Discussion Fan Fic Pet Peeves?

I recall reading in a TPM-era gaming sourcebook that Naboo society had a strong focus on the arts - so calligraphy would fit right in. And it makes sense that some artists would still use paper (and canvas) to some extent, even in a high tech society. (Artists still use plenty of outdated techniques here - I graduated college more than a decade ago, majoring in graphic design, yet I still had a unit on woodblock printing, of all things - why should the GFFA be any different?) Maybe they even have some formal documents - I'm thinking diplomas and the like - that use some sort of paper. A form of heavyweight flimsiplast that's meant to be long-lasting?

I don't expect such things are common, but I doubt they're completely nonexistent. Plus there probably still some low-tech societies that make and use paper - Ewoks, perhaps? They certainly have the raw materials.

 

It's no different than talking to people in different countries with different time zones. It just takes knowing different time zones and GMT. Most cell phones have a world clock or there are plenty of sources on the internet. If someone is in Asia and speaking to someone in the US, they have to deal with the International Date Line issue as well. It maybe confusing at first, but.... it's not impossible. It's just like bulls-eyeing womprats back home.

 

Off topic rant of the really, really minor variety: When all the good Darth names are taken, what's left? For some reason I finally decided to try writing a Darth character, and I can't come up with a good name. I used to have one, "Darth Vorago", that I created for the "Name That Darth" contest for Jacen, but a Google check indicates someone else has that for a username. I absolutely cannot use a name that someone else has, so that name is right out. I only have two possibilities at this point, but they...suuuuucccccck.

Now I know why I never wrote Dark Side characters unless they didn't require a name.

 

My new pet peeve. A newbie fanfic writer posts a story. After a few days of no reviews a brand new newbie shows up with a similar name of the author and writes the most amazing review saying this is the best story ever and the reader has no clue why others are not writing reviews for such an outstanding story.

I guess it could be a coincidence.

 

I understand this completely.

Isn't there a Star Wars name generator around or two?

 

I tried a name generator, but most of the suggestions were even worse than the names I came up with.

Ah well, I should just use one of the crap names. Doesn't matter, right? I write crap, so I should expect crap. Ha!

 

Ah, that does not sit right with me. I have faith that the perfect name will arise! Right before sleeping is the neatest time for such things ...

 

How about Darth Culus, Darth Sinistram, Darth Laeviculus or Darth Foetidus?

 

I don't think there is going to be a perfect name for me. I just have to accept imperfect. So that leaves either Darth Abyzou (name of a demon), Darth Samyaza (name of a fallen angel)...or the worst of the lot, Darth Lamentum. It's the awful trio of Darth names. Oh well.

 

leiamoody

I took the word 'atrocity' and altered it until I had a cool looking Sithy sounding name.


Don't know about any of you guys but right now I am so mad with my computer. It has shut off on me unexpectantly twice in just as many days (or was it twice in once day?). I was in the middle of a fic and was happy with what I had and playing SW:TOR when my screen just goes blank and the lights are off. So I turn it back on and the great words I wrote is gone and I was in the middle of a fight!

When that happens I feel like Blackbird from Angry Birds.

But yeah when an author is like 'hey, this is a great fic! Review!' I am like 'this is yawn worthy or I am not reviewing for other reasons.' I will admit that I can be like that mentally. I feel sad that I put so much work in something and so many are reading but not saying anything.

 

I feel that at times. I find myself treating writing like work - and it is, when working for elance, or doing business over the internet - but most of the time, it's more fun than anything else. Even researching stuff like Mando history is fun, maybe because there were never any Mandos, ha! *ducks thrown shoes*

Yes, my laptop today got the dim screen of doom before going out and I hurried to save before the thing went out. I think we had a power outage. If yours just went to black, I wonder what it could be?

 

Don't know pronker

When it just dies I've been playing SW:TOR so I'm not sure if there were any warning signs that it was going to go. It couldn't have been one of those automatic update things since it didn't do an update thing on booting back up.

If it happens again I'm going to consider getting it looked at. But this will be the last time I'm getting a custom made laptop. I've had one too many smaller annoyances with it.

 

Urk. Good luck with that. For gaming at least, the laptop would need to be especially big and dependable, or else something awful would happen in the U of the game, I should think. Loss of continuity, maybe.

 

My desktop did that - froze up and would NOT restart - lost EVERYTHING, including Word. Thank god FF.Net has every story that was on it. Still mentally recovering from the idea that I'm 'wordless' until I can get it fixed.

First the car, then the computer, and now me... I need a few parts replaced as I keep 'crashing' midday - fir the first time in months, I willingly had a couple hotdogs for dinner and I really think the second one was a mistake...

 

Actually I think my old laptop is able to run better in some areas then the new one. Maybe I should start a search for a new laptop.

One more thing to save up for. Going to visit my friend Bryg in California in September or October. Once we settle on the time I can get my ticket.

I think I could hear you screaming "no!" from here DarthBreezy

I used to back my fics up on a pen drive but that got annoying after a bit so I stopped. Didn't help that one of them broke so I didn't a lot to work with for a while.

 

I decided to give up on the Darth idea and just make my character some kind of Dark Side acolyte or something that went rogue. Not every [bleeping] character has to be a [bleeping] Darth, right?

Still it's frustrating having to give up on an idea...okay, there's another fan fic peeve: when the idea or character you've worked on doesn't want to cooperate, so you have to come up with something else. All that work either gets recycled, watered down, or thrown out.

 

Yeah -- the finished product *to use the work metaphor* is like version 45.96.

 

I had something like that happen. It was the videocard. Eventually it burned the motherboard which meant the computer was totally fried. My fiance is a computer guy, so he replaced the motherboard, updated BIOS and a year later, same thing. I had to get a new laptop and I made sure I got a kickass video card in it. Considering you are running SW:TOR and doing other things, it's a reasonable cause. Back up somewhere somehow because it will not end well if this is indeed the cause.

 

Or, they claim to be a twin sibling or cousin or friend...

 

If this was already said sorry but when the author has conversations with characters before the chapter starts and when it ends. I admit that it is amusing on some levels but there are only so many times I want to read how "Voldy" and "Palpypie" get beat up, killed or banished places by Vader, Anakin Skywalker, Harry Potter with help from Snape and Luke at times.

 

I have never encountered that type of thing, so I don't really know what it is. My guess is that the author inserts a brief script of themselves chatting up the characters, the context of which has absolutely no relation to the story in any way, shape, or form. If that's what's going on... I would hate it, too.

 

That sums it up TrakNar

 

Now I want to know the reasoning behind having this side conversation. It detracts from the work. Sure, have a little script at the end of a story, but before and after each chapter?

 

Perhaps the authors find it amusing or think others will? Idk, I think I would have to be pretty drunk to get to that point myself.

 

I did, once upon a time. But I got out of that particular habit by now. Not quite sure what I was thinking