"Why are you not supposed to publicly criticize fanfiction?"
Because you're bitching about a free service that takes a mountain of effort, provided by someone who takes time out of their busy day to provide this service, because they didn’t do it exactly the way you wanted, WHERE THEY CAN HEAR YOU.
Because you're bitching about a free service that takes a mountain of effort, provided by someone who takes time out of their busy day to provide this service, because they didn’t do it exactly the way you wanted, WHERE THEY CAN HEAR YOU.
Comments
I just have to decide whether Bella pegs Edward while he's inside Jacob or vice versa.
I've heard Wallbanger is good too but I haven't read it.
I need to revive my "I am thinking of YOUR CHARACTERS having GAY SEX" from the fandom_wank days.
Many award winning published authors also admit to writing or having written fanfics
2) Not a rumor, EL James was very upfront about it.
3) It's not the only published Twilight fic in the world
4) If you're trying to argue fanfiction shouldn't exist, I don't agree and never will
5) Who don't anti-fic people ever seem to have this problem with Batman?
If you put your heaaart and soooul into your work and then think someone "steals it" by writing fanfic, especially not for profit, you...don't sound like a professional to me.
"Theft" would be claiming you invented the characters and/or setting. Fanfic authors don't do that.
If you (general you, not you-you) don't have this energy for ALL fanfiction - Batman, Shakespeare, Lord of the Rings, etc - then get out my face about how fanfiction is bad.
Sometimes depicting an IP in a direction that the original creator wouldn't approve is a worthy endeavor. Especially if the original work is problematic.
Besides, Twilight plagerized "Companions of the Night" and added misogyny.
Consider, also, that Dante Alighieri was writing self-insert fanfic in which he got to travel with his favourite historic figure and this girl he met maybe once, and see everyone he despised get tortured in Hell.
1/3
This is extra funny because I actually write my own stuff. I was nominated for a Locus Award. People contain multitudes. Perfectly stellar, award-winning authors (like Naomi Novik, who helped create AO3) also write fic. And for-profit fanfic is fun to write and to read.
And then I, IDK, graduated college? Got laid? Something like that.
"Ew it reads like a fanfic"
"Okay??? So it's...character driven? Focuses on oft-overlooked interpersonal moments? Does something experimental with prose? Remixes familiar tropes in new ways?...Oh you mean it sucks. Cool, it's going on my TBR."
Please accept today's Flypaper For Dorks award, for making a post that draws out some of the most blockable people on the internet.
The award has no cash value, but does include my gratitude and condolences.
I do not give a shit what you do. If you want concrit you can ask for it. Those of who don't want it, are not obligated to receive it. This is an opt-in situation.
Perhaps the best options is for other commenters to provide feedback on these attempts at critique. They'll never get better at it if nobody tells them they're doing it wrong.
--Constructive crit requires you to have the end goals of the receiver in mind. Ask if unclear.
--Demoralizing them is a failure condition (or your goal was never to help them improve, and you need to own up to bullying as your intention).
--Even analysis without any negatives
--Questions are your friends. Asking them what they were trying to achieve in certain places allows you to walk through
--Keep your personal preferences out of it. You are
Anyway, feel free provide copy and paste or otherwise provide concrit on unsolicited "advice" from randos who don't appreciate the gift that is fanfic.
Cheers!
Also, as others have said, there’s a chasm between valid critique and mean spirited shitposting.
not the same obviously but+
Ditto for all the, "Personal growth is hard and painful" people. Are you that person's parent or therapist? No? Then STFU.
Fanfiction is not a service, it's a gift. And it's absolutely rude to criticize a gift, except in this case it's not even something you have to accept. If you don't like something just stop reading, it's super easy
I also get grumpy when I start getting hungry. Hangry, if you will.
ehhhhhh people.
Yeah, all of them from mildly snotty to intentionally vicious can fuck the hell off.
If I do like it, great. But even if I don’t, I still hope that the guest of honor enjoys it.
You *can* publicly criticize fanworks. Doing so is neither constructive, positive, nor kind. And there may be consequences, like getting blocked. 🤷♀️
Telling someone their makeup is ugly is fucking rude.
Otherwise, it can be annoying if it’s given when someone doesn’t want it (like, maybe they just wanted to have fun)
Also you shouldn't assume someone knows DW just because they're reading a DW fic. Again, YOU DON’T KNOW THESE PEOPLE. You have no idea if they're even sci-fi fans.
