Am I the only one who's sick of hearing about the American witch who got transferred to Hogwarts or the American journalist who came to Fleet Street? I'm just saying, people, respect a story's nationality!
Well, if you're going to compare it to a car-crash, at least maybe we could have some survivors, instead of everyone dying horrible grammatical deaths...
I'm sorry, that was bad. I'm running on no sleep and a lot of caffeine at the minute.
But at least if they wrote an English version of Twilight, they might be able to make the grammar correct, and get rid of the horrible adjectives that pop up repeatedly.
Hate, hate, hate all these American Mary-Sue's in Harry Potter fanfiction. It just annoys me no end
@ RayRay
Maybe, but it's never going to happen.
personally, I think if you are going to have a character from any country move to a different country for the fandom, it should be for a very good, and documented reason, and the laws, customs and colloquialisms ought to be researched first.
I also get annoyed at the americans coming to hogwarts and it just becomes HSM-with-magic. please stay as true to the feel of the books as you can, even if you take the plot and characters to a different outcome. the teens I can understand,youth is impressionable and there is a lot of american media about. But Dumbledore, Snape and McGonagall speaking in american slang? makesme scrub my eyes with a Brillo pad. :@
I mean,it's not as if a Beta reader or Britpicker is hard to find. there afe forums for that kind of thing. I personally Brit/Beta for a few German girls.
DOCTOR WHO SUCKS, BITCHES
Firstly, whoever this Anonymous person is, is obviously mistaken but I'll forgive you this once. The new doctor is still getting settled.
Harry Potter seems to be a recurring theme in this thread, please note that the books are set in 1991 to 1998, Americans are very likely to be in the UK, and if Hogwarts is the only wizard school in the world its just not right to limit attendees to Brittons since the odds of wizards being limited to only Brittons is very unlikely.
However, the main issues here appear to be with spelling and research into British culture rather than the likely hood of Americans actually turning up. Although disheartening, (i always try to get my story as accurate to the universe as possible) we have to remember that these are FAN FICTION stories. American culture will have a more prominent role in a story written by an American, just as a Britain would draw on British culture.
Personally, facts relevant to the universe are more important to me than spelling colour correctly and research into real life current culture.
>>126 Hogwarts is not the only wizarding school in the world, as is fairly obvious when teams from two other wizarding schools come to Hogwarts in order to compete in the Tri-wizard Tournament.
>>126 Also, doesn't Hermione mention the Salem Witches Institute at one point? Last time I checked that was in the US.
And Bill or Charlie Weasley had a Brazilian penfriend at one point, so there are Wizarding cultures worldwide.
In fact, the short book "Quidditch through the Ages" practically confirms the variety of other Wizarding cultures that exist. A whole host of European teams, Australian teams, Japanese, a few American (although they play their own variant, for the most part)...
But if an American family moved to Britain, their children would go to one of our schools. Same would apply in HP world, I imagine.
However, that doesn't mean that they automatically become the most popular person in school, and everybody starts using American slang etc...
Also, it's fairly stupid to assume that Wizards only exist in Britain, and a little arrogant as well. Obviously it's something that JK never felt the need to dive into though.
And I agree with Lupa: if anything the American person would become more familiar with British slang, not everyone else bending to their will. People from other countries tend to be something of a novelty at first, so they probably could be popular at first, it's not entirely implausible - but I doubt it would last, as with most things, they find friends and settle into a normal routine, not remain the best thing ever to happen to the place.
@RayRay and Lupa Dracolis
Yeah, that's what really annoys me about the stories. That firstly they are always the most popular person in the school, and everyone is in love with them. And then everyone starts using American slang in the school. It is Britain and also, in my experience, whenever an American has come to my school, most people don't really like them. Just because they are generally quite arrogant and always saying "well in America we don't divide like that, we divide like this"... After they get over the whole, our way is better than your way, they're just normal pupils. If anything, if an American person came to Hogwarts the response to them would be hardly... welcoming. Also, one would assume that like the other Wizarding schools the Salem Institute would be a boarding school, which would mean there would be no problem with them staying there and then travelling to Britain where their family lives. That's what happens in the real world, why wouldn't it happen it the Wizarding?
Oh and before I get a millions replies saying 'ZOMG YOU HATE AMERICA' or 'UR soooooo mean y do u not like Americans?//???/?' I don't I'm just saying that they generally become more British than turning everyone else into little American clones.
