they did so have those in the 1940s

[eliyes]

Today I was reading an Avengers fanfic -- as in, set during the movie -- with switching POVs and encountered an author's note that said for Steve's POV they weren't going to use contractions "because they probably didn't have those in the 40s".

...

WHAT THE FUCK.

Like, do the tiniest bit of research! Watch a movie from the 40s! Hello, listen to some music! Louis Jordan recorded Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby? in 1943. The song Isn't It Romantic? was in at least 5 movies between 1932 and Steve shipping out!

PICK UP ANY PLAY BY SHAKESPEARE, YOU WILL FIND CONTRACTIONS IN IT, THEY PREDATE THE 1940S BY A LOT!!!

Or, if you can't be bothered with even the tiniest bit of research or thought, fucking watch the Avengers movie. Steve uses contractions. Or did you somehow miss the infamous, "Son, just don't."?????

*flails around in aggravation*

Comments

[taichara]

Well me son, I continue to boggle at how fucking stupid your fandom is.

And I have Fire Emblem fans to deal with.

[kiffie]

This actually isn't Steve. It's Steve's android brother, Steeb, who cannot use contractions. It'll be a plot point later, I'm sure.

[eliyes]

*headdesks and moan/sobs* Whyyyyyyy is this an issue in the age of Wikipedia and Google?

[eliyes]

I closed the tab and ain't going back, so I'll never know. *goes back through her "captain america tag and reads about Steve LMDs for comfort*

[taichara]

Ask Eddie Izzard, he had some stunning observations on time perception.

Or, people are fucking lazy as well as stupid, take your pick.

[eliyes]

Yeah I think it's that second one this time. Argh.

[starwatcher]

.
I'm extremely irritated to read stories (fic or original) with speakers who use no contractions -- unless it is specifically part of their character (like Data from ST:NG, Ziva David from NCIS, Teyla Emmagan from SGA). I think it can be another part of effective writing -- a character who uses an average number of contraction, but reverts to using uncontracted speech in a specific situation, is indicating a higher level of {some emotion} at that time.

I recently read a published book where the characters sometimes used contractions, but sometimes -- for no storytelling reason -- did not. One chapter, X uses contractions when speaking, the next chapter, he doesn't. I found it very off-putting for the first half of the book; fortunately, it improved in the second half.

I agree; research can be enormously helpful. Would that more authors used a modicum of that technique.
.

[kiffie]

A pile of robo-Steebs, sir. Imagine it with your mind. 8D

[eliyes]

Jan's House of Steebs... *breathes meditatively* Jan's House of Steebs...

[eliyes]

Yeah, I think this author was trying to do a thing like that, where it makes sense for a character to speak a bit differently from those around them for some logical reason, except they forgot the logic part.

Oh, that would have bugged me big time.

It would have been so simple to check. SO simple.

[conuly]

Has... has this person never read or watched anything from prior to their own birth? '

[eliyes]

I sometimes suspect this is the case. Or else they assume everything they've watched doesn't predate their own birth, or at least not by much.

(Honestly, I'm still not over the people who think Steve would be flummoxed and awed by escalators, which they've had in NYC since before his mother was born.)

And in a way, in this particular instance, it was the "probably" that really got me. Because that indicates they didn't even bother to pretend to check.

[conuly]

Agreed on "probably".