Hey guys, if someone brings cookies to work and you didn't like them, do you bitch to the person that brought them that they should have brought different cookies?
No? Because that's rude AF?
Yes. Yes it is.
Fanfic is free cookies.
https://youtu.be/UA_E57ePSR4?si=g079jq1J2CbFif5G
Do the authors/creators ask for that free service? What service does it provide?
Unless it's someone like Lovecraft; that asshole can spin in his grave forever.
I also don't worry about "unoriginal." Ideas are a dime a dozen. Execution is unique. You see that a lot in retellings!
IP holders/creators generally don't read fic relevant to the IP they're holding for legal reasons; it opens them up to lawsuits if a fic uses a plot device similar to something they had planned.
1/9
Well you know what copyright is, I assume, right? And intellectual property?
1/
2/
For example, Milton wrote Paradise Lost because he wanted to give the Devil a more comprehensive & fleshed-out backstory than in Church canon.
More fleshed out backstory is also why Gregory Maguire wrote Wicked.
2/9
Kanadka wrote the fic Allies for sci-fi show Babylon 5 in order to tie up a loose plot thread from season 3.
3/9
4/9
Manniness wrote the fanfic series A Promise Kept as a sequel to Disney's 2010 Alice film.
5/9
I'm also clearly not the only person who's had this experience. Go read. Learn some shit. Jesus.
Get fvkked.
If something is publicly online that only means you’re free to read/view/listen to it. That’s it. For any other engagement, the creator is entitled to set their own boundaries.
Just because I walk down a public street where you can see me doesn’t mean I “welcome” personal comments
You can always choose to keep some of your thoughts to yourself, you don’t NEED to compulsively tell people everything you dislike about them or what they’ve done.
And people are free to block you for being a fvkkhat & wasting their time, because that is what you are & what you're doing.
It's very telling how you are insisting that even the slightest hint of "you could be even better by doing this" is being an asshole. Unless you had forgotten what we were discussing.
If criticism is just trolling & bad faith contrarianism, I don’t care.
Been there before.
However, fanfic writers?
It’s the difference between telling a baker their cake sucks and telling your sister her cake sucks.
2. Nothing needs to be “criticized” by every random person on the internet. Most people, if they actually want critique, will seek it from trusted sources. Being bombarded by the random opinions of a horde of randos is a lousy way to “improve”
No, Ser Oedipus. I got good by taking writing classes with vetted teachers and carefully selecting my beta reading teams.
If you want concrit, ask for it. No one wants your unsolicited opinions.
I want concrit on my novel. I don't want concrit on my fanfic. That's not what they're for.
That's what an editor is for.
When I hear that, I think of comments that can include pointing out technical issues, giving thoughts and constructive feedback, and the like
Are you using criticize to more or less mean 'people shitting on or just being negative about' stuff?
Fair if so
Fandom spaces generally try to be a welcoming space for new fans, and the unsolicited nature may scare them off.
It's etiquette that's been built upon for the last sixty years.
Feels like having a community where you can do that kind of thing constructively is good, since some spaces it's hard to get ANY feedback whatsoever.
I see what you mean tho, and understand.
They should definitely add a "Critique Encouraged" option on sites like Ao3.
To provide good constructive criticism, you must first understand & respect what the author is trying to accomplish in the work, completely separate from what you want to see.
1/3
Mm, okay, if it's getting bad or useless feedback that ignores specifics of the work, that I can see getting annoyed by. I guess I'm thinking of like, most fanfic being posted on places with comments on, if that makes sense. If that's not the case then fair, diff circumstance.
2/3
Okay THAT especially I can see being a very grating experience. Ppl thinking they know best when they don't does sound terrible and I'm sorry you had to handle those sorts of people.
3/3
For me, I'm not at the level of beta readers, more or less I ask my friends if anyone is down to check if it makes sense before going further.
Mb for misattributing your stuff, I can see when you're at
1/2
2/2
And so it goes for fanfic writers, who, as you have said over and over are hobbyists writing for FUN. +
If they actually wouldn't dream of doing the latter, I just think they shouldn't do the former. +
The thing was already made for someone specific, who already gave their specific feedback! Case closed!
I can't imagine thinking that anyone involved in making Breath of the Wild & Tears of the Kingdom would genuinely benefit from me telling them to hire voice actors from England if they want those accents.
