The sad part is that the parody example I made up could almost be a real fic, if I took out about two-three epithets.
Going back and forth between "Bruce" and "Batman" for no apparent reason is a minor but perpetual source of irritation for me in DCU fics. "Bruce" and "Batman" aren't just two different names for the same guy; they're two distinct personnas. It's annoying with superheroes in general, but especially with Batman. He even has a different *voice* depending on whether he's in "Bruce" mode or "Bat" mode!
However, Watchmen fic has given me a new, even more *argyourprosemustdiearg* example. Rorschach and Walter Kovac are not interchangeable names, especially not from Rorschach's pov (also, I don't care if one half of a pairing is literally six inches shorter and sixty pounds lighter than the other, canonically giving you the size differential most fandoms have to exaggerate and make up, I still don't want to see "the smaller man/"the larger man" or any other size comparisons more than about once a fic. Maybe once a chapter if it's a really long fic and the chapters are substantial).
Re: Yes, Superman/Batman pairings seem to attract that
Going back and forth between "Bruce" and "Batman" for no apparent reason is a minor but perpetual source of irritation for me in DCU fics. "Bruce" and "Batman" aren't just two different names for the same guy; they're two distinct personnas. It's annoying with superheroes in general, but especially with Batman. He even has a different *voice* depending on whether he's in "Bruce" mode or "Bat" mode!
However, Watchmen fic has given me a new, even more *argyourprosemustdiearg* example. Rorschach and Walter Kovac are not interchangeable names, especially not from Rorschach's pov (also, I don't care if one half of a pairing is literally six inches shorter and sixty pounds lighter than the other, canonically giving you the size differential most fandoms have to exaggerate and make up, I still don't want to see "the smaller man/"the larger man" or any other size comparisons more than about once a fic. Maybe once a chapter if it's a really long fic and the chapters are substantial).