this bathysphere is perplexing!

[sab]

Hey, LOTRips people? There's this thread over on the seekrit_pics community talking about smackin' down some troll or mole or whatnot, and I'm perplexed. Is it me? Looks around...

I'm so confused. I totally friended the community; I'm not a part of LOTRips fandom or even LOTR fandom (while being a fangirl in my own right -- and proud of it! -- off in my own other fandoms), but I was certainly enjoying watching the discussion and the fallout over there. I had no idea that my friending the community would create such draaaaamaa.

I didn't, um, I didn't friend the community to see Jason's pictures -- dude, I am IN the pictures, hell, I *took* some of the pictures; I just friended y'all on a lark when y'all started friending *me.*

Essentially, what happened was this: Jason, who is in no way internet-naive, but who does tend to give everyone the benefit of the doubt and has general faith in the goodness of humanity, uploaded the pictures to his gallery (which was alive and kicking long before y'all found it) and left it unlocked, figuring he'd give the URL out to his friends and family and let us enjoy his photography.

A good question might be, how did fandom discover his gallery in the first place? A reasonable answer might be: well, it's the internet, things are bound to get out eventually.

So, badda-bing. Some fan found the pictures, and the horse was out of the barn. Jason, still having general faith in the goodness of humanity, opted to password-protect some of the albums, while keeping others open, fully aware that fans were visiting and enjoying them, and figuring, well, as long as the fans didn't overload his bandwidth or steal and repost his pictures elsewhere, what was the harm? So about half the galleries were open for the past few months as we tested the waters, but folks kept nabbing and reposting the pictures and Jason's bandwidth usage skyrocketed.

Then last week we had the gingerbread party and the pix went up, and didn't get locked down quick enough, but there had always been plans in the works to lock down and password-protect the whole site, and so, a couple days ago, Jason did just that.

If you have any questions about this, I will answer them as honestly as I can, but there's no hypocrisy or eeeevil at work there, just the matter of trying to save Jason's site from being overrun by fans bent on conspiracy-theorizing about the content of these (really rather innocent, rather personal, and rather human) photos. Plus -- as far as I can tell, half the fandom was bucking for Jason to lock down the site all along, saying he was naive about the ways of the internet and shouldn't have put them up for public viewing in the first place. So what's the deal?

Comments

[thinkum]

I am, yet again, boggled by what passes for some folks' thought processes.

If you were a mole, would that not imply that Jason had no respect for -- or trust of -- their little community? And if so, what would that say about these folks, that they would choose to demonize you, rather than even consider the possibility that Jason doesn't hold them in an esteem as great as their own conceit?

Perhaps because I am generally a private person myself, I find the sense of entitlement present in the referenced thread to be incomprehensible.

I dunno, the whole celebrity thing is perplexing...and pointless. People are people. Some may have cooler jobs than others, some may be more physically attractive than others, but in the end (so to speak) we each produce the same amount of crap. *wbeg*

[somedaybitch.livejournal.com]

what she said....

cuz if i posted my own thoughts, well, let's just say there would be few real words mixed in with paragraphs of profanity.

and i am humbled by how utterly gracious your post is. you rock the house girl.

[iamsab.livejournal.com]

*bows*

Thank you. My thing is this: unless someone threatens actual bodily harm to me or my loved ones, I am cool like three Fonzies. It's that whole sticks and stones thing. Mmmm, Fonz...

[somedaybitch.livejournal.com]

mmm, Fonz. and what *was* it about him that made him so.very.sexy?

[cofax7]

You know, it's like a car-crash. I went back and read that thread again. And you know? I think they're snarking about The M.

Which, frankly, well. I'm looking for something large to hide under. Because really, you know, that's not gonna end well. *eg*

[iamsab.livejournal.com]

They can't tell us apart. They also don't think Bron and M. are really here. They're my "alleged friends." Yeesh.

