blamebrampton: 15th century woodcut of a hound (Default)
blamebrampton ([personal profile] blamebrampton) wrote2008-09-17 08:33 pm

Pilgrims gave me flu!

No, seriously! Months after their orange backpacks left the Emerald City, Sydney is still feeling the impact of the WYD pilgrims' sharing natures. THEY LEFT US THIS FLU! Bastards! And look, even the Catholic News says it's true! Well, likely at any rate.  Apparently the three-week-plus flu that turns to bronchitis is knocking people out across the city, and has been since July, so I am not alone in my feebleness.

Honestly, it was bad enough when it was just nuns trying to plough me to the ground.
 
Bryoney opined that I have been talking too much sport and not enough fandom lately, so three links to make her feel loved. The first is to a very interesting question posed by [livejournal.com profile] bewarethesmirk  in her post here. She asks what it is about some styles of writing that immediately succeeds in drawing the reader in. I've blathered on at length in a comment, as have several others, and I think that we're edging towards the total picture, but I am sure that more brains, particularly brains as big as you lot have, will get to the actual answer. Alas, it's flocked, but if you're not on her flist, feel free to chat here.

My dear [livejournal.com profile] jadzialove  wrote a story recently in which Weasley brothers engaged in activities of an adult nature only suitable for readers over 18. With each other. We both squealed in a frightened fashion, she even while writing. However, that was nothing compared to this story from The Times. To quote their head and standfirst:

I had sex with my brother but I don't feel guilty

A woman slept with her sibling for years and has good memories. Not many people understand their relationship, she says

I can't say I'm surprised to hear that.

For maximum bemusement, you have to read the comments.

Thirdly, Maya has posted the last chapter of Quality of Mercy, and 

there have been many posts along the lines of OMG, it's not H/D! To which I have to say, der! There was never any pairing specified, Harry and Ginny's relationship has been written as genuine and developing the whole way through, Harry has been protective and fraternal in his relationship with Draco and Draco has been someone desperately trying to forge actual relationships in his world, rather than just getting what he wants. Why would a writer ditch all of that worldbuilding for a ship in which she has only written some of her fics? 

I sometimes wonder if people actually read fics as actual creative works or just go through them ticking off their internal preference list. "Yay, there's a cool one-liner, there's an insight into canon, there's a good spot of fanon, excellent UST, and ... and ... THAT'S IT? NO SMEX? YOU SUCK!" On bad days, I suspect the latter.

Oh well. A happy fandom aside: 2500 words of Darkfest written, 1700 of them even consecutive!

And, my final Paralympics moment, Australia lost to the US in the rugby, but Kurt Fearnley won the marathon! YAY!
 


[identity profile] libby-drew.livejournal.com 2008-09-17 01:25 pm (UTC)(link)
Pfft! Cal made me do it. ;D

No more beta for you! You must write.

[identity profile] blamebrampton.livejournal.com 2008-09-17 01:26 pm (UTC)(link)
Oops! yup, expensive cars driven by princesses for the most part, but fit, tiny princesses with manly jaws!

I find that ballet story so easy to believe. And yeah, rugby is an acquired taste. See if you can find a game of Australian Rules Football if you want to see something truly hilarious!

Are many arteries severed?

[identity profile] blamebrampton.livejournal.com 2008-09-17 01:27 pm (UTC)(link)
I think I answer this a bit in reply to your comment below, but I saw it as a part of his need to save everyone, and to make sure that he was Draco's family, albeit in a screwed-up fashion.

[identity profile] blamebrampton.livejournal.com 2008-09-17 01:29 pm (UTC)(link)
Sansa, I have body count. This story is scaring the bejesus out of me, because for all that Amber and Cal point to BBS and say "That's Brammers in a nutshell", this one actually has bits of my life in it.

i apologise for this absurdly long comment ;(

[identity profile] aldehyde.livejournal.com 2008-09-17 01:30 pm (UTC)(link)
i, personally, was happy with the ending and the epilogue because i felt that it stayed true to all the characters. all the non-canon ships in the story were ambiguous to begin with, and stayed that way, and the way maya included a line about "this summer and more summers to come" or harry's declaration that he was "just getting started" leaves the future open for interpretation. so he COULD end up with draco, or maybe he'll stay with ginny forever, and so on. the conclusion didn't feel forced to me, given that harry's always been very appreciative of ginny throughout the fic and has never really completely defined his feelings for draco. so yea, i was happy with the ending.

