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j_mercuryuk
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Post RE: Things that BUG me about fan fiction...
on: June 30, 2005 02:44
There are some general plotlines that are common, but they way they are done and the more deltaileed plot is indivaul.
e.g legolas (and aragorn) getting captured is common, but the details and the ideas behind the plot are differnt to others (well in the good ones)
Sorry if that didn't really answer the question, but what I'm trying to say is as long as the idea, the way it's gone about or the details are differnt it dosen't matter so much.

But then all the girl-falls-into-ME stories seem the same to me.
DaughterofNimrodel
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Post RE: Things that BUG me about fan fiction...
on: June 30, 2005 08:57
Well, similiar plotlines are going to occur in any type of writing. I mean if you read fantasy books, you come across alot that are very similiar. Romance novels, not that I read them, but they all seem very much the same to me. It's all in how you present it.
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j_mercuryuk
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Post RE: Things that BUG me about fan fiction...
on: June 30, 2005 09:44
Exactly, there are so many fanfics and so few storylines in comparison.
arwen_the_evenstar
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Post RE: Things that BUG me about fan fiction...
on: July 09, 2005 05:58
I dunno exactly how to put this but the thing that annoys me the most is when:

1) Mary Sues! I admit I probably unwillingly have written a Mary Sue into one of my stories but hey, everyone makes mistakes!

2) Battles for no reason! It is amazing how many stories I come across where there is just a random battle for no reason.

3) How do I put this? Hmmm....well it annoys me when people write a romantic story in which all the main charries can do is...umm... how can I say this: well they can't seem to stop in the bedroom. Do you get what I mean? :blush:
God that was embarassing. Sometimes I read romantic fics but I don't like to read that type of thing at all! It kinda annoys me when they have those type of scenes which are just put into the story for the sake of putting them into the story. They don't really do much as far as the plot is concerned. I don't know whether you've come across this before or not?

4) Well as for common plotlines I would say: Common girl meets royal pretty elf. Elf falls in love with girl. Girl falls in love with elf. They get married and live happily ever after! By pretty elf I mean Legolas. I see that a lot of the time! ^.^

Well there's my input see ya for now!

Namarie,
~Arwen
Meltintalle
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Post RE: Things that BUG me about fan fiction...
on: July 09, 2005 06:19
Personally, I have the most trouble with "Samspeak" - he has a very distinctive way of speaking and using idioms (Yorkshire? I'm not British, so I'm not sure). It's tough trying to think of something beyond: "beggin' your pardon, Mr. Frodo".


I don't know how helpful this will be, but James Herriot, the Yorkshire vet, does do local dialect in his books. You could read those and see if any of that sounds similar to 'Samspeak" and it might help.

And an idea that came to me ever so much later.
LinweSingollo
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Post RE: Things that BUG me about fan fiction...
on: July 09, 2005 06:30
I don't know how helpful this will be, but James Herriot, the Yorkshire vet, does do local dialect in his books. You could read those and see if any of that sounds similar to 'Samspeak" and it might help.

And an idea that came to me ever so much later.

You know, Meltintalle,I've just finished reading through James Herriot's books and I noticed a strong similarity between the local dialect and the way Sam talks in LOTR.
"To the Hobbits. May they outlast the Sarumans and see spring again in the trees." J.R.R. Tolkien
Meltintalle
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Post RE: Things that BUG me about fan fiction...
on: July 10, 2005 10:16
You know, Meltintalle,I've just finished reading through James Herriot's books and I noticed a strong similarity between the local dialect and the way Sam talks in LOTR


Funny!

But at least I know now it's not just my twisted mind seeing LotR wherever I look. :rolling:

[Edited on 10/7/2005 by Meltintalle]
j_mercuryuk
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Post RE: Things that BUG me about fan fiction...
on: July 11, 2005 07:31
I think the main problem is that differnt people dislike differnt things, so where many people agree that alot of fanifc have problems with them, they can't agree which fics these areand what's wrong with them. One thing that really bugs me about readers is that some don't understand that judt because they don't like it or dont't like the theme, doesn't make it a poor fic. I disscovered this while looking at archieves dedicated to bringing good fics together.
DaughterofNimrodel
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Post RE: Things that BUG me about fan fiction...
on: July 11, 2005 04:12
Exactly! I mean, it's like I don't like slash, but that doesn't mean the stories are badly written, it's the same thing with the whole Mary sue issue. I mean in the end there is no story that everyone is going to like.

