#I don't want unsolicited criticism

[34saveme34]

Hi, I just want to say... holy shit

Like. I stared into space for a bit after reading that bc that was one of if not the best smg4 fic I've ever read /gen

Anti meme energy?? The Godbox??? WHAT

HOW are you bringing those into this /positive

also maybe im just incredibly aro but I did just instinctiually interpret the marware as platonic lmao-

I uh. I do have one tiny nitpick if thats okay. I won't say it if you don't want me to, and it didn't affect my overall experience reading that literal masterpiece, but yeah there's one thing I thought of near the beginning that 3 and 4 just. Didn't I guess-

- ♟

Sure, do tell! Thanks for asking first though

also not that surprised, I kinda have a thing going with 4 where I write him just a little more like- he processes things slower than 3, to me

though you might've thought about something even I didn't think about JKHDKLJHD

considering like. There's SO much in this and I'm still salty I didn't manage to put in certain things enough but also if I just kept trying to perfect it, it maybe wouldn't have even left my hands

also on the marware, I very much wrote it with both on mind

no like, incredible reason, I do just love both platonic and romantic marware JKKLDJDL

so you're totally valid

thanks for liking the fic otherwise though!

if you want, I could even list everything I was foreshadowing since you did mention liking it and there's QUITE a bit in this. I wonder how many are obvious

[bamsara]

I think that one thing people fail to understand is that unsolicited literary criticism coming from an online stranger who is reading with no knowledge of what the authors intended goal is, is not going to be received the same as say: the authors beta reader or friends who know what the authors intended goal and has the sufficient knowledge and input to help the author reach that desired outcome.

"But I'm only trying to be helpful" How do I know you have the knowledge and literary skill for you to be able to actaully do that when we don't know each other and you are essentially a stranger to me? Are you applying this criticism based out of personal biased experience and desire to see the story or characterization be driven in another direction or tweaked, or do you know the author's intentions for the character? If the story is incomplete, are you basing your criticism of a character on the incomplete narration with only partial information available of them or are you building up a report until the story's completion? Did the author provide you with the information needed to make a fully informed criticism?

Have you discussed with the author what their plans are or are you assuming them based off the narration, especially if the narration is proven or implied to be unreliable or missing key points of the plot? Are you unbiased enough to help them reach their desired outcome for the characters and story regardless of your personal feelings towards the characters/antagonists and setting? Can you handle being told your specific input isn't wanted because you're a reader and/or have no written anything relating to their genre or topic? Do you understand and respect that the author's personal experiences might influence their writing and make it different than how you would have done it personally? Do you understand if an author only wants input from a specific demographic relating to their story?

If it's for fanfiction or other hobby media, are you holding a free hobby to a professional standard? Are you trying to give criticism because you feel like the author has produced 'subpar job performance' of their fic? Are you viewing their work as a personal intimate outlet or something that must conform with mass media? Are you applying rules and guidelines when the fic is shared for simple sharing sake? Is your criticism worded appropriately and focused on the parts where the author has requested input on rather than a general dismissal and or disapproval?

Have you put yourself in a place where you assumed you have the input needed for the story to evolve better, or have you asked what the author needs and what they're having trouble with? Can you handle having your criticism rejected if the author decides their story doesn't need the change and not take it as a personal offense against your character? Are you crossing that boundary because you think you are doing the author a favor? Are you trying to be helpful, or do you just want to be?

I think sometimes when people hear authors go 'please don't give me unsolicited writing advice or criticism' they automatically chalk it up to 'this author doesn't want ANY constructive feedback on their stuff at all' and not "i already have trusted individuals who will help me with my writing goals and- hey i don't know you like that, please stop acting so overly familiar with me'

[unproduciblesmackdown]

on that note had also been thinking about the hilarious classic maneuver of taking things i go "smh always doing that weird/wrong" & instead putting it in the context of like oh i dunno my life experiences. like going "smh once again in one millisecond i noticed something was about to fall & just sort of Tensed instead of instantly going to catch it & in the next milliseconds hash out like 'oh but could i catch it. oh but now it's in progress am i too late' etc" but like well hang on. first of all the Tense Up / Brace For Impact approach can have its strengths too. second of all like why just kick myself when Of Course the vastly more frequent & relevant experiences of having to stifle reactions & tense up to Brace For Impact / Weather The Situation means that's the standard approach. sure tends to be the case that like "okay test your reflex time :)" type things when i Know It's Coming, i.e. preemptively Tense Up, i turn out quite slow. throwback to a true classic [my roommate that said my cat was performative while their cat did things out of true emotion] at my doctor's appointment at like age thirteen when the ol Knee Bonk Reflex Test would make me Tense/Seize That Knee Up and Then kick. and then afterwards my "big fan of unprompted criticisms / declarations about your internal experiences or true intentions" mom was like you were faking those reflexes. i'm like well i wasn't. she was like yes you were. consider the camera jimmed

secondly i was also thinking like, always been the case that when Talking, often even if in writing format, i can't really avoid mirroring the characteristics of the other person's Style / Patterns lol. was thinking about it in my Relative ease of adopting pronunciations for different language's phonemes when it's like, i guess i do have experience in Doing Voices not b/c i really often Did Voices (sometimes lol, as like, direct quotes or whatever. echoing....) but b/c like i'll just be picking up all kinds of mannerisms / tendencies / ways of speaking, including accents slightly (my default accent being disney channel) not b/c i'm messing with anyone or trying to do anything, in fact trying Not to do this is generally unsuccessfully & This Is What Happens Naturally & always has & it's like yknow what i think it might have to do with the fact that i don't think Talking in general is oh so "natural" for me / a matter of "just being myself" (things virtually never are lol) like. i think that time i had that friend in second grade where i'm like ummm i'm not sure we spoke the same language b/c i'm not sure we spoke hardly ever? but we had fun & played & amused ourselves etc til the teacher as usual went Biggest Time Sicko Mode on our "not paying attention" like nobody else's got & then didn't give a fuck abt "intervening" again when we didn't feel like we were Allowed(tm) to interact at all. & like i'm pretty sure i'd be "supposed" to feel like omg we don't talk (almost) at all?? that's SO weirrrd i remember that soooo welllll

