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Post by 8lottie8 on Nov 4, 2015 16:21:06 GMT -5
I HAVE RETURNED TO THE LAND OF RtB! Yay!
But, in my time away I have delved into several other fandoms and have found more pet peeves.
Short chapters - especially if the rest of the story has significantly longer chapters (by short I mean under 5k and generally under 3k).
Line breaks that aren't obviously line breaks - I have seen some people use ~HOGWARTS~ as a line break and idk about the rest of you, but that makes me think that the next section is going to be set at Hogwarts. Also, line breaks that are longer that the average laptop screen
Also, does anyone else automatically assume that if there are no pairings listed and the characters are old enough to be dating that the pairings will be canon pairings? Because I do and it's rather annoying to get halfway through a really good story and it's a pairing you can't stand and there was nothing mentioned about it at all
In response to the peeve of shopping, as a 16 going on 17 year old girl, I can say that I am totally comfortable with people telling me whether something suits me and even people picking out things that I might like (if I go shopping with a few friends and only one person wants to try stuff on from a particular shop, she'll tell us her size after finding some things, go into the changing room and we'll find stuff for her etc., especially if there's a queue for the changing rooms. I think the problem with the stories is that the author forgets that Harry is a guy and/or assumes that he would also be comfortable doing that.
RE the slapping, I'd do that with my close friends and my sister (maybe my parents) but never with anyone else.
RE gender roles/identity and fem!Harry, the Mortal Instruments fandom is pretty good with LGBT+ stuff, including trans!Alec (a character in said series) but that's probably because there are LGBT characters in canon, which probably attracted a lot of LGBT+ people and therefore the fandom has a higher proportion of LGBT+ aware people.
Stories with a good premise but awful writing/ never got past the first chapter
That's all that I can remember atm so yeah
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Post by Kitty279 on Nov 5, 2015 1:34:39 GMT -5
New Pet Peeve. The various fics where Harry has an upbringing which treats him more like a warrior and he arrives at Hogwarts as an 11 year old who's been doing the sort of exercises they give to adult military cadets. Am I the only one who sits there going 'um, that's a small child you've got there, over exercising at that age can seriously damage the child'. There's a reason there are minimum ages on things like gymnastics (and if you'd done research you'd know the number of gymnasts who end up needing surgery either after or during their career due to injury is high). So far I have seen that only with an older Harry, but you are completely right that it is unrealistic and even unhealthy for an 11-year-old or younger. Some sports, yes, but not that sort of excessive training. Short chapters - especially if the rest of the story has significantly longer chapters (by short I mean under 5k and generally under 3k). There are worse ones, I have seen "updates" that didn't even take up the whole screen of my laptop - and often enough it took the author half a year or so to write that much ... "Hogwarts" is not the most convenient line break, no, but I have seen them use, for instance, the first letters of every word in the title or something, which is less missleading, and in any case it is better than no line breaks at all. It can be confusing when the story jumps from scene to scene, sometimes with a bigger time skip and you can't see it. To be fair, from what I have seen, some seem to have technical problems with regular line breaks. No, then I assume no pairing at all. But I admit to being annoyed with cases where the author throws suddenly a pairing I can't stand at the readers with no warning and built-up whatsoever. Oh, in that way it's all right, what we are complaining about is the type of story where Harry goes clothes shopping for the first time in his life with someone female and then has no say whatsoever in the choices, because the female decides about everything. Suggestions are one thing, dictating what he has to buy without caring about his own tastes and wishes is another thing altogether. The authors usually don't give him even the chance to show if he has good taste or not, so he goes from having to wear Dudley's cast-offs to what his girlfriend wants, but never what he himself likes. What would you prefer: your friend telling you a) "Lottie, I think that one looked better on you, because ... [insert reason]" - or b) "You will buy this one!" Which are legion, sadly. While we are at the topic, here's a peeve on my own: All these stories where Veritaserum is used in a trial etc. and the one interrogated is asked his name and birth date and if that is answered correctly, they declare that the serum is working. Excuse me, but if the serum is not working, then they could still say that part correctly. That makes no sense! |
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Post by physicssquid on Nov 7, 2015 12:28:12 GMT -5
All these stories where Veritaserum is used in a trial etc. and the one interrogated is asked his name and birth date and if that is answered correctly, they declare that the serum is working. Excuse me, but if the serum is not working, then they could still say that part correctly. That makes no sense! I think the authors of the stories that feature that sort of thing, believe that name and date-of-birth are good control questions. After all, don't people reading polygraphs ask control questions to make sure that the machine is working. There's also the fact that when someone is registered on the NHS as a blood donor, every time they go to donate, they are asked during the health check and immediately before having the needle inserted, to give their name, date-of-birth and address, just to confirm who they are, which could be another reason why so many stories feature those questions when veritaserum is administered. |
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Post by Miss Wings on Nov 8, 2015 14:07:39 GMT -5
What I hate is when Harry is peeved off at Hermione and is then immediately bowing down to her wishes as though he was never angry in the first place.
