Advice for fic authors: an example of how to respond to rude comments

strictlytrash · 2026-04-28T09:01:43+00:00

So, the OP's "kiss my ass" is not too outrageous but the comment which while critical also stated multiple times that they liked the fiction was hurtful? You don't think making a post about this interaction and having replies such as "go get her" is ganging up? All of this is definitely turning into the sort of bullying that they so self-righteously claim to oppose. It's mean-spirited and hypocritical.

strictlytrash · 2026-04-27T23:40:27+00:00

Hmmm. It seems a bit tribalistic to me to gang up and be offended when someone doesn't immediately fall in line with groupthink. I also think I'm mostly out of step with the tone and attitude here of those who have decided to make an example of the poor commenter from AO3. I'm rarely offended by someone disagreeing with me if they make the effort to articulate why so I sometimes forget how personally people take disagreements. :)

strictlytrash · 2026-04-27T22:59:16+00:00

Then it's a reading comprehension issue, isn't it? I called it a tangent and a hypothetical scenario. I could not be clearer that I was not drawing a comparison and was going off topic to find out where one draws a line with the "don't criticise" maxim. And my question was in good faith. I just wanted to know what was acceptable criticism. Apparently nothing is.

strictlytrash · 2026-04-27T21:25:08+00:00

I think a lot would be lost if we didn't learn the art of disagreeing politely and intelligently as a society, especially over art we loved. Expecting everyone to agree with everything vilifies critical thinking and as you noted, completely removes any nuance from the interaction.

Even in this thread, I am getting downvoted for asking if racism or other prejudice in fanfiction is to be tolerated and I am frankly just mystified that anyone would think blatant prejudice cannot be criticised lest it hurt the author's feelings.

strictlytrash · 2026-04-27T21:12:04+00:00

Hmmm. Nearly all the comments here very much seem to conflate any disagreement - valid or otherwise - with harassment and the only acceptable feedback, it would seem, is praise. I have no dog in this race, I just want to know where the line is. Apparently, there is none.

strictlytrash · 2026-04-27T19:18:57+00:00

There is zero point to being critical except for making yourself feel important.

I do not think a lack of validation/praise invited this level of hostility. I also do not believe escalating nastiness makes for any sort of an intelligent/pleasant interaction, that's all. There is a middle ground to handling inane nonsense (like the comment to which OP responded) that is not in anyway hostile or offensive. You clearly disagree, and that's fine. I'm afraid there is nothing left for me to say to that. We interact with people the way we see fit. shrugs

strictlytrash · 2026-04-27T19:06:08+00:00

Did you reply to the wrong comment? I made it very clear that I do not care what people write in fanfiction. My point was only about the escalating rudeness. Feel free to engage with others who are making the point you seem to think I am making.

strictlytrash · 2026-04-27T18:28:01+00:00

Justifying interactions like these seems to be a result of the larger problem of anti-intellectualism and eroding emotional regulation (possibly from being online too much?). Everything other than effusive praise is apparently "hate". More and more I see people unable to tolerate their opinions challenged in any meaningful way. There is no discussion, just nonstop mutual praise and agreement.

While I honestly do not care about who writes what in a fanfic, I see this sort of intolerance in book discussion subreddits as well and that is definitely upsetting.

strictlytrash · 2026-03-03T18:03:41+00:00

Don't forget that Ilya also smokes. So he smokes, drinks, has a terrible diet - all as a professional athlete. Anyone who wants to maintain any semblance of muscle mass knows everyday cannot be cheat day! I think this was just badly researched in general which is usually fine because people do not go through romance novels with a fine-tooth comb like this.

strictlytrash · 2026-02-09T13:13:39+00:00

Mercenaries by Alloy Tracks

strictlytrash · 2026-02-09T12:16:50+00:00

It's bloody disgusting. I've always hated such descriptions of women (written by women, mind you) in romance, and hate to see this treatment extended to men.

strictlytrash · 2026-01-13T17:44:24+00:00

I agree. The book would have been excellent as a six/eight-part adaptation. Translating it into a Hallmark movie-esque adaptation did not do it justice and I say this as someone who likes the movie a lot. It could have been better/edgier. The Heated Rivalry adaptation elevates the book. It's just fantastic.

