#in general i can't stand charity culture

[ladyhindsight]

I admit I was ignorant on the matter but now that I know more about Israel and its army, I can't help but see the similarities between them and the Shadowhunters/Nephilim. I always wondered how could CC hail a society of child soldiers that forces assimilation or violence on anyone that opposes them as heroes.

And her obsession with European features and how all characters of color are half white and change their last names (super common practice in Israel). They either assimilate to the European/Nephilim culture, or they're demonic beings that want to kill the heroes.

Sarah J Maas too, and her obsessions with imperialism = good! colonization = good!, if I grow bored of ruling I'll go on a colonization spree to bring culture to savage people! (Idk if you've read her books)

I'm jewish but I grew up in a mixed family (of ethnicities and religions) and my jewish mom is an atheist who taught me Zionism is a racist, fascist ideology so I always avoided Israel like the plague. I regret staying ignorant for so long and not educating myself sooner. Now that I have, I see works by Jewish authors in a different light. And it makes me nauseous 🤢

During the early years of the series publication Clare’s biases were especially well out there, pretty implicit in her writing. There was the mess with the “I think” post, her favoritism of specific appearances (that to this day apply!), the favoritism of the Nephilim in general—the whole character of Jace Herondale himself! It’s not at all unfounded idea that what you said could be true. The same themes certainly are present in her works.

(I haven’t read anything from Sarah J Maas, but I’ll take your word for it.)

The whole series pretty much—including the child soldiers—romanticizes war. The true and heavy losses are not focused on (Max, anyone?), are brushed aside if they do not serve the anguish of a main character, death in battle is trivial if it is either the nameless/minor characters or the bad guys dying. But it could be a more general problem with young adult literature as well, not excluding that.

It’s rather unfortunate for Clare’s actual and true fans that she remains silent. I haven’t seen or found any statement from her. One TikTok commenter said that they needed her “to be one of the good ones.” It’s sad that her supporters who pour their heart, love, time, and money (!!!) into her and her works have to teeter on the edge of uncertainty because she is saying nothing. Clever really, being silent as if trying to play both sides in order not to alienate or lose either side of her fan base (and I don’t even know what other people) as if people will forever be satisfied with not making a stand of any kind.

Clare is a New York Times best-selling author, multiple times over, she has a platform. She has the platform to amplify the voices in Gaza, to condemn the action of IDF, even as little as to show support for the innocent civilians suffering in inhumane conditions, but it seems there’s nothing. I obviously can’t say what she could be doing that is not public, but if you’re doing charity or giving aid to the people—a big if since what do I know what she really thinks or does—it’s still strange that you wouldn’t share that at all.

Don’t be too hard on yourself and shame yourself for not knowing sooner or not knowing better earlier. There’s ton of things around us—media most of all—that might affect the amount of information people even receive about this, or any issues around the world. A lot of people, including myself, learn more and more over time, and the point is learning and becoming more aware of the absolute tragedy and horror that is happening in Palestine and has been happening for decades already.

#Anti CC #Anti Cassandra Clare #Reply

[imeternallylove]

Come on, bride - S.Strange

Stephen Strange x Reader

genre: angst

warning: mom spoiler

words: 1.2k

"We should move on."

You nod at the kid, America. Then look around tiredly, wiping the blood from your cheek, which the woman name Wanda caused this wound by directly attacking you. Even though she has no idea who you are, America looks at you with a soft smile.

You approach closer to Stephen, who is on one of his knees on the ground. Something had slipped your mind before you could reach his side. His memories play out in front of you; the beginning of your toxic relationship. The night you both graduated. He was an intern at Metro General, and you were a fresh software engineer at Stark Industries. It was the night when you were both buried in heavenly passion.

You were taken by your memories when you decided to walk away from him; downright atrocious, the worst memories.

Evening, rainfall.

"There is a new procedure in Tokyo. They culture donor stem cells… and then harvesting them and then 3D printing a scaffold." Stephen's trembling voice and hands as he spoke like a prayer have come to your eyes. You looked at the mess of paper on the floor. Knew that repairing his bone-broken hands was out of the question, and no one would take the risk of treating his hands. It would be best if you were by his side through this darkest hour. "If I could just secure a loan…"

That's when you were pushed to the rock bottom, "Stephen." You placed his meal, repeating his name in a serious tone. "Stephen-" And then you were cut off by him.

"A small loan, Y/N. Just $200,000."

"You've always spent money as fast as you could make it, but now you're spending money you don't even have." You took a few steps closer to Stephen after staring intently into his tear-streaked eyes, and your voice softens. He attempted to write his own name on the paper, but it did not work, and the pen was flung to the wall. "Maybe it's time to consider stopping."

