Bless

[jadesfire]

This article on Why Fan-fiction needs to stop would be very easy to be cross and/or exasperated at. The basic premise: Fan-fiction is icky and cheapening and I don't like it therefore it should all be BANNED. From an expert Political Science student who has clearly done extensive Googling research to make his point. Honest. The amount of research he's done is VERY OBVIOUS.

But if you do click through (it's a very, very short article), make sure you read all the comments too. Name-checks include Henry Jenkins and Ithiliana's anti-fanfic bingo-card, as well as some impressed "well, duh" and nice mickey-taking.

The moral of this story could probably be summed up as:

Do not meddle in the affairs of fan-ficcers, for they are not subtle and will quickly mock you.

[Link originally gakked from cyberducks with thanks]

ETA: I have been waiting for an opportunity to use this incredibly awesome icon that greyias made me. Thank you, Mr Idiot! *shows off*

Comments

[pwcorgigirl.livejournal.com]

I particularly liked the very pithy one left by someone who appears, from linguistic choice, to be an Australian. Hehee!

[jadesfire2808.livejournal.com]

I'm torn. I kind of like the one that suggested he 'didn't get any comments' and should try putting in more smut (HEE!) but I think my favourite is probably the one that begins "It is time for a moratorium on white male college students blathering on the internet... and just gets better from there :)

I also love that most people have responded by a)being really reasonable or b)just plain laughing at him (intelligently and wittily for the most part). Makes a nice change from flamings ;)

[topaz-eyes.livejournal.com]

Heee! Thank you for pointing me there! The slapdowns were perfect. XD

[jadesfire2808.livejournal.com]

I thought everyone would like it. Most of the responses were so spot on I couldn't stop giggling. They seem to have found his level...

[naye]

*laughs and laughs*

Another reason to love ficcers. ♥

Thanks for sharing this!

[jadesfire2808.livejournal.com]

The put-downs were so funny they made the post worth reading, which is more than I can say for the original :)

[aoibhe.livejournal.com]

The bingo cards never fail to amuse me. I've pretty much given up on "FANFIC IS THE DEBIL" wank, because it's never anything new, and the whiners tend to get smacked down pretty quickly and efficiently.


The sad thing? This is published. (http://www.journalfen.net/community/fandom_lounge/867697.html) And, according to Some People, that makes it better than fanfiction.

I'm... just gonna go over thar and bzuh some more. And otters. OTTERS. (http://vandonovan.livejournal.com/1088755.html)

[jadesfire2808.livejournal.com]

*g* What was best about this one was the commenters were so wonderfully patronising to him, which was thoroughly deserved. There was more creativity and thought in those than the whole of the original post (the "no one commented on your story, did they?" one is probably my favourite)

Yeah, I saw that. And it scared me so I RAN AWAY with my eyes bleeding. This is the only Otter I want to see (http://icanhascheezburger.com/2008/05/23/funny-pictures-a-day-u-can-buy-a-bukkit-for-teh-children/). Otters on bottles? What the hell?

[nnwest.livejournal.com]

*snerk* I needed that laugh. :D

[jadesfire2808.livejournal.com]

*g* Happy to help!

[nightdog-barks.livejournal.com]

Heh. I'm with Corgigirl, if the reply she's referring to is the one advising the OP to take the stick out of his arse and stop poking about in other peoples' drawers if he doesn't like their knickers.

And OTTERS! I had not seen that! Absolutely ... amazing.

[jadesfire2808.livejournal.com]

*gasps* You'd missed the gloriousness of the Purplest Purple Prose to ever achieve Purplehood? My favourite part of the whole thing? Someone drew her! (http://vandonovan.livejournal.com/1088311.html?thread=11352887#t11352887)

Hee!