some of the folks on my flist who were unhappy felt that way b/c they simply like defined pairings. if h/g had been defined from the beginning and it ended that way, they would've been satisfied. i guess this situation feels like dangling a carrot before the donkey and all that, only to be presented with an unappetising stick ;)

that being said, i know i'd be quite upset if DDG didn't end as h/d. if one of the characters DIES and that's the reason for harry not ending up with draco [or something along those lines], then i'll be understanding. but otherwise i'll be more than disappointed b/c the entire fic has revolved around harry's obsession/love for draco.

i haven't read the times article you linked, but i don't understand how siblings can sleep with each other either. i may be able to read about in fic [although it squicks me out like no tomorrow] but my aversion to in RL is even greater *shudders*

[identity profile] empress-jae.livejournal.com 2008-09-17 01:37 pm (UTC)(link)
that's what i thought. see F1 used to be really big over here, and i guess it's still popular (there's still the Indy 500 every year), but don't say that to a NASCAR fan. those backwards rednecks think F1 is car racing for sissys. according to them, REAL drivers do NASCAR.

surprisingly there are not as many arteries severed in hockey. but there was a huge deal back in february when an nhl player almost died when his artery was severed accidentally by his own teammate. it was some scary stuff.



he survived, but it still gives me shivers, and i still grab for my neck when i watch this.

[identity profile] libby-drew.livejournal.com 2008-09-17 01:37 pm (UTC)(link)
Well now I'm dying to read it. *g*

Actually, I'm serious about that. You're being a tease.

[identity profile] blamebrampton.livejournal.com 2008-09-17 01:39 pm (UTC)(link)
Wait a few weeks and you'll be one of the first once it's finished! I need beta-ing and a check to tell me if it's actually any good or if I am quite mad, the latter is quite possible.

Re: i apologise for this absurdly long comment ;(

[identity profile] blamebrampton.livejournal.com 2008-09-17 01:41 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh that's not absurdly long at all!

I have to quote myself in another answer:
DDG, of course, needs to end up H/D or with Draco neatly wiping you-know-who's blood from his lily white hands.

There is no other way!

But yeah, I can see why people who came into QoM through DDG would have the reading they're mostly having. I do think that SRB gave a load of hints to defuse that reading, and they were fairly anvilicious in the last chapter, but fandom trains us to be strange readers sometimes. Like the defined pairings thing ... why do we only read stories in our ships? As soon as I have time I shall read more gen and het! (So, 2012)

The article is frankly odd, though I am happy that neither of them seem to be damaged by the experience. But the responses are hilarious. My favourite was a person who essentially said: "You are going to hell and your actions are a sign that we are in the end of days when Satan walks the Earth and siblings go for a quick shag when mum and dad are out, that's just sick! Having said that, this was a very well-written article."

[identity profile] oddishly.livejournal.com 2008-09-17 01:44 pm (UTC)(link)
That article just brightened my afternoon!

And I second [livejournal.com profile] tomatoe18's comment that you talking sport is exciting. Yesterday's post? I almost died laughing. You make it sound so very thrilling. ;)

In terms of QoM, I agree with you, I think, from my don't want to examine my feelings too deeply in case I burst into tears viewpoint. I guess if it had been a couple of chapters longer, or maybe if Draco's kiss/revelation had come a little sooner, I'd feel more cheated out of my H/D ending, considering that Harry feels so strongly for Draco. He just needed prompting into realising it. As it is ... well, I can kind of pretend that her epilogue comes only a day or two after the last scene, so of course Harry hasn't had time to examine his feelings in too much detail.

Which ... is probably cheating on my part. Huh. Oh well; suits me. :)

[identity profile] blamebrampton.livejournal.com 2008-09-17 01:44 pm (UTC)(link)
You have recommended against WYD all along, and you were right!

