@Lakanamihan Not exactly! I didnt expect you to reply to any of my non-question input, so to speak. But I’m glad it’s all good now!

@BangMind Actually I think I know where the problem lies (maybe, correct me if I'm wrong): bc I didn't respond to the rest of your reply and only answered your question lol I didn't have anything else to say regarding your replies to my earlier questions so I just jumped straight to answering your question for me. No worries on my end dw. I hope you didn't feel uncomfortable in the way I responded as well. ^^ Anyway I was curious about your blog and thought you brought the discussion on the blog section, not that I was expecting you to say bad things in there, I genuinely thought we just brought the topic elsewhere that's why I got curious 😅

@Lakanamihan so i just checked the blog section and my blog actually got listed even though i set it as un-listed. like nooo then what was that unlisted function for OTL

@Lakanamihan omg this is so embarrassing and i apologize for making you uncomfortable or offending you in anyway!
okay so since you have probably seen that blog (it was meant to be kept private, i didn't know ticking that unlisted box meant nothing for my aff friends??). and you can take my words with a grain of salt if you'd like, but i over-exaggerate in my private (like private private, only for me type of) blogs like all the time. hostile and aggressive are strong adjectives and i know i wouldn't dare say so in front of you because i dont actually mean it. it was kept for my personal keeping because i'd like to learn from this discussion— because i do value it.
having said so though, i did find your previous reply's tone a bit different from the previous, previous ones. it's just a hunch, really, and especially after some parts of my reply that could come across as assertive (the last paragraph, and the sentence about running a oneshot request shop, specifically). but truly, everything i have said is a personal opinion and i never feel my opinions are the absolute. and i'm truly glad you were not offended by anything in particular like i was worried about (well, i hope at least, before that blog thingy. that was ugly, i admit.)
again, yes, i am worried if my opinions offended you, nothing could have happened if i was actually more careful in putting my thoughts down in a serious discussion, especially when i'm not using my native language.
please let me know if there's anything else you'd like cleared up!

@BangMind Oh dw I didn't take your previous reply in any way badly or took offense if that's what you're worried about. I just replied with my personal stance on the matter since that's what you asked. I have always been that way and didn't have this set idea of what fanfics are, meaning I didn't go out of my way to craft my view on things. It happened naturally because I have my own different view on fanfics altogether anyway. I didn't start as a reader of fics, I actually started writing right away so in some sense my "fic etiquette" is different from the ppl who were avid readers. It's more like I actually have no clue how fics work in a more "fan community" type of way other than they are just simply literary works in a more modern format. I always viewed fanfics how I view trad published books. And to a certain degree I may even take fics way more seriously than I should. To clarify as well bc I didn't know if this is the part that didn't set well with you in a sense (oh and btw idk what other response you wanted to clarify, I didn't see anything else besides this one), I meant OOC as in my characters are actually original characters with idol fcs, so in no way shape or form are they related to irl idols. In fact, I give them oc names for this very reason (other than I just love giving and coming up with names to my characters). So in a sense, I write original fiction. Just for imagination purposes (and also for promotion, since fans read about their idols), I use a face claim so readers can be more immersed. I write for myself so I like to think idol fcs are actors playing for a movie or tv series role I wrote and came up with. No way am I intending to offend or infringe idols and their identities. If anything, I actually am more mindful to write and publish things that I know wouldn't be embarrassing or cringey for actual people to know were written about them. Like I put myself in their shoes and wonder 'if this was me, would I hate it or find it cool?' So I always make it a point to publish only quality fics. Some things I write deal with heavy topics, but even that I have written coming from a mindfully artful standpoint. I got a bit confused bc I was notified of a blog you posted that said heated convo about this discussion but when I click on the notif there was nothing. I'm a bit confused though

@Lakanamihan i'm on board with you on that more than you think! if i could go back and elaborate on my previous reply, it's more that i dont condone people deliberately set their fictional character to behave certain ways in the story out of hatred/ force/ obsession to serve their delusions/ inappropriate take on how the face claimed should behave irl. other that that, i'm fine with anything else. so if you make them (for simplicity's sake, let's just say) 'ooc' in your fics, i'd never judge you for that! like you said, we dont know idols enough to be able to assume whatever we write about them might actually be their true self. at the end of the day, people have many facets to their personalities so there's always a huge pool of possibilities in different environments we set up, and i do believe character study is one of the fun things we indulge in writing fanfics.

@BangMind Fact is I tend to work with way more creative liberty in characterizations. Tbh I only use idols as face-claims. Most of the time my characters don't really have the same attitude as their idol fcs do irl, but that's not to say it's too far fetched. My characters are rooted in reality too, since I pride myself in the in-depth character studies I incorporate in my fics, but it's just that, I don't like assuming how idols should behave or think even in a fictional sense. It feels fake even in fiction, just overall inauthentic and disingenuous. So I just outright don't try to mimic a real person's personality and way of thinking. Though I may be inspired by things I can pick up that these idols showcase, I mostly chalk it up as their idol persona, since, no matter how genuine they present themselves to be, they are still performing in front of a camera and have an image to uphold. I respect that, so I don't like using that as my baseline idea of who they really are. TLDR; I mostly write them OOC because I don't believe I will ever know these idols at a personal level, so I don't like to represent them incorrectly.

