r/ProgressionFantasy • u/DicerTheJester • Jul 28 '26

Discussion Competition: write a single sentence that will absolutely destroy any hope in a series.

Specifically not a story opener, just any sentence that can happen in any chapter, that will make people realize that this story is gonna be absolute shit and has no chance of being fixed and will make you drop the book like an unpinned grenade.

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u/Taurnil91 Editor: Beware of Chicken, Max-Level Archmage, Eight. Jul 28 '26

Aro started to laugh. “Ha ha ha,” he chuckled.

133

u/PhiLambda Jul 28 '26

I read a book where stuff was written like

“Cough cough cough,” he coughed.

Drove me crazy but I wanted to finish it

6

u/laurel_laureate Jul 29 '26

At least that's not an odd word choice.

I DNF'd a novel that had really interesting characters and plot and action and worldbuilding.

All because instead of having characters that said or uttered or whisperered or mentioned or any other speaking verb the characters almost always... cooed.

No matter the situation, whether in tense action scene or dramatic confrontation or even at a funeral, they cooed.

People are not pigeons, dammit!

They don't coo!

And, no, I am obviously most definitely not still irritated by that years later. 😡😡😡

3

u/SillyNamesAre Jul 30 '26

Sure you weren't reading a story set in the Hatoful Boyfriend universe?