[cofax7]

I begin to be less surprised by M taking her site down. (tragedy though that is: I tried to rec Please Hold Tightly to someone the other day, and couldn't find it anywhere)

[somedaybitch.livejournal.com]

actually, and i hate to be the one to divulge this secret but i feel i must....they aren't real sab. they are manifestations of your very troubled mind. as your doctor, i'm terribly concerned by this all. i feel an intervention may even be necessary. *sobs*

[fourteenlines.livejournal.com]

But there was the oddly bitter comment about the "troll" mentioning that Sauron had 52 pairs of shoes, and that was Sab all the way. (I mean, who WOULDN'T mention it if the Man-Flesh Uruk-Hai was their latest housemate???)

Anyway, EITHER way, I think we're all agreed on the badness of the whole idea. *g*

[sorlklewis.livejournal.com]

lol. Well, in all honesty, I know I mentioned S's shoes. And maybe M did, too?

Oh, but wait... we don't exist. Never mind. *G*

[wisteria-way.livejournal.com]

I was out all day and didn't see what's happened till now!

Sab..Welcome to LOTR and especially Elijah fandom!

This whole incident has been one of the more insane kerfuffles in the fandom. But you haven't seen anything! Factions among LOTR fans ranging from the mostly normal to the wildly insane have been at odds for years.

I think this outcome was what I tried to warn you might develop simply because it's always like this when anything really interesting relating to any major members of the cast has been discovered. And Jason's albums were a really big deal as interesting things go.

LOTR fandom, and Elijah's, is vast and volatile. It doesn't take much to set off a major kerfuffle. This was and/or still is a HUGE KERFUFFLE.

It's a shame that innocent people like you and your friends got caught up in the middle of it but it was the way of things. Holding back the LOTR/Elijah fan tide is virtually impossible. It is enormous. Maybe being an actual friend of the real-life Elijah you just see him as that cute little guy you hang out with sometimes but to millions of people he is as huge a star as the Beatles were in their heyday. I don't think even he realizes the scope of this thing. The gigantic turnout at the Wellingtom ROTK premiere should have given everybody some idea of the size of this fandom. No wonder you have felt some of the fall-out.

Probably the best thing you can do is just calmly ride out this thing and act as you would normally and eventually things will settle down. I hope.

[gracheness.livejournal.com]

http://www.livejournal.com/community/seekrit_pics/2441.html

That is all I am going to say.

[(Anonymous)]

Wisteria is one of Hobbsy's many noms de internet right? I hope Sabine is keeping up with all this. Tinhats are the last people she needs to worry about.

[gracheness.livejournal.com]

Yes, wisteria is Hobbsy. The one who posts links (as seen above), yet also sucks up to anyone involved and tells everyone else how bad we are. *Sigh*

Oh no, is Wisteria/ Hobbsy a tinhat? I had no idea. Oh dear god... *cradles head in hands*

[(Anonymous)]

No no no Hobbsy is the anti-tinhat! She's the one who believes Elijah is too pure to have sex with anyone, a little angel from above etc.

No I meant some of Sabines 'friends' are of a much nastier type than the tinhats.

[wisteria-way.livejournal.com]

Everyone knows that I'm as addicted to pictures of Elijah as anyone. Probably more than some. I never denied that and Sabine knows I had a big collection of Jason's pics up in an open album at the beginning of this whole thing. It's down and been down for a long time now.

I'm just pointing out that this reaction from fans was totally inevitable.

Elijah's pictures get posted somewhere and within a day or two they WILL be everywhere.

I'm also NOT saying Elijah's fans are 'bad' for simply acting like fans. I'm a fan.

All I am saying is that this reaction was bound to happen. I said it would happen. It happened.

And as for the factions amongst fans... Sab, you can see some of them posting all around my post. Hello girls!

[nat-does-lj.livejournal.com]

I said it would happen. It happened.

You = Nostradamus?

Now there's a new twist.

[(Anonymous)]

I never realised how big this thing had become - 1 million hits? Crazy! Poor Jason having to deal with all this.