The desk smacking caught you off guard. "No, now is exactly the time not to stop," he says as he rises up, his gaze fixated on yours and his hands swung to face you, "because, you see, I'm not getting any better!"

"But this isn't medicine anymore. This is mania!" You had always done your best to soothe Stephen, but not this time. He squandered too much time on his route. He left you talking with his back form as he stopped and looked out the window. "Stephen, something just can't be fixed."

His cracked voice is a hammer and your heart is like a fragile glass. "Life without my work…"

"Is still life! This isn't the end. There are other things that can give your life meaning."

You had no idea Stephen was heartless until he turned around and asked you a frigid question. "Like what? Like you?" In the lower and annoyed voice he made, there is no trace of regret after just hurling his foolish rage at yours.

"Now this is the part where you apologize." And his reply just nothing but only saddened you. "This is the part where you leave."

Your breath was hitched, certainly was firmly impacted, so you shied over the apartment door without hesitation. "Fine, I can't watch you do this to yourself anymore." Leaving all plans you had outlined that he couldn't handle on his own, even shaving.

Then Stephen spoke up behind you, "too difficult for you, is it?" Just when you were turning back your feet and nodding in response, prepared to fight back. "Yes. It is. It breaks my heart to see you this way."

"No, don't pity me."

"I'm not pitying you."

"Oh, yeah? Then what are you doing here… bringing cheese and wine like we're old friends going for a picnic?" He strolled like a drunk, moved near to where you were standing; where you remained mute and still as he began to insult your feelings. "We are not friends, Y/N. We were barely lovers. But you just love a sob story, don't you?"

His rough voice was like a metal hammer and your heart was shattered glass.

"Is that what I am to you now? 'Poor Stephen Strange, charity case.' He finally needs me. Another dreg of humanity for you to work on. Patch him up and send him back into the world… heart's just humming."

Your arms shivered as you held yourself, your jaw clenched. Tried to shake your head, forcefully inhaling, this is way too much to merely watch him shout at.

"You care so much, don't you?!"

The apartment has become thunderously quiet. All you could do was seek for his sorrow for what he'd done, even if it meant peering into his light blue orbs, which he didn't. You dared to hope he'd overcome his ego one day, but surely you weren't there to witness it. 

"Goodbye, Stephen."

When the reality around you reappears, you strain to swallow, as if your ripped heart wound had added salt on. Your gaze is fixed on the ground.

Stephen places his hand on yours and says, "Y/N." America had opted to move ahead, leaving the two of you behind. "I'm so sorry for treating you like that."

"I'm so happy that you could say the word." A sorrowful grin appears on your face, as the tear falls, you begin to go faster, but Stephen is quicker and holds your waist to turn to face him. His both palms traveled up the length of your shoulder to your cheeks, tilting your chin and wiping away your tears with his thumbs. His eager blue eyes followed every breath you took, every second your gaze averted from him.

"I made a mistake and now I'm losing you, Y/N."

"It's okay," you gently brush your fingertips along his palms and attempt to ease his guilt. "You'll be alright."

Stephen has been saying what you wish to hear for over 10 years, but it comes too late. "I love you, Y/N… I never say it, but I love you." That has caused your tears to flow. "It's not that I don't want to care or that I don't want you to care for me," he whispers softly as he leans against your forehead. "I'm just…"

"Scared… It's okay to be scared sometimes, Stephen." When he stroked a stray strand of hair away from your eyes, you sighed. "I'm sorry for not waiting for you."

He gradually steps back, holding your hands, and lifts your left hand. A weak Stephen was gone in an instant, his gaze concentrated on your wedding ring. He cracks a joke with his trademark smile. "I'm sorry for ruining your wedding day and bringing you here with me."

"Well, you two were just showing off my guests on the balcony," you tease playfully, turning your head to narrow your eyes at his swing back and forth cloak. You cast a downward check at your dirty bridal gown. "We can't go back anyway."

"We can!" America and her star-shaped portal come unexpectedly, and the two of you are startled. Stephen's hand clutches yours once again. The girl yells at you both. "What are you guys waiting for?"

You were taken aback by his magic to transform your gown into something more appropriate for the chaos that surrounded you. "Thank me later," Stephen gives you a warm grin, attempting to conceal his pained voice, and you know he did his best. "Come on, bride, let's find the way to get back to your husband, I'll protect you."

You answered him with a smile and a shivering voice. "Copy that, Doctor Strange."

