Site Post » /fic/ Write-off Voting · 7:59pm Jun 4th, 2013
Greetings, Fimfiction monkeys!
I come to you all today with an important request. MLPchan's /fic/, as they are prone to do on occasion, are currently hosting one of their patented Write-off's – a contest of skill and fanfiction prowess between a bunch of dorks who decided to enter by writing stories about ponos in the course of three days.
If you're reading this, it means you've already missed your chance to enter (what, did you have your head under a rock?) – but, fear not, base fanfiction wrigglers! You still have a chance to contribute by being awesome!
If you'd like to make a difference and pretend that you're afoot in a fanfiction democracy, head over to the current Write-Off page and peruse through the wonderful stories that have been submitted (here's a gallery link for those of you who can't read websites). When you've read at least half the entries (are you kidding me? Read em' all!) mosey on to the voting page and tell us which one you think is best (and which ones sucked). There's no reward for voting, other than the sense of self-satisfaction for knowing you did the right thing... and really, isn't that the greatest prize of all?
While Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with MLPchan or /fic/, we wanna bring this event to people's attention, because... come on. These authors put a lot of work into cranking out some awesome stories in three days, and with the power of your vote, you can make them feel as though they haven't wasted their time!
Now have at, and go forth with your integrity in hand!
Also, feel free to pop by the Write-off thread on /fic/ if you'd like to join the conversation, or leave a detailed review about any or all of the stories you read (authors love gettin' dem feedbacks, y'all know it what word).
Hoo hoo hoo
I guess I have had my head under a rock.
>mlpchan
No thanks.
I've never been on 4chan in my life, and I didn't even know an MLPchan existed. I'm still confused as to why this is a site-wide blog post...
1124217
Aw, they're not all that bad. When you get a bit too confident, they're great for trashing your story and bursting your ego with their reviews.
1124227
If you're not familiar with /fic/ (and the original board on Ponychan), it's been a bastion of writing critique and fanfiction discussion for the better part of the fandom, in different incarnations. Frankly, I wish more people who use Fimfiction would go there, because it might mean some of the stories we see on a daily basis would be less terrible :V
That said, the quoted portion above says why it's being promoted: awesome people wrote awesome stories, and we'd like to see them get some feedback for their efforts, even if it's only in the form of voting.
God what, try-hard stories never get interesting.
Ermm, how do you vote their stories then? Do you need to be logged in or something? I've read some of the submissions in the link in your post and they're good...I had my head under a boulder, so this is new to me..
I live under a rock. And I like it. You can't make me leave my rock! I won't do it!
There are already way to many things on my to-do list. I bid anypony with a story there good luck, but I really can't spare time to read them. No matter how much I want to spend the rest of my life on the Internet.
(Also, I'm hesitant to go anywhere near 4chan or its affiliates.
)
It never hurts to have some constructive criticism as well. Stories would be less "try-hard" if people actually left sensible advice on what went wrong and how to improve.
Which is why I hope people who vote actually do this and not just write "lol this sucks, kthxbai".
I'm no monkey, but I'll swing on by and throw my poo anyways.
1124820 heh
1124217
1124227
1124780
1124803
While the writeoff page has a link to the thread on mlpchan, the stories and voting setup are hosted on their own site. You don't have to set proverbial foot on the chan if you don't want to, nor do you need an account on the writeoff site to read stories vote (unless I'm mistaken about that last one). It has absolutely nothing to do with 4chan.
1124897
And that's why I don't like it.
Not that I've got anything against Fimfiction shouting out for people to read stories, but I am curious as to why it's being done for this particular write-off. Is this the start of something beautiful? Is there any chance we could see another one of the site wide Write-offs like we done had once?
I think it would be the cool if so
1125188
knighty and I got to talking about this today. We'd love to do one, but the logistics for the project we were planning were a little intimidating when they last came up. In addition, there's still a lot of work that needs to be done on site functionality/back-end before we should be devoting our time to vanity projects like that.
All that said, I know I personally would love to be involved in another site competition, so don't write it off. Now that the spirit of write-offs is emerging in some fashion again (personally, anyway), there's plenty of reason to focus on making this an eventuality at some point.
No synopsizes, no story tags, no character tags, no ratings. Bah. Sorry, but I don't go into stories blind, that's how [Grimdark] sucker punches you in the gut.