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Post by Kitty279 on Nov 9, 2015 12:52:20 GMT -5
I think the authors of the stories that feature that sort of thing, believe that name and date-of-birth are good control questions. After all, don't people reading polygraphs ask control questions to make sure that the machine is working. There's also the fact that when someone is registered on the NHS as a blood donor, every time they go to donate, they are asked during the health check and immediately before having the needle inserted, to give their name, date-of-birth and address, just to confirm who they are, which could be another reason why so many stories feature those questions when veritaserum is administered. Hm, that might be an explanation, but still ... assuming someone is impersonating someone else under Polyjuice or something like that and the serum isn't working, they could still say they are the one they are impersonating. And if the serum isn't working, even if you have the right person, they can admit to their identity and then lie. But I guess that is too much common sense for the wizards to understand  What I hate is when Harry is peeved off at Hermione and is then immediately bowing down to her wishes as though he was never angry in the first place. Yep, that is annoying. And even more so when he allows her to do the whole thinking for him and she treats him as an idiot. A sure way to make me hit the back button very fast. |
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Post by RandomPasserby on Nov 10, 2015 20:50:08 GMT -5
From my limited understanding of polygraphs, yes they use control questions. However, their control questions are often ones which either have negative consequences if you're lying or which are so general it's assumed everyone has done them.
Now this is bearing in mind that polygraphs are not admissible in court and are not a good arbiter of truth. For one thing, they only read stress levels via various physical means. If you have excessive perspiration and a heart murmur, you're going to confuse a polygraph. If you have an illness which is aggravated by stress, you're going to look like you're lying. If you have panic attacks or can induce a panic attack, well the entire thing is going to go to pot because they're going to have to go get a medic.
Yes but the NHS verification questions are not 'Is your name *Full Name*', 'Do you live at *full street address'* because that gives the person the answer. They ask 'what is your name', 'what is your date of birth', 'where do you live'. And that's mostly to make sure they have the right person or the files haven't gotten mixed up.
Here's the reason I have issues with Veritaserum. We see one full interrogation with Veritaserum. Barty Crouch Jr.
And the thing that got me is that he can speak in unsubstantiated fact or supposition. 'He [Jr's father] loved her [Jr's mother] as he had never loved me', 'she was careful to drink Polyjuice Potion until the end', 'they [the dementors] sensed one healthy, one dying person...', 'everyone believed her to be me' to give a few examples. He's talking about what he perceives other people feeling and thinking and seeing.
By that example, someone could be brought in to the court, dosed with Veritaserum and asked 'Did Sirius Black kill 13 people including Peter Pettigrew' or 'was Sirius Black in league with You-Know-Who' and they would answer yes because they completely believe it.
In fact, since we know nothing about Veritaserum it's possible that you could beat it the same way you can beat a polygraph. If you know the lie backwards and forwards, more than you know the memory.
Let us say that I am a Death Eater who knows for a fact that Pettigrew blew up the street and that Sirius Black had nothing to do with Voldemort. If I can make myself believe that if Black had not cornered Pettigrew, Pettigrew wouldn't have had to blow the street up then in my head Sirius Black is responsible for killing 13 people. If they ask whether Sirius Black was in league with You-Know-Who, not specifying who You-Know-Who actually is then if I believe You-Know-Who refers in fact to Dumbledore then I can honestly answer yes.
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Post by 8lottie8 on Nov 14, 2015 6:56:31 GMT -5
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Post by physicssquid on Nov 14, 2015 9:00:49 GMT -5
I can just about cope reading a story with commas in odd places, particularly when I know that English is not the author's first language, but I do agree that having commas put where they don't need to be, is a bit irritating.