and when i Do talk most "naturally" / "just being myself" it's all at once, wordy, and Theatrical, and even then. i did it some the other day and was Sweating, literally, less so figuratively but it does still feel demanding, and of course even when it doesn't Feel thusly, doing a Lot a lot of verbalizing can really still be draining to Taxing. and i've noticed better like yeah sometimes i'm markedly struggling to speak when i'm already extra wearied. and another thing i put into context better was like "when i'm being put tf through it why do i tend to cry through interactions. b/c i'm being a PUSSY????" like lol just on principle was like okay well who cares, i'm sure you, by which i mean i, have my reasons b/c so too would i think someone else does, like. and i remember like, i tend to Not "directly" cry of stress or sadness virtually ever. while i Do tend to be simply keeping that shit contained but Exactly When i have to try to speak? is when i happen to start crying. hmm. Hmmmm. talking Always this performance that i may often not be up for. similar to [personal visual style / Look / clothes] like my default is "basic outfit i'd want to wear every day" & my ideal is "i do not want to be perceived" & (this &) everything else is performance / drag to me, Would That that always be on my terms

another banger is my till oh so recently kicking myself like "aah [pathologization time] i'm sooo slow to be at ease / comfortable around people even when they're surely being nice, what a hassle for others" like well it can be viewed as a hassle for me but it's also like, wait, i end up having stayed uncomfortable around people who weren't being That nice by putting in That much [any effort from any Consideration] and often turn out like. ultimately not that Safe. and i look at "oh right yeah and also i sure Can be like instantly quite comfortable / at ease around people, including people i literally just met. so" &/or my not being at ease either is still way less of a deal than having to literally/figuratively sweat it while i'd feel so much more Okay avoiding detection much less interaction

[mikkeneko]

Have been pondering, following the latest round of "But why don't authors LIKE it when we leave unsolicited concrit on their stuff? :|a Don't they want to IMPROVE?" discourse:

How do fan authors improve? Because it's not, by and large, through concrit. Some authors have never gotten any kind of concrit, and still improve. I've gotten some in the past, and it definitely was not helpful towards improving my growth as an author. Some authors never have a beta, and yet they still improve.

So. If not through a workshop devoted to the process, or a classroom style series of lectures, or a dedicated editor, how do authors improve over time?

I would say, based on my 20+ years of experience and observation, that improvement as a writer comes in three ways: Practice shaped by self-observation, practice shaped by non-critical feedback as positive reinforcement, and observation of other authors.

Fandom has always been a space where people of different ages and skill levels interact. How it works, generally, is that a new author comes into the scene and presents their work. Readers -- some of whom are authors themselves -- will leave feedback praising the parts they like. Writers will then adjust their style on the next piece geared towards eliciting more of the things that readers said they like. However, in a vacuum, they won't necessarily know what to adjust towards, or what new things to try that they aren't already trying.

But at the same time, these young authors are usually (though not always) reading works by more experienced authors in the fandom. They can see, based on popularity stats and feedback left by others, what people like. If they want more of that attention themselves -- or, just generally, if they want to be part of the community -- they will adjust their works to incorporate more of the parts they perceive as successful with the audience.

They will also -- the more they read, and the more they write -- come to internalize an understanding (often, not even a conscious understanding) of the moving parts that go into a story, of what makes the work work. How to pace a scene, a chapter, or a longer work. How the characters talk, and how different characters talk in ways that distinguish their voices. What sort of language works well to describe an action scene, and what is confusing and uncertain. What words are sexy and what words will jar you right out of the mood. They will pick up these tools by observation, and hone them through practice.

The down side of this, of course, is that sometimes the authors they are observing and imitating may have... less than ideal writing habits themselves. Certain tropes, flanderization, headcanons divorced from the original canon, or various other things can become endemic in a fandom due to this -- but also much simpler and more straightforward writing quirks. (The infamous oh is an example of these.) Sometimes things that I won't necessarily say are bad, I will just observe that they are not correct.

And this is how you got an entire generation of fanfic writers using strong endings on verbs that, in modern English, take the weak ending.

[anon-amiss]

Wally x Frustrated!Artist Reader

(Platonic or Romantic)

Summary:

Reader has had a frustrating day with people saying mean things about their art. Wally proceeds to comfort them. Context: Reader may enter and exit Welcome Home, the show, at their own free will. There will be another oneshot to explain this for the future. Trigger Warnings?: Some angst(??), unsolicited criticism, sad reader :(

You just about had it. You didn't know whether you wanted to cry or yell, but it was tempting to do either. You held your sketchbook tight to your body, walking away from the scene to avoid any possible outburst you would have had if you'd stayed any longer.

You remembered how it all started. You had just finished a drawing you made, colouring, shading, and all. It was beautiful to stare at. You couldn't even believe you made it. Of course there might have been a few mistakes here and there, but it was still so gorgeous to you.

You were at the library with some buddies, so it was expected one of them would have taken notice of your attention's sudden ensnarement caused by the paper in front of you. They looked over and poked your shoulder.

You focused your attention back to them and gave a quiet hum, tilting your head in the process.

"What're you doing?" They asked, peering over at the paper.

"Oh! I just finished a drawing! I guess I just couldn't keep my eyes off it, huh?" You responded, placing your hand on your neck and rubbing it with some embarrassment. They gave a light chuckle and stared back at the drawing, before looking to you and smiling.

