At what point do YOU click the back button?

[Drake]

Just wondering what everyone's pet peeves are. This is more specifically ADMM but could, I suppose, apply to fanfic in general.

[tabbyminerva]

I stop when Min gets a disease because Minerva is my favourite character and it gets depressing when she has a serious illness

[beMMADfabulous]

Ah, good question, Sir Francis Drake's Heir!

I can see where I'd immediately hit the "Back" button on a lot of these, but I must admit that the thing that REALLY makes me change my mind about reading is when I see there are a million chapters. That is, of course, unless if the "millions" of chapters turn out to immediately strike me as being a great story, which they so rarely ever do.

[Drake]

Testicles in fanfic are my pet peeve.


No one wants to hear about it, okay? Okay.

[littlemorgsi]

I said awful grammar, but almost as high on my pet hate list are fics which are too angsty. In fact, the only reason why angst doesn't rate as high, is that if the grammar is really bad, I can't concentrate on the story enough to even come close to figuring out its plot, genre etc. It's worse again when the author doesn't even use basic punctuation like starting sentences with capitals and ending them with - for the most part - full stops. If that happens, I won't even read past the first line. Actually, there are authors whose stories I won't even open because I have seen too many stories by them that desperately need a spelling and grammar check. Occasional errors are fine, but if the author is to lazy to put any effort into writing the story, why should I bother to read it?

[EloquentPhoenix]

I can't choose, many of them would make me click back...

[McGonagallsGirl]

When the grammar is wonky.

Most specifically, when it's clear the author

*didn't send it to a beta
*didn't beta it themself
*didn't bother to re-read it once before posting it (not even once!)
*didn't run a spell-check of any sort
*and it itsn't immediatly clear that the author has ever even seen the English language.

Those exist.

And rarely do I stick around long enough to give them concrit because.... Where would I even start?

I'm a great lover of the English Language, it grinds me to pieces when people can't properly master 'to' 'too' and 'two', 'accept' and 'except', and (swear i've seen it!) 'Which' and 'Witch'.

Wow...this was wonderful. Now that I've ranted, I feel quite better.

Thanks, Sir Francis Drake's Heir!

[MinnieQuill]

I tend to get annoyed with fics that have exactly the same plotline that I've read before.

However, I would have chosen most of the choices. Bad grammar just pisses me off; I'm not saying I'm perfect, but some people are ridiculous. As do fics where they have children; I don't care about them so I hit the back button. Especially with 'Athena', 'Apollo' etc. They were good when they were first used, but are now tedious. And last, but not least, OOC'ness. Minerva will not really say 'OMG, let's go shopping!' etc. etc.

This was a truly great poll; a fantastic place to rant. Thank you!

[StormAngel]

hmm.. I would get pissed when the author has really bad grammar. I'm not perfect, but when I just can't make through one paragraph without thinking of how horrible the grammar is, I would close the window. As well as stupid plotlines that just don't make any sense.

[mmadcrazyfan]

I really really dislike it when both characters or the entire plot line just does not click with cannon.

I'm usually tolerant with that to a point, so it has to be "OOC like woah!" for me to click that back button.

[pinnacle]

At first glance, weird spacing makes me go back.

At second glance, unique grammar and spelling make me go back.

At third glance, if the characters are even a little bit out of character (or whatever I prefer of their characters) and it's not crackfic, I go back.

[mmadforever]

sometimes if i see it is like 20 chap. long then i get sick of it and when i dont understand the plot then i dont read it

[Blue]

I chose if ADMM are married or have children because GAH! although if it is a short story I may still read it. I detest fics that have poor grammar, although if english is not the author's first language or other problem I'll still read it, because hell at least they tried. But good grammar makes me happy =) I don't particularly like insanely long fics either, not because they're not any good, but because I tend to get bored after a while
I don't mind if an author tinkers with canon to suit their purposes, although I do prefer fics where it seems the author has at least read the books. Hell, even seen the films would be ok.
Bad sex is an absolute no no. The sex has to be...maybe realistic isn't the right word but it has to be ok. And testicles are fine in my book =)
I also hate plot cliches. I love fics to be different, so you don't get the feeling of....oh....didn't see that one coming *yawn*

[mmadlyinlove]

I picked other only because for me it's a combination of way out of character and the wonky grammer. A little bit of long fics gets to me too but that's a personal problem of me. I am way too ADD for long fics, so it has nothing to do with the author, but when a fic reaches a certain point, and I haven't even started the fic, then I get bored very easily, despite chapter lengths. So really there's a few things that would make me hit the back button, though I try and give the author a chance. ~mmadlyinlove~

[RonnieLee]

I chose the OOC option, but I also can't stand fics where they go on vacation (at least to places like Hawaii, or other places with tropical climates). If Albus and Minerva went on vacation, they would go to somewhere more sophisticated and less cliche. I also couldn't see either one of them being especially eager to wear a bathing suit.