1124237
No offense meant but the one time i posted a fic there, it was flamed to hell and back. It was one of the same ones i submitted here that made the most popular listing for a short time. Sorry to say but i have no interest in voting or visiting that section of the site. If things have changed since then great, but sadly this mare's first impression ruined any chance of me giving it a second chance. I don't tolerate flames. Critic is fine, but flames are one of the fastest ways to piss me off and shove me away from a given part of a site or if i have the power, block/delete the flaming remarks.
1125913
Now I'm curious to watch this "flame", because I know the place has a reputation for actually having standards, being blunt about you being a bad writer, and not giving a rat's ass if you are popular in other places (and let us be serious, getting popular is as easy as writing porn and some stupid sentimental fluff),; simply put, it's not a place for the writer who just wants to fuck around and get his e-peen struck for how awesome they are, yet, for all that, I never actually seen or heard any flaming or anything or the sort.
Links, please?
1125978
The post was deleted by a mod because i blew a gasket. I got a 1 month ban for the stunt to boot. Now in regards to this statement:
That statement right there takes any and all merit you may have had in regards to being a writer or proper reviewer to a fanfic. To be a good writer and to make a fanfic that wins you a slot on the most popular listing is NOT solely based on writing clop or romance into it. If that was the case then every single one of my clop fics would have made the most popular listing.
To write a good story is based on three things: The plot of the story, character development, and story progression. Proper spelling and grammar also adds to this and makes a story with all three of these elements which if they are good even better. Vise versa, if grammar and spelling is too poor, it can ruin even the best written of fanfiction.
So before you go and make assumptions of how a story becomes popular or makes it to the most popular listing, make sure you know what makes a great story before you make a statement like that.
1126020
So, no, you don't have link.
Also, notice I didn't mention a story becoming popular, I said you, and I can take from that there is good chance the response was not a flame; you just overreacted to a negative commentary and now insists you were being attacked, quite possibly for carelessness in your reading.
And the qualities you mentioned:
Have you ever even looked at the feature stories? Or the ones with most views here? Because I am seriously wondering if you do think those are the main things getting stories there.
Now, good fanfiction does have those, but that doesn't get you in the feature box.
1126031
Fanfiction that doesn't fall into your interest or what you like doesn't count as badly written.
1126045
And you are failing your reading class yet again. Or are projecting. In any case, I can say without a doubt in my mind a good deal of those aren't well-written and that the vast majority are a wall of mistakes.
I thought you might have something about the group, but right now you are coming more and more as one of those people who call flaming anything that doesn't go, "It was nice you wrote it, I just hope you can do your grammar better next time," rather than the more accurate, "You have no idea how to punctuate dialogue, your development is ridiculous and you clearly don't know about the subject matter."
You can respond more if you want, but I won't bother; you have nothing of value to share about the past of the place, and merely reading your responses here tells me more about what likely happen than anything else could.
1124897
I'm a bit confused. I did use the word "affiliates", right? If the contest is part of MLPchan, I don't see why the actual fics being hosted on another site is grounds for saying it has nothing to do with 4chan. Unless you mean to say there is a difference between 4chan and MLPchan, which is misleading in that MLPchan was created by people who originally used 4chan, but wanted their own spot.
Still, I have nothing against it specifically, I'm just not going to touch the place.
1126071 Just a little interjection here.
May I ask how many stories you have read that hit the featured box? (And yes, there is a difference between "read" and "looked-at-description".) I admit that some of them are less than perfect, but I've yet to see one there which could be called a "wall of mistakes".
Also, here's a short quiz:
Somepony posts their first story. It isn't very good. Two ponies leave comments.
Reader1: This was a horrible story, and now I'm going to mock everything you did wrong...
Reader2: This wasn't a very good story. Here, let me point out how you could improve...
Which one is constructive criticism, and which one is flaming? Note that both commenters point out the same flaws, and both end up going into the same detail on each point, while maintaining their initial tones.
1126362
As someone who has done a lot of reviewing, reader 2 is about to have the author blow up at them regardless.
There's a lot of people who can't take any criticism.
1126362
I have. Admittedly, it was during the initial period of the heat system feature box, before the addition of the 4k+ word requirement. And even for that era it stood out for just how bad it was. I counted for a bit, and it was averaging two grammatical errors per three lines. I'll note you a link to it.
That said, it does sort of depend on what you define as a wall. Some of them do really have quite a few errors. You might not notice just how many until you try to give the story a bit of an editing pass. The errors add up fast, especially if you're dealing with one of the many writers who mess up the basics of conversation grammar. You know, the ones that do stuff like this: "I'm clueless." She said.