@RayRay and Lupa Dracolis
Yeah, that's what really annoys me about the stories. That firstly they are always the most popular person in the school, and everyone is in love with them. And then everyone starts using American slang in the school. It is Britain and also, in my experience, whenever an American has come to my school, most people don't really like them. Just because they are generally quite arrogant and always saying "well in America we don't divide like that, we divide like this"... After they get over the whole, our way is better than your way, they're just normal pupils. If anything, if an American person came to Hogwarts the response to them would be hardly... welcoming. Also, one would assume that like the other Wizarding schools the Salem Institute would be a boarding school, which would mean there would be no problem with them staying there and then travelling to Britain where their family lives. That's what happens in the real world, why wouldn't it happen it the Wizarding?
Oh and before I get a millions replies saying 'ZOMG YOU HATE AMERICA' or 'UR soooooo mean y do u not like Americans?//???/?' I don't I'm just saying that they generally become more British than turning everyone else into little American clones.
@RayRay and Lupa Dracolis
Yeah, that's what really annoys me about the stories. That firstly they are always the most popular person in the school, and everyone is in love with them. And then everyone starts using American slang in the school. It is Britain and also, in my experience, whenever an American has come to my school, most people don't really like them. Just because they are generally quite arrogant and always saying "well in America we don't divide like that, we divide like this"... After they get over the whole, our way is better than your way, they're just normal pupils. If anything, if an American person came to Hogwarts the response to them would be hardly... welcoming. Also, one would assume that like the other Wizarding schools the Salem Institute would be a boarding school, which would mean there would be no problem with them staying there and then travelling to Britain where their family lives. That's what happens in the real world, why wouldn't it happen it the Wizarding?
Oh and before I get a millions replies saying 'ZOMG YOU HATE AMERICA' or 'UR soooooo mean y do u not like Americans?//???/?' I don't I'm just saying that they generally become more British than turning everyone else into little American clones.
Sorry. Not really sure what happened with the three posts... :/
@I/S
I completely agree with you - we have an American in our class and she's lovely, but she hasn't made the whole class start talking in American accents, or saying pants instead of trousers. Surely if an American went to Hogwarts they would quickly become Anglicized, rather than the other way round?
@ ...
It's true. I swear. You should have seen a girl in my class, every single day for at least a month she would lecture the teachers about how much better the schooling was in America and how they did Maths/ English/ Geography etc in America.
So... you're generalising about a nation based on your experiences with one person from it. How sensible.
oh dear...
I wouldn't generalise them. Americans by nature can be far more ballsy and loud than we Britons, but honestly - I know a lot of American people, I live in the world of IRC - and most of them are perfectly sensible people. In fact, the loudest person in the entire chat is Australian.
But that said, I know of a few examples. The taxi drivers in the rank across from my accommodation know me very well, I chat to all of them, know them by name, etc etc - so they tell me things. And one of them told me a while ago about a young Canadian guy, who was so rude that he chucked him out of the taxi. Listening to the story, it isn't that the kid was rude, it's more that we do things a lot differently to them, and to be honest, I'd defend the English system of learning, maybe I wouldn't argue - but nonetheless, I've met British people who are worse.
You know those people at school that have to have the last word, always making comments loudly, and over-doing everything. Yup, worse than any American I've ever met.
(Don't lump Canadians together with Americans; it irks them...)
Oh I know that. I forgot to mention the fact that I was saying it's not just the Americans. My bad.
@139
Well, they come across as arrogant to the British at least. Of course I'm not saying that every single American is like that, but quite a few are. What really pisses me off is when you meet them in American and they say:
Them: "You live in England? Where?"
You: "Er, London"
Them: "Oh, I know someone call John who lives in Bristol, have you ever met them?"
You: "No... I live in London."
It's like they automatically assume that there are only two people living in the whole of Britain. That being said, I have a best friend who is American, and she is one of the sweetest people alive. Britain isn't much better when they're in other countries, if you've ever seen them in Spain or Greece, you'd understand. There are different people in the US, but quite a few of them come across as arrogant.
I especially hate when people don't bother to learn the basic geography. People from Northern Ireland aren't technically Irish, they're British. The Scottish people have quite a few customs different from English people and the language is definately different.
(On a lighter note, has anyone seen the website Overheard in London? It's quite funny, but there was one that I remembered that went something like:
American tourist: Oh, you're Irish, right?
Irish person: Yes...
American tourist: Have you been to Northern Ireland? I heard it's really bad in that side of the country.
Irish person: .......Never been.
American tourist: But you're Irish, right?)
@145
Goes off to look at that website
I find this one quite amusing:
'American tourist to friend in Camden Market:
"Yeah, this is the bit that Amy Winehouse burnt down."'
:)
hides. I'm an American who rights Alex Rider, I've been to Europe twice and have pen pals. I've read and seen so much of Alex rider that I know say cheers, mate, trainers, football and so forth. I used to write American voice but know I just do my best British voice. It still bugs me that they insert a Blonde teenage bombshell assasin from here in the states! URGH!!!! ummmm yeah... people please I'm flattered there almost all blonde (Power to the blonde nation!) but please come on!!!!!!!!!!!!
