It tends to throw me out of the story and make me think of the writer as being cutesy unless it's a short quote that's clearly something the characters have said with repetition (i.e. the "bitch!"/"jerk!" exchange) rather than something a character just said on one specific occasion. I realize fanfic writers are working with a limited amount of source material (though lots more than most in the case of SPN), but I'd rather they try to nail the character's general method of speaking rather than parrot his or her exact words at me.

I'd only use the exact quote if I was doing that exact scene, and I figure I'd have gotten to that scene by a completely different route, so different words would be more likely.

I can think of one or two Mentalist fanfic writers who make an art form of weaving show dialogue together with poetic descriptions of internal landscapes to give beautiful insight. I can't do it. And bunches of people try and fail miserably.

I've used quotes before, just as a jumping-off place.(I sometimes do have to explain a bit more to make a crossover work, or to write about someone's thoughts about something they heard in canon.) But I would agree, not more than a sentence or two.

I really like D/C AU stories that metaphorically follow the canon events that mark their relationship. But making the literal statements apply metaphorically often ranges from heavy-handed to cutesy. Saying that this new guy got you out of a hellish situation is one thing--gripping and perdition? Srsly?

Agreed. Sometimes it's like having a pet bird that's been trained to sqwawk "profound bond!"

Christ yes. See also: excuses to call always-human Castiel an angel of any kind (including hookers called Angels--that was just a hamfisted list of ways that writer watched and loved an entirely different show from me--I actually skimmed every fourth chapter or so too keep track of how off track we were).

Hilariously given our conversation above, I just ran across a Teen Wolf/Aliens fusion that substantially lifts dialog and didn't bother me. But it's mostly a retelling of the plot of the latter with the show's characters mapped onto the originals.

Mostly.

/Newt

The last part of Words May Fail (The Body Remains) is up! I haven't read it yet, I'm re-reading Hollow Your Bones and don't want to mix them. But I re-read Words May Fail just a few days ago and was bemoaning the WIP. Yay, fic!