Yeah, I find myself skimming the moment I see more than one line of italics.

 

Yeah, but when they happen every chapter, it's not ok. Might as well have just written a prequel.

I actually do this a lot. Italics are like warnings signs. I often (not just for italics, but also for huge useless info dumps) just hit page down and scan a few lines on each page until I find the story interesting again. Sometimes I have to read up a bit if I miss something important, but it's worth skipping over so many words that are, quite frankly, useless.

If I can skip half your chapter and not feel like I've missed much, or anything at all, it's bad

I tend to do it a lot in fics I have a general interest in the idea of, but the execution is really poor so I just skip to the good parts.

 

That's still fifty times less lazy and ham-handed than the "flashback tags" that seem to be in vogue, now.

*** Flashback ***
I was a lazy douche-bag.
*** End Flashback ***

It's almost painful, looking at something that ugly. It sticks out like a sore thumb... that's nailed to a sign which reads, "I'm either too lazy to care about integrating this memory more artfully into my story, or too lacking in the basic spark of imagination to realize there's a better way; in either case, I am to be pitied."

There are certain styles of story where I can see this being not just okay, but necessary.

Potterhouse Five?
Slaughterhouse Hogwarts?
I'm sure I'll come up with something...
And that some sneaky mofo will swipe one of those titles, now.

So it goes...

 

I'm sure it can be done well. It just isn't in my experience.

The tags are awful I agree. Every story I've read that I've really loved that could have used those tags, didn't.

I think I've said this before but the seamless transition from a flashback done in the first chapter of The Legacy told me that it was going to be good. I probably shouldn't get so excited over something so simple, but it was just executed so well in my opinion that when coming into contact with so much garbage every day I got really happy.

EDIT: Unrelated to that story, but I find it impressive when you start reading a scene not knowing it is a flashback or a dream, then slowly figure it out when things don't quite make sense. Of course, most authors kill this by adding tags or italicising an entire segment.

 

How misleading.

I don't mind "declared flashbacks". Sanderson uses them to good effect in The Way of Kings. But importantly, they're separate chapters, almost like interludes. Declared flashbacks jammed into the middle of another narrative are annoying.

 

Funny, since I found the story in your list of favourites Admittedly it had it's down moments, but very few stories are perfect all the way through. I guess I just enjoyed the writing style more than the story (which isn't/wasn't that bad either).

EDIT: It's also got one of the best written Dumbledores I've seen, almost no story can make his character good.

 

My favourites list is basically a "fics I have read" list. I use it to know when things update, no to display fics I like.

Objections to the fic here.

Your last comment brings me back on topic:

People who don't understand Dumbledore's character, and most particularly the specific mechanics of Harry's sacrifice in DH.

 

Yeah, that's probably almost everyone tbh, myself included. His character is very vague, all I can really say for sure is that he's an extremely intelligent wizard who seems to try his hardest to make everything work out for everyone.

Could be wrong though. I haven't truly analysed his canon character.

EDIT2: Scrapped what I said since it doesn't belong here and I don't want to derail again.

 

I'm sure this has been said before. But Hermione getting a girl-boner when she hears about a new library is beyond annoying.

 

People making a big deal about being ambidextrous. People use it as a sign of special genius, or undeveloped talent.

This extends into the outernet as well. If you ever meet anyone who claims to be ambidextrous, there is a 99% chance they are a cunt.

 

Lol, the thing that most people don't realise about being ambidextrous is that it refers to a potential ability, not actual ability. You still have to train the hand in fine control (learning to write does this most effectively). It just means that each hand has equal potential for that fine control.

Most ambidextrous people will still have a dominant hand, because they've trained that hand in writing. It's a rare person who takes the time to train both their hands in writing.

 

Yeah, one of my friends is functionally ambidextrous, and was right-handed, but now favours her left hand after breaking her right wrist and learning to write with her left.

 

That means she'll die sooner now right?

 

Yeah, that darn left hand is worse than cigarettes.

 

I don't know exactly why, but it bothers the hell out of me whenever I'm reading a fic, whatever its quality may be, and I come across mention of how Harry started to physically exercise. Getting up early in the morning and jogging around the Black Lake tends to be the most typical case exercise, from what I've read so far. That is, until Harry discovers the RoR and then has his own gym in there.

There's probably that cringe factor that makes me drop the fic in the same instant, no matter if the rest of fic is of some high quality writing. I simply can't stand to read about that kind of shit.

 

It's amazing how that EXACT sequence of events happens in a lot of fics.


Unrelated. I really hate Hermione's parents. Not because they're bad people, or irritating, but because they're so unimportant that they don't even have names in canon (afaik), yet in every HHr fic there is they become a major factor. Which then often leads to muggle technology and why it's so great.

Even without the technology though, I don't really...care, about Hermione's parents, they're unimportant and uninteresting to the magical world. I really don't want to spend half the story reading about them. Why even introduce them at all. I sense personal issues in the writers, since they're also always amazingly nice, supportive, and generally awesome.

 

I think most people do that to offset the Dursleys, what with how horrible they are. Maybe. Or they just want to go on about how 'awesome' muggles are or something.

 

What gets me with these Rocky training motifs is:

1) Distance running and maybe one or two sets of basic calisthenics done over the period of a few weeks is sufficient to make him buff. Because that totally works in real life. Yeah.

2) There's enough labor associated with maintaining a small, suburban garden to make one buff.

3) When confronted with a magical home gym (or going down to Dudders's basement gym), Harry automagically knows how to lift properly. Because that totally happens in real life.

4) He never injures himself, never over-trains, never messes his knees up running in bad shoes or lifting with bad form.

 

Sadly I suspect the latter...

Oh god, I'm having bad flashbacks to stories which have Harry working in the garden then taking his shirt off revealing his "rippling" muscles. If that isn't a blinking red light to get the hell out of a story I don't know what is.

Also as to most of your points, obviously the people writing that don't know what they're talking about. That or they just don't care because that sort of realism would kill off any good aspect to having it in their story.

Alternatively there's the he's magical excuse.

 

Hey folks, let's not forget nutrient potions. And by 'nutrient' I mean physically altering shit, so much that Harry sprouts up to 2m, gets buff, and suddenly girls are squeezing his biceps in the hallway.

Sadly, far too many times, in my search for decent fics, I encountered the whole shtick where the wizarding world gets bashed to hell and back for all the negative things in it, while the positive stuff gets ignored, while they do the reverse for the muggle world.