Cliches and pet peeves

dangerousbill said:

On behalf of many other XY writers, you have to dig pretty deep in the research phase to turn up this well-concealed fact. It's still listed in the codex of Things Guys Aren't Told And Aren't Supposed To Know.

Hell, in some countries, a woman can be killed if she's discovered to come up short in the hymen department, for whatever reason.

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Amusingly well said Dangerousbill.

It's also on the list of Things Girls Aren't Told.

In my case, I grew up in one of those environments you mentioned -- the kind where blood on the bedsheets isn't just expected, they look. And if it's not there, they immediately translate that to "the girl/woman is a whore and should be killed, or worse".

Imagine what went through my mind when, at 12, I figured out the sheets weren't going to bleed.

Scary world, even in the U.S.

Pet names. Ugh.

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Me, too. I hate them.

Ah the hymen. Nature's freshness seal.

Nature works like that, right?

Tazlima said:

Ah the hymen. Nature's freshness seal.

Nature works like that, right?

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Pretty sure hymen don't burp.

Queen of Swords said:

The hero and heroine have sex three times and he's still rock hard. This doesn't turn me on. It makes me concerned he has priapism and needs medical help.

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^^^^THIS!!!^^^
And when the woman has so many while actually having intercourse before the guy even has one. Foreplay is over looked and he's just that good to get her off 6-7 times before he finally does the deed.

Jazen said:

^^^^THIS!!!^^^
And when the woman has so many while actually having intercourse before the guy even has one. Foreplay is over looked and he's just that good to get her off 6-7 times before he finally does the deed.

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Well to be fair, I have had multiple orgasms before with my fiance, before he's had any. But it's more like some mini orgasms, then a big one or two, then some smaller ones, and maybe another big one. But I suspect I am probably one of those outliers.

In erotica I really hate pet names. A LOT. They are not sexy at all. They come off like the Hero has no idea what he's doing and is going "chicks like pet names right? right?". I'm also not interested in that whole schtick where they're like "I know we just met and you hate me but tonight I'm going to fuck you and you're going to love it" or something to that effect. Seriously, this just creeps me out.

For the record, I like pet names that aren't cutesy pet names. Especially in a foreign (or made-up) language.

Done right, they kind of make me melt.

briannasealock said:

Hymens. 9note to self: do not mention during sex scene.

Okay, what about slash/femslash fiction? any thing there?

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In m/m when I was writing it nonstop a million years ago (15-23, literally any time I was near a keyboard I was writing it) and reading it, men who cried a lot was an instant turn-off, and calling each other 'baby' and having them whisper softly, or say softly, or kiss softly; I'd do a count in some writer's stuff just to count how many times they had -softly. Soulbonds were popular and I really didn't like them either. I've never been a fan of those - entering into a marriage type bond fine, but most of them felt like neither character had any choice in the matter, a sort of authorial force shoving two characters together.

Ha! I, too, loathe pet names. I have a character who refers to his lover as "sweet". His lover hates it and tries to get him to stop.

This isn't a cliche, but it is a pet peeve: I hate the word anus. I have been known to immediately stop reading because of that word.

elinor said:

In m/m when I was writing it nonstop a million years ago (15-23, literally any time I was near a keyboard I was writing it) and reading it, men who cried a lot was an instant turn-off, and calling each other 'baby' and having them whisper softly, or say softly, or kiss softly; I'd do a count in some writer's stuff just to count how many times they had -softly. Soulbonds were popular and I really didn't like them either. I've never been a fan of those - entering into a marriage type bond fine, but most of them felt like neither character had any choice in the matter, a sort of authorial force shoving two characters together.

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I don't have a problem with words like softly in moderation. I've seen men kiss each other in a way I would describe of as softly, chaste loving kisses. I've seen MF and FF couples give each other the same type of kisses as well. Now, if it's used excessively, then I hate it.

I'd use it sparingly, since words like whispered to me can need more explaination than just, "Sean whispered in Eric's ear." That's where the actions beside the whispering should come in though, and the dialogue as well whenever possible.