I also almost voted for the shopping option, as well, but that goes with the OOC choice. Minerva's friends are most likely her colleagues, since they spend so much time together. Could you really see tomboy Hooch or sometimes-grubby, plant-obsessed Sprout bursting out with, "OMG, Minnie, we should totally go shopping!" And since when is Minerva such a pushover that she would allow anyone to cajole her into going on an unwelcome and completely frivolous shopping expedition?

[Drake]

blue said:

I chose if ADMM are married or have children because GAH! although if it is a short story I may still read it. I detest fics that have poor grammar, although if english is not the author's first language or other problem I'll still read it, because hell at least they tried. But good grammar makes me happy =) I don't particularly like insanely long fics either, not because they're not any good, but because I tend to get bored after a while
I don't mind if an author tinkers with canon to suit their purposes, although I do prefer fics where it seems the author has at least read the books. Hell, even seen the films would be ok.
Bad sex is an absolute no no. The sex has to be...maybe realistic isn't the right word but it has to be ok. And testicles are fine in my book =)
I also hate plot cliches. I love fics to be different, so you don't get the feeling of....oh....didn't see that one coming *yawn*

Testicles I don't mind when they're being silly or not awkward. But normally, as soon as they mention the bullocks (I like the Sex Pistols and am hardcore lawls) it just gets awkward. I start to feel as if my grandmother were sitting behind me reading over my shoulder. I mean, not literally, but it's the same level of awkward.

Also when they use any kind of euphemism for penis.

[esoterica1693]

Bad spelling and/or grammar and/or poor spacing. Unless English isn't your first language, anything more than the occasional typo drives me NUTS and I will not read further. Run spell-check, run grammar-check, use a dictionary, and if you know that spelling and grammar aren't your strengths, find a beta. I read fanfic for relaxation and recreation, and ploughing through poorly-written stuff isn't relaxing at all, it's literally painful--like hearing chalk scraping on a blackboard. (I'm dating myself there, since many here have never seen or used a blackboard--what's a more contemporary image?)

If English is your second (or third or fourth!) language I'll have much more compassion, b/c I could never write in any other language.

I don't much care for fics where they have kids, and I strongly prefer stuff that is canon-compliant, at least up through most of HBP.

Euphemisms for "penis" and other body parts are another pet peeve--I'm with you on that one, SFD's Heir--but it's not enough to cause me to hit the "back" button.

[littlemorgsi]

I've thought of another thing, but it isn't normally something that happens just a little way in to a story. If I get to a point that is too angsty for me I turn back. I've got a chronic illness and I don't cope well with too much tension and angst, so I won't even bother to hang around and see if its resolved if its getting to me. Things like Harry been thrown in Azkaban are a big no with me. If its in the summary, I wont even open the story in the first place.

[MinervaMcGonagall]

Grammar!

I don't mind some grammar mistakes, but some fan fictions are ridiculous. I hate Fan Fics that use internet language such as u, sux, etc.

[Admiral Sun Wentai]

Kinky sex scenes ware not my type... Oh and don't forget the overrated names like "Athena" or "Apollo"... Plus the number of daughters or multiple births that they'll have, it's plain overkill!!!

[StormAngel]

hmm... Thinking of it, I don't really mind fics where they have sex in. Just make the sex realistic and believable. I kind of find it hard to believe that a 100+ year old wizard would be able to climb walls and what not. ;D

[iheartdinozzo]

yeah, um, they all irritate me, but my number one pet hate is Grammar and Spelling..... *grrr...* lol

[aptasi]

Excessive OOC, too long, or children (I'll buy them wanting them, but in my head it never happened.)

[tabbyphoenix]

Umm, this is difficult. Very difficult.

I chose OOC, because it really drives me nuts! Yes, Minerva going shopping is just ridiculous, somehow I just can't see her sprinting off to Diagon Alley for a sale at Gladrags, pshaw!

Number two would be "It gets too precious" because it gets really annoying when they keep hugging and cuddling each other all the time, and calling each other absurd nicknames like 'Popkin' and 'Sweetiepie'! Really! Then, of course, when the plot stops making sense.

Grammar and spelling mistakes are fine if some sort of plot actually exists, otherwise ... well, you know. Um, for most of the part, I do not like reading life-story fics, but since I'm writing one I can't really complain.

Children in the fics are fine, and so is twisting JK's actual version (well, we are doing that, aren't we ) but generally I prefer reading stories that stick to canon, it makes the fic a whole lot more believable.

Cheers!

[Katheryn Mae]

I really don't know but I said "Other" because I like reading long stories - as long as I can still see the plot. But I don't really mind OoC - that might've been second for me. Disease are close too ... but I guess that's life - even though it's sad when it's one of my favorite characters.