things that turn me off in fic: obviously not t-hard

[meitachi]

Today, while walking home from school, I wasn't paying attention to where I was walking and prompty tripped over the step leading up to my apartment building's door, and had a horrible fall. Now my knees are scraped and my hand is bruised and I feel, ridiculously, all of about eight years old. :( My life is kind of sad, isn't it?

(It really is though: the bandage I slapped on is a grown-up one, not even one that could cheer me up with bright colors and designs. Hello Kitty bandages, want! I am only partly joking, even.)

In an effort to feel slightly more adult, I watched porn wrote porn read porn. Okay, well, not exactly, I think it's more R-rated than anything, but have a Tom/Joe RPF rec! (Warning for infidelity. Kind of.)

And then I got to thinking about stuff I don't really enjoy seeing in fic, which I was talking about last night to papered.


Things I do not enjoy reading in fic:
Disclaimer: There are no value judgments in these! They are good and fine things that many people enjoy and should continue to enjoy - I am just listing things that do not work for me. Obviously, YMMV.

Mind, also, that these are not squicks or triggers, just general themes or AUs that do not appeal to me as they might appeal to other people.

- apocalyptic/post-apocalyptic AUs
- zombies

(10:38:37 PM) chasing cities。: you know what i have never really gotten the hype over?
(10:38:38 PM) chasing cities。: zombies
(10:39:17 PM) Elizabeth: UM I DON'T GET IT EITHER
(10:39:22 PM) Elizabeth: I NEVER GOT INTO ZOMBIES OKAY
(10:39:41 PM) Elizabeth: I'M NOT A GIANT POST-APOCALYPTIC AU PERSON EITHER
(10:39:47 PM) Elizabeth: EVEN IF SOMETIMES POST-APOCALYPIC STUFF HAS THE MOST GORGEOUS PROSE
(10:40:00 PM) chasing cities。: i've read some (lol spn fandom of course)
(10:40:08 PM) chasing cities。: but UGH idk most of the time it is just too bleak
(10:40:37 PM) chasing cities。: there is no joy in bleakness. that is not the emotional kick i am looking for in fic!
(10:40:54 PM) chasing cities。: yeah it is just too non-personal angst/drama that is hard to connect to
(10:41:09 PM) Elizabeth: yes, exactly! I feel like it's very non-personal, it's hard to resolve, and it doesn't hit you in the same way
(10:41:48 PM) chasing cities。: though i guess some people just like cool AUs and plots and stuff which is fine, just not for me

- historical AUs in general (with the exception of fluffy and ridiculous regency AUs)
(10:51:34 PM) Elizabeth: HOW DO YOU FEEL
(10:51:36 PM) Elizabeth: ABOUT HISTORICAL AUs
(10:51:50 PM) chasing cities。: hmm i love well done regency aus
(10:51:58 PM) chasing cities。: i'm pretty sure i avoid all other historical aus haha
(10:52:07 PM) chasing cities。: unless they are super highly recced or smth
(10:52:19 PM) chasing cities。: but like i really really avoid WWII AUs
(10:52:41 PM) Elizabeth: also YEAH UM. I read a few of those for previous fandoms
(10:52:51 PM) Elizabeth: and they are always like. HEARTBREAKINGLY BLEAK
(10:52:53 PM) chasing cities。: too much room for massive fail :/
(10:53:00 PM) Elizabeth: and HOW DO YOU EVEN RESOLVE THAT HAPPILY
(10:53:01 PM) chasing cities。: and yeah, angst galore
(10:53:07 PM) chasing cities。: so not really my thing

- epic plot that sacrifices character/relationship development
I feel like this one is mostly self-explanatory? I adore plotty fics, but because I'm a very empathic reader and invest a lot of emotions into whatever I'm reading, it's harder to hook me if it's all plot and no emotional resonance. Let us have some character and relationship development occuring alongside the epic plot, too, please!

- unwarned for open relationships in fics about an OTP
Oh my god this actually makes me really angry. :( It goes back to my personal issues haha of being a petty insecure jealous person orz. But, seriously, if A and B are supposed to be OTP and together in this fic, why are A and C randomly making out/sleeping together and B accepting that as "just part of who A is and how his relationship with C is special"? I totally understand this can exist irl! That doesn't mean it's something I enjoy reading about though, especially if I am expecting happy OTP A/B. :(

- poorly handled jealousy
If A gets super pissed and jealous that B is flirting with someone else (or that someone else is flirting with B), I will tend to think A is an asshole who doesn't trust B. If A gets super pissed and jealous that B is flirting with someone else/sleeping with someone else when A and B are not even in a relationship, I will think A is a totally ridiculous asshole with possessive issues and B is probably better off without him. Disclaimer: I can handle either situation if A at least acknowledges that he is being an irrational asshole, because jealousy is not a logical emotion - boy do I know that. However! The fic should not treat it as if it is okay or that A is in the right, or that he is totally justified in slamming B against a wall and having angry possessive sex with him. Because that will be tainted with "ick, what a jerk" for me.