Generally, if you intend to have an OC from another country turn up, at least have them act and behave in a believable manner. (Sadly there are far too many Mary-Sue's out there, especially (No offence Ambrele) American Mary-Sue's.)
All of this talk about American slang and British slang makes me think of this one thing from the Clerks.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjaDG2G-_go
"You're a cigarette!"
That said, I think it goes both ways. If you're going to write about a character in any other country than your own, you should probably research things, regardless.
For example, I recently had to help a British author with her American geography for a fic. Because, no offense, but I don't think you guys realize how immensely /big/ the US is, which has come up in certain Supernatural fanfiction. Indiana is not a 30 minute drive from Canada by any stretch of the imagination. Just for a little scaling tip, the US state of Florida is bigger than England.
I'm an American who might as well be British XP I've spelled in the British way for years now, and it annoys my family so much ^?^ I also use British terms and such, all the time. That and the fact that almost all of my favourite book are written by Brits and Aussies, makes me feel okay about writing for a story that's not American. But really guys, why be biased? I mean, just because it's British doesn't mean that an American, Mexican, Chinaman, Scottsman, or whatever coulture you like can't be in it. Rolls eyes seriously, it's fanfiction.
@ 152 It's fine for there to be an American in it, as long as they are there for a legitimate reason and don't convert the whole of say Hogwarts into saying 'pants' instead of trousers or saying 'ladies/men's room' instead of loo, or- dare I say it- toilet. Also most of the Americans which are inserted into an English or Australian novels are usually Mary-Sues. This doesn't mean that from time to time, when I'm reading an American book, that I never think of inserting an English person in there. But I don't because I know that they'll turn out like a Mary-Sue.
I'm an American who has never traveled out of her country and has barely traveled out of her state. I love American literature and I love BBC1 and I have British friends. I know some British terms, but that doesn't make me an expert on your culture.
My point here is to say... why is it bugging you all so much? It's a fan work. I write stories to have fun and get my ideas out there, not to be perfect. I've had some help from some very nice reviewers on my newest Merlin story on how to 'sound more British' - but I still slip up and put Cell phone instead of Mobile sometimes, and I may say 'pants' instead of 'trousers'. I don't think it's hurting my story too much, and none of my reviewers seem to care all that much.
And Americans hate being stereotyped as well. Not all of us are bad writers. Not all of us are mary-sue writers or have bad grammar, horrible punctuation, or no sense of sentence structure. Some of us are really trying. It's not as though we're trying to insult you on purpose.
It just seems as though this thread is based on bad fanfiction or bad writing and stereotypes - even from those of you who say you know some very nice Americans. There are snobs, jerks, prats, and asses in every culture. There are definitely at least some Brits who are the 'tea and cake' proper kind just like there are Americans. I'd like to believe I may fit in very well when I finally am able to travel to the United Kingdom, but maybe I should think less highly of my chances based on this thread.
@154- 'Pants' instead of 'trousers' can be problematic, for the same reason that 'chips' instead of 'crisps' is. Britain's famed for its superiority complex and xenophobia; if you visit, you'll get one set of people assuming you're a 'dumb American', and another set trying desperately to prove their open-mindedness by constantly talking about America's merits. Just be glad you're not French; then we'd ALL hate you.
@154
I personally don't hate Americans, just that I don't like it when they assume that everyone will know what they mean if they put 'pants' instead of 'trousers'- I didn't even know what 'closed captioning' (if that's what it is called) meant until a few months ago... It's just like if I was writing a fic for an American novel I would try and use American terminology, I'd probably slip up too. And I agree with 155, just be glad you aren't French!
Also the proper types of Brits are okay, unless you're talking about sloanes who just piss me off, and I go to a school with lots of them.
(For more reference on what a sloane is, go here:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKFjWR7X5dU or here: http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=sloane%20ranger or here:http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=sloane)
It just bugs me because you sometimes dont really understand some stuff, and some fics are so Americanised that they should really just be set in America. But as long as people make the effort to at least make it British or Australian or whatever then I'm good with it! :)
You know what I really hate? People from other countries who have never met or only met one American and group them all together or sterotype us all as these horrible, bland, Sueish writers who show no respect for other countries and want everyone Americanized.
And why is it okay for a British person to write an American fanfic and use their slang and their words? Why are Americans scrutinized for not knowing and reserching every single slang term and languauge difference, yet they have American characters going 'bloody' and 'crisps' and 'colour' and 'fag'...
