for it.

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https://archiveofourown.org/works/55790230/chapters/141637192 it's still active here

 

[Quenster06]

Personally, I like the idea behind Celestial X stories, but I think sticking with the RNG mechanic causes problems with a story more often than it doesn't. For example, with these stories the general function is that you get a certain amount of points for how much is written, right? But then it's also possible for your roll to fail, or get something useless, or get something you can't use yet, or get something that overshadows most of your other rolls, or get something that derails the current narrative. There are probably other possibilities that I didn't think of, but my point is that the RNG, if actually committed to, can be detrimental to the story.

I think writers who use the Celestial X as a foundation should make whatever changes might be necessary to make their stories smoother. For example, you could take the unlockable skills, items, or whatever else and make a Skill Tree out of it, that way you're actually able to build the foundations for how you want your character to turn out instead of hoping to get the rolls to actually be able use that high tier ability you rolled after multiple failed rolls while trying to move the plot forward still. You could even lock certain Trees behind Achievements. For example, have your character be struggling with trying to get some piece of tech to work, only to finally work after turning it off and on again a few times while giving it a few smacks in between and praying to the Machine Gods, to then unlock [Skill Tree: Questionable Rituals (WH40K)].

Basically I hate actually using RNG in stories because it can cause far more problems than it's worth to stick with a crappy gambling mechanic.

 

[GPickled]

I am so sick of seeing all those trauma superhero fanfics on AO3. They've saved the world numerous times and fought villains. Just because their teenagers doesn't mean that they have the mental resilience of a paper towel. Authors need to stop using trauma as a way to woobify their characters because it feels like they're a completely different character.

 

[Leviticusrex]

I am so sick of seeing all those trauma superhero fanfics on AO3. They've saved the world numerous times and fought villains. Just because their teenagers doesn't mean that they have the mental resilience of a paper towel. Authors need to stop using trauma as a way to woobify their characters because it feels like they're a completely different character.

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For that matter, and maybe this is me being raised in the early aughts speaking, but teenage superheros getting really touchy feely with someone who is, for all intents and purposes, an older stranger sets off that red alert in my brain. I don't mean like a hug or two, I mean when they give them a weird nick name and then demand cuddles alot. Thats some department of child services better be knocking shit.

This is entirely Fandom specific, but Tony Stark calling Peter "Underroos" is creep shit.

 

[Arc-on-Fire]

"Serious" Pokemon fics are so lame.

"Umm, actually, a Pokemon will, like, eat you. Tons of kids go missing every year."

God, shut the fuck up. What's with this obsession to take a happy, kid-friendly setting and make it dark?

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I know it is stupid of me to reply to an old post but I just can't help it -

Spoiler: A Fug casually "rejecting" a trainer.""

[EDIT] By the way, she survived that. Pokemon humans are something else man.

 

[Bear_Mint]

[EDIT] By the way, she survived that. Pokemon humans are something else man.

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Pokemon Humans are just a subspecies of Pokemon that branched off and did their own thing.

Cuz

Something something Vaporeon copypasta something something Typhlosion Allegations.