Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by SleepingSilence
Raw
Avatar of SleepingSilence

SleepingSilence OC, Plz No Stealz.

Member Seen 3 hrs ago

@Calle
Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by BrokenPromise
Raw
Avatar of BrokenPromise

BrokenPromise With Rightious Hands

Member Seen 6 hrs ago

Half way done writing reviews now, and the ones that are left are smaller. If the ol' RPs let up, maybe I can get em' up soon.
Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by SleepingSilence
Raw
Avatar of SleepingSilence

SleepingSilence OC, Plz No Stealz.

Member Seen 3 hrs ago

@NorthernKraken

Hidden 5 yrs ago 5 yrs ago Post by Red7VII
Raw
Avatar of Red7VII

Red7VII Magnificent Bastard

Member Seen 8 mos ago

Fuck you for having the nerve to insinuate I was trying to say people with mental illnesses are evil.

Again, fuck you for making another judgement about me as a person.

I’m not trying to make you feel bad.
SleepingSilence


You ought to be disqualified. You broke the rules.
You're acting self important, like you are above being critiqued after doing something as offensive as rewriting other peoples' stories the way you would have written them and labeling said revisions as better (who does that?! It's like grabbing the Mona Lisa, throwing a mustache on it and telling Da Vinci that that's how it should have looked the whole time). You give other people scathing critiques and you get one back and have the gall to say that even the reviews are wrong.

Get over yourself, bro.
Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by NorthernKraken
Raw
Avatar of NorthernKraken

NorthernKraken Legit Texan™

Member Seen 4 yrs ago

@SleepingSilence I admit, I may have been overly harsh. But I stand by what I said in my review. I apologise for the fact that I may have gotten overly personal, but I think instead of shouting back in turn, it would be more helpful to consider the reasons why. In all honesty, I (and others I've spoken to) found the tone you took in your reviews to be a little arrogant. For one, the extensive rewrites of other people's work were somewhat offensive and incredibly unhelpful. Also from what I saw, you bassically applied paint stripper to anything that made the peices interesting or unique. 'Fluff' and 'padding' are often deliberate stylistic choices, oftentimes they make up elements of voice.

Anyway, moving on.

when discussing censorship, I think it's worth remembering that free speech goes both ways, and doesn't make you immune to criticism. I strongly dislike your story, and I feel like the themes contained within were deeply unsettling, but I would absolutely fight for your right to post it. As an individual, not a government, I don't have the ability to censor anyone.

Another note, a 'failed' rape is still a sexual assault. It is still traumatising, and it is still illegal. I honestly don't have the time or energy to waste addressing each and every point you make, but I think you would benefit from remembering that your work doesn't exist in a vacuum. Inaccurate portrayals of 'insanity' and 'madness' can and do reinforce real world stigmas against mental illness and disability in general. Ideas surrounding female 'purity' and the 'sanctity of virginity' can and do have incredibly harmful effects on sexual assault survivors - both in how they treat themselves, and how they are treated by the world around them.

If I sound preachy, it's because I am being. These are issues that are incredibly close to my heart for various reasons I don't particularly want to get into here. If you're going to be discussing these issues in your work, I strongly suggest investing a little time into researching ways you can do so without perpetuating harmful stigmas.
Hidden 5 yrs ago 5 yrs ago Post by Kalleth
Raw
Avatar of Kalleth

Kalleth Let me tell you / a story friend...

Member Seen 5 days ago

<Snipped quote by SleepingSilence>

You ought to be disqualified. You broke the rules.
You're acting self important, like you are above being critiqued after doing something as offensive as rewriting other peoples' stories the way you would have written them and labeling said revisions as better (who does that?! It's like grabbing the Mona Lisa, throwing a mustache on it and telling Da Vinci that that's how it should have looked the whole time). You give other people scathing critiques and you get one back and have the gall to say that even the reviews are wrong.

Get over yourself, bro.


Which rule was broken? Silence wasn't rewriting stories, but providing constructive criticism. Aren't you being a little bit presumptuous yourself with your comment about the Mona Lisa? I don't think any of my fellow writers are quite so self-important as to dare to think that they're a Da Vinci of writing. Personally, I live for the critiques almost more than the writing itself, for the artistic pursuit of the thing. All we can ever aspire to is to improve, and we need the critiques of others to do so. We want feedback as writers, or why bother sharing it at all?

I wouldn't call Silence's critiques of the various stories scathing. In every review, Silence went through the text and tried to give two cents on how to make the story succeed as much as possible. You'll notice if you inspect each review, while there are things that Silence would remove, would change, every review included comments about aspects of the story that worked well. Please give an example of what you are referring to as scathing, because reviews that only provide positive feedback are just as unhelpful as ones that give only negative feedback, but I wouldn't say those reviews were either.