#doctor strange #dr strange x reader #stephen strange #stephen strange imagine #stephen strange x reader #doctor strange imagine #doctor strange x reader #mcu imagine #mcu x reader #stephen strange angst fic #multiverse of madness #doctor strange in the multiverse of madness

[thebirdandhersong]

REY NO my girl the answer to all of that is NOT "The galaxy may need a legend" and "I need someone to show me my place in all of this" and "You didn't fail Kylo. Kylo failed YOU. I wOn'T"!!!! WHAT in the name of all that is good and true. The answer--the RIGHT answer--to Luke expressing this (very sad) depth of guilt, shame, and despair is We Can Fix This Together. This is not unsalvageable. YOU are only human. What Ben did to the temple and to the other students was not your fault. It was not on YOU to make decisions for him. It is not on YOU to control what happens in the world. You could not predict Snoke's drug-like influence on Ben. Yes, he was young and impressionable, and you can and are still mourning the loss of your nephew and student, as well as the love and connection you once shared. But he's a young man NOW and he's making his own choices--albeit questionable decisions that show that his morals are all rot, his anger issues continue to be terrible and hazardous and just plain Gross, and his emotional and mental maturity is that of a two year old throwing a tantrum in the supermarket for the sheer spectacle of it. But if you're the Luke Skywalker, I know that deep down you have not completely lost hope. And if you could help Anakin see the light in the darkness that was consuming him, maybe you can help Ben see it, too. Maybe you could teach me more about the light so that I understand it better, because I need someone who understands a fool's hope and who has historically clung to it and in many ways is the poster boy (in good ways and bad I guess) for it. And maybe we'll deal with the whole I-personally-can't-stand-Kylo-Ren part later, because at this point in my character arc, he disgusts me and keeps showing up in weird visions, and I'm struggling with my black-and-white morality because there's something there that I see in him that makes me think that maybe he's human too (gasp!!) and compassion for the enemy is something that scares ME. That's not the point--the point is that I need you. We need you. The world needs you! Not Luke Skywalker the Legend, but Luke the human--Luke the fallen man--Luke the uncle--Luke the teacher--Luke the bearer of a long tradition, the cultural heritage, the generations of bearers and ambassadors and symbols of hope, peace-making, and charity. But first of all it is Not your fault and there is STILL hope that we can win this fight!!!!

#like i said WHO WROTE THIS MAN #tlj liveblog

[incarnateirony]

“…there’s a contingent of VERY bitter shipping/meta people that screamed I was *too arrogant* about the authors or alchemy interpretation, because *they* had brought *their* moby dick meta or whatever and Jensen was like “?????? no?” Did Jensen shoot down the Chuck Won thing? I know someone was trying to give him a physical copy at the Phoenix con on behalf of its author.

IDK about Chuck Won yet, but look. I've been here a long, long time. What 2po has literally done is groom a dedicated cult server of people with agendas and biases.

The section I was talking about was the S14~ period that 2po *started* the "cult" screaming because tarot and alchemy meta. It's where those hysterics of his originated before he drifted his reasoning dramatically, as compulsive liars do.

Back in the day, people were all THATS JUST UR INTERPRETATION and I was like. no sorry it's just the show. UR SO ARROGANT!!! *OUR* meta got shot down what makes YOU better. IDK. Not trying to force a square peg through a round hole and writing about what they're actually doing. YOU CAN'T KNOW WHAT THEY'RE DOING yes I fuckin' can. OUR META GOT SHUT DOWN damn, sucks to suck. -- which, now you see, this is why he can't read or acknowledge the crew saying how much it all means while they tweet it out. This was the audience he played to with his cult hysterics first, before migrating the messaging to groom in other people with other biases and hate boners.

So anyway, you get bundles of Pissy Cool Girls mad about that. You get the banned server coup gremlins. You get the doxxy motherfuckers. You get the wincels, the bibros, and everyone trying to build their last stand of relevance. You shove them all in one server where they pretend "CANT WE ALL JUST GET ALONG?" fandom moderacy is a new concept nobody ever tried in 2022. And really they're more of a hatedom that plasters over charity work they were nearly forced into from heat. You know. Spend 50K at gold panel cons "for charity autos" to raise a whole 4K for the charity back. Why gold and not silver? Iunno.

spnscripthunt is some of the deepest bloated rot of the worst lanes of fandom and piloted heavily by people with agendas like that. Hell, wigglebox was someone banned for a bunch of shit like stalking jensen's personal private home address via tree triangulation (hilariously, 2po once tried to go OH YEAH WHAT ABOUT THIS and show... me looking at roofs in a general neighborhood in hawaii nobody lives at?). She stunted bad over the 15x20 scripts, got weird as fuck, bitched and moaned about The Purples cuz she couldn't get access in my server, then OH LOOK WHO'S IN THERE SUPPORTING 2PO BEING SALTY AS FUCK, I WONDER HOW THAT HAPPENED.

