[Battle Report] CRIPPLE FIGHT~! - Page 2

Evan, I understand where you're coming from, but in my experience that simply isn't how the internet works. Basically, the first person of some reputation to post their opinion will set the opinion of 90% of my audience who just bases everything they believe based on popular opinion. So by discouraging people to even bother giving me their inane criticism, I feel I'm making it more likely that someone with something positive to say will post first, thus ensuring other people will also enjoy my story (because even if it is good, if you read it wanting to hate it, you will). Yeah, it's stupid and perhaps underhanded, but that's how I think it works. Here's an example of replies I got for a story I would consider to have better quality, but that started with a bad review:

+ Show Spoiler +

It was just like this: an obviously silly little thing I wrote up for the amusement of anyone who likes this kind of thing. Other forums I posted the same story on, but beginning with modesty, received positive enthusiasm just like in this thread.

I know I'm a good writer. I don't need anyone to tell me that. If I proofread my work, think about it long and hard, and put in the hours, I'll always come up with something good. If I write something silly in one draft and don't bother to proofread it, it's still amusing enough. But the fact of the matter is that you still have to win your audience, and unfortunately for silly little things like this, you have to directly inform people that's what they are, because apparently by virtue of its own existence is not enough.

And thanks to StripedBlueCrow for linking it from the General Forum's cripple thread.
Without that I'd most likely never have read this.

Is it just me, or has TLnet strangely become more entertaining since the purge announcement?