#react fics

this will be a first in my thread of fanfic pet peeves. Because I'm bored.

NUMBER ONE:

NOT WRITING REACTIONS IN REACTION FICS.

No shame to this fic, it's one of my favorites. I literally have it bookmarked. This is also why I'm not calling out the author. Because they're lovely <3. But things like this really tick me tf off.

As the author of a semi popular reaction fic myself, something that really pisses me off is this. "Enough commentary! We already wasted enough time!" What time bro? You're in a timeless area, they're here SPECIFICALLY to react and commentate. That's what a fucking react fic is buddy boy. A lot of people seem to forget that and that's why a lot of react fics get abandoned. People think "Oh, ill just write down my thoughts to the show/book." But that's a review, not a fic. If I click onto a fic and see basically the script interspersed with one sentence long "character A said "Oh wow, I can't believe Character B did that." Or "Character B said "heh, I almost forgot about that. Everyone else gawked." Or "character A, B, C, and D said "Erm, this is so wild guys. I can't believe this!" Character F gasps. Author OC gestures back to the screen with an angry look, making everyone shut up."

Like I'm sorry but I'm clicking off bro. It ain't happening.

If I wanted to watch the episode and go "Oh wow." Or imagine the most basic bitch dialogue a character would say. I would watch the episode.

REACT FICS ARE ABOUT CONTEMPLATION AND COMMENTARY!!!

A lot of people think, especially before they write on, that react fics are about the characters just gawking at the screen or sobbing about angst that happens to character A or B. But like above, its about contemplation and commentary. Say you're writing about idk, Hiccups first flight where he falls off the dragon and does that really cool stunt. If you just have every single viking go "Oh no! He fell! Oh yes! He got on! Oh wow! Hiccup is so cool!" Then that's boring, Innit? And I see a lot of HTTYD react fics do this. It's just boring and it makes it really easy to just abandon your fic because YOUR bored too because you get no reaction from the comments because all their doing is mindlessly scrolling past the script until they get to the one sentence of dialogue, rinse repeat, before they click off with maybe a kudo.

What really makes a react fic good is introspection. I'm not one to diss without proving I can do it myself, don't throw stones in glass houses and all that. So here is how I would do the first flight scene with a couple characters. Let's do, Stoick, Gobber, and Snotlout.

First being Stoick, we'd have him nervous put putting on a chiefly persona. He'd sit there, gripping the seats but staring ahead and the screen as well stoic as he can be. He'd be worried and confused. Why would Hiccup choose to betray him for dragons, why would he choose the beasts over him. Doesn't hiccup know the position he put him in, He'd have to abandon him. It's in the rules. Imagine the chaos if a chief put himself above the rules he himself created. How could he do this! Especially with something so dangerous! I know a lot of people depict him as dumb but he's a chief, He'd be well enough aware to know that Hiccup is fine since he's alive and breathing right next to him. So He'd mostly be sitting there and contemplating.

Gobber would be babbling about the mechanics of the tail, how he'd never seen anything like it before, he'd be impressed. He is a blacksmith too after all. He'd be impressed with Hiccup but he'd also be worried. Of course he'd know that Hiccup was okay due to him having a pulse right next to him but he'd worry if he got any bruises from Toothless smacking him with his wing, if he had a concussion, if he knew for sure that the wing was stable. Things like that. He'd also be concerned about Stoick, worrying what he'd do, if the chief would be to headstrong to admit he was wrong, if he'd have to stop the man from doing something he'd regret. He'd never want to hurt his best friend but he knows how stubborn the man can be. However, he keeps a grin on for the kiddies.

Snotlout would stare at the screen, Gobsmacked. Just completely flabbergasted that someone he considered to be useless was able to do something like this. With ease! Why hadn't Hiccup done this before if he could've done this the whole damn time! Are fucking serious! Now he looks like the asshole for doing this! Now, Snotloud would still be angry, he'd be jealous, and he'd be upset. He'd be mad that everyone is acting like he's the bitch when EVERYONE in the village acted the same as he did. People say that Hiccup or Astrid would be the one to point out the hypocrisy but I truly believe Snotlout would be the one. He's dumb but he's not rock solid stupid and he knows when he's being the scape goat. I feel like he'd stand up and snap about being the one everyone is beating on when EVERYONE also beat on Hiccup for being useless, not just him.Hell, I even think Snotlout would point out that even adults were beating on Hiccup. If anything they should get the blame too if not more! Then Hiccup would say something like, "now you know how I feel, Snotlout." In some sarcastic voice. THAT would get Snotlout to start to contemplate if he was in the wrong or not. Not being shown on some screen but getting a taste of his own medicine, of feeling what it's like to be cast out.

DO YOU SEE HOW MUCH MORE INTERESTING THAT IS???

(people when they write actual dialogue)

You don't have to have dialogue in every sentence but you can have *thoughts*. Have a character wonder why this scene happened. If you have a smart character, wonder why they're being shown such a boring scene if you're in a lull. Have them think what this will connect back too, have them voice that thought. Then if you have a character that writes or makes connections, you could have them voice that it's probably to endear *villian/bully* to protagonist. You could also just have characters just THINK.

