I've been getting a lot of e-mails lately, and I think it's time I cleared
some things up.
There is a person (I won't name anyone) who sent me an e-mail which said this:
"You always flame on like almost every single story you ever read! What is the matter with you? . Now you have never flamed me (because I have no stories) but I have seen you around, reviewing certain stories, and YOU NEVER STOP!"
Now, there is a difference between a flame and a review of criticism. A difference most of this fandom can't seem to comprehend. A flame is misspelled and goes along the lines of "I 8 u. UR stori sucks." As you can see, those two sentences are completely misspelled, and do not tell what is wrong. If you will look at my reviews, unless the story was beyond help, I listed everything that was wrong in the story and why it was wrong. In a few cases, I even listed how to fix the errors. I acknowledge that I am unnecessarily mean in most of my reviews, but that is because most of those who I try to help, I know will yell at me no matter what tone I use. Before I registered on Fanfiction.net, I went around and gave positive messages along with a few helpful hints. Those hints were flatly ignored, and I was yelled at as much as if I had outright flamed them. If you write a story, and are hoping for complete popularity, you're in for a shock. The whole point of Fanfiction.net is to IMPROVE, not boost your ego. If you are not here to listen to what people say, then I hope you do get out.
In one of the reviews, I was given this message:
"I personaly think you are very arrogrant. You shoot down every newby that writes. People write what they feel. You need to understand that."
First, I want to address the "people write what they feel". This is fan fiction. If you want to write what you feel, go over to the original fiction section. Fan fiction, contrary to popular belief, has boundaries. These boundaries were set by the creator of the story. If you are just going to throw away the boundaries, and make the characters act however you want them to, you might as well change the names of the characters and write your own story, because you really do have little connection to the world that is Megami Kouhosei. This isn't to say that you can't write anything non-canon. On the contrary, there are a few non-canon couples I enjoy in other animes. However, if they are not written well, even I do not like them. Non-canon stories are some of the hardest to write, because it takes a lot to make them plausible. They are stories beginners should not try to surmount, and, if the writer decides they want to do so anyways, they are stories that the writer cannot use the excuse "I'm a beginner" to. If you are a beginner, and you do not want help, you should write a beginner topic. These topics include extrapolation of scenes, canon romances, and theories.
A good example of this would be Ikhny Gnr's story (by the way, I have the utmost respect for Ikhny Gnr. She has e-mailed me asking questions on the series, and she is trying to improve.) of Hiead's past. It was flat out wrong. It contradicted many of facts we do know about Hiead's past. But that doesn't matter, because it was a theory, and it involved thought, and wasn't a mindless romance (at least until the end).
Next, I would like to address the "you shoot down every newbie who writes" accusation. This is completely untrue. I review all stories that are bad, regardless of how "new" the writer is. I don't hold alliances, and if I think your story could be improved I'm going to tell you about it. You people don't seem to realize that the review system was actually put there for the reason that I use it for. Way back in the good ole days, you didn't find the two second mindless reviews like you do today. Oh, a person may say they like your story, but they would always include a hint or suggestion for the future. Writers grew quickly, because they were in an atmosphere that promoted improvement. Now, to get anything that is not mind-numbingly positive across, you have to be mean. My way may not be perfect, but I realize that the completely positive reviews everyone is getting is only slowing people's development as writers. You may be new, and you may not know much about the series, but that's why you should listen to those of us who do.
Next, I would like to address the line:
"If you don't like how it is then DON'T READ IT."
This is what is wrong in the world of fan fiction today. If I only read things in this fandom that I completely liked, I would read less than one story a month. Writers, beginner writers especially, might have a good essence in their story (a thought, plot, etc.), but their follow through could be bad. It is the duty of experienced writers to help correct these errors, and to show the writer what they have done wrong. This statement is the epitome of the troubles of this fandom, because people either refuse to read a story they know they won't completely agree with, or they just gloss over the errors. This doesn't help the fandom or the writer in the long run.