- manipulation portrayed as okay
Related to the above, but oh my god lying to or manipulating the other person in the relationship (romantic or otherwise) and having it portrayed as acceptable or justifiable because of jealousy or because "it's for their own good" or whatnot - ridiculous. Makes me angry! I mean, sure, write all the manipulation you want, sometimes it's great for the plot - but I always start keymashing when I realize that the author actually seems to believe that a lie is something okay to build a relationship out of, or that a huge manipulation can be forgiven in the space of one conversation. Uh...while it's possible people irl may forgive that quickly, it always makes me a little worried that it actually stems from a much bigger problem (like an emotionally abusive relationship...) so askgfj I try to avoid that kind of easy "oh you've been lying to me since we met? you've used me to do X Y and Z? but now you're being honest with me because you love me, oh okay, all is forgiven!". Not that I don't think forgiveness would be appropriate, I just think it wouldn't be quite so quick or easy. (Depending, as always, on context. But speaking generally here...)

Part of this, by the way, is taking advantage of someone when they're drunk and you're not. :| Inception fandom's been pretty good at keeping away from this (or at least in everything I've read), but you know... If he's drunk and you're not, sleeping with him is kind of called rape. Because impaired consent ≠ consent. (Totally different matter if you're both wasted, of course.)

- OT3s+
The only OT3 I've ever fully subscribed to was ShiHanChul and I'm still not entirely sure how that works except that it was RPS - does this make it even weirder? - so their irl closeness actually gave me enough "evidence" that jealousy would not be a problem and it could potentially work. Otherwise I am never quite comfortable with them - not because it can't exist (of course it can) or can't be written well (it has been). It's just a very personal thing with me: I am a jealous person and I project a lot when I read fics about relationships, so I would really just not...enjoy those fics. :( So I don't read them! And it's okay! Other people read them and love them and that is also okay! (Less okay is when (1) people start shipwars or (2) cry that OT3s solve everything and if you disagree obviously you are one of the crazy OTP shipper freaks. Um. Let's just go with "different strokes for different folks", okay?)

- D/s
Just a personal not-for-me thing! I've tried and sometimes it's just "ahh, no thanks" and a quick backbutton, and other times it has actually been somewhat...triggering for me? I have no idea why, but I know enough to avoid it now.

And I will make a sort of "obvious" list here to include "poorly handled rape/abuse/trauamatic experience/disability/etc that is magically healed by the application of cock and true love, or just depicted incredibly unrealistically or offensively". Because, yeah - no. Let's not do that.


I can't think of any more for now so... You should tell me things you don't particularly like reading in fic! Obvious lack of research? Foreign languages slipped into dialogue? High school AUs? (Gasp, blasphemy!) Infidelity, maybe, or ridiculously schmoopy domestic fic? Straight out PWP? Tell me what you dislike! But of course, feel free to not perform self analysis about why you don't like it because that is none of my business unless you want to share. I just like to overshare, apparently. \o/

Comments

[cobweb-diamond.livejournal.com]

hahahaha, this is so awesome. you hate everything that i love. historical AUs! (although actually i get really annoyed by inaccurate ones, so maybe not?) ESPECIALLY WWII AUs, which i read while listening to Glenn Miller and being sentimentally British! but despite the fact that you apparently hate everything that is good, i still added you to my delicious.com network and agree with all your recs? hmm.


and! zombies! i love them! because i am terrified by them! idek, i have semi-regular zombie apocalypse nightmares, why do i torture myself like this? (i assume this means you are definitely not going to want to read my dystopic plague au.) :(((

haha, i have to agree with OT3s though. it's such an unusual orientation/dynamic that i find it very difficult to interpret any canon trio as being in an equal three-way relationship. except in White Collar! Where it is very clearly there.

[cobweb-diamond.livejournal.com]

oh, ugh, i hate jealousy!fic as well though... it weirds me out because it's far too reminiscent of crazy stalker boyfriends, etc. NO DOUCHERY IN MY FIC UNLESS IT IS THE HUMEROUS KIND, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

[meiface.livejournal.com]

hahah we are diametrically opposed! How does it even work? I think I just hate depressing things in fic because I need happiness in my fandom times. ;_; RL can be distressing enough.