"It looks great!"

You perked up and felt your heart flutter. "Really?" You were sincerely glad to hear this, knowing how much you've been struggling to gain confidence in your art. They nodded and continued staring. "I was thinking of posting it online! I really like the way I did the lineart and colours on this! It's the first time I felt this proud of anything I've made, really!"

"Yeah, totally! I mean, I don't think a lot of people will really give it a like, but it's still really good!"

Your smile faltered if only for a second. "Uh, yeah?" Now what the hell did that mean?

"I mean, it's good. It's just that I don't think the algorithm will make it as popular as you think."

You felt your cheeks flush, a deep pit forming in your stomach. You felt as if you made a big mistake. "Um... Yeah. I guess."

They noticed your newly formed grimace and hummed. "Again, it's not bad. I don't get why you look so devastated."

You felt taken aback by their comment and scoffed. "Well, I know what you mean by the algorithm and all, but you don't think it's just a tad messed up to say something like that- like-- out of no where?"

"Not really. I mean, I said it's good. I'm not going to say it's a masterpiece or whatever if that's what you're asking me to do. There's still some mistakes like how the lighting is going off from different directions and stuff."

"Wow, um, okay. I didn't ask you to do a single thing, but alright."

"I just don't get why you're so upset. I told you it's good."

You nodded and got up from your seat, pushing the chair in behind you and grabbing your belongings. "Sorry, you're right. I'm just gonna go home now."

"Uh, alright."

That's when you left. You really didn't want to apologize, but you sure as hell knew that if you stayed and argued, they would have probably said some more upsetting things. They would have gotten frustrated with you, and that would have made you feel guilty. You knew you weren't the wrong one in this kerfuffle, but you still felt the heaviness of the words they had told you.

When you got home, you immediately walked into your room with the same deep weight in your heart. You couldn't stop thinking of their words. To hear the validation only to be hit with a backhanded comment like that felt like if someone just handed you a two question based homework assignment with sub-questions.

You lifted the drawing from your chest and stared at it, looking at the inconsistent lighting, your eyes darting back and forth from the once excellent linework to the botched details of the small things like colouring outside the lines.

Maybe you shouldn't post this.

You gave a heavy sigh and felt your face droop.

You sat on your bed and stared at the ground, pondering for a moment before a loud ring began to encroach on your hearing. You shot your eyes to the red telephone on your desk. You almost forgot. You grabbed your sketchbook and picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

You closed your eyes right before the bright, flashing colours could hinder your vision, opening them only a second later to find yourself at Home. In Home, to be more exact.

You sighed in relief, seeing a figure run up to you excitedly.

"Hello, neighbour!"

It was Wally. You almost forgot about your deal. You promised to visit him every day at a specific time, or at the least check up with him, in exchange for the promise that he would not leave Home. (This was out of fear of what they would do to him if someone figured out he was a sentient muppet.)

"Hi, Wally," you greeted back, walking up to him with less energy than usual.

"I was worried when you didn't call right on time. I waited, but after ten more minutes, I thought I should call you myself. I hope that's okay?" He sounded so full of guilt. You couldn't help but give him a soft smile.

He was always trying his best to make sure you weren't upset with him. Part of you felt like maybe it was because you were the only person he had contact with in the real world and would be afraid of driving you away, but another part of you felt like maybe it was just second nature to him. He was one of the most genuinely caring personalities you've met.

"Aw, Wally. Of course it's okay. I find it sweet, honestly. I'm sorry for not calling sooner. I sort of um..." You stared at your sketchbook and faltered. "I was caught up in some business."

You switched your focus to him and chuckled. "It won't happen again. I promise."

"Im glad to hear that, neighbour!" Wally's gaze was fixated on you intently. An uncomfortable silence weaving its way into a brightly colourful world full of friendy critters and muppets seemed impossible, really, but here you were, waiting patiently for the solace of any action or word to appear, only to find nothing in return.

It felt like the world was paused, with you and Wally being the only inhabitants with the ability to wander as you pleased.

"So what's happ-"

"Are you okay?" Wally interrupted, his unending smile still resting on his face.

You found this question odd at first. Were you being that obvious?

"Um.. Honestly?- I'm not as happy as I should be right now. Sorry if it was noticeable."

"Don't apologize, dear! It's only natural to feel upset! Did something happen?" Wally made his way to your side, placing a hand on your shoulder in an attempt to show you that he was here for you.

You exhaled with a smile. He was really considerate. You only knew him for about three weeks now, and he was still so kind to you.

"Well, it's a bit of a long story."

"I have all the time in Home!"

You chuckled and nodded, setting yourself down on the nearby grass with ease. "Alright, well.." You placed your sketchbook down next to you as Wally copied your action, sitting across from you with an engaged gaze. "I was really happy about something I made today, and I thought I did a great job."

Wally nodded as you spoke.

"I'm not usually ever happy with stuff I do, so this was really exciting for me," you continued, staring down at your sketchbook and lifting it up to meet your vision. "One of the people I knew came up to me and told me that it was good, so I was obviously excited, but then they said something that kind of hurt, and when they noticed that what they said hurt, they just kept saying more mean things."

You stared at the drawing and sighed. You looked back at Wally and gave him a sort of displeasured look. "I left, and now I can't stop thinking about what they said, so now I'm just lost on whether or not I was right to feel as happy as I did the first time I saw my fully made work."

Wally nodded and tilted his head, redirecting his concentration to the drawing pad you held. "Did you draw something?" He inquired with a softer tone. You nodded in response.

He hummed and looked back at you. "Would it be okay if I took a look?"

