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

[blamebrampton]

Level Two has begun posting!



Watch 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!

Comments

[suttonwriter.livejournal.com]

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.