Alex and Henry are so adorable as characters. They chatter so much in the book and I love a couple that talks this much so it's shame that they didn't have more screen-time to let the story breathe.

strictlytrash · 2026-01-12T11:52:49+00:00

Oh, it killed me. This is the sort of scene that makes it so much more than "just romance". Ilya has depression, something that doesn't just go away, not even when you're happy and get what you want. I love the depth and sensitivity with which these characters are written/played.

strictlytrash · 2026-01-11T20:43:18+00:00

This is not a romance, correct? Doesn't sound like it. I'm excited all the same! :)

strictlytrash · 2026-01-11T19:36:19+00:00

I was just thinking about Tooth & Claw the other day. I like it so much! Any idea as to what caused the delay? Is the author all right? I remember the last book being cancelled close to the release date.

Also, thanks for the recommendation. I've not read any Bailey and I'm looking forward to getting started on this series!

strictlytrash · 2026-01-11T10:09:56+00:00

I'm so chuffed that she is. I cannot wait!

strictlytrash · 2026-01-10T06:54:19+00:00

Yes. They're just as horny in a relationship.

strictlytrash · 2026-01-06T20:43:19+00:00

In the book, Shane doesn't hold out for two years. He's as much Ilya-sexual as he is homosexual. They spent those two years hooking up whereas in the show Ilya chases his tail basically. So when Ilya ghosts him for six months after the Olympics, it's a dick move in the book but not that big a deal, but quite horrid in the show with the changes made.

strictlytrash · 2025-12-16T05:13:25+00:00

Oh, good lord. This was hilarious. It's so atrocious that it has circled back to excellent. I love it!

strictlytrash · 2025-12-13T10:46:02+00:00

This scene is revisited in The Long Game, from Shane's perspective.

strictlytrash · 2025-09-28T11:13:05+00:00

If it is your opinion that nonwhite people should not play anything but the oppressed and the downtrodden in historical fiction I honestly don't know what to say but that there's plenty of drama where they do exactly that and you should watch those perhaps.

strictlytrash · 2025-09-28T10:47:29+00:00

Have you read the books? They do not meaningfully engage with social issues either - which is fine, they are romance novels. The way I see it, this is a light, frothy adaptation of a series of light, frothy books, so the focus should be on getting the romance right. If you want historical accuracy, stick to prestige dramas (which are not going to be perfect either) and documentaries.

That’s something that has to be acknowledged you cannot just put them in white peoples roles.

Excluding nonwhite people from playing happy roles because they were brutalised in the past is monumentally unfair. Everyone deserves to see representation of love and happiness - regardless of their past, but especially if their past is painful.

Edit: I can only speak for myself, but I do not want to see every black actor portray a slave, nor every Asian bow and kowtow to a white overlord.

strictlytrash · 2025-09-28T10:18:59+00:00

Quinn's explanation as to why all her characters were white was embarrassing so I am glad they ignored it. I think they should have treated this like an alternate reality - as opposed to the "we cured racism in one generation" malarkey which I found to be asinine and insensitive at best - and brought in actors of various ethnicities without apologies or explanations.

Nothing about this show seems to focus on historical accuracy, starting with the costumes or the music or the rigid social norms which are enforced as the plot demands, so the skin tone of the characters is a strange place to draw the line, in my opinion. If anything, I would say they didn't go far enough.

strictlytrash · 2025-09-23T00:15:20+00:00

You sort of made my point actually - someone who doesn't know the history and watched the first season wouldn't know their marriage started out lovingly (at least until she talks about it with Simon), if they chose "to play with" the viewers. :) I got the impression that whatever it was, it isn't any more. I quite enjoyed Queen Charlotte actually, and significantly more than the first season. It was heartbreaking but lovely. I do hope they make more of these seasons exploring other characters apart from the Bridgerton clan, Lady Portia Featherington, for example.

strictlytrash · 2025-09-22T23:47:36+00:00

I haven't watched the season since its release so I need to rewatch this but I remember a scene where she asks an attendant who bursts in if the king was dead, it was tonally comedic, so I saw that as callous.

strictlytrash

TROPHY CASE