a little piece of gundam wing
pet peeves
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warning: this is me, letting off steam. these are things that bug me to tears and that I really should get over, already. ^_^ however, it's my site and I'm bored, so here it is. *grin* this is not meant to offend anyone and is purely my own opinion (unless noted). gomen nasai. I had to do it....

::. * .::
new peeve
21 feb 05

>> pairing preferences
"i don't care how much you adore 1x2. or 3x4. or 1xLMNOP (i'm sure that last pairing must exist somewhere *cough*), if you read someone's fic labeled 1x3 and the end pairing isn't to your liking, don't complain to me that i should have made Heero hook up with Duo and not Trowa. furthermore, don't tell me exactly where i could have made this mythical pairing work in the fic. want 1x2 or whatever other pairing? there's a million fics out there waiting to get read. it's a waste of your time and mine for you to complain that i wrote my fic 'wrong'>_< barring typos that Word magically misses, (crikey forbid) plot holes and the like, the fic started, progressed, and ended exactly as i'd intended. heck, by the time the fic was done and you eventually become interested in a different pairing, request that pairing. most authors are not adverse to writing fics on request. just don't rake an existing fic over the coals becuz the pairing in the end wasn't the pairing you wanted. this is why we have warnings. and labels. and a bunch of other things to 'protect' both author and writer. read them. heed them." (from the mouth of trowacko)

::. .::

site design
>> music
There really is no excuse. And if for some strange and demented reason you're going to put it on, make sure that visitors can turn it off. Nothing makes me leave a site quicker than music I can't turn off. *shiver*

>> odd link colours
Just cuz you can pick any colour you want doesn't mean that you should. I swear, some of the colour combos I've seen have been enough to induce epileptic fits.

>> unfathomable link names
If you have an archive, call it that. No need to dub it "the vault" or "the library". And there's no call whatsoever to christen it "the sun nook". This holds true for all your links. If I can't tell what it is, why would I want to go there? If you want to come up with precious names for all the pages on your site -_- , go ahead -- just be sure to put an explanation somewhere nearby...

>> enough with the star fields, already
Gundam Wing. Set in outer space. Yah, I know. Get over it.

>> dark blue (or red) text on a black background
You'd be surprised how often I come across this (I know I was). I mean, come on -- I want to read the fics, not go blind...

>> centering everything
This works just fine on intro pages and whatnot (I use it, myself, on some of my author pages), but don't center your fics. That's just plain silly. Talk about making something hard to read... >_<

>> frames
Personally, I can't stand them. I will admit, however, that they certainly are handy when they're done well. Take GWA, for example. But if you've got more than two frames up, you'd better watch it. Things can get very confusing fairly quickly...

>> lack of links
If a fic has multiple parts, be a good little html-er and link them to one another. Nothing is more obnoxious than having to go back to the main fic page just to get to the next part of a fic...

>> the mystery webmistress/master
Put your name somewhere on the page. Seems pretty obvious, huh, but you'd be surprised to know how many sites out there miss out on this little essential. I know it makes it all nice and cozy when you refer to yourself as "I" all the time and your fics as "mine", but unless I know you personally, I have no idea who you are. I have spent waaaay too much time on sites just looking to see who in the hell has put it all together. I mean, geez -- if you're proud and you know it, say your name!!

>> java -- it's not just for breakfast anymore...
Java, java, java... kind of a double edged sword, at best. Sure, it can create some cool as hell effects, but have you ever heard the expression that there can be too much of a good thing? Besides the fact that Java script can take forever to load, it's just plain overkill seven times out of ten. And if the mood ever strikes you to make a cute little java script tail to follow the cursor around on your site... get someone to smack some sense into you, ok?, cuz those things are unspeakably odious. >_< *dacia and suzume make hex signs to ward off the evil of cursors with tails*

>> the hidden link
Yes, I know you have a 'vision'. And I'm sure it's very pretty. After all, links that you can actually see are so much less important than that luscious background image and its coordinating colour scheme. I am so in awe of the magnificence of it all that I don't even need to get to the rest of your site -- the splash page is enough. *pause* Yah, right! C'mon now, folks. Eye candy is a good thing. I applaud your taste in picking out that fine instance of loveliness. But when it comes down to it, I just want to get into your site, not have to seek all over creation to find how on earth I can actually do that. So when you're designing your page, keep a few things in mind:
#1 --> Not everyone has a monitor the size of yours. Creating a splash page for a huge screen simply means that those of us with smaller screens will figure they have better places to be.
#2 --> Put a child of, say, 5 or 6 years of age in front of your splash page. If they can't figure out how to get in, you're just being too complex. Site naviagtion should not be equivalent to a game of hide & seek.
#3 --> This in no way means I am exhorting you to my degree of straightforward design. I know for a fact that there are of those of you who think my site is rather... plain. All I ask is that you make the navigation of your site as easy on the mind as your splash page is easy on the eyes.