Get over yourself? You didn't submit an entry, haven't provided your own reviews, critiques, or votes for any of the stories. Where is this coming from? That isn't to say that you can't comment on whatever you like but I just fail to see why you feel it necessary to disqualify somebody who has no apparent involvement with you.

Lastly, I think it's a tad dishonest to quote out of context the portions of Silence's rebuttal where the use of profanity has been prefaced by an exhaustive elaboration and substantive argument behind the frustration expressed. To reiterate what I said before, given these comments are specifically addressed in response to a critique by somebody else, I don't understand why you feel it necessary to throw your hat into the ring. It's not exactly your place to decide such things, and if you have substantive proof, I would love to see you provide some for Frizan, whose job it is to judge on these matters.

Which rule was broken?
What part of / which review was/were scathing?
Why do you care?

EDIT: And, in the intervening time it took me to respond, it appears that the person to whom the comments were addressed has replied. Civilly, and in a way which allows us all to move on. Disregard what I've said above please, if only because it's not worth the energy to bother with now.
Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by Red7VII
Raw
Avatar of Red7VII

Red7VII Magnificent Bastard

Member Seen 8 mos ago

Lol, the quotes were to highlight the Fuck Yous that violated Frizans No Shitslinging rule, as well as the Guild's. The last line after the Fuck Yous was to highlight the hypicracy of it all. The Mona Lisa was not a comparison of greatness, but of a recognizable creation that everyone would know. 🙄
Hidden 5 yrs ago 5 yrs ago Post by SleepingSilence
Raw
Avatar of SleepingSilence

SleepingSilence OC, Plz No Stealz.

Member Seen 3 hrs ago



You ought to be disqualified. You broke the rules.


Hah. You must be new here. Nobody has been disqualified for breaking the rules before. We literally already had one example. And contestants here have been plenty rude to me in the past. Though I must admit, I’ll almost take it as a biased badge of honor if I’ll once again be the only person ever to be punished for something.

And seriously if you read my review, and thought my heart would break not winning the competition, you’re the one that’s self-important. You’re putting yourself in the middle of somebody else’s discussion on ‘their’ behalf. I’m sure you were asked to, but it doesn’t exactly make it any less necessary.

You're acting self important, like you are above being critiqued


Even in that review, I admit to several points about my story. Like it being cliched. So thanks for just spouting wrong things. Didn’t have enough that already.

After doing something as offensive as rewriting other peoples' stories the way you would have written them and labeling said revisions as better (who does that?! It's like grabbing the Mona Lisa, throwing a mustache on it and telling Da Vinci that that's how it should have looked the whole time).


Yes gasp, how could anyone stand...optional and approachable advice that in at least five or so of the stories where I point out direct spelling and writing mistakes. What exactly do you think a review is supposed to be?

And when someone disagrees with my review corrections. (Like Callie did.) All they need to do is show me and I may even agree with them. Almost as if I have direct proof to counter you and you don’t know anything about me or this conversation. Before you white knighted.

You give other people scathing critiques and you get one back and have the gall to say that even the reviews are wrong.

Get over yourself, bro.


My reviews may have been ‘scathing’ or may not. Depends on how much effort I believe was put into the writing and if that effort paid off. But try to tell me this, give me a single example in my reviews where I make character attacks? You won’t find that anywhere. Because work should be criticized. That’s how everyone improves.

Both of you can pretend the review didn’t insult me in multiple ways. And not only that, but that was literally all that was even there. (Notice that I didn’t try to disqualify them, because I'm an adult.)

Actually, you pretty much never counter that they didn’t say those things to me. You simply think that because I reviewed a thing I didn’t like, It’s fair game to attack the reviewer and basically call them a sympathizer of rape?

Lol, the quotes were to highlight the Fuck Yous that violated Frizans No Shitslinging rule, as well as the Guild's. The last line after the Fuck Yous was to highlight the hypicracy of it all. The Mona Lisa was not a comparison of greatness, but of a recognizable creation that everyone would know. 🙄


I've had people call me every curse word and insult in the English language on this forum for sharing an opinion on a movie. Can't exactly say the forum doesn't have a couple worse incidents. And I've been threatened by another contestant in these contests for pointing out a spelling error. But sure, hasn't stopped anyone before.

*hypocrisy

Come on, basically asking for it...

“Shitslinging” implies that it was done without merit. I didn’t give her those when she called me lazy. Or even a bad writer or reviewer. I said it as a defense to the fact that she made of lies about how I think about the subject of rape. And she lied about my aim to make mentally illness equate to evil.

So here’s the best part. If she “didn’t mean that/didn’t do those things”, those F U’s don’t even apply and then I said absolutely nothing bad to her. (That isn't even a real insult anyway, it's a bad word.) But its strictly a defending counter to an accusation they made first.

