lately, I took a second look, I could write a book about love

[sab]

Hope posted, a week or so ago, her take on ficathon etiquette. Some valid points were made, both agreeing and disagreeing, and while I tend to agree that it's good fangirl behaviour to toss a tacit thanks to the person who wrote your ficathon assignment -- and even better behaviour to find some good things to say about it -- I can get behind the idea of, "oh, it's like an improv, you just get the elements to work with, the person who gave you the improv elements doesn't owe you anything." Still, in the interest of back-slapping, and the supportive environment of fandom, I feel like some feedback isn't out of line.

With Pun's recent feedback challenge shining some light on that brighter side of fannish community, I'm feeling all-around pleased as punch by the way folks are willing to support one another here in our crazy business. We're in it for the love, people.

So, see Sab play petty.

First off, I've done a bunch of ficathons this year, and am enlisted for a bunch more, and I've always gotten great responses from the people I've written for, and have tried to offer friendly/supportive/squeeing feedback for everyone who's written a challenge of mine.

I wrote two stories for the Remix/Redux, and got really rocking feedback on 'em both from the fannish populace at large. My two assignees were molly36 and allcanadiangirl, and I haven't heard back from either of them. Through the grapevine I hear Molly's crazy busy, so I'm not worried or upset or anything, and -- being often slow on the draw for feedback myself -- I'm certainly not expecting immediate gratification.

But then, you see. (And man, this is catty of me.) I wandered over to allcanadiangirl's LJ today, just to peek. And I saw this post.

[edited to provide proper URL]

So, eh. I'm annoyed. It just strikes me as so passive-aggressive and lame and bitchy, or maybe I'm overreacting. But anyway, it's not an example of what I love about fandom and the fannish community. It's just tacky, I think. And it's her own LJ, she can say what she pleases, but I feel like a rattled-off e-mail to me saying "thanks!" would not have been out of line.

I think it's simply because I've been trained to see this community of ours as such an overwhelmingly friendly place, and because part of the fannish experience is to share the love with fellow fans, to give 'em props for their contributions and to enjoy the fact that we're all in this together. I am *so* not in it with that girl.

Comments

[cofax7]

Well, you could drop her a note and ask her whether she was unhappy, and if so, about what?

I have to say, one of the many reasons I don't participate in this sort of thing is that, well, my stories are my stories. If they weren't the way they are, they wouldn't be mine. So the very concept of a remix is a little ... alienating.

That said, everyone who participated pretty much knew what they were getting into, yeah?

Regardless, I think it was excellent. If deeply unsettling.

[iamsab.livejournal.com]

Actually, this was the other one, the pinch-hit I did for Sports Night, um, in the style of Hemingway. *g*

And, I don't really care so much why this girl liked it or not -- some folks just hate Hemingway! -- it was more that I found it jarring to see some of the less snuggly side of fandom.

[pene.livejournal.com]

pfft. what a useless girl.

[cofax7]

Ah. Well, it's an odd one. I can see why someone might be a bit boggled by it.

[penknife.livejournal.com]

Not cool.

I haven't heard from my remixee yet, but she was one of the people who dropped out without writing a story, so I'm assuming she's having RL issues of some sort. Because I like that better than assuming she hates it and is cringing in horror.

[ratcreature]

some folks just hate Hemingway!

Heh. Yeah. Folks like me, for example. I haven't read that remix story (I don't know SN), but what I had to read by Hemingway (all for school) bored me to death.

But I see why this was jarring for you. Not the most courteous response.

[bethbethbeth.livejournal.com]

Ah, the Hemingway! I ditto the "not cool," but if it's any consolation, my roomie (gaeta) has been saying all day that I have to read that one as soon as I'm done grading exams. So, see? Pimpage going on behind your back for that story! *g*

[destina.livejournal.com]

I have to say, one of the many reasons I don't participate in this sort of thing is that, well, my stories are my stories. If they weren't the way they are, they wouldn't be mine. So the very concept of a remix is a little ... alienating.

