GWA board again...

[askerian]

EDIT: whoops, I wasn't clear enough, my bad. Hairdresser Chick and Entitlement Complex Chick are two different people ^______^;;; And I've been bothered by Entitlement Complex Chick's attitude for YEARS, which is why it took so little for me to get all RARR at her; I'm not usually quite that sensitive. XD


1) the "hairdresser Duo" strikes again. This time with a "where do you get the idea that the Gboys are gay?" post. 'feh. She's trying so hard to sound non-offensive. It... isn't reeeally working. Oh well, all things considered it's one of her most intelligent posts to date. I seriously wonder, though, how it is that she's been hanging around the GWA board for so many months and is still wondering what's the appeal of slashing boys together when there's nothing in canon proving it.


2) See, there are several kinds of feedback, and unless they are stupid and/or offending, they're all good.

-There's the smart analysis, which is good even when it points out things that don't work, because "OMG they spent time thinking about my fic!" Also because of the possibility of "oops, didn't notice, thanks, will fix so my fic is better".

-There's the fangirl squeeing, which is less intellectually stimulating, but is very very good in terms of happy glowy purring-ness. "wheee, they LOVED my fic!" *happies*

(also can seem less cold and detached than the analysis kind, which is a good thing because half the interest of a fic is the putting-facts-together, but another half is the emotional impact. So really, the two kinds of feedback = equal in my eyes though I like it even better when I know what you liked/noticed. XD)

I define the stupid in terms of 1) total pointlessness, 2) irrelevant-ness, 3) settle down a bit with the quadruple personalities on sugar high plz? and 4) HAVE YOU EVEN READ THE AUTHOR NOTES. (this one is an automatic KILLKILL button for me. Skip the author notes on your way in if you will, but if you've got a question at the end, you better check that it wasn't already answered before you hit send. XD)

The offending is 1) flames, 2) people assuming that I share their beliefs and biases, or if I don't, then I should, 3) people pimping their stories shamelessly, and 4) (which might be less fandom-general and more a me-thing, so people who don't know me from Adam wouldn't guess how much it really bugs me) Telling me to do stuff, even jokingly.



The girl is a regular on the forum. She doesn't spell so good and she isn't that inventive, but she has a habit of reading and commenting on almost everything. Even though most of the time it's not-that-deep one-liners of the "that was good *offers a cookie*" or "*lol* *pats your head*" kind -- that's still... Nice, I guess. As a person... *points at icon*, but these things happen -- sometimes we don't get along with perfectly all right people for some weird reason and that's the way it is -- and as she was never really, actively offensive and did go to the trouble of commenting at all, I tolerated her easily enough.

she uses a dragon ball Z mary-sue as her icon. right.

So I post my Garou sidefic-crack-things there.

you're evil you know that!
now work some on the actual story instead of teasing us!

So yeah, I realize it's a bit, not quite pointless, but ... too general in a way?, but not THAT offensive compared to some of the entitlement-whoring I've dealt with. Excepted that the girl tends to act like that a lot -- like her constant presence on the forum equals somehow a right to be patronizing. To keep with the werewolf theme XD... Like it makes her higher in the pecking order in some way. Like a dominant.

I, yeah, kinda tend to take that badly.

So I replied, as polite as I could because GWA is a place where you have to be polite. I was annoyed, though, and it shows (hell yes it does -- it's MEANT to show. I don't like her.), but I don't think I was that unreasonable.

you do realize that one of the major reasons why I got tired of the GW fandom was the way the "fans" kept demanding me to write for them as if they actually had a right to order me around and I had nothing better to do, right? I know you don't mean it that way, but my kneejerk reaction to any "now write!" comment about Garou is still a very impolite version of "I'll write what I want to write when I want to write it, and if you don't like it, I don't care." Please don't do it again.

Her reply:

You realise responces like that make me simply not want to review at all!

My first reaction, to be frank, was something of a THANK GOD. Because I was getting tired of having to pretend to be glad for every stupid, patronizing head-patting and cookie-giving and smarmy, empty "aren't you a good girl" mistake-ridden one-liner.

