Boring fanwank shit
Aug. 31st, 2006 03:52 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
transemacabreSomething that sort of hurt my feelings and pissed me off at the same time.
Okay, so for one of my fanworks communities I answered a request and wrote a fic for the recepient. I'm not expecting anyone to bow down before my l33t fanfic sk1llz here, but I was a little hurt by the recepient's response. S/he said (in so many words), "Well, it's not quite what I was going for, but thanks. I guess." Just the most limp-wristed, passive-agressive "fuck you" I think I've ever gotten. Even a "Holy shit bitch, that story was whack, what kind of crack were you smoking when you wrote down that bullshit???" would have been better, since the recepient would've at least had the balls to tell me off. Instead I get this fake-polite response where the recepient can't resist adding in a little snipe at me.
If it had been a regular fic and someone had criticized it, I wouldn't care so much or I'd consider their criticism an opportunity to look at what didn't work with the story. But this was a story specifically written to fulfil a stranger's request, which I first a) spoke with the recepient about to see if they were interested in receiving the story I had in mind and then b) took the time to write the damn thing and put it up. I'm pathetically grateful when someone writes me a little drabble, I always thank them and place their fic in a special category in my memories. That's because someone took a few moments out of their lives to try to make me, some stranger from the internet, happy by fulfilling my request. It's a gift, and when gifts are given to you, even if they're not quite what you were expecting, it's only fair to remember that the giver had good intentions and only wanted to please you, so you should at least manage a smile and a "Thanks". And make that a "thanks" without any little sarcastic add-on to remind the giver of how utterly unsatisfactory their gift was to you.
Okay, so for one of my fanworks communities I answered a request and wrote a fic for the recepient. I'm not expecting anyone to bow down before my l33t fanfic sk1llz here, but I was a little hurt by the recepient's response. S/he said (in so many words), "Well, it's not quite what I was going for, but thanks. I guess." Just the most limp-wristed, passive-agressive "fuck you" I think I've ever gotten. Even a "Holy shit bitch, that story was whack, what kind of crack were you smoking when you wrote down that bullshit???" would have been better, since the recepient would've at least had the balls to tell me off. Instead I get this fake-polite response where the recepient can't resist adding in a little snipe at me.
If it had been a regular fic and someone had criticized it, I wouldn't care so much or I'd consider their criticism an opportunity to look at what didn't work with the story. But this was a story specifically written to fulfil a stranger's request, which I first a) spoke with the recepient about to see if they were interested in receiving the story I had in mind and then b) took the time to write the damn thing and put it up. I'm pathetically grateful when someone writes me a little drabble, I always thank them and place their fic in a special category in my memories. That's because someone took a few moments out of their lives to try to make me, some stranger from the internet, happy by fulfilling my request. It's a gift, and when gifts are given to you, even if they're not quite what you were expecting, it's only fair to remember that the giver had good intentions and only wanted to please you, so you should at least manage a smile and a "Thanks". And make that a "thanks" without any little sarcastic add-on to remind the giver of how utterly unsatisfactory their gift was to you.
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no subject
Date: 2006-08-31 04:55 pm (UTC)I'm sorry, darlin'. It's so tough when that happens. Drabbles are indeed gifts; when I get them, I always try to thank the writer.
But on the other hand, she said that your fic wasn't what she wanted; she was honest. Why does that translate to her wanting to tell you off or transferring that dislike of your drabble to you personally, hon? The two don't equate in my mind. If she doesn't like your fice, it doesn't mean that she doesn't like you, know what I'm saying?
There is a tactful way to tell someone that what they wrote you is not quite what you wanted or expected, and the appropriate time is if they ask you directly what you thought of their work AFTER you thank them profusely for taking the time to write, IMHO.
I'll be honest and say that a few times people have written me drabbles that did nothing for me, or the characterizations were something I didn't like. But I won't say that unless asked directly, and because I usually am very fond of the people that write me drabbles, their writing has nothing to do with how I feel about them personally. Do you grok me?
no subject
Date: 2006-08-31 05:44 pm (UTC)Yes, you do have a point. I just think there are times to be brutally honest, and times when you really ought to just suck it up and remember that it was done with good intentions. Like if your Aunt Ethel gives you one of those damn ceramic unicorns for your Christmas present, it's sort of bad form to tell her, "Well thanks for the gift, it totally matches nothing in my home decor!" It just really seemed to me that the recepient was pretty much asking "Why did you even bother?" when all I was trying to do was make them happy.
no subject
Date: 2006-09-01 10:21 pm (UTC)I agree.
Sure, if she really wanted to be honest she could have said it, but there was nothing really positive in her response. No "I liked this" or "you write well" to balance out that statement. Since this person couldn't write the drabble themselves I don't think they have much right to be lukewarm rude when it's not what they wanted. It's not like THEY did any work.
When someone does something nice you should reward them in some small way. She shouldn't have bitten out a half-assed thanks as if she were doing YOU some sort of favor by asking for the drabble.