Hey guys, Digital Riot here. I'm sorry that I haven't been responding to reviews, but this story just has so many. Four chapters and 30 reviews total, I'm so glad that this has gotten as popular as it has. Thank you so much. Running for the future, I will try and set up a chapter where I can answer reviews and talk to you guys, but I'm not sure where to put that without disrupting the flow too much.

Also, to all the Shield Hero fans, I'm sorry for being so harsh on our raccoon-girl. I know that I have committed a sin and crime worthy of execution by crucifixion and I have to apologize to the Shield Hero fandom. Rapthalia is, of course, the best girl, and I'm just a loser on the internet. Enjoy season 2 by the way.

Now that I've sold myself out to the Shield Hero fandom, I hope you guys enjoy this next chapter!

Please. For the love of God. RANDOM DOES NOT EQUAL FUNNY.

What does the Call of Duty: Cold War trailer; Halo series; Battlefield; and literally ANY EA game all have in common?

Other than being incredibly popular first-person shooters, with huge companies developing and publishing them, they get A LOT of people mad.

Reviews are a battlefield. And if you are familiar at all with the gaming industry, you know that there are a lot of very bad hot takes. The same is true for Fanfiction, surprisingly enough.

Normally, one would think that the reviews section of a fic is supposed to be a way for the audience to engage with the author. Either by highlighting its flaws or its strengths, providing their objective criticism, and their personal admirations. Most would expect it to be a professional environment, and an area where objectivism is held to its highest light!

But we don't need to follow any of that! Reviews are simply a medium to bash the writer over the head with your own personal ideas! Either that or to personally insult the writer for not doing something that you like, therefore turning the reviews section into an apocalyptic youtube comments section.

Your personal opinions are infallible, and as such should be paramount over any other objective criticism that can possibly come to mind. Did the writer not include your favorite nation or protagonist? That's fine, just call them an F$ #! and call it day!

Launching personal insults to berate another author over inconsequential and minute aspects of a story is the only reason why the reviews section exists at all! Screaming slurs that would probably get me canceled on twitter is an effective way of ensuring that an author will take a good look at your critique and incorporate it into your story. It's not like you are making yourself look like a jackass by doing so, but instead, you are a savior. A savior to a story in dire need of rescue and the only solution is your wisdom and assistance.

But believe it or not, there is ANOTHER use for reviews as well! If you are an author who has written a popular book, you can use the reviews section on other similar stories to beat the competition down! Read the first initial chapter of a story and say that, 'I can't see this going anywhere', or something along those lines. Don't give the story any more than one chance, because that would mean that your fic would actually have competition! And this is a capitalist shark-eat-shark society where only the strongest authors can survive. Degrade the story and the author to as great of an extent as possible, so that people browsing through the reviews can see that this story couldn't hold a candle to your SUPERIOR fanfiction! Do so, while providing as minimal good critique as possible! Be as vague as you can possibly be, and don't provide actual meaningful and heartfelt advice! That would run the risk of the other author actually improving their work, and that would mean he would present an even larger threat to your fanfiction!

[I'm sorry that I'm saying this, but I have to. What is wrong with you guys? You know who you are, and everybody else knows who they are. Just because your fanfiction got a couple good reviews doesn't mean that you can go around review-bombing anything under it! I won't name names (Or else they'll review bomb me, and Odyssey is on shaky enough ground as it is), but reviews should contain objective critique aimed at helping the author improve on their writing, or offering your own personal feedback in a neutral tone. Not to turn the fandom into an episode of TMZ. That show sucks.]

[Like really, TMZ sucks]

But Reviews can also be used in a positive light too! I know, the horror. ACTUALLY complementing somebody's work as good? Impossible. But, alas it is true.

That's okay, you can just leave a one-word message that will get your point across. Just saying, 'nice', or, 'cool', is an effective way of helping the author continue their good work. Make no attempt to explain what it is that you actually like about that story, we don't need any of that!

It's not like it's underwhelming for an author to receive an email that their story has a new review, only for the review to be 'good'. A review that many authors tend to anxiously anticipate mind you.

[I feel my heart crack, every time.]

Speaking fo underwhelming, meme reviews are the best kind of reviews! Complete gibberish that makes absolutely no sense in regards to the context of the story is an amazing way to communicate your, 'quirky' and, 'random' humor.

*Digital Riot throws up after reading those words*

Ew… man even I can't handle that much pain. That's just bad.

Quirky and Random humor is one of the "best" ways to make anybody laugh, even if it is unwanted and uncontextualized.

[This is extremely off-topic, but good humor generally attempts to make a point within context. Random humor exists only to falsely give intriguing qualities to what would be an otherwise boring personality. That's why it comes off as un-funny and even cringe-worthy if you try to be 'quirky' or 'random'. Please. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD. RANDOM DOES NOT EQUAL FUNNY. On a related topic, Gen Z humor is funny because it serves as a critique to the extremely fast pace of internet and meme culture, exaggerating it to the point of incomprehensibility, with sped-up clips, nonsensical reactions, and completely idiotic humor. Gen Z humor (as in the meme) originally wasn't funny because it was so random, moreover, it was funny because it highlighted the absurdity of modern internet culture. Like a mirror that highlights the ugly details of our own faces. It is actually kind of sophisticated if you really think about it.]

…

…

When did this turn into an episode of 'lessons in meme culture'?

What was I originally saying? Oh yeah!

Leaving complete gibberish behind as a review is sure to gain at least a couple of laughs! It definitely doesn't serve to annoy more than it actually entertains ro anything.

In the end, the more a review section looks like a youtube comment section under a Ben Shapiro video, the better!