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[fandom commentary]
*blinks*
*blinks again*
Hmm. Have been happily bloghopping for a large part of the morning and came across an interesting conversation on![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
rinoared's journal.
Um. You may wish to tune out if you're not a writing or fandom person, but I thinksanguia (you little fandom whore you) and tammaiya might find this interesting, despite the fact that it's based around the Yami no Matsuei fandom.
The topic was actually about the merits of smut as proper writing versus "PG-13 angst with plot", but grew into a subdiscussion on how cliquey and closed the YnM online fandom is. This is something that I've been thinking about for a while, so I'm throwing in my two bits, but maybe it says something that I'm only posting it here instead of on the main discussion.
I was actually quite impressed by my reception into the LJ yami fandom... from the outside it did seem a bit daunting, as everybody seemed to know everybody else, but people commented quite readily. Perhaps there is a small problem with people commenting on only their friends' works, but I've had positive feedback from lots of people that I don't know. As for the cliquey-ness... well, I've made some good friends through the communities *waves at them* but unfortunately I've had to rely on the Canberra connection to find ones that will keep in contact with me and comment on my journal. I'm not hugely pushy by nature and feel hesitant friending people and compulsively commenting on their LJ if I'm not going to get a reply.
The thing is, I haven't got the time or enthusiasm to be involved with more fandoms, and so I have no point of comparison. I don't know - IS it common for a community to be so close-knit? It is the relatively small size? I've seen quite a few people introduce themselves and then never poke their heads up again, and by posting such a long-running fic as Shields I feel like I'm pushing upstream and forcing my way into a comfortable institution. That said, I still get feedback on a fairly regular basis, from those people in the communities that actually comment. It's a sadly small number - not for me in particular, but the comm in general. There are active members, there are(far more) silent lurkers.
And then there's me. Who is really not quite sure how she fits in and too timid to ask.
Back to the ficwriting, and possibly a slightly less bitter subject. I agree with the main body of people that smut is bloody difficult to write. I write PG-13 angst. I write sap. I write humour, but not for the yami fandom as much. But I can't write smut and I respect those who can do. Perhaps you'll be admired as a writer if your plot spans hundreds of chapters... but all that says is that you have tenacity and an attention span of more than a week. What are other people's opinions on this? I'm interested. There are a huge amounts of opinions out there on what constitutes good fanfic writing, but I'm finding it hard to form one because my version of angstsap isn't something that you can hold up next to a short, steamy smut vignette and compare them.
Me, I like just about anything. Long-ranging stories, smut, weird angsty vignettes, short kinky humour fics... and often it's different writers that do each of them. Not everyone can do everything, because of style differences.
*struggles* I'm pretty sure I had some opinions in there, but I feel like I'm writing a "discuss" essay and have to give both sides. This is a common subject, and it applies far beyond the only fandom that I'm active in. Give opinions or not, just as you please. Commenting isn't for everyone, right?
*blinks again*
Hmm. Have been happily bloghopping for a large part of the morning and came across an interesting conversation on
rinoared's journal. Um. You may wish to tune out if you're not a writing or fandom person, but I think
sanguia (you little fandom whore you) and tammaiya might find this interesting, despite the fact that it's based around the Yami no Matsuei fandom. The topic was actually about the merits of smut as proper writing versus "PG-13 angst with plot", but grew into a subdiscussion on how cliquey and closed the YnM online fandom is. This is something that I've been thinking about for a while, so I'm throwing in my two bits, but maybe it says something that I'm only posting it here instead of on the main discussion.
I was actually quite impressed by my reception into the LJ yami fandom... from the outside it did seem a bit daunting, as everybody seemed to know everybody else, but people commented quite readily. Perhaps there is a small problem with people commenting on only their friends' works, but I've had positive feedback from lots of people that I don't know. As for the cliquey-ness... well, I've made some good friends through the communities *waves at them* but unfortunately I've had to rely on the Canberra connection to find ones that will keep in contact with me and comment on my journal. I'm not hugely pushy by nature and feel hesitant friending people and compulsively commenting on their LJ if I'm not going to get a reply.
The thing is, I haven't got the time or enthusiasm to be involved with more fandoms, and so I have no point of comparison. I don't know - IS it common for a community to be so close-knit? It is the relatively small size? I've seen quite a few people introduce themselves and then never poke their heads up again, and by posting such a long-running fic as Shields I feel like I'm pushing upstream and forcing my way into a comfortable institution. That said, I still get feedback on a fairly regular basis, from those people in the communities that actually comment. It's a sadly small number - not for me in particular, but the comm in general. There are active members, there are(far more) silent lurkers.
And then there's me. Who is really not quite sure how she fits in and too timid to ask.
Back to the ficwriting, and possibly a slightly less bitter subject. I agree with the main body of people that smut is bloody difficult to write. I write PG-13 angst. I write sap. I write humour, but not for the yami fandom as much. But I can't write smut and I respect those who can do. Perhaps you'll be admired as a writer if your plot spans hundreds of chapters... but all that says is that you have tenacity and an attention span of more than a week. What are other people's opinions on this? I'm interested. There are a huge amounts of opinions out there on what constitutes good fanfic writing, but I'm finding it hard to form one because my version of angstsap isn't something that you can hold up next to a short, steamy smut vignette and compare them.
Me, I like just about anything. Long-ranging stories, smut, weird angsty vignettes, short kinky humour fics... and often it's different writers that do each of them. Not everyone can do everything, because of style differences.
*struggles* I'm pretty sure I had some opinions in there, but I feel like I'm writing a "discuss" essay and have to give both sides. This is a common subject, and it applies far beyond the only fandom that I'm active in. Give opinions or not, just as you please. Commenting isn't for everyone, right?
no subject
The YnM fandom is very welcoming to newbies, and very friendly at first. However, familiarity breeds contempt, and I've found that the longer you know people within the fandom, the more cliquey things get and before you know it everyone has their own factions.
I, fortunately, am lucky in that I am a non-serious person of the fandom (ie, humour author & artist) and therefore am not deemed important enough for people to get upset over. And it also helps that I've not actually DONE anything fandom related for a while (fanarts do not seem to count...fanart is not a popular item in the YnM fandom, which I think is quite sad.)
Canberra connection...heh. XD Sounds like a secret club of us, all gathering in Canberra and plotting the destruction of the world.
And chicken sex.
Now, if only I was well enough to get out of the house more often....e_e;
no subject
I don't think I can count as a newbie any more, and I think I may have missed the point where I was supposed to jump on a particular bandwagon or other. I can't even recognise the 'factions', let alone decide suddenly that I want to join one. I want to write, I want people to give me feedback, and I want to do the same for others.
Everyone knows that Canberra is the root of all evil. The news tells us so every night.
And while it is really nice to find people that you have a chance of meeting in real life, it might be good to make friends somewhere else. I thought that was what the Net was all about.
Poor Erin :( Sit there and play with your sparkly new paid account, yes? *radiates jealousy*
no subject
My paid account is doing little more than pissing me off e____e I think the servers are screwing up my friends page. Grr.
no subject
...I'm in a hugely writing mood now, and all I have open in Word is a horrible CV for the science forum in January.
Depressing, ne? But I'm seeing Tai later today, so that's something to look forward to...
no subject
(Friends page is fixed now. Hmm, mustabeen a bug.)