Perhaps it's a side effect of the increasing popularity of anime among teens in the past decade. Blushing is one of the main anime staples, along with stuff like sweatdrops, faceplants, nosebleeds, etc.

Or it might just be shitty writing.

 

Speaking of pet peeves, these.

So. much. these.

Especially when it isn't even an anime/manga fanfic.

 

Is sobbing and curling into a ball an anime thing too? I've wondered where the authors get it from.

 

Not that I've noticed. That's just a faggy emo thing that appeals to all the little scene kids.

 

People who can't formulate a spoken conversation between characters properly, eg:

"What the hell are you doing you motherfuckers?" Draco Malfoy quickly hid his Death Eater mask behind his back.

"Nothing Headmaster, nothing at all." Dumbledore narrowed his eyes at the response as his hand went to the .44 at his side.

 

It should be clarified that this, to some extent, depends on the persons complexion. If they are noticeably pale to begin with, blushing is more visible, and if they are more ruddy then going pale can be quite obvious.

It also works for interaction between characters who have known each other for quite a while. You might not notice someone you've just met blushing, but once you've been friends for a few years you generally do, just the same as you are more familiar with their body language and expressions.

So what really matters is who the interaction is between in fics. If its between say...Harry and Hermione, a 6th year fic, then they've known each other 5 years. Certainly long enough that if the author doesn't make mention of small facial expressions, body language and things like blushes they are doing it wrong. If however it is Harry and Fleur, in GoF, then there is no way that any of these things should be brought up.

The final thing to note is that its perfectly acceptable for an author to describe someone as feeling their own face heat up. Maybe not visible to anyone else, but its a good way to convey to the reader the sort of embarrassment being felt by the character.

 

The words, 'Dumbledore's manipulations'.

Oh, how I have come to loathe those words!

 

Did you just use the phrase "six-inch cock" as if it's really something to be proud of?

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Indeed.

 

I'm pretty sure that's kind of the point, and that you might be missing it. :facepalm

 

To be honest the majority of fics which mention Harry's cock size usually grossly overestimate what is natural/normal for a person to have, I think the most common description is probably "the size of his forearm" or a variation thereon. Its incredibly rare for him to be given 6 inches, apparently this is not large enough for the fangirls imaginations.

 

That's the way it generally is for all main character's in smut fics. Nobody wants to read about Harry flopping around with his three inch willy on top of some poor needy girl. They want that bitch to get railroaded like the Hogwarts Express.

 

Vlaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad!

But yeah, Harry having a 10-inch cock and being a master lover during his first time is :facepalm

It's wish fulfillment for both guys and girls (though I suspect those girls have never actually had sex, and thus have no idea that 10 inches is actually a bit too much for even experienced women to handle comfortably).

 

That's usually reserved for MaleVeela!Draco :fire

 

I can't pretend to have ever read MaleVeela!Draco outside of some crack fics, where there isn't any sex.

 

KILL IT WITH FIRE!

 

I've seen a shitload of them. My brain (and stomach) still have issues with that shit.

 

Not really, it was more of a number I pulled off the top of my head. Turns out, according to Wikipedia, that's actually close to the upper end of the average length range when erect. I genuinely did not know this, but then again, I'm not one for placing rulers around genetalia and verifying things firsthand.

But then agani, when talking about most fanboys... yeah, I may have misspoke a bit. Repace 'six-inch' with 'foot-long' and one might have a more accurate impression of fanboy scribbling.

 

[Rant]

Pet peeve: Overly-emotional characters and more sex than in Spartacus.

There is an absurd amount of fics that are based solely on sex and emotions. You've all read at least one before you picked up on the little (obvious) details that set them apart. The story usually begins at the Dursley's, with Harry lying in bed thinking about Sirius, who just died. He is sad, of course. But he starts thinking he has to change things. He has to be strong. Voldemort is Evil Knievel and must be killed.

Cool. So far it looks like an Indep!Harry fic, but instead of having him train or seek help or take things a little more seriously, Harry has a better idea: have sex. So obvious! Tonks is around the house all the time, even if she's invisible. So why not? In fact, he doesn't have to do anything, because Tonks, who is seven years older than him, is totally into scrawny jailbait, particularly those with no self-esteem dressed in rags.

Okay, she later discovers Harry's dick is about the size of Hagrid's thighs, but she doesn't know that at first.

As older women are prone to do after sex, Tonks falls in love with Harry, who feels just terrible, because after being abused so by the Dursleys, he just doesn't know what love is! Imagine that! But Tonks doesn't care. She can wait until Harry returns her feelings. Meanwhile, Harry is allowed to have sex with other women, because, honestly, how else can he understand what love is? Spending time with someone you like and are close to simply doesn't make any sense.

Enter Hermione and Ginny, who are suddenly hotter than mexican food (yes, I've read that comparison somewhere). Ginny is distraught about her ordeal with Tom's diary (no matter how much time passes) and Hermione has self-esteem issues because she's smart. Harry comforts them, and they find that "hidden" pain of Harry's, so they comfort him, too. And, obviously, friends comfort each other naked. In bed. With a pack of condoms on the bedside table. And Ron in the next room, feeling jealous, despite her sister being involved.

But nobody cares about Ron in these fics because he's insensitive, always thinking about sex, unlike most fifteen-year-olds. Harry isn't like Ron. Harry doesn't think about sex. Harry just has sex all the time. And his penis is bigger. And his cum tastes better than anyone elses.

Eventually Hermione and Ginny come to the same conclusion Tonks did: Harry is super hot and so totally boyfriend material, but he can't love them back. Not yet. So they tell him (and even help him) find other women so he can have more sex with his giant penis and one day, just maybe, he'll understand love.

And enter Bellatrix. Poor thing, she had been under Voldemort's mind control. Harry is angry at first, but when she explains how she escaped and what had been done to her, Harry, who is all-loving (even if he doesn't know it yet), immediately accepts her. As it turns out, he's Big Brother Black now, so as the Lord of the House, he gives her sanctuary and absolves her of her crimes. Bellatrix, with her couch-sized tits, thanks Harry the only way she can: falling in love with him (after crying, Harry comforting her while naked, and Bellatrix humping his streetpost-long dick).

You can probably see the pattern. Instead of using emotions and sex as spices, to be added for flavor and to make a story richer, they become the steak and salad, with minor things such as plot, development, theme, etc. often ignored and sometimes outright omitted.

/rant

 

I would read that if the smut was decent. >.>

On topic. Independent Harry. There are a few good ones, but where we see a teen struggling out onto his own and trying to win this war by telling himself to make a list and follow it...

It just falls apart in my eyes, I grew tired of reading the exact same premise over and over.

 

Well, yes, but then it's smut and shouldn't be masquerading as anything but PWP.