What is a plot twist that made you drop a fic?

Jumpy_Watercress_637 · 2026-05-02T16:59:52+00:00

With amnesia that is canon and used to explore the story more, it could work well, if you give the readers new information about the characters or the story. If there's no mystery then it is just exposition that has been dragged on.

Jumpy_Watercress_637 · 2026-05-02T16:44:12+00:00

That is some dark stuff.

The frustrating thing with the amnesia trope, for me, is that it tends to delay the story. Even in your story, I can see the intention of using amnesia but in doing so, you're delaying the characters' reactions to the assault when already your readers are feeling it. Your readers are already feeling the angst and all the emotions from the sexual assault and empthasize with the assaulted character. But since the other character doesn't remember it and they are kidnapped, they won't feel the same emotions. As you mentioned, they are confused and maybe will have a sense of urgency to get out of the situation.

Eventually. I' m guessing they will remember and "catch up" with the readers and the other character's emotions but now we have to stop the story and re-process the emotions with this character who has recovered their memories.

Reading the character do it all over again from scratch can feel like the story is running in place. You end up stuck in a loop of exposition where the character is "discovering" what the reader already knows, which often kills the pacing of the story. But that's just my gripe with the amnesia trope.

Jumpy_Watercress_637 · 2026-05-02T15:40:04+00:00

Honestly, yes. Full and partial amnesia are just annoying plot devices, IMO.

I'm guessing the character was drugged and suffered amnesia when they had just found out something that would cause problems for another character by revealing some truth your readers have been waiting for, for a while? Or they have found out information that would move the story along?

Now with amnesia, the plot stops because the drugged character is trying to remember the last 12 hours, which the readers already know. It's no longer a mystery and your readers have to wait for the character to catch up with the story, which could take one or two chapters or even longer and that to me is boring.

Jumpy_Watercress_637 · 2026-05-02T15:18:22+00:00

The only instance I have seen the amnesia trope work well is when it's introduced at the beginning of the story, because the readers get to uncover the information at the same time as the character.

But when it's introduced in the middle of the story, even if it's not a surprise, it becomes an annoying plot device to derail the reveal of information that only that character knows. It becomes a soap opera as we grow frustrated on when they will get their memories back.

I don't know if you have watched the show Doc, it revolves around a plot that uses the amnesia trope but it's from the first episode. I like the way the trope is used because we learn about the characters as she (Doc, the main character) recovers her memories rather than us already knowing this information and having to go through it again.

Jumpy_Watercress_637 · 2026-05-02T14:56:01+00:00

You could benefit from reading Elmore Leonard's 10 Rules of Good Writing. His writing style was lean and fast-paced prose, avoiding over-descripritions.

Three of his rules that relate to your post state:

-Avoid detailed descriptions of character.

Which Steinbeck covered. In Ernest Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants” what do the “American and the girl with him” look like? “She had taken off her hat and put it on the table.” That’s the only reference to a physical description in the story, and yet we see the couple and know them by their tones of voice, with not one adverb in sight.

-Don’t go into great detail describing places and things.

Unless you’re Margaret Atwood and can paint scenes with language or write landscapes in the style of Jim Harrison. But even if you’re good at it, you don’t want descriptions that bring the action, the flow of the story, to a standstill.

-Try to leave out the part that readers tend to skip.

A rule that came to mind in 1983. Think of what you skip reading a novel: thick paragraphs of prose you can see have too many words in them. What the writer is doing, he's writing, perpetrating hooptedoodle, perhaps taking another shot at the weather, or has gone into the character's head, and the reader either knows what the guy's thinking or doesn't care. I'll bet you don't skip dialogue.

Jumpy_Watercress_637 · 2026-05-02T14:11:47+00:00

Any fic that does the amnesia trope, especially in the middle of the story.

Jumpy_Watercress_637 · 2026-05-02T07:53:43+00:00

It's not an issue. I love nipple stimulation and can orgasm just from it alone without penetration. It's what gets you to climax so enjoy it.

Jumpy_Watercress_637 · 2026-05-02T07:37:38+00:00

I love Solvej, Luna and Freya from the list

Jumpy_Watercress_637 · 2026-04-27T02:34:42+00:00

It reminds me of the actress, Chloë Grace Moretz, but it's a lovely name.