I actually agree with your reading of the ending. I thought the H/G was inevitable, but the whole battle felt rushed and strangely paced. Her inter-relationships were lovely, but her pacing and plot were a bit off. And yeah, the epilogue was a little like that American Soap that famously had someone waking up and declaring the last X months plot lines to be 'just a dream!' Not that I saw it because I am clearly far too high-brow for that ;-)

I really want to read what you have to say to BTS, I got about halfway to where I wanted to be then ran out of brains!

[identity profile] blamebrampton.livejournal.com 2008-09-17 01:49 pm (UTC)(link)
BLOODY HELL!!! Yes, I can see why you would hold your neck!

Eh, NASCAR is for people who like going round in circles in Fords. I can say that because none of them can find Sydney on a map.

(Ducks)

[identity profile] blamebrampton.livejournal.com 2008-09-17 01:52 pm (UTC)(link)
It is so weird. I read it ages ago, and jadzialove was needing some cheering up that she wasn't an utter pervert for writing Weasleycest so I linked her to it and she said I should spread the word (of course she is, but I like her so I kept that quiet).

Yeah, I could see it going over into the H/D land, and I think there was meant to be a sense that it might, but the penultimate chapter pretty much squashed that for me. War Harry is so different to Veela Harry. Of course, if DDG ends up with them both alive and not together, I will be outraged ;-)

[identity profile] blamebrampton.livejournal.com 2008-09-17 02:05 pm (UTC)(link)
NiTHoB* could do all sorts of things, though, and the strength of the writing would carry the reader along with it. What I do find a little odd is that we ask you to tell us in advance. However, that's just because I am still pretty rubbish at actual fandom. I'm old, flu-ridden, it will probably all make more sense in the morning.

*The only flawed thing about it is the acronym ;-)

[identity profile] marguerite-26.livejournal.com 2008-09-17 02:12 pm (UTC)(link)
I think your point about what your read last of Maya's affects how you interpreted QoM. I read Underwater Light first. Actually I didn't realized QoM didn't have a pairing specified until chapter 15.

[as an aside: Here's a poll on ddg_and_sundry months ago that you might think interesting]

So, obviously I thought it would be H/D and Maya's writing is all about interpreting characters' intentions/feelings by the slightest clues. So in order to figure out what is happening readers HAVE to make some guesses.

I don't mind Gen fics (though I rarely read them - I've got a soft spot for romance) so if this fic was listed as Gen I honestly might have passed it over. That said, it was the UST in the fic that I loved the most. The slashtastic scene's of Harry and Draco putting each other back together when there was no one else. That stuff MADE the fic for me. However there were NO scene's when Harry did the same for Ginny (or vice versa.) As a Gen fic it had too much focus on H/D, as a H/G fic it had too little H/G.

In the end, I agree entirely with heathen_ursiadae that it felt like a bait and switch. Which isn't a terrible thing, but I don't think anyone should be surprised that there is disappointment about no H/D ending.

[identity profile] beatnikspinster.livejournal.com 2008-09-17 02:19 pm (UTC)(link)
I can see how it can be read that way. I think I could accept that reading if it had been even partially in Draco's POV. There was too much Harry moping in Draco's bed for my brain to wire into a gen reading.

I read DDG first, and didn't read any of her other stories until a few months ago, so that may have effected my interpretation. I also didn't really understand her significance as a fandom figure until a few months ago, after I'd already read the bulk of DDG and QoM wips.

I certainly don't think stories need to have a stated purpose/intent that they fulfill. If things change as a part of the organic process of storytelling, then I have no issue with that. Not at all. It makes things interesting. My issue with QoM is that the body of the text and ending was a mismatch.
Edited 2008-09-17 14:42 (UTC)

[identity profile] beatnikspinster.livejournal.com 2008-09-17 02:23 pm (UTC)(link)
Haha! True. I actually have checked out of a number of UST-heavy, long WIPs. As in actual sex, if someone is trying to toy with my reactions like a video game, I either get up and leave, or disassociate from my body until they get on with it. "Wake me when someone comes."

[identity profile] marguerite-26.livejournal.com 2008-09-17 02:27 pm (UTC)(link)
"Wake me when someone comes."
ILU!!