K, that said another thing that really irritates me is when a character is villianized so that that character's canon romantic interest can end up with someone else. If you want a character to be involved with someone else , fine, but you don't have to make the canon love interest into a bad guy/girl.
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Mistalagan
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Post RE: Things that BUG me about fan fiction...
on: July 11, 2005 06:58
I don't like Mary-Sues, (or authors that swear they aren't but they in fact are) but I don't like fanfiction that makes fun of them either. It's almost like flaming in a less personal way.
pv
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Post RE: Things that BUG me about fan fiction...
on: July 11, 2005 10:20
I don't like Mary-Sues, (or authors that swear they aren't but they in fact are) but I don't like fanfiction that makes fun of them either. It's almost like flaming in a less personal way.


Well I'm writing a fan fiction right now ("Haldir of L'Oreal") that has a character called "Mary Sue" in it and I apologise if that's given offence to anyone! But my intention in writing that was to generally poke a bit of good humoured fun at people in love, not to make fun of people who write stories with Mary Sues in them.
http://monstersandcritics.wordpress.com/
j_mercuryuk
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Post RE: Things that BUG me about fan fiction...
on: July 11, 2005 11:00
I'm writing a spoof fanfic at the moment, where our (me and my bro) intention is to poke fun at everything in fanfic. I still have a lot of respect for people writing fanfics and I don't do it to offend or to tell not to write someting, it done (like with pv) for humour. I even plan to take the. . .mick out of some stuff in my serious fic.
TwoDiffSocks
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Post RE: Things that BUG me about fan fiction...
on: June 07, 2006 07:00
Hi Ya'll,
I wanted to put in my .02 cents in.

As a fic writer, I enjoyed reading this post so I could make sure my stories didnt have the usual irritations for the readers. I personally don't have any problems with slash, het or Mpreg storylines.

What I do want to know, is WHY dont ya'll give the authour's feedback and WHY not offer your services as beta readers & beta audiences{on various sites}?

I've personally posted for help and got 2 people who help but it isn't enough since various people will point out different things when beta-ing a storyline. It's hard sometimes to know when ya'll have crossed over into: Mary-Sue/Marty Stu, Out of Tolkien format, Bad Taste, Are You Out Of Your Mind Land etc without help. So why not volunteer your wonderful brains to the world of online writers out there?

*smiles*

I could use some beta readers, beta audience & some one who ISN'T afraid to discuss story ideas for hours on end.

Hopefully, this will work for everyone. Let's hear some great responses.

Socks

[Edited on 7/6/2006 by TwoDiffSocks]
LinweSingollo
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Post RE: Things that BUG me about fan fiction...
on: June 07, 2006 01:12
I've thought about offering beta help, Socks, but I'm afraid I'd be pretty ruthless. :evil: I support and encourage people's efforts at writing and don't want to crush anyone's dreams, but my patience with bad, clichéd, Are You Out of Your Mind writing is virtually nil. The writers' would need to have the intestinal fortitude for my merciless red pen.:evil:
"To the Hobbits. May they outlast the Sarumans and see spring again in the trees." J.R.R. Tolkien
TwoDiffSocks
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Post RE: Things that BUG me about fan fiction...
on: June 07, 2006 01:16
Hi Ya'll,

I'm a brave & insane enough writer. if ya'll are up to it LinweSingollo and any others.....email or pm me

Choices--with or without slash, LOTR or Andromeda
:evil:

[Edited on 7/6/2006 by TwoDiffSocks]
Rebecca_C
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Post RE: Things that BUG me about fan fiction...
on: June 09, 2006 09:13
That's true, socks! The insane bit, of course.

I don't mean that really :hug:

I could use beta readers as well. I've tried the tread, but not much luck there... I'd just really appreciate more opinions.
TwoDiffSocks
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Post RE: Things that BUG me about fan fiction...
on: June 09, 2006 09:17
Hi Ya'll,

Rebecca C is there is anything ya'll want me to beta read---i'd be happy to do so. Refresh my memory--havent we beta read for each other?
Rebecca_C
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Post RE: Things that BUG me about fan fiction...
on: June 10, 2006 07:36
Yes, but I never heard what you thought of my fic. I remember yours though!
TwoDiffSocks
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Post RE: Things that BUG me about fan fiction...
on: June 11, 2006 04:04
Hi Rebecca_C,

since its my fault i didnt leave any comments--send me your fics (whole with slash if ya'll write that) and i will be your beta reader.

