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Fun with fallacies.
So, being as anal detail-oriented as I am, there are a few things I've found that authors (even good ones) often forget in Zelda fanfiction, and they bug the hell out of me when I notice. These aren't even specific knowledge things like horse behavior or swordfighting technique, but logic that should be easy to see if the writer thought a bit deeper about the world they're working in. For future reference, I wish people would take into account the following things:
(All of these are OOT-verse specific.)
1. Link's birthday. Namely, he doesn't have one - he was orphaned as a baby, there's no way anybody could know. Even if his mother had enough breath to gasp out a few things about him before she died, I don't think his birthdate would've been one of the top priorities. For that matter, there's no way to determine his age for certain either - so no sappy surprise birthday parties plzkthx unless you come up with a good explanation.
2. Sheik's cowl. PLEASE don't forget his/her face is covered. I've read fics where he's refusing to remove his mask in front of people (namely, Link), and then in the next paragraph is drinking a potion. How? Is this another one of those Sheikah tricks?
3. Strength of female characters. This one is pretty narrow in scope, not that many people (as far as I know) think this way. But for the Malon-lovers who hate Zelda because "shes always like ' ee save meee'"*, have you considered that Zelda spent seven years in disguise so that she could help fight against evil, while Malon stayed on her ranch and "waited for a knight to sweep her off her feet"**? I don't think Malon is at all a weak character, mind, but take into account the facts. (Too much to ask from rabid fangirls, I know.)
* Actual quote from a private message.
** According to Gossip Stone lore.
4. Link's gauntlets. They'll need to come off before he can take off his shirt. ::cough:: Similarly, Sheik has like a bazillion bandages. Cosplay and fanart makes one aware of these things.
5. Zoras lay eggs. That means their reproductive habits are most likely fishy rather than human in behavior. ::cough:: They are likely also cold-blooded. No, I have no idea why female Zoras have breasts.
6. Hyrule is not that exotic a land. There is no need to be all high-fantasy-ish by using "seasons" or "Rupee-weights" or whatever, when the game itself uses "years" and "pounds". Split Infinitive, I'm looking at you, ya brilliant bastard.
7. Speaking of Rupees, Link is not dirt-poor. Even if you don't think Rupees should be found abundantly in bushes or monster corpses, he's bound to have picked up some small fortunes and treasures and rewards in his adventures. I remember reading a fic with Linkwhining angsting about how he is such a poor commoner and can barely even afford a meal (no, not an AU) and thinking "Geez, just go cut some grass!"
Okay, that's enough for now. 'S not like I'm one to talk about producing any writing... ^^;;
(All of these are OOT-verse specific.)
1. Link's birthday. Namely, he doesn't have one - he was orphaned as a baby, there's no way anybody could know. Even if his mother had enough breath to gasp out a few things about him before she died, I don't think his birthdate would've been one of the top priorities. For that matter, there's no way to determine his age for certain either - so no sappy surprise birthday parties plzkthx unless you come up with a good explanation.
2. Sheik's cowl. PLEASE don't forget his/her face is covered. I've read fics where he's refusing to remove his mask in front of people (namely, Link), and then in the next paragraph is drinking a potion. How? Is this another one of those Sheikah tricks?
3. Strength of female characters. This one is pretty narrow in scope, not that many people (as far as I know) think this way. But for the Malon-lovers who hate Zelda because "shes always like ' ee save meee'"*, have you considered that Zelda spent seven years in disguise so that she could help fight against evil, while Malon stayed on her ranch and "waited for a knight to sweep her off her feet"**? I don't think Malon is at all a weak character, mind, but take into account the facts. (Too much to ask from rabid fangirls, I know.)
* Actual quote from a private message.
** According to Gossip Stone lore.
4. Link's gauntlets. They'll need to come off before he can take off his shirt. ::cough:: Similarly, Sheik has like a bazillion bandages. Cosplay and fanart makes one aware of these things.
5. Zoras lay eggs. That means their reproductive habits are most likely fishy rather than human in behavior. ::cough:: They are likely also cold-blooded. No, I have no idea why female Zoras have breasts.
6. Hyrule is not that exotic a land. There is no need to be all high-fantasy-ish by using "seasons" or "Rupee-weights" or whatever, when the game itself uses "years" and "pounds". Split Infinitive, I'm looking at you, ya brilliant bastard.
7. Speaking of Rupees, Link is not dirt-poor. Even if you don't think Rupees should be found abundantly in bushes or monster corpses, he's bound to have picked up some small fortunes and treasures and rewards in his adventures. I remember reading a fic with Link
Okay, that's enough for now. 'S not like I'm one to talk about producing any writing... ^^;;
no subject
1. Everytime I read a fic that involves a birthday party, I find myself thinking exactly the same thing. The only way I would buy it would be if the gang decided to select a date at random. Then again, the whole birthday party idea doesn't interest me in fic, anyway.
2. I've read fics where he's refusing to remove his mask in front of people (namely, Link), and then in the next paragraph is drinking a potion. How?
Mystical Sheikah p0werz! I believe
3. I was once called a closed-minded moron for posting the exact same thing on the FFN boards. What, logic, hello? Damn, I miss the FFN boards.
4. I, sadly, am always forgetting about the gauntlets. I ought to have pictures of the characters in full costume on my desktop before I write anything.
6. I'm guilty of falling into this trap, too. I wonder if anyone would notice if I went back and changed things (sneaky, sneaky).
7. Oh, WORD. That always bugs me in fanfic. Did these people not play the game? Because, imo, one of the most entertaining things was running around and smashing or slicing things in a quest for more rupees...MORE! Then again, you have to wonder about the value of the rupee if people just leave their money lying around all over the place. And even so, I find it hard to believe that the good citizens of Hyrule wouldn't occassionally cut the Hero of Time a deal or give him a gift or two.
'S not like I'm one to talk about producing any writing... ^^;;
Heh. You can see how that's stopped me... ;-) This was a great list--OMG POST MORE.
no subject
Or if they decide to celebrate the date of his arrival in the forest, which is a bit hokey to me. Or if his parents return from the dead
as zombiesPoesRedeads2. I believe
Maybe the wrap doubles as an impromptu condom/dental dam. ::is so wrong::
4. I, sadly, am always forgetting about the gauntlets.
Well, he could be just lounging around at the time. I imagine they wouldn't be much fun, or necessary, to wear all the time.
I ought to have pictures of the characters in full costume on my desktop before I write anything.
::helpfully crosses out "before I write anything" for you::
I wonder if anyone would notice if I went back and changed things (sneaky, sneaky).
Never stopped me ;) That typo was never there. These are not the inconsistencies you are looking for. ::hand-wavy::
This was a great list--OMG POST MORE.
I'd love to (in the vein of
no subject
I can't decide whether to laugh or scream. Seeing as how I'm in the office, I'll go with laughter.
::helpfully crosses out "before I write anything" for you::
::slips you two bucks for remembering to do that for me:: ;-)
Any suggestions? Maybe I should give a breakdown of characters' costumes since I've had to study them so much
Alas, I, too, have been away from the fanfiction world. I keep going over to FFN, but I can never bring myself to read the stories. Even if I open one up, I only manage to get a few sentences in before deciding that I absolutely have to go searching for 80s nostalgia websites RIGHT NOW.
A costume breakdown could be really interesting, if you're ever in the mood. I know absolutely nothing about costuming or, really, anything about clothing. I can (sort of) sew a button back on a shirt, but that's as far as it goes for me.