Not Now Kitten Daddy's Googling His Symptoms

QPRs are basically homebrewing your relationship. I know what I want but it's far from all guidelines and prerequisites that society has given us. I could email you a PDF though.

Sometimes it's not even hateful criticism that hurts the most.

I've received comments on fic that's explicitly tagged as self-indulgent, fic that I've written and shared for the sole purpose of making myself happy, only to be told all the ways it's lacking.

This has never been done in an overtly rude way, but it still hurts.

To be told that a character I wrote in a specific way, simply for myself (FOR FREE), is frustrating, weak, underdeveloped, etc. is extremely hurtful.

Not because the criticisms aren't valid, but because I didn't intend to upset anyone with my interpretation, nor did I write MY INTERPRETATION with anyone else's specific tastes in mind.

I adore receiving comments but for someone who already struggles to find the time/motivation to write, that shit's depressing, disheartening, and makes me never want to type another word as long as I live.

Nah, fam. It's not about "taking" criticism. It's about the fact that unless a writer asks for it specifically, it's a dick thing to do on a website that is rooted in community.

If a writer wants critique they will ask trusted friends or professional associates (in the relevant field). When a writer shares a fic on AO3 it's not necessarily with the aim of improving their craft (there are better places for that). It's about sharing joy.

Positive comments enhance that feeling of joy and community. Negative comments do not.

Fic isn't a product to be evaluated. If it's not for you, then you can just walk away. 😁

do you ever start writing a comment on the internet and then think “oh what the fuck am i going on about” and delete it

I'm about to cry rn cause a sad song just came on and it's making me think about one of my favorite characters that I just killed off😭

Someone help what is wrong with me!?!? I'm so depressed that I can feel the physical weight of my manifested grief like a corgi just sat on my chest but I did this to myself???

i feel like a lot of discourse around identities could just be boiled down to “you could not pay me to care about this”

Reblog daily for health and prosperity

Anyone else have that moment where the lights flicker but you low-key gaslight yourself into thinking it was just a really prominent blink?

...just me?

LITERALLY!!!

No one, not even Spike, thought what happened in Seeing Red was okay and all throughout season 7 we were reminded of that. Yet fucking Riley, douchebag extraordinaire, was still seen as 'in the right'??? I'm supposed to watch him whining about Buffy being emotionally unavailable WHILE HER MOM IS DYING and feel sympathy? I'm supposed to watch him project his insecurities onto her, blame her for his toxic masculinity ruining their relationship, and then listen to Xander gaslight her into thinking this was all somehow her fault, and feel something other than unbridled rage??? Fucking how???

I am increasingly grateful that Spike was so divisive in the writers' room. Both Angel and Riley were supposed to be heroes, but you have them doing things like:

Experiencing a moment of true happiness when nutting in a teenager, but not when cuddling with his own child

Cheating on Buffy and saying it's her fault

Like, knowing what we know about Whedon and the sort of toxic environment he nurtured, it's really no wonder that the dudes on staff thought these guys were sympathetic and couldn't understand why Spike was so popular when he was, you know, not doing stuff like that. Also his actual shitty behavior was called out as actually shitty by other characters and the narrative, whereas Angel and Riley (and Xander and others, lbr) were constantly devil's advocated by the same narrative, if not let off the hook entirely.