Next, I would like to wonder about the review signed by the Irritated Observer. Yup, someone tried to review my story with my name. I had to put this in, because now I'm worried that someone is actually going to go around the fandom pretending to be me. So, if the review isn't signed, uses cuss words, or has terrible spelling, I didn't do it.
Also, I would like to show you what an actual flame looks like. I received this in an e-mail, so I will not disclose who sent it.
"I ALREADY KNOW!! AND IN CASE YOU DIDN'T NOTICE IT IS THE FIRST CHAPTER!!!!! OMG!!!!!!!!!!!! AND BY THE WAY - I TORTURE THEM AND MAKE THEM RUDE, ARROGANT AND WELL - I TORTURE THEM MORE!!!!!! WILL THAT WORK?!?!?!!"
See, this is a flame. Clearly note the all caps, the slang terms, and the lack of reasoning. I actually have no clue what this person is talking about, and it serves no purpose. If you will compare this review to most of my reviews, you will see that I do not flame.
Another note, for those of you reviewers who actually don't write, but come to the "rescue" of those authors who I do review, I have a news flash. Many of those authors (I won't name anyone, in case they don't want to be known) actually e-mailed me with questions on the series. I've replied (hopefully helpfully, though with extremely long answers) to every one of them (if I missed you, please e-mail me again. I can be so forgetful). Some of the people even thanked me for criticizing their stories. So let the writers stick up for themselves. You never know, they might just want to get better.
Also, I think I've said this before, but I'm always open to beta-read your story, fix grammar errors, and make content suggestions (except for Hiead/anyone stories. Those will only get a lengthy essay on how Hiead will never love anyone). So, you really have no excuse for writing poorly.
To those of you who will continue to give every character a lobotomy, I will continue to tell you what's wrong in your characterization, because I love Megami Kouhosei, and I refuse to see such an awesome storyline go to ruin.
To those of you who enjoyed "Just Another Day", the next chapter should be up soon. See as the pilots of GIS become magically transported to GOA, and OoC-ness abounds. ^^
There is a person (I won't name anyone) who sent me an e-mail which said this:
"You always flame on like almost every single story you ever read! What is the matter with you? . Now you have never flamed me (because I have no stories) but I have seen you around, reviewing certain stories, and YOU NEVER STOP!"
Now, there is a difference between a flame and a review of criticism. A difference most of this fandom can't seem to comprehend. A flame is misspelled and goes along the lines of "I 8 u. UR stori sucks." As you can see, those two sentences are completely misspelled, and do not tell what is wrong. If you will look at my reviews, unless the story was beyond help, I listed everything that was wrong in the story and why it was wrong. In a few cases, I even listed how to fix the errors. I acknowledge that I am unnecessarily mean in most of my reviews, but that is because most of those who I try to help, I know will yell at me no matter what tone I use. Before I registered on Fanfiction.net, I went around and gave positive messages along with a few helpful hints. Those hints were flatly ignored, and I was yelled at as much as if I had outright flamed them. If you write a story, and are hoping for complete popularity, you're in for a shock. The whole point of Fanfiction.net is to IMPROVE, not boost your ego. If you are not here to listen to what people say, then I hope you do get out.
In one of the reviews, I was given this message:
"I personaly think you are very arrogrant. You shoot down every newby that writes. People write what they feel. You need to understand that."
First, I want to address the "people write what they feel". This is fan fiction. If you want to write what you feel, go over to the original fiction section. Fan fiction, contrary to popular belief, has boundaries. These boundaries were set by the creator of the story. If you are just going to throw away the boundaries, and make the characters act however you want them to, you might as well change the names of the characters and write your own story, because you really do have little connection to the world that is Megami Kouhosei. This isn't to say that you can't write anything non-canon. On the contrary, there are a few non-canon couples I enjoy in other animes. However, if they are not written well, even I do not like them. Non-canon stories are some of the hardest to write, because it takes a lot to make them plausible. They are stories beginners should not try to surmount, and, if the writer decides they want to do so anyways, they are stories that the writer cannot use the excuse "I'm a beginner" to. If you are a beginner, and you do not want help, you should write a beginner topic. These topics include extrapolation of scenes, canon romances, and theories.