@Lakanamihan @the discussion topic, yes, true! the point you brought up makes a lot of sense as to how the section has come to be.

yes i am actively reading fics! i read one at a time, always been this way i think, since i have a bird brain and cant concentrate if i read more than one at a time. which confirms that yea, i dont touch the on-going fics (i can subscribe, bookmark, mark for later etc. but i wont read until i finish what i'm currently reading).
doesn't matter at all! in fact i actually like ocs with names of real celebs, makes the imagination a lot easier. i have written stories about idols that i claim could be interpreted as ocs, just because they might get more engagement if i put it that way. i'm not sure if it puts people off once they find out the original characters are actually idols, but if it does, well, they have their reasons and i understand that.
i'd prefer to write only for my favs, but if the plot i have in mind calls for other idols i see fit, i will dive into that as well. i ran a oneshot request shop in the past, and i found out that if i were to write about people i dont know very well, i would always need to learn a bit about them first. a fanfic is not really a fanfic if the starring character doesn't resonate at all with their face-claims.
i'm not a versatile writer, so no, i dont try to change up styles/ formats unless i feel it means my story will be better written that way. i just stick with the ones i feel most comfortable and confident in.
i'm a romance so i tend to write romance. different themes within the romance scope? yes, i try to tackle them if i can. but other genres/ tropes i'm foreign to? not really.
even though i like romance, i'm more open when it comes to reading, i think. as long as the universe i'm introduced to is kindly explained, i'll dive.
no way. i love feeling for my ships while reading, but i do appreciate a nice plot or nice emotions! i've actually read a handful of ships i dont... ship, because the stories were too good to pass by. again, it depends on how i feel for the story and the characters.
i have a question for you, too! when you write stories, do you try to write your character's personality as close to the real life counterpart as much as possible, or you are more deliberate? i'm more of the second type, though i avoid writing them completely out-of-character.

@BangMind i think i also felt the inconvenience of the spamming in a way. but i think the main reason i stopped engaging was bc aff as a website was starting to take a huge shift at the time and ppl were not really using discussions as it was intended and likeminded ppl (ie ppl who knows what it is for) became less and less active on here so it rly didn't feel like an enjoyable place to be in. plus i was entering a writing rut where i felt silly writing fanfics that i was on the verge of leaving aff altogether anw. it's only last year that i started writing actively again actually.

do you still actively read a lot of fics nowadays? how many do you read at a time? honestly for me i can't read many fics at once; usually two or three at a time, especially ongoing ones. with shorter fics i can finish in one sitting, i usually just stumble upon one, read it at once, and if i feel compelled to i always make sure to leave a comment, just to make a writer's day a little better if only a little. also, how do you feel about fics whose idol characters have oc names? do they put you off or do you not mind reading them? as for writing, do you like changing up things regularly? like writing about fandoms you haven't written about before, trying out different techniques and styles/formats, and also tackling variety of tropes and genres? also do you do that as well with regards to reading, do you have wide variations of reading preferences or do you stick to just the few ones you're familiar with? also does not having ships in the fic hinder you from reading it further?

@Lakanamihan i haven't touched discussion section in years and i felt nostalgic so i visited it... only to find out we made like 20 posts this past year. and a bunch of them are just really not meant to be a discussion post in the first place *sigh
i loved reading and engaging discussions too! fun times back in the days. these days people are much less social i feel like. or it could be because of the spamming that constantly turns people off (me included)

anw, to answer your questions!
doesn't matter because subs-only fics show enough content for me to judge (if it doesn't it simply means writer writes too little per chapter and i'd instantly click back because i have grown to equate that to not-good story). i make decision to or not to begin reading a fic very quickly, like, could be as short as a few sentences— sometimes only a dialog paragraph. i know that's kinda unfair, but i think it's just about enough to show the writer's style, and what the story will feel like the rest of the read if i were to read it. i belong to a handful of fandoms so the material pool is a lot to choose from anyway.
with fandoms i'm more attached to, though, i do give them better attention (glancing at the contents more closely, hehe).
i only read fics about my favs or at least, people i know. recommend me the best fanfic you ever read but the main characters are total strangers to me and i'd just say no thanks :')
when it comes to reading fics, i tend to look for good characterization and interesting scenario. plot doesn't have to be mind-blowing with twists and turns, it can be a cliche for all i care but if i like the characters and i feel for their conflicts, i'll roll along till the end.
i mostly read! i'm a procrastinator, and reading is just a quicker way to destress/ indulge in the feels for my biases/ otps, and mostly, because i never write as good as i expect my piece to be. the more i read, the more i stumble across amazing writing and the more i get annoyed rather than enjoying what i write out (doesn't mean i quit writing though. i hope :D)

@BangMind no worries, that's fine. :D i love having chats here. i used to be on the discussions area often before and just chat around with other aff members. anw, regarding your answer, what happens if the chapter is blurred in cases of subs-only fics? what would make you stick around to read a fic? and do you just read fics from fandoms/ships you already know or do you venture out to other fandoms as well? do you specifically look for fics in the fandoms you like or just look for good fics to read regardless of who they feature? me personally, i go with the latter since i mostly look for good writing and storyline when it comes to reading fics. but i do still tend to browse through fandoms that i'm somewhat familiar with even a little. but to be really honest i don't read a lot of fics anyway, i mostly just write.

also just found out this discussion was long time ago sorry for stirring it up again!

i dont even bother reading the foreword i just jump right into a random chapter and check the writing before i decide to do anything with the fic lmao

@captaintycoon Which genres do you think it fits better?

I think this is pretty subjective to each person, but personally... I like to just read everything in the story itself. I understand however the appeal of preview to hook readers, yet I think this works in specific genres. The ones I remember that can be memorable as previews would be, certain dialogues that sound kinda witty, or mysterious enough.