Why So Serious? I Need Your Help! · 9:01pm Jul 29th, 2016
Joker here. Seeing as Throw It All Away has blown up in my face, mainly because of those trolls and haters who merely looked at the description and not the actual story, provoking me into going on my comment-deleting spree, I've decided to take extra precautions for Why So Serious? I need everyone's help to ensure that the haters stay away, and that a fresh wave of support comes in. Now, I can't be online all the time, but I know there's some of you out there who stay up the wee hours of the night reading fimfics. Should anyone come across a comment made by a hater or troll, I want to know immediately. I'll see to it they get what they deserve. Their comments will be deleted no more, but as the Joker once said, "There's more than one way to get someone."
Now, there's one other thing I need everyone's help with. I need help perfecting the long description for Why So Serious? Seeing as it was the description that caused the unholy backlash against me, I'll need all the help I can get to ensure that doesn't happen a second time. Here's the description I have now:
Main Theme (note: This will also be my new personal theme, as well as my Joker persona's theme. Who da thunk they'd actually make a song like this?)
Brendan Kane used to be an ordinary guy in his late twenties who worked at a chemical plant in New York City. However, that was just his day job. At night, he went to various clubs in and near the city, dreaming of one day making it big and getting his own show in Las Vegas, However, these dreams come crashing down when Brendan dies trying to save his co-workers from a fire at the plant. While in Purgatory, Brendan meets a mysterious entity named Kilroy, who offers him a second chance at life. Accepting the offer, Brendan is reborn as The Joker. Now, armed with all of his new skills, abilities, "toys," and a Magic Satchel ability, Joker sets out to eradicate Equestria's criminal underworld with a nice, big, smile. However, Ponyville Police Department Detective Twilight Sparkle, her partner and/or drakefriend Spike Draco and her best friends and fellow Elements of Harmony Rarity Belle, Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash trust The Joker about as far as they could throw him without the use of magic, nor do they agree with his methods of dispensing justice, which usually results in the death of the criminal or criminals who cross his path. Joker, meanwhile, sees the Elements of Harmony as mere lackeys who care more about the big, obvious threats than the ones that are right outside their front lawn. However, when superpowered criminals and assassins begin to turn up all over Equestria, The Joker and The Mane 6 must work together to put an end to these threats. And, perhaps, in the process, they can come to consider each other true friends, and in the case of Pinkie Pie, something more than just a friend.
All right, people, I need ideas, suggestions, ANYTHING to improve upon this!
Let's move out, my loyal henchmen! My gang! My Jokerz!!!!!\
haters be dicks you be awesome, have fun byebye
To preface this, I'm going to say that I was curious about the downvotes on Throw It All Away and read the first chapter of it. It made sense that people would dislike it based on the premise, but I decided to give it a chance.
I found that it did not interest me. Furthermore, I'm uncertain that you realize why people dislike it, attributing it to blind hate rather than genuine disinterest or distaste. In a way, you've set yourself on a pedestal so high that you're glazing over any faults that you might have had, stating that your performance on Fanfiction.net tells the entire story of your ability as a writer. No one is perfect. I'm not some god-tier writer with a whole shelf of published books to my name, and I feel fairly confident in saying that there isn't a single user on this website who wouldn't benefit from some valid criticism (correct me if I'm wrong though).
In the first paragraph of this blog post, I was legitimately scared that you were going to do something drastic if I decided to offer up my own opinions. Telling people to report haters so that you can "give them what they deserve" does not encourage people to help you in case you label them as a hater and then try to exact revenge on them. I'm not a hater. I really try not to be one. I want to be able to help you, but if you want to believe that I'm not worth listening to and even go as far as to try and attack me, then I might as well have shot myself in the foot and gotten on with it.
Just... try to take in criticism without assuming that people are out to get you, because I assure you that most people I've seen will help if you are willing to be helped. If you surround yourself with people who think you're awesome and that the haters have no ground, then you're never going to improve like you say you want to. Many people want to help, but only if you don't dismiss them.
Onto the description. I'm going to be really frank here and say that your long description sounds like you took the template from Throw It All Away and stuck in new words. "Someone completely normal is reincarnated as another character and tossed into Equestria." Similarly as in Throw It All Away, you don't make it obvious why you're bringing in a random human from the street when you could just start with Joker and go from there, and people will absolutely assume that it's a generic self-insert fic without giving it a chance.
In the rest of it, you've laid out so many cards on the table that it sounds too much like a summary. It leans extremely heavily into the "tell" part of the "show, don't tell" spectrum. If you've told everything there is to know about your characters, the reader isn't left with much to puzzle about. Trying to get straight to the story means that you've missed the opportunity to build up your characters and make the reader sympathize with them. In addition, making your long description too much like a summary means that if some random Joe Shmoe comes in and reads it, they'll feel like they know exactly what your story's about and will slap a downvote on it without reading your first chapter. If you outline exactly what your first few chapters are, what incentive does the reader have in reading them?
Let them wonder! Keep something unanswered and then leave them with the promise that if they read your story, they'll find the answer to it. I find that it helps to think of the long description as another, shorter prologue rather than a summary. Less is more here.
I'm going to stop there, but if you think I'm full of shit, please tell me! I want to be able to help, but I know well that the way we say things heavily influences how people receive them, so if I'm taking the wrong approach, I'd like to know.
Oh for the love of GOD STOP ASSUMING THEY'RE TROLLS OR HATERS.
Make the story and keep the fans entertained, that's how I found you. But make Why So Serious? Interesting like when Joker shoots his Titan gun he inserts his blood so they can hallucinate before capturing them.
Or as the story continues Joker has one of the early stages of the Titan formula from Arkham Knight making his clothes and skin falling apart from I dunno an accident
gameguidecentral.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Batman-Joker-model.png
Just keep the fans happy and interested alright so JUST
4120842
Gotta say, you did an awesome job with your comment, props to you.
4120893
4120842
I fail to see how this is going to help me perfect the long description of the story. Granted, I know you all have a point, but I'm asking for help in making this new story better. As for reporting the haters go, what I meant by that was I wanted my people to let me know when people were deliberately trying to be total jerks.
4122099 That's NOT the point of my message. You need to STOP assuming things, STOP deleting comments, and learn to take criticism better!
4122099
Did... did you even read the second half of my post?
Nevermind. I'm out. Good luck on your story.