The Etiquette of Holiday fics

[geoviki]

Like all the rest of you, I'm delighting in the reams and reams of new stories and art (and this year's art is especially terrific!). There's the granddaddy, merry_smutmas, and then others like harry_holidays, hd_holidays, smutty_claus, lupin_snape.... an embarrassment of riches!

As we are encouraging each other as writers and artists, I'm trying to leave feedback as well. One thing that caught my notice, though, has left me feeling uneasy, and I wondered what your views are: In your opinion, is it uncouth to leave concrit that's negative on a fest fic? (Disclosure: this is not anything that's happened regarding my own fic, just other folk's.)

I don't see the author requesting any, for one thing. Personally, I won't do it, but then I never leave anything less than praise unless I'm asked specifically and privately. If I don't like something, I just pass it by. Which unfortunately is the same response to something I've not yet read, so the writer is never sure if I'm unhappy or just behind (if the writer even cares what I think), but there you go.

But IMHO, these stories are gifts. And I can't see criticising a gift. Am I over-sensitive? What do you authors and artists think?

Comments

[silentauror.livejournal.com]

Yeah, pretty much. And then was surprised that I didn't want to do the exchange again the following year!! I actually said something of a complaintive nature to the mod while the fics were still anon and got no response whatsoever, so the unhappiness was definitely conveyed. If I had known s/he wrote it, obviously I wouldn't have done that!! But honestly, you don't expect the mod to give her/himself an assignment s/he didn't want to write!!

And really - my request was for H/D, mutual wankage. How difficult is it to find someone who wants to write that? :P No, I didn't request Kreacher/Filch, lol. I think they were all pretty standard ones. :) It wasn't for Smutmas either, don't worry!! It was a much lesser known (non-holiday) exchange.

[mijan.livejournal.com]

Hey! I saw that you'd received your Smutmas gift, and I remembered this conversation and what you'd said about the exchange you did where you got something that wasn't at all what you'd asked for. Did Smutty Claus give you wanted you wanted for Smutmas this year? :)

[silentauror.livejournal.com]

Heh. Yeah, I really liked it! :) I think half the fandom seems to know who wrote it, though I'm always clueless that way! :P It was great! Very smutty and funny and managed to incorporate two of the main pairings I asked for without betraying my OTP - nice little trick! :D

[mijan.livejournal.com]

Hmmm... maybe I ought to give it a read. I saw the summary. H/D is my OTP, but I've read some hot Harry/Fred/George, and I don't mind it. Wonder how (s)he combined the pairings. It looked really long though, and I've got the flu. Brain can't handle much right now. I haven't read nearly enough of the fics, but I haven't had the time or energy. The only long one I've read was the one I received on HD_Holidays (OMG, I LOVED IT!).

I wonder if I could figure out who wrote it. I suck at guessing (even though it's fun to try), and I haven't been able to figure out ANY of the others yet. Do you have any guesses?

[silentauror.livejournal.com]

I haven't read the one you got for HD Holidays, but I'll put it on my list of Things To Read. :) Actually, there, I've only read the one for Emma. H/D is my OTP, too, so I can vouch for you liking this fic, I think! It's definitely the primary pairing. :) It is long, but it's not a fic you have to plough through, you know? It's very handle-able, heh. :)

I can never guess at this kind of thing!!! Ask Rachel; it totally sounds like she knows! :P

[mijan.livejournal.com]

Pppphhfffbtt!! Leave it to Rachael to keep a secret from me. I shall have to poke her.

I read the one for Emma, but found it a bit flat. However, I DID read the one that she *wrote* (because I beta'd it), and it was fan-bloody-tastic. And the one I received... I completely fangirled it. It had an incredible H/D dynamic (yay for revenge-sex!), far more plot than smut, and the smut that was there supported the plot. However, I like really well-written smut, too. So... I'll give yours a read. Will I need a cold shower? LOL.

[mijan.livejournal.com]

Okay, I'm an idiot. I was talking with a few people today about the fanfic exchanges, and something someone said reminded me of this conversation, and... I realized I mixed up the HD_Holidays fic for Emma, and the Smutmas fic for Emma. I haven't even read the HD_Holidays one. It was the Smutmas one that fell a bit flat. That's what I get for following two exchanges and not paying careful enough attention. *headdesk*
*meep*
Actually, the one from HD_Holidays is on my to-read list, and it looks really good. Gah... I feel st00pid now. Too many fics... too many authors... can't keep up...
*brain fry*