Okay, I know I don't talk much and when I do, I'm usually ranting or venting about something and often come across as a little obnxious 'cause I'm sarcastic and plain old just like what I like, and don't like what I don't like.

Anyway, onto what I needed to vent about. I'm having an issue with anonymous reviews. To start off, I'd like to explain that I don't have an actual problem with anonymous reviews in general, sometimes you frequent a site, but you're not a member and you still want to leave your thoughts with the writer- okay. Sometimes you just don't recall your login or you are in a rush, so you just throw your review in without logging in- again, perfectly fine. I also don't want this to come out sounding like I only have an issue if the review is negative or not supportive of the work- everyone is entitled to their own opinion and we're all well aware that though we all share a common fandom, we don't all enjoy the same things in our stories.

Okay, enough covering my butt- my problem is this: When anonymous reveiwers make a comment that you, as the writer of the fic they are commenting on, don't understand, that doesn't seem to really have anything to do with what you've written, that insults your work because of a point you tried to get across but they just didn't understand, or just outright flames you or your work.

First off, flames suck, we all know this, so let's leave the last point out of this. I received two anon reviews lately that just . . . left me scratching my head in one case and needing to vent a little in the other. The first one was here on Dokuga and I just . . . felt like the reader didn't get at all what I was putting across or gave any room for where I was trying to go with things. If I give a background on a character and it's not flattering, even in some aspects, appauling . . . why would someone think that I expected them to sympathize with that character? I didn't get that and I felt like they just didn't bother trying to get the meaning of that particular chapter. Again, everyone is entitled to their opinion, but if the opinion doesn't seem to reflect the work you're commenting on . . . then why leave it? And I can't contact you to explain or give you an insight that I feel like perhaps you missed, or even maybe offer a different perspective for you to see it from? Perhaps it's also an issue with posting stories chapter by chapter, the reader has no choice but to stop at the end of what you've posted and therefore can't imagine that you're going to smooth things over, or what have you, in upcoming chapters.

The other review . . . le sigh. It was over on ff.net. It was posted just this morning to my old fic Sins in Dreaming. I try not to be a prideful person, but I was pretty proud of this fic, a lot of people liked it and enjoyed reading it and it won an award . . .hard not to love your own story in that light, but I digress. The bulk of that fic was written between 2 &1/2 to 3 years ago and I only posted an update to it sometime last week-ish. The reviewer got up to the end of the second chapter and then told me things like 'Rin acts too old, she's defying Sesshomaru and that's too OoC' . . . which is fine, that's the person's opinion. Personally I never saw Rin as some obedient doll that wouldn't speak her mind if she really felt something was the right thing to do- she's young, yes, but her portrayal in the manga shows that she's a strong person who does do what she thinks is right and does stand by the people she cares for. Let me not rant about that, though.

The thing that bothered me was that this person then proceeded to dump all over other points that are basically, I hate to say it, but yes, cliche Inuyasha canon-setting main stays. But it was only the opening of the story and I had to sit here and read through this person dumping on my work because it's -and I quote- "sooooo old" and how no one ever does anything different or new. That's alright, too, in a way, because, yes, I know we all tire of cliches from time to time, but in a canon setting it's hard not to have the cliches there at least to start off, or to have them pop up at some point because it's how it stays tied, in large part, to the spirit of the original material or you're using the cliche to turn it around later to make a bigger point with something that is new or different and show just how much it varies from the norm that we all expect from the series. But it seemed like this review didn't even take into account how long ago I'd written the first chapters of that fic, and I'm sorry to say it, but at least for me, I think how you view a fanfic in regards to cliche and canon main stays should partly depend on when the fic in question was written.

If I feel you've made a debatable point, I can't speak my mind on it, I can't open a dialogue with you to explain anything or discuss your views with you, I can't defend my work in any way. Some might say 'you shouldn't have to defend your work', and maybe I shouldn't, but I feel like if someone is going to belittle my story without even giving it a proper chance (and this goes for anyone's work, if you know there's more to a story than just the part you have a problem with, at least read the rest of it to see if it's smoothed over, or if it was maybe set up that way intentionally to set the stage for something else, entirely) than I should be allowed the opportunity to at least respond. This person gets a chance to fire off on you for something they felt strongly enough to leave a review about, and you're basically left mute and artistically defenseless.

