a random, non-linear fic rant - cause I'm bored

[lyl_devil]

Awhile ago I reached the point in fandom where I've pretty much stopped seeking out fic to read. Not to say I'm not reading, but I'm not eagerly reaching for every piece of fic in every fandom to read.

This really started in SGA, where the sheer volume of fic is too much for a single person to read. I also found I was wading through too much crap to find a few gems. I found the same thing in SPN recently, though that one is more 'wading through the Wincest to find the Gen'.

(At this point I should note that I've pretty much given up on the Numb3rs fandom in general, because if it's not Eppescest, then it's all Charlie-based and I'm more of a Don-girl. Where's all the long, involved Don-fic that doesn't involved a borderline Mary Sue? Where's my epic Don/Coop or Don/Edgerton?? These are important questions I tell you!!)

I've become very picky in what I choose to read, sticking mostly to authors I know and like, or recs by people that I trust to only rec the good stuff. I will sometimes go looking for recs in other places, which is how I found Stele3 in SPN who created the best OFC I've ever seen in Freakboy and Dykegirl (I'll do a proper rec for this later, because it deserves some serious warnings).

I rarely deviate from this course unless I'm *really* bored or entering a new fandom.

This week I've been *beyond* bored, hence my trip over to TtH to read 3 truly horrific (and *long*) stories in a row. I didn't plan it, but I managed to hit 3 stories that bugged me in 3 completely different ways, one after the other.

This post is really about wondering how other people choose the fic they read - (and hoping for some epic story recs in return) - and what makes you hit the back button fast?

Some of mine:
- serious OOC-ness
- genderfuck (not the same as an AU where the characters are different genders)
- incest (with very, very few exceptions)
- serious canon errors
- a character suddenly becomes 'super' and goes around kicking ass and taking names and teaching everyone valuable lessons
- Mary Sues
- enough bad grammar/spelling that at every other sentence I have to stop and try to figure out what the author really meant
- a 'secret past' that completely changes how someone acts

...actually, most of these are on the Bad!Fic Bingo card I made a while ago. Hmmmmm......

The one thing I will absolutely never forgive:
- misspelling of names/places/things in a *book*-verse (HP fandom, I'm looking at you!)

I mean, honestly people!

Comments

[humbuggirl.livejournal.com]

- misspelling of names/places/things in a *book*-verse (HP fandom, I'm looking at you!)

There's no excuse - not with places like potterwords around. Never mind the Lexicon (current issues with that aside).

But yeah, I'm the same. It's why I'm signed up to newsletters and rec letters on LJ.

[lyl-devil.livejournal.com]

I'm willing to forgive some misspellings in tv/movie fandoms (minus stupid things like 'Zander' instead of 'Xander'), but book fandoms really have no excuses. It's already spelled out for you!!

And really, there are far too many online resources for stuff like this to excuse any of it.

I especially hate authors who rely on their reviewers/commenters to beta read for them. Seriously, just pick one of them to email and ask them to beta for you, and save us all a boat load of annoyance.

/rant

[dragonydreams.livejournal.com]

I second:
- serious OOC-ness
- serious canon errors
- enough bad grammar/spelling that at every other sentence I have to stop and try to figure out what the author really meant
- misspelling of names/places/things

We've agreed on these things before, I know. I've picked up new people to beta for because of some of these issues, when there is real potential for the stories to be good, if they were more accurate.

Another pet peeve of mine, is disregard for capitalization. If you can't start a sentence with a capital letter or write "I" properly, I'm not going to bother to read your story. (This bugs me in RL too. I have one friend who write in all lower case, unless she's yelling in all caps. ::shudders::)

I came across - didn't read - one story where the author did the girl's thoughts/dialog in pink and the boy's in blue, to help you know which character was speaking.

Oh, and my icon properly expresses another pet peeve.

[lyl-devil.livejournal.com]

I came across - didn't read - one story where the author did the girl's thoughts/dialog in pink and the boy's in blue, to help you know which character was speaking.

*shudders*

I'm willing to forgive some formatting like that if it works with the story, but if you need to go to these extremes to distinguish between characters, then something's wrong.

I'm also willing to forgive some loss of capitalization (I miss it sometimes, too), but only to a certain extent. There's only so many mistakes that can be made before the reader realizes you used Notepad instead of a real word processor.

