why so serious

a MULTIFANDOM Sideblog i spam a lot here. non spoiler free.

[tsunderesasuke]

Your Guide To Reviews

The Problem

Fic writers wonder why people don’t review. They honestly can’t understand the silence. Writers assume that readers:

usually have something to add/criticize/say

know how to articulate their own thoughts/feelings

withhold feedback because they’re lazy or apathetic

don’t appreciate how much time/effort/energy goes into writing

On the flip-side, readers assume that:

the writer already knows how ‘good’ their work is

someone else will review because this fic is ‘obviously’ awesome

if a fic is already ‘popular,’ their feedback won’t matter

if they comment, they ‘must’ leave an awesome, insightful, detailed comment that 100% reflects their love for a fic

since words aren’t adequate, it’s better to stfu and just click the kudos button/favotite/bookmark

None of these assumptions are accurate.

The reality is that:

there is no reason for a writer to post their work except to get feedback that validates their vision, helps them improve and/or gives them an outsider perspective/interpretation of their work (which can be absolutely mind-blowing)

like, you can and should write for yourself, but if that’s 100% the case, every good fic would be wasting away in a private word document

‘readers’ are not always ‘writers’

‘writers’ can naturally put their ideas and emotions into words

‘readers’ usually don’t know what to say, which words to use to express themselves, and belittle the importance of their perspective

many ‘readers’ don’t write, so they can’t empathize with the struggle of writing a fic for a silent but attentive audience

Basically, readers don’t understand writers and vice-versa. Both parties are wired differently. Readers who also write are more likely to review because they empathize with both sides of the equation.

The Solution

Writers

Be patient, understanding, and persistent

Appreciate those who do review

Don’t get bitter, discontinue a beloved story, or assume the worst of your readers

Realize that everyone is really trying their best

Readers

Be patient, supportive, honest, and empathetic

Realize that there’s no minimum! Even two words (like ‘good work!’) can have a huge impact

Review Templates

Things to say when you’re tongue-tied:

Verbs

I liked the part where/when…

I wonder why…

I smiled/laughed when…

I was confused when…

I think that…

I predict…

I was sad/happy/angry/[other emotion] when…

Nouns

[character] did/said/felt/will do [this thing]

because… (if applicable)

[insert plot point/event]

Example: I think that [this guy] ran away from [his friend] because he was trying to protect him.

And that’s it. You don’t have to say anything else. One sentence is more than enough, but you’ll notice that once you get started, you’ll have a lot to say- so say it!

Author’s style

Your writing is:

Detailed/descriptive

Vivid

Concise (to the point)

Funny

Serious

Surreal

Unique

Compelling

Provocative

Leaves me wondering about a lot of things, and I’m curious about what happens next

Confused me a little at times (talk about what confused you! The author will be more than happy to clear things up!)

Do’s and Don’ts

Don’t

Worry about grammar/typos in your review

Suggest a direction for the story (most writers know what they’re doing and you just gotta trust them)

Think that clicking the kudos button is all you can do! Your opinion is important!

Tell the author to do more of [this] and less of [that]

Ask them to update without leaving any other feedback

Do

Leave short comments if you can’t think of anything else to say (“I like this” is more than acceptable, seriously)

Inform the author of typos (be specific)- many fics are un-beta’d. The writer will appreciate your attention to detail.

Express your own perspective even if it isn’t ‘correct-’ I think [character] did this because she was jealous, which explains why…

Understand that your unique interpretation of motives/symbolism/foreshadowing/anything is extremely valuable

Be honest, but diplomatic 

Bookmark/rec works if you enjoy them, esp to help lesser-known writers 

You can copy/paste from this post into your reviews. It’s hard to find the right words sometimes, but for writers, anything is better than silence.

