Things that turn you off in fan-fiction

[Spokavriel]

Hopefully this isn't like that one where Ranma is somehow building his own veritech before launching day. You know when they were suppose to still be top secret.

[camk4evr]

Wow. That actually sounds worse than the one I was bitching about. I can't even imagine how you could justify him building a multi-million dollar mech let alone one that's classified top secret especially since Ranma's level of education is nowhere near the task (nevermind his grades).

Which brings us to another one that bugs me. I have never read a "Ranma is a Supergenius" fic that was worth the effort of clicking the link. There might be one or two out there that are pretty good but for some reason that kind of a fic (as well as any fic where Ranma has sex, on or off screen, with a man) is just one that torpedoes my suspension of disbelief and then nukes it for good measure. Honestly, it applies to any character who isn't already depicted as a genius (or homosexual, though I'm a bit more lenient than with the genius intellect thing) in the source material.

[Spokavriel]

The two where Ranma is really a big brain pulling off relatively impossible feats of know how, which aren't rather ridiculous, are The Black Paw, and a fic I can't remember the title of where Ranma starts researching Chaos magic that somehow he uses through a state called gnosis. Or something like that. Both of them start off with challenges that finally get his mind treating another topic like Martial arts and growing from the challenge.

Edit: Sunny's fic where Ranma starts programming shows him more as par for the course with his family and getting a massive upgrade in Kalash. So not really a Super Genius thing there.

[three headed dog]

Wow. That actually sounds worse than the one I was bitching about. I can't even imagine how you could justify him building a multi-million dollar mech let alone one that's classified top secret especially since Ranma's level of education is nowhere near the task (nevermind his grades).

Which brings us to another one that bugs me. I have never read a "Ranma is a Supergenius" fic that was worth the effort of clicking the link. There might be one or two out there that are pretty good but for some reason that kind of a fic (as well as any fic where Ranma has sex, on or off screen, with a man) is just one that torpedoes my suspension of disbelief and then nukes it for good measure. Honestly, it applies to any character who isn't already depicted as a genius (or homosexual, though I'm a bit more lenient than with the genius intellect thing) in the source material.

That Ranma is a genius doesn't bother me so long as it is justified. Having him be a tactical genius or a genius in say martial arts is something I like. Afterall genius has lots of definitions such as: someone who is dazzlingly skilled in any field, which does fit for him, or someone who has exceptional intellectual ability and originality, which also fits for him (speed he learns techniques at that even impress masters or the creators of the techniques and does alter techniques in ways that are very impressive -hell that he is able to be in the same grade as his peers alone could qualify him as a genius). The problems with the genius fics are that they often aren't justified for example making him a genius at mechanical design those tend to not work because even if he has an aptitude for them it takes years of training to develop them and they do not explain how he developed his skills. There are other problems with genius fics as well. People who write them tend to forget that genius needs to be cultivated, geniuses are not all knowing, and just because the person is a genius in one or even ten things that does not mean that they aren't lacking in some things considered to be common knowledge (a lot of geniuses are not really that good at socialization and often do not know things like pop culture).

[Spokavriel]

Overly theatrical and irrelevant to the story introductions. It turns out this Fanfic writer I'm quoting an opening from is more or less doing a character story for his author persona and the only darn way to make sense of the dumb thing is to read all the chapters of all the guys stories in the order they were written. Otherwise you are reading about reminders for things only mentioned attached to another darn fic.

Why make a second story and play Elvira or Tales from the Crypt what not openings and ends when you don't say anything actually about this or the other going stories in it and are just wasting time?

In this case its not even making excuses for time between chapters or anything.

The chapter begins with vials of unknown chemicals bubble and flow from one container to another via pipettes. We follow one particular pathway of a bluish liquid as it slowly rises in a small test-tube shaped container till it flows into the pipettes on the sides. it moves along slowly to a larger collection vial where it mixes with a green fluid and gives off a gas which rises to the top where a series of air-tight glass pipes lead it to a condensing chamber. Here it collects, along with other fluids, in a beaker filled with a now red mixture. A hand turns the stoppers, preventing any more of the liquids from being collected.

