A difficult decision

[wiseheart]

I'm seriously considering taking down Arthur's Quest and Auguries of Immortality for good.

Both stories have gained a few mean-spirited, deliberately hurtful reviews, and I just don't feel up to dealing with that sort of abuse from know-it-alls who could probably be my grandchildren. I know I shouldn't care for their idiotic comments, but it fucking hurts to much, seeing stories in which I literally invested years of labour and research and love being torn apart chapter by chapter by people who clearly wanted to read a completely different story.

The only thing that makes me hesitate is that I'd lose a considerable number of older reviews that are loving and positive. I've almost taken down "Auguries" years ago, and I might just do it. It's only 6 chapters, after all, compared with the 22 of "Arthur's Quest".

I don't know why do I attract rude idiots so much, in several different fandoms. Perhaps I've got an invisible bull's eye on my back that they can track or whatnot. I wish people who follow and favourite the same stories could be arsed to review so enthusiastically, but I've given up on that years ago.

Edit: I've just deleted "Auguries" because the reviewer kept abusing me on the review board, even though I've blocked them - I don't know how that is possible, but it worked. I've exported the individual parts in the hope that I might repost them eventually, and saved the reviews to my HD - will file out the abuse and keep the good ones at least for myself - but I'm not willing to take that sort of rudeness. I'll remove my entire FF.Net account if I have to, although that is the only archive I can actually use. AO3 is too much of a bother for me. *sigh*

Edit #2: And I'm an idiot, too. I forgot that old reviews are on several pages, and I only saved the latest one. So, I lost about a worth of 20 positive comments. Oh, well. The pain of a brutal operation and all that. I'm really depressed now.

Comments

[artemis10002000]

*hugs* I'm so sorry you have to deal with that crap, and that you lost these reviews. You're a wonderful writer, never let anybody tell you differently!

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Thank you. It's just so unfair, you know? I work so hard on my stories, and a good percentage what I get for my pains is this sort of abuse. Others write heaps of mindless dreck and earn dozens, no, hundreds of gushing reviews. I've moved the story to AO3, where I can't do italics or bold font, which takes out some of the emphasis, but at least the story itself is available there. I hope the idiot won't wander over and find it again.

Stories of Arda is the best archive in that you can simply remove abusive reviews, signed in or otherwise. On FF.Net, alas, you can only delete the anonymous ones.

[espresso-addict.livejournal.com]

I'm so sorry you are having to deal with this. I find AO3 quite easy to use, and I've heard good things about their abuse team if you need it. I think you can delete all reviews, not just unsigned ones.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

That would be good indeed. I still find it difficult to post to the side - when I use the Rich Text Editor, everything ends up in one huge paragraph; when I use basic HTML, it strips all the formatting. I haven't figured out how to get around the problem yet. And last time I tried to import a multi-chapter story and did all the editing and stuff (which cost me hours) it came up with an error and I lost everything.

[artemis10002000]

Yeah, it's very unfair, and it's so sad that these nasty reviewers have actually driven you to taking down one of your stories.

The Stories of Arda system sounds very good. It's annoying that FF.Net won't let you take down signed in reviews, their assumption that people won't send nasty reviews logged in was clearly wrong.

[elmey.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry too that you're having a hard time, maybe some fandoms are worse than others. Don't give up on ao3. You'll get used to it and once you are it's very very easy to use. Put the stories you deleted up there. I think overall it'll be a more positive environment for you in the long run. You're an excellent writer, screw the trolls.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

I've already moved "Auguries" there, but I just can't get my stuff formatted the way I like. I have no idea why, except when I import stuff from LJ.

[lindahoyland.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry you are having to deal with this. Arthur's Quest is a good story. I'm getting used to AO3. Hugs.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Thank you, my dear. I can't say that I'm 100 per cent happy with how "Arthur's Quest" turned out - I rarely am when I've finished with a story - but it certainly didn't deserve the tearing apart it got, just because the reviewer (who has yet to write a story on their own) has a different view on things.

AO3 is causing me constant headaches. I like reading things there, but posting is a pain in the derriere.

[jenn-calaelen.livejournal.com]

*so many hugs*

I really don't know why people choose you to pick on, but it does seem to be something that is more common on ff.net (possibly to do with the age and amount of time in fandom of people there, idk). They are idiots and you shouldn't ahve to deal with them!

Don't try and use the rte on AO3 - it just doesn't work. I'm not sure why the html one doesn't work well for you - it is always a fiddle to make sure everything is exactly right, especially with more complicated formatting (I know I usually end up going around two or three times to get all the formatting sorted).

Hope you feel a bit better soon.

[ideealisme.livejournal.com]

Trolling and needless vindictiveness hurts, that I do know. Sending you tea and hugs and remember, often it's about politics or personal inadequacy. Screw 'em.

::hands over mug of tea::

[disthrainsdotte.livejournal.com]

Trolls are a pain in the rear end. Sending hugs to you ((Soledad)) and carrots to your plot bunnies.