[suspend]

im still overwhelmed when people like my post or message me like “oh someone knows i exist”

[lacorgi]

[mattonious]

give em the ol’ razzle dazzle

[miubec]

Ung pinupush talaga ni crush sayo ung ibang guy (codename Luvluv)

Crush: *teasing me* di ba Luvluv? Me: *inner me* Ano dawww😐💓 lublub u din… Crush: *rephrases* Di ba lablab ni *other guy’s name*? Me: ahhhh ... 💔

Okay na sana. Hahahahaha maypag manarbaho tah

[amiboshi234]

Actual Tokyo Ghoul: Re spoilers when Kaneki finally saw Hide again

[true-spirit-spear-chastiefol-de]

“Sometimes home isn’t four walls, it’s two eyes and a heartbeat. It’s you.”

[browsedankmemes]

Normie or dank

[thisbodyprison]

*he touches my cheek* My subtle contour is on your hand now. That’s tom ford foundation and blush with Laguna by Nars and Becca bronzer

[sappharah]

the idea of being right-handed or left-handed is so fucked up. like how in the hell is it evolutionarily advantageous to have one hand that’s good at everything and one that’s fucking useless. why aren’t we all dead.

[jyostar]

Isaac Newton was a poor farmboy who got sent to school by chance, because his father saved a nobleman’s life and the nobleman wanted to repay the favor by funding his son’s education.

this is literally how phantom blood starts

[gravegospel]

i can’t believe Isaac Newton was a vampire asshole

[silvermoon424]

IT WAS DIO THE WHOLE TIME.

[metalgirlysolid]

This makes sooooo much more sense now…

[zelinxia]

Lachrymose definition

1 : given to tears or weeping : tearful 2 : tending to cause tears : mournful

This is a legit tweet from a dictionary social media (x)

[girlsownsthevoid]

Saezuru fandom at the moment

[bisexualwatson]

is your look an english teacher, theatre teacher, or art teacher look

[monitorlizardappreciator]

my look is the raccoon that forages in the dumpster behind the cafeteria

[thatshamelessyaoishipper]

Alright, so now that we’re getting even more official confirmation that the creators of Yuri on Ice are willing to make a second season, there is one thing we, as fans, must do:

Support the anime.

The anime industry is small, and while I trust the Japanese fans to love and buy the anime, imagine the power that the international community has to influence the industry as a whole. If we show the anime enough support, then we will not only get a second season, we will get more anime like YOI with more beautiful soundtrack, more great characters and more healthy, natural gay romance. (I previously discussed this briefly in this post)

I want to use this post as an opportunity to tell you how you can support the anime, even if you can’t buy the DVDs or the BluRays. I’ll try to least these in the order of least effort/money to most effort/money (but also feel free to pick and choose based on personal interest).

The absolutely simplest thing you can do is watch Yuri on Ice on the official websites like Crunchyroll or Funimation. Even if you don’t have a subscription, you can rewatch the older episodes on Crunchyroll. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE YOUR ADBLOCK TURNED OFF. The revenue from ads/subscription fees partly goes to the creators.

Then: buy “History Maker” (OP) and/or “You Only Live Once” (ED) singles on iTunes. They cost around a dollar/euro/pound each, and they directly support the anime (and the musicians behind the songs!).

If you love the soundtrack of Yuri on Ice, then you are more than welcome to buy the OST: “Oh! Suketora!!! Yuri!!! on ICE / Original Skate Song Collection”. You can get this on cdjapan or yesasia (both offer international shipping, yesasia even has free shipping but be warned that it may take over a month). You can also buy the physical versions of the OP and ED singles on both of these sites.

Then, if you really love certain characters you can get merchandise with them on it. There is plenty stuff for you to choose from, ranging from keychains to tote bags, mugs and even glasses cases so that you can express your love for the show and the characters on any possible item you might need. For this I recommend amiami and cdjapan. Both of these are trusted Japanese sites which supply only official merchandise which benefits the creators. Both of the sites offer international shipping, but I think that Aitai Kuji also provides proxy services if you might want them.

