Bad Biology

Bad Biology is exactly what you would think it is: improper portrayal of organisms. Bad biology may take the form of anatomy, physiology, genetics, diseases, and more.
While biology is a topic that is taught in most schools, for some reason it escapes many writers... and even if one did not study biology in school, ignorance is not an excuse when resources are as simple as a click away on the internet.
In this respect, it's similar to Bad Psychology. Bad biology is a large contributor to squick.
==Signs of Bad Biology==
===Nonsensical Illnesses===
: Inaccurate portrayal of illnesses, chronic conditions, and other health problems is a common manifestation of Bad Biology. This may take the form of not understanding a Real World health issue, such as the effects of an illness, or even the presence of vague 'soap opera coughs' as stand-ins for deadly afflictions.
===Nonsensical Cures===
: Contrary to the belief of some, applying a band-aid does not heal everything instantly. From misapplied medicine, to healing sex, bad biology can take the form of cures that are simply not medically sound.
===Illogical Genetics===
: Mary Sue writers really love things that can make their characters special without any effort on their part, and what easier thing is there than to simply be born? Illogical genetics are very common in bad fanfiction, often lending "special" qualities to the product of said genetics. Whether the bad character is a cross breed of two incompatible species (or even three or more incompatible species), or an impossible child of something that can't procreate, Illogical genetics are there. Tamer versions might just involve improbable inheritance of traits... and more exotic versions might just randomly invent traits or powers: "I'm the brother of Damien, and I inherited my red eyes and black hair from him because that's all sinister!"
===Bad Anatomy===
: Anatomy is complex and requires research and study to learn. But this doesn't explain fanfiction where even the most obvious anatomical facts are absent. While this can apply to any organism and concern any bodily system, bad anatomy of humans and humanoids (and the sex organs thereof) are the most common, which many find distressing, considering most if not all authors are human themselves.
: MPreg can also be related.
===Unpleasant Actions===
: Without comprehension of the human (or otherwise) body, authors may command their characters to do unpleasant things without realizing that they are impossible, or at least excruciatingly painful. A failure to grasp biology produces such bad sexual situations and circumstances as violations of "the mechanics". But perhaps even more common are the impossible, agonizing actions that happen in low quality fanfics all the time, such as forcing horses to run for hours and hours at a time without water, or somehow contorting the body impossibly in combat to show off 'karate skills.'
===Multiple Values===
: Sometimes multiple values of the above traits may be utilized by an author - sometimes in attempts to answer Bad Anatomy or Illogical Genetics, Nonsensical Illnesses are invoked; per example, one explanation given in a MPreg fic is that a virus supposedly gave the character the ability to bear children. However, viruses cannot cause males to grow organs, and without a uterus, a baby cannot be carried.
==However,==
It should be noted that what constitutes "bad" biology can vary depending on canon, as South Park's more fantastical or comedic world is likely to feature biology which doesn't work in the Real World. For example, in the episode "Fun with Veal", Stan literally started to break out in vaginas all over his body. In cases like the aforementioned, it's generally best to assume that things work the way they do in the Real World unless canon specifies otherwise; one canonical biological inaccuracy does not mean ficcers can throw all the laws of nature out the window.
==See Also==
===Other Bad Things:===
*Bad Psychology
*Bad Physics
*Bad Characterization
*Bad Geography
Category:Flaws