SillySilenia

Nah, it's not smut fogging up my sensors. Smut is nicely done, the references are worked in well, not just Great Events but also small, mundane things here and there. Few to no (not sure, didn't exactly go hunting for them) spelling/grammar issues. Couple of interesting twists, both small (you know, I've seen Bound Weapons and Summoned Atronarchs and such, but this is the first time I've seen a summoned/bound Daedric Cock) and large (ending-that-was-not-the-end, real ending).
Oh, and your story may have orce/elf rough sex, but methinks it does not follow the stereotype. 'cause, you know, the Orc isn't the one with the cock. Well, in most chapters.

Nah, it's not smut fogging up my sensors. Smut is nicely done, the references are worked in well, not just Great Events but also small, mundane things here and there. Few to no (not sure, didn't exactly go hunting for them) spelling/grammar issues. Couple of interesting twists, both small (you know, I've seen Bound Weapons and Summoned Atronarchs and such, but this is the first time I've seen a summoned/bound Daedric Cock) and large (ending-that-was-not-the-end, real ending).
Oh, and your story may have orce/elf rough sex, but methinks it does not follow the stereotype. 'cause, you know, the Orc isn't the one with the cock. Well, in most chapters.

For me, it depends on the kind of fanfic it is.
One-shots and drabbles generally are canon-character centric. This does not exclude them from having OCs completely, but I usually use them only if there is a need for them. As in, we know a person must have existed but we don't know anything about them, or for the sake of the one-shot must assume there has been such a character even if canon's logic alone does not necessarily dictate that. With that I mean, logic dictates that if we have a canon character that has been born, they must have (had) parents, even if canon does not tell us anything about them. Or that if character is a teacher, they must have had students.
On the other hand, if I want to write a one-shot about a canon-character angsting about, say, the death of their pet rabbit, and remembering how they bought it at a pet shop, how they used to pet it, etc. the one-shot's logic dictates there must have been an employee at that pet shop that said character met. Canon's logic does not dictate such a thing unless canon explicitly tells us that a. canon character had/has a pet rabbit and b. character bought that rabbit themselves/was there when it was bought.
Multi-chapter story depends on the time-period and the plot. If it's set in pre-story times, chances are we know the names of a few people from then and the personality of even fewer. Which means OCs are basically unavoidable in most cases. Same if it's set after the story's end, or in un(der)developed/"glossed-over" parts of the story, which happens when there are time-jumps, etc.
Otherwise, it comes down to the plot. The further you deviate from canon, the more likely it is that there is need for OCs. In such cases, the OCs are in my case never the main-character of the story, but they can play an important role. Say, a character turns down a job they accepted in canon and did something else, that means one will have to deal with different characters. Some may be canon (especially if the different job is also established in canon, possibly even with the character debating which of the two jobs to choose, but just picked the other one in one's fanfic than in canon) but others will not be, especially if it's a job where a character has to interact with not just colleagues and their boss, but customers as well. There are thousands of examples like that possible, and that's when still dealing with fanfiction that's mostly character-centric and where the OCs' existence is dictated by in-story logic. (Can't be born without parents, can't teach without students, can't sell clothes without customers, etc.)
Sometimes, OCs are necessary not because the story's logic dictates they should exist, but because you need a character to fill a role and all of the existing canon characters are for various reasons unable to fill that role. (Couple of possible reasons: wrong personality, wrong morals, wrong personal circumstances, wrong gender, wrong age, wrong appearance, race, religion, culture, nationality, etc. Yes, several of these may seem shallow or even prejudiced, but they can nonetheless be valid reasons why specific characters cannot fit a role. If for whatever reason you need a neo-nazi, that would exclude people of jewish faith, people of colour, etc. If you need a teacher at a male-only school, that would exclude females, newborns, children, teenagers, animals, aliens, prisoners, etc.)
At that point, you have a limited number of choices - slightly change a canon character (preferably while giving enough in-story reasoning that their behaviour makes sense, even if it would be OOC for their canon counterpart to do such a thing), bend a canon character so out of shape that it's an OC-pretending-to-be-canon, or add in an OC. Depending on the reasoning why certain characters won't fit, the former may not even be an option. The second option is hard to do in a way that won't infuriate anyone who has a passing familiarity with the canon character.
TL;DR: OCs are okay where OCs are for various reasons either needed or preferable to other options.