[miss-zedem.livejournal.com]

You need to take that stick out of your arse, mate - and stop poking in other people's underwear drawers, if you don't like their taste in knickers. *falls off chair* You know, I love fanficcers, and this is why :D

[jadesfire2808.livejournal.com]

I love the demonstration of creativity and common sense that he's accusing us of not having. That and the plain old "Seriously, can you hear yourself" comments, which seem more kindly meant ;)

[fish-echo.livejournal.com]

I don't like NASCAR. So I'd like that to stop, please. Also asparagus. I dislike asparagus so I demand that people stop growing it.

But I like asparagus! OH NO! WHATEVER SHALL WE DO? I think a jello flame war! Winner decides the fate of all worldly asparagus!

[greyias.livejournal.com]

I will cheer in your corner for the fate of our dear asparagus!

[aeron-lanart.livejournal.com]

The comments make that worth reading!

So nice to see him being politely and gleefully torn apart with (so far) nary a real flame in sight.

[jadesfire2808.livejournal.com]

*nods* It's so good that people have just gone "er...no..." rather than heading off on one :)

[mer-duff.livejournal.com]

The only thing that fanfic has ruined for me is my patience with terribly written published work - oh that link! Which now just fills me with despair.

Thank god for all the brilliant comments to that article. Without them I would worry that some young fanfic writer might read it and have it reinforced once again that what they're doing isn't "real" writing. I started writing fanfic long before the Internet and for a long time I believed I was doing something strange and shameful. So while Mr. Poli-Sci might have been traumatized by what he's clicked on while surfing, it's been tremendously reinforcing and reassuring for me.

[jadesfire2808.livejournal.com]

*g* The comments are awesome, demonstrating all the qualities that he seems to think people who write fanfic don't have!

On the purple prose, I'm torn between hysteria and despair. Although mostly I just feel like my eyes are bleeding...

[mad-jaks.livejournal.com]

I like the one where someone has leapt to the conclusion he wrote some and got flamed for it, so now he's all upset...
I can totally believe that!

[jadesfire2808.livejournal.com]

*grin* I thought that was the best one! They're great comments :)

[greyias.livejournal.com]

Those comments were HI-larious. I'm not sure I can pick a favorite, but it could be the Australian one. As far as what to leave... there's just too many things that could be said to the... little dear.

[jadesfire2808.livejournal.com]

*giggle* People have reacted so very well - exactly what the piece deserved!

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

*uses own snowflake icon*

I like that someone pointed out the spinoff novels. Or the fact that other characters, like Holmes etc are constantly written and rewritten about.

[jadesfire2808.livejournal.com]

*nods* Some of the Star Wars books in particular read like bad fanfic :S I loved the comment about how Greek dramatists had ruined The Odyssey for someone. Hee! People can be awesome sometimes :D

[crystalshard.livejournal.com]

I goggled, then I giggled. Poor naive Politics student.

[ladyamarra.livejournal.com]

Man, I'd love to invite this guy to our cultural studies classes. My Professor (who once talked at lengh about his own love for Star trek Deep space nine Fanfiction, his own pieces of work, and the way the internet pretty much made him pick the topid he wanted to teach.) would probably point at the guy, call him and idiot in klingon, and laugh.

Have I mentioned how I love my prof? He's like a pop culture lexicon in an aerosmith t-shirt and sandals. Oh, have I mentioned how I love the fact that there's no such thing as a dress code at our university? *g*

[pwcorgigirl.livejournal.com]

I particularly liked the very pithy one left by someone who appears, from linguistic choice, to be an Australian. Hehee!

[jadesfire2808.livejournal.com]

I'm torn. I kind of like the one that suggested he 'didn't get any comments' and should try putting in more smut (HEE!) but I think my favourite is probably the one that begins "It is time for a moratorium on white male college students blathering on the internet... and just gets better from there :)

I also love that most people have responded by a)being really reasonable or b)just plain laughing at him (intelligently and wittily for the most part). Makes a nice change from flamings ;)

[topaz-eyes.livejournal.com]

Heee! Thank you for pointing me there! The slapdowns were perfect. XD

[jadesfire2808.livejournal.com]

I thought everyone would like it. Most of the responses were so spot on I couldn't stop giggling. They seem to have found his level...