A good example of this would be Ikhny Gnr's story (by the way, I have the utmost respect for Ikhny Gnr. She has e-mailed me asking questions on the series, and she is trying to improve.) of Hiead's past. It was flat out wrong. It contradicted many of facts we do know about Hiead's past. But that doesn't matter, because it was a theory, and it involved thought, and wasn't a mindless romance (at least until the end).
Next, I would like to address the "you shoot down every newbie who writes" accusation. This is completely untrue. I review all stories that are bad, regardless of how "new" the writer is. I don't hold alliances, and if I think your story could be improved I'm going to tell you about it. You people don't seem to realize that the review system was actually put there for the reason that I use it for. Way back in the good ole days, you didn't find the two second mindless reviews like you do today. Oh, a person may say they like your story, but they would always include a hint or suggestion for the future. Writers grew quickly, because they were in an atmosphere that promoted improvement. Now, to get anything that is not mind-numbingly positive across, you have to be mean. My way may not be perfect, but I realize that the completely positive reviews everyone is getting is only slowing people's development as writers. You may be new, and you may not know much about the series, but that's why you should listen to those of us who do.
Next, I would like to address the line:
"If you don't like how it is then DON'T READ IT."
This is what is wrong in the world of fan fiction today. If I only read things in this fandom that I completely liked, I would read less than one story a month. Writers, beginner writers especially, might have a good essence in their story (a thought, plot, etc.), but their follow through could be bad. It is the duty of experienced writers to help correct these errors, and to show the writer what they have done wrong. This statement is the epitome of the troubles of this fandom, because people either refuse to read a story they know they won't completely agree with, or they just gloss over the errors. This doesn't help the fandom or the writer in the long run.
Next, I would like to wonder about the review signed by the Irritated Observer. Yup, someone tried to review my story with my name. I had to put this in, because now I'm worried that someone is actually going to go around the fandom pretending to be me. So, if the review isn't signed, uses cuss words, or has terrible spelling, I didn't do it.
Also, I would like to show you what an actual flame looks like. I received this in an e-mail, so I will not disclose who sent it.
"I ALREADY KNOW!! AND IN CASE YOU DIDN'T NOTICE IT IS THE FIRST CHAPTER!!!!! OMG!!!!!!!!!!!! AND BY THE WAY - I TORTURE THEM AND MAKE THEM RUDE, ARROGANT AND WELL - I TORTURE THEM MORE!!!!!! WILL THAT WORK?!?!?!!"
See, this is a flame. Clearly note the all caps, the slang terms, and the lack of reasoning. I actually have no clue what this person is talking about, and it serves no purpose. If you will compare this review to most of my reviews, you will see that I do not flame.
Another note, for those of you reviewers who actually don't write, but come to the "rescue" of those authors who I do review, I have a news flash. Many of those authors (I won't name anyone, in case they don't want to be known) actually e-mailed me with questions on the series. I've replied (hopefully helpfully, though with extremely long answers) to every one of them (if I missed you, please e-mail me again. I can be so forgetful). Some of the people even thanked me for criticizing their stories. So let the writers stick up for themselves. You never know, they might just want to get better.
Also, I think I've said this before, but I'm always open to beta-read your story, fix grammar errors, and make content suggestions (except for Hiead/anyone stories. Those will only get a lengthy essay on how Hiead will never love anyone). So, you really have no excuse for writing poorly.
To those of you who will continue to give every character a lobotomy, I will continue to tell you what's wrong in your characterization, because I love Megami Kouhosei, and I refuse to see such an awesome storyline go to ruin.
To those of you who enjoyed "Just Another Day", the next chapter should be up soon. See as the pilots of GIS become magically transported to GOA, and OoC-ness abounds. ^^