/o\ SORRY, I DON'T QUITE GET THE ZOMBIE LOVE. Idk! I am apparently an anomaly! Everyone I know seems to love them, even irl. Everyone is like LOL YEAH ZOMBOCALPYSE and I'm like "........./squints"

hehe maybe I should go peek at White Collar. :D What season are they on?

Thread hopping in...

[red-rahl.livejournal.com]

Pardon me, but I couldn't help but note you have the same kind of love-hate relationship that I have with zombies! I find them fascinating as all else (especially with regards to the sociological impact on society and the epidemiological aspect of the spread of contagion) but DUDE! THEY SCARE ME SO BAD!!! My worst dreams are of them too.

[2naonh3-cl2.livejournal.com]

1) I like how I asked if there was anything new, like two minutes ago, and you said nothing. -_-;;; Way to not share your spazzy moment. I enjoy spazziness...since it's usually me doing a faceplant into the floor. :3 Or walking into walls. Still don't know how that happened.

2) Agreed on the zombies, apocalypse (dear lord, thanks spn for making me hate them FOREVER), non regency historical aus, and manipulation (you know exactly which one I'm thinking of). I would have to also add: teacher/student (unless it's a TA/Grad student with a professor and even then it's fifty-fifty), something (aliens, love potion, drugs, etc., etc.) made them do it, tentacles, poorly done D/s (which is like 98% of them), abusive relationships, incest/WINCEST, bloodplay, watersports, PWP, embarrassment/humiliation (just read a fic that literally made me facepalm...I LITERALLY facepalmed loud enough that the smack resounded in my closet-sized bedroom), badly handled rapefic that is resolved with someone's magically healing cock. I can't think of more than that...though I'm certain that there are quite a bit more. Sad, but true, I have STANDARDS.

:D

[meiface.livejournal.com]

1) IT DOESN'T REALLY COUNT T___T my poor knees. At least I won't exactly be...on my knees a lot in the future...

...

2) ANYWAY. lol you have so many things you don't read. I am not at all surprised!! I actually sort of agree with teacher/student! I've read it and I might again in the future but there is a power differential there that is too similar to D/s for me to enjoy properly lately, unless it's, like you said, more TA/student or professor/TA.

[meiface.livejournal.com]

1) hahaha I've read some mpreg that was crack and thus hilarious? And once I read a serious mpreg that was actually written pretty well... @_@ Though usually it is not my kink so I don't really go there. But oh man, at least most people warn for it. I get super annoyed when it's surprise!mpreg sprung on me in the middle of a fic. Like - wtf just happened?

2 & 3) Ahh, yes, the uber-yaoi stereotypes. I can handle it to some extent when I read BL manga because I know what I'm subjecting myself to, but I really do not enjoy it outside of that medium. Equality is a big thing for me too! No bullying one person around or emotionally blackmailing them or whatever. Ugh.

[taylormercury.livejournal.com]

ohmygod I hate zombies so much, for anything and everything, fic, whatever. They're one of the few things that genuinely, truly, terrify me, I cannot abide them! *hides*

I've found that over the years, the things I enjoy, and the things I can tolerate, in fic have changed greatly. I used to enjoy a good, smutty PWP, but now I really don't like reading porn at all, unless it's really really good, and part of a good, plotty fic. Otherwise, I'm bored >> I'm also really not a fan of Highschool AU's either (idk, I'm English, I didn't go to what highschool is typically thought of as, and I don't have the patience to read through that kind of thing XD)

I can't stand hooker verse type AU's, either. They all seem the same to me, and as I don't care for gratuitous sexings, the appeal of the sex industry in that area is lost entirely on me XD;

Also, unrealistic dialogue. Maybe that comes under style, rather than anything else you have listed here, but my god, terrible, unrealistic dialogue will turn me off so hard :|

[meiface.livejournal.com]

They don't terrify me so much as they just confuse me. I don't understand what made them so awesome to everyone all of a sudden. :( I'm just kind of left going "bwuh?" at everyone's !!! excitement over them.

Ahhh yes, our tastes definitely do change! I go through phases of enjoying filthy PWP smut to skimming them because, ugh, c'mon, where is my plot and development? Also, sadly, sometimes the smut starts being generic rather than being IC and I make squinty sad faces at it.