You hesitated for the smallest moment before nodding. You shouldn't have to give it a second thought. Wally was an artist like you, so maybe he would understand a bit more. He reached out, gently grabbing onto the book and staring at the recent page you used.

"...No critiques please," you mumbled, feeling embarrassed that you even had to ask that. Wally's pupils seemed to be moving fast. You tried reading his expression, worrying a little bit when you realized how hard that actually was.

"It's.. It's so beautiful."

You exhaled with a big smile. "Really?" You tried not to get your hopes up this time, so you dialed your excitement back down a bit.

Wally kept staring at the drawing, his eyes never seemed to stop moving. It was as if he was trying to memorize it for himself in the future.

"Of course it is! This colour.. This design! It's wondeful! I'm really astonished, dear! I don't understand how anyone could ever say such crude things about this!" He sat up straight, looking at you with a wider smile than before, his pupils larger than ever. "Why, I'm so proud to have such a creative and talented neighbour like you! I really have no words! I'd frame this if possible!"

Overwhelmed with joy, you began to giggle and tear up. This was a lot for you. Wally really seemed to love it, and it was more than enough to fill the pit in your stomach with butteflies. You felt like your heart would have fluttered out of your mouth if he continued any longer.

He said he was proud to have you as a neighbour.

It could almost make you cry, and without realizing, you did.

Wally jumped at this reaction and set the drawing down. "I'm sorry! Did I say something wrong?" He scooted closer to you, feeling very concerned about his words. As he was getting closer, you pushed your body forward and wrapped him a tight hug. He let out a noise of surprise before going limp in your arms.

"Sorry, you did nothing wrong, I'm just so happy!" You held onto him tight. Wally chuckled and nuzzled his head on your shoulder.

"I'm happy you're happy, neighbour!"

You let go after half a minute and wiped your tears away. Wally regained his motion again, grabbing the sketchbook and handing it to you.

"We should definitely draw together sometime, dear! You're very talented! If there's one thing I would want to tell you, it's that you should never doubt your skills, especially if you're proud of what you've made! I'm sorry someone said something terrible to you. You shouldn't pay any attention to them," he rambled, planting a hand on your leg as you took the drawing pad back.

"Don't worry too much about that, I feel much better now that you've helped me," you replied, fiddling with the pages of your book. "You always know what to say."

He nodded and stared deep into your eyes, the world going silent once again as you began to notice this eye contact. "I love to see you smile."

Your face flushed. "I.. Um, thanks! I love your smile too!" He continued staring and sighed, his eyelids beginning to droop ever-so-slightly. You felt yourself become at ease. Normally, you'd feel uncomfortable with staring at someone for too long, but he was hard to look away from. You oddly felt tired.

You cleared your throat. "So about that collaboration," you blurted.

"Oh, yes! What time would you like to draw?" Wally asked, perking up and smiling greatly.

"We could now, if you want." You simpered at his mannerisms. He acted like an excited puppy. His pupils dilated as you finished your sentence.

"Nothing would make me happier!"

"Then let's get goin'!"

You both got up from the grassy spot and headed towards his home with more bounce in your step than ever.

"I love you, neighbour!" Wally exclaimed.

"I love you too, Wally."

End.

Notes: There may be some minor spelling mistakes here and there, so feel free to correct me on that stuff. This is my first time posting a fic on Tumblr, so sorry if the format is weird.

This story is kinda based on something that actually happened to me (besides the wally part lol, that would have been cool). I decided, why not share with other people who experienced similar things?

Asks and requests are open, so feel free to stop by my account and leave a request!

[thefrogdalorian]

So I checked AO3 this morning after a couple of days and was greeted by this sight:

I got very excited, this is a huge number! Right now I have one ongoing longfic and a oneshot I posted a couple of days ago that I was very proud of, so I thought some more readers had found them.

Well, I was pretty dismayed to discover that SEVEN of these comments were from someone who proceeded to go through my 182k word longfic and told me all the things they didn't like about it and personally disagreed with.

They started off as maybe a little bit judgmental, but nothing too personal, before culminating in this lovely little comment:

(blocked out potentially triggering content that was properly tagged on AO3)

It seemed to me as though they were disappointed that my fic wasn't what they wanted to read. Which is fine, but that's not the author's problem. It's on you as a reader to curate your own internet experience.

It is so unbelievably rude to go into the comment section of a fic and write something like this. Guess what: I had a beta at the time! I do not need one now. I also don't want to know what you don't like about the fic, nor do I want to be compared to other writers. Fanfic is a hobby, I do this because I love it and I post it online FOR FREE. I do not want unsolicited criticism in any of my comment sections.

Anyway, I wrote this particular 182,000 word fic in 2 months and I'd like to see them try to do the same, perhaps then they could judge others. Do I think I could do a better job now? Yes. Am I still proud of it though? Hell yes! It's my baby and got me back into writing, it proved my own capabilities when it comes to writing.

I've had far more lovely comments than horrible ones and I won't let this one keep me down. But I won't lie and say that it didn't take me aback and wasn't kind of difficult to process. Please don't do this to fanfic authors, we are fans and hobbyists, not professional writers.

Finally, I thought I'd write this handy guide for people who think like this particular commenter:

What To Do If You Don't Like a Fanfic:

Stop reading the fic

Close the fic

Go on with your life

Hope this helps! :)

[olderthannetfic]

When I first got into fanfics, I didn't know about how people didn't like unsolicited criticisms. I didn't even know the term until I've been on tumblr for a few years. Whenever I left fic comments, I write mostly positive stuff and a few negative stuff and I never really expect the author to change things or anything (unless it was a spelling mistake). I saw the box for comments and I just thought that it's a place to write, well, my comments on what I thought of the story.