>> itty bitty fonts...
...can look really cool. I will not deny this. However, having to then read those itty bitty fonts for any length of time sort of blows that whole 'cool-ness' factor pretty darn quickly. As Mookie says, "if I need the Hubble Telescope to read it, I think my eyes will cave into my skull from the effort."

fic writing
>> stereotypes
These would be, in no particular order, the "Justice/Injustice Ranting" Wufei, the "Perfect Soldier" Heero, the "Hyper For No Discernible Reason" Duo, the "Heero Obsessed" Relena, the "Non-entity" Trowa, and the "Space Heart" Quatre. How more puerile can you get than sinking to such shallow representations? Aiga. *shakes head* Unless you're writing a parody/humour fic, there really is no excuse...
Silver Angel: "Please! Before you write a fic, take a step back from any of your personal preferences, and gaze upon the character you are bringing to life without prejudices. In the eyes of the reader, if only for a short time, these characters do become real, so don't forget that there might be parts to their personalities you never thought of. Too often have I seen fics, of any genre, where an author only mentions a character out of necessity, and then only using a stereotype to do so (i.e. Wufei: Injustice Maxwell! Duo: Come Wu-man! It was only pink hair dye! ). Yes, these characters do have there own personalities, but just because you don't care for them, doesn't give you the excuse to write them off and dismiss them in such a one-dimensional manner. Take the time to examine their motivations, and who knows? You might just end up liking someone you previously didn't care for!"

>> misspellings
This one seemed so obvious that I really didn't think there was a need to mention it, though it was brought to my attention more than once that it should be up here. ^_^ Lately, however, this spelling thing has really gotten on my nerves. I mean, what's the deal? Dictionary too heavy for ya? Spell-check button too hard to find? Are you beta-less in a veritable sea full of beta-s? I've come to the, yes, somewhat haughty decision that, unless you're ESL (in which case you have me in awe at even attempting to learn English...), there really is no excuse. Ecstasy is not spelled with an 'x', erection does not have two 'r's, and, for christ's sake, conceited is not spelled 'conceded'. *dacia throws her hands up in despair*

>> multi-part fics
Another double edged sword. Sure, multi-part fics are a good thing -- there's no denying it -- but I have a favour to ask, if you don't mind: if you've got a multi-parter to post and it's finished, please don't take weeks and weeks to get it out. If you want to wait a bit between postings, that's all well and good -- a part per day is a good compromise -- but don't put it off forever. Some of us *ahem* just might lose interest... This goes double for those of you who insist on posting parts as you write them. There are some very reliable authors out there who I know will never leave me hanging, but my in-box is stuffed with truly promising fics that I have a sneaky suspicion will never be completed... >_<

>> sing... sing a song...
There are days when I can't hear a song without thinking how it pertains to gw. It gets to the point where I only listen to my foreign music just so I can't understand the words. Everything seems to go so well with Duo. Or Heero. Or their relationship. Or lack thereof. ^_~ So I understand the need to write song fics. Mind you, that doesn't mean that I'll always appreciate them. So many times they're so blatantly obvious. A man in the song gets out of bed... a gw character gets out of bed. The man stares into the mirror, contemplating his lack of love... a gw character stares into the mirror, etc, etc. Why not just just post the song alone and be done with it? And if you ever love a song so much that you feel an intense desire to include the whole thing in a fic just for the hell of it, like at a dance or on the car radio, and it has nothing whatsoever to do with the fic, please, please, please do us all a favour and restrain yourself. *grimace*
Ryojiin: "Another thing that is really annoying is when people make songfics, but never tell you the name of the song, or even who it's by. Songfics are all well and good, I do plenty of them myself, but who wants to read a fic where they have no idea who did the song for it? The song can add more feeling and emotion to the fic and if no one knows who it's by, that meaning is lost and then it is just a waste of type and time."

>> dr. giggles
Have you ever heard anyone giggle? Anyone who was over, say, 10 years old? Then, perchance, you realized how incredibly moronic they sounded whilst doing so. It's a fact -- anyone over the age of 12 or so who is not mentally incapacitated looks like a complete idiot giggling. If you're writing a parody, hey, more power to ya. Have yourself a regular giggle fest. In any other case, just remember that these are Gundam Pilots (note capitals... heh... ) -- teenagers who are more like adults than children. They are desperate soldiers in a diabolical war. They kill and maim on a regular basis, and have felt more pain than anyone ever should. They do not giggle.