"Hello again, in case you haven't guessed this is Agent Reptile again welcoming you to the next chapter of Harry Potter and the Half Bloods." The only difference seen in the ninja's attire was a lab coat over his ninja garbs and a pair of safety goggles over his mask. Kind of stupid looking but no one really bothers to tell him. "Sorry if I am a little preoccupied but I am in the middle of an important experiment."

Placing the red fluid filled beaker on another table he sat down and used an eyedropper to add a few drops of a glowing compound to the beaker changing it's color into a pale yellow material.

"You may remember that I told you how I discovered Eluza's casket in space only to find that she was not actually dead and how it lead to the Gall Force being lycanthropes now? Well part of my wedding vows was that I would help them find others of their race and let them live their own lives on Earth. Before you ask no I am not adding to some sort of massive harem; any new Solenoids to Earth have to find their own husbands if they want. Back on topic, however, whenever we were able to find more Solenoid refugees they all faced the same problem of extensive damage to both their organ systems and their very DNA so none have been able to come out of the than as anything by lycans."

Opening a small plastic bag of animal hair he takes a pair of tweezers and adds some of the strands to the beaker. A small poof of smoke is followed by the fluid settling as it becomes a silvery reflective color. Agent Reptile takes a rubber stopper and seals the beaker before he places a piece of adhesive tape with the word "Lupos" on the side of the vial. The beaker is then placed inside a refrigerator next to a series of other similarly colored beakers with many different words written on tape. Shutting the refrigerator's door the ninja turns back to the camera.

"Unfortunately I have never been able to copy the extensive regenerative abilities of lycanthropy without having the animal nature added to it."

"And why would you want to? I thought that you loved my coat." A smiling werepantheress with blue hair asks walking into the room.

"Well...um yea I love it Patty it's just um....it's only that....uh...." Agent Reptile stutters as Patty just smiles at him letting him get more and more out of control of the situation.

"Oh you are just so fun to tease; my silly male." Patty just kisses the male on the cheek. "Since we're going to be busy for a while why don't you enjoy this next chapter of Harry Potter and the Half Bloods."

"Yea, do that..." Agent Reptile says coming out of his shocked state.

"Come on you, I need this." Patty says nearly pulling Agent Reptile's arm out as the head to a bedroom.

[Spokavriel]

Ran into another one. When someone ends up ignoring the geography of their story setting and blatantly crosses it with another part of that world just to keep having familiar names available.

The story I am reading right now has Ranma and Akane checking out Hogsmede but all the locations they see and mention are part of Diagon Alley such as The Leaky Cauldron and Nocturne Alley. It just irks me when a place walking distance from the school somehow becomes filled with the places that are known to exist more than a half day's steam locomotive train ride away.

[TerraEpon]

Dunno if it was mentioned, but about about when the author solicits advice for the direction of the story (yes this post was inspired by the update of Chasing the Rainbow). I dunno, something about it just bugs me.

[frice2000]

I agree with you on the story direction thing. I mean if the author doesn't have a work outlined pretty much in it's entirety by what is supposed to be it's half way point or at least some vision of it's finish the story is just going to drag on and on...I don't get why that author put it up for a vote in the first place. He's a Shampoo/Ranma fan above all and if that's the pairing he wanted to write about he should have simply done so. Catering to the whims of your fans is nice but overall story direction that can change from chapter to chapter is making that fic really really strange to read as you know he's got no plan whatsoever.

That specific author also brings to mind another Ranma specific bone of contention. I can understand you not liking or wanting to at all focus on his curse. I think most of us on this forum can safely say our perspective to liking Ranma-chan fics is a little higher then the average fic reader but when a writer uses Ranma's and the other casts curses less then Rumiko herself did and not even have it ever be a factor in a longer story it irks me. I understand if they don't want to make it a focus but cannon indicates that they get activated at least on a semi-regular basis and when I read a story that has no mention of that plot point at all even if multiple months pass I wonder how exactly the water was avoided for so long.