I do that, too! if it's a terribly long WIP I do tend to let it get a few chapters ahead. Even with QoM and DDG, I will flip to the last paragraph and see it will break my heart/ give me blue balls then decide to read or wait for the next posting.
fourth_rose: (Default)

[personal profile] fourth_rose 2008-09-17 02:27 pm (UTC)(link)


The only flawed thing about it is the acronym ;-)

Oh yes, definitely! I really need to come up with better titles in that regard ;)

To be fair, nobody asked me to tell the pairings in advance. I did that by my own choice - actually, the idea of not stating them from the very beginning wouldn't even have occurred to me. As a reader, pairings are important for me, and I'd never start reading an epic story if I knew that it was going to end with a pairing I hate. My reading time is extremely limited, so I might branch out a little with shorter fics, but with longer fics I stick with stuff that I will probably enjoy.

That said, I have liked a few fics that ended on a different note than what I'd expected (although not with H/G, because nobody has yet managed to make me not detest Ginny), but QoM didn't work for me in that regard. Like it was stated in the comment above, the H/D UST pretty much carried the story for me, so the turnaround in the penultimate chapter came out of nowhere. QoM was never Maya's favourite story of mine to begin with, so it doesn't bother me very much that I don't like the ending, but I can see why some readers might be upset about it.

I hope your flu gets better soon, dear!

[identity profile] blamebrampton.livejournal.com 2008-09-17 02:28 pm (UTC)(link)
That all makes sense. I think I decided early on that the central theme of this one was family, the way the central theme of DDG is love and the central theme of Underwater Light was redemption (I am not really sure what the central theme of Amazing Bouncing Rat was ... comfort with your inner rodent?)

So when they were putting each other back together, I was reading it as a family thing. Ginny had a whole big family that could do that for her (and Malfoy), while Harry and Draco only had each other. In some ways I read that as an intimacy that went far beyond desire.

Re: i apologise for this absurdly long comment ;(

[identity profile] aldehyde.livejournal.com 2008-09-17 02:29 pm (UTC)(link)
yes, there is no other way at all in ddg!

i've been wondering why i'm so focused on reading fics within the ships that i like. when it comes to actual books, i'm never focused on that kind of thing - i'm more concerned with the ways characters interact with each other, how the plot develops, etc. i read mostly detective fiction [and all its sub-genres] and romance/shipping is quite often a secondary thing in those books AND I'M TOTALLY FINE WITH IT.

whereas in fandom, i'm all "oh noessssss i don't like reading snarry" and "wtf! i'm not going to read harry/hermione", etc. i haven't read many gen fics except for those by [livejournal.com profile] furiosity [and i loved them OH SO MUCH] but it's still a weird contrast between fandom/actual books.

i dunno if i'm making sense, i will stop blabbing now.

ps:- the comment to the article is hilarious. oh people.

[identity profile] beatnikspinster.livejournal.com 2008-09-17 02:36 pm (UTC)(link)
:D I wasn't worried at all. I'm enjoying the ride with your story. :)

[identity profile] blamebrampton.livejournal.com 2008-09-17 02:36 pm (UTC)(link)
Bloody Pilgrims!

And I have a story with the acronym FWCDWaSoS, so you're not doing that badly ...

I judge by authors, which I know is just as strange as pairings. A couple of writers I really like have managed to convince me with pairings I thought I would hate, even Snarry. Now I have to go off and think of what I read fic for. I'm not healthy enough for that much thinking!
fourth_rose: (Default)

[personal profile] fourth_rose 2008-09-17 02:41 pm (UTC)(link)
Thank you, dear - at this point, I'm both grateful and relieved that readers still aren't yelling "GET THEM TOGETHER ALREADY OMG!!" at me yet ;)
fourth_rose: (Default)

[personal profile] fourth_rose 2008-09-17 02:48 pm (UTC)(link)
I've sometimes given a new pairing a try if it was by an author I like, and there definitely are writers who can make me enjoy pairings I wouldn't touch otherwise, but after multiple tries, I'm now convinced that I will never like Snarry, no matter who writes it ;)

Generally, though, I don't think too much about my choices in fic reading. Fandom is where I go to take a break from reality, so if something makes me go, "Ohh, shiny!" then I'm in, otherwise I'm not...

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