Makes sense about the high school AUs! Do you still enjoy college/uni AUs?

gdfj I definitely agree about unrealistic dialogue, though. Sometimes it causes an eyeroll or (worst case scenario) secondhand embarrassment because I just keep thinking, "What, no, people don't talk like that--" (Or at least that character wouldn't talk like that.)

[transitorial.livejournal.com]

Ahaha, I love seeing lists like these.

I confess I am a fan of postapoc fic, though if it's the endlessly bleak sort I tend not to like it much. Give me SOMETHING to smile about, jeez. *is a sucker for a happy ending*

I cannot do mpreg. Maybe because it's usually portrayed as something that makes the practical part of my brain go 'WHAT', but it's just not for me.

Oh my god, the seme/uke trope. It makes it hard for me to read BL, and it makes it impossible for me to read fic that makes one of the guys this simpering princess and another is the big butch manliest of men. No. Do not want. Ever. I snarl whenever I see people posting fic ideas or doing searches in which one of them is the 'girl.' I'm snarling just thinking about it, actually. orz

I also agree with pretty much everything you've said here except D/s, but my thoughts on that aren't something I care to detail in a comment. ^^

But hey, different strokes for different folks, right? People are allowed to read and enjoy it, I'm allowed to backbutton. And life goes on.

(edit to add that I have Hello Kitty bandages, and I love them. ^_^)

[meiface.livejournal.com]

A lot of people like post-apoc fic! I have given it a shot and it is just not my thing. I am at peace with this, haha. Knowing what to generally steer clear of helps me stick to fics I enjoy and makes fandom a much more fun place for me. :D And that is all I need it to be.

And yes, thank god for the backbutton. And also the ability to rant/vent about a fic that misleads me or springs open relationships on me in the middle/at the end. AUGH WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT.

Aww I wish I had fun, colorful bandages. :( /is actually 8 years old

[nudeonthemoon.livejournal.com]

Seriously, I can't think of one thing I won't read a fic about. Actually, I did not read a fic that gave ZQ 3-arms for some reason. I also can't read things that give me secondhand embarrassment but it's hard to pinpoint things that do.

[meiface.livejournal.com]

That is cool! That means you have a much broader selection of stuff to read from than I do, because I get picky haha.

[sapphynashi.livejournal.com]

lol zombie AUs... I am planning to write one and it seemed like such a good idea at the the time but now that I actually need to start it I'm like "..." I guess to be fair my joy for zombie apocalypses stems from my love of shotgunning things in the face on a TV screen, and the only zombie fics I've read before have either been tongue in cheek or rife with black comedy. NEITHER OF WHICH I'M GOOD AT WRITING MYSELF so we'll see what happens.

I also love historic AUs! Well-researched ones, anyway, that don't skew the characters too much for the sake of setting...

But as for things I don't like...

This might take some thought and tl;dr, hmm.

(Also, Hello Kitty bandages, I would use those. Instead I have pirate and ninja bandages?)

[meiface.livejournal.com]

haha I also enjoy reading many many things I could not write/would not enjoy writing. Thank god for other people in fandom, right?

Is your zombie AU Akame? :D

Mmmm I loved well-researched fics in general. The little details make a difference and sometimes I learn new things. All very cool. But of course the AU setting shouldn't overshadow the actual plot/characters/relationship development, etc.

Oooh pirate and ninja bandages are cool too!

[cherrybina.livejournal.com]

Oh Mei D: Are you okay, bb? BE CAREFUL OUT THERE.

I am so with you on the zombie thing. ZOMBIES ARE GROSS. I DO NOT LIKE GROSS THINGS, MEI.

I also agree about the plot sacrificing the character development. I much prefer character driven fics that are about the relationship (or about getting to the relationship) to complicated plots and lots of action.

H/C has never really been all that appealing to me. I don't have any poblems with it, but as a genre it's just one of those things I found myself drawn to. I am also not a big fan of excessive angst, and cannot deal with unresolved angst or unhappy endings at all. Even if it is resolved, I prefer angst-lite :D

D/s is on my list of top 5 kinks, but I am super picky about the dynamics, and find that a lot of D/s fics don't work for me.

[meiface.livejournal.com]

It's a hard world to navigate out there!

akdghf so much agree about not preferring excessive angst. Angst-lite please! Just enough to make me twinge but something that they work through for a happy, schmoopy ending! (Though of course there are always those amazing, amazing angst fics that rip out my heart. But I have to keep those few and far in between because, however good they are, I can't reread them...)

H/C too is something I enjoy once in a while but is not my favorite genre. But that at least promises the comfort bits! So you know it does not end awfully.