I was confused at first when I saw authors complaining about negative comments on their fic and saying they don't owe anyone and that readers are trying to control them and stuff since I thought other readers are just like me just leaving their final thoughts on the story we read and not really wanting anything to be done about it. By the time I understood what authors thought about negative comments, I was already at the point where I've left comments like that (like I said though, I did write mostly positive stuff I liked since I would just drop it if I hated the fic).

--

It's the difference between seeing it as a review and seeing it as a comment for the writer. If it's the latter, "Here's what I didn't like" implies "And you should do something about it".

[valtsv]

why are you getting text post criticisms this is tumblr dot com not google reviews

it was unsolicited but tbh i don't mind it. i appreciate constructive criticism, especially since literary analysis is my passion and i want to improve my skills as much as i can. i'm not going to stop being a bit "trite and cliché" though because it's fun :P

[sunflower-herald]

"Spirits told me to tell you..." did they though?

Lately i start to get annoyed at occult practitioners that do posts/vids like "[some entity] told me to tell you..." and it rubs me the wrong way. Why? There are a couple of reasons.

- Bad actors/scammers use appeal to an authority (spirits are an authority that are perceived to me more knowledgeable/more powerful) to push misinformation or scare people to gain profit from them.

- Unsolicited knowledge/advise is not appreciated in my house. Did I asked spirits and chose you as their spokesperson? No? Then keep it to yourselves.

- Not all spirits have well intentions, they want and will bring your harm if they wish to and you need to be prepared to ward yourselves against it and to distinguish between entities that are hostile, neutral or friendly to you. Using someone else to influence you can be the way they try stay hidden from you and thats ඞ.

- If spirits wanted to send me a message - they can do it directly. If you cannot recieve that message for one reason or another they will contact you though people that know you well and who you know well. You just need to listen what your close ones tell you and catch that message.

- I don't need knowledge/advise that is distributed by equivalent of mass spam email.

It is important to stay critical about information that you get from any source. Do your research, have doubts about stuff you are not sure about, don't believe everything strangers tell you. Witchcraft is a path that firstly affects your "self" and then others so be careful about stuff you bring in your life.

[rainofaugustsith]

So in the conversations about cures, there is one thing I'd like to reiterate: It is absolutely bleeding exhausting to have abled/not chronically ill people going on about cures and how they can fix you.

It's often the first fucking thing people do after you tell them what your illness is - they immediately pile on with the unsolicited advice about just how you can fix yourself. And 99.9% of the time, I guarantee you it's absolute trash that shows no understanding whatsoever of your condition.

Prayer. Kale. Juice fasts. Untested supplements not approved by the FDA that somehow manage to cure things like sickle cell anemia. Have you found Jesus (and I specifically say Jesus because Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists - well, just about everyone else - usually will NOT try to convert you or insist you just need to pray harder to their god to be magically cured)? Maybe if you lost some weight or took up yoga? There's this guru I listen to. On and on and on.

And often, if they don't think you are desperately trying everything and anything random people throw at you, why, you must not really be sick. You don't WANT to get better because you're not trying organic lettuce fasts and crystals to cure your genetic disease that isn't even understood well by most doctors.

Most of us get angry about even one unsolicited comment or criticism. We think it's rude when someone snipes about appearance or clothes. So why is it okay to pepper disabled and chronically ill people with your half-baked cures, or think they even want them?

Imagine how you'd feel if the moment you left your house, people started picking at, say, the shape of your eyebrows. Maybe you could bleach them? Shape them? Shave them off? If only you'd let us help you! It comes from a place of love! Imagine that's all you heard all day long the moment someone saw your eyebrows. You'd get sick of it really damn quickly, and you'd probably really resent that people's first instinct was to tell you what they felt was wrong with you and that they were within their rights to tell you how to fix it.

You might feel angry or upset that they were not accepting you as you were.

That's how it goes with cures, folks.

The only time I as a chronically ill and disabled person am interested in hearing about treatments is if it's coming from someone with the same/similar condition and we're talking and comparing notes. But interesting thing, then it's usually shop talk, it's not 'BUT YOU NEED KALE AND PRAYER.' Do I talk to other people with my illness about the meds they take, what works, what doesn't? Sure. But key things: we've both agreed to participate in that discussion AND we both have the condition in question, AND nobody is picking at anyone else to do anything. Those discussions often end "well, that's great it works for you! Good luck with it!" and it's fine.

I'll be honest, if you could tell me tomorrow "Rain, we have a 100% certain cure for something you have" would I sign up? Fucking yes. But am I waiting around for that cure? No. Because most illnesses don't have cures. Some have treatments, and some don't. Some of us know this. I'm doing my best to live my life as it is, as I am, in this moment, and that's what I want people to understand. I want to be accepted as I am in this time, just as we all do.

[yellowocaballero]

ORV Characters Ranked by Least to Most Likely to Commit White Collar Crime

You guys said you wanted my ORV takes, and I try not to say things unsolicited, so I'll drop the good meta-analysis and literary criticism that I'm known for. For comedy purposes please pretend that ORV is American.

Omniscent Reader's Viewpoint characters broken down by likelihood to commit white collar crime, least to most:

Lee Hyeonseong: he's convinced that he's never committed a crime in his life. Intentionally, of course not. Unintentionally, he takes shopping for groceries extremely seriously, and is sometimes so wrapped up in the fruit inspection experience that he'll leave without paying. Due to his innocent face, bulk, and sheer confidence, he's never caught. In an economically thrifty maneuver, KDJ always sends him on snack runs for parties and texts him math problems while he's there. He insists it's like couponing. It's not couponing.

Jeong Huiwon: similarly, of course she would never choose to commit a crime. Also similarly, when KDJ says, 'Hey, wanna commit a crime?' she always participates. Since the crime is normally targeted at rich people, KDJ can usually morally justify it to her. She calls this harm reduction. It's not harm reduction.