I know I just ranted a whole lot, but it just left me feeling kind of . . . unsettled, because I felt like I at least wanted to explain to this person why I wrote it that way and I don't have that ability. It also kind of set me at odds with myself, because I do think everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and you're entitled to share with an author what it was you didn't enjoy, or what you felt was off about their work- that's what the reviews & comments are supposed to be for, not just to ask for speedy updates, or show your support, but also to help the writer to polish their abilities as a writer, or perhaps suggest to them that they should familiarize themselves more with the original material. That I would have been fine with, tell me my grammar's not as proper as I think it is- sure, I'm already aware, I agree whole heartedly. Tell me how many typos I missed- I'm really bad with rereading my own work for editing purposes, I know most of my stuff is loaded with typos and miswordings. Heck, even tell me you don't like that story or it doesn't sit well with you because of whatever event took place. But leaving a downright obnoxious review without giving the writer the opportunity to respond in any way because you're unhappy with the fics in the fandom overall is . . . well, hey, I already said it, obnoxious.

I could just disable the anonymous reviews, sure, but then people who have a legitimate issue with my fic- not the fandom, not the cliches, but the story I am telling- wouldn't be able to explain their points, people who simply didn't log in and still want to leave a review wouldn't be able to share their thoughts with me.

Is it just me, or has anyone else just gotten a review that you couldn't respond to and the content left you sitting there feeling like this person just didn't get anything you were writing, or that left you wishing you could respond and feeling almost helpless because you can't? I mean, even if it's only to say 'sorry you didn't like it' or 'this part was a nod to -this scene- in the manga/anime', whatever. And I'm not talking about flames- people who leave outright flames should just be shot in the knee caps- but just reviews that leave you feeling irked ('cause it felt like they didn't even give the story a chance) and like you don't have a voice.

Honey, I know exactly how you feel. On FFN.net this person flamed an Edward Cullen x Kagome one shot of mine and yeah, I was PO'ed. I couldn't complain to them or say anything because it was, of course, anonymous. Instead I dedicated a chapter to him/her and tore them apart :3 It was lovely. They were obviously checking up on my story because they sat there and actually replied to my angry rant. Haha, so I'm sure they were just a secretly jealous fan. o3o

Don't feel bad!

As for reviews that leave you 'irked', omfg.

This one person the other day said they were huge fan AND YET they said they were going stop reading mt stories because of the fact I don't update regularly which is a bold faced lie. I've been updating steadily for the past few months. I'm actually showing interest in my stories.

I really wanted eat that person's eyeballs :3

So it happens! Don't feel overly irritated or irked.

lmao- eat their eyeballs? That is an awesome statement, I will remember that. But yes, i mean I understand when I get comments about my updates, 'cause anyone that read my stuff back when already is aware that I was horrific when it came to timely updates, and would put fics on hold because of writer's block, life in general, all that and end up either completely losing the thread of that story and having trouble working my way back to it, or just had completely lost the feel for that story. But if you know you're updating and a person claims that lack thereof is forcing them to basically boycott your work . . . yeah, eat their eyeballs!

From personal experience, the reviews you wish to reply to the most are left anonymously. Seriously, at least for me it feels that way. Because either it's a person who's criticising your story or then it's someone asking a very valid question. I know review responses in Author's notes are bad, but sometimes I have had no choice when a reader has left an anonymous review in which she has asked a very essential question.

Once, I got an anonymous review to an AU story of mine, to the second chapter, where the reader announced that s/he could not continue to read any further, because the flash backs in the chapters were too much for him/her. The point was, those first two chapters were the background work to explain Sess' and Kags' life up to the actual starting point at the fic, and from chapter 3 onwards there would have been no more flashbacks. Though it was a bit frustrating in my opinion, I was still mostly amused. It was the reader's loss for giving up on my story too soon!