Don't forget when, among the many misguided doxxing or accusation attempts 2po has tried (doxxing the wrong person as mish related, screaming about the wrong patreon), 2po dragged another Winchesters fan hub account that he thought I was still involved with, but had left months ago. Why? Because if he got shrill he could divert them to WIGGLEBOX's Winchesters Updates, and she was fine with these attacks against Winchesters Hub.

It's literally a hatedom server that's been spitshined enough that people don't realize it going in, it puts on a nice mask, but if by the end you aren't hating on the show or engaging in doxxing people, are you really part of that server at this point? Regardless of what any individual users THINK they're doing, the mods explicitly cultivate that server to inspire bad biases and use their following for aggro hate attacks, anon storms, doxxing, and more, by warping information and keeping them segregated out of culture like an ACTUAL cult by telling them DONT GO ACTUALLY READ WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING, JUST READ WHAT I TELL YOU THEY ARE SAYING shit. Which is how you get people insisting I say things that are DEAD OPPOSITE my blog messaging. He only sends them to my blog long enough to dump hate anons. Or attack a Winchester hub. Or attack a user. Or doxx a person. Or threaten a person.

[curejiraiya]

Episode 1 of Knick's somewhat nightly OC lore, today's OC is my boy Derrin!

I don't remember his last name, you'll find that a lot of my OC details I either can't remember or have placeholder names that have been placeholders for 10+ years. I don't really need to give them real names unless I was to make some official work or something, so I don't.

Anyway, Derrin is 26, his birthday is June 21st. He's been married to his husband Jay (they took Derrin's last name) for 5 years. Derrin is grayace or somewhere on the ace spectrum I haven't thought too hard about labels because Derrin is the kind of guy who wouldn't want a precise label. He's approximately 5'5 which makes him pretty short, but probably the median height of FIF members.

FIF is the band my OCs are all either in or have their life revolve around. It stands for Funeral in Flames. I made up this band name when I was 12 years old don't laugh. Nowadays I pretty much always call them FIF pronounced like the beginning of Fifth. (This is a lie I called them funeral in flames maybe 5 times while writing this and had to go back and fix it while I'm spell checking, but I cringe at their name. Maybe I'll tell you what it's from someday)

His hair is dark reddish brown and straight, and he keeps it short but not buzzed. He dresses the most formally of all my OCs, think like sweater vests and button downs at all time. Derrin is the only member of FIF to actually finish college, but it took him like 7 years on and off. He has a law degree that he only got this past January, and he finally took the BAR over the summer. (I don't know how law degrees work but however they work assume he did those things.)

Derrin is a first generation American to two Filipino parents. Both his parents died when he was 10 in a car accident and he became an orphan, because all good OCs deserve a tragic backstory. Because of this he regrets not knowing much about his parents culture, despite his parents both speaking Tagalog they did not teach him. They distanced him from their culture so he wouldn't be bullied growing up in America, and he regrets not asking them to teach him about their past because now he just doesn't know.

Derrin got his law degree to help out a charity he helped found that helps first generation American orphans. He started it when he was only 19. It's not only him though and at this point he's more of a speaker and a figurehead then an active worker, but he didn't know that's how it was gonna be when he started his degree like 7 years ago.

Because all my characters need a huge character flaw, his biggest flaw is his multi year battle with alcoholism. He was introduced to drinking at a concert when he was just 15 and unlike the rest of his friends he quickly developed a bad relationship with alcohol and drugs in general. Just recently like within the past month he returned from the third rehab stay of his life, and though he thinks he's finally clean; for the sake of me continuing his story he's probably not. Sorry man.

Derrin also writes a lot of poetry in his free time, one of two FIF members to do so. He currently plays drums or keyboards in the band depending on the song, they switch who's playing what a lot. Most of the songs FIF writes are co-written by Derrin and Chris with the other 5 members giving less but still always some input. Derrin isn't an incredibly strong musician like Chris is, but after doing it for so many years (he joined the band at 14) he's gotten pretty good and knowing what kind of music sells. He's also an amazing lyricist, and within the bands fandom they say anytime their lyrics are poetic and complex Derrin probably wrote them.