I apologize for my mistake--

Socks

[email protected]
Rebecca_C
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Post RE: Things that BUG me about fan fiction...
on: June 11, 2006 07:39
Thank you!
LadyBrooke
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Post RE: Things that BUG me about fan fiction...
on: August 01, 2006 06:58
I agree with whoever said that if you are going to have a person who already has a relationship in the books fall in love with somebody else besides the person they're in love with in the books you shouldn't make one of the person from the canon couple into the evil villain. Make it believable. If you're having Aragorn fall in love with somebody else find another way to get Arwen out of the picture, same with Faramir, Elrond, Galadriel, etc.

If it's a guy falling in love with another person find a way to get the girl out of the picture realistically. Have her die in childbirth which happened to a lot of women until about 100 to 200 years ago.

If you have to get somebody from Rohan out of the picture have there horse be startled and throw them off.

Soldiers can be killed in battle, a reopened old wound, or a wound being infected.

Elves can fade, sail, or just grow bored with each other. If you write it well it is believable. I mean some people can write it so you believe that after a thousand years married you might want something else.

Half-elves can choose to be mortal and be killed before they even reach there lover *hint to anybody wanting to get Arwen out of the way*

Cultural differences can drive people apart. People raised in Gondor will have different views than somebody from Rohan. A relationship between a Sindar or Silvan elf and a Noldo elf can fail because of history, different interests (metal working and materialistic things as opposed to living things and nature), or resentment over the classification of a dark elf.

The best advice i can give to anybody writing a failed romance is to study how people break up and fall in love again in the real world.

Sorry i couldn't find the original quote but I started writing this after midnight and I've been up since 9 in the morning. I hope this hasn't offended anybody and i didn't mean it as a flame which some people might think it is. I just read a lot (basically anything books, newspapers, fan fiction, whatever I can get my hands on) and I've wrote a little myself (nothing on the web yet.) I just hate it when I find a story were Arwen, Aragorn, Faramir, Ewoyn, etc. is turned into a evil villian out for somebody's blood. :banghead:
LadyBrooke
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Post RE: Things that BUG me about fan fiction...
on: March 07, 2007 03:06
I have a tendency to stumble upon long forgotten threads, don't I?

Anyways another thing that annoys me is how many people write Thraundial (sp?); if you are going to make him evil you need to state in the summary that he is OOC and evil. In the books there is no evidence that he a child abuser who sits on his throne all day lauging about his evil plan or how he beat up Legolas.

And Celeborn- I will be the first person to say that there was something wrong in the theartrical cut of the movie. He looks and talks like he's stoned. But in the books he really seemed like the only main elf who was not obsessed with sea longing. I recommend that anybody who thought he was dull in the books go to http://www.ascy69.dsl.pipex.com/lotrfic/elfportraits.html scroll down until you to the black heading Some Interesting Articles and start reading.

Denethor - Yes he was still mean to Faramir in the books, but there we know he had one of the palantir and was using it. So many people don't use relize he did and just write him as a pyromatic lunatic who runs around beating Faramir until Faramir is near death - and that's when they're being nice. Of course this doesn't mean I don't read and like this type of stories. It only annoys when there is no OOC warning.
Michaela
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Post RE: Things that BUG me about fan fiction...
on: March 22, 2007 04:17
Number one is Hobbit slash. I'm not a slash reader anyway, but something about Hobbit slash is just deeply wrong to me. Sam/Frodo...ewww....it's not like THAT! And Merry/Pippin...my God, they're COUSINS, people!

OOC characters...especially when it's Eowyn or the hobbits

Sentence fragments, spelling errors, grammar errors...

Especially misspelled character names! Stuff like "Merri", "Pippen", "Legalos", "Gimili/Gimilee/Gimlee," "Aragon," "Borimir", "Gandlaf", "Souron/Saroun", "Eowen/Eyowen", "Farimir," "Denathor", "Thranduial"...

Really, really non-canon characters or events.

Mary Sues.

The Effeminate Legolas, The Super-Hunk Aragorn, The Abusive Denethor, The Evil Thranduil, The Gay Sam (*bristles with anger*) and all the other stock types.

Now, I don't write much fanfiction, but when I do, I try to take plausible scenarios...



