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[donnaimmaculata]

I don't like epithets, as I'm sure I already mentioned a couple of times. But yesterday I came across one that made me laugh (and hit the back button, too, but laugh first of all): "his godfather's best friend". Apart from the fact that it was Harry's father and not Remus who was his godfather's best friend - how much more complicated can you get? His head of house's barmy superior? The red-haired headboy's younger brother? His aunt's meaty husband's dog-breeding sister?

I understand that one can use any of those epithets when actually talking about the interactions between the people mentioned in them, but not if they are used because the author wants to avoid using the name. Have no fear of names! Names aren't evil.

Comments

[donnaimmaculata.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah, "The-Boy-Who" must be the most overused phrase in fanfiction.

The problem with all those phrases we use to avoid mentioning the names over and over again that they become unbearable when one reads them too often. I have used "the other man" (or just "the man") in several instances, and every time I reread the fics, the phrase jumps at me and makes me cringe, because I have become so, so very conscious of it. Like with everything, it's a matter of personal preferences; some people complain that the use of personal pronouns in slash makes it difficult to follow (who is doing what to whom?), others hate the use of "his lover" with a passion.

Referring to the characters by their hair colour or profession ("the cursebreaker") make me cringe, too.