I could talk a lot more about the band itself and its history and rise to fame, but maybe another time.

My OCs world has a magic system, but I don't have to explain it right now because Derrin is the only one of my OCs that isn't a magician whatsoever. He helps when they do like "magic tasks" but he's almost always the guy who tells innocent bystanders to get the fuck out of the way, and not anything more.

He did end up being a guide to a lot of non human magical beings (god ill explain them another time too ig, or maybe I'll never post about this again who knows) but it sort of happened by coincidence. A lot of them look up to him though, and when nothing else is going on he'll hold little "learn to be human" classes for the magical guys. He definitely doesn't do any of that alone, but he also serves as a figure head for this because he's the only one in the friend group who's a non magician, and that makes him interesting and weird to all the magical beings.

I hope that paints a small picture of Derrin! He's a good boyo, him and his husband have a really cute relationship dynamic where he's the stereotypical husband and his husband fits the wife role more, but his husband is 5'11 and built. It's cute.

Also out of all my OCs Derrin is one of two that would have a Tumblr, but Derrin is the one who's most tumblr-kin, like the "I unironically said the shoelace thing when I was 16" kinda Tumblr user. You know?

#FIF OC posting

[whumpbby]

whumpbby 😭 commiserate with meeee. Idk if you've seen this post that's kind of blowing up about how fandoms are racist in general because they always focus on white characters and ships over the POC ones and to be real, it's not that I disagree. I do agree, very much so, though I think the issue is way more nuanced. But I figure hey it's still a relevant post and I go to reblog and then I realise it's written by a goddamn anti 😭😭😭 now I have hIVES gdi the op is in the notes screeching at people for being kylo ren fans and telling them to die and I'm just So Over This, we can't have anything nice

The worst part is that this post got onto my dash from the blog writingwithcolour who gives really good and multi-cultural advice on writing POC and while I see why they'd reblog it, my automatic EWW UGH reaction to finding an anti's post unfiltered on my dash is now putting serious sus on that blog :((( I'm just here to whine at you dats all but yeah antis are ruining so many good things about Fandom I can't even feel good about a relevant post anymore

*commiserating*

I feel ya, the fandom that is supposed to be the place of fun and unwinding being overridden with self-congratulory bullshit is a pet peeve of mine too. 

It is hard to find a balance between ‘ yeah, these issues exist’ and a ‘no, I am not here for that’ and not end up on this or that pitchfork, because we seem to be living in the time and social sphere where daring not to be concerned about the current issue of the week for even one second of the day marks one as a degenerate/racist/sexist/take your pick. It’s the wart marking the witch. And you are expected to prove your creed constantly, to preform to someone’s satisfaction until they deem to absolve you. 

If she floats, she’s a witch. If she drowns, she’s not, but well, the point is moot.  

It’s tiring, god, it’s exhausting - when already so many things are exhausting in the real life we have outside of these fandom spaces. And it gets doubly exhausting once you realise that - it doesn’t matter. None of it matters. No graph showing how many poc characters are NOT being shipped, no list of authors who ship ‘problematic’ ships, not one anon message trying to shame someone into not doing something - NONE OF IT MATTERS. 

NONE. Not one grain of good has come out of it. 

People see a problem and get invested and sometimes the problem is real and needs solution - and very often we are so small and have no resources and we can’t help in any realistic way. So, brain comes up with ways of helping us feel less shitty about out own helplessness and we invest ourselves so deeply into them, because what else can we do? That post, that blog, that call to arms, that callout, that anon message - we are doping something! We are helping! 

We are doing something, right? Right??? 

It’s so hard to admit that not one child was saved by the witch hunt on Ao3, not one minor was saved form grooming by attacking fanfic writers on whatever platform, not one person was saved form abuse by attacking trans people, not one person was helped by the war on the “Q-word”, not one goddamn soul was helped by the anti-bullshit. All it results in is misery and pain and harassment, but hey, at least someone is reacting! - and, hey, these are ‘effects’, right? And we’re after ‘effects’ because at least we are doing something if it has effects, right??  

These movements, these tactics, these people - they are nothing else than kids stomping their feet in their respective kiddy pools and thinking the waves they create change the currents of the real ocean. They imagine they are stopping a tsunami hitting some foreign land when all they do is splash on the people who just want to wet their feet in the same pool. 

Listen. A story. 