And British people write Sue's and Stu's as well, it's not like it's an 'American thing'. Granted, as an HP reader and writer, the 'American student who comes to Hogwarts and gets her own house and has all the boys falling for her,' is beyond annoying, but wouldn't it be just as bad if that same person was written, just from Britin? Sue's and Stu's are pitiful no wonder what language they use.
@156 - Scarry
As an American, does anyone have a dictionary of British Slag words, to add a little more snap to ones work. Though, I think that not allways being correct in the slag terms, when there are so many, and they are always changing, isn't always a bad thing, unless you are writing original fiction, or for a specific time era.
Ok. I think a lot of people (the ones who aren't British) have got this thread a bit mixed up! It was us British people just having a good ol chin wag at the anoyance of well everything above. I don't think it was intended for you to take offence too, and yes we are all aware that it should work both ways.
Humm! Maybe I should just stay out of it!
As you were...
>>158 I have a good word you can use, ok so it's not slang, but it should be in every Brits vocabulary especially when insulting people or yourself.
Twat
@158- Well, if there was one same group of slags throughout the centuries, it would definitely be cause for concern and scientific investigation.
Also, I like that you capitalised 'British Slag', like an official title... 'You, ma'am, are a British Slag!'
I'll stop being so childish now.
I have found some for you...
http://www.essortment.com/all/britishslangw_rcnt.htm
That is some British slag words, but was it cockney ryming slang that you wanted? I have to point out that for the majority of the slang words unless your fic is set in the East end of london you shouldn't be using the cockney. I have friends that live in london who didn't even know what 'apple and pears' or 'ruby murray' meant. Also if you do use cockney it should flow with the sentance and shouldn't sound forced. I found a good site (at the bottom of the web page it has a very large table with the slang and definition in.
http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/cockney-rhyming-slang.html
Perhaps getting the writing as the character would say it (acsent) would be more effective. But this is very hard to do and most people get it compleatly wrong, dont forget people from different parts of the UK will speak differently. A Mancunian speaks very differnt from a Londoner.
That second link is very interesting; it's funny how CRS permeates speech across the country.
As for that first link... hmm. There's a mix of slang in frequent use and slang that's dated or obsolete. Also, some of those meanings are really off. 'Gutted', for example, does not mean 'choked up'; it means 'really disappointed'. You would not be gutted at a funeral; you would be gutted if your team lost the football. 'Ponce' doesn't mean 'slacker'; it's closer to 'wimpy, effeminate, useless and pretentious'.
>>162 I abandoned the first site when I reached knock up: to wake someone up. The author of this site obviously lives a very sheltered life.
You know I think the best way to do it, is to not think to much about it. And Only Fools and Horses is proberbly a more sound way to get knowledge, but again that only applies to that type of person and area of the UK. Harry potter - they chaged it for you guys? thats crazy! I dont understand all in american fiction, such as the word dang! I had never heard it before. Nevermind!
>>162 - Thanks! Both are added to my research folder.
One of the things NOT talked about in this fandom was how some writers think it is all right to Americanize characters. I mean, slang, products and school systems are what I think are logical issues.
I read a fanfic in particular recently, for Bleach, which takes place in Japan. It had American slang, and products, but there was also a joke about Obama. Not that I am pleased with him right now, but...
Basically what happened, was a character went and was asked what their name was, and they said Obama. The person on the other line, started complaining about medicare. Thing is, this joke was REALLY out of place. Espesully since it was doubtful the character bringing up Obama would have known who he was.
Of course, the writer of the fanfic responded to me, 'so what?'. I choose not to respond back to their reply at all, because they wrote everything off, as if it didn't matter, what mistakes they made, and that that I was wasting my time pointing them out. One of those...
I am against pedofilic relationships. The reason comes from the fact, I've had to many friends and aqantances be forced into a relationship. I do not believe that a child, or even most young adults, (or some of the special needs people, with child minds), can truelly desern what they are getting into. That being said.
1.) I don't mind reading about it, when the child has a one-sided crush. I concider that to be cute, funny sometimes, to even bizare.
2.) I don't mind it, when it truelly adresses the issues of a pedofilic relationship. However, MOST, don't have the psychological depth, and run along the lines of a rape fic where the victum falls in love with their purpertrator.
Truth be told, for some people, writing this type of fanfic, is also a means of healing for them. And I am not talking about relationships that fall outside of the two rules I put of either. I've read a few, with the hopes that the victum gets rescued, which I couldn't do for one of my friends.
REALLY SORRY EVERYONE! I WAS TRYING TO START A NEW THREAD! IGNORE POST #168! :C
Well I'm glad, I was getting very confused about the change in topic to pedofilic stuff! :/