know the new unspoken rules, fandom drama, eskel big bang, fisstech and
succubi, the witcher, witcher eskel, Anonymous
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Two factors to consider here– one is that the new tack that suddenly
started getting talked about after I made my post about how I wasn’t
comfortable participating in the exchange is that all of those “you can’t
write this” rules only meant “too graphically”, which had not been said
before that (I went and looked, here’s the post
https://eskelbigbang.tumblr.com/post/639172965356978176/rules-and-faq, I
wasn’t misreading, it literally didn’t say that) but me not psychically
knowing that was what they meant is apparently “spreading
misinformation”, y’know? So there are all kinds of wildly subjective
things that likely are being assumed that “everyone knows to be true”
about this, and one is probably something along the lines of it not
counting as too explicit if it’s something condemned in the narrative,
right? (I don’t know that, I’m guessing, because like all of this from
the beginning, you have to know to know.) So it comes down to your
intentions and whether the mods think you’re into it, basically. I guess.
I mean– the guidelines as clarified in this post
https://eskelbigbang.tumblr.com/post/639419406775140352/hello-we-have-decided-to-turn-off-anonymous
mentioned “no underage” twice– once in the “not too graphic” category, and
once in the “depictions not allowed” category, so I guess what you have to
do is read the mods’ minds and figure out which of those two places they
really meant to put it, and if your intentions are pure and you’re vibing
on their wavelength already, you’ll get it right and your fic will be
Allowed.
The other factor is that this anon may just have been trying to wind me up
and isn’t actually writing a spitefic based on my outline, so. I have other
things to do so probably won’t exactly have the attention span to spare to
look out for what actually does get posted in that exchange, but it could
be a good exercise for someone with nothing better to do. When the fics
from that exchange get posted up, see how many people found a way to write
underage in an Acceptable way. It’s not an exercise I care for at all,
and again, I do not have that kind of attention span, I’m really not just
saying that. (But really, if someone wants to write a spitefic based on my
outline, go for it, with my blessing; I’m not exactly worried about my
ideas being stolen, here. A writer’s ideas are not what makes her good.)
Anyway. I remain astonished that anyone could blame me for declining to
participate in an event that moves the goalposts all the goddamned time.
They’ve significantly changed the guidelines since I wrote my post about
it, and seem upset that I didn’t ask directly first, except I did and
they assumed that was an attack, so there’s no way I could have
participated without having been their friend first. Like– it genuinely
seems that’s the only way to get a question or clarification answered, is
to have gone through a friend and figured out how to gently ask so nobody
was upset. It’s all in-group fuckery I lack the social aptitude for, and it
just stings that they’re claiming this is the “most inclusive” way to do
it. (I’ve never been one of the cool kids and have never known the unspoken
rules, so this is nothing new; it’s certainly not the first time something
has been billed for “everybody” but I’ve been driven off with a sneer, so.
I mean. I know what’s up, here, and I suppose I’m not surprised by it.)
Isn’t the point of a fandom event to like… share your love of the canon,
and bond together over the things you all enjoy, and explore new outlets of
your creativity, and such? The point is to build community and enjoy this
hobby together.
I can post anything I want to my own AO3 anytime I want, and do, and have
a wonderful readership I enjoy greatly, and I can just allow the story to
dictate to me what has to happen. Why the everloving fuck would I sign up
for drama? Why would I sign on to have some moderator judge by the latest
Cool Kid Criteria whether my fic is pure enough to be posted? Why would I
do this? There’s nothing to be gained except a great deal of aggravation,
as has now been proven over and over.
So anyway I’ve just submitted my entry to F&S
https://fisstech-and-succubi.tumblr.com/ and if the one with the succubus
turns out not to fit into any of the prompt shapes I’ll just have to bake a
second cake, and might anyway– they’re allowing treats, after all. They’ve
been communicative and haven’t changed their rules at all and also their
rules make sense given the canon, so. No, I don’t need to participate in
exchanges, but I had been thinking it’d be a nice way to get through these
dark times that have been exceptionally dark for me lately.
If you’re reading this and are baffled by all the drama, please join F&S
https://fisstech-and-succubi.tumblr.com/ and write me some hurt-comfort
or draw me a pretty picture, I’d love something to look forward to. You
don’t have to join a Discord server and cozy up to find out what their
rules actually mean; they’re just using the normal ones, like AO3 does, and
you can keep yourself safe by respecting the tags, like the grown-ups have
been doing for years now. Signups are open until February 14th.
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