In my town there's this guy who will randomly appear in the market square and shout about God and Salvation and how everyone sucks. This recent Christmas he positioned himself right opposite of the charity orchestra and was a nuisance to anyone who wanted to stop for a moment and listen to them playing Christmas carols - to have in this depressing and cold, and busy end of a crap year we have all survived, a moment of respite, of Christmas cheer, a crumb of relief. Usually the orchestra is surrounded by people and kids throwing coins into their box, by folk recording on their phones, etc. No, this this year no one could enjoy a moment of peace, because a nutcase behind tried to overshout the orchestra, so people kept walking, intimidated and annoyed. 

Out of frustration and, I admit, curiosity, I walked up to him and asked why won’t he move over to let the orchestra play - what I got was more shouting. Because listening to Christmas carols was hypocritical without the sprinkling of despair over the state of humanity and Our Sins. 

He wouldn’t engage, he wouldn't speak to me like a person - I was standing two feet form the guy and he was yelling at the top of his lungs so everyone heard him. I was raised Catholic in one of the most Catholic damn countries in Europe, I know what God is about. But, you see, it didn’t matter to the guy, what mattered was that he needed to be heard yelling. This was his attempt at converting people - by yelling in their faces. He was doing something and feeling better for it! 

This  guy was the anti-movement in a real, compact, one-dude pill. Any anti-movement you can think of that picks a flag and then starts to screech in its shadow, because it makes them feel better about themselves. 

As for Kylo...

The hilarious hate towards Kylo fucking Ren of all people? Towards people who ship him? All that misplaced anger at the crappy treatment of the poc actors by Disney and predominantly male ‘fans’ of Star Wars?? Let that sink in - white dudes with money made decisions, white dudes on the internet ganged up on an actress - but nah, dude, the women who write fanfic are the culprit!  We can’t gang up on Disney and we are too afraid of the dudes on Reddit and 4chan, but these girls writing Reylo porn are there and accessible and not scary and not male! We can take them on!  

How is it not hilarious? How?? This level of misdirection and confusion, being so intimidated by the insurmountable task of being angry at a corporation that makes their merch (that they are still buying, because hey, a fan is a fan, who doesn’t want a baby Yoda t-shirt?) that all they can do is to spin around and bite the ankles of the person standing behind them? How is this not hilariously morally bankrupt and so pitifully, tragically human? 

Let the block button become your shield, another good blog will come, don't regret blocking ones you are not sure about. You’re here to relax, you don’t deserve this kind of stress. They will keep screeching, but you keep walking, friend, the orchestra is still there playing your tune, enjoy it. 

#dicks horse #fantasticalmemories

[longlivefeedback]

hey! so, i'm sure this is something that's been discussed, but i can't find any discourse on your blog. i'm a fic writer and NOTHING annoys me more than the "don't say anything negative" attitude toward fanfiction. if someone leaves a comment that says "i loved your fic but i'm curious as to why character didn't do [x] since it seems a little inconsistent..." or "loved it! just wanted to point out a couple small inaccuracies that most people won't notice but since i work in this field..." (1/?)

it shows me that the commentor was paying attention and thinking about my writing, and isn’t that the ENTIRE point of posting your writing online? i’ve run across quite a few writers who will criticise any criticism or less-than-effusive comments, and it just really, really annoys me. the main reason i think is bc i legitimately LOVE fanfiction—it’s my preferred thing to write/read over original fiction bc it allows me to focus on just exploring the characters since people are already(2/?)

familiar with them/the canon verse. it’s why i hate that it isn’t taken as seriously as original fic, and i really think this culture of “don’t engage unless you only have good things to say” is one of the reasons it just isn’t taken seriously. ofc, not saying that you should just point out all the flaws, but some polite, helpful concrit or probing questions in addition to praise?? makes me really happy tbh. idk maybe i just take it too seriously but (¾)

it REALLY bothers me, and so i wanted to read some debate on this matter from both sides — not just writers, not just readers. this my extremely long-winded way of asking: do you guys have any posts like this?? (4/4)

LLF response: Hi Anon! We do have some posts about commenting culture and a brief guide to supporting authors, as well as reblogs on a guide to reviews and an overview of fandom commenting. Assuming you’ve looked through those posts, the reason why you cannot find anything that addresses your specific concern (i.e. questions in comments bringing up inconsistencies or trying to understand why a character appears to be acting OOC) is probably because LLF has been primarily concerned with broad structural changes and feedback initiatives thus far and the topic you raise, while valid and important to feedback culture, is a bit too nuanced for the current focus of this blog.That being said, I think that your ask brings up some interesting assumptions and perceptions that are critical for fandom health and which I can give my personal opinion on under the jump.

Full disclaimer, the following is my (mod dragonling’s) personal opinion and interpretation of the ask.