1125252
Let me know if I can help out with anything.
1126071
There have been countless (seemingly failed) attempts to "improve" our reputation amongst the rest of the fandom. Aside from the question of whether we should even worry about this reputation (to be frank, being called a big meanie head is not at all on my top list of concerns), it also assumes that our reputation as-is is some unfortunate twist of fate that can be reversed. The reality is that all it takes to spread a little FUD is a few unhappy campers. Most people will be happy to take heated second-hand opinions of the place rather than find out for themselves how it really is. Bad things spread more than good ones, and as a result we have our current situation.
I'm of the opinion that it's not really a big deal. Plenty of people leave happy, and it's expected that some people take critique poorly.
1126362
To be more specific, the association between the write-off and MLPchan is de facto (as opposed to de jure). The actual operations of the event is, by design, entirely agnostic to the discussion surrounding it. It just happens most of the participants this time around are from /fic/, so that's where the discussion ends up.
If you want an event organised for a different community, let me know.
1126597 I know there are some ponies who are overly sensitive and won't even take constructive criticism. I also know that there are some ponies who aren't sensitive enough and don't understand the difference between giving advice and verbal abuse.
1126616
First, your second sentence is demonstrably wrong; Just look at the address for the first link in the blog post above.
Second, Ponychan, too, originated from 4chan, but I didn't feel that I needed to say that to get my meaning across.
If cutting out a mostly redundant argument which has no effect on my point constitutes a misleading statement, then "misleading" must have another definition I am not familiar with.
And it's more akin to saying that I'm not going to hang out in the South because some people there think atheists should be stoned to death.
Again, I do not mean to say that everything related to 4chan is necessarily bad, I just don't wish to personally be associated with the worst it has to offer.
1126633 Thanks for pointing that out. (I'm going to read it, because my mouse can't resist the "read later" button.
)
I realized when I read your reply that I may have forgotten one or two things I've seen myself, possibly for mental health reasons. It hurts to think about them even now.
Still, saying that the "vast majority" of the stories that get there are a wall of mistakes is... a bit less than accurate. Also, if you can get past the grammatical errors, some walls can still be pretty good reads.
1126753 Whether or not it was planned, the association is there. [/abnormally short reply]
I find it interesting that my original comment on this subject was an offhoof joke. Don't you just love when you forget that thing about humor and the Internet? I would post a "that escalated quickly" GIF, but I don't usually do pictures.
1126899
Yeah. I wouldn't call it the vast majority either, but a lot of it would depend upon one's tolerance for it. If you do a lot of proofreading, you tend to notice the errors more, and it becomes a greater distraction than it would be for someone else. I'd imagine for a good editor, it would be even worse, for they would notice not just the grammatical issues, but pacing, word choice, and so on would stand out more.
Of course, that doesn't mean a story cannot be enjoyable. Some are good despite their flaws. And some are even a hella-fun read because of their flaws.
1126899
Well, your "joke" makes it sound like you do not understand the meaning of the phrase "mlpchan and 4chan are completely unrelated sites". It can't be "the worst 4chan has to offer" because 4chan is not offering mlpchan. They are different, just as fimfiction is different from fanfic.net. They do the same thing, have similar layouts and some userbase overlap, but you can't blame one for the ills of the other.
It's an even more ludicrous argument in the face of this writing contest, because it's not participated in sitewide and, as has been mentioned previously, /fic/ is rather secluded from the rest of mlpchan, and ponychan, and is indeed its own animal. This is evidenced by the fact that the userbase exists across two separate websites.
So unless the *chan at the end of the site's name has just really got you confused, I can't see what your problem is. And if you don't want to vote in the writeoff, feel free to say so, or say nothing at all. But don't go making jokes that make you look confused and then get defensive when people try to set you straight.
It kind of frightens me how people abhor anything having to do with imageboards because they were created by expatriates of 4chan. Honestly, have you no sense of history?
Putting that aside, it seems to me that people are throwing this by the wayside because it relates to a community which has garnered some kind of negative connotation over the years. Honestly, I don't know where people get it. Their friends? A single bad experience? The Russian Mafia? Any single one of these options are completely valid! But then, I don't think any of it's true.
A single bad experience shouldn't define someone's opinion of a community. Still, though, it happens. Mostly because people get mad whenever they're yelled at. I shouldn't be one to talk--I'm such a bloody masochist that by now yelling has become a bore. ;D
My point is, /fic/ as a community has been in existence long before FimFiction ever came onto the scene. Those were simpler times, times that I'll never get to see, unfortunately. Regardless, we shouldn't be treated as a second-class citizen just become a few people had a single bad experience!
