2026-09-20 08:12 UTC
Looking at fanfic just now, I've realised there are two things in summaries which are an instant "skip this fanfic":
1. MCU fanfic where the author does not know the difference between "rogue" and "rouge".
2. Harry Potter (crossover or AU) fic in which Harry is renamed to something exotic, such as "Hadrian", "Hardin", "Harina" etc. This is a sure sign of a canon!Sue. I don't object to renaming as such -- you need to rename if you're gender-changing, for example -- but choose something just as plain-and-boring as Harry, such as "Harriet".
Do y'all have instant-skip triggers for your fiction reading?
#Fiction #Fanfic #CanonSue #MarySue
Replies (1)
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@kerravonsen@mastodon.au 2026-09-20 08:20
Which brings me again to wondering... why do some writers feel that giving someone an exotic name makes the character "special"? (And why does the character have to be "special" anyway?) And all those other... appendages and attachments which are given to Mary-Sue characters, like purple hair and wings and royal descent... I mean, why? Or maybe I'm just baffled because I live in a mostly-classless society where one's parentage is completely irrelevant compared to one's own achievements? Maybe the authors think that being born an aristocrat really is Something Special? #MarySue #Fanfic #Fiction #Writing