Fanfic Pet Peeves

[Whytewytch]

"Lit" can also be a noun... in slang. Short for "literature".

*ducks flying vegetables whose freshness is highly questionable*

What?

Don't worry about the vegetables--in my version of "lit", I couldn't hit you with them if I tried.

[Big Willy]

I hate it when the characters or portrayed in a way that is anthema to how they appeared in the series, for example in one crossover fic with BSG2003 and SG1/SGA there was a chapter where jack threatened to kill a baby which is nothing like him not just because of his personal experiance of having his child fie but he is a moral person, the story though portrayed him as some sort of bloodthirsty monster

[fems]

Yes, out of characterness is awful but your example really takes the cake!

[Goose]

One rather specific peeve I have is when two characters, usually whilst drunk, get married off-world and then have to go through great trials and tribulations back on Earth to get said marriage annulled or get a divorce. I'm sorry, but since when did drunken Vegas-style marriages on an alien planet become legally binding back on Earth??

[Falcon Horus]

One rather specific peeve I have is when two characters, usually whilst drunk, get married off-world and then have to go through great trials and tribulations back on Earth to get said marriage annulled or get a divorce. I'm sorry, but since when did drunken Vegas-style marriages on an alien planet become legally binding back on Earth??

Aliens made them do it... it's a trope. I think. ... *ponders*

[hedwig]

I came across a "peeve" in one of the Stargate novels recently. The story takes place about the 5th season of the series, and throughout the story, people were referring to Daniel as "the young man" and/or "the boy" and treating him as though he were some sort of fragile little flower. If Daniel was born around 1964 (as he suggests in "1969), he would definitely no longer be a "boy" by Season 5. More like 35 or older.

I don't understand why people insist on making him so childlike and little boyish when he's a grown man. Hmph!

[SF_and_Coffee]

Oh good grief, I hear you on that!

[Skydiver]

I came across a "peeve" in one of the Stargate novels recently. The story takes place about the 5th season of the series, and throughout the story, people were referring to Daniel as "the young man" and/or "the boy" and treating him as though he were some sort of fragile little flower. If Daniel was born around 1964 (as he suggests in "1969), he would definitely no longer be a "boy" by Season 5. More like 35 or older.

I don't understand why people insist on making him so childlike and little boyish when he's a grown man. Hmph!

Daniel has been 'babyified' since day one. Some writers prefer to interpret him as all innocent and naive, bookish, thin, fragile etc.....he grew up all over the world, then after he left foster care (which we have zero canon that he was abused, yet more babyish writers of course, make him an abused kid) he went into a field that has him traveling to digs...dude probably has more frequent flyer miles than Jack.

He may be lacking in knowledge about military ops, but he's no innocent wide eyed virgin.

[Whytewytch]

Aliens made them do it can be well done if the author uses it so that the alien mind-altering substance (or machine) lowers their inhibitions to allow the character to admit what's really in their heart. Jack admitting he loves Sam, for example (I'm an S/J shipper, sort of, in that I watch more SGA than SG-1). Now Jack admitting that he has deep-seated feelings of lust for Thor or wanting to help some alien sheep over the fence (PM me if you're over 18 & don't get that) would be completely OOC.

Daniel innocent? HA! As Sky pointed out, he grew up in foster care (which I don't know much about the whole situation, except that his parents died--car crash?) and he's been on digs in the Middle East. He's probably logged at least as much time in Iraq and/or Iran and other "hot spots" as Jack, but without the benefit of military back-up. He's had to learn languages, cultures and how to not get killed while searching for the past. He lived off-world for a whole year, then had to watch as his wife was hi-jacked by powerful aliens. He's not a babe in the woods, by any stretch of the imagination.

In SGA, writers sometimes do the same(ish) thing with Lorne, making him the "aww-shucks" guy. Really annoying, when there's so much more to his character.

[Goose]

Aliens made them do it can be well done if the author uses it so that the alien mind-altering substance (or machine) lowers their inhibitions to allow the character to admit what's really in their heart. Jack admitting he loves Sam, for example (I'm an S/J shipper, sort of, in that I watch more SGA than SG-1). Now Jack admitting that he has deep-seated feelings of lust for Thor or wanting to help some alien sheep over the fence (PM me if you're over 18 & don't get that) would be completely OOC.

I agree with that; it's not the whole "aliens made them less inhibited" that I disagree with, but rather that the marriage that they invariable enter into without knowledge is some how supposed to be legally binding back on Earth. My arse it is.