We're like the estranged middle brother of three: EQD, /fic/, and FimFiction. The older brother operates based on what it perceives to be relatively decent or holistically amazing. The middle brother operates to improve what he sees so that it doesn't need approval to know that it's great. And the younger brother (this would be you, FimFiction) accepts everything and everything, regardless if it's good for not.
We shouldn't be chastised for having standards.
1126899
If 4Chan was good enough for Lauren Faust, then it's good enough for the rest of us.
1125913
Then maybe you should capitalize your "i"s more often so we could be best buddies. Also, less redundancy in repeating the bit about "flames" several times over.
wwwwwwwww.at/trolls/i/src/132764845888.jpg
1127089
>This
i.chzbgr.com/maxW500/5595187968/h848F0414/
1127269
LOL! Sarcastic little twerp!
1127688
cdn.memegenerator.net/instances/400x/32995244.jpg
I love how 4chan gets on these people's nerves. Oh, the irony.
1127019 Hmm... WIth higher standards and more attention comes a lower threshold for irritation.
I wonder if the editors for book publishers have as much trouble staying sane as approvers on this site.
1127057
My original comment on this subject:
Since apparently some people don't get it, this was poking fun at the bad reputation 4chan has, and though it reflects my opinions to a limited extent, it was mainly meant for humorous purposes. All comments past that were seriously thought out. I have already expressed my regret at forgetting that tone of voice doesn't carry over the Internet.
Additionally, my understanding is that both mlpchan and Ponychan are 4chan with ponies. This includes not just the layout, but also the direction discussions tend to turn in and the sorts of people - and to an extent the people themselves - who generally hang out there. I'm not sure that you understand the phrase "completely unrelated".
Saying /fic/ is secluded from the rest of the site which it resides on may or may not be true. I only have your word on that, which loses some credibility when the only argument in support of the statement is that the people who participate use other websites too. As do most people on the Internet.
Finally:
I already did. It seems rather odd that you replied to my comment without first reading the entire conversation. Am I the only one who does that? No wonder the Internet is such a flash point.
(If you wish to reply, a PM would probably be better. Maybe this should be a PM. I'm still unclear on what exactly to do with the feature. There aren't any instructions.
)
1127089 Lauren Faust braved 4chan? Good for her!
1130772 Let me start by saying that I did not mean to make assumptions, and you are right, I have never gone on any of the sites in question, because I don't generally go onto a site to see what it's like unless I hear good things about it beforehoof.
I was not alone in making the connection to 4chan, nor was I the first. Was I jumping to conclusions when I saw people claiming that /fic/ was rather like 4chan? Yes, in retrospect, I was. I think it is more important to judge a site by the way people who defend it present themselves. So I will leave you to ponder your comment, as well as this definition.
It was a mistake to read this thread late at night. Now I have this unfulfillable urge to hurt things.
My opinion on the matter of how different/same 4chan and (both Ponychan and) MLPchan is that each has their own faults, and each has their own merits. (4chan has less merits than MLP/Ponychan in my book, though.)
4chan has a lot of "bad" people who can be mean, but so does Pony/MLPchan (yup, switched 'em this time).
Mostly, though, I like both. I go on Ponychan more than 4chan though, and I never post on the latter.
Make of this what you will.
Patrick Star takes great offense to this.
Followed link. Instant headache. This has happened to me before when someone pointed me there for editing, and I couldn't even figure out how to read it. I gave up five minutes later, because if I cannot reliably figure out how to read something in five minutes, it'll take me a few hours to figure out how to post.
To be fair, I have some neurological issues that might be interacting with the, ah, stark style. So this isn't on them, it's just not something I have the time to bash my head against at the moment.
Results!
1131115
And, from what it seems, they managed to point out the flaws in your arguments - as admitted - completely bluntly as well as efficiently. No holding back, full-on authentic.
I'd say that if I was looking for constructive critique, these guys would be excellent.
1156467 It's amazing how long ago twelve days can seem.
I see the blunt part. Apart from that, I see a combination of interpreting my statements as attacks rather than misunderstandings, and insults and improper comparisons mixed in with proper rebuttals. If I want the opinions of a group of grammar nazis and prescriptivists with a limited understanding of the word "polite", I'll go there. If I want constructive criticism, I'll go somewhere else.