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Post by RandomPasserby on Nov 14, 2015 10:08:43 GMT -5
Even for a lot of people for whom English is their first language comma usage is often not taught or is assumed to be learnt by osmosis.
Also I'm very confused as to why I'm quoted saying something I didn't say.
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Post by Kitty279 on Nov 14, 2015 15:24:27 GMT -5
Lottie might have used the quote button instead of the reply one and not deleted everything properly or initially meant to quote you and then accidentally overwrote her reply to you or something like that?
Tried to read that story, but didn't get that far. I don't really see how the characters reading a story about them reading the books is supposed to work. As for the mistakes, it wasn't just the comma use, but a number of other mistakes as well. Only using the few lines Lottie posted - it is EvAns, not Evens! *glares at author* Plus, for some reason, the present tense irritates me, though I don't really know why. Combining all of that, it wasn't that much my type of story.
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Post by 8lottie8 on Nov 14, 2015 16:04:06 GMT -5
I don't know how to quote without quoting someone first and then deleting the text. Sorry, I didn't know it would still say that at the top.
EDIT: I have tried to delete it but it just comes back
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Post by RandomPasserby on Nov 14, 2015 16:31:09 GMT -5
Ah, it's no biggie I was just very confused.
To be honest, present tense bothers me for no specific reason as well. There is literally one fic (non-HP) which I will read which is present tense but that's mostly because I somehow manage to make it past tense in my head.
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Post by 8Lottie8- on Nov 14, 2015 16:38:49 GMT -5
I think I automatically translate it into past tense anyway, which might be why I only notice that the story is in present tense when it's either pointed out to me or there's a spelling mistake in the verb
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Post by physicssquid on Nov 14, 2015 20:56:12 GMT -5
I don't like present tense either. I find it weird, to be honest.
And it's not just present tense that I'm not too keen on. I don't particularly like stories written in the first person either, especially when the author switches from one person's viewpoint to another's without warning.
I much prefer stories written in the past tense, using the third person point of view.
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Post by Kitty279 on Nov 15, 2015 1:19:58 GMT -5
Looks like I am not alone in my dislike of present tense  First person depends, it works in some novels, but I prefer third person as well, and most definitely in fanfiction. The worst are these stories where the author keeps switching between first and third person all over the story and even mid-sentence. @lottie: Are you using a phone or a normal computer/laptop? With the former I don't know, I don't use them for the boards, but on the latter, you just need to scroll a little bit deeper. In the header of every post are the 'qoute' and 'edit' button, but when you go below the last post, there's a 'quick reply' window you can use. Just type away in the box below that blue line with these two words and the 'add image to post' button, and then hit the 'post quick reply' button below said box. |
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Post by 8lottie8- on Nov 15, 2015 5:08:00 GMT -5
I sometimes use my phone, but I generally turn it onto desktop mode when I do. I know how to quick reply, but not how to quote something using quick reply. I have now found the quote button so all is well. |
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Post by 8lottie8 on Nov 17, 2015 7:32:47 GMT -5
New pet peeve - the fact that you can't copy stories directly from the FFN website
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Post by Kitty279 on Nov 26, 2015 5:10:02 GMT -5
It is annoying, yes, but there are ways to work around it. My iPhone can copy the stories there, though only one chapter at a time  |
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Post by RandomPasserby on Dec 12, 2015 16:02:04 GMT -5
Americanisms annoy me on principle but there's one which gets my goat more than most.
The use of 'blocks' as a form of geographic reference. 'Number 4 was only a few blocks from the library'.
No. Just No.
This actually has entirely to do with the general structure of English towns vs American towns.
 This is New York
 This is London
London is a lot less linear owing to the fact that it started being built on a lot earlier.
As you can see from the maps, blocks is certainly an apt unit of measurement when it comes to American cities - which on the whole tend to be built very boxily - but when it comes to English towns, even the more recent ones which are slightly more linear, that's very rarely at all useful as a measurement.
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Post by Kitty279 on Dec 12, 2015 16:40:48 GMT -5
American towns often look to me like made on the drawing board, while the towns around here - not only in England, but in most places I have visited in Europe so far - tend to be more naturally grown, so the streets have a more irregular pattern. No one would talk about blocks here, either; we'd count in streets. Like 'third street to the left', if we need that sort of description in the first place.
Might have to do with age - many towns around here predate the American ones by centuries, and back then no one built that straight.
