Fandom is wacky

[ratherastory]

Dear Fan,

It's very nice of you to review my stories. From the looks of it, you might even be a BNF, although it's kind of hard to tell. Certainly you're prolific, and I've seen your name bandied about fandom since I joined. It's great that you took the time to review my story on fanfiction.net, really and truly.

That being said, telling me basically that "h/c: ur doin it wrong" is a little silly, given that my story is very clearly labeled as horror, and not h/c.

I get that you're primarily a h/c writer, and hey, I've totally enjoyed your stories too. If h/c is what you're looking for, then please, by all means, read the stories I've written that are labeled as such. If you want h/c, then reading the "horror" story is not going to work out for you.

Love,

Me

Comments

[hansons-angel.livejournal.com]

Oh my fucking God.

This same damn thing happened to me on fan fic.net when I posted my allergic!Sam story in response to roque's birthday meme. Someone complained about this, that and the other thing even after I'd clearly mentioned in my A/N what was going on and what it was about. I only posted it because someone I totally love on there wanted to see it. I felt like PM'ing this person and saying, "Look, read the fucking A/N's and/or warnings and you won't have this problem. I didn't, I just decided, "fuck it, I'm not going to worry about it if this person can't read a damn summary or even remember that he/she had already read it on LJ until they read it again on fan fic."

Whatever, hey?

[ratherastory.livejournal.com]

Hee!

Fandom is craaaaaazy. I mean, come on!

Mind you, this person liked the story (it was "Deprivation"), she just objected to the fact that I didn't fix Sam at the end.

Eeesh.

Crazypants.

I agree entirely with you. If people can't be bothered to read the summary, warnings and notes (mind you, I post a LOT of notes, so most people can skip those), then they deserve what they get.

[pkwench.livejournal.com]

Nothing says a good time like someone completely missing the point of what you're writing. Sometimes, I think that fans think fic in almost any fandom is either fluffy fic, smutfic, crackfic, casefic/dayinthelife, or h/c. Which, sure, probably makes up the bulk of fic in any fandom, but there's more and, most importantly, there's a blend.

I sometimes think that labeling/warning in fanfic is just over the top. I know most people don't think like I do and I just play along because, well, I don't want people peevish with me (it's happened, oh yes). But, you know, I think there's too much. I especially hate character death warnings or this expectation that some people have that you warn them if an ending is sad or otherwise not happy. I don't know, I see the point of genres, tags, labels, and warnings - I'd surely want to know if I was about to start reading an Mpreg or a gender swap fic, but ... I think it's really just too much and that people expect to be led by the hand. One of the most glorious things I've seen in ages was the option on the sharp_teeth meme to NOT warn people. I like that. None of the books on my shelves feel the need to warn me about character deaths or horror content or romantic elements.

Well, that was a thought aside. And big fandom deal or no, doesn't mean that the review person in question was paying attention or expecting something unreasonable. Don't go killing a chicken and getting pissed when it doesn't taste like steak, you know?

[ratherastory.livejournal.com]

Don't go killing a chicken and getting pissed when it doesn't taste like steak, you know?

I love your metaphor. :)

And yes. I go along with the warning system, but I'd never heard of that before entering fandom. I mean, seriously? Warning for character death? Doesn't that constitute a major plot spoiler? Bah.

[pkwench.livejournal.com]

Wow, that was some Hong Kong subtitling on my part. :o Still a decent metaphor though, yes. LOL

Yeah, I'll do the warning, genre, tagging, rating, and general hand holding - especially when I post in a comm. But, it doesn't mean that it doesn't strike me as a little ... something. Major spoiler, yeah.

[primrose-1.livejournal.com]

Is this for Deprivation? Okay, I have to admit that I really want Sam fixed too, but I get why you didn't. Hello.

[ratherastory.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it was for "Deprivation."