You know, I'm really relieved to see that someone else in fandom feels this way, because I've been harboring a secret alienation to all things 'remix' through the last few challenges of this sort. My stories are mine; I don't really want to see others rewrite them to suit themselves. Also, I'm not interested in re-writing someone else's story. It seems like a waste of time, when I could be writing something that's fresh. I'm afraid I don't understand the appeal of it all.

But that aside, if I *did* participate, I'd feel obligated to be gracious about the remix of my work, no matter how I felt about the end product. (Which is exactly why I don't participate.) So passive-aggressive remarks like the one that gal left in her LJ would annoy me, too.

[memorycharm.livejournal.com]

Mm... not nice. I haven't heard from my remixee, either, but then again, I haven't heard anything from anyone *g*. I know musesfool said she sent something through the form, but it never reached me. Which makes me think maybe my remixee (who turned out to be the person who remixed *my* story) might not have gotten my note and so then she's thinking 'gee, why didn't my remixee send anything' when maybe we both did but nothing got sent.

...erm, well, (as penknife said above) it's better than thinking she hates it. :D

Alas, I know absolutely nothing about Sports Night, or I'd read your story!

[musesfool.livejournal.com]

Sigh. I was hoping this wouldn't happen this year, especially not when the person couldn't even be bothered to get her story in on time.

I don't understand why it's so hard to just say "thanks! interesting take on the story" and leave it at that if you don't like it. I mean, there's times when I have no problem with plain speaking, and times when I think it's just good manners to keep your mouth shut, you know?

Personally, I liked what you did, but I am a huge Hemingway fan, so ... there you go. And I'm so sorry this happened.

[musesfool.livejournal.com]

Yeah, your person is apparently having big internet access issues right now, which is why she bailed altogether on the challenge.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Rats. That was an extremely ungrateful comment. Because yes, we're all in it for the love.

[wickedwords.livejournal.com]

How bizarre. ficathon-type challenges, to me, require more courtesy, not less, because the people directly interact with each other. Nothing's perfect, no one ever gets exactly what they want, but even when something just doesn't work for you, you still say thank you. I just don't get it.

[gaeta.livejournal.com]

Well, I think everyone should go over there, read the story and then comment in her lj about how wonderful it is, cuz, in my opinion, you took a pretty trad story and gave it a great quirk.

re: squemishness over others remixing one's fiction--a bit ironic given that fanfic is, after all, one humnongous remix of a variety of other people's original work.
Though, of course, people feel how they feel. Nothing wrong with that per se.

[gaeta.livejournal.com]

Yikes! Where's spellcheck when you need it? Humoungous. Thank you.

[afrai.livejournal.com]

Ooh, how impolite. Jeeves disapproves. And I really was going to sit on the "'cos liek u r so much better omg" that was my immediate reaction, but then I read her story and there were NO CAPITALS and goddammit, nothing is too bad for that sort of thing.

[iamsab.livejournal.com]

Word. *g*

[iamsab.livejournal.com]

Hey, thank you! I'm not saying it's the best thing I've ever written -- and dude, I had like four days to do it in -- but I certainly gave it thought and put work into it, to try and reinterpret the story, to try and add my own spin to it in the Remix spirit.

*groan*

Glad you liked it, though, and thanks for pimping me to Beth!

[iamsab.livejournal.com]

Exactly.

[iamsab.livejournal.com]

No worries, I'm seriously not wounded or anything, just surprised. And since the overwhelming response to peoples' remixes (across my friends' list and elsewhere) has been SO positive and supportive, I think all in all the experience was a rousing success.

[iamsab.livejournal.com]

If it helps, I *just* got feedback from Molly, my other remixee, today, and it was such kickass feedback it was MORE than worth the wait. I'm sure your person's just offline.

[iamsab.livejournal.com]

Some people, yo.

Thanks for having my back. You're so totally my go-to girl when I need support against useless freaks. *g*

[iamsab.livejournal.com]

I know nothing about HP, or I'd read yours. I'm so bad at HP fandom -- I can do Harry, Ron and Hermione, but when it comes to the Remus/Sirius end of things I am totally useless. *g*

And, as I said, I just got my feedback from my other remixee, who was SO generous and grateful and awesome in her feedback, totally makes up for any negative response from the other gal.