(Love that icon! :) )

[dragonydreams.livejournal.com]

Some loss of capitalization is understood. But not the entire story. There's one Heroes author I know to avoid because she never capitalizes anything.

The icon was found in this post (http://mctabby.livejournal.com/416729.html#cutid1). Lots of HP related ones, as well as frequent grammar errors.

[lyl-devil.livejournal.com]

Oooohh! Fun icons! Now, if only I could *choose*!! :)

[mzlizzy.livejournal.com]

Bad crammer and poor formatting (cramming an entire conversation into one paragraph) will send me to the back button faster than any other fault, although I won't even open up a fic with incest in the warnings.

Anything else depends on how well written the story is.

[lyl-devil.livejournal.com]

I *know*! If I can't tell where different people start talking, I don't want to read. It just gives me a headache.

Also, paragraphs are your friend!! :)

[serendu.livejournal.com]

Recs and rec lists. Which works sometimes. Every so often the reccer will list something that I attempt to read and then I find myself wishing for some brain bleach asap!

I agree with you on TTH. I've found myself lurking over there quite a bit recently (thanks to my office server deciding to block other fic websites - I was *not* best pleased) and, well, okay - I confess to writing some pretty poor fic myself - but some of the stuff on there makes ff.net look like a shining gem of fic perfection by comparison. Something that I hadn't noticed back when it was originally set up. It got me wondering whether fic sites deteriorate the bigger they become? I don't expect brilliant fic on every page... But wading through tediously boring and badly written fic to find a decent story is never pleasurable.

I can cope with most of the list you've written - as long as the writer can convince me it *works*. Except constantly poor spelling. I saw one the other day where a character experienced 'organisms' which certainly made me laugh!

[lyl-devil.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I have no idea what's been happening over at TtH in the past year or so, but it's only going downhill.

And I have enough bad fic hidden in my closet to choke a Wraith so I really shouldn't be all judgemental, but I like to think I've improved over the years. A lot of these writers have been around the site for years, and they're still writing the same horribly written stuff time after time.

[serendu.livejournal.com]

I hadn't been over to TTH for a while, and decided to click on random fic. Big mistake. As was the second and third attempt.

To be honest, I stopped visiting last time after they changed the appearance of the site. I go to sites for stories - not for the aesthetic appeal of the websites in question!

I hadn't really paid attention to who the writers were as I was too busy pressing the back button. I'm guessing then, that they feel they've found their writing niche and churn out similar fic all the time - hence their continued association with the TTH fandom?

[lyl-devil.livejournal.com]

Ooohh! The 'Random Fic' button. A very, very bad thing. I get enough bad fic when I filter based on the summary.

TtH feels like all the crossover writers from ff.net who were feeling underappreciated decided to migrate to a prettier looking site.

I think a lot of people are noticing this, too, because when I check the reviews for the really bad fics, all I find are glowing reviews and *squee!!*. The reviewers who use to take the time to write a nicely worded critical review pointing out what could have been done better, have disappeared. Like they got tired of being called trolls and meanies, or something.

I'll still continue to post over there, however, because I'm weak and a good 75% of my reviews - *cough*egoboost*cough* - comes from there. LJ is starting to even it out, but there were times when my only feedback came from TtH.

[kallie-kat.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I've been thinking about this stuff, too. I've read very little lately, and even logging in and keeping up with LJ has become more of a chore. I've *tried* reading in other fandoms, but mostly I just don't enjoy what I read. Or, I read it, but feel like I'm just going through the motions.

I found a couple of Torchwood stories that weren't too bad, but most of what I see in the comms is slash, which isn't my thing.

I'm beginning to think that I'm just losing interest in fanfic in general. But then what the heck do I do with all the time and energy I used to devote to it?

Grrr.

[lyl-devil.livejournal.com]

Nooooooo!! Don't leave me!! *clutches*

But I totally understand. Recently (as in the past few months) it seems fandom as a whole has been slow. There are usually ups and downs, but this has been going on longer. The people that I count on to either write or rec the good stuff, have been sadly absent.

Or caught up in BigBang! That's it, I'll just blame the multitude of BigBangs going on around fandom right now!