1. i’m a fic writer and NOTHING annoys me more than the “don’t say anything negative” attitude toward fanfiction.

This to me is indicative of differing expectations for fandom. Let’s say that instead of fic writing, we’re all chefs (or people who make food) here. We each make a dish and now we want to share it with the world. Do you (A) take it to your friend’s house where they are holding a potluck celebration; (B) set up a stall at the state fair; or © enter it into a cooking/baking competition ala Chopped where 5 star judges and food critics will sample your food? Depending on where you take you food, you would expect very different reactions.

Generally speaking, you would probably want your friends at the potluck to thank you for bringing something and compliment you for how delicious your dish is. If you were still fine tuning your recipe, you could let them know and maybe they would be able to say one or two things they liked or didn’t like about it which you would file away for the evening, to be looked at for the next time you made something.

However, if you were at a state fair, even getting your dish looked at by the crowds of people milling around would be an achievement. If someone bought some of your food, that would be fantastic! If they bought it, took a bite, and then told you how tasty it was, even better! Those people that bought your food, went away, and then came back to tell you how much they enjoyed it or came back to buy some more and brought all their friends with them are heaven sent angels. You probably wouldn’t expect anyone to say anything negative about your food because even if you were still fine tuning the recipe, a state fair is neither the time or place where any sort of meaningful culinary discussion can really take place on a consistent basis.

The situation would be different if you were at a cooking competition. There, you would expect these food experts to pick apart your food. Maybe not steamroll and chew you out ala Gordon Ramsey, but even then if that’s what you were expecting and the kind of feedback you respond best to, then sign up for a competition he is judging at. Perhaps you don’t want to just be yelled at, but would actually like to be coached, then maybe enter a competition with more of a mentoring element versus cutthroat competition.

This all really boils down to knowing who your audience is and your expectations for them. I would say that posting to ao3 is closest to the state fair, and is why the “don’t say anything negative” attitude is perfectly acceptable and even encouraged. The fact that this annoys you indicates that there is some disconnect between what you really want and where you’re going in order to get it. I think that we can all agree that going to the state fair and expecting Gordon Ramsey to show up and tell you why your dish sucks is just…not going to happen. Even more, it’s something that shouldn’t happen. What if you were at the state fair to raise money for charity? No well meaning person is going to tell you that your food sucks and that you should do better and if they do, they don’t mean you well.

So, rather than get hung up on the “don’t say anything negative” attitude in fandom (which, I may add, is there and has been cultivated for a reason), take another look at your audience and your expectations. If you want criticism that is helpful and of good quality, go to an editor or join a writing group. If you want to give criticism, find someone to beta for where you can cultivate a relationship that is mutually beneficial. Don’t be a Gordon Ramsey walking around at the charity fair of home baked goods giving tips to the local families trying to raise funds to repair their schools. Be conscious of the fact that people write for different reasons, and that while some may be okay with great advice being shouted at them, for others, it is a nightmare. Be kind and don’t show up at the wrong party.

2. “i loved your fic but i’m curious as to why character didn’t do [x] since it seems a little inconsistent…” or “loved it! just wanted to point out a couple small inaccuracies that most people won’t notice but since i work in this field…”

I understand where you’re coming from, Anon, and the two examples you mentioned evoke an important point of why it is so difficult to give criticism online. Your questions attempt to illustrate how one might leave a comment that shows that the reader was paying attention and thinking about your writing, and from your ask, I can only assume that you would be thrilled to personally receive either of those comments. To assume that others would be similarly thrilled, however, is fallacious and a dangerous assumption. What works for you, may be hurtful to others. You pointing out “a couple [of] small inaccuracies” may be you being genuinely helpful, but to the author, it may come off as a reader assuming that they didn’t do their research, a reader being a know-it-all, or a reader missing the forest for the trees, especially if this is your one and only comment in a long multi-chaptered work.

Of course, things get even more nuanced when we consider context. Your comment about inaccuracies may be the best thing ever if the author specifically asked for guidance on this matter, or if you have a long standing relationship with this author and somehow commenting in ao3 is the way you beta for each other, or maybe this small inaccuracy is actually a big inaccuracy and you’re just trying to be super tactful about it… I could go on an on and on about it, but how you say things is often just as important as what you say, and in writing, where we do not have the benefit of verbal and visual cues, expressing what you mean becomes even more complicated.

Which is another reason why “don’t say anything negative” is the default. It’s harder to ruin someone’s day with only positive statements, especially when you don’t have the time or platform to really explain yourself and have a meaningful conversation with the author. This Anon’s view on concrit is worth pondering. If you don’t understand or agree with this sentiment, then the conversation we should be having is not “why doesn’t anyone leave concrit” but rather “what is concrit?” 