I kept trying D/s for a while thinking that maybe I just hadn't read one that was well-written but working off recs and recognizing good technical writing-- basically made me realize it was still not for me. :/ Oh well. I enjoy many other things!

[herocountry.livejournal.com]

as you know i love postapoc/dystopias BUT SERIOUSLY FUCK ZOMBIES THEY ARE SO BORING. that stupid book everyone likes, World War Z or whatever? DIES OF BOREDOM FOREVER!!!

i like historical aus in theory but i have to be in the right mood or else i get really =___= about all the details. i like dynastic/medieval stuff best i think (though i really prefer it in historical fantasy au more), and stuff that's just like... prohibition-era or whatever the least. french text in fics that is not italicized (yeah idk) somehow always make me eh, even if it's correct! using foreign languages incorrectly ALWAYS makes me ://///. i like D/s in general but absolute D/s where it extends all over their life just isn't my thing--i don't get squicked, but i'm just kind of eh. i am totally okay with healing cock and seme/uke as long as it's a BL manga or a shitty original slash fic. uhhhhhh GOD THIS IS HARD. i guess i'm not that fond of mpreg either!

[herocountry.livejournal.com]

i feel like i will mostly read anything. just plain fluff like 'x and x are sitting around drinking coffee cutely' or whatever generally doesn't interest me tho. i LOVE getting to know each other fics and first meetings, they are the best, fuck established relationships >:(

[jibrailis.livejournal.com]

historical AUs in general (with the exception of fluffy and ridiculous regency AUs)

haha, how specific, Mei! I love you! <3

I do admit to an especial fondness for post-apocalyptic/zombie AUs but I share your thoughts re: jealousy, emotional manipulation, and OT3s. I like the idea of OT3s but I am too jealous of a person to really sink into them and understand how they could work. :(

This may be sacrilege, but I generally am bleh on high school AUs. I've read some that I've liked, but the concept alone doesn't excite me. I tend to like reading about characters who are older and more settled into their lives, and then going back in time would explore how they got to be the way they are (which is something I love!) rather than "let's see them in high school for the sake of high school."

[meiface.livejournal.com]

hahah well I know my weaknesses well, and regency has always been that! /blames all the regency I read growing up

Actually I agree with you about high school AUs! I used to love them a lot more but now I am more-- "um, I remember being 16/17 and wow was I a dumb clueless shit." I like college AUs and onwards more because yay for adults! (Maybe this is the oldness in me speaking haha.) There are definitely HSAU fics I enjoy, but for the most part i like them a little less clueless, a little more sure of who they are and what they want, and more legal for sex and alcohol... Okay, mostly sex haha.

[meiface.livejournal.com]

Ahh, yes, I think this afflicts many people after a prolonged exposure to fandom. PWPs that don't integrate personality/characterization gets hideously repetitive and boring, whereas well-written sex scenes that further emotional development or plot or something more - those are my favorites. :D

haha yeah I read pretty much everything too, if recced! Though I guess I've grown slightly pickier as of late because I don't have as much time to get emotionally invested in something that might put me through the wringer (angst fics, bleak post-apocalyptic fics, etc), so I gravitate towards the happy fun ones that I know will provide a positive emotional response for the time I'm trading into it haha. It's a economical decision!

[out-of-words24.livejournal.com]

I love OT3s, mostly because I think it's so interesting to read/write about. Relationship dynamics just get that much more complicated when it comes to three people, and when handled well the complexities are a huge draw for me.

Personally I hate mpreg and the seme/uke stereotypes. HAHA I DON'T GET ZOMBIES EITHER. or, um, sci-fi AUs in general but that's just me

[meiface.livejournal.com]

Is it weird that I think it's interesting to write about but not something I want to read? hahah. I loved writing ShiHanChul, omg. Then again, they are still the only OT3 I really like...

I don't really have anything against zombies, I mostly just don't get the appeal. ;_; Like everyone flailing over "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies"? I'm like "...???? Was it that amazing?"

So much agreement about the seme/uke stereotypes though.

[darkunicorna.livejournal.com]

Yeah, totally agree with you on the jealousy thing being a sign of an unhealthy relationship. Definitely shows lack of trust.

BUT. HISTORY AUS. I LOVE THEM. REGENCY, VICTORIAN ERA, AMERICAN REVOLUTION OR FRENCH REVOLUTION OR ENLIGHTENMENT OR RENAISSANCE. I KIND OF JUST LOVE IT ALL. But not WWII AUs noooo I'd cry my eyes out or something.