[iamsab.livejournal.com]

Where is the LOVE, baby? WHERE is the love?

loves YOU.

[nestra.livejournal.com]

You know, I'm really relieved to see that someone else in fandom feels this way, because I've been harboring a secret alienation to all things 'remix' through the last few challenges of this sort.

Oh, people totally feel this way. I wouldn't even know where to begin with someone else's story, and my stories are mine, and they may not be brilliant, but I suspect I'd snarl if someone else touched them, even with the best of intentions.

The Remix thing is great, and musesfool does a kickass job of running it, and it's great that people have fun with it, but shrift and I mostly sit back and say, "Huh."

[iamsab.livejournal.com]

See, and I find it so fascinating and fun. This was the first year I've done it, but I'm a big fan and plan to throw myself on the pile next year too.

I mean, my story doesn't go anywhere just because someone remixes it, and when I set out to remix the other authors I made it a challenge to see how I could reinterpret them, maintain the spirit but give it an altogether new spin.

Selfishly, I like to believe that people read both the remix and the original, so, you know, if someone remixes a story of mine and steals a brilliant idea, all a body's gotta do is go back to the source material to see that that brilliance was mine first. *g* By the same token, I try to add new brilliant ideas to the remixed storis I write, so's a reader who goes back and reads the original will say, "wow, Sab did great stuff with this!"

That being said, I don't feel all that proprietary about any of my work -- even the story I indicated as my "safe" story, I mean, go ahead, remix the hell out of it, just gimme credit on your story an indicate it's a remix and my original fics aren't going anywhere and still live on my site and stand alone.

And, yeah, more props to musesfool for doing a great job.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Where is the LOVE, baby? WHERE is the love?

In my impending graphics, I strongly suspect.*g* Also in Andraste's eagerly awaited post-S5, pre-War Without End hurt/comfort story...

returns love with fiery devotion and more plans for perfect evening entry as last before The Thing...

[iamsab.livejournal.com]

I'm not so great with huge images, but here's what I got:

http://img40.photobucket.com/albums/v123/sabine101/couture.jpg

Howzat?

[selenak.livejournal.com]

You're the best! Thank you!

because T-online is playing a cruel trick on me...

[selenak.livejournal.com]

...and doesn't let me access my emails (though I can get on the net otherwise): are you around? Can Delenn comment on the Kerril stuff and can we move on to the next step with the show? Will check periodically at the party thread and try to get evil server to spew out my mail again otherwise.

[musesfool.livejournal.com]

Oh, I know, but I just hate that sort of shit. If people want to bitch in private, hey, go right ahead, but when someone makes an effort, it ought to be acknowledged appropriately. Especially if one couldn't bother to make the effort oneself and so got a gift out of it, in essence.

Thing is, people knew going in they might not get something they liked back out, and the point, in the end, isn't so much liking or not liking as it is seeing how someone else would spin your idea. At least, for me.

[musesfool.livejournal.com]

Sure, lots of people don't like the idea, or are made uncomfortable by it. Some of 'em participated last year and opted out this year after having been through it and not quite enjoying it.

To me, it's a way of seeing what someone else can tease out of a story - what have I left unsaid or undeveloped that could be highlighted by someone else? Much like fanfic, the best remixes, for me, are about the interstices and empty spaces. When I approached the story I remixed, it was all about wanting to know what Sirius was thinking the whole time, because we never saw his POV at all. And so that's the story I wrote. And I'd have never written that story without the remix.

And there are stories of mine I was hoping someone would tackle, where I have no idea, say, what Remus is thinking, because I was so immersed in Sirius's POV, I really don't know (which is odd for me, because usually even when I'm not writing from a character's POV, I usually know why they're behaving the way they are, but in that insteacne...he's totally closed off to me) or what Draco was actually doing while Hermione was self-destructing, etc.

Anyhow, not trying to convince you, just trying to explain why I enjoy the process, even if it does make me a little crazy. *G*

And I'm sure you'd be gracious regardless.