From my own POV, I felt viewing the images on Jason's site was a small personal pleasure. Photos have always been a huge part of LOTR fandom and our boys have certainly given their fans plenty to look at. Perhaps this is why people felt 'entitled' to look at Jason's pics? Just a thought.

I have become quite fond of Jason, and shall miss seeing his sweet little face! I'm not particularly an Elijah fan, but I do adore WWS and pics of those guys are not easy to find.

So could you thank Jason for the pleasure he has given? I hope to see some more of his photography one day.

[(Anonymous)]

I'm not a LOTRips person - just an ordinary fan standing at the far edge of the field looking in. It is so very difficult to find a place in this fandom that isn't eventually overwhelmed by craziness, wank, or sheer stupidity as the seekrit pics folks have demonstrated.

When we do find something worthwhile, experience has taught some of us that it's better to keep it secret and safe than share with the masses, because when that happens there is endless speculation, endless wank, and the craziest conclusions that totally defy logic.

I'm sorry that you and Jason got caught up in all of this, and that the gallery had to be locked. It was nice while it lasted. Jason is a real jem for keeping it up as long as he did. I hope that someday he'll consider having a public gallery, because I very much enjoyed his photography - not just the Elijah pics. I'm inspired to ditch my crappy little Kodak easyshare and pick up a real camera so I can play around with exposure settings and whatnot.

Private Pictures.

[(Anonymous)]

I'm certain that no-one will probably see this, now that Sabine has moved on to posting other entries, and the people who replied to this particular subject have moved on as well, as they should do, but I just wanted to share my opinion. First I'll introduce myself, I am twenty-five years old, and I am a big fan to Elijah Wood, I like him very much. Naturally, I don't know him personally in any way, but I think that he is a brilliant actor, and from interviews that I have read I think that he is a very nice person as well. So I like him. I also enjoy "The lord of the rings" very much, I've read the book and plan to read it again, Tolkien is one of my favorite authors. However, I try to avoid going too deep into the fandom. I have liked Mr.Wood for a year now, and when I first began to admire him I told myself to avoid the trap of fandom, because I know how ugly it can become. Fandom is something that can be fun, it can help you to make new friends, it can inspire you to be creative, etc. But people take it to terrible places, and I highly disagree with how its handled from time to time.

However, even though I knew better, I ended up going in way too deep and discovering just how ugly things with Elijah can get, and to be honest, it made me sick. I frequented fan-boards and communties, and I met alot of people there. Some where quite nice, yes. But many others where not. People say so much garbage about him, more garbage than you would even expect to hear about a celebrity. True, some make him a plastic saint, but others seem more interested in painting horns on the man's head and handing him a pitch-fork. I have heard it all: Elijah is a "womanizer", Elijah has "secret" children, Elijah does crack, Elijah "gets it on" in public bathrooms. I apologize now to Sabine, because I know how offensive some of this may sound, especially since Elijah is your friend. But I am only stating it to make a point, these people are seriously sick sometimes. Then, as it has already been stated here, they break off into factions and fight it out with eachother. What makes it worse is that as soon as you say you're his "fan", or as soon as you try to join a community and chat, everyone already wants to "label" you into one of their God-awful catergories. Tin-hat, wanker, BNF, fan-girl, etc. I don't fit a label, and I don't do labels. Then if you leave the community and just happen to mention to random people that you "like Elijah Wood", they want to label you as well. As if you're part of the "freak scene" thats attached with being his fan. I just want Sabine and others to know that some of us out here are not into any such "scene".

Re: Private Pictures.

[(Anonymous)]

*Continued*

I have now departed from the deeper side of fandom. I still adore Elijah, but I just pursue my fandom on my own. I don't belong to communties anymore, and I don't plan to ever again. However, it was during the time that I did belong to them that I personally came across Jason's pictures and this journal. I still have no idea how his site was found. Sabine commented that "its the internet, so things will get out". Well, perhaps, but his site was so obscure, I can't imagine how a fan could find it? Regardless, it was found, and everyone was in there looking at the pictures that Jason had posted. I will admit that I looked a few times as well, but I never linked his site, and I never took any images. After I saw the site a few times I just didn't go back, because to me it was none of my business. I know that many where grateful for the glimpse behind the curtain, but to me, I am his fan, not his friend. So I shouldn't be seeing pictures of him at private parties or knowing what bar he hangs out at. I am not judging anyone else, I am just saying that I felt that it wasn't my business.

