Bleach fandom
Hi, hello. Yes, I'm talking to you. Here are some things it would be totally awesome if you'd stop doing:
a.) Telling me that "despite all evidence to the contrary, Ichigo liked it when Rukia was a huge bitch to him." Do you see the first part of your sentence? Do you even know how annoying that is? Stop being lazy. Tell me WHY all evidence is to the contrary and yet it's still true, don't just stammer about Ichigo "of course never admitting it". I'd take a scary BDSM fic over this. At least there Ichigo's a crazy masochist and has reason to enjoy being bitched out, even if his obviously-angry-and-confused retorts make it seem like if they're playing a game he doesn't know the rules.
b.) Stop confusing an abusive terror-filled relationship for a six-month-engagement. Actually, this goes for all fandoms everywhere: When Character A makes Character B cry and cling to him/herself, there is nothing fluffy going on there. It's not true love. In fact, it's cause for legal action and therapy. (Aizen/Hinamori "omg so adorable~" shippers, I'm looking at you. I like the pairing; stop being stupid so I can read your fics.)
c.) Stop expecting Kubo Tite to pull out the Big Book of Anime Cliches. He's been very good so far about avoiding them. His characters are all three-dimensional people with feelings and personalities and backstory and cool aspects, even characters like Yumichika or Yachiru who initially seemed totally obnoxious and hateful and ridiculous. (See also: Rangiku probably won't redeem Gin, Ichigo and Rukia are probably not going to get married someday, etc. I haven't seen this one yet but I'll go out on a limb and say that Aizen probably isn't going to fall in love with Orihime and suddenly become a fluffy bunny. Maybe Grimmjow, but that would make an iota of sense, because he isn't established as a man who's been consistently evil for centuries.)
d.) This also goes out to all fandoms: Stop being proud of your crack pairings. Writing crack/ignoring canon/etc. does not make you cool. I know all the other kids are doing it, but I seem to remember cigarettes didn't work out so well for them either. You may harbor one or two crack pairings, you may write for them, you may enjoy them; don't act like you're a rebel. You are like the goth kid reading "original" poetry about death and wearing all black. You only think you're unique because you don't realize anyone else in the world exists. No matter what crack you try to come up with, someone else has already done it. I guarantee you.
e.) Stop giving Gin that debilitating hick accent. I was actually okay with this, because hey, Osaka dialect, right? Wrong. Gin's is a _Kyoto_ dialect, according to WikiPedia, and while it still sounds funny, it is distant and formal and roundabout. He uses boku, and -masu, and -desu, all the time. He's a bastard, but not a street punk. (Seriously, fansubbers and scanslationists? How can you live with yourself, cutting off the g's in a man who uses _masu and desu wa._)
f.) While we're on the subject of Gin, I probably can't ask you to stop making him loyal to no one but himself; until Tite gives us backstory explaining how Aizen and Gin met and exactly why Gin follows him, it's all a matter of opinion -- despite the fact that having Gin turn on Aizen would fall into the Big Book of Cliches again, and that I'll personally need a really great explanation as to why Gin waited so long when betraying Aizen during the Soul Society arc would've been so much easier.
I can, however, request that you stop talking about how Gin only closes his eyes and smiles the way he does because it's a mask Aizen gave him, or otherwise in reaction to him. (The most creative so far was the assertion that Gin is unaffected by Kyouka Suigetsu because of his closed eyes, but I feel like Aizen would've mentioned that when he talked about Tousen, and forcing Gin's eyes open would be simple enough if Aizen really didn't trust him.)
Bottom line: Watch the flashbacks. Gin's smile as a little boy is almost identical to his present smile, so he never opened his eyes much. And no, it's not because they were scary and red; that's an anime invention. In the manga they are a blue-green color. I kind of think he just makes that smile because that's the kind of person he is.
g.) Hey, dub? You did okay in some respects, I've heard much worse. But... fire Kira's VA, will you? He sounds so angry and fierce all the time that it's hard to believe he really regretted raising his sword to Hinamori (as he himself states). Plus, you're confusing his fangirls into thinking he has some kind of fanatical devotion to Gin. And may be a badass. (In other news, "Wabisuke" apparently translates to "and prepare to die!!!!" Seriously, did they just let that crazy VA ad-lib or something?)