[naye]

*laughs and laughs*

Another reason to love ficcers. ♥

Thanks for sharing this!

[jadesfire2808.livejournal.com]

The put-downs were so funny they made the post worth reading, which is more than I can say for the original :)

[aoibhe.livejournal.com]

The bingo cards never fail to amuse me. I've pretty much given up on "FANFIC IS THE DEBIL" wank, because it's never anything new, and the whiners tend to get smacked down pretty quickly and efficiently.


The sad thing? This is published. (http://www.journalfen.net/community/fandom_lounge/867697.html) And, according to Some People, that makes it better than fanfiction.

I'm... just gonna go over thar and bzuh some more. And otters. OTTERS. (http://vandonovan.livejournal.com/1088755.html)

[jadesfire2808.livejournal.com]

*g* What was best about this one was the commenters were so wonderfully patronising to him, which was thoroughly deserved. There was more creativity and thought in those than the whole of the original post (the "no one commented on your story, did they?" one is probably my favourite)

Yeah, I saw that. And it scared me so I RAN AWAY with my eyes bleeding. This is the only Otter I want to see (http://icanhascheezburger.com/2008/05/23/funny-pictures-a-day-u-can-buy-a-bukkit-for-teh-children/). Otters on bottles? What the hell?

[nnwest.livejournal.com]

*snerk* I needed that laugh. :D

[jadesfire2808.livejournal.com]

*g* Happy to help!

[nightdog-barks.livejournal.com]

Heh. I'm with Corgigirl, if the reply she's referring to is the one advising the OP to take the stick out of his arse and stop poking about in other peoples' drawers if he doesn't like their knickers.

And OTTERS! I had not seen that! Absolutely ... amazing.

[jadesfire2808.livejournal.com]

*gasps* You'd missed the gloriousness of the Purplest Purple Prose to ever achieve Purplehood? My favourite part of the whole thing? Someone drew her! (http://vandonovan.livejournal.com/1088311.html?thread=11352887#t11352887)

Hee!

[miss-zedem.livejournal.com]

You need to take that stick out of your arse, mate - and stop poking in other people's underwear drawers, if you don't like their taste in knickers. *falls off chair* You know, I love fanficcers, and this is why :D

[jadesfire2808.livejournal.com]

I love the demonstration of creativity and common sense that he's accusing us of not having. That and the plain old "Seriously, can you hear yourself" comments, which seem more kindly meant ;)

[fish-echo.livejournal.com]

I don't like NASCAR. So I'd like that to stop, please. Also asparagus. I dislike asparagus so I demand that people stop growing it.

But I like asparagus! OH NO! WHATEVER SHALL WE DO? I think a jello flame war! Winner decides the fate of all worldly asparagus!

[greyias.livejournal.com]

I will cheer in your corner for the fate of our dear asparagus!

[aeron-lanart.livejournal.com]

The comments make that worth reading!

So nice to see him being politely and gleefully torn apart with (so far) nary a real flame in sight.

[jadesfire2808.livejournal.com]

*nods* It's so good that people have just gone "er...no..." rather than heading off on one :)

[mer-duff.livejournal.com]

The only thing that fanfic has ruined for me is my patience with terribly written published work - oh that link! Which now just fills me with despair.

Thank god for all the brilliant comments to that article. Without them I would worry that some young fanfic writer might read it and have it reinforced once again that what they're doing isn't "real" writing. I started writing fanfic long before the Internet and for a long time I believed I was doing something strange and shameful. So while Mr. Poli-Sci might have been traumatized by what he's clicked on while surfing, it's been tremendously reinforcing and reassuring for me.

[jadesfire2808.livejournal.com]

*g* The comments are awesome, demonstrating all the qualities that he seems to think people who write fanfic don't have!

On the purple prose, I'm torn between hysteria and despair. Although mostly I just feel like my eyes are bleeding...