Recently went on a spring cleaning of my stories' reviews. Can't do much about the troll reviews that were made on a throwaway account, but I deleted a few anonymous reviews. Along the way I noticed a few people claiming to be me. Since I generally ignored trolls like this in the past, I never noticed. Guess this is something you just have to say on the internet these days:

This is my only active account. Any other account claiming to be me that I do not explicitly acknowledge as a side account is lying. This should be obvious but I've noted that some people are easily fooled into believing lies when it coincides with a particular notion of theirs. So be it.

And I only review on this account and only ever when signed in.

"A well rounded critique is often the most rewarding gift a reader can give. Please use this golden opportunity to offer a well deserved praise and/or tips for improvement."

This quote originates from the old pop-out window FFN used for reviews. It's important to me as a writer and indispensable to me as a reviewer because it emphasizes the necessity for growth and improvement that we as writers should strive for. When you do something well you want someone to notice it, to say you did a good job; and when you do something wrong, you should be willing to listen to criticism and learn from your mistakes. The quote no longer appears when we review.

It's as if a piece of this site died.

I still end my reviews with this quote because it's something that every author on this site should get a chance to read. A review isn't just a place for me to say "plz write more". It's a place for me to communicate in a clear, honest fashion about your work. If I critique your work, don't take it personally. Artists are naturally sensitive about their work, but that is a weakness that you need to overcome if you ever want to become better at your craft. Keep writing, keep growing.

With that said, this is a profile, so you are probably wondering who I am. Most people on this site just call me Ten. Where'd this penname come from? Well, when I was younger, I was attempting to make my penname also an acronym. I failed miserably but in the process threw together a cobbled mess of words that sounded funny. It stuck with me. Ten ways to spoil dinner.

I'm not as young as I used to be, but the name remains the same. I've been on FFN for over twelve years, even if I wasn't always active. I've been a writer (though looking at the work I had posted, I am severely underwhelmed), a reviewer, a forum goer, and many things in between. This site, in an odd way, became integral to my growth as an individual, and I don't think that I'll be going away permanently for quite some time. I'm too damn stubborn for that. And looking back, I can see why. I have made some particularly strong connections over this site. I still talk with friends I met five, six, even eight years ago. Those kinds of friendships leave a mark.

And I suppose it would only be appropriate that I mention the Literate Union. That is perhaps what I am most likely known for, having been a part of the LU for... less time than one would think, but quite some time. I had some wonderful times with the LU, I met most of my online friends there, but looking back I can't say everything done by that group was ethical, moral, or forgivable. Though I tried to refrain from the worst actions - I never flamed - that doesn't mean I was always an angel. I'm not going to make some shpeel about how sorry I am. Unless you're someone I wronged, and to be honest my memory isn't clear enough to pick out any individuals, the apology would be nothing more than an attempt to assuage my guilt. Lucky for me, I don't feel that guilty. I'm an optimist. I know I did some bad things, and I've done my best to learn from those mistakes. Whether I am forgiven or not isn't up to me and I won't cry into the valley hoping to hear some magnanimous response.

I'd like to do more good on this site. It'll help my writing improve and I always need some goals. I've some ideas, and when those ideas are fleshed out I'll spill my guts. For now, if you're reading this, I hope you're having a good time reading the words of a self-aware ego maniacal pervert. I've grown a bit, but I'm still the same ol' Ten underneath it all.

On Rule Violations and Reporting

I'll keep this brief and simple. If I happen to find or hear about a rule infringing story, I will check it out. If the author is aware that their story breaks the rules and does not plan on taking the story down, I'll simply report the infraction and be on my way. If they do not, I will warn them that their story may be taken down by the site if they do not take it down themselves. I then give them time to do so before reporting the infraction.

It's a simple system.

Current Projects

Vestigial: Post-Fusion Metroid fic. Hiatus. Still plan to finish this. One day. Currently working on original projects.

If you have any questions, or just want to talk, feel free to PM me or find me on any forum I happen to be frequenting. See you, Space Cowboys.