.:OPINION: TEN THINGS TO AVOID IN FANFICTION:.

We all know what fanfiction is. Most of us have written one or two Mew Mew stories ourselves. Exploring new possibilities that never occured in the anime or manga, or strengthening and filling out relationships that were only hinted at. Even re-writing the series as we know it. However, there are some things that cause serious readers and writers of said fanfiction to groan or roll their eyes. And so, I have grouped these into a list of ten things I feel should be avoided or used with extreme caution and a lot of creativity.

No actual names of authors or stories are mentioned here. This article is not meant to offend anyone, rather, it is to help writers learn what sorts of common occurances in fanfiction weaken it and/or should be avoided.

1. "Hi! I'm the New Mew Mew!"

We've all done this, right? We've created our own Mew Mews or our own Mew teams and wanted to write their stories. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this practice! However, if you're expecting people to welcome your characters with arms wide open, you've got another thing coming. Think for a moment about how many Mew Mew fans are out there. Now if each one of them creates one Mew Mew, consider how many fan Mew teams and stories about them exist. A lot! Some, mind you, are good. Great even! But many follow the same formula - Ryou accidentally fires the injection gun, the original Mews discover that Ryou had created earlier Mews (failed experiments) and kept them secret, the original Mews' children become the new generation. All of these paths have been heavily explored and you have to realize that while everyone knows who Ichigo (or Zoey) is, your Mew Mew is completely new to them, and unofficial, so you will probably only receive a small circle of supporters.

Commonly new Mews are fused with cats or foxes. Common names include Kiichigo (Blackberry), Sakura/nbo (Cherry), and other well-known fruits and candies. The concept of a team of evil "Dark Mew Mews" is also very popular.

If you're thinking of making a fanfiction about a new Mew Mew or team, try some of the following to make your story stand out:

+ Check out the official Red List site and look up endangered animals you've never heard of before.

+ Suppose your Mews were infused with plant or virus DNA, or maybe they possess the power of some other object.

+ Try naming your Mews after something different. Maybe herbs and spices, fancy colors (vermillion, lavender, cerulean, etc), or words in other languages besides Japanese.

+ Suppose the Mews aren't injected with anything. How else could they receive their power?

+ What creative items could they use to attack? Maybe common household appliances? Maybe they can summon a spirit version of their animal and it fights for them? How about controlling the elements (wind, water, earth, fire, etc)?

+ Give your character an attribute or flaw that is uncommon and will make him/her stand out. Maybe she's afraid or allergic to the animal she's been infused with or perhaps (s)he has horrible coordination and has difficulty fighting the enemy. Maybe (s)he's from another country and has to overcome the language barrier.

2. "Hi! I'm his cousin/sister/girlfriend/lover/future kid!"

Don't do it. Just don't, please. This card is so overdone it isn't even funny. Sure, you love Kisshu or you love Ryou. Heck, many of us do, but don't think anyone besides you and your BFFs are gonna want to read about how Mew Glitterpuffberry hooks up with Ryou effortlessly and makes him fall head over heels in love with her. This tends to fall under one of three categories: shy girl gradually confesses love, love at first sight, or girl with an attitude finally realizes her true feelings and turns to mush. Any way you cut it, most people will have no interest in it, since they will prefer their own made up characters with him (or her) or else another character from the actual show with the official character. Sometimes they have long lost relatives and childhood friends coming out of the woodwork as well. Oftentimes people will give Ichigo a twin sister who has an interest in Kisshu or Ryou. Both boys are often given younger sisters or childhood sweethearts that they haven't seen in ages. Did I mention the future children that bring chaos along with them when their parents find out who they end up getting together with? Again, some of these stories are quite good, but many simply lack any substance or originality. Try being different.

+ Suppose you explore Ryou's childhood and how he got to know Keiichiro or how he got along with his parents?

+ Suppose you explore how Kisshu met Pie and Tart. How did they get chosen to travel to Earth?

+ Suppose your character has an interest in another character you made? Suppose your character simply admires qualities in the official character (like Ryou's genius or Kisshu's determination)?

3. "Ichigo, I hate to tell you this, but Masaya is dead!"

The easiest way to make Kishigo and Rychigo work? Kill off the competition. This in many cases is an incredibly cheap way to make your preferred pairing work. Ichigo grieves, then rushes to Love Interest #2 for comfort. The sad part is that Masaya's death is often unspecified or incredibly silly, such as him getting hit by a car or committing suicide. You may not like the guy, but he honestly doesn't deserve the torment he gets from fans. If you're dead-set on getting him out of the picture, try something besides death. Afterall, they're only kids, and love doesn't always last forever. Masaya could serve another purpose in your story which would be impossible if you killed him off.

4. "So, you had a sudden change of heart?!"

Masaya cheating on Ichigo. Zakuro suddenly falling for Keiichiro and becoming a giddy fangirl. These things just don't happen, at least not without good reason and ample time. For one, I think Masaya cheating on Ichigo goes against his character. However, with time, it's possible that Ichigo's relationship with him could change. Zakuro could develop feelings for someone, but not right away, and it would be a long time before she showed this. Consider how much she didn't want to join the team. Zakuro is independent and would be against letting a man take care of her. Love doesn't happen overnight.

+ Put yourself in the characters' shoes. How would you deal with the situation at hand?

+ Try studying how characters interract in the series. How could these relationships be believably changed or deepened? What things do these characters have in common? What weaknesses do they have that could lead to future misunderstandings?

5. "If she doesn't love me, there's no point in living!"