You think all the damn time so have the character. Have them bemoan why they're here, wince at the angst, wish that they could've done more to prevent this, make they feel guilty, make them think about past events, make them worry about things that might be shown in the future. Make them absolutely TWEAK about if private moments would be shown if they're showing such trival things. If you have a dumb character, for example, make them wonder they'll be shown in the shower or something. Not just to characterize them but to have A REACTION. Also, not all characters react the same. You can't have "Character A,B,C,D,and E all said blank." Just because you don't want to come up with a specific thing for them all to say but you know they havent said anything all chapter. That's just fucking dumb.

The way I do it if I have a character who hasn't said anything all chapter is I have them make a joke or I have them think about being hungry then I write about them thinking about the scene. Like if I have Character C watching a hospital scene where Character A is infiltrating a hospital. Let's say I don't know character C very well so i dont have them say much but they are very talkative and knowledgeable in canon. I'd have them just think a fuck ton. Something like "I'm so bored. I can't believe that Character A actually pulled this off. There's no way that nurse was actually that dumb. Oh wait, here they are, stealing scrubs. Oh great. Now there is going to be some poor sap walking around without clothes. Why are there even scrubs just lying around? Also wouldn't the nurses realize that they haven't worked with this guy a day in their life? Won't they recognize he's not who he the name tag says he is? Honestly, with the amount of mental patients hospitals deal with you'd think they'd be tackling him to the ground and thinking he is schizo. Jesus, I wish I had Character A's luck! I could probably win the lottery!"

You see how personable and long that is!?! It's so much better then just tacking them onto some sentence that they absolutely wouldn't say. Remember, every character is someone's favorite so treat them all with respect!

COMMENTARY

This one is going to be a bit shorter but that's because it's easier. This is simple

CHARACTERS TALK ALL THE TIME DIPSHIT!!!

Not every dialogue has to be meaningful, it doesn't have to be some deep quote. In my story, I have the characters just kinda talk. Character A insults character B, they get into a little spat and character C and D break them up with exasperated fondness. Not every piece has to be them planning how to get out or talking about the scene at hand, it could just be friends...being friends. They could talk about what they ate for breakfast, how they tripped and ate shit earlier, a character being a drama queen and another mocking them for it. It's so simple.

Example: Character A falls and cracks his head on the concrete in the scene. They monologue about how this always happens to them.

Character A sinks down with a blush, wondering why the screen just had to show this. Character B laughs at them, slapping their hands on the table. "Oh my god!" They chuckle out. "I can't believe you did that! I would pay to have THAT on camera." They snickers. "Hey, Character A, are you still picking gravel out of your chin?" Character A laughs sarcastically, rolling their eyes. "Haha, Character B. And where did you pick that up from?" Character B snorts. "Probably the side of the street you just made your home, why?" Character A gives them an unimpressed look. " I hope you die." Character B makes a heart out of their hands and gives Character A a shit eating grin. "Love you two Big bro." Character A launches themselves at Character B.

See? That's a really long scene for something as relative as someone falling. It characterizes and endears the characters, familiarizes the audience to them, and fulfills a dynamic? And do you know what they talked about?

NOTHING

Absolutely fucking nothing. That had nothing to pertain to the show and yet it was pretty entertaining. It also gives the audience something to comment about. I've done something like this multiple times and I commonly get a comment like "OMG! I JUST LOVE CHARACTER A AND CHARACTER B DYNAMIC!!! I HOPE I SEE MORE OF THIS!! LOTS OF LOVE!!" (Actual comment btw). So it's very rewarding to do this in the long run.

EFFORT

React fics are a lot more effort then one would realize. If you can't find a script online then you're basically fucked. People think "Oh then I'll just write it out." But you don't know how mindnumbingly boring it is to sit there, pause, write out what one person says, unpause, the next, pause, unpause, the next, pause. It's so FUCKING boring. You'll be at it for an hour, look up, and only be 5 minutes through a forty minute episode. That's another reason why most abandon their fics. It's so fuckinf boring!!

I do a pokemon fic, right? So I have to write the dialogue, write the character walking, write their thoughts while walking, write what they're doing while battling, what the poke does while battling. It's so boring because you just have to edge your character along then quickly look down and type what you think is happening before the scene ends. Then if you use a video, it's still just as fucking numbing! Then after doing all that, you STILL have to go back and add in what the OTHER characters are thinking to the SCENE YOU JUST FUCKING WROTE.

Its a lot of work that most people aren't expecting. Which leads to cookie cutter one sentence reactions. I say no fucking more. If you're going to do fics like this and so one sentence for each twenty paragraphs, I have one thing to say to you.

DONT BOTHER.

You're not going to get the reaction you want for the work you're putting in. Most people won't comment especially in the state the community is now. And you're going to end up reading back and be disappointed by the things you didn't write compared to what you did. It's rough. So just don't bother posting it. Keep it in your pocket for a long while, go back, add reactions, make paragraphs of thinking. Then when you finally have that contemplation and commentary, be proud. Because...

YOU DID THE THING PROPERLY.

NO HALF ASSING IN FANFIC GUYS, HOPE TO IT AND MAKE SOMETHING YOULL BE PROUD OF!! NOT BECAUSE OF COMMENTS OR KUDO, BUT BECAUSE YOU WANT TOO!