Considering that I am in the progress of uploading several one-shots and drabbles, a lot of which are in the General Category, I felt it best to make a single thread to reply to reviews for all of these, and to update when new one-shots/drabbles/etc. are up.
Currently uploaded at AFF:
Furious. Lee-centric. Lee is furious, Fred and George help him calm down. Drabble originally written in response to a competition/challenge at FFN. Complete, One-shot, No Sex.
Harry's Poem. A little poem about Harry. Parody on several HP fanfic clichés. Abuse, AFFO, Angst, Complete, MCD, No Sex, One-shot, Parody.
Shedding. Crack!fic. The Basilisk sheds her old skin. Suggestive language implying Basilisk/Hogwarts. AFFO, Complete, Contro, NoSex, One-shot
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Review Replies:
Harry's Poem:
DemonGoddess061:
Thank you, dear. Glad to know you liked it.
Emptypen:
Thanks for the lovely compliment! =)
lia200304:
Happy to hear so, and thanks for the compliment. =)
BronxWench:
You're making me blush, dear. I'm very glad you weren't drinking that cup of coffee - wouldn't want you to get injured by my silliness. I enjoy giving those peeks, so I'm very happy to hear others like it as well. Thanks for your review and lovely words, my dear Wench. =)
delia cerrano:
But not sillier than me. I think a lot of us were saddened by Sirius' death, after all - and he's not real either. XD Thanks for the review and lovely words.

JennMarie was emailed as to the nature of the infraction. It is up to her to correct it. I will not, nor should any of you EXPECT me or any other staff member, treat her differently than any other author when it comes to how site rules are enforced.
As to why the story was deleted multiple times before, it was due to the author being underage at the time of posting. With the reactions I see from her readers, I expect that we'll find many of you to have been either underage at time of registration, or currently underage. If that's the case, many of you will find yourselves deleted as this is an 18 and over site.
Call that ridiculous if you like, but I will NOT endanger this site by allowing minors free reign.

Yup. Nothing like growing up around people who make you think, "I should have said that!" after the fact to make your mind quick on the retort. Of course, it does make for better dialogue.
Better back story, however, takes yet more practice. Or a family/personal tendency for pouncing on stories. I've read some back stories on characters that I found...lacking. I'll be kind and leave it at that.
Ah, see, I knew we got along for a reason! (Or more than one. )

"Natural" responses are a boon I am forever thankful for.
Hm...I hadn't considered it from that angle before. My own reasons are to explore the depths of whatever character(s) I am writing. Emotionally more than physically.
I think each character has a different rapport with his/hers/its respective creator/manipulator. Most of the ones I deal with either try to bribe me, persuade me to join them in ganging up on another unfortunate character, or (as my group from The Were King's Heir do) playfully pounce on me to give me significant looks and/or snarl at me.
Could be, could be....

I wish I could like that post more than once.
Yeah, or complete, furious rage. Anger can result in sarcasm. Rage so bad a character is willing to torture another character to death is usually not a fitting moment for a dry remark. Most of those who can't tell the difference between sarcasm and whining are also those who can't tell the difference between descriptive and purple prose or between witty and boring. (-cough- Hey, those sound like key-characteristics of Sue-writers... how surprising-cough-)
Aw, thanks for the compliment.

*bows* Tongue in cheek. I write some really dry and/or snide bits off the top of my head sometimes. This makes me no less glad that you enjoyed it, though.
Yes, it's a bit much when a writer misjudges the situation and throws snark in where there ought to be sorrow or some other such emotion. And anyone who can't tell the difference between sarcasm and whining needs a lesson in writing. Author's circle, anyone?
Great minds think alike.
Touche.

