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I got this comment today on a slash story from several years ago:

---------------
It's old. It's odd. It's short. And I am homophobic.

But still, it's good for a laugh, and definitely WAFF-y. :) I like it.
---------------

...

Um. That. What???

I sent a neutral response because I can't help suspecting this person is a troll, but I wanted to say something more like this:

Dear [Redacted],

You don't need to tell me that you're homophobic before praising my story. In fact, please don't.

I am willing to concede that your intent may have been along the lines of, "I don't usually like Pairing X but you wrote it well enough that I enjoyed the story anyway," but you know something? I am not thrilled by those reviews either. I understand that they're meant to compliment my writing ability by saying I persuaded readers to like something they usually dislike, but... I don't actually need to know that you usually dislike the aspect in question, whatever it is. Just say you enjoyed the story, no qualifications necessary. That is more than enough of a compliment -- and in this particular case, also avoids the problem of making me feel vaguely icky in a complicit fashion.

--Liz

Current Mood: confused
Current Location: ithaca, ny
Crossposts: http://edenfalling.livejournal.com/679770.html

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From:

... *headdesk* -___- wow what convinced them it was an acceptable thing to say to a complete stranger. DID YOU WANT A COOKIE? ffff.

From:

edenfalling

I don't know! It was VERY STRANGE.

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Elizabeth Culmer

January 2026

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