Speaking of the differences of US and GB, I keep seeing hashbrowns for breakfast in many HP fics, but I was always of the opinion that is more an US dish? Certainly did never see it in any hotel, not even with the English Breakfast.
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Post by physicssquid on Dec 13, 2015 9:17:31 GMT -5
According to Wikipedia, a traditional English breakfast includes:- bacon; fried, poached or scrambled eggs; fried or grilled tomatoes; fried mushrooms; fried bread or toast with butter; sausages; and baked beans. Black pudding, bubble and squeak, and hash browns are often also included, and there are some regions that have slightly different ingredients.
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Post by 8lottie8 on Dec 13, 2015 14:44:47 GMT -5
Hash browns are definitely part of the classic EB - or at least, they are served as that on cross-Channel ferries Might have to do with age - many towns around here predate the American ones by centuries, and back then no one built that straight. Except of course the Romans. Also most American towns/cities were built all at once, whereas European ones grew over time |
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Post by Kitty279 on Dec 14, 2015 1:18:32 GMT -5
Ah, thanks! I've seen bacon, eggs, tomatoes, mushrooms and sausages everywhere, often baked beans as well, but the rest, not to my knowledge. After about four weeks in a number of hotels all over England, Scotland and Ireland, I was really beginning to wonder. Even more so as I've seen hashbrowns on offer here as an American dish as well. LOL, yes, but not even the Imperium Romanum could be everywhere But you know, I work in a city that was mostly destroyed during WWII and had to be rebuilt to a big extent, and even there they haven't drawn the streets that straight and regularly. Maybe that's why to me the completely straight and regular US streets are so much more noticeable. |
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Post by RandomPasserby on Jan 20, 2016 6:07:33 GMT -5
*grumble grumble* bad genderbending fics making me want to write one where Harry is turned into a cis girl and immediately nopes the hell out of it and decides to transition back. *quiet swearing*
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Post by physicssquid on Jan 23, 2016 20:43:04 GMT -5
New Peeve.
In practically every rtb of Chamber of Secrets, in chapter nine when Lockhart mentions Ouagadougou, someone asks where that is, and the reply is always that the place is made up, even though it does exist, as the capital of Burkina Faso.
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Post by Kitty279 on Jan 24, 2016 2:33:35 GMT -5
RandomPasserby: Why do you read them in the first place when you know how bad they are? physicssquid: Would be such a nice chance for Hermione to show her knowledge Well, the place is probably not cool, so for most (rather young) authors not interesting enough to even know it. Basic education and knowledge seem to go down the drain anyway. You should hear a friend of mine who has to work with schoolkids and young adults right out of school - the stories she tells me often enough leave me banging my head in disbelief. They don't know names like Van Gogh or Shakespeare, have never heard of Romeo and Julia, and when you give them cloth and a bucket of water and send them to clean something, they ask if they should wipe the dirty surface with the dry or wet cloth - obviously, the water is just decoration. Why would people like that know Ouagadougou?
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Post by RandomPasserby on Feb 4, 2016 20:04:53 GMT -5
Kitty279 : Because I'm a masochist with a vain and idle hope that I will someday find a story like that written by somebody who understands transgender issues.
I dislike quoting myself but
Here's a strange pet peeve. Orphanages. Tom Riddle was in one in the 1920's and 30's, true, but by the 80's, 90's and 2000's they were defunct. Group foster homes exist but they aren't called orphanages and they don't provide the same function.
This has become annoyingly relevant again. Why are people incapable of the five minutes of research it would take them to see that orphanages in the 1980's were a dead institution.
Also, in amusing news, even Ron doesn't think Ron and Hermione would last
www.themarysue.com/rupert-grint-ron-divorce/
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Post by Kitty279 on Feb 4, 2016 23:52:25 GMT -5
Maybe because no one even expects there is something to research? To be honest, I was a bit surprised when I heard for the first time there would be no orphnages any longer, too. Here the concept still exists (even if not all children are actual orphans), just the name has changed.
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Post by lottie8~ on Feb 5, 2016 4:50:48 GMT -5
Actually, I think most people assume they were still around because Aunt Marge talks about them in PoA - "It'd've been straight to an orphanage if it was me" (or something along those lines)
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Post by RandomPasserby on Feb 5, 2016 8:36:20 GMT -5
That I can understand because Marge and Vernon would have been born and brought up in the 50's/60's when there were orphanages.
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