[Kunoichi]

I came across a "peeve" in one of the Stargate novels recently. The story takes place about the 5th season of the series, and throughout the story, people were referring to Daniel as "the young man" and/or "the boy" and treating him as though he were some sort of fragile little flower. If Daniel was born around 1964 (as he suggests in "1969), he would definitely no longer be a "boy" by Season 5. More like 35 or older.

I don't understand why people insist on making him so childlike and little boyish when he's a grown man. Hmph!

I really, really, really hate fics like that! They're almost as bad as the ones were Sam breaks down into tears for no apparent reason every 5 minutes! Aaaaarrrrrrggggghhhhhh!

I discovered a peeve the other day, I was reading a fic where the author had the characters swearing, but couldn't bring themself to write the words, so it was full of d*** and c*** and h***. Now I know that some people don't like writing swear words, but my feeling is if you can't write the words, don't have the characters use them. It just bugged me a bit!

[Whytewytch]

I really, really, really hate fics like that! They're almost as bad as the ones were Sam breaks down into tears for no apparent reason every 5 minutes! Aaaaarrrrrrggggghhhhhh!

I discovered a peeve the other day, I was reading a fic where the author had the characters swearing, but couldn't bring themself to write the words, so it was full of d*** and c*** and h***. Now I know that some people don't like writing swear words, but my feeling is if you can't write the words, don't have the characters use them. It just bugged me a bit!

Oh, that would aggravate me no end. THAT would earn a blazing review/PM. As my Gram used to say, "If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen!"

Thanks, Seaboe, for letting me know what happened in canon to Daniel's folks!

[Skydiver]

One thing about 'aliens made them do it'.....well the show does that. Broca Divide, Naked Time, Naked Now..almost a scifi staple. So while it is a fic peeve, the show usually does it first

[SF_and_Coffee]

I really, really, really hate fics like that! They're almost as bad as the ones were Sam breaks down into tears for no apparent reason every 5 minutes! Aaaaarrrrrrggggghhhhhh!

I discovered a peeve the other day, I was reading a fic where the author had the characters swearing, but couldn't bring themself to write the words, so it was full of d*** and c*** and h***. Now I know that some people don't like writing swear words, but my feeling is if you can't write the words, don't have the characters use them. It just bugged me a bit!

Oh, dear Ghu, this. My version of Frank Cromwell swears like... well, like a combat-hardened Special Tactics operator with years of experience. Because that's what he is. (Interestingly, he does this only when he's speaking English or thinking in it; I don't have the vocabulary to do it justice in the quasi-Welsh of the people among whom he finds himself living for a time. ) And my version of Jack cusses too, for the very same reason Frank does. In my Gateverse, they spent a dozen years practically joined at the hip prior to Jack's capture during the Persian Gulf War, and probably enriched each other's vocabularies.

Fortunately, I'm fluent in profanity myself, and I'm not afraid to write it.

[Kunoichi]

Oh, that would aggravate me no end. THAT would earn a blazing review/PM. As my Gram used to say, "If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen!"

Oh, dear Ghu, this. My version of Frank Cromwell swears like... well, like a combat-hardened Special Tactics operator with years of experience. Because that's what he is. (Interestingly, he does this only when he's speaking English or thinking in it; I don't have the vocabulary to do it justice in the quasi-Welsh of the people among whom he finds himself living for a time. ) And my version of Jack cusses too, for the very same reason Frank does. In my Gateverse, they spent a dozen years practically joined at the hip prior to Jack's capture during the Persian Gulf War, and probably enriched each other's vocabularies.

Fortunately, I'm fluent in profanity myself, and I'm not afraid to write it.

I got really frustrated because the '****' really ruined the flow of the story for me and I had started to enjoy the way it was going. However, it's one of those times when the annoyance factor of the pet peeve was greater than the draw of the story, so I gave up. I know the characters on the show don't really swear that often, but I have no problem with them swearing in fics because fics aren't subject to the language restrictions of TV. However, if a writer is going to have them swearing they should do it properly (not with the use of ****) or not do it all!

One thing about 'aliens made them do it'.....well the show does that. Broca Divide, Naked Time, Naked Now..almost a scifi staple. So while it is a fic peeve, the show usually does it first

As will all my pet peeves, I'm willing to overlook the 'aliens made them do it' aspect if the story is good enough and the characters are well written. I think that my main requirement of a fic is that the characters are in character. As long as I can picture Sam, Jack, Daniel, Teal'c etc saying or doing what it written, I'll give most things a chance.