Whats the fastest red flag you've seen when reading

[Gryphon]

By that I mean how fast did it take for you to realize that a certain story isn't meant for you, it shows that the writing quality isn't good, or it would be an utterly offensive story that does nothing except make you wonder the IQ of the author.

For me, although its an anime, I learned very quickly that Kenja no Mago, or Wise Man's Grandchild, was not going to be for me when they did that whole "Oh it was all just a test" bullshit in the most uninspired, creatively bankrupt, and logical deficient scene I have ever seen on television/streaming service. That was episode 3 which should translate to around chapter 5 or 6 at the earliest of the light novel. I don't know, I don't plan to read it or ever have it in my vicinity again after that travesty of a scene.

 

[Deleted member 54065]

I look at the tags. Spared me the suffering of reading the work by about two seconds.

 

[Lomyril]

Sometimes I stay away from the cover. Sometimes, I stay away from the title. Sometimes I stay away after reading the synopsis. I figure if the author doesn't care about the title or the synopsis to make simple corrections (punctuation, spelling, grammar), then the rest of the story will likely be filled with the same.

Assuming the above are good and it seems to be a genre I am interested in, I will give the first chapter a try. A good chapter can make or break a person's interest in following the story.

If I am really lucky, a story can catch my interest in the first few lines. It is like the author is passing out small bite-sized treats that I nibble on. The story tastes sweet, or spicy, or simply makes me curious for more.

As an example, one such story is here on ScribbleHub. It's about someone who dies and is transmigrated as a dungeon core.

I recommend folks give it a try, even if you read just one chapter. Note that it does have R-18 (adult) chapters at times, so reader discretion is advised.

Blue Core - Chapter 1, Day 2.

 

[tiaf]

I knew it was trash when the female lead drugged the male lead for a one-night-stand and yeet out the very next morning to another country.

What a psycho!

But I preserved those 9 minutes of the first episode, just to see that every other character is just as braindead and rotten as her!

 

[mysterious_cube]

Misspelling "prologue". It's one of the biggest and most obvious warning signs

 

[Ilikewaterkusa]

By that I mean how fast did it take for you to realize that a certain story isn't meant for you, it shows that the writing quality isn't good, or it would be an utterly offensive story that does nothing except make you wonder the IQ of the author.

For me, although its an anime, I learned very quickly that Kenja no Mago, or Wise Man's Grandchild, was not going to be for me when they did that whole "Oh it was all just a test" bullshit in the most uninspired, creatively bankrupt, and logical deficient scene I have ever seen on television/streaming service. That was episode 3 which should translate to around chapter 5 or 6 at the earliest of the light novel. I don't know, I don't plan to read it or ever have it in my vicinity again after that travesty of a scene.

Tags, if there is smut or something degenerate it’s a nope

 

[Renaxan]

I am fans of harem, but when a character seeking for harem and get snu his first girl in 3 chapter after meeting, hell no.

I am not reading pokemon.

 

[MissPaige36]

By that I mean how fast did it take for you to realize that a certain story isn't meant for you, it shows that the writing quality isn't good, or it would be an utterly offensive story that does nothing except make you wonder the IQ of the author.

Whenever a writer is too influenced by anime and start using Japanese in romanji when writing dialog...

"Ne, Ne, (name)-kun?"

"Ah, mou!" (Groaning??)

"Eto... Eto..."

I almost passed out typing all of that. Sorry for having you read that

 

[Representing_Tromba]

Opened it up to see a wall of text. All of it was dialogue. Not a single description. Just a wall of dialogue with the only breaks being the name of the character who said it.

