Fourth Post!
Jun. 6th, 2022 09:22 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
hoisinsauce posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
secretfanspacebtw feel free to suggest/nominate post titles
Post about fandom! Or whatever! Whether it's a rave about some obscure series, or an essay dissecting every last reason why some internet-famous author should rethink their career, someone will probably read it at some point! We also just chat about life.
(start a comment thread by replying to this post)
Post about fandom! Or whatever! Whether it's a rave about some obscure series, or an essay dissecting every last reason why some internet-famous author should rethink their career, someone will probably read it at some point! We also just chat about life.
(start a comment thread by replying to this post)
Re: Fandom Venting
Date: 2022-09-01 11:15 am (UTC)there's an author I like as a person, and I like her writing, but ah, she puts content warnings at the start of her chapters. At the start of the fic, I'd get it, I'd still find it a bit infantilising if I'm honest, but go with what you feel is best and prioritise whichever readers you want. but at the start of a chapter, it just kills it for me. I can't focus on the words bc it's like someone's waving a neon sign, 'watch out for THIS bit'. it makes the whole thing feel childish.
and I feel a bit sad that with fandom culture being what it is, it's not appropriate to point it out. to me, it ruins her fic. she's there agonising over the word choice and it's like, oof, it doesn't matter, nothing can rescue this chapter from the intrusive 'cw: violence' you put at the start. it's like you just interrupted the story to say 'WATCH OUT READERS HERE'S A DARK BIT', the way someone might reassure a child, and in so doing broke the immersion in what is supposed to be a dark tale for adults. now I feel like I'm overhearing someone read to a little kid and the mood is gone.
Re: Fandom Venting
Date: 2022-09-01 11:34 am (UTC)But yeah, it's not the sort of point she would be receptive to if you raised it. She'd probably say that you need to get over it because *insert condescending explanation about kindness and poot, traumatized readers here*
Re: Fandom Venting
Date: 2022-09-01 03:44 pm (UTC)+++ 9000000%. Exactly. It's like, you make this tiny elaborate model, you agonise over it, you finish it, and then you put it in the palm of your hand and crush it before anyone gets to see it. You tell them exactly what to read into your work before they read. By the time they get to it, they've had the soul smothered. You might as well make a feast and then let it go cold before serving...
> But yeah, it's not the sort of point she would be receptive to if you raised it. She'd probably say that you need to get over it because *insert condescending explanation about kindness and poot, traumatized readers here*
I think she'd try to be nice about it, tbf, she doesn't seem horrible, but she would be condescending. She's one of those people whose empathy gets weaponised against them imo. I mostly feel bad for her because I think she's going against her own artistic instincts, to the detriment of her work, in an attempt to be kind. She's a lot more sociable in fandom than I am; must be a difficult road.
Re: Fandom Venting
Date: 2022-09-02 10:53 am (UTC)Re: Fandom Venting
Date: 2022-09-02 11:16 am (UTC)it would be better (though tbh I don't like that practice either, I'm at the far end of not warning hahahaha-- but up to the individual! there need to be both fics with warnings and fics with no warnings in the world, imo). the issue with the fic I was looking at was that the warnings came at the start of each chapter and the chapters were very short. so even though it wasn't like the flow of the chapter itself was interrupted to go:
A/N: TRIGGER INCOMING AT THIS BIT!!!
... it felt like that. If the chapters were a bit longer it might have been possible to go 'okay, I'm fine with this' at the start and then forget what you'd been warned for over the course of reading. But nope!
The other issue I have is that it can make you respect the author less, because you see what they think needs warning for and what they don't, and it might not accord with your own priorities.
Re: Fandom Venting
Date: 2022-09-02 11:18 am (UTC)oh also I didn't like that the language used was 'content warning', not even 'trigger warning'. it offends me as an artist but i cba to articulate it. :P and am sure the discussion has been had a million times anyway.
Re: Fandom Venting
Date: 2022-09-01 02:54 pm (UTC)Fuck you, Aja.
I don't even remember if she was the BNF affected or who instigated it, but fuck you anyway.
So yes I feel you about the fandom culture thing and IDK though, I feel like concern or otherwise, a lot of authors feel compelled to put it there out of CYOA. That's how bad things are.
Re: Fandom Venting
Date: 2022-09-01 03:50 pm (UTC)Reminds me of a time a guy I disliked was trying curry for the first time, and decided to get a vindaloo *because* everyone told him it'd be too spicy and he thought he had something to prove.
He looked like he was dying.
Been ten years and it still makes me smile. :)
Re: Fandom Venting
Date: 2022-09-01 03:52 pm (UTC)But anyway yeah that wank sounds both nuts and hilarious, thank you for sharing.
Re: Fandom Venting
Date: 2022-09-03 01:31 pm (UTC)guess I'm avoiding her writing for a while
Re: Fandom Venting
Date: 2022-09-03 03:46 pm (UTC)Re: Fandom Venting
Date: 2022-09-03 05:57 pm (UTC)I wouldn't avoid outright but I've got a lot to read and this is a handy flag for writers who aren't the most observant.
Re: Fandom Venting
Date: 2022-09-04 05:33 am (UTC)This tbh. I'd still read if there's something interesting but I'm fine with deprioritising pronoun people. There's so much content out there to read that this really hasn't slowed me down one bit.