funkyhelix
2003-06-30 10:00 pm UTC (link)

I like the gratitous use of exclamation points on the wah. Just in case I missed that she was supposed to sound like a huge baby. Jeez. One bad review. Grow a thicker skin. I suck way more than that. :)

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	rann 2003-06-30 10:03 pm UTC (link)
	Seriously. If you're going to write hobbit-porn, you definitely need to grow... heck, grow some skin period, because that right there is just utterly and completely pathetic. "Oh, not everyone in the world licks my feet! REASSURE ME, BITCHES!" Yaoi writers at their wankiest. Yeesh. (Reply to this)

	oxydosic 2003-06-30 10:09 pm UTC (link)
	Well, the review wasn't very constructive in its criticism, so i don't blame her for being upset over that. But still...whining to a group of people just so you can have your ego stroked is pretty wanky. And that whole 'wah' thing...that was just too much. (Reply to this)

	zannechaos 2003-06-30 10:18 pm UTC (link)
	Minorly wanky -- until the "WAAAAH" crap. -_- Makes me want to join the list just so I can say "YES, it IS that bad!" (Reply to this)(Thread)

misswindy
2003-06-30 11:51 pm UTC (link)

BWAH!!!!! Ok, I'm officially coming out of the closet as a

zannechaos fan.

Although I kind of feel the writer's pain. I recently wrote something that got 4 dozen or so glowing, gushing, thisisthebestthinginthefandom kinds of reviews in the span of a week or so, then a friend came along and told me she thought it was horrendous, out of character, and unreadable. "Waaaaaaaah!!!!!!!!!!111" was pretty much my response too. *g*

Slaves to our egos, we all are.

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zannechaos
2003-07-01 12:54 am UTC (link)

Ok, I'm officially coming out of the closet as a zannechaos fan.

Chee! Does that mean I'm my own fandom now or something? XD

then a friend came along and told me she thought it was horrendous, out of character, and unreadable.

I usually weigh reviews like that against the others - if there's some intelligent and positive reviews (as opposed to just "omg tihs is so gud rite more plz!!!1!!11one!!!"), I'll just write it off as being a 'fic that's not within someone's personal liking, or featuring a pairing that they don't like.

I have friends who like some of my fics, but are squicked by others because they can't stand the pairings involved, etc. ::shrugs:: It boils down to a personal preference thing.

But yeah, if a friend says that, it does result in "...maybe it really is that bad?" feelings and paranoia and all kinds of lovely tinhattery.

I think what made the message smack of wankery was this:
Hey-I need some comfort!
and:
Does anyone else think my story is the worst LOTR fic EVER?

If it was "Hey-I'd like some honest opinions here" instead of "I need some comfort"... that would make a non-wank. The poster's mainly asking for "stroke my ego! It's been bruised! Kiss it and make it better and worship me!"

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	phosfate 2003-06-30 10:20 pm UTC (link)
	Wanky review, wanky response. Like one of those Sweet-n-Sour suckers. Oh man I love those...drool (Reply to this)(Thread)

funkyhelix
2003-06-30 10:49 pm UTC (link)

Damnit, now I want a lollipop.

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	phosfate 2003-07-01 04:59 pm UTC (link)
	::nods:: There's one store in my town that sells 'em. It's clear out t' hell and gone, and keeps banker's hours. sob (Reply to this)(Parent)

	chash 2003-06-30 10:36 pm UTC (link)
	I saw that post! Hadn't read the fic at all (wary of evil Merry), but was struck by it. At least the poster was honest with the "need external validation" in the heading. (Reply to this)

	amandatwop 2003-06-30 10:57 pm UTC (link)
	I read that story. And it burnssssss. I'm beginning to think that those 24 positive reviews are all from the author's sockpuppets, because I refuse to believe that there are 24 independent people who can find positive things to say about that piece of s*it. (Reply to this)(Thread)

henryjones
2003-07-02 02:22 am UTC (link)

I think I read the first two chapters of "Nasty Hobbits" (or Hobbitses, I can't remember) once, and I couldn't go any further because it was just awful. Merry was totally out-of-character. And of course it's more than 50 chapters long, too.

Sometimes I'll scan over the reviews for stories like this, and I'm convinced that a lot of these authors must somehow get their friends to give them positive reviews, because most of the time there's no way that anyone with any concept of quality fanfic would think that story was good.