... my actual reply isn't much better, really. XD

You realize it won't be a big loss. Your reviews have never been particularly insightful or amusing.

I asked you politely to stop doing something that extremely bothers me, and now, seeing your reaction, I'm not so sure that this isn't exactly how you meant to sound; superior and entitled. So, to repeat: Garou is MY story. I write it when I want, IF I want. No one orders me around.

Allow me to share part of the author's notes that I have used at FFnet, and that I didn't think necessary to use here seeing as I truly believe that the average GWA member is way above the stupidity of the average FFnet member...

Quote:
I have left the GW fandom. Garou is NOT abandoned yet, but the updates will be REALLY slow (think maybe one chapter every 6 months to a year.) There's also the possibility that I will discontinue it. IF YOU CAN'T DEAL WITH THAT, DON'T START TO READ IT. The more mails I get yelling at me to get off my ass and write because I owe it to the readers to complete it, the less I feel like bothering. I've come this close to deleting the fic several times as it is. I really don't need the aggravation from its "fans".


So yes, if morons with an entitlement complex bother me too much about Garou, I will simply go around and delete every single copy there is on the web. Seeing that I don't have much of an emotional link with the story anymore, believe me, I really don't give enough of a damn about your "reviews" to actually apologize for being irritated by your inability to give me some respect. I'm a person, not a fic-writing machine. I was polite in explaining to you how I felt; you chose, not to understand what I felt, but to act offended and to blackmail me with your reviews.

Well. Keep them. No, really.



X3 Ahhh. *enjoying getting to be a bitch for once*

I realize she's not entirely in the OMG DIE category -- you're allowed to think that I reacted more harshly than I should have. I'm thinking I did, too, a little. Hey, maybe she really thinks that she was perfectly friendly and that her feedback is great. Though someone should really tell her that quality =/= quantity.

But I can't make myself feel guilty, because god does she push my "who the fuck do you think you are" button. Rarrr.

Comments

[nightambre.livejournal.com]

She sounds like a real piece of work... o.O;

[rurounitriv.livejournal.com]

...y'know, I just realized that the annoying fantwit you were talking about and the annoying fantwit I was thinking you meant are different fantwits.

Oh well. Neither of them are up for any Nobel prizes anytime soon. Darwin awards maybe...

[chrismakkuh.livejournal.com]

Bah, all fan wits are the same.

The created and Organization funded by an Underground Government headed by zombies, centuries ago.

Where have you been?!

[askerian]

*snerk* So many of them to mix up now.

Aw, but Darwin awards are so sexy~ schadenfreude anyone? XD

[solitude1056.livejournal.com]

They're like little clones, but not nearly as exciting or sexxxy as the clones Asuka writes. *nods firmly* Actually, I always get that annoying fantwit confused with a specific annoying ultrasap writer, but I think it's the common consonant of D at the beginning of their nicks.

Like it matters to me; for some reason those types just ignore my stuff altogether. *whistles* I have no idea why, honestly.

[chrismakkuh.livejournal.com]

Well. Keep them. No, really.




...Single. Greatest. Thing. Ever.


I do have a question. How do you feel about people that read your writings but don't post reviews.

I read alot of fics, and I have a tendency not to review, not out of taking the writings for granted, but just because I don't do them very well.

I don't like to critique people sometimes, because, you know, emotions, language, etc. is hard to convey through a written message. I don't want to seem like a edit snob or anything. Plus , if I like thinngs I don't know what to say past "nice job" or "very good". I feel like I should say more... but don't really have anything else.

Gah...

[askerian]

As an author... ehh. I know it's not possible to see EVERYONE love it so much they think about reviewing, and some people are like you -- they think they wouldn't have anything interesting to say, so they keep quiet. Seeing that I lurk about ten times as much as I participate, if not more, not only do I have no grounds to complain, but I understand the appeal perfectly. Sometimes you just like it and there's nothing else to say. Sometimes it's ...alright and you're just reading it because you have nothing else to do and it reads okay in the meantime. Or you're sleepy and tired. Or whatever.