 

[SakeVision]

Isekai: when it starts with mc being summoned into another world, and the first thing he says or does is something retarded
Romance: when the male love interest is one dimensional and only exists to be love interest for fmc
Also romance: when female love interest is more than one
Xianxia: when it starts with sex, usually rape
Sci-fi: When it starts with real-world political statements
Fantasy: when it starts with mythology worldbuilding
Slice of life: when it has anything else than slice of life, like combat
Mystery: when an answer to whatever riddle is an unforshadowed asspull, and there was no investigation leading to it that would allow the reader to solve it beforehand
Smut: I don't read hetero smut, so any penis in vagina scene and I'm asking myself out
Litrpg: I don't read these
Comedy: When it isn't funny


Also, when any story starts with some bullshit like complaining about feminazis or whatever, it's insta drop. I'm pretty sure these authors do it on purpose, to weed out anyone who doesn't share their political views from the audience, so I do as they want and ask myself out.

 

[aattss]

For Xianxia, it would be either the MC starts out crippled or similar, or when the MC gets the ability to hide their power level.

 

[rain-090]

When they have a pretentious warning about offending people in their synopsis and there writing isn't even good.

 

[Irl_Rat]

Whenever a writer is too influenced by anime and start using Japanese in romanji when writing dialog...

They haven't figured out how to install the Japanese keyboard. The worst part is that just knowing romanji and being able to use google translate is more than enough to type rudimentary sentences and phrases with said keyboard.

 

[DarkGodEM]

I am fans of harem, but when a character seeking for harem and get snu his first girl in 3 chapter after meeting, hell no.

Death by SNUSNU!

I am not reading pokemon.

Gotta catch em all



Biggest red flag ever is when there is a mistake in the synopsis

 

[Vnator]

Whenever a writer is too influenced by anime and start using Japanese in romanji when writing dialog...

"Ne, Ne, (name)-kun?"

"Ah, mou!" (Groaning??)

"Eto... Eto..."

I almost passed out typing all of that. Sorry for having you read that

 

[NotaNuffian]

For me, it will be the first few chapters of how wimpy the MC acts in a CN/ KR. Funnily, I can accept such a behaviour in JP because beta JP MCs syndrome, the entire island nation is designed to churn cookie cutter citizens, so I can just say to myself "it's Japan".

I can't do that to CN novels, especially in xianxias, because I know that deep down, the mainlanders are all murderhobos and them being lethargic is odd.

Then there is the other spectrum of being too murderhobo. Like, a peasant child who got sold as a mining slave suddenly found the guts to murder a man with no drawbacks whatsoever, then proceeds with murdering more and more while the story is just a wall of text is taxing for me. I need murderhobos, but I also need them to be believable murderhobos.

I hate reading weeb works (chans, sans, go eat a body pillow godammit) but I can tolerate it.

 

[Joker88]

for me, If the author writes an entire paragraph describing a female character like they are some kind of mythical creature I instantly know that story is not for me.

I usually, ignore harem-smut stories even more so if they are together however I've never seen a story more repulsive than this one,

THE DAY I CURSED MYSELF TO BECOME SUCCUBUS IN ANOTHER WORLD

Misaya Aizawa, an unemployed, fat, ugly, and smelly person, became the first person to dominate girls at the age of 19. Insults, bullying, rejection by society, especially school students and co-workers, made him hold grudges against girls. Misaya swore that one day, girls would bend their...

www.scribblehub.com

the synopsis is the most enormous gigantic red flag if you read the synopsis and still read this story then you need a lot of help

 

[Vnator]

For me, although its an anime, I learned very quickly that Kenja no Mago, or Wise Man's Grandchild, was not going to be for me when they did that whole "Oh it was all just a test" bullshit in the most uninspired, creatively bankrupt, and logical deficient scene I have ever seen on television/streaming service. That was episode 3 which should translate to around chapter 5 or 6 at the earliest of the light novel. I don't know, I don't plan to read it or ever have it in my vicinity again after that travesty of a scene.

What's the context of this show and the "all just a test"? Did something terrible happen to them but then some higher up just wave their hand and fix everything?

 

[NotaNuffian]

Also, an unpopular opinion of mine. Cover of anime girl with suggestive pose and/ or skimpy clothes have about 80% of it being a shitty work. In the light novel industry, the percentage falls back to 50% but that is just my opinion.

 

[greyblob]

highschool/teenage protagonists.