And I too, get the feeling of standing up to my story at times, when I feel the criticiser does not really understand the point I'm trying to get across well enough. I've written some ranty author's notes, or then vented off the feelings the review evoked in me on Livejournal. But then, I've always had a bit of a short fuse, so to say.

Still, in a crooked way I value even the criticism that I feel is "unjustified" - at least it's something different than the endless pleas to update.

I know how you feel...

I have gotten reviews from people and what not complaining that I have made Sesshoumaru too soft, or Kagome can't be such a b-i-t-c-h. But mostly this is coming from people who have seen one show or have read one manga, who think that they know all.

I'm sorry that you have had reviewers saying stuff like that to you -hugs-

Well, that is a problem when you post your work out there for everyone to read. You have to be able to take the bad, and the good, and the people who don't understand. Unfortunately, it'll be the case that most of the time, the most confused and rude people will be anonymous. And I agree with you, I will never disabled anonymous reviews just because someone was rude. It upset you, but it's not worth sacrificing all the nice reviews you can get for the other people.

Because first rule first, you shouldn't post out there if you're not ready to take the bad stuff.

I do have this feeling of "unsettling" when I get a review where someone just is off track with their perception, and yes, you really wish you could explain it to them, but unfortunately it comes with the fact of anonymous, it's frustrating, but you have to learn to let it go. It's hard, it even gets to me sometimes too, but I sort of started to not reply to them anymore in A/N, because they are not worth your time.

People have opinions, and read things the way they want to see it, and you can't do anything about that. Basically you can keep writing, and push that aside, and write for your passions, and the people who enjoy your work, or let the frustrating thing get to you, and perhaps stop your work.

So don't let it get to you hun. Enjoy what you do.

You mentioned two reasons a review might be anonymous: That the reader is not a registered user of the site, but still wishes to comment, and that a registered user is not currently logged in, and it is a hassle to log in just to review. I can think of one other reason for anonymous reviews, and that is that a registered user, who is a fan fiction writer as well, wants to damage your self-confidence without others realizing who they are and what their intentions are. Jealousy is a regrettable part of human nature, and there are some petty people who feel the need to harass and belittle others to make themselves feel superior.

It does not do any good to attempt to justify your writing to someone who is attempting to undermine your confidence in this way. Hopefully, their bad behavior will spur you on in your writing endeavors, rather than crushing your spirit, as was their intent.

I feel confident in stating that you are part of that top five percent of fan fiction writers that produce a professional-grade product. I am amazed at your creativity, and the fine craftsmanship of your writing. Don't let the @#%^$$^^%% get you down!

Thanks guys! No, I would never stop writing because of a few obnoxious or completely off-base reviews, I would never give someone else that much power over me, my art, or my mind. And I wouldn't put a reply in an A/N unless it was a crucial point or question the reviewer raised, thereby making me wonder how many other readers had the same question/point in mind. I will admit, I almost replied directly to that first, head-scratching anon review, but I deleted it at the last minute, because no one else seemed to have a problem with the chapter and I was pretty confident that it was a misunderstanding on that person's part as opposed to some oversight on my part as the writer.

Thanks for the feedback. I know you take the good with the bad when it comes to other people reading your work, but there's a line between bad/negative review and someone giving you a written-word tongue lashing because they aren't happy with things in the fandom's fics in general. It was just so bloody frustrating.

*sniffles* OMG, thank you, KT! (can I call you KT, 'cuz I'm going to XD)

Yeah, it did cross my mind that someone had deliberately not wanted to be known and still just sound off, but the thing is that I hate thinking like that. I know some terrible writers out there (not personally, but ya know, through their work or friends who've read their work) and they always reply to reviews on how they can improve their writing (helpful reviews left with the best of intentions) like their writing is the greatest in the world and anyone with a negative comment is just jealous that they can't write as well. So yeah, it's a legitimate thing to wonder if the person intentionally left the anon review to basically spit on you and walk away so they can feel better, and it might be paranoid, but we know it happens because yes, people are petty, but I feel like if I let my mind go down that road, than I'm no better than the crappy writer who thinks anyone with a problem is just jealous of my uber-awesome writing ability.

I think we all feel this way at some point...I've been there.