It's not a problem for me; I know that "reviews" isn't the same thing as "actual number of people following the fic". And hey, pulling professional lurkers out of lurkerdom, even just the one time, is always a very nice and unexpected surprise ^__^

[complexphoenix.livejournal.com]

It's an insoluble problem, really. The conflict between wanting to get reviews, and wanting to regulate the kinds of reviews you get. You keep trying and trying, trying to explain what's good and what's bad, and there are some people who will just not get it, because they cannot process it or misunderstand your words- some of it is the imperfection of people and some is the imperfection of the language. Argh. So many of your well-meaning fans are now conflicted about reviewing, because they want to support you with reviews but are worried about sounding like a fantwit or an entitlement whore. It hurts. It makes me feel sad.

[chrismakkuh.livejournal.com]

Well, no, I don't feel that way because of her post. I've always felt that way.

And she conveyed here message well enough for me not to be offended. I just wanted here opinion on the Lurking/Not Posting bit...

I mean, she really had no need to be offended. Asuka answered honestly and it is her story.

So if a person doesn't like what an author says, in response to a supposedly "intelligent" review, don't respond any more or stop reading. No need to start petty, immature arguments, stating how "I'm not doing *enter supposed insult here* anymore, because I didn't like the way you responded to my obviously very cool and witty review".

[askerian]

So many? You actually know of many of them, or are you generalizing to make you look like part of a whole? ô_e


-I have no problem with people saying "I want more" if it's part of a review and they touch onto other points -- even silly points like "aww Heero was so cute" or "teehee, red boxers!". If I don't know them and they come in and go "write more now or else" (especially when it's NOT EVEN ON THE MAIN FIC that they're commenting), I get annoyed. IT'S COMMON SENSE. If they don't have the common sense of knowing that it's not polite to demand things of people they don't know without even giving anything in return, then frankly it's no big loss.

--- there's a big, BIG difference between "I can't wait for more!" or even "next chapter soon, please?" and "Work on this now!"

-I have no problem with people spazzing around, so long as it's not totally random and irrelevant à la "whee, pixie sticks are kewl! MAROON DOGS ARE COOLER THAN RED LIMOS!!".

-I don't eat people for commenting, unless what they say is incredibly WTF or offensive.

-this girl, in particular, has been ticking me off for years. It usually takes a lot more than that to get me to explode; this one built over time. I thought it was clear.


I love reviews. This, I think, I've made clear. So long as the people reviewing are polite, I will be polite right back. I am never going to bitch at someone who treats me with a normal amount of respect (not as an author -- authors aren't zomg BETTER -- just as a person). If some people feel intimidated by my bitching out people who annoy me -- well, they probably wouldn't have commented in the first place.

Even if they would have, it's a choice between a handful of people commenting to counterbalance the morons, and my actually evacuating the stress and annoyance by voicing what bothers me. It's a choice between a few lurkers popping out of the woodwork and my personal wellbeing.

I know the lurkers are here, and I will never force them to come out if they don't want to; even if I never know who they are or how many, I'm still grateful that they're here at all. But I will not censor myself in the hopes of gleaning a handful of "um. that was good." comments.

Reviews are not actually mandatory, nor do their exact number actually mean anything. If some people are too shy to give their opinion, it's alright with me. I'm really not going to die.

[finnigan-geist.livejournal.com]

You realise responces like that make me simply not want to review at all!

Mwahahahahahahaha. I love how much she doesn't get it. Like writing a one-line review is some massive effort on her part, or that it would actually matter to you if she stopped. Oh, this poor girl must think she's so awesome!

It's also great that she's going around wondering where people get the idea of boylove if it's not totally explicit canon. Because I'm sure that there's all kinds of subtext about Duo being a hairdresser that justifies her interest in the subject.

[askerian]

^_______^;; I've badly explained, I think, 1 and 2 are two different people. But still -- they're in the same category. =___=;;;

1) (the hairdresser chick) has been on this forum for over a year now, and the het fics are VERY rare there. I wonder how she managed to go so long without GETTING it -- and if what she wants is an analysis of what people look for when they write yaoi, she really, REALLY should formulate it better, because she sounds like she thinks "i've been reading yaoi because it's the cool thing to do, but gay people IRL are still icky". Okay, i'm putting words in her mouth here, she didn't actually say anything offensive, but that's kind of the impression I got.