Lee Jihye: would love to commit a crime in theory, almost never in practice. She has an idealized image in her mind of the ideal high school experience and it involves grand theft auto. However, the worst she ever gets is breaking & entering and trespassing, mostly because she didn't stop to wonder if the building was abandoned or not. She can't even shoplift from Claire's.

Shin Yuseung: the kind of kid who sets the dissection frogs in the school laboratory free. Looks up illegal exotic animal trading on the deepweb and sighs in longing. But exotic pet trading isn't very Animal Rights of her, so she just leaks information to the CIA and busts the rings. Lee Gilyeong convinces her to track down shady sellers on Craigslist and bust their kneecaps. Neither of them view this as significantly different from the dissection frog liberation. KDJ gets her a rescued exotic cat for her birthday as a reward.

Lee Gilyeong: self-explanatory.

Han Suyeong: she's been pirating media since she was eleven and has never stopped. World-class expert in pirating everything. She's the unsung hero who rips the CDs and games and puts them online. Runs the pirating websites. Has never paid for a webnovel or manwha or manga in her life. Despite this, she insists that pirating books is immoral and that people should support small authors. The FBI knows she exists and has been trying to catch her for years. She brags about this constantly.

Yoo Sangah: has committed tax fraud before, will commit tax fraud tomorrow, is currently committing tax fraud. Embezzles her company's embezzlement. Insists that she's only committing victimless crimes, mainly because she doesn't view business executives as people. Her ability to evade the IRS is mythological and it's how KDJ got a crush on her.

Yoo Junghyeok: does not understand adult life well enough to knowingly commit any sort of white collar crime. He is this high on the list because he enables and helps KDJ in literally everything he does, especially using his clout as an influencer. This is because KDJ has convinced him that these things aren't crimes, and he doesn't understand adult life well enough to figure it out.

Kim Dokja: has done every white collar crime under the sun. I can't emphasize enough how much crime he does. He's currently blackmailing SYS's college tuition out of a US Senator. HSY makes the shell companies and launders so much money with him. Alternates between running a pyramid scheme and a ponzi scheme depending on the month. Started a cult that one time but we don't like to talk about that. Runs the betting ring for YJH's esports games. Fixes the games. YJH does not know he does this, but KDJ splits the profits and Yoo Mia also needs a college tuition so he decides not to think about it too hard. Big into crypto and runs every crypto scam you can possibly think of, which is normally where the the ponzi schemes come in. Steals YJH's identity often. Somehow everything he does is technically legal. The only crime he does not commit is pirating. Exclusively targets the wealthy and ultra-wealthy and has never stolen money from a poor person. Sugar daddies all of his friends and pays all college tuitions. Anonymously yet obviously sponsors huge amounts of money to YJH's Twitch streams, mostly in apology for the ID theft. Would really rather be living a quiet life in a big house with all of his friends, but that big house ain't gonna pay for itself.

[iraprince]

also re my last answer: whenever i say "nobody actually cares if there are mistakes, nobody's going through your work with a fine tooth comb," stuff like that -- i knowwwwww that's not 100% accurate 100% of the time. i KNOW there are joyless weirdos out there who get off on like, picking ppl's stuff apart unprovoked, esp if they've already decided they don't like you or whatever, and people who nitpick anatomy and canon accuracy and shit like that 24/7 blah blah blah. i get anxious about it too, if i let myself think about it too hard.

but the point is that when i say "nobody actually cares" or "nobody is being as critical of your stuff as you are," what i mean is like.... "nobody pleasant to be around," lmao. "nobody cool." "nobody coming to your art and engaging with it in good faith."

taking a little private sip of haterade in your group chat once in a while or whatever is so normal (and nobody can do anything abt that, and nobody should spend a lot of time worrying abt it), but in terms of the person you're fearing will like, pull their pants down and take a big unsolicited shit on your art in public bc you drew a wonky arm or something? do u actually want to impress that person? is that who ur actually trying to reach w ur stuff? bc i'm not personally interested in that guy, lmao

[tbb-appreciation-week]

The Bad Batch Appreciation Week 2024 is HERE!!!

The time for appreciating Clone Force 99 has arrived! Y'know, like the cavalry 😅 Don't mind my bad pun!

What I was saying? Oh, yeah! The prompts have been revealed HERE, so we must refresh the rules. They're the same as last year, but it doesn't hurt to review them again, right? So:

Event Info & Rules

TBB APPRECIATION WEEK is a week-long, prompt-based creation challenge to celebrate our love for the Batchers and the show. There are 7 groups of prompts—one for each day of the week—, which can be used, skipped, or combined in any way you’d like. They are meant to be an inspiration without being taken literally (i.e., you don’t have to include the exact wording of prompts in your work). Feel free to interpret them at your convenience. For example, if the prompt is “anooba”, you can create either something about the animal, use it as a name/mascot of a sports team in your modern-day AU, or as an analogy for someone with a voracious appetite. It’s up to you.

Each group contains a Theme (which is in and on itself a prompt), an AU/Trope, Dialogue, an extra character, NSFW, and a color palette). You can use them in combination or just pick one. The idea is to give everyone as much creative freedom as possible. The participants can create works in any media they choose, including but not limited to: writing, art, edits, gifs, videos, playlists, cosplays, etc. The only restriction is that it needs to be focused on The Bad Batch (can be on a particular Batcher alone).

Also, people can participate as little or as much as they want, meaning that they don’t have to do ALL the days if they can't/don’t want to.

Collaborations are welcome and even encouraged. For example, if an artist and a writer want to work together, or a writer and a podficcer, or two writers, go for it!

