Fun with the Pit of Voles

[wiseheart]

Okay, I understand that people are not motivated to give positive reviews. But what would motivate someone to leave a review to a really old story (Crossroads, if you are interested, the introduction story to "Lost Years", my classic!BSG/classic!Trek series)?


So basically you have twisted the Star Trek universe for your own particular mental problems.

Fair enough, just try to get stronger medicine for your own mental health shite :)

It was a "brave" anonymous reviewer, so I could at least remove their shit before it would appear on the review board - I've learned my lesson and am now moderating anonymous reviews. But I really don't understand. "Crossroads" is a fairly moderate story, save for some mild Kirk-bashing. Okay, I understand that there are Kirk-fans who don't like their idol being bashed, not even mildly. I just do't understand why do I seem to draw every jerk with attitude problems. What have I done to deserve this abuse?

In case you are interested in the actual story, it is here. I'd be the first to admit that it isn't one of my best pieces - not only is it old, but it's translated from German/Hungarian and it shows, but there's certainly nothing in it that would deserve such rudeness.

Comments

[ideealisme.livejournal.com]

I love they way they put a smiley on the end after stigmatising and making personal attacks. For the smiley alone I think applying their genitals to a red hot branding prod would be apposite.

Anyway if twisting a universe for one's own mental health problems is a Bad Thing, then one might as well flush my entire literary oeuvre down the toilet because that's what I do. Not that I'm suggesting you're doing anything like, but I don't see an issue with bringing one's own stuff to the table. How else can one write?

By the tone of their comment and the slang they use, the writer sounds Irish, which doesn't surprise me in the slightest, unfortunately.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

I just really don't understand what their problem with this particular story is! I mean, had they discovered one of those in which I truly addressed my personal issues, or modelled characters after real life people, I could perhaps see their point, even if I wouldn't agree. But Crossovers isn't that kind of story. It's a blend of two of my favourite sci-fi universes, pushing underused characters into the spotlight... and that is basically it.

And I certainly can't understand the extreme rudeness. I mean, if I read something I don't like I simply hit the Back button. Of course, one needs to be mentally adult to do so.

[ideealisme.livejournal.com]

They come from a culture which has a fear of standing out from the crowd, born from generations of cringing to authority and bending the knee and hiding their feelings so they project their own fears of mental illness out onto random passers-by. In other words, I'd put a stack of notes on the bookies that they're Paddies. But either way, yeah, best out of sight and out of mind. Delete button is the right way to go.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Honestly, for some reason I seem to attract idiots: the sort that demans that I write the story their way, the sort that is hell-bent on correcting nonexistent canon errors while not half as familiar with canon as I am, the sort that keeps telling me that "Character X would never do that!" My favourites are the moviegoers who correct my Tolkienfic because it doesn't fit Peter Jackson's delusions, despite the fact that they are posted in the Book section.

I wish the folks that supposedly like my stuff would be half this eager to comment.

[lhun-dweller.livejournal.com]

While I usually give people the benefit of the doubt, having lived in and stumbled my way around in several countries growing up, I don't agree with letting this one off on hypothesized cultural history grounds. There are plenty of Americans who use the word "shite" these days -- often ostentatiously, so you'll be sure to notice their cleverness -- and the extraneous use of "basically" is epidemic in American speech -- and about as meaningful as the so-called review. IMHO, that post is self-satisfied snark, pure and simple, posted by someone who has not the guts to put even an online name to his/her words. Cowardice is the word that comes to mind, not cultural oppression. I heartily second your comment regarding the delete button!

[sammydragoncat]

That comment was really just mean spirited. If they didn't like the story - they didn't have to read the whole thing. I am sorry you have been subject to such petty mindedness again.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I really should try to get rid of the great big bull's eye painted on my back shouldn't I?

[espresso-addict.livejournal.com]

It sounds like it was just completely random, perhaps from someone who loved Kirk and had not read much fanfiction before. (There's a thought among mundanes that many of the common tropes in fanfiction are to do with people working through mental health issues.) Such plain unfocused nastiness just isn't worth your effort thinking about it.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Yes, I know. I'm just so tired of being subjected to all this nastiness; this is not the first time I've been attacked similarly, and I'm afraid it won't be the last, either. I don't get much feedback to begin with (I'm sure you know that, I whine about the fact often enough), and a good percentage of them is mean-spirited. It's discouraging.

[lhun-dweller.livejournal.com]

Honestly! What do these people do when they are guests at someone's house and there is something on the dinner plate that they don't care for? If you don't like it, stop reading and move on. There are gods only know how many stories there are in all of fandom.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

I hate people who leave hurtful comments, just for the fun of hurting someone else. They are on the same level in my eyes as the ones who destroy public property just because they can and because they can't bear other people enjoying it. They are cockroaches... or worse.

[jenn-calaelen.livejournal.com]

*hugs* That is just nasty of them - I don't think it is anything to do with you, just a random jerk.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

I know. I seem to attract this sort of rabble, for some reason.

[jen-rock.livejournal.com]

I've seen a few nasty reviews lately from people who seem to be deliberately looking for things to complain about. There's a reviewer who leaves long, angry negative reviews on slash stories mainly in the Transformers fandom but I've seen her elsewhere as well. If she doesn't like slash, she shouldn't read it. I haven't seen any reviews from her lately so I'm hoping she got banned since multiple people complained about her.

Then recently there was a really long hate-filled review on a Batman story I read. The reviewer claimed to be a proud member of the "FFN Flamers for fiction purification," or some idiotic thing like that. The story wasn't even bad or offensive in any way. Some people are just so pathetic that they have to go through life being negative. So I hope you ignore this idiot and keep writing whatever you want without caring what other people think.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

I won't change the way I write for anyone. I'm just sick and tired of all this abuse. Sometimes I have my stomach in a knot when I have to open up a review alert - not that I'd get all that many of them. It's all the sadder that a good percent of them is this so-called criticism. Flaming, basically.