I'm developing the biggest pet peeve for fics that start with the opening lines "[character] didn't know how they'd ended up in [weird en media res situation]. Actually, they did. [flashback to lead in, entirely negating the en media res]"

The fact that I've seen this happen not only more than once but often enough to be developing a pavlovian eyeroll to it is frustrating.

Oh nooooooooo

Fic writer used Weird Hook: it's supee effective! Once.

Readers who encounter Weird Hook gain Resistance! Multiple exposures result in Rage Effecf.

It's not super effective, though! It was contrived the first time!!

Though maybe that's because I already had resistance because of my previously existing pet peeve vis a vis starting en media res and then immediately having the next scene flash back to explain how we got there.

It's a bad way to use en media res! Either you explain how they got there in quick dialogue later, you keep how they got there a mystery and have the reveal flashback way later, or you just start before the action scene and show the scenes that lead to it chronologically.

/scribbles out the 'fic' and scribbles in the word 'any' in front of 'writer'/

also, yes, agreed.

I blame every How To Write advice list that says "start in an action scene!", it's like "don't use said" in terms of Well Intentioned Advice That Sounds Good But Actually Requires Caveats And Careful Handling.

tbf this specific thing i've only seen in fics, but the greater en media res issue is definitely All Writing.

you would think a Professional Editor would be like "don't" before letting an author publish like that, and yet

I can get why you'd get annoyed by that. esp in the case when the source material did it better/good. actually that usually makes me laugh, but I see why you hate it

the basic premise of "i don't know how i got here... well actually i do" could potentially be done well, but when it then immediately dives into extended flashback/explanation stuff like......... i just can't

i'm glad someone gets joy from this forced joke, i just twitch

/sitting over here nodding in agreement