I had an anonymous review that said something like this:
sure its decent and maybe some people love it but its starting to get boring

Thats it...no explanation to why you think it's boring...and when you see it's anonymous you know there isn't any way to contact that mbr or person and find out what they think... I think most of the time it's lack of understanding that leads to reviews like ours...maybe people who don;t know how hard it can be to write fanfiction at times...as well as the fact that everybody perceives characters differently

hang in there Freya! Everyone gets that review and wants to know more...we just have to focus on the good reviews and the ones that help us develop our writing skills

Thanks, Rose! Yeah, that is part of what irks me. If you tell me 'blah' comment, but not the reason you feel that way, or what part of the story made you feel that way, then how am I supposed to feel about that comment?

Maybe it's just me, but when I write a review, even if it was anonymous, even if it was to point out something posibily negative, I still take into account how the person receiving the review is going to feel about what I have to say. These people just dump what they have to say on you, not caring how you're going to feel because they got what they have to say off their chest. Annoying f'ers, lol.

I think I only put up a ranty AN once. I shouldn't have had been so unprofessional, but I felt that the reviewer had insulted me. She complained about the prospect of an arranged marriage in one of my fics, and straight out told me that I had weird standards. I suppose I stooped to her level of stupidity when I replied, but I felt wronged. *sigh* if one is criticising the story, fine, each of us have their own opinions. If one is criticising me, that's personal. :/

It is though as people here have pointed out. If we as writers don't take criticism well, we shouldn't have our stories out in public. No matter where you go, there'll always be idiots and people who just don't understand. That's life.

The good thing is, in the end there'll always be that one wonderful review that makes up for a hundred bad ones! ^____^

Yea as its been said all of us have run into this. Honestly I'm surprised it hasn't happened to me more considering my sporadic updates but I just figure people have stopped reading my stuff and thats ok. I post for me and I think thats what matters at the end of the day. We're writing a story that WE want to see, a situation that WE want to watch unfold and everyone else or even no one else may like it at all but thats ok because our opinion as a writer is the only one that matters when it comes to our work. This is not one of those 'the customer (or reader in this case) is always right' situations. That's the glory of it, we really don't have to please anyone but ourselves. Yes it's nice that someone reads your work and loves it as much as you do, it's absolutely wonderful and intensely gratifying. But as we all know by now that isn't always the case.

I got a review on the last chapter I posted that made me wonder if they had actually even read what I'd written or just skimmed along and assumed they got the gist of things. Those are the kind of reviews that irk me, when they make a point that is completely and clearly irrelevant and untrue to what you have written. But hey somethings just aren't as clear to others as they may be to us as the writer.

Chie:

Absolutely!

And again, yes, we all have to be prepared to take harsh criticisms if we're putting our work out for others to see since not everyone likes the same things and not everyone has the same standards for what makes something good. But my thing is this- if you don't like a particular fandom . . . why would you read it? Like me, personally, I can't stand Twilight, if I know someone who's unsure of their writing and wants me to read their Twilight fanfic, I will do it and restrict my review comments to critiquing the writing itself and not bring the actual story into it.

And that's my whole thing, if you're going to have something negative to say, than it should be about the writing, the quality of the work, something you found offensive, or something that made you want to just not read that story anymore- but only if it's valid, like you were enjoying it and something you really couldn't abide happened, that's a reasonable thing, I think. It shouldn't be a comment about the writer, themselves, or a rant about how much you can't stand this pairing ('cause if you can't stand that pairing and the pairing is listed in the summary why did you even start reading it?). That's my only peeve about this whole thing, that it wasn't that they were making a valid comment on my work, negative or positive, but just dumping on me because of cliches in the fandom and I'm like ' . . . what?' Ya know?