And I think I warned you about TW fandom already - it's 95% Jack/Ianto, 4% Jack/Gwen & 1% Jack/other, Ianto/other, Gwen/other.

[kallie-kat.livejournal.com]

LOL....I'll try to stick around a little longer. I just...it's hard when nobody is writing the kind of stories I like. I know you're writing WillowFic still, but it's all crossovers with fandoms I'm not familiar with, so it's hard for me to get interested.

Are other fandoms quiet as well? I just assumed that everyone else had gone to other fandoms, and that somewhere there was a busy fandom.

What is BigBang? Is that like wanking or something?

Yeah, you did warn me. But after the season finale I needed to read some fic of a particular pairing (I'm being vague - I can't remember if you've seen it yet). I found a couple of things.

After all, I'm used to a fandom where my pairings aren't written by the majority *grin*.

[lyl-devil.livejournal.com]

I would love to write a non-crossover, but I just don't have any plot ideas for them. I try, but I'm not very good at actual plot most of the time. Send me some Willow/Spike bunnies and I'll see what I can do??

I don't know how other fandoms are going right now - I've been mostly sticking to Supernatural and a few Doctor Who, and finding anything decent is hard. I'm wondering if the lull in fandom is due in part to the writer's strike. This may be wishful thinking on my part, but I'll wait and see how everything is in a month or two.

And yes, I've seen the TW finale. It was well done, though I hate what they did. I'm not really feeling any love for what they're planning for next year, but I'll wait and see.

BigBang is a giant ficathon for overachievers. There are a multitude of them in lots of fandoms, and all involve writing big-ass stories. The SGA one this year is minimum 40,000 words and I think it has well over 100 participants. There's also one in SPN, Doctor Who, Smallville and a few in Harry Potter, I think. There's probably more but I just don't care enough to find them.

[kallie-kat.livejournal.com]

Oh, now *that* is my kind of ficathon. I love long-ass stories. Of course, the fandoms you've listed are all ones I'm not really familiar with, other than HP, and I just can't get into HP-fic.

I was pretty pissed about losing Tosh and Owen, although they did it in a particularly heart-wrenching way. I haven't heard anything about next season yet. Can you tell me casting spoilers? Are they going to bring either of the characters back?

Good point about the writer's strike. I hadn't thought about that. Some shows are pretty much done, (I'm thinking of Heroes in particular) so maybe things will pick up again next year when new eps start. ::crosses fingers::

[lyl-devil.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I still haven't made my way through the SGA Big Bang fics from last year. This year's promising to be even bigger, as the het and threesomes and gen authors have demanded some action.

TW season 3 is looking to have less Jack, Martha and Mickey, and a 'shiny' new look. Like I said, I'm not too optimistic about it.

You know what I realized yesterday? The reason I have so many fandoms I'm involved in, is because when one fandom gets dull or tapers off, I get bored and start watching tv or reading a book and BAM! New fandom!

[kallie-kat.livejournal.com]

So Martha is coming back as the medic, huh? And who the heck is Mickey?

And less Jack? Then what's the point in watching? Damn, they're going to screw this up just like they screwed Hex up :-(

::cries::

[lyl-devil.livejournal.com]

Yes, this is what I've heard. I'll know more when they get closer to filming season 3.

And Mickey is Rose's boyfriend from DW. Remember? Mickey the Idiot?

I actually wouldn't mind seeing Jack back on DW for a full season - I think he does so much better there. The Jack episodes are my favourite, no matter the season.

[kallie-kat.livejournal.com]

Oh, right, him. I don't think he's had much of a part in the show so far. At least, I don't remember him having one. I kind of liked him, but I'd much rather see Tosh and Owen.

You know, so far I prefer the TW Jack to the Dr. Who one. Then again, I've never seen him interact with the newest doctor, so maybe that will make a difference.

But I really do like Jack as part of an ensemble, as their mysterious, fearless leader.

Oh, I wrote a "closure" fic (I guess that's what you could call it). It takes place just shortly after the end of S2. I'm guessing lots of people have written that sort of fic recently, LOL.

Would you take a look at it for me when you have a chance? I know you said you'd be happy to take a look at whatever I've done, but I figure it's more polite to ask/warn you, instead of just sending you a surprise *grin*

[lyl-devil.livejournal.com]

Mickey has a bigger part in season 2.