2) ... no comment. =__=;;;

[windsorblue.livejournal.com]

Wow a~and wow.

the "hairdresser Duo" strikes again. This time with a "where do you get the idea that the Gboys are gay?" post.

Well, obviously because Duo's a hairdresser. Duh.

[askerian]

*snickers* yyyeeeah. ♥

[windandwater.livejournal.com]

... I read a fic like that. It was pretty good.

[nacchi-camui.livejournal.com]

You're scary...XD

[askerian]

nooo ;___; *rolls over*

[hitori-toshiro.livejournal.com]

Je rejoins l'opinion de nacchi_camui, et après tu t'étonnes qu'il y ait des jeunes fans qui soient impressionés X3.
M'enfin c'est toujours aussi amusant de voir tes problèmes avec les fans ^^; Heureusement quil n'y a pas qu'à toi que ça arrive, sinon faudrait appeller un marabout ou un prêtre exorciste spécialisé dans les fans sans cervelle :/.
Bon, et maintenant tu t'occupes de ce lemon rp ItaSasu :p (*s'enfuit en courant*).

... Pourquoi à chaque fois que je laisse un commentaire je m'enfuis en courant ? Ferais-je partie des fantwits ? T-T

[meanne77.livejournal.com]

Hum... je pense qu'elle t'énerve surtout parce que c'est loin d'être la première et oui, même si c'est aussi loin d'être la pire, ça s'accumule avec toutes les précédentes depuis des années et au bout d'un moment t'en as juste marre et faut que quelqu'un prenne.
T'as effectivement peut-être été un peu brusque mais bah... t'es humaine aussi, t'as le droit d'en avoir marre, et d'autre part c'est pas non plus comme si cette fille t'importait (ni comme si elle n'allait pas s'en remettre). Peut-être qu'elle ne reviewera plus (et alors ?) mais probablement qu'elle continuera à te lire, puisqu'elle semble aimer tes histoires, et donc au final, tout le monde est content :)
et puis moi j'adore tes rants, ils m'amusent bcp XD
*s'étire, baille* bon ! faudrait peut-être que je me remue les fesses si je veux commencer la journée, moi !

[askerian]

*supercalindelamort*

diiiis copine j'ai un scan de doujin KKM; tu dois l'avoir je pense, mais on sait jamais. C'est heu *regarde* datte kimi ga sukinanda, scantrad par dark kitsune. Tu veux?

[crazy-toffee.livejournal.com]

... now, again: WHY do you have so many weird reviewers? Statistically, it's impossible! *snugs*

[askerian]

uh. ^^;;; I have a lot of reviewers, so statistically it's about constant, I think. ^^; (really not sure. i don't exactly keep track ~___~)

[lukita.livejournal.com]

So have you ever considered just ending the story with "and they all died" and watch the reviewers explode? I don't even know this girl and her review pushed my "I'm an annoying twit" button.

[silverkiiri.livejournal.com]

So have you ever considered just ending the story with "and they all died" and watch the reviewers explode?

Wow. I had to bite my lip not to burst out laughing at that image. Someone really should do that, if only to observe the mass hysteria. It would be like an experiment, you know?

[silverkiiri.livejournal.com]

Poor Asuka. Why is it the dumbest people are drawn to you? It's like you're flypaper for freaks or something. ::snuggle::

[complexphoenix.livejournal.com]

Because she has Talent, and Talent comes with costs...

[stripedpetunia.livejournal.com]

Asuka. I love you. XD

[askerian]

*is loved* #o.o# *^.^*

[chibirisuchan.livejournal.com]

I've tried two or three times to say "amen sister and hallelujah" but I keep outrunning the length of the comment field. ^^;;; So this one's going to stay short enough to go in the comment field by sheer force of will:

Amen sister and hallelujah...