[Ellen Kuhfeld]

I agree with you on the story direction thing. I mean if the author doesn't have a work outlined pretty much in it's entirety by what is supposed to be it's half way point or at least some vision of it's finish the story is just going to drag on and on...I don't get why that author put it up for a vote in the first place.

Have you ever read "choose your own path" books? At the end of a segment of text they ask you what you will do, and direct you to the proper page for that reaction. Reader polls are a way of creating one of those books, without going to the work of writing the path less taken. Don't care much for this myself. The only choice I give is whether or not to read the story.

[Spokavriel]

But Choose Your Own Adventure books still have their stories plotted out. And some even have ways for your chosen tangent rejoin the main plot. Thing is the story is written before you are offered the choice and you know its going somewhere even if it is into a dead end. Offering the choice before it is written is not the same thing.

Edit: If you don't want to plot it out and want people to pick their path to have you continue Write on AnimeAddventure and take the votes in the comments for the individual chapters there.

[Ellen Kuhfeld]

Edit: If you don't want to plot it out and want people to pick their path to have you continue Write on AnimeAddventure and take the votes in the comments for the individual chapters there.

A sane and reasonable suggestion!

[SpaceKnight of Chaos]

That specific author also brings to mind another Ranma specific bone of contention. I can understand you not liking or wanting to at all focus on his curse. I think most of us on this forum can safely say our perspective to liking Ranma-chan fics is a little higher then the average fic reader but when a writer uses Ranma's and the other casts curses less then Rumiko herself did and not even have it ever be a factor in a longer story it irks me. I understand if they don't want to make it a focus but cannon indicates that they get activated at least on a semi-regular basis and when I read a story that has no mention of that plot point at all even if multiple months pass I wonder how exactly the water was avoided for so long.

No, canon is that the curses get activated when it's funny (for example, it's funny to see Ranma evade an attack from Genma and then get taken unaware by the old woman doing her house purification rite) or when it's plot relevant (there's a challenge that, for whatever reason, Ranma has to take as a girl, or it's being in female form that invokes a problem, or Nodoka's shown up and Ranma has to hide his true identity). If there is no call for any of these factors in the chapter itself, then Ranma does not change. Simply having him change at random and for reasons that boil down to gratuitious Ranma-chan appearances is simply the flipside of the coin of saying "oh, he has the curse, but it never gets activated". They're still changing, it's just that it's not been shown on screen because there's been no way to work it in. It's not as though there aren't canon stories where Ranma goes the whole chapter/episode without transforming, or maybe only changes for one brief instant to hammer home a plot point (Instant Nanniichuan: Ranma is male until he discovers the "cure" is fake, Anything Goes Hot Spring episode: doesn't change once).

[Spokavriel]

Japan is an island. How often does it ran there? Going multiple months without an accident for ANY of the Curse victims is insane. Heck even in Nevada there's enough people who use poorly adjusted water sprinklers that even here on the edge of the largest desert in North America I could still have trouble seeing a whole month without any accident.

[SpaceKnight of Chaos]

I'm not saying they don't change, it's just that the fact that they do change has not been focused on for most chapters. It's not as if Ranma never changes in the story - he gets splashed and harrassed by Happosai in chapter 4, spends pretty much all of chapters 5 and 6 in female form, as he will in chapter 13, changes to female form at the end of chapter 8, and he's in female form at the end of chapter 11. The other chapters just don't have plots where the transformation either helps the plot or is appropriate for random comedy. Ranma or any of the other characters don't constantly shift shapes just because they are cursed in canon, so I see no reason to go for gratuitous transformation. It's done because it's funny, or it's done because it's important to the plot; that's the way it works in the canon, that's the way it works here. It's not that they don't change all the time in between chapters, it's just that they're so used to it that they don't bother mentioning the fact. Is there really any purpose to adding a side note that, say, Ranma got thrown into the pond for insulting Akane's cooking at 2 pm the day before yesterday and was stuck like that for the next three hours as the water heater was being repaired?

[Spokavriel]

So did you detail it just to over emphasize the change? It doesn't have to be that blatant. But other characters noticing someone is in their cursed form is a more subtle way that it can easily be worked in without marking min by min what form someone is in.