[Edited on 23/3/2007 by Michaela]

[Edited on 15/4/2007 by Michaela]
LadyBrooke
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Post RE: Things that BUG me about fan fiction...
on: August 02, 2007 04:03
I have been looking for Harry Potter/ LotR Crossovers lately, and getting really annoyed at them. WHY DO YOU NEED TO BRING CHARACTER'S THROUGH TIME? Can I point out all of the elves who never left ME - Celeborn, Elladan, Elrohir, Thraundiul(sp?), all the nameless Avari, maybe Maglor. We don't know what happened to the blue wizards - have them show up. If there is no good reason that you have to have the fellowship there, than don't. And if you do to have them there, use something besides a timeturner. Or you can elves come back from over the sea - I'd love to see Feanor and all of his sons but Maglor, coming back to search for Maglor and winding up in the war against Voldemort.
I will admit my (yet to be published) crossover has a little timetravel, but none that doesn't have a credible reason, i.e., not just because like, OMG, isn't it cool to have Legolas and Aragorn here. I assure you, if you put enough thought into it, there are *gasp* other characters besides the Fellowship. So please pick somebody else.
QueenPotato36_0
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Post RE: Things that BUG me about fan fiction...
on: September 13, 2007 12:31
Here are mine:

1)Grammar errors.

2)Impossible plots.

3)Slash(but not only in LOTR,in everything.It's offensive to see Merry/Pippin or Frodo/Sam or Aragorn/Legolas.The same I think in non-LOTR characters (none of them supossed to be gay))

4)Our dear characters getting out of character(you have seen this many times)

5)Un-canon events.

P.S.:I don't care for Mary-Sues.Well,better Mary-Sues and Gary-Stus(male Mary-Sue,for girls) than slash.
QueenPotato36_0
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Post RE: Things that BUG me about fan fiction...
on: September 13, 2007 01:03
But I don't have a problem with homosexaulity,It just irks me that people(who aren't homosexual)likes to put 2 characters together(who aren't homosexual,either!) just because they think they're cute together or just to avoid a Mary-Sue.
Why don't they slash with their own OC characters or real homosexual characters(if such author of story they're doing fan fiction says that this such character is gay/lesbian,it's canon,stop going for the un-canon and turning such character who isn't homosexual into one of them!) in stories instead of Tolkien's,Rowling's,and more?
(I totally hate Glinda/Elphaba,from Wicked,and also Aragorn/Legolas,Frodo/Sam,Merry/Pippin,Obi-Wan/Anakin,Jack/Barbossa,Elizabeth/Tia(from pirates),Harry/Draco,.Hp
QueenPotato36_0
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Post RE: Things that BUG me about fan fiction...
on: September 13, 2007 01:08
Ah!And it also counts on fan art terms(deviantart,just type something and you'll see it,or just slash eeuurg :nono:
Galenfea
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Post RE: Things that BUG me about fan fiction...
on: January 13, 2010 11:04
Yay for digging up ancient threads because one wants to whine!

Warning: bitter ranting ahead.

I have to confess a hatred for generic summaries. What do I mean by that?
Aragorn and Legolas are captured by orcs.
A liking for LotR friendship and action/adventure fics has taught me that that isn't a summary, it's a genre.

Also, reviewers who don't read the fic before reviewing, and people who take being a canon Nazi to a new level. Sometimes this co-incides with Mary-Sue witchunting. I do not like Sues, I confess to hunting them and being a little oversensitive when I think a fic is heading in that direction, but honestly? Not all female OCs are Sues. No, not even if they're related to Legolas. Shock, a female OC can be married to a canon character and still not be a flaming Sue who should be burned. Legolas must have had a mother, after all. Just because Tolkien never mentioned her, that doesn't mean that she didn't exist. And so on with less obvious things (I'm looking at the person who told me in all seriousness that Legolas' line "Would you like me to find you a box?" ought to have been axed not because that exchange perpetuated treating Gimli as comic relief (which would have been a reasonable issue, even though I don't agree with it), but because they didn't have boxes in Middle-Earth. Also, at the person whose review I read (not on one of my fics) claiming that elves didn't have dogs.).

OK, rant over.

And cardboard-cutout personalities, especially those that contradict canon (Boromir as lecherous rapist, Gimli as token comic relief, Elrond as restrictive dad, Thranduil as psycho), but that point has been made.
--- All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.
Loslote
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Post RE: Things that BUG me about fan fiction...
on: January 14, 2010 08:31
And cardboard-cutout personalities, especially those that contradict canon (Boromir as lecherous rapist, Gimli as token comic relief, Elrond as restrictive dad, Thranduil as psycho), but that point has been made.


Yes, very nicely and humorously in your lovely fanfic. :cheers:
arvanion898
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Post RE: Things that BUG me about fan fiction...
on: March 06, 2010 01:28
...We need more complaining. So I'll put in my two cents.