You had me smirk at that bit of dialogue, Cuzosu.
I agree, sarcasm and snark are wonderful in almost any circumstances. Pity that there are some people out there who apparently never got the key-word: almost. (That, and people who confuse 'sarcasm' with 'whine').
I like it as a writer, because I know it gives my characters backstories and a past without me having to info-dump. I like it as a reader, because it means someone actually thought about their story and what way they want to write it - means they've put in effort.
Ah... but is wisdom not exactly that anyway? Paying heed to life's lessons, I mean.

Yes. I fully agree. And sarcasm and snark are wonderful in almost any circumstances.
"I'm too young to die in jail!"
"I'm too old to listen to whiners."
"But we're stuck here!"
"No...but if you don't stop whining, I'll leave you here. It takes two to tango, but only one to run."
"Jeez, Char. B, that's a bit harsh, don't you think?"
"Doubtful. Char. C's twittering has me looking around for birds."
"And the rest of us?"
"Let's get the flock out of here."
Hints and layered meanings are a favorite of mine, too. And, like you, I love works that make people reread to catch all the meanings--both as a writer and as a reader.
Exactly.
Yes. Words to the wise...or at least, those wise enough to pay heed, hm?

Exactly. If for some reason you have to introduce a skill not long before the skill has to be used, it's better to not do it by having the skill-possessing character mention it out of the blue. (There are exceptions, of course. Can be humorous if done well, especially if followed up by a deadpan snarker along the lines of 'anything else you should have told us about before?', but it's just as easy to do it wrong.)
Perhaps my favorite way is dropping some small hints here-and-there a bit earlier, simple sentences that don't necessarily attract attention but that do hint at the skill (at the very least, hint at it in hindsight), however, that's not always possible - especially when earlier chapters/books/episodes/cartoons/name-media-form-here have already been released.
When not possible, I agree that the ways you mentioned would work very well. Or have it be a skill closely linked to one the readers already know the character possesses. (Say, you have a character that has a lot of experience with potions. It wouldn't be much of an issue to reveal they also have knowledge about poisons. Or, like you said, picking pockets and picking locks.)
Though basically, I guess this all comes down to, "before you tie your plot into a nice pretzel-shape, at least have a clue how to get it straight again". It's difficult to pull something off as anything else than an Ass Pull when it is an Ass Pull. (Also, I apologize for using tvtropes terminology. )

Exactly. If for some reason you have to introduce a skill not long before the skill has to be used, it's better to not do it by having the skill-possessing character mention it out of the blue. (There are exceptions, of course. Can be humorous if done well, especially if followed up by a deadpan snarker along the lines of 'anything else you should have told us about before?', but it's just as easy to do it wrong.)
Perhaps my favorite way is dropping some small hints here-and-there a bit earlier, simple sentences that don't necessarily attract attention but that do hint at the skill (at the very least, hint at it in hindsight), however, that's not always possible - especially when earlier chapters/books/episodes/cartoons/name-media-form-here have already been released.
When not possible, I agree that the ways you mentioned would work very well. Or have it be a skill closely linked to one the readers already know the character possesses. (Say, you have a character that has a lot of experience with potions. It wouldn't be much of an issue to reveal they also have knowledge about poisons. Or, like you said, picking pockets and picking locks.)
Though basically, I guess this all comes down to, "before you tie your plot into a nice pretzel-shape, at least have a clue how to get it straight again". It's difficult to pull something off as anything else than an Ass Pull when it is an Ass Pull. (Also, I apologize for using tvtropes terminology. )

I agree with you there, Cuzosu. I also prefer only having the history of a character explained as it comes up, or as it is important, etc. However, it takes skill to do that well - it can easily come across as handwaving or cheating or a cop-out if a writer suddenly reveals to the readers that, because of this or that, Character knows a handy skill just at the appropriate time for that to be revealed.
"Nah, we're not going to rot in this dungeon forever, Char. A. Did I never tell you that I, Char. B, am a lock-picking expert because of my time spent with the Thieves' Guild? What do you mean, "Did you spend time with the Thieves' Guild? I never knew that!"?"
Three chapters later,
"Gimme that bow, Char B. I know he's still [incredible distance] away, but I've hit targets from further than that! You... you didn't know? Oh, right... before your time. Still got the skill, though. Practice daily. Yes, you've never seen me - I practice stealth and marksmanship at the same time."