[meiface.livejournal.com]

aksdhg I love a good historical AU, but on the whole I do not like reading them because they are usually...not that good. ;_; Either a lack of research or too much research and the fic becomes an excuse for info-dumping and warping character personalities to fit into that world and I just make sad faces. I DO NOT HATE ALL HISTORICAL AUs - obviously I just need to rely on recs. 8D

But no WWII AUs for me. That much I know. Bleak war stories with opportunity for massive fail? It's better for me that I avoid them.

[regicidaldwarf.livejournal.com]

I love quiet a few of these that you mentioned - I'm not a huge fan of zombies, but I love post-apocalypse fics. Though, I love post apocalypse fics that are less about the actual apocalypse and more about the way people rebuild afterwards.

I hate, hate infidelity, but I love open relationships and OT3s. They don't even have to be a threesome - it can be one person with two partners, but as long as it's consensual between all three people than I get into it. I think it's partly because I'm somewhat polyamorous myself, and I like seeing it represented in a healthy way.

However, I am totally with you on the emotional manipulation and jealousy points. ICK DO NOT WANT. Other things I do not like: angst when there is seriously no fucking reason for it, and people not getting together when there is seriously no fucking reason for it. Basically, anything that makes me want to scream BE AN ADULT at the screen is not going to make me happy.

[meiface.livejournal.com]

I think it's very cool when OT3s (and other non-monogamous non-heteronormative relationships) can be portrayed healthily and realistically! Even though they are not the kind of thing I have emotional resonance with while reading (and therefore usually don't read), I still hope they get written. :D I think we need more healthy and positive depictions of things the overwhelming majority of society doesn't understand and thus judges on stereotypes.

I actually don't mind infidelity or jealousy or emotional manipulation in fics as long as they are obviously portrayed as having negative consequences and not as standard operating procedure for ~true love~. Actually, on that note, sometimes I'd like to see true love not automatically excusing or solving all potential problems and conflicts. SOMETIMES EVEN IF YOU LOVE EACH OTHER, YOU HAVE OTHER OBLIGATIONS/FEARS/RISKS YOU DO NOT WANT TO TAKE/ETC. :(!! You don't automatically give up your life/friends/family for the sake of ~true love~.

Which very well may fall under the "be an adult" thing!

[emeraldcrystal.livejournal.com]

+1. I can't even click on zombie, D/s, and OT3 fics. I'm not sure the epic plot one really applies to me though, since I mostly read pairing/romantic fics... character development is part of the plot, I think. Though I do love me some epic plots so maybe I've been skimming over the fact that some of them don't have very good character/relationship development...

For me, personally, I also don't like vampire!fics and infidelity!fics. I mean, if there is a vampire or background-unmentioned infidelity, I look past it. Even before Twilight and this vampire-crazed world we now find ourselves in, I've never understood the hype about vampires. OH also, as mentioned above, teacher-student fics. I think it just makes me think up some kind of D/s structure which I can't read. Which also applies to slave!fics. (though there is an original slave!fic that I want read because it's been rec'd..) I was afraid of getting into Merlin in the beginning because of this trope, but it's since proven me wrong. So yeah.

[meiface.livejournal.com]

I think I only really enjoy vampire fic if it is vaguely parodical or tongue-in-cheek, half-serious and half-mocking. (This is partly why I enjoy everything Terry Pratchett writes haha.)

Oh! Yes! Slavefics too - I can't believe I forgot. It takes a very, very, very good and careful depiction for me to enjoy slavefics because otherwise I start fretting at power imbalances and ability to consent. So, yeah, uh-- Takes good writing, which is true for most things!

I'm still iffy on reading canon Merlin fics (and much much prefer modern day AUs) but that's probably mostly because I loathe the original Arthurian legends with a passion, lol.

[papered.livejournal.com]

aww mei, ARE YOU OKAY? pats your knee, I WOULD BRING YOU HELLO KITTY BANDAGES IF I COULD...

ALSO WE HAVE DISCUSSED ALL THIS ALREADY so I will go off topic instead and say oh my god do I really capslock that much. I look insane in that first convo snippet hahahaha. ♥

IN CONCLUSION:

[papered.livejournal.com]

ALSO going through the comments on this, I got reminded that mpreg is actually a fairly common can-not-do for a lot of people! this is always surprising to me, since after hp fandom, I tend to mentally treat that just like any other plot device hahaha. .... but that might be something specific to just hp for me, hmm. THINKS ABOUT THIS.