Heck, *I* want Sam fixed, but that's not what that story was about. :)

[pkwench.livejournal.com]

It was for that fic? Okay, now I feel like someone just maligned a cousin or something. Honestly, so not the point of the fic. Doesn't it make you feel like all of that work you put into the awfulness of it was just skimmed over by someone looking for some big comfort payoff? Wow, that's just disappointing in a way.

[ratherastory.livejournal.com]

*pets you*

Mostly my reaction was one of disbelief. So many other people have said nice things about the fic, I can't be overly fussed if one person missed the point.

It's like the *one* person who told me that they couldn't distinguish between the two Deans in "Why Your Joyous Strains Prolong." I mean, jeez. No one else had a problem, so I'm guessing it's you, sweetheart, and not me.

[hansons-angel.livejournal.com]

Leaving another comment because I love the discussion about the damn warnings. Gah. I think a story should be "labeled" as Wincest or M-preg but not as a warning so much as to make it easier for a reader to find that genre. I guess the same would go for h/c and the like. When I wrote "Pursuit" for the hoodie_time fic challenge I actually felt the need to "warn" people that a deer was killed and gutted in the story -- because awhile back I read some story (not in the SN fandom, somewhere else) where people were upset because there was hunting (again, not demon-hunting, hee) and animal lovers were up in arms about it -- that they hadn't been told ahead of time!? WTF? I mean, okay, feel that way in your real life if you choose to, but how can you possibly ever read anything if you're going to be offended by every little thing that you aren't warned about that might cause offense?

I'd be totally fine with not warning people that they're about to read a death fic. Or if it's bottom!Jensen or top!Jared -- again, wtf with needing to warn readers that Jensen is the one on top or whatever? I am facing some warning issues with my Big Bang fic -- and now all this talk has given me more food for thought on the subject -- but in a good way. . .

[ratherastory.livejournal.com]

Gah. The warnings. *spits*

I warned for character death once, and it made me feel *dirty*, because I gave away the end, basically.

I decided after that that I was going to give general descriptions and warnings: violence, sex (het or slash), and potential triggers (self-harm, vomiting, etc.), but only in cases when it's a big deal. In "Ex Crucio" I warned about the torture because, well, it's a torture fic and I didn't exactly pull my punches.

Otherwise? I don't want to have to second-guess myself all the time. "Oh noes! What if someone gets offended?" *eyeroll* I don't have the time or mental energy for that.

[hansons-angel.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I think that's a good way to handle it -- I mean, your way sort of fits what I was saying as "warnings as tags" kind of things. . .or like the torture warning where the warning isn't going to spoil the fic or anything, like a death warning does.

But I think, my hands are tied in the Big Bang thing -- giving intense warnings and such because I think their guidelines are pretty strict about it. . .*sighs.*

[ratherastory.livejournal.com]

Huh.

I'll have to go look at that, because I think I may have to post specific warnings too. Crap.

(May I say that I am now all sorts of intrigued by your BB? *dances in anticipation*)

[pkwench.livejournal.com]

Can you do the 'highlight to read' option that I've seen some people do? That at least gives some readers the chance to read on without being spoiled.

I listened to a wonderful J2 AU while I was sick and the author had clearly either had problems with people complaining or had an attack of nerves regarding the direction the story took because something very sad happened (honestly, I cried). Point being, she inserted a warning, I don't remember if it was linked, behind a cut, or behind a spoiler bar, but I loved the author for doing that as much as I hated that the author was compelled by fandom to do it. Because it was a huge, huge, HUGE spoiler and, as a writer, it just sucks to have to show your hand while you're playing it. Would I have cried if I'd read the spoiler? Probably, given the author and the reader, frankly, but I wouldn't have cried as much, dammit!

[pkwench.livejournal.com]

Here I am, blathering away in a journal that's not mine again ... sorry!

