[Alassante]

[SpaceWeavil]

[SpaceWeavil]

[quote="Alassante"]

[DarkElfChilde]

[Texasgirl]

if that's not a sh*tty example of story-line AU, i don't know what is

from the really crappy stories i've been reading on other site recently, i have reason to belive that if tolkein saw them he'd have a heart attack then sue for a bajillion dollars. or maybe not.

i know that i don't have buisness insulting what other authors think about, but as to what spacey and allasente said, i mean, come on - elrond as a rapist?!?! elrond, lord of imladris, son of idril and earnidil (sp?) in the line of luthien, descended from the mightiest elves - i might have gotten my background a little wrong, but the point still remains - WTF?!?!

okay. that was my rant.

TG

[DarkElfChilde]

Good point TG. Makes me sick thinking how people would write characters being like that, and I don't care if it's an AU or not...that's just wrong. Ugh.



- DEC

[Alassante]

I know this is very but this writer's stories all include evil elves that rape and torture. She had one that was actually okay and it was the first one I read. It was slightly more believeable but in every other one, the elves are always raping each other if they are not busy torturing each other. After I read the good one, I skimmed a few others until I came to the bra story. I did not review the work because I was too busy LMAO.

[SpaceWeavil]

[JaneDoe]

Regardless of whether you stick to canon or diverge from it, what has to be clear is why the characters believe and behave as they do. Even the most canon-strict characterization can be rendered dull and irritating by a lack of attention to character motives. As a reader, this is the standard I use to review characters in fanfic. You can determine if something is canon or not simply by going to the source and reading for yourself. Making sure characters have motives and complex personalities is a bit harder to do, especially with characters whose inner lives aren't given a lot of screen time in the books. In other words, most of the characters.

As an author, I like getting feedback where people say exactly what works for them and why. I'd rather have 3 thoughtful reviews than 100 that just say, "U R the bestest writer EVAR!!!!!" I can go to fanfiction.net for that. Thankfully, I have been fortunate at OSA in that regard. Have I gotten something that I don't agree with? Sure, but I take those with a grain of salt since those sorts of comments are not what I would consider thoughtful response. If someone had serious issues with my work that are not firmly under what I would call reader discretion, and they expressed themselves in such a way that showed they were as serious about their review as I was about writing, I would continue discussion through PMs so as not to clog up the review section of the story with what could erupt into a heated debate. What I do not do is tell people, "I'm going to disregard pretty much everything you say because I don't really listen to reviews" when people offer a thoughtful critique of my work. I've had that done to me, and I hate it.

As a reviewer, I only leave feedback when I feel really strongly about something, and even then, only in a positive way. I tend not to waste time or bandwidth on things that I don't feel are worth it, so I generally leave glowing reviews to authors whose works I like, making sure to state exactly what it is that grips me. After that, I generally leave the work alone. I tend to believe that if an author is interested in my further opinions, they'd ask me for it, and they are well within their rights not to. They do not have the right to be disrespectful and belligerent if they don't like what someone has to say.

If I have a reviewer pet peeve, it's when people decide to make websites trashing other people's fic instead of having the guts to give an honest critique to the author. That's immature, disrespectful, and cowardly. It doesn't help that they think they're doing the world a service by behaving this way.

Long story short, there are two ways to ensure smooth relations between writers and reviewers:

1. Nobody writes anything or expresses opinions about anything. How dull.
2. Writers and reviewers still express themselves, but make a conscious effort to be civil out of respect for their mutual humanity. This one is more difficult, yet more rewarding for everyone involved.

[SpaceWeavil]

[Viv]

[SpaceWeavil]

[SpaceWeavil]

Just going back to the original topic, I need to vent, as this has just happened to me again on a review I left recently. I asked a question about the origins of an OFC's name, and actually had a very civil conversation with the author about it by PM, but having just gone back to look at the review page again, I have a lovely little message from someone else telling me (by name no less) that it doesn't matter and supposedly correcting my Sindarin, (and thus making out that there was no reason to say anything in the first place). Now, quite apart from the fact that what I said regards the elvish translation was correct, and even the author herself said that, I am very annoyed by her attitude. Again I'll say I have no grievance with the author. She was very nice in her PM, and answered the question I'd asked about the name with no nastiness or resentment.

I mean for goodness' sake, if the woman had read the review properly, she would have seen it was positive. So people are not allowed to ask questions about things in fics any more?

I know this has kind of been discussed in this thread and all, but needed to let off some steam. Sorry folks.

But how does one respond to this? I mean, I don't want to start a slanging match in the review forum, or anywhere else for that matter, but how does one politely let that person know that what they said was offensive,or does one not do that?

[Thuriniel]

I'm sorry ... I keep reading all these plots about Evil Vampire Elrond and then my eyes fall on Space Weavil's avvie ...



... and the giggles start .

[Viv]