[sharona1x2.livejournal.com]

I can read threesome stories, as long as my OTP isn't part of the threesome. Too often, they come across as contrived, being written specifically to bring in an audience that normally wouldn't read a particular pairing. The author knows that A x B is super popular, but wants to write A x C. Including B in the threesome might get fans of the popular pairing to give it a chance.

In my experience, threesome stories also often end up being terribly predictable, at least as far as the mechanics of the sex scenes are concerned.

My major fic squicks are seeing characters I like paired together treating each other badly in a relationship, and seeing them calling each other names like 'slut' and 'whore' as dirty talk. I don't find that kind of thing sexy/hot. I'm also not a fan of infidelity and love triangles.

[meiface.livejournal.com]

Oh, hmm! I've realized I'm okay with threesomes in a sexual story but not in a relationship - probably because I am tied up in the jealousy/interloper aspects of it. I'm sure it can and does work for some people in real life, but it's just not something I enjoy reading in fics (particularly about an OTP)! Not to say I don't think other people aren't important to them, because I love to see close platonic ties between people - just not the same kind of romantic/sexual ties, I guess.

But as long as people aren't running around judging others who don't enjoy OT3s (and labeling them as close-minded crazy shippers), I'm cool with them enjoying what they do and us enjoying what we do. :D

[delocalised.livejournal.com]

FOREIGN LANGUAGES SLIPPED INTO DIALOGUE, but you already knew that.

totally get you about post-apocalyptic fics. TONS in spn big bang and i read none of them. i just :| don't like them. it bores me. where do you go from there? THE WORLD HAS ENDED. i generally don't go for historical aus either unless they're something really special. i don't get steampunk either. :\

OT3s LOL. bones/kirk/spock is like D; because i just. IT WOULDN'T WORK IN MY MIND. i love kirk/spock, i do not like kirk/mccoy, i won't reconcile those two pairings by creating an ot3. rps however, i can go for ot3 - for instance my bb khue wrote a little bit of kaka/cris/xabi and i was so up for that, hahaha /shallow.

d/s - love it. but that's personal taste. i hate bdsm, i think bondage is overrated, and i'm not a fan of sex toys either. i physically have trouble reading rape. lol, god my kinks are so particular.

mainly it's like, aspects of prose that bother me. i think i've told you a few of them? i hate 'it starts like this' or 'the first time' or 'it was ___ when ____ did ____'. it's just lazy now, try and be more creative when you open fics, people. ): i also can't stand, 'it feels like home' or 'blah blah blah but it's enough'. ajfkslda. it's another reason why kpop started annoying me, because i saw that all over the place.

I HATE CHEATING FIC. I HATE IT. i think cheating is fjaksda fucking gross, and like, i'm reading my ~*~OTP~*~ for a reason. i don't want to see one of the characters like, LOLOL /sleeps around. that's not how you show love, people. ): idc if the character was drunk or whatever, that's just unforgivable and for the rest of the fic i'm like :| i've read cheating fic in the past where the guy who's been cheated on is like, I'LL BE BETTER TO STOP THEM CHEATING ON ME. omfg, NO. DON'T BE SO PATHETIC. LEAVE.

i actually hate too much showing. i don't consider myself a stupid reader, so when i'm reading a fic and i can't actually follow what's going on, i'm like :\ it becomes a chore instead of an interesting activity and that's where i draw the line.

... i could actually go on. HOWEVER, i'm not sure how much space this is taking up already, so i'll leave it there. ;~; weeps.

[meiface.livejournal.com]

ahaslkdghf ahahaha, Ceri, you have SO MUCH YOU DON'T ENJOY, THIS COMMENT JUST GOES ON FOREVER. Not that I am one to talk, considering I just went on and on in my entry. 8D

I guess for the most part I am willing to give most things a chance if written well and highly recced! But when I am pressed for time with a busy rl and am only dipping into fandom for a quick de-stressing read, I'm going to gravitate towards stuff I know is a guaranteed satisfying-for me pick-me-up kind of fic. Thus: funny sexy cute schmoopy things. And less bleakness and angst and drama.

Ooh ffrants once had a good discussion on showing vs telling - honestly, you need to do both, but you have to balance it. Too much showing can also just be bad writing, because you're not actually conveying what you want to if the audience is left staring blankly and going ".........so what if he drank tea instead of coffee that one day, WHAT DOES IT MEAN ABOUT HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH X?"

[forochel.livejournal.com]

... bad writer's craft (was going to say "writing" but felt elucidation was required)





other than that I p much read everything. except adultery. ummm and pwp also bores me a lot nowadays because I'm not particularly fannish over any hot person right now. ohhhh and anything that induces second-hand embarrassment. my threshold for that is very low. but I'm willing to give most things a try, though I have never read scat. NEVER.