If I get disqualified, there’s no way in hell that anyone that made that character attack called a review, doesn’t belong right along with me.

But principals matter more to me than winning anyway. So if I, like always, get screwed by bias. It will just give me another validation to be proud that I did what was right.
Hidden 5 yrs ago 5 yrs ago Post by SleepingSilence
Raw
Avatar of SleepingSilence

SleepingSilence OC, Plz No Stealz.

Member Seen 3 hrs ago

I admit, I may have been overly harsh. But I stand by what I said in my review. I apologise for the fact that I may have gotten overly personal,


So that's the case, I apologize for having to defend myself in such a combative manner. (For lack of a better term.)

but I think instead of shouting back in turn, it would be more helpful to consider the reasons why. In all honesty, I (and others I've spoken to) found the tone you took in your reviews to be a little arrogant. For one, the extensive rewrites of other people's work were somewhat offensive and incredibly unhelpful.


Instead of pointing out the mistakes, I should have considered why you made them? It doesn't really matter why you made those assessments of how I think in a review. It was unwarranted. I did not do the same to anyone else.

How is providing potential writing alternatives offensive as a fellow writer and reviewer? It's only offensive if you entirely ignore my context and aim. I explain why I do most of my edits, if you disagree, all that needs to be done is a shrug. I'll never be offended at someone that edits my work. I'll simply agree or disagree, like the writing process is suppose to be. You don't think publishing a novel is like this? The editor will tell you to cut a thousand words and if you've never had someone give you the advice to make contractions, you might literally have no idea where to start.

And again, you can say that and I can't really tell you if you're right or wrong. Because you don't explain what isn't helpful or not about them...

If I simply said "I don't like this." or "I did like this." does that actually help anyone either? Or is it a shallow pat on the head/knife in the back? (Depending on strong said opinion is.)

Also from what I saw, you bassically applied paint stripper to anything that made the peices interesting or unique. 'Fluff' and 'padding' are often deliberate stylistic choices, oftentimes they make up elements of voice.


But notice how that "unique voice" is done by literally everyone, and all the time. It's a writing crutch to me. Like using 'very' in any sentence. Almost everything I did removed legitimate errors and make people stay consistent with using contractions. If people didn't like what I did, all they needed to do is what Callie did, and I will reply in kind in return.

I never consider my review "the end all be all". I always expect a reply on my positives or negatives. Just like I know, none of my (or anyone's) stories will ever be perfect. Reviews are precisely the same thing. Sometimes I'll be wrong and make mistakes. I can't implore people enough to show me which edits were actually vital to the stories intentions. So I can learn where I went wrong and if it's actually clever writing, I have one more tool in the trade.

Anyway, moving on.

when discussing censorship, I think it's worth remembering that free speech goes both ways, and doesn't make you immune to criticism. I strongly dislike your story, and I feel like the themes contained within were deeply unsettling, but I would absolutely fight for your right to post it. As an individual, not a government, I don't have the ability to censor anyone.


I've never claimed I am immune from criticism. Not in that review, nor anywhere ever. I'm the rare person that will thank you if you point out a mistake in my writing and actually correct it almost immediately if it applies.

But yes the themes were supposed to be unsettling...that's kind of whole thing about censorship. But I don't want to get too deep into it.

Another note, a 'failed' rape is still a sexual assault. It is still traumatising, and it is still illegal.


But that doesn't really change anything I mentioned.

1. Should a writer be allowed to touch upon those subjects? If not, why not? Why is murder any less unsettling (or legal) than someone being shoved into the ground? (I don't think double standards should dictate what I can and can't write.)

2. Does my story correctly portray the act and character doing the act as vile? Do they get punished? And it is important to my story? (Yes, yes and yes.)

I honestly don't have the time or energy to waste addressing each and every point you make, but I think you would benefit from remembering that your work doesn't exist in a vacuum.


That's a shame. Because if I felt that strongly that someone screwed up. I'd take the time. And again, I'm not dumb. I know its a touchy subject. Oddly, when you originally told me my review made you feel like it was even worse than my story. I say "it almost feels sleazy to use this plot point" but it is important to the story and relevant to my aim. I'm not unaware of the double standard that a naked chest is censored on television, but not if its heads been chopped off.

I simply don't agree that anything should be off limits. And I did attempt to make it as minimally graphic as possible. I don't sexualize it. Even if the MC may or may not be crushing on her. She's literally still fully clothed and I don't dwell on the scene any longer than I have to.

Inaccurate portrayals of 'insanity' and 'madness' can and do reinforce real world stigmas against mental illness and disability in general.


I don't make any ties to any real disorder. It's symbolic. I explain that and frankly I don't need to for the average reader to clue in that something's a miss. "Phantom Vision" isn't a real illness to portray. And fiction has mad characters in them. Half the stories here do. And you didn't seem to mind about those ones killing people. So why exactly?