... Unless they're inebriated, in which case it's kind of cute. ^_~

[ note: arith wrote a bif of fic for me on this topic. *snort* *chuckle* *guffaw* and, yes... *giggle* ^__^ ]

gw etiquette
>> no warnings on fics
Having been trampled into muddy tears by one too many non-labeled angst filled fics, I now no longer read fics without warnings. I'm just too fragile for that. ^_^ Anyways, it only takes a second or two to write out a few labels...

>> making up your own label system
I know. You covet your individuality. That's a very good thing. Hang on to that. But don't go making the assumption that I'm gonna learn a whole new system just for your site. Like it or not, there are set standards for labeling. Deal with it.

>> loop? what loop?
As silly as it may seem to non gw-ers, there is a real live gw community out there. While you're sitting in front of your computer, typing or reading madly, you're but a small part of a greater whole. Kind of easy to forget sometimes when you're out there all by your lonesome, ne? But that, my fine feathered friend, is no excuse. I don't care who you are, how big or well known your site or ml is, don't ever forget that there are other people out there whom you affect with your actions.

>> flame throwers
Ever read a fic that you really thought was awful? Are you in a foul temper? Are you an insensitive jerk? Do you and me both a favour and keep all these things to yourself. Telling someone that their fic sucks is like giving them a swift kick in the solar plexus -- it's painful and unforgettable and makes them feel like shit for days. Do you really need to be the cause of all this? If you're just in a pissy mood, there's no need to take it out on some helpless bystander; and if you really feel the need to let someone know their fic was more than lacking, the least you could do is to tell them in a constructive way. As authors, we can all be better. (don't look at me like that -- you know it's true. ^_~ ) The only way to learn is to do and then to have others impartially read your work. Constructive criticism is a wonderful thing, regardless of those folks who take any sort of criticism the wrong way. The world is nasty enough as it is without being your own cloud of doom. Lighten up and, dare I say, let the sun shine in... ^_^ [ thanks go out to Toqkid for suggesting this peeve... ]

>> feedback junkies
Feedback is a good thing. I myself have been known to all but melt into a little puddle of goo at the reception of feedback. ^_^ However, when you stoop to saying that if you don't get feedback, you'll stop writing the fic -- that's just obnoxious. I don't want to have to give feedback because of a threat. >_< And remember, minna -- feedback is a two-way street. If I go out of my way to tell you that you're damned good, you should go out of your way to thank me...
Suzume: *grin* Suzume takes exception to those folks who post to the lists after they've posted their fics and complain about not getting feedback. I know as well as the next author how devastating it can feel when no one responds to your work, but to complain about it is really petty. Think of all the people who are members of the ml's. Now think of how many people actually post there. Not a big percentage. So, chances are, there are plenty of folks out there who are reading your stuff and liking it but not saying anything cuz they're so far into lurkdom that they can't see the light at the end of the tunnel. I have come across folks by accident who have never said anything about my fics, but turned out to like them a lot anyways. I had no idea 0083 even knew who I was until I asked to archive her fics and found out I had a fan. *shrug* So don't take it so badly. It might hurt a bit, but begging for feedback just makes you look small.

>> dacia's golden rule
I will be the first to admit that the GW fan world is not exactly a pretty place. It is literally crawling with bad sites and worse fics. *dacia coughs quietly as she rereads her own pet peeves* *heh... * It's the undeniable truth, although we may try our dangdest to deny it. However... Just because something is hideously awful does not give anyone, anywhere the right to criticize it, by name, with malicious intent. I don't care if it's the worst fic you have ever read or the ugliest site you have ever seen, there is just no excuse for being downright cruel in your reaction to it. Getting your jollies by resorting to caustic and ruthless fault-finding, especially in a public forum, seems to me to be a sad, sad way to go through life. Why don't you kick a puppy while you're at it. Besides, you ever think that maybe, just maybe, you might be wrong? There are fics/sites I simply loathe *shudder* that I know others absolutely adore. So get off your high horse and keep your hurtful opinions to yourself.

Mein gott, but I needed to do this. It's so cathartic...

<insert maniacal laughter here>

*ahem*

This was very fun.

If you've got a pet peeve of your own, feel free to send it to me so I can add it to my little list.
-- Dacia ^_~

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