Lillith1991 said:

I don't have a problem with words like softly in moderation. I've seen men kiss each other in a way I would describe of as softly, chaste loving kisses. I've seen MF and FF couples give each other the same type of kisses as well. Now, if it's used excessively, then I hate it.

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I've noticed that for some reason (in slash fanfiction) the words softly, slightly, and gently are over-used. Men can kiss softly, sure, but every kiss does not need to be soft, every smile does not need to be slight, and every touch does not need to be gentle. When these words are over-used, it gives the story a very... saccharine feeling.

I haven't really noticed it in published, original m/m fiction. But the over-use is rampant in fanfic. (Or at least it was a few years ago.)

ViridianChick said:

I've noticed that for some reason (in slash fanfiction) the words softly, slightly, and gently are over-used. Men can kiss softly, sure, but every kiss does not need to be soft, every smile does not need to be slight, and every touch does not need to be gentle. When these words are over-used, it gives the story a very... saccharine feeling.

I haven't really noticed it in published, original m/m fiction. But the over-use is rampant in fanfic. (Or at least it was a few years ago.)

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Overuse of adverbs and adjectives is a common editing complaint and a regular bit of advice for writers of all types. So it doesn't surprise me it shows up in online writing.

ViridianChick said:

I've noticed that for some reason (in slash fanfiction) the words softly, slightly, and gently are over-used. Men can kiss softly, sure, but every kiss does not need to be soft, every smile does not need to be slight, and every touch does not need to be gentle. When these words are over-used, it gives the story a very... saccharine feeling.

I haven't really noticed it in published, original m/m fiction. But the over-use is rampant in fanfic. (Or at least it was a few years ago.)

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It isn't quite as bad as it once was, but it is still excessive at times. And I agree. People in an M/M or F/F relationship don't need to do everything in a sickeningly sweet manner. But that's a matter of realism to me. I kiss my girlfriend with the same range of emotion a straight woman kisses her boyfriend or a gay man his. It can be soft, fierce, playfull etc. or just a simple kiss. It's not limited to how gentle I can be.

I wouldn't hesitate to say that the excess use of things like softly in fanfic are more about fetishizing M/M and F/F relationships than about realism. The people writing these know the kisses don't have to all be done softly but it plays into the fantasy so that's how it's written.

I agree with the whole asshole alpha male. I'm over it. A man can be alpha but still soft. Or funny. He doesn't need to repeatedly claim his mate on every page.

Even worse when the same author does this in all their books.

I hate when scenes that start off non-con become consensual midway. That's perpetuating a dangerous ideology that consent can be negotiable. I also hate gooey romance. I hate boring erotica in general. There's so much vanilla, mommy-brand kink floating around out there, and it's a little too obvious that a lot of writers are only including their own kinks/things that arouse them. There aren't enough erotica writers who are willing to do research into OTHER PEOPLE'S weird stuff, so it all comes out the same. Honestly, one of my favorite things about writing erotica is that there are literally endless possibilities.

I absolutely, absolutely hate when someone says I'll/I'm going to "f*ck the sh*t out of you" and it's between an M/M couple. That just conjures really really gross images and I can't help but shudder and look away even if I'm really engrossed in the story. Thankfully that's only happened a handful of times and I was able to swallow past the bile and continue on without flashing back to it too many times.
I'm shuddering as I type this.

Queen of Swords said:

The hero and heroine have sex three times and he's still rock hard. This doesn't turn me on. It makes me concerned he has priapism and needs medical help.

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Oh god, I had to look that up and I found a thread on Reddit about guys who are actually able to orgasm and still go on. Made me really wonder...

I agree with a lot of the ones listed here, particularly measurements and virginity. Nobody has said one of my biggest ones though, and I'm nervous that this is weird, but...

I don't like it when the characters think about nothing but sex during sensual scenes. It's like whenever their designated partner shows up, they're permanently stuck in "hot and bothered" mode and never have any stray thoughts or do other things. My friends disagree with me on this, I guess they think outside thoughts are unnecessary and detract from the sensuality. It doesn't match my experience, though.