LOL, oh ff.net, why so wacky?

[ratherastory]

*scratches head*

So it's not exactly a secret that I am usually pretty happy to get plot bunnies/prompts from people, with the caveat that 1) I may not be able to write them if they don't strike the right cord, and 2) I may not get to them right away. In fact, sometimes it's months before I can get to a prompt.

Someone pinged me on ff.net and asked if I'd be willing to write for their prompt. I answered with the above. I then received the longest prompt to ever be prompted (no, seriously, longer than rainylemons' longest prompt ever, I'm not kidding), which was basically a point-by-point summary of an amulet fix-it fic, complete with a request for a letter from Sam to Dean explaining everything before he dies at the end of 5.22, and a further request that it be made clear that Dean finally understands all of Sam's suffering, etc.

Now, I am a fan of amulet fix-it fic, don't get me wrong. I've written a couple myself. I just couldn't write the prompt as it was given. For one, I don't think either of the Winchesters are the type to write overly long, soulful letters before they die. I don't know what was in Dean's "suicide" note, but I doubt it was particularly soul-searching, that's not how the Winchesters roll. ALSO, while I do like the boys having epiphanies about each other, I'm also not a huge fan of fics in which one brother realizes that they are the sole douchebag in this relationship who doesn't understand the other's pain and suffering and anguish.

Therefore I pinged the prompter, and 1) asked if they would be okay with my taking liberties with the prompt (because I would not be able to write it the way it was outlined), and 2) mentioned that I was swamped with other commitments and that it might be a while before I got to it.

So then the prompter asked me for an ETA on how long it would be before I got to it. Which, frankly, how the hell should I know? I'm working on multiple Big Bangs and a handful of challenges, and occasionally I crank out some fic that's not directly related to a challenge or whatever. I once again wrote back and explained that it might be months.

At which point the prompter thanked me and told me she'd be looking for someone else to fill her prompt more quickly.

Part of me is relieved, and another part of me is a little appalled at the tone of entitlement the prompter adopted through the whole thing. Dude, I am my own person, there is no need to get pissy if I don't fawn all over your prompt.

Comments

[zortified.livejournal.com]

Seriously, you need to be focusing your attentions on writing stories for me.

;-)

[ratherastory.livejournal.com]

LOL

Hey, my Steve/Danny story that's posting on March 18th is practically tailor-made for you, if I understood your tastes correctly. ;)

[vail-kagami.livejournal.com]

But don't you see it? It's the most awesome promt ever and they wanted to give you the honour of being the one to fill it.
Really, you're the sole douchbag in that exchange who didn't get the other's pain and suffering over this prompt. It's time for you to have an epiphany.

TL;DR: People are oddly entitled on the internet. I don't claim to understand it.

[ratherastory.livejournal.com]

I don't either.

*shrug*

I'll live. It was more amusing than anything else.

[embroiderama]

OMG, seriously? Could this person be more entitled? *beats them about the head*

[ratherastory.livejournal.com]

It's ff.net. 'nough said. ;)

[asilia.livejournal.com]

That seems really weird to me... and kinda rude actually. I mean, if I ask someone to fill a prompt than I'm more than happy if that person gets to it whenever is best for them. And of course you can't really expect someone to fulfill all your ideas and include every little detail in their fic... if that's what you want you have to write the fic yourself ;)

And btw, I totally agree that none of the boys would write the other long letters full of love and explanations - not even to mention that I'm convinced that they *do* understand each other quite well, even when they don't agree on things.

[ratherastory.livejournal.com]

That's how I view it, but it turns out not everyone thinks that way.

And the boys totally get each other. They just disagree on a lot of things. :)

[debbiel66.livejournal.com]

LOL, you are way too nice. :)

...and besides, everyone knows you're spending every waking hour on your Fusion 'verse, so how dare they suggest you do otherwise... ;)

[ratherastory.livejournal.com]

Hee!

I'm not a very nice person, actually, I just pretend to be one on the internet. ;)

I should get cracking on that next Fusion story, shouldn't I?

[sinka.livejournal.com]

UH? The way I see it, it should be considered an *honour* for a prompter that one of their prompts is even filled! Not the other way around! If somebody wants a story to be written that fast and that badly and with so much detail, they should write it themselves! Seriously, it never stops surprising me how many people doesn't undertand basic courtesy rules.

Just concentrate in whatever you feel like writting, as it will be a thousand times better than this person's prompt!

