blamebrampton | Level Two: Or, how I learned to stop frothing and just let loose with profanity-laden argument

Level Two: Or, how I learned to stop frothing and just let loose with profanity-laden argument

Level Two has begun posting!

to catch the premiere on September 6!
Find our trailer here and tune in in two days for our premiere!

There is some AMAZING art coming out of that community, and stories, too! Basically: Harry Potter, Auror, Draco Malfoy, roped-in Unspeakable; Adventures Ensue.

I did a spot of stuff for them. I probably should have been pimping the hell out of it for weeks now. Unfortunately, while I met a few absolutely amazing people there and have been blown away by some of the talent, the experience has made me want to leave fandom. Not stop writing fics, or leave my brilliant flist, just, never again get involved in anything comm-like and wave both sharpened stakes and leis of garlic at most 'fandom discussions'.

One of the sensible people there told me that she thought a lot of the issues came out of people's Personal Issues, and that we could probably blame school for most of them. It's all coming back to me why I found school easy: I spent the whole time running around the sports oval, in the library, or in active (as in legislative and policy-based) student politics. I never had to negotiate the Mean Girls issues because they needed me for the hockey team, or to win at debating, or to come round and ride one of my ponies, and I never had to care because I could be in any country by the end of the year, so why bother?

All of which means I am extremely badly raised for dealing with bullshit drama. And oh my god, the drama … and the bullshit …

Happily, just at the very exact moment I decided: fuck it, I will meet my responsibilities and then bugger it all, fandom does not need me and I certainly do not need it, the extremely marvellous

birdsofshore held a love-in for the enchantingly lovely

capitu, and I was all Oh THAT'S why fandom can be worthwhile.

So now I am just going to ignore more things, and be more honest about some other things. Expect a jokier Malcolm Tucker with a degree in logic.

Meanwhile, Level Two: you don't have to suffer through anything, because the end product is Good Stuff!

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Jolly good!

Yes, at least the end result at Level Two doesn't seem to have suffered from all the drama. I love what I've seen so far!

I'm not familiar with Level 2 (though I'll look at it eventually), but I've encountered some really stupid comments in other fandoms I read, things like request to completely change a character in ways that don't make sense for the narrative. Some of them make my head hurt.

I agree with ashindk about age probably being an issue here. I also wonder if there might be something with maturity as writers. At this point in my life, I'm used to people tearing into my work (creative or academic) and having opinions about it that I might not agree with. Hopefully, I've gotten better at listening to them and ignoring the ones that are really out of bounds. I've also learned to pick my battles with feedback to other writers. If something really bothers me, I usually just try to walk away.

Of course, some of this might be that I've just gotten better at throwing tantrums in private, but that works too.

I know exactly how you feel. I honestly started ignoring many of the conversations on the comm after we had decided the essential issues. They were too intense, and there were too many arguments. I mean, I thought the experience would involve a lot less arguing. I think I ended up typing more words in discussions than in my entire fic. (And if there's someone fandom doesn't need here, it's most definitely me.)

I hope I wasn't part of making the comm (and fandom) unwelcoming for you. I know that I have had several tense discussions with members of Level Two, but I never meant for those to involve others, and I hope I didn't offend. I tried to conduct myself as reasonably as possible, but I may not have always done so. If I was part of the problem, I deeply apologize.

And I'm certainly not going to be working on the fest next year, if it runs again. No way.

YOU were part of the brilliance and one of the reasons I did not run screaming at the start!

Really?!?!?! That's so relieving to hear. :) I'm glad you never did run screaming. You're the reason this fest is so amazing.

Having just checked out Level Two, I must say I am very glad you did not chuck it all in and give up.
Fandom and your flist definitely need and appreciate you:)

Really! You and writcraft were joys to meet, as was gil, and a few of the others that I need some breakfast (brunch at this hour) to recall. Big election night. Four chocolate biscuits and an ice cream to get me through the despair.

Cheers, dear. But I do think that while the flist and I may be joined at the hip, fandom is a bit separate and could go on merrily without noticing my absence (possibly a little 'Has anyone noticed people don't say "cocking cock" with no reference to actual sex as much around here these days?')

Je suis de votre avis. (Although: school? I'd have presumed the bullshit-drama sorts were feral.)

I'm sorry about the elections. And the wank incident. I myself tend to miss all the wank and all of the discussions through a combination of luck and actively avoiding them... I guess it means I'm not in fandom at all? But I love reading and being excited and expressing my exitement, and sometimes contributing, too. And I think it's perfectly fine and satisfying as fannishness goes. It's not like 'fandom discussions' are mandatory to be fannish, right?

I love it when you choose to create, and I'm very happy whenever you are around. So just stay with us and do what you like, my dearest. ♥

Darling, you are sunshine on an otherwise cloudy day! The rest in an email!

Peace,
Bubba

I don't miss wank at all (my icon hasn't been called into action in ages) but I know I'd really miss you if you were to disappear. In fact, I'm waiting for your post that will explain the election to my USian brain.

I suspect you and I will have very different opinions as to who the "mean girls" were in this situation.

Also, BB? One of the nice things about the fiasco was the fact that the drama was pretty contained within the com and didn't spread outside it, aside from your friend's little temper tantrum. The fact that you are whining about it now in an ulocked post is going to raise curiosity amongst people who have nothing to do with the situation and isn't going to do anything good to the projects profile.

