Mei: Hello people! My name is Mei, and I'm a yaoi fangirl.

people: We love you, Mei.

Mei: major-sweatdrop

So yeah, I'm a crazy little pervert who loves yaoi. My most loved couples are: NarutoxGaara, ItachixSasuke (coz twincest is the bestest), KouichixKouji (Digimon Frontier) (for the same reason, duh), TakuyaxKouji, and some Weiss Kreuz shippings but no-one knows that series so meh.

I write stuff from my crazy mind, inspired by thoughts, dreams, real life experiences, or just rock music. :P

my current favorite and most inspiring rock-band is MUSE. I think they're awesome, and their lead singer looks like a real-life Gaara.

...~yeah

Caranina: Hi there! So today my lovely beta, Mei-chan, and I have decided to share with you our fanfiction pet peeves.

Balinase2: Yup. Because someone has to finally shout it out loud, and have everyone notice it.

Caranina: Exactly, Mei-chan. So! For those of you that agree, that's great! For those of you that feel offended, then it probably means there is something for you to work on. Keep in mind we're not perfect either but seriously people! Have some pride in your work! Now then, would you like to go first, Mei-chan?

Balinase2: runs through Na-chan's text, putting in forgotten commas Yes! The first thing and most important thing in writing - Commas and dots. People, we can't read your fics, if they're not well punctuated. It is seriously annoying not to know when one sentence begins or ends. Readers don't like re-reading the same sentence several times until they finally get your point. So don't be afraid to use them. However, you shouldn't exaggerate with them either.

Caranina: blushes and corrects a few words Next up! Spelling. You know, fanfiction.net has a beta service. Make use of it! Even if you don't have one! Proof read, proof read, proof read. Never post something unless you have read it multiple times, checking for spelling errors. Now we are reasonable - Neither of us will claim having posted completely spelling error free works. However, it is your job as an author to keep this to a minimum. Seeing spelling errors every few words shatters the atmosphere you are trying to create with your words. Readers should not have to pause to decipher exactly what word you are trying to use.

Balinase2: nods And it's not just the simple errors of missing a letter here and there like "her and here", "fllow and follow"; it's also "you're and your and youre", or "it's and its", or "there, their and they're" which has huge difference in meaning. And let's not forget the more common ones "Gaara's and Gaaras" in a matter of something belonging to someone... (although I wouldn't mind having multiple Gaaras... blushes perversely)...

Caranina: stuffs tissue up nose at that last comment Yes, well let's not dwell on the multiple Gaaras. As Mei-chan mentioned, grammar is also very important. Misuse of words can seriously become annoying. Just as bad are Author Notes in the middle of your sentence, paragraph, chapter. It is of our opinion that Author's Notes should be reserved for the beginning and/or the end of your chapter. There's nothing worse than being completely immersed in a story only to be brutally ripped out by an author feeling the need to inject their thoughts in the middle of a sentence. As tempting as it may be, please refrain from letting other people know that you drooled over the last few sentences you wrote or you hate Sasuke for doing something you made him do two seconds ago.

Balinase2: I agree. For that, there is the simple trick of writing "(1)" next to the thing you want to comment about, and then writing at the Author's Notes IN THE END - "1 - I really hate Sasuke for doing this and that. He may be hot, but he's still a bastard." Or something like that.. clears throat ... Or when you write something in a foreign language in the middle of the flow of English, please write a translation in the same method. Not all of us understand Japanese, or take Spanish lessons, or German lessons... And pleeeeaaaase - I know how most of you authors have your little muses, your own little Narutos and and Gaaras and Shinos and Itachis in your head that you like chatting with; but please don't "post" those "chats" in the chapters. Especially when they start going wild and do stupid things, and the whole chat becomes too long, sometimes even longer than the chapter itself. And in case you do insist on writing them in, please do it either at the beginning OR at the end. Not both.

Caranina: I agree completely. Author's Notes should not be longer than the chapter itself, and if you use another language, there should be a valid reason for this and it should come with footnotes. There's nothing more disappointing than scrolling through a chapter that looks long only to realize that more than half the page is actually an author expressing lengthy gratitudes, or making lengthy, irrelevant comments, or having conversations with their muse, and the muse's extended family. I am all for authors showing their gratitude, but sometimes it is best expressed in a private message if it is longer than a paragraph. That is what the reply button is for. Personally, I appreciate it more if an author takes the time to privately reply to a review. It makes the author seem more sincere in that they took the time to log in and reply to what I had to say.

Balinase2: Nods Like on your fics, Na-chan. You thank me for beta-reading, and the readers for reviewing in one simple line. I'm pretty sure that's enough, and there's no need to go on and on about these gratitudes.

Caranina: nods in agreement Very good point there, Mei-chan. Next up - Tenses! Good lord, get your time traveling right, folks! Look, let's be honest - writing in present tense is tricky. You have to pay more attention to what you write in comparison to writing in past tense. There's nothing worse than reading something written in present tense only to suddenly have the character do something in the past that they should be engaging in currently. It's no fun having to stop and decipher when events are taking place. This gets incredibly confusing. Choose a tense and stick to it! If you can't get writing in present tense right, then don't attempt it at all!

Balinase2: And if you already started writing in one tense and decided to switch to another tense, please go back and change what you had written so far. There's no shame in it. And if you're lazy, get a beta and tell them about the change, so they would do it for you and correctly. ...Did we cover it all?

Caranina: I think so.

Balinase2: You know - It may sound like we're butchering you, people, but it's actually for your own good - both as readers and as authors. The more you keep the fics clean of errors, and use betas, the more reviews and hits you get for your fics. Not to mention that you get to improve your English this way. looks proud That's how I reached the level of Beta-reader - I learned from the errors people fixed for me. (you have to admit it's way better than sitting in English class, staring at your ugly teacher).

Caranina: I remember when Mei-chan would slaughter my work for lack of comma usage, and I still can't use the things properly, but I've improved.

Balinase2: You bet you improved. I hardly have anything to fix nowadays. Soon I'll be living in the streets in a cardboard box...

Caranina: Never, Mei-chan! hugs tight I will always need you. You're the macaroni to my cheese, the peanut butter to my jelly, the white on my rice, the frosted to my flakes...

Balinase2: @.@ hugs back And I will always need you too!! I may be a beta-reader, but I could use a beta-reader too for my own fics. You are my guide! My Gandalf in the long path of writing! My Pokedex (1) in the world of words and grammer!... Na-chan!!~ (1 - where the hell did that come from?..)

Caranina: (Pokedex?) Mei Mei!!~ cue sunset, cliff, and splashing waves

Balinase2: NA-CHAAAAN!!~~ @_@

Caranina: MEI MEIIIIIIII!!~~~ @_@ I will forever less-than-3 you.

Balinase2: I will forever less-than-3 you 2!! @_@ ...ahem... maybe we got a little carried away...

Caranina: blushes...cough Well there you have it, folks - our fanfiction pet peeves... ummm... Minus the last part. We apologize for that. Feel free to think about what we said! Till next time~

Balinase2: Uhh... hopefully, there won't be a next time...! I do want people to take in everything we've said.

Remember, people -- Don't be a loser, Be a user!

Together: Ja ne!~