In which ratherastory is difficult and nit-picky

[ratherastory]

Everyone has their pet peeves, right? I have many.

The latest one to surface, and it's a recurring problem, but it's been twice in a couple of days now, and I'm officially peeved.

Vampires.

Vampires in pre-series stories.

Remember "Dead Man's Blood?" The boys and John are convinced vampires don't exist/are extinct right up until first season

Comments

[katwoman76]

I know what you mean.
If the canon-facts are so clear and easy to find out - don't mess with them.
It distracts so much from the story, that I can't enjoy it the same way I would if they would get their facts right.

And it starts with simple facts. I mean, how many times did I read something like "Dean's blue eyes" and just want to shout they are GREEN, damnit!
Or just now I read a little one-shot and it starts with "that's why he went to Harvard"...that's on the other side of the country, damnit.
Sam went to STANFORD! If you use a fact, check it first.
It takes you one look at google or the supernaturalwiki, to get simple stuff like that right, so do your homework.
I mean, I'm not even talking about little details, that you only know if you pay really close attention to every single second in every episode, but the general facts, that everyone knows.

There are other details, that fanfic-writers love to write in their stories, that canon doesn't support at all, that I don't mind, because it's kind of sweet. Like the "Dean always (even as adults) takes the bed closer to the door to put himself between Sam and any danger".

But some others really bug me.

[ratherastory]

Fanon is one thing (like the bed-closest-to-the-door thing, which is not canonically accurate but cute), but blatantly ignoring canon? Feh.

I don't know if it's my TV/computer, but Dean's eyes seem to me to be... bluish-green, like Sam's, although Sam's are bluer than Dean's. I have the hardest time describing them. I thought the colour was called "hazel," and I used it in fic, but subsequent research has proved me wrong on that count. Turns out "hazel" is something entirely different, and now my own fics make me twitchy when I re-read them. ;)

[katwoman76]

I think a lot of people use hazel for this weird blue/green/brown mix depending on mood/lighting. So I could kind of live with that - or at least claim I don't know bette, because I'm not a native speaker.
But blue...yeah, that's the color of their holy tax accountants eyes.
I do admit, that sometimes it's hard to see and lighting, tv-settings, clothes and everything have an influence as well.
With Dean I think it's more obvious. Sam's change color more, so it's not really that clear. But yeah, as far as I know - all the Winchester boys have a certain level of green in there (mixed with blue and/or brown to some degree).
But for sure not as clear blue eyes as Cas has.

[cece_away]

The thing is whether it is accurate or not, if it is overused, it becomes a cliche anyway. Hazel eyes, though I guess is correctenough, has become a SPN fanfic cliche. Be creative, writers. Call them mossy, swampy, foresty, jade, shadowed emerald, coffee-tinged, pond algae -- whatever.

I love when writers can come up with a different fresher way to describe things.

*ducking because I have used hazel eyes myself*

[katwoman76]

Hehe, I love your ideas. :)
Hazel is not that bad (it at least doesn't make me cry WRONG WRONG WRONG, look again!), if used in slow doses (you know these stories where every second sentence starts with the blue eyed boy, the brown eyed boy, the blond one, the dark haired one).
Moderation is the key. If you overuse these things and not just where they really describe something but just to avoid using their names, that's the point where it gets annoying to read.

[ratherastory]

I actually find that a too "imaginative" way of describing eyes will jolt me out of a story. It's like using wacky verbs instead of "he said" or "she said": best used sparingly. :)

And, honestly, if I have to read one more line about Dean's "jade orbs," I will stab someone with a spork. ;)

[cece_away]

Ahahahaha. Jade orbs, haven't seen that one. I am so going to use it just for fun! *looking around for a spork to hand you*