I recently reviewed a fic on FF.net, Harry Potter and the Shamans Legacy. From the Harry/Tonks section. Anyways i got back a rather heated reply to my review. I didn't think my review was that mean at all, but im asking for a little outside perspective on it.

My review:
"I like most the story so far, but chapter 5 was a major let down for me. The begining was okay, I let the sleeping together cliche slide because it atleast didnt turn into some big embarrasing fiasco as usual.

However Gringotts was all bad. I seriously felt like i didn't know which story i was reading anymore, becuase ive read about 100,000,000 stories that all have the same cliche of Harry= ricest man in the world, mad at Dumbledore, then goes super power mode.

Unless theres a serious need for him to be the richest man in the world, i highly recomend you revise this chapter and down play that a bit.
I like the story alot so far, but if you keep down the path where your story starts hitting multiple crappy cliches and you loose your originality youll loose alot of readers."

His Reply:
"I do really have to say that you have just sent me the rudest review I have ever recieved. I actually think this is the rudest review that I have ever seen on any story. You also seem to be under the mistaken impression that the contents of any other story actually have something to do with the contents of my story. I am writing this story entirely on my own, without any undue influence from any outside source. If you feel that my story is cliche, then don't frikkin read it. If it were possible, I would delete this review. I am really ashamed at you. There was nothing productive in this review. You are also making some very large assumptions about the future of my story. If this is how you feel, I happily invite you to FUCK OFF and read someone else's shit. I am not writing this story to please anyone, least of all you. I am writing this story so that I can make the transition from writing poetry to writing original fiction. You would know this if you had read my profile. If you want to keep reading my story, keep your comments positive, or at least constructive. I could care less what you think is cliche."

..... Was my review really that rude? To me I thought i was writting rather nice, even stating that i had liked the story before the horribly cliche part in Gringotts. I thought it was "constructive". I put right in it my opinion on what might be changed to make it better.

On a side note i might add that writting very unoriginal ideas and saying it's original is not the best way to practice switching from poetry to "original fiction", but thats neither here nor there.

Whats your take?

 

No, I don't think you were.

Some people just get defensive and pissy. Ignore them.

Seriously though, you shouldn't ask us this kind of stuff. It sounds you like you're just desperate for some conversation. Join IRC

 

I'm going off to review that story just so he/she knows what a rude review really looks like. You were very nice about it and him saying he had no outside influences is absolute BS.

 

Your review was in-depth and thoughtful. If half the reviews I got were that detailed, I'd be a more prolific fanfic writer.

Your review is more of a critique. In my experience, reviews are shallow and are biased towards being uplifting. In all likelihood, the author's perception of what reviews are is probably skewed by all the fluffy crap he/she's been getting.

It's that difference between mindlessly fluffy reviews and actual criticism that distinguishes DLP from other communities. Don't worry about it. If all reviewers were as analytical as DLPers, then 90% of the dogmeat that passes for fanfiction would never even be generated.

If everyone were a little bit more cruel, the world would be a better place.

QR

 

Lol yeah I thought it was pretty alright too. I guess when you see people get brutally grilled here on DLP.net Your view or harsh changes....Alot.

Yeah and sry for posting this. I was kinda fired up when i read it and needed a vent lol. Feel kinda stupid now that I cooled down and thought rationally. Maybe ill go Download IRC. Never used it before.

 

I thought that was one of the nicest reviews I've ever seen, because you actually offered constructive criticism.

 

http://www.fanfiction.net/u/822199/

Thats the link to the authors page. It seems he took the story down sometime in the last half hour... One of you guys must of really grilled him bad lol.

O well maybe he'll rewrite it better.

 

Oh I'm pretty sure we can change his mind about that...

As for that fact, your review wasn't entirely rude. A couple words could have been changed, as you did state 'crappy' a few times and that might of miffed him. But you reaffirmed your love for his story, so he probably only read what he wanted too and didn't pay attention to the rest of your review. But you offered him constructive criticism so he can't ask for much more.

 

Aww, you made him sad. /wrist

 

The homepage link for Jyrriah:
*drumroll*
http://www.emopoet.com

I rofl'ed at this.

 

Wow, what a prick. The guy totally missed the whole concept of fanfiction.

 

JUST IN! I got the following PM in response to my quite courteous PM about cazten's review:

You have received a private message from:

penname: Jyrriah
profile: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/822199/
--------------------

you seem to be operating on the mistaken impression that your friends review was the only one, or even one of the worst. I have recieved many reviews that were flamey and I didn't sign up for that. Most of them I was thankfully able to delete, as they were anonymous. I do not need reviews to write my story. I do not hang out at my computer waiting to see what someone thinks of my newest chappy. I personally would be happy with no reviews at all. I will probably repost my story, but I will post it on my private website. I understand and welcome constructive criticisms, but general flames such as telling me that "your whole story reads like some cut and pasted shit from every other badly written fanfic on this site" (that's a quote) are not productive. If I wanted that kind of criticism, I would take my story to work. My decision to remove my stories is just that, my decision. I would thank you to FUCK OFF. I don't need your shit. Adios.

--------------------

And all I did was simply explain to him that cazten's review was far from rude. I proceeded to link him to the reviews of My Immortal, and then I get this in my inbox a few minutes later.

 

Gee.. why did he sign up for fanfiction.net again? To get praise and be worshiped without question? Wrong place idiot...

And you know whats stranger is that he says that catzen's review was basically telling the author what seemed off and how to change that but noooo, the guy has to fire back essentially telling catzen to "STFU!" People like this should be shot..

 

Wow he quoted me. I think that was the review I left him. I also linked him to the Potter Law thread in the hopes he would stop cliche crap.

 

Nice. Why does he post it at all on the Internet then? If we readers are unworthy of reading his masterpiece, why doesn't he just keep it on his computer and save us the trouble of trying to help him? For all he does with his story, he could also keep it handwritten and hide it under his pillow.

The word "crappy" may have pissed him off; when I started to read ff in English, I was really astonished to see the amount of swearing in reviews. Honestly, if I ever wrote the equivalent of "crappy" in a review for a French fic, I would get lynched . But heh -- I got used to it. Question of spirit. Aww, maybe that was his first steps in the harsh world of the Internet and he didn't get the spirit... Poor dear.