Zyren:

Thank you! That last part was exactly what I was talking about with the head-scratching review, 'cause . . . I thought, maybe, I wasn't clear on what I was trying to put across, but there was really no way to be any clearer about it without literally stating to the reader 'you should feel like this about such-and-such'. And I just kept going back over it and I couldn't understand after the umpteenth time where the reviewer had even gotten the notion from. I mean- to put it in perspective- the characters (Sess and Kag, of course, in AU setting) are going over translations of an ancient text and the last days of a creature claiming to be a lust demon unfold, explaining how he basically seduced women and then drained their entire living essence from them, killing them, and how he had the entire village brainwashed/manipulated into serving his whims . . . and this person's response is 'the demon's story made me feel unsympathetic to the character'. I literally, out loud, to my computer screen said "Whose story are you reading?" Because if this person was reading the entire thing, they would know there wasn't intended to be room for sympathizing with that character in any way.

It was one of those moments that just leaves you dumbfounded for a bit like 'wtf am I supposed to do with this comment?'

My gosh, it is too early in the morning to be reading a book. I need Cliff Notes for this thread.

First off, if anyone receives an anonymous review that is hovering in flame territory, please tell us admins. Even if they're anonymous, we can track IP addresses and determine who it is. On occasion, they are registered members, and we can whip out the modbaton and give them a sound beating.

As others have said, anonymous reviews can be frustrating. It's almost as if people are being purposefully oblique. Is there something to what they say? As a writer you should be open to it, but not beat yourself up over it.

And if you're only writing for yourself, why post it on the internet? That's a fallacy. If you're on a site sharing your work, you're writing for more than just yourself. If you insist that you're writing is only for you, then you'll have a tough time growing as a writer.

So fundamentally, people are weird. Dokuga is available to people all over the world. That means hundreds of cultures and millions of interpretations and opinions. And don't forget intelligence levels. You're going to be irked for a little while, but then a nice positive review will come along and you'll feel better. It happens to everyone.

I do have one review of this thread. "Please be concise "

I got a anonymous flame one time and the person didn't get at all the message I was trying to get across or didn't interpret it correctly. And I just wanted to explain to them what they had missed. But obviously couldn't!! They pretty much falmed me calling my work bad because they weren't clear on the message, it was depressing kind of

@ Lady B- Yes, I'm very sorry about not being concise , I didn't fully notice how long it was 'til afterward. I tend to ramble only because I do get concerned about getting how I feel about something across without making it seem like I'm just being b*tchy or unreasonable. I don't know about others, but when I say 'I'm writing for myself' I mean I'm writing because I enjoy it, and a negative comment or a bad review isn't going to change that. I just really needed to vent, I'm sure you understand.

And unfortunately, the review in question wasn't on Dokuga- the one that was only confused me. Negative reviews in general don't irk me, I can handle someone not liking my work, or thinking it's just not a good story/good writing. Negative comments that really tell you nothing, however, do bother me because the person is basically taking their time to leave a review and then . . . complaining for the sake of complaining.

Yeah, I'm becoming more and more convinced that these people intentionally leave the reviews anonymously 'cause they think they can then say whatever they want and not have it come back on them in any way.

@Kagome- It is very disheartening when you receive a review, you go to read it . . . and not only are you getting insulted, but the person seems to have not even read your story. It's like 'what's the point?'

I'm about to leave for a prenatal apt. but I couldn't go before quickly addressing this topic. I'll come back and read peoples comments and reply in detail further later:

I've never had a flame... I'm a new writer, and so I suppose its just not happened yet. However, I can't imagine it really bothering me. A flame doesn't bother me because the persons only intent seems to be to stir the pot. BUT I completely get the irritation when you have an annon review (or flame as the case may be) that you can't reply to. Its cowardly to not allow the writer the opportunity to respond, explain, etc.

What DOES bother me in reviews is when I get questions that I've addressed in detail. I feel like "did you actually read what I wrote or just send in a review for the heck of it? I always look at those questions and try to make sure that I was very clear, and my other reviewers greatly help in this area. If there are others that are equally confused than I know the error was mine.

Don't let it get you down. You are an AMAZING writer. I've just read your latest fic "Stealing Heaven." I normally refuse to read fics unless I know hte author FINISHES them (and not YEARS later) but I took a chance and went ahead and started reading. This could work in my favor if you finish it and keep it up, but if you abandon it or don't update regularly, it will be a cruel torture indeed. BECAUSE I'M SO OBSESSED with that story! I just absolutely love everything about it. I plan to review it when I have the time (obviously I'm a little busy today lol) but I have a lot to say, so I may not get to it until tonight. Don't worry... NO FLAMES! Only possitive thoughts. although if at any point I feel I have something helpful to offer, I'm the kind of person that will. Its not to be taken as a complaint, just that I am passionate enough about a story to take the time out of my crazy life to offer some help or advice, etc.

