blamebrampton (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
blamebrampton) wrote2008-06-23 01:10 pm
blamebrampton) wrote2008-06-23 01:10 pm
Flames I have not written ...
There have been a lot of flame-related posts of late, from people receiving their first ones, to a sweet young one on a comm who was cross about one that turned out to be harshly worded concrit (a fine distinction, I grant you).
It made me think about the art of flaming. I don't think it's a good idea on principle, because surely you could receive a more visceral buzz from going out and actually kicking a puppy or stealing a small child's sweets (easier to do than you might think, they have short attention spans). However, I recently made the mistake of mentioning to some friends that I had read the worst story ever. They hastily corrected me and pointed me in the direction of the actual worst stories ever. I suspect the nadir may have been reached. And I could see why people flamed. Indeed, I had Strong Urges.
So strong, in fact, that I wrote them all down, but here, not in the several theres that inspired them. Rest assured, dear flist and casual readers, none of these were directed at any of you.
* If that is truly how you believe gay men behave, you need to change your reference material from Teletubbies to Queer as Fuck.
* Stop now, remove Word from your computer, and contemplate accountancy. It pays very well.
* That manoeuvre would have resulted in hospitalisation and a very embarrassing recuperation.
* No English person, in the history of the world, has ever said that. There are laws against it.
* No Malfoy would ever shop there.
* The Dursleys are Middle Class, not retarded. There is a clear distinction.
* Boys do quite often shag just because they would like to have sex now, thank you. It is unusual for them to wait for a lengthy monologue on the nature of love to be completed first. Not impossible, I grant you, but unlikely. Most boys I have known would have made a cup of tea, played a quick game of internet spaceships, or had one off the wrist in that fifteen minutes. The nice ones would have made two cups of tea.
* I pride myself on a willing suspension of disbelief, but Isambard Kingdom Brunel could not have bridged these plot gaps.
* Is it just the HP women, or all women who make you this angry?
* Have you ever actually seen a penis?
* I admit I have not exhausted the variations, but I am fairly sure that you can't have sex like that. Unless you are an elephant. In which case you missed an animagus scene.
* The Queen is not happy with what you have done to her English.
What about you lot? Anything you've wanted to rant on but have kept inside? Stop bottling, let it out. No names, no URLs, just vent the badness ...
It made me think about the art of flaming. I don't think it's a good idea on principle, because surely you could receive a more visceral buzz from going out and actually kicking a puppy or stealing a small child's sweets (easier to do than you might think, they have short attention spans). However, I recently made the mistake of mentioning to some friends that I had read the worst story ever. They hastily corrected me and pointed me in the direction of the actual worst stories ever. I suspect the nadir may have been reached. And I could see why people flamed. Indeed, I had Strong Urges.
So strong, in fact, that I wrote them all down, but here, not in the several theres that inspired them. Rest assured, dear flist and casual readers, none of these were directed at any of you.
* If that is truly how you believe gay men behave, you need to change your reference material from Teletubbies to Queer as Fuck.
* Stop now, remove Word from your computer, and contemplate accountancy. It pays very well.
* That manoeuvre would have resulted in hospitalisation and a very embarrassing recuperation.
* No English person, in the history of the world, has ever said that. There are laws against it.
* No Malfoy would ever shop there.
* The Dursleys are Middle Class, not retarded. There is a clear distinction.
* Boys do quite often shag just because they would like to have sex now, thank you. It is unusual for them to wait for a lengthy monologue on the nature of love to be completed first. Not impossible, I grant you, but unlikely. Most boys I have known would have made a cup of tea, played a quick game of internet spaceships, or had one off the wrist in that fifteen minutes. The nice ones would have made two cups of tea.
* I pride myself on a willing suspension of disbelief, but Isambard Kingdom Brunel could not have bridged these plot gaps.
* Is it just the HP women, or all women who make you this angry?
* Have you ever actually seen a penis?
* I admit I have not exhausted the variations, but I am fairly sure that you can't have sex like that. Unless you are an elephant. In which case you missed an animagus scene.
* The Queen is not happy with what you have done to her English.
What about you lot? Anything you've wanted to rant on but have kept inside? Stop bottling, let it out. No names, no URLs, just vent the badness ...
no subject
no subject
I don't grumble at the first kind, because hey, RL is important and I understand everything about having no time. And I'm not talking about newbies either.
But if I see a regular pattern, it really angers me. Especially in fests, when people are asked to comment, because this makes authors happy. I totally agree, but I'd rather wish I could only comment on those fics whose authors appreciate the comment enough to let me know after the fest is over and everything is revealed.
There is this policy in fandom that authors shouldn't expect feedback or force their readers into giving feedback. So far, so fine. But I don't get it that if someone gets comments, why they wouldn't have the courtesy to thank their readers for commenting.
Ah - there you have the rant. *g*
Thankfully, this is the exception rather than the rule. So, maybe I should rather ask myself why it angers me so much.
no subject
I think you write very thoughtful and considered comments, which elicit engagement with the recipient. It's so much worse to ignore that sort of comment than an "OMG, that was good!"
no subject
Exactly. I really try to give something back when I review, even though sometimes (when in a hurry), I write a single-liner, too. I don't expect a full-blown conversation to come from every review - especially when a writer gets lots of comments. That would be unrealistic. Just a little acknowledgment that my effort has been seen, if not appreciated.
no subject
no subject
400 comments seem like an awful lot. The number alone looks overwhelming. But maybe there's a price to everything, isn't it?
For me, there is a difference between a post in a fest and one in an individual journal. In a journal, I can look at the authors responding habits and decide if I want to leave feedback. If they don't care for feedback, I'm fine with that. In a fest - not so much, because I don't want to wait with the comments after the authors are revealed.
I don't want to stop commenting, because a comment, to me, makes the difference between seeing a fic and the author behind it or simply consuming the story without any acknowledgment. Leaving no feedback doesn't make me happy, because I feel that I've been cheating the author of some part of the fanish exchange.
So, altogether? I guess I rather go on as before and learn to shrug off those non-responders as impolite. It's not in their power to spoil the fun. :-)
no subject
no subject
<3