I agree with you there, Cuzosu. I also prefer only having the history of a character explained as it comes up, or as it is important, etc. However, it takes skill to do that well - it can easily come across as handwaving or cheating or a cop-out if a writer suddenly reveals to the readers that, because of this or that, Character knows a handy skill just at the appropriate time for that to be revealed.
"Nah, we're not going to rot in this dungeon forever, Char. A. Did I never tell you that I, Char. B, am a lock-picking expert because of my time spent with the Thieves' Guild? What do you mean, "Did you spend time with the Thieves' Guild? I never knew that!"?"
Three chapters later,
"Gimme that bow, Char B. I know he's still [incredible distance] away, but I've hit targets from further than that! You... you didn't know? Oh, right... before your time. Still got the skill, though. Practice daily. Yes, you've never seen me - I practice stealth and marksmanship at the same time."

All my characters above the age of "was born two minutes ago" have backstories, I just don't always know them.
And neither do I always have to, or at least, I have no more need to know the backstory of someone my main characters meet for five minutes than I have a need to know the personal history of someone I meet for five minutes.

"This floxed me."
*glares at typo, smacks self in the head* That's what I get for being unable to decide whether to type "foxed" or "flummoxed"....

All my characters above the age of "was born two minutes ago" have backstories, I just don't always know them.
And neither do I always have to, or at least, I have no more need to know the backstory of someone my main characters meet for five minutes than I have a need to know the personal history of someone I meet for five minutes.

Recently made some typos in a language I myself am creating for a huge fantasy project of mine. Oops. XD
One of these resulted in something that could be interpreted as "and the scribe got fucked (with) [by the wind]" rather than the "and the writings were messed up [by the wind]". Three letters difference, wholly different meaning. XD (Ki zhelem tayi azir [rha lian] instead of the Ki zhelan tayi azar [rha lian] I intended. XD)
Not that either sentence will be likely to actually make it into the story - mostly working on sentences to figure out which parts of grammar I have so far neglected and which words I still miss. Can't reference to a language properly if I myself don't know it.
As to more... mundane typos, "The elevator went pup."
Morphing elevators, what is the world coming to?

Recently made some typos in a language I myself am creating for a huge fantasy project of mine. Oops. XD
One of these resulted in something that could be interpreted as "and the scribe got fucked (with) [by the wind]" rather than the "and the writings were messed up [by the wind]". Three letters difference, wholly different meaning. XD (Ki zhelem tayi azir [rha lian] instead of the Ki zhelan tayi azar [rha lian] I intended. XD)
Not that either sentence will be likely to actually make it into the story - mostly working on sentences to figure out which parts of grammar I have so far neglected and which words I still miss. Can't reference to a language properly if I myself don't know it.
As to more... mundane typos, "The elevator went pup."
Morphing elevators, what is the world coming to?

