Hi! Do you have any advice for how to deal with negative comments that aren't strictly hate comments? I'm posting a very angsty fic, so i get a lot of playfully angry comments, but this one person is genuinely furious that i had half of the main couple marry someone else during a time loop, and they keep sending comments on the new chapters since then to complain about it. they said that they feel like the fic is pretending to be a ship that it's not, that the main couple is ruined now and they don't see how the story can go forward, etc. For the record i tagged it as a minor relationship since it's just one non-descriptive passage in a story very focused on the main ship, but they said that wasn't enough.
i'm sorry they're not enjoying the story, but i don't really know what to do since no one else seems remotely this angry about it and i've seen the same plot point in similar fics by other people. i haven't replied to any of these comments yet because i was hoping they'd get over it, but they keep sending similar ones. should i try to respond kindly or keep ignoring? i'd feel bad blocking them since they haven't really done anything wrong, but it's kind of ruining my experience of posting this fic.
i apologize for long this got >_< thank you for your time!
Hi anon! Sorry it's been a while since you sent this in. I hope it's not an issue anymore but if it is, I think you just need to block that user.
Blocking them won't stop them from reading your story, but it will block them from commenting on your work.
It's clear that they are having an outsized reaction to what you're writing and it's also clear that they don't have the ability and/or desire to stop reading a story that doesn't appeal to them.
It's not your job to manage the emotional state of someone you don't know. I know that sounds harsh, but in this case I think that's what's going on. They can't control their own emotions about your fic, and nothing you can do can control that reaction for them.
Does it suck that they won't be able to comment on anything else you write? Sure. But they've lost that privilege. At least for the time being. If you decide in 6 months or whatever that they've probably calmed down, you can go back to your preferences page and edit your block list.
Until then, do what you need to do to keep your peace. And to let this person know that they're not behaving well.
What do the rest of you think? Am I being too harsh here? Is there another option you see for this situation?
If you want to give them a chance, and you haven't communicated with them yet, then that's what you need to do first.
"It's a shame you're not enjoying my fic! I'm going to continue writing and posting it the way I want. If you don't like it, you're welcome to find something else to read." You can also tell them that the comments are not appropriate to keep posting, they will not result in any changes, and you'd appreciate if they stopped posting because you don't want to read negativity on your fic and you're not looking for critique.
Basically: "Don't like, don't read." One warning, one chance, and if they blow it again then block and don't look back. (This method also means you can block and forget instead of bothering to keep track months later, which is not something most people care to do.)
