How NOT to use this board

[Guest force_echo]

Holy f*ck. That was the greatest Ivanbomb of all time.

 

EDIT: Why BlueDream?

[C.T.]

Now that was a comeback!

 

Agreed.

[DSkillz]

Now this is begging for a "resurrection" reference, lol.

 

Seriously, welcome back to the fold, Iva--, uh BlueDream. I was going to inquire the other admins about you.

 

And no hard feeings about the "eulogy", right? It was all in good fun, but it may have set off a whole round of joke posts at your expense. For that, I again apologize.

 

Now, I won't derail the thread any further. Mr. O needs to see this.

[Guest Soberguy]

I love this thread so very much. I want to have this entire thread inscribed in a heart-shaped locket and wear it around my neck for the rest of my life.

 

The next tourney should have everyone write their own version of the Headbutter. I'm sorely tempted to do this anyhow.

[treacherous]

Mr. O hasn't been back since he posted his rebuttal to Exal. I think the FPL officially killed him.

[Darkender]

Here Lies Mr. Outstanding.

 

Death by IvanBomb.

[Guest deojusto]

Here Lies Mr. Outstanding.

 

Death by IvanBomb.

 

Dude, he left before Ivan posted his comment.

[Landon]

Ivan did a perfect impression of Sacriel there.

 

*massive inside joke*

[Ivan]

It's not really important whether Mr. O read the comments or not. What IS important is that anyone else who happens across this thread will understand that he was wrong, that he reacted poorly, and that he was not a very good writer. Lying about credentials is always a possibility on the internet, but it's far worse to brandish them in an attempt to recuse yourself from valid criticism. The object lesson here is: claimed expertise does not excuse demonstrated ignorance. He got some really charitable advice given the quality of his work.

 

There is one bit of his ranting which rings true for me. I've been to several writers workshops, and they ARE much nicer than FPL criticism. They are circle-jerks, where the insecure form an unspoken compact with one another predicated on blind effusion and ego-stroking. These workshops often charge hundreds of dollars, so it is naturally within their best interest to keep people wanting to come back. The easiest way to do this is by employing something called the Forer effect. This is a common-sense psychological "phenomenon" where people ascribe accuracy and credibility to any statements that reflect on them positively, regardless of the truth in these statements. Tell someone they're smart, or attractive, or funny, and they'll instinctively agree with you regardless of how inaccurate the statement may be. Had deo or Exal blanketed "The Headbutter" in layers of pollyanna BS, you can bet that Mr. O wouldn't be demanding to see an MFA.

 

Some people can't hang, and it's healthier for everyone involved to let them vent their impotence and leave, rather than trying to "sell" them on the idea that having thick skin is a basic, fundamental life skill they should probably learn if they want to be successful in any arts-related field. I've never really talked about my background on this site, but I have professional experience in television, theater, and music; I've seen casting directors be needlessly savage plenty of times where the brutality wasn't tempered with anything constructive. In my opinion, it's up to the artist to extract the useful elements of any criticism and disregard the rest. Y'all know me- In a proper CA I will straight up rewrite parts of your character I don't like- but I'd be shocked if anyone ever used my suggestions verbatim.

 

The other visible life lesson in this thread is about effort. Mr. O assumed that, because he believes himself to be a great writer, his FPL learning curve would be nonexistent. This is silly- there is no creative venture on earth that doesn't require practice. Had he handled his business and worked to improve, rather than throw a tantrum, the FPL would have a new aspiring creator. Instead we have a cautionary tale.

[CanisMax]

I bow to the master. I'm fairly certain some small Eastern European country just imploded.

 

'Mr. O' should feel honored. Getting IvanBombed is the single most gruesome form of internet death.

[Guest Pseudonym]

We should put something else in the FAQ

 

"The Character Analysis board is not a place for circlejerkery. The Character Analysis board is not a test of your bravery and chutzpah. You will not impress us by bravely defending your work. You will impress us by understanding whatever criticism you're lucky enough to get."

[Hugo Fowl]

We should put something else in the FAQ

 

"The Character Analysis board is not a place for circlejerkery. The Character Analysis board is not a test of your bravery and chutzpah. You will not impress us by bravely defending your work. You will impress us by understanding whatever criticism you're lucky enough to get, and using it to improve."

 

Alteration for the win.

[Darkender]

Dude, he left before Ivan posted his comment.

 

Bah. I like to think he was teetering from you and Exals comments and then Ivan took the knockout/Death blow.

[Guest Nilan]

After reading all this, I now hate my old roommate, because of whose wedding I was deprived of internet access for the last week or so.

[Guest Djgambrell]

OK just read through this and I don't know if I missed anything but... why did he freak out?

[AVP vs The Terminator]

OK just read through this and I don't know if I missed anything but... why did he freak out?

Sir Exal criticized his character, and he basically went "NO, YOU'RE WRONG. MY CHARACTER IS GREAT, AND MY VARIOUS ENGLISH CREDENTIALS ARE PROOF OF THIS."

[Guest Djgambrell]

Sir Exal criticized his character, and he basically went "NO, YOU'RE WRONG. MY CHARACTER IS GREAT, AND MY VARIOUS ENGLISH CREDENTIALS ARE PROOF OF THIS."

Yea...

[Guest Soberguy]

The Character Analysis board is the Thunderdome of literary criticism. Grab a chainsaw and shut the f*ck up.

[Guest Djgambrell]

The Character Analysis board is the Thunderdome of literary criticism. Grab a chainsaw and shut the f*ck up.

Umm... Did I offend you?

[Guest Soberguy]

Umm... Did I offend you?

 

That wasn't directed at you. It was a statement of fact for all to enjoy.

[AVP vs The Terminator]

Umm... Did I offend you?

Why would you think it was directed at you?

[treacherous]

Wow, he really never came back. I didn't even think the Headbutter was supposed to be that serious. Hell, he was never that serious. I wonder if that was Augustinaldo?

[Guest force_echo]

Nah, he wasn't a troll, he just went crazy against critique. I wouldn't be surprised if he came back in a week or 2.

[Ivan]

Hopefully he went back to college to get another degree, preferably one which emphasizes basic high-school level sentence construction. Third time's a charm, right?

[Guest Djgambrell]

This is why I try really hard not to piss anybody off on here.