Moxy, my dear- you are very welcome to offer any helpful hints (and A) lovely to meet you, B ) congrats! I'm a mommy, myself). I've never really gotten a flame, I've gotten at most reviews complaining about typos or say I used an incorrect translation, ya know, common stuff. Everyone's hit the nail right on the head about the fact that the frustration comes from not being able to respond- especially when the comment left makes it seem like the person didn't even read the darn thing, lol. If it was just a flame, I don't think it would have bothered me (well, it might have, but not enough to start a whole venting-thread) because I know people can be petty.

And very much thank you so much for that spontaneous feedback on Stealing Heaven, wasn't expecting that ! I'm really hoping to keep that fic going, so if you ever think I'm taking too long on an update (so far I've been going at 1 to 2 chapters a week) please feel free to message me, because sometimes I do get so caught up in real life that when I next have free time, I honestly have blond moment and forget to use the time to write. I would love long, in depth (possibly even rambling) reviews for help in making the story better and/or keeping it going strong. *hugs*

One little Admin-type note here, friends...

On Dokuga, we have a rule that states that you may not respond to reviewers in Author's Notes... in any way, shape, or form. For those of you who may have done so on this site, please go through and remove any and all review responses before *I* find them... or I'll have to whack some fingers.

Yes, I realize that this heightens the frustration level, but I would strongly advise all authors to note that they will not respond to reviews in Author's Notes and, if a reviewer wishes a response to their question, they must include a way for the author to contact them... or just LOG IN.

As Lady B correctly noted, the Admins here will not only remove flames, but will track the IP address of any flamers. Make very, VERY sure that you want to leave that review if you're thinking of doing it "anonymously." If we find a member flaming others, the consequences can be severe. If we find a non-member flaming stories, they may find their access to the site TOTALLY blocked at some point.

Again, if any of our authors have been tempted to respond to their reviewers via Author's Notes on this site, PLEASE remove them. I cannot begin to tell you how much I'll appreciate your assistance!!!

~~Wiccan~~

Thank you Wiccan! I'm glad my fingers shall not need to be whacked! >_> Though I dofeel bad for anyone who may be under scrutiny due to what may have been said in the postings on this thread :/ .

I understand your frustrations with anonymous reviewers. I'm not a good writer, but I've had people leave reviews that inspire me and make me happy... and some that... well, leave me feeling like a puddle of crap and confusion. One person had the nerve to tell me that Sesshoumaru and Kagome should NEVER be together cause Inuyasha and Kagome were the actual couple in the Inuyasha series... Uh, its called fanfiction for a reason. Drr! Anyway, yeah, it makes you want to throttle them into submission, but eh, you win some and you lose some. If what they say has nothing relevant to do with your story, other than editing or suggestions and whatnot, its pointless to pay attention to what they say. I've since then ignored them... and hit delete. Deleting them is fun to do too!!!! (^_^)

I don't know about on here, but on FFN, you can remove anon reviews if you want. I know it seems like cheating, but if the review is as obnoxious as you say it is (and it is, since I went and read it) then it's better to just get rid of it. *shrugs* But that's just me. You know how much of a pain I can be about those things.

I know I can, Miss Itsy (reminds me- I need to go post the reviews for your drabble story! totally forgot, was playing with hair dye). It is obnoxious, but it's just one review. I mean, people read a story 'cause they like what the see in the summary, or because they are familiar with that author's work and have liked the other goodies that particular writer has had to offer. I don't know anyone that has decided to read a story based solely on the reviews (number, maybe, but not actually taking the time to read them) and even if they did, they would see that it was literally one review out of over 200 on that story.

The entire reason for the thread was to vent the frustration of how people seem to use anon reviews to verbally cripple you- ya know, so they can say whatever they want to you and you don't have the option of saying anything back to them.