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	nostalgia 2003-06-30 11:04 pm UTC (link)
	Y'know, there's a woman in Enterprise fandom who deletes her back-catalogue every time she gets a bad or lukewarm review. But, alas, she doesn't say WAAAHH!!!! in quite those words. I wish my fandom wanked more often. sigh (Reply to this)

	nevadafighter 2003-06-30 11:08 pm UTC (link)
	What, if any, were the responses? I think it'd been even more fun if someone on the list told her to shut the hell up and quit being a little baby; what, indeed, would be her response to that? (Reply to this)

electricchick
2003-06-30 11:50 pm UTC (link)

You know, this reminds me of something I found a while back. I was reading a fic, and the author, in their author's note, asked what flames were, because she didn't know. Someone reviewed saying flames were when someone reviewed your story and didn't like it and was mean to you. (Which hey, amateur definition, but kind of right.) However, she went on to say that she got her first flame yesterday, it said "...not my thing." Then she said if the author got one to just delete it if it was anonymous, but it sucked if it was signed because you couldn't remove it.

Okay, yeah, I can see removing "OMG THIS SOTRY TOTALY SUXX0RS!!!11!!1" but removing something like "not my thing"? I need to get out my idiot-smacking mallet.

Either that or get a "What the SHIT is this!?" icon. XD

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zannechaos
2003-07-01 12:48 am UTC (link)

True, but at the same time, I consider reviews like that even more worthless than "Cool 'fic". If they have a problem with a certain part, offer a bit of critique, that's cool. If it's just not to someone's personal liking, that's fine and dandy. But to just leave a review to say "...not my thing"? That just smacks of petty and "You're evil because you don't write things I like".

We all have different opinions and tastes. Hee, I got one review that basically said "I read this because a friend said it's goodThis was a waste of my time, so much dialogue! I'm going to go hit my friend!"

I'm just thinking "Immature much?" I come across plenty of fics that aren't "my thing". They can have their corner of the fandom and all's well and good. But "not my thing" doesn't really say anything about the quality of the story or not. Some people consider Hemmingway a great author. His stuff is "not my thing", does that make the stories bad? Not necessarily, it just means it's not to my preference.

I just consider reviews and feetback that are snarky/negative for no other reason than because it wasn't to the reader's personal liking to be borderline flame-y and just plain a waste of everyone's time. We all have things that aren't our "thing". Whoopie shit. Doesn't make that reviewer someone special.

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iczer6
2003-07-01 01:01 am UTC (link)

>>We all have things that aren't our "thing". Whoopie shit. Doesn't make that reviewer someone special.<<

Yeah but I'd like to think that any writer worth thier salt wouldn't run off in tears when they get a review like that.

Yeah that person was being a jerk but hey it happens, moon the screen if it makes you feel better and move on. Please don't go crying for an ego stroke.

Icz

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zannechaos
2003-07-01 01:10 am UTC (link)

::snickers::

any writer worth thier salt wouldn't run off in tears when they get a review like that.

Oh, trust me. I just rolled my eyes and snickered.

Please don't go crying for an ego stroke.

I one-better that. I don't go around to other people ("Waaaaaah! See? Tell me how I good I am!") I save these reviews for when I'm bored and in a snarky mood, pop them into my word editor, and cheerfully proceed to give them the MSTreatment and mock them to my cold, twisted, black little heart's content. (even more priceless when they're riddled with spelling errors and such)

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	kookaburra 2003-07-07 01:38 am UTC (link)
	The scary thing is that she's a university proffessor as well. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	electricchick 2003-07-01 02:18 am UTC (link)
	Good point. :) I was referring more to the author's treatment of that review as a 'flame' than the review itself- it's more of a waste of reviews, like you said, than a flame. (Reply to this)(Parent)

kannaophelia
2003-07-01 04:52 am UTC (link)

Way back when, there used to be a fairly active mailing list for writers of same-sex fics to share homophobic flamings for support or amusement, whatever rocked your boat.

Right before the list died, though, half the "flames" were *any* negative review at all, no matter how mild, and had nothing to do with homophobia or antislash hysteria. I used to read soe of them, then check the story, wish I had the courage to say: "You *really* think the reason they're saying this is crap is that it's slash? Dream on."

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zannechaos
2003-07-01 05:02 am UTC (link)

wish I had the courage to say: "You *really* think the reason they're saying this is crap is that it's slash? Dream on."

