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Fic cliches that need to die.
Jan. 7th, 2011 07:22 pmIn numerical order so I can see how many are ticking me off this week:
1. Characters who are known for being able to read people--and I mean, READ PEOPLE--not recognizing the signs that they're in an abusive relationship. Someone who can read people--no matter how socially inept said person may be otherwise--isn't going to miss warning signs. Especially if said person is TRAINED to read people for a living.
2. Characters who are known to be wary about being in relationships aren't believable when they fall IN WUV and are immediately ready for big commitments like moving in, telling everyone they know they're boning, and doing kinky stuff in bed. I'm not saying said characters can't enjoy kink; I'm saying that to do it the SECOND TIME sex occurs is way, way out of the realm of possibility.
3. Characters who are known for being very closed off dropping disgustingly cute endearments everywhere. I'm not talking the occasional "babe" or "hon" or "sweetheart." I'm talking little nicknames--usually involving calling someone by the color of their eyes--that I'm supposed to believe said closed off character would use. It does not work. To quote 30 Rock:
JACK: "She and I are lovers."
LIZ: "Oooh. That word bums me out, unless it's between the words 'meat' and 'pizza.'"
Truer words, Liz Lemon. Truer words.
4. Anyone, ever, at any point, getting saved from mentioned abusive relationship and IMMEDIATELY falling into bed with said rescuer. And the relationship is, of course, the perfectest thing EVER. No. Just, no. I'm not saying you have to detail every psychological hurdle that needs to be jumped after an abusive relationship; I'm saying you need to understand that there will be PROBLEMS. And jumping directly into a follow-up relationship is BAD. I don't care how perfect they are for each other. Abusive relationships fuck you up.
5. Sappy love notes. "Light of my life" or "Perfection in my life" or anything else that would make most people vomit in annoyance.
6. 5'10" is not short. 5'10" is not "small" or "delicate" or "compact."
7. Stop describing people by eye color. "The green-eyed man looked at his companion," and so on. There are very few times someone's eye color matters, okay? Harry Potter, yes. Other characters? Not really.
8. Stop describing people by their professions. "The lawyer looked at his friend," and so on. I'm not saying there aren't times to reference by profession; I'm saying that most of the time, you're trying to keep things emotionally close, and taking a step back to a person's profession yanks the emotion right out of the story.
In related news, I've been reading a lot of sub-par fic this week because the fandom in question is huge but--quite honestly--not that good.
1. Characters who are known for being able to read people--and I mean, READ PEOPLE--not recognizing the signs that they're in an abusive relationship. Someone who can read people--no matter how socially inept said person may be otherwise--isn't going to miss warning signs. Especially if said person is TRAINED to read people for a living.
2. Characters who are known to be wary about being in relationships aren't believable when they fall IN WUV and are immediately ready for big commitments like moving in, telling everyone they know they're boning, and doing kinky stuff in bed. I'm not saying said characters can't enjoy kink; I'm saying that to do it the SECOND TIME sex occurs is way, way out of the realm of possibility.
3. Characters who are known for being very closed off dropping disgustingly cute endearments everywhere. I'm not talking the occasional "babe" or "hon" or "sweetheart." I'm talking little nicknames--usually involving calling someone by the color of their eyes--that I'm supposed to believe said closed off character would use. It does not work. To quote 30 Rock:
JACK: "She and I are lovers."
LIZ: "Oooh. That word bums me out, unless it's between the words 'meat' and 'pizza.'"
Truer words, Liz Lemon. Truer words.
4. Anyone, ever, at any point, getting saved from mentioned abusive relationship and IMMEDIATELY falling into bed with said rescuer. And the relationship is, of course, the perfectest thing EVER. No. Just, no. I'm not saying you have to detail every psychological hurdle that needs to be jumped after an abusive relationship; I'm saying you need to understand that there will be PROBLEMS. And jumping directly into a follow-up relationship is BAD. I don't care how perfect they are for each other. Abusive relationships fuck you up.
5. Sappy love notes. "Light of my life" or "Perfection in my life" or anything else that would make most people vomit in annoyance.
6. 5'10" is not short. 5'10" is not "small" or "delicate" or "compact."
7. Stop describing people by eye color. "The green-eyed man looked at his companion," and so on. There are very few times someone's eye color matters, okay? Harry Potter, yes. Other characters? Not really.
8. Stop describing people by their professions. "The lawyer looked at his friend," and so on. I'm not saying there aren't times to reference by profession; I'm saying that most of the time, you're trying to keep things emotionally close, and taking a step back to a person's profession yanks the emotion right out of the story.
In related news, I've been reading a lot of sub-par fic this week because the fandom in question is huge but--quite honestly--not that good.
