#on criticism

[stargir1z]

mark mcgurl quoted in "neoliberalism and the time of the novel" by mathias nilges

[lossisyours]

I think early in our artistic careers, we all tell ourselves a version of the same lie: if you and your art are accessible, nice, cute, palatable etc. enough, you’ll be spared. But the truth is—none of us are spared. Interesting art will always piss someone off. And if you write to pacify a Sad Fan Man, you lose. There are many boring things in life—don’t let your art, by your own assessment, be one of them. 

— Joy Williams, in Essay: Woman in Trouble

[soleminisanction]

I'm so tired of seeing people parrot the words, "DC doesn't know what to do with Tim so now he's going to waste." It's such a weaselly, meaningless criticism, like, what the fuck does it even mean??

He's kicking ass the secondary protagonist in Batman, telling his own personal stories in a solo book, guest-starring in other peoples' books and regularly showing up in the Bat-fam crossovers -- that's exactly the status he had for 50% of his heyday in the 90s and early 00s! The only thing he's missing from the other 50% is a consistent role on an ongoing team book.

And either way it's way more than other supporting cast members get -- Cassie and Bart just have the regular family and guest appearances right now, and Kon's solo is just a limited run. Fuck, Damian is only showing up in the Bat-fam crossovers atm. Babs, Steph and Cass only have the crossovers, cameos and a team book. The only one who's getting more coverage than Tim right now is Dick, and he's practically becoming the new DC poster-boy.

And it's not like Tim was ever a world-changing, DCU-dominating badass to begin with. Red Robin was a personal story with personal stakes and an entirely personal impact. He lead the Titans, sure, but never in the events where the Titans took point because those always fell to Dick's generation. Young Justice mostly told stories that mattered to Young Justice. Robin was about Robin.

It's just such a shallow, weaselly, fake criticism that means nothing. All it actually seems to mean is a cover for, "Waaah, he's being written by a woman right now."

[regulusrules]

So sorry you received that comment, you're one of the bests. Any advice on how to cope with them? Once I got something like this and stopped writing for that fandom.

My nonnie, you should ride its high exactly like I am doing about it!

Listen. No one's— and I genuinely mean no one's— beliefs about you, either positive or negative, should matter to you more than yours about yourself. Not trying to be a preachy life coach or anything, but really, what is feedback if not someone's thoughts and beliefs imposed upon yours?

Don't get me wrong; they are valid, and they are extremely valuable to be put into consideration, but they aren't more important than yours about yourself. Take any feedback and mould it to your comfort. If it's praise, then let it fill you with assurance of how good you are. If it's criticism, then let it drive you even further to write and develop. But in both cases, remember to value what you believe over what others believe, because it's your life in making.

And if you believe that your writing is worth sharing, then the whole entire world shouldn't convince you otherwise. Trust me, even when you say I'm "one of the best", if you ask me I'll tell you I'm not that talented. I'll undermine my writing even when I know it's relatively good. It's a struggle everyone undergoes. But that doesn't mean we should stop doing the things we love just because we aren't god-tier in them. No one really is.

So my advice for you would be to go back to writing in your fandom and leave all negative comments behind. Don't let someone take from you a source of happiness. Write and know that you'll never be the cherry on top of everyone's cake, and that that is completely fine. Every writing style is unique on its own, and that's what makes us undeniably human. What matters at the end of any day is what you do with the words of the world, and how to always make their impact a positive one on yourself ✯

[leam1983]

Maturity

The current kerfuffle involving a particular game is nothing new to me. I've seen the same pattern arise out of Direct Action efforts on-campus, I've seen it happen in other attempts at consumer advocacy, and it's especially prevalent on the political spectrum - on both sides of the ideological fence.

What I'm referring to is bullying.

I think it's important to realize when someone purchases a given product because it gives them joy, out of complete ignorance of the ideological payload more astute observers might've picked up on. It's also important to realize that your attempts at outreach are kind in scope, because you're in a position that allows you to educate the other person.

Doxxing Twitch streams, driving content creators to tears, insulting underage players who haven't had any chance to grasp the underlying issues - none of that lends any credibility to the seriousness of the issues being addressed.

If you feel your faith or culture is being maligned, calmly and sedately offer to educate the person whose decisions offend you. If the object being discussed is created by or associated to someone controversial, the very same applies.

Direct Action works when all parties meet and exchange on an equal footing. Throwing slurs or huffing about you "can't understand" some people's choices helps precisely no-one. Always - always - behave as though your actions would be up for later scrutiny, because they might be. If you have arguments to bring forth, prepare yourself and get ready for any rebuttals to follow.

That is how optics are changed. What's unfolded across Twitch last night is unworthy of your cause, and unworthy of yourselves.

Y'all are better than this, and you know it.