Ideas surrounding female 'purity' and the 'sanctity of virginity' can and do have incredibly harmful effects on sexual assault survivors - both in how they treat themselves, and how they are treated by the world around them.


If we pretended the rules of my story supported advocations of anything, those criminals would be losing a few inches. I'm not exactly watering anything down here.

And again, it's a story in older times where this thing was much more likely to occur, and the actual feelings portrayed in the story about the expressed symbolism are made by the character himself.

If I sound preachy, it's because I am being. These are issues that are incredibly close to my heart for various reasons I don't particularly want to get into here. If you're going to be discussing these issues in your work, I strongly suggest investing a little time into researching ways you can do so without perpetuating harmful stigmas.


I don't necessarily mind the preaching. But the presumption that I don't already do research on topics of any kind. I have. And any harmful stigmas you attribute to the story was committed was by the fictional character. Not me.
Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by Frizan
Raw
OP

Frizan Free From This Backwater Hellsite

Contest Mod Seen 1 yr ago

Let it be known I have no problems with harshly-written critiques. Indeed, many critiques benefit heavily from stronger language(not "strong language" as in cursing, but heavy remarks). I've read all of the entries and a good chunk of the critiques of those entries thus far, and while some were harsh in nature there was nothing I personally would called shitslinging. All critiques thus far may have contained strong language, but it was always surrounded by a thoughtful and well spoken review of the entry/entries they were focused on.

Aside from that, the two parties that the recent back-and-forth were the focus of disengaged on amicable terms, so nothing more needs to be said. No corrective actions shall be issued.

In the future, I ask only that participants and third party voters not go out of their way to antagonize anybody for how their critiques and reviews are written. If one has doubts as to the merit of a certain critique, please shoot me a message. I am always more than happy to take a closer look at one and see if there is truly anything malicious or libelous in the way it is written.
1x Like Like 3x Thank Thank
Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by BrokenPromise
Raw
Avatar of BrokenPromise

BrokenPromise With Rightious Hands

Member Seen 6 hrs ago

Frizan already commented on the discourse above, and I don't think anything else really needs to be said about it. But I've had a front row seat to all sorts of "Critic VS writer" debates, and I've got a few words I'd like to share with any of our contestants or potential future contestants.

The people critiquing your work took time out of their day to read something you wrote, and even more time to write something about it. It is up to them if they liked it or not. While they should be respectful, they are not obligated to walk on eggshells. You are punching well above your weight class telling a potential voter how they should talk to you. You should only thank a voter for their time or ask voters for clarification if you don't understand something. Arguing with voters doesn't make you look good.

With the above in mind, you don't have to respond to every comment that gets posted about you, your work, etc. We all want to talk, but I've found that there are a lot of situations where silence is the best option. When I have the displeasure of dealing with something online, I try to fight to urge to respond as much as possible. Carrying on a hostile conversation with argumentative people just extends the argument. Which isn't a surprise, but it's something we tend to forget when we are feeling passionate. But it's important to keep a clear head. These people don't deserve your attention. While you shouldn't argue with a potential voter, you can ignore them and discard their suggestions.

Haven't had much time to sit down and read stuff that isn't RP related. But I hope to have my reviews and vote up over the weekend.
1x Like Like 1x Thank Thank
Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by NuttsnBolts
Raw
Avatar of NuttsnBolts

NuttsnBolts

Moderator Seen 22 hrs ago

Removed a couple of posts and probably could remove a few more if really needed but didn't wanna kill off any good information. Please try to keep on track and remember that any concerns should be raised with @Frizan. He puts a lot of work into the competitions and we don't need a shit flinging contest by members who don't want to get along and proceed to waste post on personal arguments rather than forming some creative feedback.

If you have time to pointlessly argue, you have time to roleplay and help someone become a better writer. #facts
1x Like Like
Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by Loksfjoer
Raw
Avatar of Loksfjoer

Loksfjoer Lucky flame

Contest Mod Seen 11 hrs ago

I'm proofreading my feedback as often as I did for my entry And I'm feeling equally nervous about posting it, but it is done and I'll read it through a final time before posting it.

Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by NorthernKraken
Raw
Avatar of NorthernKraken

NorthernKraken Legit Texan™

Member Seen 4 yrs ago

@Calle Hey there :) Sorry if anything I said made you nervous to post your review :/ Anyway, figured the events of my story could use a little clarification, as I don't think I did a very good job of making it clear what actually happened.



Like I said though, I don't think I did a very good job making it clear what was happening, and if I were to do another draft, that's definitely something I would pay close attention to. Anyways, thank you for taking the time to review everyone's stories and provide thoughtful, helpful feedback :)
↑ Top
© 2007-2024
BBCode Cheatsheet