Ah, emo. We all love drama, but sometimes it gets downright annoying. The shafted boy starts cutting himself or lets his spirit and body waste away while Ichigo enjoys life with the man she loves. Ichigo decides life is over after Masaya breaks up with her. Lettuce thinks Ryou is the only man for her and she's worthless otherwise. For one thing, Ryou survived the death of his parents, so clearly a girl brushing him off would not simply crush him. Other characters have proven their strength to let go as well, such as when Kisshu gives up on Ichigo because he wants her to be happy. Even Lettuce has dealt with giving up on hopeless loves before, so it's not the end of the world. The girls have great support systems that could see them through these trials. If you're going to write something depressing, make sure you know the character.

6. "Say what?!"

Out of character. People acting in ways that they never would otherwise. This can often ruin a fanfiction entirely. People want to see the real Mint or the real Tart, not a bunch of sugarhigh characters that have been morphed beyond recognition. Mint's "holier than thou" attitude and Tart's brattiness are what makes us love these characters. So, changing them, even if it makes your story work, isn't doing them the justice they deserve and may discourage readers. Be credible.

Another common flaw is the use of Japanese. Honorifics can help accent a story (if used correctly - take note of how characters address one another), but inserting random Japanese words like "neko", "hai", and "kawaii" into sentences make them look cheesy. Especially don't use it if you don't know the language. People will laugh if you misspell "gomen", and chances are, most people don't know Japanese. It'll just make them feel stupid if they don't know the meaning of "Oyasumi nasai." So try to avoid it. Hai, sou desu.

+ Ichigo calls the girls and aliens by first name, except Zakuro whom she addresses as "Zakuro-san". Keiichiro is "Akasaka-san" and Ryou is simply "Shirogane" (note: this can be rude). She calls Masaya "Aoyama-kun" affectionately, but in her dreams she uses just his first name, as this would indicate they are very close.

+ Mint calls everyone by first name, including Ryou, with a few exceptions. Keiichiro is "Akasaka-san", Zakuro is "Zakuro-oneesama" (a formal version of "big sister"), and she uses Masaya's last name.

+ Lettuce tacks on -san after girls' first names and boys' last names, except Pie who is "Pie-san".

+ Pudding call the girls by first name with the addition of -oneechan (meaning "big sister") and the boys by last name with the addition of -oniichan (meaning "big brother"). She calls Tart "Taru Taru" however, and calls her siblings by first name.

+ Zakuro calls the girls by first name, however for the boys she tends to use their last names with no honorific.

+ Masaya takes on "-san" as well. He begins by referring to Ichigo as "Momomiya-san" but later just calls her "Ichigo". Most other characters he will call by family name and tack on -san to be polite (ie. Shirogane-san).

+ Keiichiro tends to add "-san" after each girl's first name (ie. Ichigo-san). He refers to Masaya as "Aoyama-san" and calls Ryou by his first name since the two are very close.

+ Ryou uses first names pretty much all the time and tends to speak in a very informal way. He refers to his parents as "Mama" and "Papa".

+ The aliens tend to address people by their names without honorifics. The exception is that they call Deep Blue "Deep Blue-sama" (or "Lord Deep Blue").

7. When you push fanon too far.

This may be a personal issue, but I have seen people make up information about characters and desperately attempt to make other people accept this as truth. This can range from Mew Mews that don't exist to birthdays, heights, and middle names for the boys (which are mentioned nowhere officially). The term fanon means that fans make up information to fill in gaps. Hopefully, information that is logical, however, even if you think your idea is great, realize other people have good ideas too. If you'd like them to use your ideas, ASK, don't force. For example, I have come up with names for Ryou's parents and requested that people adopt them (if they want to) because I feel it's unfair that they lack them when Ichigo's, Lettuce's and Pudding's parents all have official names, yet I have never claimed these to be their real names, and they are not the only (or even the first) names they have been given by fans.

8. Lack of originality. This fic is like every other fic.

Ichigo bugs Ryou for a raise. Ichigo gets stuck as a cat. Someone gets kidnapped by the aliens. Someone goes missing. Someone runs away. All of these are fine and dandy, but a lot of ideas begin to lose their originality when used repeatedly. If you want to use ideas that have been done before, try adding an interesting twist to make them stand out. If not, try coming up with new ideas.

+ Go through your music playlist and write a fanfiction based on a song.

+ Look around your room and find an object that could be worked into the story.

+ Click the random article button on Wikipedia.

+ Let a theme from an unrelated book inspire you.

9. Spell check is your best friend.

If I can't understand what you are trying to say, I won't read your fanfiction. Most others probably feel the same way. Capitalization, good spelling and grammar, punctuation, and paragraphs make fanfiction look more professional and will encourage more people to read it. Start new lines when characters say something and try skipping lines after paragraphs to make your stories easier to read. And make sure you correctly spell the characters' names. Don't be lazy. If you're unsure, look it up.

10. Interactive and scripts are not fanfiction.

They are against the rules on fanfiction.net, and are usually written while on sugarhigh. They tend to be sloppy and lack any real point other than maybe a chuckle or two. The "Ask _character_" columns have become especially frequent. Quite honestly, I feel these belong as a messageboard thread and NOT as a "story".

+ Ask friends for story ideas or questions, then try writing an actual STORY around them.

+ Make interractive topics on messageboards rather than posting them as fanfiction.

Other notes:

+ Crossovers - I have a love/hate relationship with them. Some can be very good, but some are uninspired and simply smoosh two anime series together. Remember the rules of both/all series and try to create something new and unexpected about it. Don't simply recast characters and follow the same script. That's lazy.

Recommended links:

+ MewMewHelp @ LiveJournal.Com - A very helpful site which makes good suggestions for developing fanfiction and what things to avoid. Although the creator's definition of "canon" is extremely liberal and a few statements are personal interpretation rather than proven fact, it is otherwise a great place to go when you're stuck.