[leam1983]

Here's a piece of advice:

Liking things comes in stages. Absolutely everyone starts with the "It's so good, you guys, djkODKASkd;kqwkd" phase, which your sourced images seem to elude to. What you need to learn is to go beyond your own emotional affects - and that only comes through repeated exposures.

After two viewings or readings or whatever, are you still at the My widdle heart, it's so good phase? If so, tack on a third. Then a fourth. Then a fifth. Desensitizing yourself to media and to your own responses is key. More importantly, learning to be able to do this after just a few exposures - or even after a single one - takes time.

Nobody who hasn't spent years living off of grading content can just be objective off the bat. I'm proud to say I can, but that says I have the opposite problem: I can break down exactly what worked in a book or a movie after a single exposure, but can I expound on my feelings for the media? Not really. I've learned to distrust anything that really pushes to make me feel giddy or that wants to push specific emotional buttons, and that makes me a massive killjoy in your average book club or out of the theatre.

To get you started, here's a few things I was taught to focus on when working on content to analyze:

How's the pacing? Do things advance and progress in ways that make sense?

How are the characters, beyond their tear-jerking or response-generating elements? Can I spot flaws in their construction? Can these flaws ultimately turn out to be a disguised boon that helps these characters seem human?

If I had to write a treatment for this particular thing, assuming I were the first one to write it, what would I change? How can I justify these changes? Keep in mind, I'm not referring to "what-ifs", but to concrete changes designed to improve the overall story being told

If it's a movie, which visual devices are being used, and how? Does the composition make sense, or are some things tossed around just because the director went Me likey at their fetishized technique?

If it's a book, do I have a sense that the writer has the same grasp on the previous point? Beginning authors are oftentimes super earnest in their delivery but awkward in their execution. Does that show? Did the author manage to rein themselves in, in-service of their story?

The most important tip I could give is, obviously, to read more books, watch more movies - and to not be afraid to venture out of your comfort zones. The more you broaden your horizons, the more likely you are to learn to spot actual lyricism and to tell it apart from scenes that make you go "Yeah, I've seen this kind of emotional appeal to viewers or readers in fifteen things that came out in the past three years."

And no, this won't turn you in a massive snob. Compensation logic matters, and people need a shot of easy comfort in their lives, from time to time. I like my brainy Arthouse cruft, but I still watch MCU movies precisely because they push easy feel-good buttons. When things are alright, I don't mind picking the newest psychodrama from Park Chan-Wook, for instance. When the going gets tough, I absolutely do need a shot of Infinity War - Endgame to raise my spirits, and that's totally fine.

Oh, and just don't forget snacks and drinks, alright? Good books and movies deserve quality companions.

i envy ppl who can provide deep analysis about their favorite media and/or characters b/c whenever i like something a lot it looks like:

[shyjusticewarrior]

At some point "fanfic can be as good as professional writing" became "fanfic should be as good as professional writing" and that's caused major damage to fandom spaces.

[oscar-isaac]

RYAN GOSLING "I'm Just Ken" wins Best Original Song at the 29th Annual Critics' Choice Awards (January 14, 2024)

[helpimstuckinafandom]

I'M FUCKING CRYING LMAOOO

[leam1983]

Now, on the other end, if you're still subjected to blunt or needlessly rude responses, my go-to in order to avoid having to deal with a ruffled ego is to imagine the contrarian sort of the moment as a small child, either kicking and screaming or defiantly pouting at me.

Oh, you think that this or that Reblog or this or that stated opinion is cringe, Anon? You know what, I'm deeply inclined to disregard any and all further comments coming out of you.

And no, this doesn't mean you're asking to be coddled. There's a myriad of ways to submit constructive criticism - or even to effectively demolish a bad piece of art - without casting aspersions on the writer.

it’s been said before and it will be said again but i’m begging you all nicely to restrain yourselves from being so casually aggressive and rude and obnoxious in the tags & reblogs of a complete stranger’s posts. no one wants to know that you hate [tv show that op giffed]. no one wants to know that you hate [character that op drew]. no one wants to hear you being ugly and negative for no reason. say what you want to say in your own post. don’t hit the reblog button. blacklist relevant tags. unfollow or block relevant accounts. log out. shut down. get help.

[dooldebob]

some of your goofy asses for the past 20 years

[stargir1z]

TfE: From Cyberpunk to Infopunk by Peter Wolfendale

[kensatou]

i'll let phie-san say it:

[bajoop-sheeb]

PLEASE for the love of the universe read anti-colonial science fiction and fantasy written from marginalized perspectives. Y’all (you know who you are) are killing me. To see people praise books about empire written exclusively by white women and then turn around and say you don’t know who Octavia Butler is or that you haven’t read any NK Jemisin just kills me! I’m not saying you HAVE to enjoy specific books but there is such an obvious pattern here

Some of y’all love marginalized stories but you don’t give a fuck about marginalized creators and characters, and it shows. Like damn

[animentality]