SillySilenia

Wolves and Nightingales by Dunkelwerk (Ah, you listen to E Nomine as well? Nice)

What I look for in an ideal review... Honesty. I prefer someone outright stating they disliked my story (preferably with their reasons for this) over the famous "sandwich formula" when and if it's clear to me anyway that they disliked the story. Liked parts but hated others? Then make that clear. Don't wrap it up in twenty layers of compliments with half a sentence dedicated to what you disliked. Tell me what you disliked, why, if/how it could be improved. Criticism & Non-genericness. You didn't like it? That's fine, but what is the reason? Anything on my side that could be improved, or just not your cup of tea, etc.? Found some factual inconsistencies? Grammatical issues? Spelling mistakes? Plot holes (except in crack-fics and PWP, of course)? Point it out. Can't correct what I'm not aware of. You hated it? Let me know, and why - unless it is because you refused to take heed of the summary and warnings. If I mention my story centers around a specific pairing or kink, you read it anyway, and then complain 'cause you don't like the pairing or kink... well, frankly speaking, you're wasting your time complaining, then. You liked it? Lovely, but why/what part? Anything you feel could be improved? While "Loved it, write more plz." is nice for an ego-stroke, it doesn't tell me anything. Not even that someone read the story - for all I know, they could be copy-and-pasting it all over the archive. Same goes for "U & ur story suck, go crawl in a hole and die". If you are bothered enough to wish me dead, at least let me know why, 'kay? (Not that I have received reviews of that kind on AFF yet - though I have on other sites) Oh, and don't go and complain over a single typo if your review is written in leet-speak, littered with typos, etc. Point it out, sure. Get all up on your high horse? Not when your review that's less than 10% of the size of my chapter has about ten times as many typos in it as my chapter.

One of the problems with Mary Sues is that we're mainly told about them, rather than see them do something. We're told they're smart, witty, good in strategy, perfect, beautiful, strong, independent, social, friendly, etc. Yet with exception of beauty (a lot of Sue-writers do tend to describe their pet Sue's appearance with huge amount of detail), we never see that proved. Okay, maybe the Sue wins a game of chess in the story's background somewhere (not that that immediately makes someone a strategy wiz), and maybe some people laugh at a witty remark of them (though often, the remark itself isn't shown and if it is, it's usually not all that witty), but that's it. Sometimes, we hear about them doing things that prove those points, but even then, the actual action is rarely shown. "Mary Antoinette Raven Tara Susan "Sue" Blackwood smiled as the strategy she had convinced the others of proved to be working." vs. "I think," Mary said, "that we should reinforce the troops here, because the intelligence we have suggests the enemy will likely come ashore nearby. Perhaps we could set up a trap there for them." The first only tells us she's good in strategy, the second shows it (or disproves it, depending on the result later in the story). Of course, it's not a problem if some things are told rather than shown; however, the problem with many Sues is that we almost completely have to rely on things the author tells us, rather than shows us, which makes Sues boring - perhaps even moreso than their supposed lack of flaws, or the sheer predictability of the character and events it stars in. (It also basically makes most Sues a form of unreliable narrating)

Personally, I would not say that I hate Mary Sues, for the simple reason that I don't care enough about them to form hatred. Which is exactly the problem, in my opinion - they're boring and it's almost impossible to form some kind of connection with them as characters (beyond boredness, apathy, pity and, if the story itself could be good but the Sue ruins it, despise). Am I jealous of them? No. I have, on the internet, dealt with crowds that were near-worshipping me. Frankly speaking, it's annoying, frustrating and suffocating, not to mention creepy. I have absolutely no wish for such a thing to happen to me in real life. Internet is bad enough. I don't give a damn about looks, especially not "perfect" looks - perfect looks don't tell stories, as to say, in the way a scar, or wrinkles, etc. do - and I have no wish to have them. So no, I am not jealous. I don't want to be loved by 90% of the people around me because I'm "perfect" and hated by the remaining 10% out of "spite" and "jealousy". I don't want to run in and save the day because all people around me miraculously forget they're just as capable of solving problems. Basically, Mary Sue is just about everything I am not and have no wish to be. I agree that canon-Sues are worse than fanfic Sues. It makes me wonder how people got -that- published. What I detest even more, however, is when characters in canon morph into Sues through the series (Yes, Auel, I'm looking at Ayla here). I hate reading about a character I used to have a connection with become more and more like a character that could've come out of a six-year-old's first story. (Except for the humping-their-way-through-prehistoric-Europe part)

You'll be looking for this thread: http://www2.adult-fanfiction.org/forum/index.php/topic/3559-how-to-select-a-rating-level/ It´s all explained there.

21193

21191 (How did we get such a discrepancy between count and post-number, by the way?)

21187

Perverted Old Teacher Attempts To Orgasm F R E A K Y

No problem, and yeah, I figured that with how old it was, it's probably not exactly high-priority.

Of Snakes and Man, by Quicksilver Falcon is posted here and here. I did not really read the fic, but as I noticed a difference in chapter-count, I did check that and found that the one with nine chapters (first link) has an Author's Note as last chapter, rather than an actual chapter. It's a rather old one (05), so you guys may have noticed it already and for whatever reason let it be - or perhaps it's in a subcategory you guys plan to deal with later - but I thought it couldn't hurt to report it.

21158.

21156

As I mentioned in one of the game threads, I am tentatively giving this a try.

21154

Kite, by Tiamat

I am tentatively deciding to give your challenge/req a try, but I will not give promises that anything will come from it.

I am throwing a virtual hug towards Kag and Lady Applecore.

I am seriously considering that, Kagome.

Yay! Sounds like I'm having fun. Best friend money can buy... in my pants. (Why is it that so many songs from Tiamat are either amusing or nightmare fuel-inspiring when combined with 'in my pants'?)

I'm fighting off plunnies.

Ah, that's good. Do you Dream of Me... in my pants? (Well, do you? ) Yes, Tiamat again.

Gordon Ramsey? I hope he's not shouting, as usual. Ancient Entity in my pants. (Tiamat, yet again)

I am insane.

Teonanacatl in my pants. (Tiamat, again) What is a bunch of magic mushroom doing in my pants?