I'm going to be honest, I’ve been avoiding this thread like it's nuclear waste because it's the kind of thing that can lead to serious rants and some very hurt feeling but, after today, I decided to add my two pennies to it (and Apollo is checking those pennies to make sure I don't step over the line with this rant).
For those on here that don't know, I've been an archive moderator since '08 and seen a lot of things over those years so I can quite honestly say that, despite what someone asserted, it's not a few bad apples that have ruined reviews for most everyone but a whole lot of them rotten apples that have killed it! That's no joke, folks! And the biggest problem with getting reviews is the authors themselves. They are the ones that have, bluntly, made it to where so many are out and out scared to leave a review of any kind for anyone. It's sad, but it's true! I know people are going to argue with that assertion but hear me out.
One very shining example of this happened today. A few days ago, I was working on doing my ten reviews for AFF's Review Association (for those of you that don't know what that is we go in and review stories each month that have none. Our reward for that? We get a banner. Nothing else. If interested, they are always accepting members-plug over, back to rant...). It's been a few days since I did it so I didn't think anything of it until I woke up today and was getting ready for work. Checking the standard pages I do when I get up, I found that one of the beings I left a review for reported me for it! Now, being a mod, I know what the difference between what a flame and concrit is. I also know where the line is drawn and don't even step close to it. If I feel something I’m saying is too harsh, I get BW or Apollo to check it over for me to see if there isn't a way to soften up what I said or to ensure that I didn't step over any kind of line with it.
The review in question wasn't even one I had to do that with. It was nicely worded, slightly blunt but not overly so, giving the issue, a link about how to fix the issue and how what was done affects the reader when trying to read it. I started and ended the review with positive things about the story. Nor did I rip the thing apart. But, still, I got reported for it and there was a long rant from the author about the whole thing basically saying I need to quit pretending this is a professional writing site or Hollywood and stop leaving those kinds of reviews. I was... STUNNED. Then I laughed my ass off! Am I mad about it? No, I thought it was funny as hell! Am I in trouble for it? No, because I did nothing wrong and I didn't flame or attack anyone. Is this odd? Yes and no. It's odd that I got reported but these kinds of tantrums over concrit reviews are quite common. There are plenty out there, more than just a small handful of them, that want nothing but fandpoodling OMGWTFILUFFIT reviews and for you to say nothing else though they ask for reviews.
Other examples are just as bad. Plenty pimp the hell out of their stuff all over and ask for reviews but when you give them an honest one, they just delete it and don't bother to fix any of the issues you pointed out even if you give them a very easy way or solution to fixing what is wrong. Talking to Rogue, another member of the RA, we figured out that we are running about 50/50 with reviews we leave. About 50% stay up and the other 50 either get rid of the review or out and out delete the story (this month's 5 I did serious concrit for has resulted in 2 reviews already being deleted and one reporting me for what I had to say so you can see this is not an exaggeration). That is sad but true. And, generally, they all but beg for reviews in the story, the thread in the forum to promo the story or elsewhere. But if you don't just gush, they get rid of it. How many times are you going to go through with this until you give up? It generally doesn't take long before you throw your hands up and say 'I give' then quit. It get's worse though.
Though many of you might think I’m joking (I can assure you, I’m not), it goes downhill from there. Like I said at the beginning, I’ve seen a lot over my time as a mod and a common thing to happen is the flame baiting by authors. BW and I have both had this happen to us because we're mods and the author didn't like something we told them to change. We've had them say something in the story then had their readers go after our stories with reviews that are intended to be retaliatory and bombing our ratings. And if they'll do it to a mod, who knows what's going on and how to handle it, you can damned sure bet they do it to reviewers that say something they don't like! They have too, many, many, MANY times.
They leave a butt-hurt, whiney ass AN about how someone was so mean to them in a review or that they think they should just stop writing because of something that is said then BAM the reviewer gets nailed. It happens more than you think, folks! And if you think it's just younger authors that do this, think again! There are plenty of older ones that do the same thing. This, more than anything, has made it to where people are afraid to leave a review. Would you want attacked because you were honest or were giving feedback to someone that's not mean but intended to help them improve what they do? The majority of you would say no to this but it's what happens. And plenty have seen this so they back off and say nothing rather than be on the receiving end of that kind of flaming. That results in people not reviewing. Since this has gone on for years, the end result is what you see now; reviews are minimal. If someone gives one, it's just standard fanpoodling OMG update soon or something like that.
So, know what? You want to bitch and complain to someone about this? Go find the authors that do this bonehead stupid stuff, and more I didn't mention, and let them know because they are the ones that have killed the reviews for the rest of you more than just the readers that never bother.

*shakes head* These writers apparently have NO idea just how much time and work goes into a concrit review. I have spent over an hour on some of my concrit reviews, it depends on the number of errors and how long the chapter is. I try to make them as professional as I can because the purpose of these reviews is to help the author improve their writing skills. Nobody is going to spend that kind of time on someone who can't appreciate it.
You get one solid review and cry FLAME? The writer should be sending the reviewer flowers for taking the time to read their story and for writing a review meant to help them grow in the craft!
If all a writer wants is fluffy reviews, they should put an author's note at the start of the story saying: Praiseful reviews only.

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.

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.

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.