When uploading TBB Appreciation Week content to your Tumblr blog, be sure to mention this blog and add the following hashtags:

#tbbaw2024

#the theme of the day and/or #prompt(s) used

#medium (gifset, fic, podcast, fanart, etc.)

#trigger warnings, if applies. (Please do NOT to add “tw” in front or at the end but only use the word/trigger itself, because the way Tumblr tag blocker feature works, it makes it harder for people to block the right tag.) (List of trigger warnings)

#nsfw (only for NSFW content)

#any other relevant tags go here

PLEASE BE DILIGENT WITH YOUR TAGGING (both by mentioning the blog and putting the necessary tags). That'll ensure that your post will be reblogged on this blog.

I'll do my best to reblogged everyone's posts, but if it passes 2–3 days and I haven't posted yours, please let me know.

If you are posting NSFW fics or art on Tumblr, I ask that you use the Keep Reading break to hide the NSFW portion of your work; and please, give the proper warnings. On Ao3, please, use the correct rating and warnings as well.

If you want, you can also add your work to the Ao3 Collection (closed at the moment, but I'll open it in due time). (Use the tags TBB Appreciation Week 2024 and/or TBBAW 2024 when posting.)

There won't be censorship in this event, so everyone is free to create whatever they want. Participants are expected to hold judgment to themselves of others and their works, even if they don't agree with or find it repulsive. That means that harassment of anyone or anything that they post (even if said work is something you personally find morally reprehensible) WILL NOT BE TOLERATED. Anyone that breaks this rule will be banned from the event. Curate your own experience by blocking what upsets/squicks/triggers you, and leave everyone else alone. That's the importance of the correct tagging, as it says above.

Important!! Show support to other participants by liking, reblogging, AND commenting. If an author or artist has asked for constructive criticism (not the same as a comment, and with constructive being the keyword) you may give it. However, refrain to give any of the unsolicited kind, as it can be discouraging for the author or artist.

But most of all, HAVE FUN!!! This is meant to be a lay-back event to show love for our favorite characters.

I'm looking forward to seeing what you all come up with!

If you have questions, you can check out the F.A.Q post. But if you don't find there the answer you're looking for, send me a message to the ask box or a DM, either in this blog or my fandom blog @nimata-beroya.

Thanks for reading, and happy creating!

Mare 💜

[mixelation]

i thought about replying to this post, but then decided it'd be better to make my own. tl;dr OP states that they don't mind a lot types of comments AO3 writers commonly complain about and then calls for writers to read their comments in good faith. i was going to just scroll by this as it seemed to be presented as "this is my personal preference," but then OP calls for more writers to share their feelings. so i thought it might help to explain why i personally don't like certain types of comments

first, OP brings up pointing out typos multiple times. i absolutely despise having typos pointed out, although personally i don't know any other writers who care too much. i delete comments that just point out typos with no other commentary, and the fact that i don't delete comments with actual comments AND a typo pointed out is mostly because the idea makes me feel bad for the commenter. my personal hatred for the typo comments is linked more to being bullied for being dyslexic than anything else, but i do think a list of typos with nothing else is a pretty rude comment, and it ties into why giving unsolicited "constructive criticism" is, imho, rude or at the very least largely annoying

a lot of people say unsolicited concrit is bad because "fic is free." this isn't the reason. it's still rude to personally contact a writer with your criticisms even if you paid for it (assuming you didn't, you know, commission it or otherwise have a right to give such feedback). it's because concrit is essentially useless unless the person providing it understands the goals of the writer and wants to help the writer to those goals. on ao3, the writer's goal might have been to write a little story in one sitting. it might have been to write something hyper self-indulgent and so niche that it makes no sense to any other human being. the writer's goal might not be anything that would necessitate concrit at all. and, no offense, but most "constructive criticism" from random people on the internet is just "you didn't write the story i personally wanted to read" rather than anything that has to do with the story itself. on top of that, when i give people stuff for spelling and grammar, a stunning percentage of the time, people make "corrections" which are simply unnecessary or flat out incorrect. you are not a copy editor, and unless the writer asked in their notes, they have not asked you to edit. don't do it.

also, when you point out typos, there's an implied assumption you expect the writer to fix them. otherwise, why point them out? and the writer has no obligation to do things for you

other types of comments in the post:

‘I don’t usually like this ship but this fic made me feel something’ - I don't personally mind this one unless the tone is REALLY hostile to whatever ship (or trope, or character, or whatever). The reason why this one is often construed as rude is that the writer presumably is a fan of the ship, since they're writing about it. If you criticize other fics about the ship, then you might be criticizing things the author really enjoys. I think tone is a big factor here; this genre of comment can get way more hostile than OP's example.

‘looking forward to the next update’ / ‘I hope you update soon!’ - The wording of both of these is mild, but keep in mind writers with lots of fics have likely fielded a decent number of "update now you [slur]" comments. Also this is inappropriate to say on a fic marked completed (surprisingly common!). My experience on AO3 is that the really aggressive "update now!!" comments are fewer than they used to be and fewer than on FFN, but a lot of writers are still made tired by them. I'd suggest saying something more like "I'm excited to see where this goes" and make sure the fic isn't complete.

‘I love this fic but I’m curious about why you made [x] choice’ - I don't think most writers would mind this one, actually. Usually writers like it when you ask them questions about their work. If I gave any commentary, I'd be a bit careful about tone again-- if you just write "why'd you do [x]" with nothing else, it could come off abrasive or like you think the choice was bad.

i do agree with OP's contention that one's experience as a writer on AO3 will improve if they engage comments in good faith. i disagree with the idea that reading in good faith means every type of comment below outright harassment is appropriate or not annoying. i do not think reading in good faith and just accepting anything anyone says to you are the same. i also don't really believe that writers complaining about annoying comments is creating a comment scarcity, mostly because i don't believe in the purported comment crisis everyone is upset about, and also because i know there were entire LJ communities dedicated to asshole comments. it's not really new.