And then, the most obvious option buying the DVDs/BluRays. For this, I recommend cdjapan (DVD option here). When buying these, however, be forewarned: One volume contains only 2 episodes of the anime and you will need to buy all 6 volumes separately to get all 12 episodes (they are released once a month, so hey, I guess I just found a use for your disposable income for the next half a year). There are no subtitles on the DVDs/BluRays (however, I don’t consider this an issue since you should be able to access Crunchyroll for free, should you feel like rewatching). The DVDs are region coded which means that they will not play in certain countries. I believe the code is 2 so you can check whether the DVD will play on your system here. The BluRays do not have region locks, however, and you can play them anywhere in the world with a BD player or a PS3/PS4.

As far as I know, there will be a US, UK and Australian release of the DVDs/BDs with the English subtitles and dub, but the original creators will not be profiting from it iirc. (Or it will contribute very little) There is no release date yet.

If you’re a figure sort of person, and would like a figure of your favorite skaters (the pun) there are Yuuri and Victor figures planned (no release date so far).

Alright, I believe that constitutes everything. If you have any questions, feel free to message me for clarification!

[october-fog]

Small addendum: “You Only Live Once” does not appear to be available in the American iTunes store right now. However, anyone with a Japanese Amazon account can get international shipping on products Amazon sells directly, including the DVDs, blu-rays, and soundtrack.

[thatshamelessyaoishipper]

That’s true, Amazon is another option but I’ve personally never used the Japanese one and I’m not sure how they shipping prices compare. Not to mention that the product descriptions are in Japanese.

But yeah, you can also try Amazon.co.jp for sure.

[pastel-tpk]

Small Correction: Blu Rays are region locked. However Japan and America are in the same region. They can’t be played worldwide, but can be played in America. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blu-ray#Region_codes

[thatshamelessyaoishipper]

That is a fair point, and I think it’s something you should look out for however, it doesn’t apply here.

Small correction to the correction: Blu Rays of Yuri on Ice aren’t region locked/are viewable in all regions.

Proof:

So yeah, in this particular case, we’re good. :)

[yoiofficial-blog]

UMMM GUYS??

I just saw this tweet kubo made and I’m freaking out like why is no one talking about it??? So it says:

“まるくて金色、果たして二人は…クリスマスの奇跡、お見逃しなく！！”

which basically translates to:

“round and golden, what will happen to the two…christmas miracle, don’t miss it!”

So like, not only is kubo totally teasing the whole “round and golden” thing, but this also confirms that something BIG is happening next episode, like, “Christmas miracle” level big. And let’s not forget that Christmas is the most romantic holiday in Japan….

SO YEAH.

Something BIG is happening and I’m excited.

[theafictionado]

There are characters you like but then there are characters you end up thinking about in the middle of the night with a cosmic ache in your chest because they resonate with you so much

[thatshamelessyaoishipper]

Okay okay okay I know I’m making a lot of posts today but this will be the last one for now.

Can we just talk about the fact that Yuuri does the quad flip at the end of his performance, and by the way it’s noted that

and he performs that jump just because he wants to impress Victor.

He (in Japanese) literally says that he’s curious what sort of face Victor would make:

He’s casually pulling off shit that not even Victor could do just because he wants to impress him. I mean he doesn’t land the jump, but he tries he has the confidence to try just because he wants to see what Victor does when he manages like that’s so beautiful?

Yuuri also mentions in this performance that he wants to become stronger and will become stronger, but not because he wants to win a gold medal or be a champion or simply beat his competition. No. So, why does he want to do it?

Surprising Victor - That’s all he wants.

He wants to show Victor that he’s worthy of him, he wants Victor to be proud, he wants to go above and beyond just to show Victor something he didn’t expect. He’s not even expecting anything back. He wants to be better just because he wants to see how Victor will react.

That is so pure, Jesus Christ.