That said? Thank you, I love you, let's all have a virtual tea party on this topic some day. For purposes of classification, I'm so right ther with you. Especially with the use of things like delicious and because I know it has to help the mods of comms. (And when it comes to hoodie_time and ohsam I'd do just about anything all mods in question wanted as they are awesome and good people.) But, I think it's just nuts to have to feel like you must warn people about every little thing in a story. Not only that, but to like super, super warn someone if there's something really quite awful. Even when it comes to h/c - which for most of us is pretty standard fare that we're all quite comfortable with - you go posting an h/c fic in some places without clear, no nonsense, giant warnings and you'll just wind up getting dinged for it. Or whined at. Or something.

Feeling like you must label your slash with top or bottom seems really, really damned ridiculous to me. I guess I don't suppose I ever thought that it mattered. But, I see these labels everywhere - so it must be really damned important to some people.

[ratherastory.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I really never thought much about the whole top/bottom thing until I found fandom, but apparently who tops or whatever is really important! There are arguments and nasty comments about it, even. Who knew?

[pkwench.livejournal.com]

I just think it's hysterical because only in male/male slash does anyone give a shit what position anyone's in. Also, some part of me refuses to accept the phrase top and bottom. I can't help it. I giggle like a 12 year-old whenever I see top!Jared or bottom!Jensen or vice versa. You never see comparable terms in het or lesbian romance and smut.

[hansons-angel.livejournal.com]

I mean, I don't think I've ever picked up a novel in a bookstore that had the words, "WARNING! DEATH FIC OF MAIN CHARACTER!" emblazoned across the front. No book I've ever browsed in my local library had a blurb in the jacket about, ". . .and so-and-so only likes to be in the missionary position when having sex so if you like your main character to be on top, this isn't the story for you."

Not that I'm comparing my lowly fan fic to a published novel, but still. You get my drift. : )

(All done hi-jacking the thread. I think, lol). . .

[ratherastory.livejournal.com]

No, no! Converse away!

I am all in favour of rational discussion in my LJ. :)

[pkwench.livejournal.com]

God, can you imagine the warnings? Jacqueline Carey novels would have like a thousand warning tags. Robin Hobb would have to go back and start putting in character death warnings or really long explanations regarding those deaths. And Stephen King would get all kinds of warnings for not telling anyone that he was writing horror and not H/C as well as doing bad things to characters. LOL

[bellatemple]

Best review (in a hilarious sort of way) I ever got was on ff.net -- not QUITE the reason I stopped posting there a lot, but up there. I still know it word for word.

People there are freaking nuts, yo.

[ratherastory.livejournal.com]

Whackjobs, all of 'em. Also, not super discriminating for the most part, but I guess if they're going to leave nice comments I can't say too much about that.

I try to put some effort into my reviews, though, and I'm always mildly peeved when a review is basically an emoticon. COME ON. Is it that hard to write one sentence?

/rant

[bellatemple]

Considering the fact that the vast majority of those who read your fic, or even favorite the story or you in general, never leave behind a single mark?

I usually take what I can get.

But, yeah, there's always a moment of "uh, great. Thanks?"

[mimblexwimble.livejournal.com]

UGH. Some people just don't realize that the point of certain stories is not a happy ending or comfort or whatever they want it to be. I know someone who hated Ten Thousand Miles because they felt I didn't care about what happened to Sam and that the whole thing was just about Dean suffering pretty. Which, great, have your opinions, I don't mind. But honestly, haven't you just sort of insulted all those families who do lose people forever in real life and never find out what happened to them? Just because you want loose ends tied and happy endings doesn't mean that's what a certain plot calls for.

Deprivation was awesome as it was. *grumpy*

[ratherastory.livejournal.com]

*smishes you*

Exactly. Way to miss the point. "Ten Thousand Miles" was gorgeous, and while it broke my heart into a million tiny pieces (I read "My Life Has Gone Off Its Tracks," but I'm still too damned upset to comment), I thought that the fact that Dean never found Sam was damned brilliant. It broke my heart, but it was brilliant.

I swear to God, reading your stories shaves a year or five off my life every time. I'm going to die young, and it's your fault. ;)