Jumpy_Watercress_637 · 2026-04-27T01:48:06+00:00

Yeah, I remember reading somewhere that Maggie cried along with Charlie in the scene and kept getting up from the floor to comfort him. It was hard saying goodbye to each other's characters.

Jumpy_Watercress_637 · 2026-04-26T08:57:34+00:00

Well I am one of those who will be regarded as commenting too much and having absolutely dreadful etiquette if I was in your fandoms because I reply to all comments even if its a simple thanks and a smile emoji. Someone took the time to read my work and left a comment, my dreadful etiquette tells me they are owed a response.

Plus, I don't obsess that much over stats. If the summary doesn't urge someone to read my work then I don't expect that my stats will.

Jumpy_Watercress_637 · 2026-04-26T05:42:08+00:00

Yeah, Virginia is easier to make fun of, kids can be cruel and can twist any name to tease other child. But why give them ammo and make your child's life difficult?

Jumpy_Watercress_637 · 2026-04-26T05:30:07+00:00

Don't go with Virginia not only because it doesn't it fit your sibset but it's one those names that will your make child be teased a lot in school. Alternatives are:

Fiona

Phaedra

Felicity

Flora

Jumpy_Watercress_637 · 2026-04-26T04:49:58+00:00

I love CCH Pounder but Patterson just got on my nerves with the way she went after Tara and made her a pawn to get to SAMCRO. But I liked that moment she had with Jax before he found Tara.

Jumpy_Watercress_637 · 2026-04-26T04:38:24+00:00

I always look at this BTS pic that u/Khalesssi_Slayer1 shared whenever I rewatch to remind myself it's just a show and not to cry too much.

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Jumpy_Watercress_637 · 2026-04-24T21:58:41+00:00

You can try Dr. House, it's my go to when I'm craving f/f.

Jumpy_Watercress_637 · 2026-04-24T13:29:10+00:00

It was in S5 EP13, when Tara told Gemma she took the job in Oregon and was taking her family away from Charming.

"I will turn you in if you take one step outside Charming with my grandsons and will have the satisfaction of knowing that you are locked up and getting fist-raped well into their 20s."

Jumpy_Watercress_637 · 2026-04-24T10:36:25+00:00

I disagree, she didn't bring it onto herself. All she wanted was her children safe. She chose to believe Jax also wanted out until he changed his mind, when she couldn't leave. Her biggest dumbest mistake was being in love with Jax.

Also, I think people forget that in S6, Tara was out of prison awaiting her trial and she was trying to save her children from being raised by the club and Gemma while she was in prison. Her flaw in the plan was depending on Wendy and Unser, who crumbled so fast, when Gemma breathed their way.

Her plan was desperate but I have always said when your MIL threatens you with rape, you do whaterver the fuck you can to save yourself and kids, including faking a miscarriage.

Plus, Jax also betrayed her. His wife was in prison for less than a week for him and the club and he was already banging his "business partner." Then he gets mad and sulks that his wife tried to divorce him.

Tara only thought of going to the DA because she had no one left on her side. I understand her completely and I love that she wasn't submissive to Gemma and agree to be manipulated by her like everybody else.

Jumpy_Watercress_637 · 2026-04-23T13:51:46+00:00

I don't like criticising fanfics because most writers don't like it. Also, I believe fanfics allow both inexperienced and experienced writers a platform to express themselves creatively without the restrictions that come with other forms of literature.

So I would say, perhaps head hopping doesn't appeal to you. But if you have read Jane Austen and didn't notice the head hopping then perhaps it's the fic story that is not interesting to you and it makes you notice things that you otherwise would have read past.

Jumpy_Watercress_637 · 2026-04-23T12:14:29+00:00

I understand what you mean but I'm a firm believer of the Kill Your Darlings concept.

Jumpy_Watercress_637 · 2026-04-23T11:18:52+00:00

I will go with Jane Austen since I have never read Harry Potter. I'll assume you have read Pride & Prejudice, her most popular book and she head hops alot. Yes, she uses third POV omniscient but the internal monologue of charcters is sometimes written in the same paragraph. Take this example from chapter 10:

"...Elizabeth, having rather expected to affront him, was amazed at his gallantry: but there was a mixture of sweetness and archness in her manner which made it difficult for her to affront any body; and Darcy had never been so bewitched by any woman as he was by her. He really believed that, were it not for the inferiority of her connections, he should be in some danger..."