"If you can't accept critique you're not an artist"
There is a time and a place my guys.
Getting your ass picked apart @ a fashion show is different from some rando bitch harassing you about your clothes in public grocery shopping or @ the mall
folks are so allergic to being quiet these days. your opinions aint gems. keep em to yourselves, we beg you
If I had to wait for people to provide the feedback they promised, I'd never be able to post a word. *sigh*
Yeah, all my betas have been my betas for...jfc almost 2 decades at this point, omg I'm old (except a few more recent ones but they're more extra eyes rather than first-string). And occasionally I'll consult with someone who knows more about Thing™️ than I do to make sure it works.
1/2
Why red specifically? No judgment, just genuinely interested in other people's creative influences & processes.
2/2
Don't give advice no one asked for.
I hate feedback that's like: "I hate that you made character X do Y."
One attempts to assist in the original vision, the other seeks to alter it to suit their own taste.
Frex, literally got a review recently that said "this would have a more enjoyable sexy vibe if you didn't use the word fuck in this scene."
It was a rape scene.
Don't give feedback unless the writer asks for it basically. This is coming from someone who does like having feedback as I see fanfic as a partial training ground for my original/professional writing. Fanfic has the bonus of characters I and others adore and want more of.
Do you know how many weeks of complaints I got about "inaccurate PTSD rep" when basing my portrayal ON MY OWN FVKKING PTSD???
I HAVE THESE ISSUES.
It has been so endlessly frustrating and traumatic navigating an internet that is up the ass of everyone trying to find artistic outlets for their experiences
Like, I have gone through terrible shit. My friends and family have gone through terrible shit. Let that be expressed
Literally know it's coming and I can't wait to go "What's up, I'm actually autistic, so maybe don't."
...actually the main Naruto fandom probably would bitch about a lot of what I do in my fanfic ngl...
EITHER WHICH WAY—if I want an opinion on my fic, I'll ask!
- people telling me writing faeries who are allergic to iron is stupid
- people telling me I shouldn't call it rape if the hero is the victim
- people telling me my heroine can't be Black because she's a vampire
Media portray white, pale vampires all the time. Fair, but also, black people can be vampires. I point to Laurent from Twilight. (Currently not sure of others)
Also like *gestures wildly at Blade*
And Blade started in 1970s Marvel's Dracula comics. Beautiful art, so-so stories. Wesley Snipes made Blade cool.
(I think it was just some minor side character though)
The racism in Twilight isn't subtle. It's just hidden by a protagonist who doesn't care about stuff like that
Fae being allergic to iron actually makes PERFECT sense. That's a neat take!
If the main character can't be raped, they never need to read the Mercy Thompson series, just to name one off the top of my head.
Also the fae iron thing is a major part of faerie folklore and fae-punk literature so someone who wasn't reading in my genre was trying to tell me I was doing my genre wrong 🤦🏽
And yeah... how can anyone who reads European folklore possibly miss all the "iron repels the fae" stuff?
And the iron thing is so cool! But I know that's what I love about fantasy world building. Your world, your rules, ya know? It's fun to incorporate some of the lesser known lore & flip the well known stuff!
Wtaf??? I feel like I might be misunderstanding something. Did someone actually tell you that, because the *HERO* is the victim of rape, it's... not rape? 😠???
I sincerely fucking hope I'm just sleep deprived & completely misunderstanding.
Funnily enough, same chapter, a few bitched that I didn't call it rape EVEN THOUGH I DID.
I need a minute.
So the occasional typo? Yeah, I can see that happening. But I'm pretty sure you understand words better than my next-door neighbor does.
I'M SO CONFUSED RN
Nvm that 1 of these was a MARVEL fanfic!
You know, Marvel? Home of famous dhampir Blade?? Who is a BLACK MAN???
“These iron allergies don’t make sense within the context of your story,” is a (solicited) feedback friendly way to say that.
I guess if they find it stupid, they probably aren’t the audience for the story, which is fine, they just shouldn’t complain about it.
Unsolicited critique has always been rude, no matter the tone or content. If I want it, I have people I'll ask.
If u don’t know what fanfiction is or how fandom etiquette works then this clearly doesn’t concern u so shut the fuck up about shit u don’t understand maybe
We’re saying that doing so makes u kind of a dick