And sure, send it my way. :)

[kallie-kat.livejournal.com]

Cool, sending it now :-)

RE: Big Bang stuff

[lyl-devil.livejournal.com]

I'll make a post announcing when tardis_bigbang goes live - there should be a nice, juicy number of DW, TW and Sarah Jane Adventure fics available for you to choose from. (This BB is only a min. of 20,000 words.)

There's also a big bang in Heroes fandom somewhere, but I honestly don't know where or what it's about.

Re: RE: Big Bang stuff

[kallie-kat.livejournal.com]

Cool! Yeah, I've still only watched a little bit of DW (up to the 2nd Jack episode) but I'd love to see some TW fic, as long as it's plotty and not 20k words of smut *grin*.

I'll have to ask Elisabeth about the Heroes one - she's sure to know about it. Most of the Heroes stuff I've read has been all shippy, and I'd love to read a really good plot that isn't shippy, but is as interesting and exciting as the show itself (well, at least S1, although S2 wasn't entirely without merit).

Re: Big Bang stuff

[lyl-devil.livejournal.com]

The tardis big bang is due to end in June or July, and seriously, there better be some good fic out of that - they've had enough time (since Oct '07). SGA BB only has 5-6 months, I think, and their word count is twice that of TBB.

All BBs have a different focus, so I'm not sure what the Heroes one would be. The HP one I think is all Harry/Draco, the SPN one is all Sam/Dean or RPS. Last year SGA BB was limited to 3 specific parings (a het, a femslash and a slash), but they all ended up being slash (Sheppard/McKay in this case). This year is different, as all other parts of SGA fandom protested and so the doors were thrown wide open for any and all pairing/non-pairing.

Re: Big Bang stuff

[kallie-kat.livejournal.com]

Ah, that's good to know. Hopefully the Heroes one won't be slash or incest or...something else that just doesn't do much for me.

[draconin.livejournal.com]

The ones then particularly annoy me are when them hove used a spill checker but knot had anyone red it after too onshore that the words are correct in context.

I get most of my fics through recs from other people, although I do trawl TtH and other sites occasionally. Generally I end up fuming when I do - my turnoffs are pretty much the same as yours, perhaps with a greater emphasis on grammar. The really rewarding recs pages are where people have taken the time to provide enough of a comment that you can tell whether it's worth pursuing the link. I have a folder in my bookmarks of "To Be Checked Out" and some of the more valuable links in there are those type. Unfortunately that tends to be the exception rather than the rule.

Reading this it occurs to me that maybe what's needed is a community where you can post links to rec pages. *Not* to newsletters such as whedon_updates which contain nothing but links but to worthwhile ones with info on the fics. Perhaps allow anyone to post and just have a master format such as:

Fandom(s): *****************
Type (Gen/Het/Slash): ********
Warnings: ***********
Comment: **************

What do you think? My concern is that it would degenerate quickly and become useless.

[lyl-devil.livejournal.com]

Well, there's already a rec community about that is similar to what you're looking for (crack_van) but it seems to be all over the place for fandoms and sheer numbers, and only recs one story per entry.

If you're looking for DW fic, there's calufrax but that's only for fic from the Teaspoon archive.

The sustainability of rec communities lies in having enough people who are willing and able to rec stories. However, I'd certainly love to try, if there are enough people interested.

[sulien77.livejournal.com]

I second your entire list and add the following:
- onscreen non-con or explicit descriptions of onscreen non-con (this also includes much of what too many people like to call dub-con)
- explicit torture
- any kind of bestiality or toilet sex (yes, it does need to be said *shudders*)
- sex of any variety between a minor and an adult

I'll also add extra emphasis on the OOC stories and well plotted stories with enough grammar/spelling/sytax errors that they make me want to go through the damn things using bold, red text to correct them and send them back to the author. I say all of the above as shouldn't, because I can't write my own way out of wet tissue paper, but I can proofread the daylights out of something I didn't write.

As for recommendations, I stand by all of the stories in my fic rec posts (http://sulien77.livejournal.com/tag/fic%20rec). You could also wade through the stories in my journal's memories, though there are some repeats and a few stories with grammar/spelling/syntax errors (I can deal with a few, here and there).

Please pardon the edit to fix syntax error.