Why are Spectacular Seven's ratings disabled? · 1:44am Aug 21st, 2021
Because I am a perfectionist with a fragile ego, jealous tendencies, and an inferiority complex. So, when I see a good story written by a talented author with a like/dislike ratio of 100 to 1 (bonus points if it features Sunset) I compare it to my own stories that have less views and likes and I start to spiral. They have more likes so clearly, they’re better than me, which means I’m actually not a good writer, which means this story is awful, which means everything I’m doing is pointless.
On bad days, my mind deals in absolutes. Either my story is decent, or it’s 100% trash. There is no in-between.
So, if I disable my own ratings, maybe I’ll stop comparing my story to others. (It helps sometimes.) I don’t know why I do it. It’s not a competition. It’s not supposed to be a competition. But brains are stupid.
So why isn’t The Maker’s Reject’s ratings disabled?
Because I don’t feel threatened? There’s no stakes in writing that one. That is just a story that I want to tell. Spectacular Seven is a stupid epic built on the back of my most popular work; this has stakes! I already lost half my audience just by writing a sequel, and a third of that audience left during volume I because it was so fucking apathetic! So in my mind, I’m already working from last place. I need to do anything and everything to keep some sort of drive to write this story. Because I need to finish this story. When it’s at or near completion, I’ll restore ratings. You can judge me however you want because it won’t matter anymore! I’ll be finished!
So, that’s why ratings are disabled. If you don’t know, now you know.
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I initially wrote this months ago. I'm actually in an okay place right now, but everything here is still true.
No, your wrong, you are a great writer.
You are an amazing writer, I promise you your ratings would and should be through the roof!
Just FYI I love Specatular Seven and Im always looking forward to more.
Dude no cap you are one of the best writers for this fandom, Easily top 5. Top 1 in my opinion because you singlehandledly made a better Equestria girls story than the people who got paid to write the actual show.
We love it all!
Dude, don't let ratings keep you from writing.
Glad I got my answer why there disabled, still hope to see another chapter soon.
Good to know.
Upvotes/downvotes are a terrible measure for determining how good a story is. There are so many little things that can affect the ratio that I don't blame you for disabling them.
That being said you're an awesome writer and the comments here reflect that.
I'm gonna commiserate with you on the likes-dislikes thing. I don't mean to steal the spotlight by making it about me; it's just that I've been where you are, and I've got a bit of advice if you want it.
The Archmage's Last Bow is my fucking baby. I've put hours into planning how this shit is gonna go, how to develop the world, how to interlink everything, how to make my villain compelling and sympathetic, and so on. It is, without a doubt, the best thing I've written since I started writing fifteen years ago. I cannot wait to keep writing more and more of it because I am excited to see how my readers will react to new things I have planned.
And yet despite all my work, it's sitting on so few views, and so few likes-to-dislikes. I've got issues with anxiety and depression, so I could see myself get 1,000 5-star reviews, or tens of thousands of likes on this site, but if I see even one down-thumb, I get self-conscious about it. I get even more self-conscious when there's a lack of a reaction to it too.
Part of this is because I know that, by gating it behind Apprentice, that's 300k words of pre-reading for them to do to make it that far. Not many people want to read a goddamn Brandon Sanderson novel just to get to another Brandon Sanderson novel in progress. Plus, there's the fact that a story that was a fun little romp has now gotten loads more serious, and to some people, that's not what they want to read coming off of the original story. The numbers are always going to skew downward, meaning fewer dislikes have a greater effect on the ratio.
I completely understand the dismay at seeing something you've worked so hard on seem to get so little attention compared to a previous story, particularly if it seems like it's being less well-received.
I've put time and effort into this story, and yet it seems to fly under the radar. Conversely, I made an alt account, wrote a couple of flawed clop stories as an experiment, and near-instantly they had as many likes as even Apprentice, which has had nearly ten years to build up its likes. You can imagine my dismay at that too. All the work I spent on Apprentice and Last Bow, and I matched it practically overnight just by putting out some story about horse smut.
The point of all of this is, the rating system is an extremely flawed system because it's nothing more than "Grading by popular vote". The rating system is a generally good indicator of whether or not a story is good, but it is nowhere near flawless. I've seen things written with spelling mistakes galore, some of the blandest or cringiest OCs, plot elements pulled out of the author's ass, and so on, get high ratings because they pandered to the right people's tastes. And of course, there's the fact that even banal clop gets a wealth of views on this site. On the flip side, I have seen hidden gems galore, stories written by the right person, the right way, with twists and turns galore, and utterly delightful storytelling get overlooked or even downvoted for petty reasons. The quality of your story is not indicated by whether or not people liked it.
Spectacular Seven is a story that deserves all of the praise it gets, and then some. Do not let yourself be convinced otherwise. If you feel it's not getting the praise it deserves, then there's not much you can do about that, but bear this in mind. We're all here because we enjoy it just as much as we enjoyed Long Road, so if you ever need a reminder that your fic is absolutely not awful by any stretch of the term, you've got all of us.
Honestly, I did not know some writers put stock in ratings. For me who has been reading fanfics for 20 years, me tracking the story was me saying I like your story and would like to read more.
Don't worry it would be a pretty high number by now (adjust for viewership or whatever)
Spectacular Seven is Best Fic Ever !!
Hey Albino that sounds really tough - thank you for telling us about this!
Personally a close friend and me as well both feel like your writing is extremely captivating and the best writing I've ever read! No other novel or book or whatever kept my emotions this involved and captivated and whenever I read old chapters I'm immediately hit with nostalgia and right back into the entire emotional struggle of that chapter - absolutely love this!!