I know Sabine that you don't like the conspiracy theories that have popped up on the net. I am assuming that you must frequent fan communties yet in order to know what theories are out there. But please try to understand, that to some of us, this seemed very odd. Generally, people who make friends with a celebrity don't come onto the net and willingly allow said celebrities fans to view pictures or to read about when and where they hung out together. From what I understand you went to this pictures community to tell people to not take Jason's images, and you left your user name and then Elijah's fans traced your journal. Perhaps you should have posted under anonymous. I am not suggesting that anything went on here that was "evil" or "under the table". I can't honestly make that claim, because I am not in anyone's life. But what I am doing is simply asking if you can see how this may have looked strange. It just doesn't happen everyday, and the pictures technically are private. I come from the school of thought that Jason probably should have locked his entire site as soon as he knew that people where in it.

Did I look at his site, yeah I admitted that I did a few times. I got "sucked in". But I stopped because I believed that it was wrong. I am happy that its locked now, and I hope that it will stay that way. As for other conspiracy theories about moles and the like, I'm clueless with that because I don't belong to those communities anymore. The only reason that I knew about the conspiracy that I mentioned in my last paragraph is because, I will admit it, I was suspicious about what was going on myself. I never judged any of you guys, because I knew that I didn't have all of the facts, but I was a bit suspicious and concerned. As I said its just something that you don't normally see. But thankfully Jason's site is locked now, and I will take your word that it was all legit for us to see from day one. I know how busy he must be, but maybe it would have been good if Elijah could have left a little message at Jason's site or something, telling everyone that it was cool to look at the photos as long as they didn't take them. Maybe people wouldn't have cooked up so many conspiracy theories then, or maybe they would have behaved better. It may have been worth a shot, but I know it may just be wishful thinking as well. I guess I am sort of torn, I take offense when people start getting angry at the fans, because I am one. But on the other hand I can't deny how terrible they behave at times.

Well, at least now it "may" have a chance of dying down. And Sabine, I know that you want to be friendly, and I admire that very much, but I would suggest that you just don't get involved with his fans anymore. You're his friend, and being someone's friend is special, you don't need to be involved with his fans. Just as his fans are not his friends and do not need to be involved with you. Of course the choice is yours, and I respect it. But to me, friends and fans are different, and the line shouldn't blur as much as it just recently did. Have a good day

[woodsparks.livejournal.com]

I can't speak for anyone else but I enjoyed having a peak into the life of Elijah just hanging out with friends. The pics were pure Elijah, not Lord of the Rings related or even him as an actor but just him as a person. Very sad the site access is gone but understand as with anything else Elijah related I'm an outsider. I admit being upset but in looking back on it I think it had more to do with being upset something special was taken back. Childish or unwarranted, perhaps but eh I'm human. Anyway since I can't tell Jason or Elijah, please pass it on that the glimpse behind the curtain was much appreciated.

[-glarawen-.livejournal.com]

Hi! You don't even know me, but I've just recently found out about that community, and jeez, what crap is going on there? Really, I understand your attitude completely, and I share it. *snorts* To be honest, I'd already forgotten all about his site (and only discovered last week he was called Jason).. So, even though you have no idea who I am, I just wanted to tell you that I completely agree with you. :)

what there were gingerbread cookies and I missed it?

[nat-does-lj.livejournal.com]

Blah. I miss all the good food type things. Yo Sab, you're cool. Ignore the nuttiness. I too was absolutely befuddled at how *you* were the troll. Such rubbish.

[ladykitten69.livejournal.com]

for the first tim ein my life i'm confused and glad