[ratherastory.livejournal.com]

I like prompts, and it does happen that people give me stuff that I want to write, so I didn't want to brush her off without hearing what she had to say. It's just... I can't write what she wants to her exact specifications.

Apparently she can't write it herself. I hope she finds herself an accommodating writer who will collaborate with her.

:)

[si-star-x.livejournal.com]

I would never fill a prompt that asks for so much detail, simply because I'd be too worried about 'getting it right' than actually enjoying writing. You are awesome and have the right to take your sweet time.

[ratherastory.livejournal.com]

Exactly. I love long prompts, but not ones which basically sketch out the entire structure of a story. It takes all the fun out of it for me.

[peppervl.livejournal.com]

Wow. I would never expect anything other than a charity fic with an established deadline to be turned around in a specific period of time and even then, if the person stays in touch with me, I'm willing to be flexible. Of course, I might bug someone about it if they're my friend, but (I hope) they know that I'm, at most, only partially serious. A complete stranger or someone I've only discussed fic with? Yeah, no. of course, I wouldn't ask anyone who is a complete stranger unless it was in an auction.

[ratherastory.livejournal.com]

Charity fics I understand: there is a deadline to be respected, and even though I'm late on one of them, I'm in communication with my recipient (who's getting a story six times a long as the promised one, so it works out).

Otherwise, if people give me prompts, the fic gets written when it's written. I am okay with good-natured jibes (I do it too), but entitled whining? Uh, no.

Speaking of good-natured jibes, how's Fighting Dawn coming? ;) *is shameless*

[roque-clasique.livejournal.com]

I haaaaaaate FF.net, the end.

[ratherastory.livejournal.com]

LOL

Don't hold back, Roque, tell us how you really feel!

[bellatemple]

Someone's looking for a ghost writer. At least they flounced on their own and you didn't have to spend months with them poking you going "did you write it yet? Did you write it yet? Did you write it yet?"

[ratherastory.livejournal.com]

Pretty much, yeah.

[gidgetgal9.livejournal.com]

LOL, you know, I am a people pleaser but I learned awhile back that ffnet requesters are not people you can please~! So yeah, kudos for you for even trying but there is no pleasing.

I stick to - only accepting a request from regular -readers - friends - that sort who get me and know me and won't be upset if a. I tweak it or if b. it takes awhile.

Sorry you had to deal with that- so frustrating.

[ratherastory.livejournal.com]

Oh, it's not that bad. I listened politely, and then said no when we couldn't reach an agreement. :D

I was just a little shocked by the sense of entitlement to my time and efforts.

[tahirire.livejournal.com]

OOH. I have Dean's suicide note around here somewhere ... it is transcribed in the s5 companion guide, but it may take me a while to dig it out of my lj entries. *rummages*

[ratherastory.livejournal.com]

Oh, wow. Cool! I saw one or two sentences from screencaps, enough to know that it was angsty, but the whole thing would be awesome!

[hsifeng.livejournal.com]

Dude, I am my own person, there is no need to get pissy if I don't fawn all over your prompt.

How DARE you! You are meant to sit at your desk all day, waiting with EAGER anticipation for someone to come along and give you a prompt. When you get one, you are not allowed to change ANY part of it for ANY reason (even if the prompter requires you to write something that has no basis in characterization for a particular show).

Look at your life ratherastory, look at your choices.

Now, get back to your laptop and write me a story about Dean braiding Sammy’s hair while they go in search of unicorns and rainbows.

And do it with a smile on your face!

/sarcasm

[ratherastory.livejournal.com]

Your wish is my command:

+++

"Ow! Don't pull so hard, it hurts, jerk!"

"Don't be a bitch, Sammy, and quit moving around. This takes skill even when you're sitting still! Now, how far are we?"

"We're halfway to the end of the bow. Ow! Seriously, I am never letting you braid my hair again if you're going to insist on tearing it out by the roots!"

"Yeah, well, you're the one who wanted a unicorn. 'Let's find a uuuunicoooorn, Dean! They're mythological and magical and wonderful!"

"Shut up, it's for science! And I'm letting you use those elastics with plastic skulls on them that you like so much, so stop complaining."

"You just look better in corn rows, okay?"

"Fine. Next time, we're doing this before we leave."

"Fine."

+++

:D

[de-nugis.livejournal.com]

I am in favor of other people disqualifying themselves by rudeness from anything that might distract you from Fusion, radiation poisoned Sam, and, of course, impaled!Sam.

In other words, who are they to be entitled when so many among us were entitled first?