Also readers will stop reading throughout time, it's only normal. You won't get new readers a couple hundred thousand words in out of nowhere because they have to read the entire thing first. And no matter how great it is, people do look at stories and think 'that's way too long for me - bye'.
It's by no means your fault!!
In my opinion fanfictions can be like a relationship to some degree. No matter how great your writing is or how awesome the plot is, it's always also up to the reader to keep going. It's basically 50/50 from both sides - and people can have different circumstances outside of the storyline that makes them stop reading on. New job, new apartment, moving on from mlp, finding other stories that they prefer to read halfway through before finding new other stories they won't finish, ...
So what I'm trying to say is: you're doing really great and you've been doing so for years! Please take it easy and enjoy the process without pressuring yourself about statistics or having to keep up a certain quality - because the way you write has always been this great quality and you're more than capable of achieving this while enjoying the process and having fun!
After all, stories are automatically great if you enjoy writing them! Any quality beyond that should be based on enjoying to write imo :D
Take care o/
~Zeitless
If it makes you feel better I personally think that you are one of the best Sunset Shimmer writers in the fanfiction community.
I'm almost done with Sunset of Time, and I've also started reading The Long Road to Friendship, and I kind of had to force myself to stop reading The Long Road to Friendship just so I could go to sleep. I really didn't want to stop reading.
Anyway take care.
I know from depression. That's a very familiar mindspace for me. All I can say is that you're not alone in that, and that there is always a way out. For me, it's music and movies on the "good" days, and just slogging it out on the bad. Knowing I've walked this path before, and there is an exit helps tremendously. Just hold on to that when the emotional arguments seem meaningless, and it can get you out. Just don't stop walking. Forward momentum and all that.
Just keep walking, man. :)
Never abandoned it, still love it, and your reasons are your own. Take care of you first.
If it helps, I always gave Spectacular Seven a thumbs up. Always enjoyed it :)
I love Spectacular Seven and it is a worthy follow up to Long Road to Friendship. You've really soared with this story and even if volume I was too apathetic for some, I found it fitting given all that was happening. You are an amazing writer and I constantly look back at your stories when I need a pickup. Your writing is still just as amazing. I have enjoyed every word that's some from you and look forward to all there is still. Thank you for all you have given us and I am sorry you have to deal with so many difficult things. The brain can be hard sometimes. I hope things go well for you and that you are able to see the best in yourself again. (HUG)
Seconded. Absolutely true.
No one writes better Sunset shipping than you, Albinocorn, and you're one of the best Sunset writers on the site overall (I mean, you've put so much time and effort into making her feel real and distinct in every one of your stories, it was bound to happen, and now you have my certificate of proof as Best Sunset Shimmer Author™) so honestly, you don't have to feel threatened by what other people write, because you're already the top of your field.
Spectacular Seven is a great story!! Tell him, Saltset!
Personally, I think you're one of the best writers on the site, and that's saying something because there are plenty of top-notch writers here, and Spectacular Seven is in my top ten stories here. Honestly, it and A Long Road to Friendship feel less like fanfiction and more like actually novels you would pay for that just happen to use a base similar to MLPEG.
You're my 2nd favourite writer on this entire site, bested only by WhatMustIDo with Diaries of a Madman, longest story on the site.
Even at that, it's because of LRtF and Spectacular Seven that I'm even on this site (that fact is in my bio lol) and why I'm still into MLP! You have done an incredible amount for a lot of people with your stories and created an entirely new world with great characters and an even greater author behind all of it.
I honestly can't thank you enough for some of the memories you've helped to create, I'll be damned if I forget these stories. I think that the hard copy of Long Road is still available to buy right? I plan to purchase one in the near future, and if you ever make one for Spectacular Seven when it gets finished they'll both go on my bookshelf for my future family to read in like 20 years time.
Just wanted to get that off my chest, you're a brilliant author, don't ever think you aren't
I've been reading this story for years, I am one of those original readers and yours is one of the few stories that keep me coming back to FiMfiction. This HAS been an epic fiction, maybe some don't like the direction but I LOVE the way you've expanded upon the characters and incorporate the actual plot of the EqG universe in interesting ways. This story has STUCK with me, it gives me comfort, I would hate not knowing how it ends.
Take your time, we can be patient, deliver us this fantastic narrative in a way that feels satisfying to you.
Thank you all. Your words really mean a lot.
I found out about this site from a friend and i only came here to read his story but ever since i fell in love with the whole sunset twilight ship I've searched every where to read more an when i came across your storys to this day to me personally there's not a story i look foward to more then yours on this site I've laughed I've cried I've gotten so hype to see even the smallest update I've worried over the story just stopping but I'm always happy to hear from you be it news or just an update so as a small fan on here Albi I Love your work and i look foward to more whatever it may be.
Ay mayt, we love your story! Health comes first. You do whatever makes you happy, and if sometimes writing about adventures of human counterparts of magical pastel mini-horses makes you happy, then you make us happy too!
Not gonna talk for others, but rating is just something I sometimes use to determine which story I'll read first. Once I start reading, the numbers become irrelevant. I add my vote, leave comments and wait for more
You are an amazing writer and one of the reasons I keep coming back to this site. I’ll stick around as long as you keep going and the moment ratings are enabled, I’ll mash that like button. It’s already on my favorite list.
My man, you are my favorite author on this entire site. I have only favorited 9 stories, ever, and two of them are yours. The Spectacular Seven is, without exaggeration, one of my favorite pieces of literature I've read in my life. Not just my favorite fanfiction, all literature. Every book, every comic, ever fanfic I've ever read in my entire life, and yours is nigh the top. You are one of my biggest inspirations. Do what you need to for your own sake, but know you've got tons of fans out here, brother.