I'm getting this mental image of some people jumping up and shrieking "TROLL! TROLL!", others jumping up and shrieking "SNOBBY BNF!"

And the rest of them reaching for their smelling salts and hankies, having faint spells and crying from the shock of being attacked because you're a horrible, horrible homophobic wench.

"They don't like my fic! AHHHH! EVIL!!!"

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	charabok 2003-07-01 06:14 am UTC (link)
	Hey, I think I belonged to that list... (Reply to this)(Parent)

ruaki
2003-07-01 07:29 am UTC (link)

o.o;

There there?

LOL, I can see the complaint as the review was definitely in the flaming sense--no point other than to hurt--but geez. Okay. Twenty 'glowing' reviews and only one 'flame'...? Run to get the ego stroked and the reassurance that yes, indeed, you DO rock!

::knows too many people like this:: x.x I feel like giving her a giant rubber hand, so she can pat herself on the back whenever she feels bad and needs some loving.

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	ruaki 2003-07-01 07:31 am UTC (link)
	Because I'm such a dork, I reply to myself... Anyone got the link to the story? I'm too lazy to actually make an active search for it myself. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	amandatwop 2003-07-02 03:38 am UTC (link)
	I shouldn't do this. You will hate me for this. You will hate yourself for reading this. Trust me. http://adultfan.nexcess.net/aff/story.php?no=4155 (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

ruaki
2003-07-03 06:34 am UTC (link)

OMG I H8 U!!!1111 :(

... seriously, this just proves that reviews aren't worth the dirty keyboard they were typed on. I couldn't make it through the first chapter cause it was boring, and I read badfics and watch badmovies for sheer entertainment so it takes a lot for my attention to wander.

Thing is though, it's not hugely poorly written. She's no Bradbury, but at least she can spell and has a concept of grammar. But I definitely see the complaint. Holy shite, what, Merry decides all of a sudden to just turn EBUL? That came out of nowhere! Not even a foreshadowing! (Or if there was, it completely flew over my head, and not in the 'rereading story and go OOHHHH' sense.)

Eh... it's not as bad as I was thinking it'd be. I've realized that fanfics are just a way for people to express their fantasy about a series--so when I think of it that way, it doesn't bother me as much. Being a fanfic writer myself and all.

But her reaction to her 'flame' is still wanky. The best of us get fairly wanky when it comes to flames, but boohooing for reassurance that 'OMGWTF U ROOLZ' is just cheesy melodrama, in my opinion.

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amandatwop
2003-07-04 02:25 am UTC (link)

That came out of nowhere! Not even a
foreshadowing! (Or if there was, it completely flew over my head,
and
not in the 'rereading story and go OOHHHH' sense.)

By chapter 14 or thereabouts, she starts going on about the Ring's "influence," but it's far too little, too late. And it still doesn't make a damn bit of sense.

You're right--it's not poorly written, it's just terribly poorly plotted. Even so, you ain't seen nothing until you've gotten to the scene where Merry puts Pippin over his knee and belts him into unconsciousness.

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ruaki
2003-07-04 06:09 am UTC (link)

Even so, you ain't seen nothing until you've gotten to the scene where Merry puts Pippin over his knee and belts him into unconsciousness.

O.O;;
... let's not and say we did, okay?
(did, incidentally, skip to the currently last chapter, with Merry knifing Frodo up... now, I like S&M as much as the next respectable person, but the image of Meriadoc Brandybuck doing this totally kills me... but hey! Who knew the Ring was into kink?)

...

... oh goodness, the image of it as a cock ring suddenly has erupted in my head. Sauron is my new hero.

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kookaburra
2003-07-07 01:39 am UTC (link)

HA! I know that lady- I'm a founding member of the M_P group she's on. And yes, it's damned annoying that we can't really tell people what we think of their storys on the list. Oh, and I should mention the author is a proffessor at a University. She plugs her own fic in every review she's ever given. She uses baby-speak. I don't even bother to read her posts any more.

But let me say something about the M_P group, which explains why no one's told her that her story really sucks- It's evolved into a place where any really whacky or far out AU's involving M&P are accepted and not flamed. Which is good in a way- we can write terrible stuff for our own amusement, but quite a few authors THEN go on to post the fics on more mainstream archives, and come back crying because they got flamed into oblivion or ignored. It really gets quite annoying, and I'm thinking of stopping posting my stuff there...but you know- the feedback I get keeps me addicted. :-D

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