I really hate it when people use the same HACKNEYED plot devices OVER and OVER and OVER again. Even though I've been reduced to that once in awhile, I never used them to the point of predictability! I'm talking about the fics which have a pattern. For example, let's say this example:

A.) The heroes are arguing. They do this all the time, because they're dysfunctional heroes, because after all, who likes heroes who are perfect? The cause of the argument was probably something stupid. Like who was going to fill in the latrine trench.
B.) Because they are arguing, they fall into a trap that they didn't notice [despite the keen sight of elves [unless of course they have peripheral vision problems]] because they were arguing too loudly and obviously not paying attention to the road. This trap usually takes the form of a net, or a pit, or both. Despite this pit being "perhaps ten feet deep", they come out of the the situation completely unhurt (perhaps winded) [and so do their horses].
C.) When all things look hopeless (i.e. leering orcs gathering around the sides of the pit with crossbows, orc grabbing the corner of the net and reaching for his butcher cleaver), they are saved by a group of elven scouts that happened to show up in the nick of time. The elves shoot all the orcs from hidden positions and whisk the heroes away to somewhere safe. They are generally not seen until the whisking is complete.
D.) However, the elves are either outcasts or highly xenophobic, forcing the hero to prove him/herself to them (usually by defeating the leader in fisticuffs). After an unnecessary long (and bloody?!?) fight, the hero wins, and the elves become quite friendly, giving some advice, et cetera. They show the heroes the way back to the path and vanish into the forest as if they had never been there.

Now, this could take a long time to cycle, but the endless "It's A Trap!" moments one finds in poorly written fanfics which are trying their utmost to be serious... well. It could be played up better in a humor fanfic, wherein the captain of the conveniently located elven scouts admits that he actually has a huge crush on the heroine, which is why he and his scouts are... in Fangorn.
Loslote
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Post RE: Things that BUG me about fan fiction...
on: March 11, 2010 04:14
Now, this could take a long time to cycle, but the endless "It's A Trap!" moments one finds in poorly written fanfics which are trying their utmost to be serious... well. It could be played up better in a humor fanfic, wherein the captain of the conveniently located elven scouts admits that he actually has a huge crush on the heroine, which is why he and his scouts are... in Fangorn.


Aha! A series of parodies of generic plot lines! I love the idea. I might do that - if no one else has first - over the summer.
arvanion898
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Post RE: Things that BUG me about fan fiction...
on: March 29, 2010 02:30
Perhaps we could collaborate.
Frodo~the~Second
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Post RE: Things that BUG me about fan fiction...
on: June 24, 2011 04:22
I am not trying to stir anything up; I'm only being honest:

1. Slash fics, M-preg, anything sexual, and Legolas love stories

2. When Frodo or any of the other characters have thoughts on suicide-------what the heck?

3. Character deaths---especially Hobbit-deaths

4. When the fic has great potential, but then something seems to go wrong...

5. When people use Diamond and Estella as Mary Sues----oh, come on...

6. When the fic seems great, but the author forgot to tell you what's going on and where everything is taking place

But no matter what, I always enjoy reading the fics.

~Frodo (the Second)
CrimsonCupcake
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Post RE: Things that BUG me about fan fiction...
on: June 29, 2011 11:55
May I complain too~ xD Though I'll probably mention what a lot of people have said already. Oh well, there's never too much complaining.

1. Sues. My god. I avoid pretty much all the OC stories because 90% of them are sues, even when the author says they're not sues (in which case they're more likely to be sues.)

1.5 Ridiculous, un-imaginative plots/names. Especially the 'girl falls into Middle Earth'. Save me now. (I should mention that I love reading parodies of Mary Sue fics xDDDD)

2. OOC-ness. I mean okay, I'll accept Thranduil chucking wine bottles at Legolas's head, but I'm not going any further.

3. Spelling. Grammar. AHHHHH. I stop at the 3rd spelling/grammar mistake I get to, even if it's in the summary/Author's note.

4. Random Japanese words. THIS ISN'T ANIME.

5. I remember reading a fic set in the...2nd age? where there was a character named Luthien. Elf. Not THE Luthien (or I wouldn't have minded). Oh lord. And no, I cannot stand anyone who says their character is prettier than Tinuviel.

6. This is more a personal pet-peeve thing (you're inclined to disagree, but please not on this thread) but the House of Feanor aren't evil! *stamps foot* Nor is Boromir! *cries*
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Post RE: Things that BUG me about fan fiction...
on: June 30, 2011 11:16
4. Random Japanese words. THIS ISN'T ANIME.


Good heavens, you've encountered this in Tolkien fanfiction? Luck must stand by me then, as I never have.
---------- Image "If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world." J.R.R. Tolkien - The Hobbit
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