Whew. That feels better.
a.) Telling me that "despite all evidence to the contrary, Ichigo liked it when Rukia was a huge bitch to him." Do you see the first part of your sentence? Do you even know how annoying that is? Stop being lazy. Tell me WHY all evidence is to the contrary and yet it's still true, don't just stammer about Ichigo "of course never admitting it". I'd take a scary BDSM fic over this. At least there Ichigo's a crazy masochist and has reason to enjoy being bitched out, even if his obviously-angry-and-confused retorts make it seem like if they're playing a game he doesn't know the rules.
b.) Stop confusing an abusive terror-filled relationship for a six-month-engagement. Actually, this goes for all fandoms everywhere: When Character A makes Character B cry and cling to him/herself, there is nothing fluffy going on there. It's not true love. In fact, it's cause for legal action and therapy. (Aizen/Hinamori "omg so adorable~" shippers, I'm looking at you. I like the pairing; stop being stupid so I can read your fics.)
c.) Stop expecting Kubo Tite to pull out the Big Book of Anime Cliches. He's been very good so far about avoiding them. His characters are all three-dimensional people with feelings and personalities and backstory and cool aspects, even characters like Yumichika or Yachiru who initially seemed totally obnoxious and hateful and ridiculous. (See also: Rangiku probably won't redeem Gin, Ichigo and Rukia are probably not going to get married someday, etc. I haven't seen this one yet but I'll go out on a limb and say that Aizen probably isn't going to fall in love with Orihime and suddenly become a fluffy bunny. Maybe Grimmjow, but that would make an iota of sense, because he isn't established as a man who's been consistently evil for centuries.)
d.) This also goes out to all fandoms: Stop being proud of your crack pairings. Writing crack/ignoring canon/etc. does not make you cool. I know all the other kids are doing it, but I seem to remember cigarettes didn't work out so well for them either. You may harbor one or two crack pairings, you may write for them, you may enjoy them; don't act like you're a rebel. You are like the goth kid reading "original" poetry about death and wearing all black. You only think you're unique because you don't realize anyone else in the world exists. No matter what crack you try to come up with, someone else has already done it. I guarantee you.
e.) Stop giving Gin that debilitating hick accent. I was actually okay with this, because hey, Osaka dialect, right? Wrong. Gin's is a _Kyoto_ dialect, according to WikiPedia, and while it still sounds funny, it is distant and formal and roundabout. He uses boku, and -masu, and -desu, all the time. He's a bastard, but not a street punk. (Seriously, fansubbers and scanslationists? How can you live with yourself, cutting off the g's in a man who uses _masu and desu wa._)
f.) While we're on the subject of Gin, I probably can't ask you to stop making him loyal to no one but himself; until Tite gives us backstory explaining how Aizen and Gin met and exactly why Gin follows him, it's all a matter of opinion -- despite the fact that having Gin turn on Aizen would fall into the Big Book of Cliches again, and that I'll personally need a really great explanation as to why Gin waited so long when betraying Aizen during the Soul Society arc would've been so much easier.
I can, however, request that you stop talking about how Gin only closes his eyes and smiles the way he does because it's a mask Aizen gave him, or otherwise in reaction to him. (The most creative so far was the assertion that Gin is unaffected by Kyouka Suigetsu because of his closed eyes, but I feel like Aizen would've mentioned that when he talked about Tousen, and forcing Gin's eyes open would be simple enough if Aizen really didn't trust him.)
Bottom line: Watch the flashbacks. Gin's smile as a little boy is almost identical to his present smile, so he never opened his eyes much. And no, it's not because they were scary and red; that's an anime invention. In the manga they are a blue-green color. I kind of think he just makes that smile because that's the kind of person he is.
g.) Hey, dub? You did okay in some respects, I've heard much worse. But... fire Kira's VA, will you? He sounds so angry and fierce all the time that it's hard to believe he really regretted raising his sword to Hinamori (as he himself states). Plus, you're confusing his fangirls into thinking he has some kind of fanatical devotion to Gin. And may be a badass. (In other news, "Wabisuke" apparently translates to "and prepare to die!!!!" Seriously, did they just let that crazy VA ad-lib or something?)
Whew. That feels better.