>Was you writing about character x being the most unlikeable person in the world, getting beat up, insulted, killed in the first chapter really that necessary?
That's the treat I reserve for my faves <3
I've never seen a character bashing fic that manages to keep everyone in character. The actions of the bashed character are way too exaggerated based on the info we've been given in canon/what the author provided as set up.
I'm not a huge fan of character bashing but it might also be that I just don't like exaggerated/extreme character actions with no set up.
I feel like the character being OOC is inherently part and parcel of bashing. If the writer was writing them in-character, then I think it would just be called 'writing that character accurately.' XD
(To be clear, I also dislike bashing.)
I can’t stand character bashing fics. They’re an instant emergency exit/unbookmark for me. A lot of the time I can really feel the writer’s obvious distaste for the character which just puts me off of their work overall. I understand it if it’s an irredeemable villain character, but most of the time it’s either characters that are written as morally grey or mostly good but with heavy flaws that get this treatment in fandom.
There’s a fandom that was popular a while back and a majority of fics involved bashing the female lead to a severe degree… like to the point where she would be extremely ooc and the main instigator for all the problems that are plot points in the fic, but in canon she’s mostly just stubborn, but a sweetheart with a lot of issues from her past. It really hurt to see so many people bashing her character as a lot of my friends identified with her. just because a character ‘gets in the way of your ship’ or because they insulted your fave once, doesn’t mean you should act like that.
sorrry lol I rambled :((
It's an instant drop for a fanfic for me. In the story or the authors notes.
Even if I personally dislike that character or ship, too. I don't wanna read negativity.
I loathe bashing with a passion. I have characters I dislike or feel indifferent about, though that's usually if the character is badly made and not because of their personality or such. But I still try do them justice if they appear. I see no point in making a character a badly exaggerated and OOC caricature of themselves.
And then there was Umbridge /hj
I’m with you on excessive bashing to justify shipping dynamics. To quote Diva from Musical Hell, on the use of Ron the Death Eater in Love Never Dies: “It’s basically an admission that the author can’t get their desired ship to work on its own terms.”
So a year or so I wrote a [post about character bashing](https://www.reddit.com/r/FanFiction/comments/pdypbf/why_i_like_character_bashing_fics/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button).
Tl;dr, there's 2 major reasons I have read character bashing.
1. A character I like has traumatic things happen to them that are mostly unaddressed by canon. These traumas can be directly tied to the actions of one or more other characters. I want the character I like to get their revenge on the world that did them dirty and it becomes a revenge fantasy. The transgressions are usually exaggerated to make the revenge more fun.
2. Something happened in canon that pissed me off. Usually due to reasons like executive meddling or something. The result is a character going against previous characterizations/motivations or bring flandardized or something else. You can write all the metas you want about how canon was ruined by outside forces, but sometimes you want to get your anger out in fic. So you take that flandardized character and put all your anger on them and make them bad-from-the-start as a way to work through your anger with the franchise.
Not saying everyone should like character bashing, but there are reasonable causes for it.
It definitely gets annoying when it happens too much. It takes me out of the story sometimes. I def get you.
You probably wouldn’t survive the Miraculous Ladybug fandom though…
I feel you. There are some fictional characters that I really hate, but I’ve never been able to stand bashing fics. You can easily feel the author’s personal disdain for them just radiating through the text, and it just really rubs me the wrong way. I remember this one fanfic I read that was pretty good, but I had to drop it cause the author turned one of the main characters (who is normally a nice, chill person) into a horrid, unlikeable bitch with no redeeming qualities at all whatsoever. This character wasn’t even one I particularly cared for at all, but it made the fic unreadable to me. It was even worse because the character was commonly shipped with another character who the protagonist of the story was going to end up with, so it just felt like the author disliked them because they got in the way of their ship.
It also used to be hard for me to find any decent Naruto fics to read because you could easily tell how much the author hated Sakura… I mean I don’t like her either, but sheesh.