3. i’ve run across quite a few writers who will criticise any criticism or less-than-effusive comments, and it just really, really annoys me.

Going back to expectations and audiences; remember which party you’re going to. Also, what may seem like just a less-than-effusive comment to you, an outsider who stumbled upon this one comment thread, may actually be a long antagonistic war of words between author and commenter spanning many years, fandoms, and fics. I don’t know. It could happen. Maybe you just have a higher tolerance of trolls and criticism than the rest of us.

It’s certainly happened to me and Rose here on the LLF blog. Either we read the same ask differently or just have different reactions and ways of responding to things that tick us off. Even if we have a shared goal and have known each other for awhile, we’re both different people. It’s not reasonable for me to try to change Rose’s responses to match my own exactly. Just because you care about fanfiction so much doesn’t mean that everyone else does or should as well. If this is something that really truly annoys you and you are trying to see both sides of this issue, I think that you’re on the right track and want to encourage you to keep learning and thinking about it.

4. it isn’t taken as seriously as original fic, i really think this culture of “don’t engage unless you only have good things to say” is one of the reasons it just isn’t taken seriously.

I am not a literary expert, and cannot really opine on how fanfiction is viewed by traditional literature or whether a fantasy AU is better/worse than a published fantasy book or how they relate to the writings of Homer. I also am not sure what you mean by fanfiction not being taken “as seriously as original fic.” Certainly you take it seriously. I take it seriously enough to spend my free time on it, and I take fandom seriously enough that I am spending time I could be using to write fanfiction to help run this blog. If you mean that publishing houses will not pay any attention to a fanfiction story, I would agree because why would they? Fanfiction is, by definition, derived from original fiction. Publishing houses are after new and original content because copyright is a real thing.

Even then, let’s look at Fifty Shades of Grey. It’s Twilight fan fiction. Is it taken more seriously than Twilight? Why or why not? How does it compare to Harry Potter, or Pride or Prejudice? Reading and writing are such personal experiences that I hesitate to say that one piece of writing is inherently better than the other. Hence, I do not think that fan fiction’s audience who “don’t engage unless you only have good things to say” is a problem. To me, that’s like saying “anime isn’t as good as non-anime cartoons because people who watch anime don’t speak English.”

5. not saying that you should just point out all the flaws, but some polite, helpful concrit or probing questions in addition to praise…

Yes, agreed; and if this is what the author has asked for, please go ahead! However, please also remember that not everyone knows how to ask probing questions, give helpful concrit, or even be polite. Sometimes, they aren’t even trying to be rude. It just comes off as such. Maybe the commenter is having a bad day and can’t word right. Maybe the author is having a bad day and can’t read anything without their own personal negative bias clouding their perceptions.

It’s one of the things that we are trying to address at LLF so that these barriers are lower. It’s one of the reasons why some things (native comment templates) just will not work for AO3, because tone is hard to convey, nevermind that your audience probably numbers in the millions, each with their own personal biases and understanding of language. We know that even with giving kudos, people mean different things. Think about how difficult it is to convey sarcasm in writing. AO3 already receives flack for their kudos message, which is the way it is because can you come up with something better that will not tick off anyone? Maybe people want to be polite, maybe they want to be helpful, maybe they just don’t know how. We’re trying to change that and trying to give people the tools to help them comment: LLF Comment Builder, LLF Comment Project, in-line commenting (these tools are mostly focused on how to give positive comments because from the feedback we’ve gotten, people have a hard enough time doing that as is.)

But hey, if you want something for concrit or how to ask probing questions, don’t wait for us. Look up a good guide and reblog it. Encourage your followers to ask you questions about your writing. Write your own guide to commenting. Go. Be the change you want to see.

6. do you guys have any posts like this

So, after all that, LLF may not be the blog for you if you are interested in hearing as many opinions as possible about this topic. However, I would highly encourage you to check out @ao3commentoftheday, which has already hosted quite a few asks about this:

sometimes-i-dont-comment-because-im-a

actually-i-have-a-question-about-commenting

do-writers-like-constructive-criticism-in-reviews

about-the-leaving-only-glowing-praise-comments

about-concrit-i-dont-explicitly-discourage-it

its-not-about-wanting-concrit-its-about-wanting

1-with-concrit-i-think-the-question-is-not

Don’t forget to check the notes on those threads!

#llf asks #longlivefeedback #concrit