[meiface.livejournal.com]

I agree with giving things a try! But just because I end up loving something doesn't mean I enjoy the genre/trope as a whole. ;_; Zombies, I don't get them.

I have never ever read scat either. Urgh. Almost (never say always, never say never?) everything else in the world I've read or at least skimmed before.

[red-rahl.livejournal.com]

Rather late to the party but this post and the ensuing comments really intrigued me!

About zombie fics, I'm iffy on (because, although zombies fascinate me on the sociological impact on humanity and also the biology of spreading epidemics and human responses to such), THEY SCARE ME SO BADLY! It's like the hand to the flame thing. Post apocalyptic stuff...gotta agree with you there. Although for writers like cobweb_diamond, I'd be willing to take a chance.

So with you about the little to no angst thing as well. Sometimes, I like a good cry, but there must be rainbows and sunshine in the end! I also enjoy character-driven stories and equality in the relationship dynamics. It's one of the reasons I've gotten way more picky on what BL manga I'll pick up any more, because the dynamic is so skewed.

I am SO NOT OKAY with open relationships/infidelity!!! It pains me on a very deep level and just ruins the experience of the story for me, even if the OTP comes out okay in the end. Past relationships, whatever, please allude to if you must but I'd prefer not to see it either. Jealousy fics tend to make me squeamish (depending on how they're handled) and I'm definitely not good with handling humiliation stuff.

I do admit to liking d/s but, like other commenters have expressed, I'm very particular on the relationship dynamics of it so I'm very picky on what I'll read.

Erm...



*runs away*

[bookshop.livejournal.com]

jksdlajkfjksjdl oh my god. THANK YOU FOR LINKING TO THIS, RAHLY, BECAUSE A) I HAVE NOT SEEN THE CHIBIS OMFG AND B) I HADN'T READ THIS POST, and mf word to everything Mei says about rape culture and manipulation being portrayed as okay. just. NO.

oh my god, arthur's face. AMAZING. ADORABLE. BESTEST EVER <33333

[cloudtwist.livejournal.com]

Het >:( Ew, het. HAHAHA joking!

I'm late :( But I want to list things, yay!

apocalyptic/post-apocalyptic AUs; zombies: Check! I can't stand the idea of sex among dead bodies or, ugh, with zombie parts smeared on your face from your latest zombie ass-kicking scene. Always too depressing.

historical AUs in general (with the exception of fluffy and ridiculous regency AUs): check :D No WW2 stuff for me, too. Regency AUs are awesome though (ah the bias) but sometimes there are glaringly obvious inaccuracies that turn me right off.

Foreign languages slipped into dialogue: :/ Yeah, well. I don't know why, though. I cringe whenever I re-read old favourites and notice the random peppering of Japanese words/sounds O_o

Also: Genderswap, mpreg, tentacles (I've never been interested in reading tentacle porn...why tentacles and goo when there's tongue and slick spit), threesome/moresomes (the only fandom where I've been okay with 3somes is FF7), badly done songfic, infidelity that resolves with the overriding fact that 'they're just like that so we'll put up with it' or worse, is resolved with a mere apology.

[meiface.livejournal.com]

it is never too late to comment! I see we have a lot of things in common. :3

infidelity that resolves with the overriding fact that 'they're just like that so we'll put up with it' or worse, is resolved with a mere apology.
ugh oh my god yes, this makes me so angry. THIS IS NOT OKAY, PLEASE.

[meiface.livejournal.com]

haha I admit I'm a little surprised at the comments on old entries, but they are always welcome! The journal's public, after all.

Venting is fine! People can like what they like and write what they write, but I definitely know what I prefer and don't prefer to read, so some things are just not for me. /shrug. Like the things listed above.

Though, while I do agree that I don't like the weepy ukes of BL manga or the way people sometimes try to heteronormalize a gay relationship, it also bothers me when a stereotypical uke is referred to as feminized or girly. I think that implies that all women are weepy and whiny the way those ukes are, which is not at all true. Sort of enforces a lot of negative stereotypes against women, that we are all weak or crying all the time. Tangentially, that also seems to say only guys who are "strong" and never cry (also not true!) can be considered real men. Men and women vary as individuals all across the spectrum, whether they're men or women.

I usually just refer to horrible BL ukes as annoying and whiny and weepy and inconsistent and often manipulative, haha. Because they are, sadly.