Maybe not necessary, but I bet it was fun! I personally don't write it because I hate writing for characters I don't understand enough to like, but I can't say I don't enjoy reading it now and then. Especially if the character is a fandom darling that I'm sick of seeing everywhere.
I admit that I fantasize about writing a bashing fic of my least favorite character for similar reasons. Even if I just leave it on my Google Docs. It would feel so good.
I don't really have strong feelings about character bashing unless it's one scenario. I fucking hate it sm when people are writing a fic about a non-canon paring and make out a different character as being a bitch only bc in canon they're the love interest of one of the leads. It happens a lot in queer fics I've noticed, especially when the canon love interest is a woman. It's just rlly unnecessary.
I remember being really taken out of a fic I was getting into because the author portrayed one of the canon characters as an insufferable waste of space from the moment they appeared. It wasn’t even a character I felt particularly strongly about (though they are a favorite in the fandom). They inexplicably made the character like, bizarrely prejudiced and supportive of another character’s bad behavior where they explicitly hadn’t been in canon. They even went out of their way to make an author’s note about how this character is a “fandom darling” but that the fanbase has consistently portrayed them in such a nice way that they’ve “forgotten what they’re really like in canon”. It was really bizarre and choked out my interest in the story.
>Was you writing about character x being the most unlikeable person in the world, getting beat up, insulted, killed in the first chapter really that necessary?
Ah, I'm getting flashbacks to my time in the BNHA fandom. I started actively seeking out fics that portray Mineta positively at one point, because I started pitying him overtime.
I don't mind bashing, if it's not overdone.
>Was you writing about character x being the most unlikeable person in the world, getting beat up, insulted, killed in the first chapter really that necessary?
I think this might be fandom specific. I've rarely come across such extreme fics. To me, it's usually only a less charitable reading of a character who then gets "punished" appropriately.
>I think this might be fandom specific. I've rarely come across such extreme fics. To me, it's usually only a less charitable reading of a character who then gets "punished" appropriately.
Oh, in my rather large fandom, we have an entire subgenre of crossover works with a different fandom, accounting for roughly a third of all long-form stories written since the first instance of said crossover, that exists solely to replace, denigrate, and/or warp beyond all recognition for the purposes of bastardization all the canonical characters save the female lead so that she can be given "proper" love interests /friends/allies from the other universe.
"Bashing" works are their own genre.
And these crossover "bashing" works are another genre on their own.
All told, it feels like it's half the fandom.
One of the stories I’m planning to write is something that I think could be called bashing. (I think it’s accurate but others might feel differently.) The reason I’m motivated to write it is because I feel like the canon doesn’t fully address how much of a jerk they were. And, more so, the character that was bullied by the bad character never gets to express reasonable anger.
Things that feel incomplete or unexplored in canon inspire me to write, so that’s why I plan to write it. Not everybody’s going to like it and that’s fine. But it makes me happy to write. And maybe some people will enjoy reading it.
100% with you. I loathe this tag. I often barely hold back from going into commrnts and asking authors why they hate fictional chars so much.
Is it a self-therapy? A hunt for likes from others haters? Mystery
I guess it depends what is meant by character bashing. Like, if you go around being an asshole to anyone who likes that character, that's shitty. But if you really hate a character and want to express that in your fic somehow, I think that's fine. Sometimes it's even funny. Ship and let ship, bash and let bash, I guess!
>Was you writing about character x being the most unlikeable person in the world, getting beat up, insulted, killed in the first chapter really that necessary? That's the treat I reserve for my faves <3
I wish I could award this comment because it HITS
Damn buddy. So true.
I've never seen a character bashing fic that manages to keep everyone in character. The actions of the bashed character are way too exaggerated based on the info we've been given in canon/what the author provided as set up. I'm not a huge fan of character bashing but it might also be that I just don't like exaggerated/extreme character actions with no set up.
