ROCKSTAR

I hate names that are too crazy and "quirky." It starts out a nice surprise when someone is not named Jack or Lindsay, but then the unusual names get even more annoying than regular ones as everyone tries to come up the coolest or oddest of names.

Cold-Blooded Piece of Toast

Crazy names, especially when there are like three middle names, are awful! Definitely agree on that one. I cannot stand to read fanfiction where OCs have names that make me wince. Well, then again I have a hard time swallowing fanfiction with OCs that are the main characters rather than supporting ones.

otherwise

I also hate it when people try to hit you over the head with names that supposedly describe a character's intentions. Like the random OC school skank being named Felicity Shagwell or whatever. Ridiculous.

I have to say, I'm not particularly fond of OC characters in fanfics at all though.

Cold-Blooded Piece of Toast

I'm definitely not, either, unless they're just supporting characters. Sometimes that has to happen... as long as they don't steal the limelight and aren't made to be the greatest character ever I don't mind them as much.

follow the sun

Is that writer trying to be like JK Rowling with their choice of names?

I've read great books where the character names reflect something about the character, but for fan fiction, that might be too much, especially when it's really obvious like that

sweet_zelda

Felicity Shagwell?

I hate that, too. I mean, I like "different" names, but I usually look up all the names I want to use and check if they are actual names. That might be a good idea for everyone...

simplyme7196

Going along with the name thing, I think its really annoying in fics when a couple has a baby, and they name it something completely random, that does not go with the characters at all. I don't know, I just see that a lot, where the baby's name ends up making me go 'WTF?'

follow the sun

I've seen that, too, where the baby gets a really weird name or not one that I would see those characters choosing. Maybe the writers use the name that they would use for their own baby

ElizaC

OK, you asked for it with the names.....

I have actually taught a Honeybun, Delight, Virus, Vagina and Rotunda. My aunt taught Virgin Mary (obviously not the original one).

After all that, I'm afraid that all of the names I use are very plain - out of self preservation, I think.

Maybe_Tomorrow

I dont know if this has been mentioned yet, but one of the things that irks me the most in Harry Potter fanfiction is the lack of British knowlegde. I've read some HP fanfiction with far too many American terms used. Sometimes just the words characters use to describe something, like garbage or sidewalk. There british, they dont say that! They say rubbish or pavement. As someone who has lived in both countries, there so obvious too me sometimes that it really grates on my nerves.

Oh, and when people try to write in accents. Why do they do that? It just makes it difficult to read.

otherwise

That annoys me too. I'm Australian so I have the UK versions of the books, but I think you can blame some (not all, just a little) of that on the Americanisation of the HP books for the US market. That and the fact some people aren't too keen on smaller details.

When people write accents it makes me laugh. It's hard to take a story seriously with written accents.

Maybe_Tomorrow

Yeah i see what your saying, but it just pure lazyness or ignorance sometimes. There are some really helpul britpicker wesbites that would solve those issues.

IKR, i just cannot take a piece written with accents seriously. Or baby talk.

ElizaC

How about using vocabulary/slang that doesn't exist for the time period? I make sure I check mine and I know I must miss a few, but some of them are just to obvious.

Anachronisms are always fun.

otherwise

Oh I haven't seen that one. But using slang or words that didn't even exist in a certain time period would be irritating.

follow the sun

I haven't read any HP fic, but I would definitely want to see British terms in there Just like if I were reading fic set in another time period, I would want details that were specific to the time. I love the details, and find that attention to the details by the author just makes the whole story richer for me.

I guess if you're not British, you should still know enough British colloquialisms, even just from reading HP books themselves, to use in your own stories.