Besides, I hate fic in which one of the characters learns that they were so very, very wrong, and the other character was so very, very right. Though I am oddly willing to enjoy Victorian novels in which Character A persecutes Character B and Character B nurses Character A through a deadly fever and then dies with a beatified expression, leaving Character A to repent for three hundred pages. Please to be sitting down immediately and writing me a Dean n Sam version of The Heir of Redclyffe.

[ratherastory.livejournal.com]

Oh my God, WHAT?

And, uh, no. I had this cool idea for impaled!Sam and I forgot to write it down and I mostly forgot it, so I'm trying to recapture it, while I work on all those other things. :P

[jesseofthenorth.livejournal.com]

That right there is enough reason to never post on ff.net. There are some good authors hiding over there but I have recently had occasion to heavily immerse myself in the place. That is one scary farking corner of the net.
I wonder why it breeds such bitchiness and entitlement?

[ratherastory.livejournal.com]

Yep. I started out there, which is why I stick around, but mostly I try to hang our on LJ most of all.

FF.net is filled with teenagers, is the main problem, and people who started out there as teenagers and never learned better behaviour because they were just copying the others.

[pinkphoenix1985.livejournal.com]

I'm in shock over this! I can't believe that she practically outlined the entire thing and then had then had the nerve to ask how long would it take? Why can't she write it then?!

[ratherastory.livejournal.com]

Apparently she tried to write and couldn't. IDK, it sounded complicated. ;)

[primrose-1.livejournal.com]

My husband gets this all the time. He's a computer game programmer, and I can't tell you how often he'll get an e-mail from someone saying, "I have this really great game idea, will you write the game for me?" My husband always encourages the person to take classes in computer programming. If the prompt is really THAT complete, they really should be writing it themselves!

[ratherastory.livejournal.com]

Eesh. I guess it happens everywhere in life. :(

[zolac-no-miko.livejournal.com]

Holy crap, how rude! ...If they've got a freaking point by point summary WHY DON'T THEY WRITE IT THEMSELVES?

There are definitely more than a few people on the internet who have entitlement issues. I had someone comment on one of my WIPs the other day who... well, mostly I think they bruised my ego, but I think they could've been a bit more tactful and polite. I went out of my way to be polite and helpful and friendly back, but I was kind of annoyed.

Commenter: when will [Character A] and [Character B] be mentioned again?
My reply: Ahhhh... you know, I'm not really sure. All I can tell you is that they should pop up again at some point, but it might be a while... and I don't think it will be very often, or very much. They're not really major characters in my story. : \ Their getting some screen time a few chapters ago wasn't even something I really planned for, I was kind of surprised when it happened. So, yeah, I really can't say. ...Sorry? ^_^;;
Commenter: *sighs* Do you know of any good stories filled with [Character A] and [Character B]?
My reply: I don't, sorry! [ ] fandom is pretty slim pickings, isn't it? ;_; And I admit it's not my primary fandom, so I'm not deeply familiar with what all might be out there....

I love [Character A] and [Character b], too, I'd love to see more of them in fic. It's just... not this fic, not really, sorry. Not beyond a few cameo appearances, probably. This is a story about [Other Character] and [Place].
Commenter: Okay. =/ I understand.

...And some other irrelevant stuff, after all of which they finally got around to saying, "And - your story is really good btw, keep up the great work."

...THANKS. I just... *sighs*, did they really just sigh at me?

[ratherastory.livejournal.com]

Wow. Feedback fail.

I keep having to remind myself that a lot of people don't understand basic politenesss on the internet, or don't realize that what they're saying comes off as rude.

Some people leave me comments like: "Thank you for sharing your story." Which, uh, I really don't know how to take. I choose to take it as a compliment, but really?

[rainylemons.livejournal.com]

Honestly, doesn't everyone know that prompting is my job? Really, I have certificates and everything. *snickers*

I have to agree with Roque - I hate ff.net. I tried to be reasonable about it when I got out of my destroyer of fic age, but I just couldn't and it's not even like LJ's slice of fandom contains only sanity and reasonable discussion or anything. I dunno, ff.net just twists my shorts.

[ratherastory.livejournal.com]

Exactly! You are my personal prompter, and I accept no substitutes. *smooshes you*

[mishaphappens.livejournal.com]

I have Dean's suicide noooote! Somewhere. BRB.

[mishaphappens.livejournal.com]

[elsewhere-kels.livejournal.com]

Oh, prompter. Don't you know that if you have an entire fic outline, you have to write it if you want it to exist exactly that way. Otherwise, hah, *I fart in your general direction*.