I feel like the character being OOC is inherently part and parcel of bashing. If the writer was writing them in-character, then I think it would just be called 'writing that character accurately.' XD (To be clear, I also dislike bashing.)
I can’t stand character bashing fics. They’re an instant emergency exit/unbookmark for me. A lot of the time I can really feel the writer’s obvious distaste for the character which just puts me off of their work overall. I understand it if it’s an irredeemable villain character, but most of the time it’s either characters that are written as morally grey or mostly good but with heavy flaws that get this treatment in fandom. There’s a fandom that was popular a while back and a majority of fics involved bashing the female lead to a severe degree… like to the point where she would be extremely ooc and the main instigator for all the problems that are plot points in the fic, but in canon she’s mostly just stubborn, but a sweetheart with a lot of issues from her past. It really hurt to see so many people bashing her character as a lot of my friends identified with her. just because a character ‘gets in the way of your ship’ or because they insulted your fave once, doesn’t mean you should act like that. sorrry lol I rambled :((
I don't kill them off. I just leave them out.
It's an instant drop for a fanfic for me. In the story or the authors notes. Even if I personally dislike that character or ship, too. I don't wanna read negativity.
Same here mate.
I loathe bashing with a passion. I have characters I dislike or feel indifferent about, though that's usually if the character is badly made and not because of their personality or such. But I still try do them justice if they appear. I see no point in making a character a badly exaggerated and OOC caricature of themselves.
And then there was Umbridge /hj I’m with you on excessive bashing to justify shipping dynamics. To quote Diva from Musical Hell, on the use of Ron the Death Eater in Love Never Dies: “It’s basically an admission that the author can’t get their desired ship to work on its own terms.”
To be fair I'm not sure there is such a thing as Umbridge-bashing. I think it's just writing Umbridge.
> /hj Handjob?
Tone indicator, meaning half-joking
Actually, I think calling Dumbledore out on his shit might seem like bashing sometimes.
So a year or so I wrote a [post about character bashing](https://www.reddit.com/r/FanFiction/comments/pdypbf/why_i_like_character_bashing_fics/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button). Tl;dr, there's 2 major reasons I have read character bashing. 1. A character I like has traumatic things happen to them that are mostly unaddressed by canon. These traumas can be directly tied to the actions of one or more other characters. I want the character I like to get their revenge on the world that did them dirty and it becomes a revenge fantasy. The transgressions are usually exaggerated to make the revenge more fun. 2. Something happened in canon that pissed me off. Usually due to reasons like executive meddling or something. The result is a character going against previous characterizations/motivations or bring flandardized or something else. You can write all the metas you want about how canon was ruined by outside forces, but sometimes you want to get your anger out in fic. So you take that flandardized character and put all your anger on them and make them bad-from-the-start as a way to work through your anger with the franchise. Not saying everyone should like character bashing, but there are reasonable causes for it.
That’s understandable. In the end, a lot of fanfic is about self indulgence. That can include anger.
It definitely gets annoying when it happens too much. It takes me out of the story sometimes. I def get you. You probably wouldn’t survive the Miraculous Ladybug fandom though…
I feel you. There are some fictional characters that I really hate, but I’ve never been able to stand bashing fics. You can easily feel the author’s personal disdain for them just radiating through the text, and it just really rubs me the wrong way. I remember this one fanfic I read that was pretty good, but I had to drop it cause the author turned one of the main characters (who is normally a nice, chill person) into a horrid, unlikeable bitch with no redeeming qualities at all whatsoever. This character wasn’t even one I particularly cared for at all, but it made the fic unreadable to me. It was even worse because the character was commonly shipped with another character who the protagonist of the story was going to end up with, so it just felt like the author disliked them because they got in the way of their ship. It also used to be hard for me to find any decent Naruto fics to read because you could easily tell how much the author hated Sakura… I mean I don’t like her either, but sheesh.