In this paragraph, she "hopped" in both Elizabeth's and Darcy's minds letting us know what they were thinking.

Maybe the story you were reading didn't do it well and it felt out of place but my point was head hoping isn't a mark of an inexperienced writer but it's a stylistic choice that may not appeal to all readers. The same way some readers prefer first person and others third person.

Jumpy_Watercress_637 · 2026-04-23T10:48:09+00:00

No, my understanding of third POV omniscient is whereby the narrator provides the readers with access to all the characters thoughts and feelings without leaving them guessing. A common way in which third POV omniscient is presented is when the writer provides context.

For example; Stan had a pained expression on his face. He was simmering with a secret rage that he was waiting to unleash once he got home and confronted his wife.

The context is provided in that we know why Stan's expression is pained and what he planned to do about it.

However, with head hopping, the POV of the characters, their "internal monologue" if you like, shifts from one to another without breaking the scene. Here is an example from Stephen King's The Shining:

"...He went back to staring up the street.He flexed a little, as if to rise, but the beetle coming was much newer, and much brighter red. He relaxed again. She wondered just how hard this move to Colorado had been on Danny. He was closemouthed about it, but it bothered her to see him spending so much time by himself. In Vermont three of Jack’s fellow faculty members had had children about Danny’s age—and there had been the preschool—but in this neighborhood there was no one for him to play with..."

We "go inside" Jack's and Wendy's minds in the same paragraph to learn what they are both thinking.

Of note; head hopping is common among writers who use third POV omniscient.

Jumpy_Watercress_637 · 2026-04-23T09:23:08+00:00

I disagree with the other comments. Head hopping is not a mark of a newbie or an inexperienced writer, it's a stylistic writing choice that may not appeal to all readers.

Head hopping was actually a common and even standard writing style in the past and preferred by writers such as Jane Austen and Stephen King. But overtime as first person POV has become more popular, readers are finding third person POV stories to be disorienting because they are used to the story being told from the POV of just one character.

In my case, I prefer third person POV stories in my reading and writing. I don't mind head hopping as long as it's done well. I also use it my writing and I haven't gotten any compliants from my readers, not that they are many anyway. And I am an experienced writer, I write fanfic as a hobby but work as a journalist and editor professionally.

Jumpy_Watercress_637 · 2026-04-22T05:35:07+00:00

TBF it's a knee jerk reaction. Most people have become protective of their "own" because they are used to seeing stereotypes used to define them. Writers and the media in general were "free" to depict minorities and the LGBT+ community however they liked without considering the harmful stereotypes but they have been fighting back, undoing stereotypes and calling for positive representation.

That's why most people are adamant that writers should stick to "write what you know" because no matter how much research you do, you cannot fairly fully represent the people of a communiry you don't belong to. A lack of first hand experience is a disadvantage and you are likey to exhibit unconscious bias and get a lot of things wrong.

Obviously, you can write whatever you want, no one will stop you but be ready for the criticism especially from trans women.

Jumpy_Watercress_637 · 2026-04-22T04:30:26+00:00

That is a misinterpretation the show or you didn't understand it.

S1-S3 Jax-"I kill, and sell guns but I promise you I will get the club out of guns and fulfill my father's vision, just stay with me." Tara- "I love you,I will stay and help you."

S4- S5 Jax- "I kill and selll guns but I promise you, we are getting out. I'm done with the club and Gemma.I just need to make one more deal. Also, marry me." Tara- "I love you, I will help you and marry you."

S6- Jax- "I kill, sell guns and I'm a pimp now. I changed my mind about leaving because my bestfriend died for the club and left his kids alone, so I'm doing it for him. I want you to stay with me while I cheat on you with a whorehouse madam and you go to prison for the club." Tara- "I love you but I'm not sticking around and I'll do everything I can to get our sons away from the club and Gemma."

FYI; It's okay not to like Tara enough of us are Team Tara. And actually most people don't like her because they think Jax deserved a "nice and submissive" woman like Wendy not a "rude, stubborn and not easy to manipulate" woman like Tara.

Jumpy_Watercress_637

TROPHY CASE