[greenerteacups]

Hey! Recently I've noticed an influx of overly-detailed criticising comment on some of the fanfiction stories I've been reading and your post came at the right time.

I completely agree about the difference of criticising published works and fanfiction which is basically a free gift to us (though I'd count Lionheart as great writing worthy of publishing no doubt!). But some of the comments I've been seeing in the recent months regarding ANY fic, really make me feel bitter, I guess. Especially when the reviews seem almost pretentious (as if this is a teacher critiquing a 19th century novel in the most detailed way?) so I feel for authors who do this as a hobby and put a big effort to it, as well. Just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate Lionheart, always!

Yeah, and it's really strange — when you reply to those comments saying you're not interested in concrit, they usually hit back with "wow, don't be so hostile," even when you were expressing a perfectly polite preference to not receive this kind of feedback.

It's bizarre to me that some people think the Internet is the kind of place where just producing content = welcoming and embracing criticism. My brother, this is not an artist's studio, it is the gallery. You are walking around at a showcase shouting about how you don't like the paintings. Even if you have really good, smart reasons for not liking them, you're still committing a faux pas.

It is embittering, but I try to remember that such an overwhelming majority of comments are effusively positive, and it's just a toxic human brain trait to fixate on the negative. When I engage with concrit — which I try not to do — I've tried to be reasonable, but a polite "hey man, I know you're trying to help, but no thanks!" is hard to do when a total stranger has just sent you an unsolicited message telling you you're doing something wrong. Still, one does try.

That said, I confess I won't be too terribly upset if some of those reviewers are insulted by my "hostile" responses. Whatever gets them out of my inbox, lol.

[kedreeva]

Kedreeva, may I ask your opinion on a fic commenting issue?

If a reader leaves a comment on a fic that results in the writer giving up on it, would you automatically think that reader was in the wrong?

Here's why I'm asking. I've been writing a fic for almost a year, but I've been struggling with it for the last month or so. I've lost focus, don't know what I'm doing with it anymore, can't keep the plot on track, no longer feel the joy for it that I used to feel.

This morning, a reader left a comment on the fic saying what I know in my heart. It's wandering off, it's lost focus, it's become long and bloated and isn't going anywhere anymore. I need to learn to edit, to tell a proper story instead of just wittering on and on.

Not gonna lie. The comment made me cry. But at the same time, the reader is absolutely right. Everything they said was true.

Reading the comment gave me the courage to do what I should have done two months ago. I put up a note telling readers I've lost my way with the fic and it's time to move on to other projects. I felt sad, but a little relieved at the same time.

I explained the situation to an online fic buddy, and they were furious at the reader who left the comment, said they had no business saying something like that, and the remarks were completely uncalled for.

But I feel like the reader's honesty made me realize the truth of the situation. The fic has turned into an unfixable mess - I just couldn't acknowledge that until someone said it loudly right to my face.

Was that reader in the wrong? I don't feel they were, but my buddy disagrees. Would love to know what you think.

Your buddy is right that the reader was in the wrong in so far as etiquette goes. Whether or not the reader was correct has no bearing on the etiquette of the situation, which is that (at least on AO3), unsolicited criticism is considered rude to leave.

Compare the context to another situation; if a writer makes a typo and a reader comments to correct the typo, without being asked to do so first, it doesn't matter that the spelling correction is correct. The correctness of the comment has no bearing on the etiquette of giving unsolicited criticism. It's still rude to leave because the author didn't request interference or assistance, and the reader has no idea what effect the comment will have on the author.

Now, that in no way means that you, personally, have to be angry with this particular reader or hurt by their action. If you feel it helped you, then it helped you. Individual writers may have mixed or even positive associations with crit, solicited or not, and that's totally cool. I, myself, am not going to suffer any great consequence if someone criticizes my work (I don't like it, but fuck 'em, it's not going to stop me or anything), but they're still going to get an earful back, because I have seen too many people hurt or leave because some readers can't follow the golden rule, and I don't want to see the more vulnerable people pushed out of my community.

Because the point of the etiquette here IS to protect the vulnerable people in our communities. Fandom in general is FULL of vulnerable people, and fanfiction often exposes soft bits of the author. You may have taken it well enough and resolved a personal issue because of it, but that same type of comment given to someone just starting out or to someone in a delicate/sensitive part of their life (for example, if they are experiencing hardships in real life and writing to escape that for a little while) or just simply writing as a fun hobby... that kind of comment can do a lot of damage. You chose to stop because you already knew you were having problems with the story. Another person may choose to stop not because they want to or because it's a positive step for them, but because their RSD now makes it horrifying to try to write instead of being a happy endeavor. Or a hundred other, negative reasons.

And the reason your friend is likely angry on your behalf is that the reader had no way of knowing whether you would take it well, and did not (as far as I know from what you've said here) make any attempt to inquire with you first as to whether you wanted that kind of advice. It would be different if they had said "hey, i've been reading along, and I was wondering if you'd mind some advice?" first. That at least would have given you an opportunity to talk about it willingly or say "I'm not really in a place where I want/can handle that, but thank you for the offer!" Regardless of outcome, you deserved to have had that option in the first place.

I'm glad that the comment helped you, as an individual. But your friend is also right, in that that type of comment is typically rude and potentially harmful to others. That being said, your friend should also be able to let go of their anger about it if there was no harm done in this instance. There's room for coexistence in this case; I'm sure that you can understand that just because you weren't hurt doesn't mean no one would be, and I'm sure your friend can understand that just because it was rude doesn't mean it was bad for you (specific) this once.