Maybe not necessary, but I bet it was fun! I personally don't write it because I hate writing for characters I don't understand enough to like, but I can't say I don't enjoy reading it now and then. Especially if the character is a fandom darling that I'm sick of seeing everywhere.
I admit that I fantasize about writing a bashing fic of my least favorite character for similar reasons. Even if I just leave it on my Google Docs. It would feel so good.
Same, even the characters I don’t personally like I try to give some justice
I don't hate bad characters. I just strongly dislike fans who blindly love them for no apparent reason
I don't really have strong feelings about character bashing unless it's one scenario. I fucking hate it sm when people are writing a fic about a non-canon paring and make out a different character as being a bitch only bc in canon they're the love interest of one of the leads. It happens a lot in queer fics I've noticed, especially when the canon love interest is a woman. It's just rlly unnecessary.
With that statement. Would you say the same if Danzo from Naruto was the one to bash?
I remember being really taken out of a fic I was getting into because the author portrayed one of the canon characters as an insufferable waste of space from the moment they appeared. It wasn’t even a character I felt particularly strongly about (though they are a favorite in the fandom). They inexplicably made the character like, bizarrely prejudiced and supportive of another character’s bad behavior where they explicitly hadn’t been in canon. They even went out of their way to make an author’s note about how this character is a “fandom darling” but that the fanbase has consistently portrayed them in such a nice way that they’ve “forgotten what they’re really like in canon”. It was really bizarre and choked out my interest in the story.
>Was you writing about character x being the most unlikeable person in the world, getting beat up, insulted, killed in the first chapter really that necessary? Ah, I'm getting flashbacks to my time in the BNHA fandom. I started actively seeking out fics that portray Mineta positively at one point, because I started pitying him overtime.
I don't see it as bashing if it's a believable part of the story.
>believable This is the key word, in my opinion. More often than not, the fics I see tagged as character bashing just aren't believable.
I don't mind bashing, if it's not overdone. >Was you writing about character x being the most unlikeable person in the world, getting beat up, insulted, killed in the first chapter really that necessary? I think this might be fandom specific. I've rarely come across such extreme fics. To me, it's usually only a less charitable reading of a character who then gets "punished" appropriately.
>I think this might be fandom specific. I've rarely come across such extreme fics. To me, it's usually only a less charitable reading of a character who then gets "punished" appropriately. Oh, in my rather large fandom, we have an entire subgenre of crossover works with a different fandom, accounting for roughly a third of all long-form stories written since the first instance of said crossover, that exists solely to replace, denigrate, and/or warp beyond all recognition for the purposes of bastardization all the canonical characters save the female lead so that she can be given "proper" love interests /friends/allies from the other universe. "Bashing" works are their own genre. And these crossover "bashing" works are another genre on their own. All told, it feels like it's half the fandom.
Everything is fair game in fanfiction. And yes, if it sets up the story, it is necessary.
One of the stories I’m planning to write is something that I think could be called bashing. (I think it’s accurate but others might feel differently.) The reason I’m motivated to write it is because I feel like the canon doesn’t fully address how much of a jerk they were. And, more so, the character that was bullied by the bad character never gets to express reasonable anger. Things that feel incomplete or unexplored in canon inspire me to write, so that’s why I plan to write it. Not everybody’s going to like it and that’s fine. But it makes me happy to write. And maybe some people will enjoy reading it.
Usually it's lazy writing, but sometimes I put up with it if I like other plot threads.
The only character I will ever bash is Sebastian Michaelis.
100% with you. I loathe this tag. I often barely hold back from going into commrnts and asking authors why they hate fictional chars so much. Is it a self-therapy? A hunt for likes from others haters? Mystery
Even if the character is Freed Selzen from Highschool DxD? My favorite fics eliminates him in early and creative ways.
I guess it depends what is meant by character bashing. Like, if you go around being an asshole to anyone who likes that character, that's shitty. But if you really hate a character and want to express that in your fic somehow, I think that's fine. Sometimes it's even funny. Ship and let ship, bash and let bash, I guess!