Edited 2013-09-10 16:33 (UTC)

Mel, you seem to have this belief there was one incident. This is utterly divorced from reality. And you seem also to have forgotten the flare of great Britpicking wank that spread across wider fandom the other week, which was anything but contained. You also seem to believe that that end incident was the only part of that comm I found bullshit drama, to which I laugh and laugh.

We ended up with such an enormously large number of people walking away that even the most blithely optimistic person could not in a reasonable world pretend that things went smoothly. Though I rather admire your willingness to try. Again, though, if you think this is the first post from anyone saying OMG about the experience, it's not a thought grounded in fact.

I still think the people who have worked on it have done great work and that a lot of talent went into the end product. I also stated at the beginning of the project that 'my friend' if we are going with euphemisms was a grumpy old fart, with scads of talent. He acted like, and remains, a grumpy old fart, with scads of talent. I also stated very very early on that there seemed to be one rule for free expression when it came to some people and another when it came to others. This also remained and was the entire reason I have reached the point of 'fuck it, I'm not playing.'

You have known me long enough to know that I can cope with most views that wildly diverge from mine, and will argue them cheerfully without personal rancour (or at least any beyond the 'Seriously? WTF?' level), but find inconsistency and people willing to argue one thing for one group of people and the exact opposite for another utterly infuriating. That remains exactly the case.

I don't know what you mean by "once incident". I'm talking about the com as a whole and the experience of interacting with everyone there though the entire run. I'm not going to get into specifics, because this is a public, unlocked, unfiltered post and it's no one else's business.

Edited 2013-09-11 06:40 (UTC)

My response to he-who-must-not-be-named's treatment is one incident in my arms in the air whilst simultaneously head-desking reaction to the experience of the comm.

You seem to be rolling me into a 'side' and conflating my issues with someone else's.This is not an accurate way of viewing events, but if you're happy with it, go wild, it's just based on fallacies.

I thought I recognised your touch at first episode of Level Two. :)

Also, I had no idea anything was happening behind the scenes. :(

I don't know about Fandom needs you, only it totally does. You own this little corner in here [in fandom] that would never be the same without you. I know I'd miss you. Yeah, I know, I'm not part of your flist, but I'm always popping about listening to you and pretending I understand some things I don't because I live in a different world down here. Still! I'm glad you were reminded what makes fandom worthwhile, beyond the drama that can't be avoided sometimes. <3

(I know there would be at least one lurker who would terribly miss reading your fics. ♥)

I never had to negotiate the Mean Girls issues because...

All of which means I am extremely badly raised for dealing with bullshit drama. And oh my god, the drama … and the bullshit …

Oh, same here! For different reasons, but... yeah. I managed to escape drama for the first several decades of my life, so now I just roll my eyes at it. There's some drama going on in a local non-fandom group here, and I'm thinking, get a grip on reality, people! No one has been injured, no crimes have been committed... just let it go. Oh well. Sorry you had to experience it recently. I'm glad there is some good end product!

RL have been keeping me busy and I'm so behind on a lot of stuff.

I have no idea what Level 2 is, but if you worked on it then I'm sure it's awesome and I'll definitely be reading around to know what that is.

Also, I know what you mean about not being well-equipped in dealing with Mean Girls. For some reason I've been fortunate enough to be friends with very laid back individuals, boys and girls alike, and I seem to do enough fretting for the whole group.

It's not true, however, that you're not needed by fandom. I think sometimes people can underestimate the role fandom interactions can have in a person's life. I found your writings, for instance, when I was having a really hard time with a new job, and your writing made me laughed the way nothing can for weeks.

<3

My RL is exactly the same :-) I have given myself an award for not murdering anyone.

Level Two has a whole bunch of writers and artists contributing to it and there is SO MUCH AWESOME! Wacky crap behind the scenes, but a really good end product from what I have seen so far.

I think fandom would be fine, but I would never leave you, my flist! You guys keep me sane and smiling, too! And constantly remind me that no matter how much bullshit I might be ranting about in a moment, on the whole my experience on LJ is a rewarding and enriching one, filled with fab people.

HURRAH for making you laugh! I just heard a good cricket joke:
What do you call an Australian who is handy with a bat? A vet.
Sadly, it's only funny to about 17% of the people I know, the rest know nothing about cricket, or are Australian, and not prepared to laugh about their recent Ashes defeat yet.

I'd still write, don't you worry :-) (Probably more as less time would be wasted going 'WHY?!')

Yeah, it's just so … I think there are people in the world who think they have won arguments with me because I have just thought, 'Oh, life is too short to give a shit …'

'Get a grip' is the best phrase. I should make us T-shirts.

But yes! The end product is very good! (At least what I have seen so far of it.)

That could be anyone's white arse in those photos … ;-)

Eh, epid dumbness was epically dumb, life moves on.

And I do think that Fandom would be fine, but I'd not leave LJ, as someone has to bring the politically oriented sarcasm ;-) And HOW did I not have you on my flist? Occasionally I am utterly useless: fixed now! I blame the hours of despair contemplating the prospect of Christopher Pyne on the front bench, now the worst has happened, I can move on ;-)

And you did!!

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Level Two: Or, how I learned to stop frothing and just let loose with profanity-laden argument

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Naturally - indeed inevitably -

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Up with this bullshit you need not put!

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whoa

Re: whoa

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