July 2016

roxiethehalfninja:

madqueenalanna:

Given that I think “My Immortal” is a troll (with the reason generally being that author Tara references both Marty McFly and TOM BOMBADIL), I just reread it and I’m astounded by the effort put into it.

The spelling and grammar gets steadily worse over the course of the story, messing up simple words and even the main character’s name (variations on Ebony include Enoby, Enony, Eboby, and my favorite Enopby). The author gives frequent shoutouts in the A/N at the beginning of each chapter to someone called Raven, who she considers a friend and apparently functions as a beta. In chapter 16, Tara severs ties with Raven, expels/murders Raven’s character Willow, and changes Ebony’s full name to Ebony Dark’ness Dementia TARA Way. It’s suggested that they fought because Tara stole Raven’s poster of Gerard Way. By chapter 17, they appear to have made up and Willow is brought back with no further explanation.

The plot, of course, is just insane, but the story was obviously being read; Tara begins each chapter furiously ranting about “flamerz” leaving bad reviews, terribly misspelled. At one point, Ebony was referred to as a Mary Sue and she immediately tried to shut that down, citing “Satanism” and “depression” as flaws. She held each new chapter hostage, demanding a certain number (usually 5) good reviews before she would update. Assuming the spelling and grammar mistakes were intentional, the natural progression of them getting worse and worse is incredible. The difference between Tara’s A/Ns and Raven’s edited text is also astounding, although chapter 16, during their supposed rift, is not noticeably more poorly written than the chapters immediately preceding and following it.

The misspellings of character names and general slipups get worse and worse to the point that once, “Enopby” is referred to as “Tara”, and at another point, “TaEnby”, further to emphasize that Ebony is, in fact, the most obvious self insert in the history of literature. The reference to Marty McFly (he appears at the end of chapter 35 to spirit Ebony into the future) confounds me; Tara does not seem like she’d been aware of pop culture enough to have seen “Back to the Future”, given that she describes “The Nightmare Before Christmas” as this serious, depressing, Adult movie. She’s young enough to consider “he put his thingy into my tool” an accurate description of sex. Further, she references Tom Bombadil, a character in “Lord of the Rings” who I believe just shows up and sings for a while and is strongly implied to be God and then disappears, not really relevant to anything. He’s not even in the movies. Would Tara Gilesbie have read “Lord of the Rings” when she admits she’s never read the Harry Potter books?

Read through that lens (that this was an elaborate hoax), can you believe the rest of it was so organically terrible? Even now, 10+ years after the fact, no one can agree on whether this story is a troll, and until anyone finds out who Tara Gilesbie really is, it’s going to be impossible to know for sure. This is just crazy to me.

I have done extensive digging on this subject, and there is a lot more to My Immortal than meets the eye. Read as a troll, this story is a brilliant piece of satire on fan fiction. It incorporates so many cliches of the genre, especially those from the early to mid 2000′s. The obviously self-inserted Mary-Sue (mentioned above) along with unnecessary and unexplained crossovers, nonsensical sex scenes, and allusion to scene culture and pop punk music. Not to mention the story outside the story, Tara and Raven’s falling out, critiquing the culture of A/N’s and reviews. The tropes and cliches are far too obvious and overplayed to be sincere. I am a true believer that Tara was not only a troll, but a genius of satire. After all, if it was truly so bad, it would not have survived mixed in with ten years of equally terrible fan fiction. The legend of this story is so *ehem* immortal it has sparked heated debate in the online community for years, and was even made into a web series. (https://vimeo.com/70381882) Whether you believe it was satire or not, there is something about My Immortal that is inherently fascinating. Even if it was not her intention, Tara has created the bad fan fiction. It is a perfect storm of chaotic, nonsensical drama spiraling around the least original character ever written. Story lines are dropped and picked up again seemingly at random, characters and names are inconsistent to the point of being unintelligible, and there is no consistent overarching plot. In a sense, it is the anti-story, because it so decidedly defies every literary rule in the book. Either we are drawn to My Immortal as one watches a car wreck in awe, or because it satirizes the worst aspects of every story we have ever read. Regardless, the legacy of My Immortal will live on, either as a warning, or a work of pure genius.

Random Fandom Trivia

giveusalol:

The terms MOTW (Monster of the Week) and UST (Unresolved Sexual Tension) were coined by the X-Files online fandom.

They are now used not just in wider fandom, but as meta terms in general television, including by tv writers themselves.

The X-Files also gave us the COTR (Conversation on the Rock). It references a scene wherein the two main characters have a deep conversation pertaining to their psychology and development as characters. The conversation only comes about because they are stranded and isolated on a rock surrounded by water.

While the term has faded outside the X-Files fandom, the tv trope of isolation + revelation references the COTR heavily. The fandom trope of isolation + revelation is even more widespread. Are your characters locked in a closet? trapped in an elevator? snowed in in a cabin, Canadian shack or a cave? caught injured in building rubble? Are they having a frank conversation about how they consider the other and/or themselves? If so, it’s a COTR.

AO3 is for all kinds of fanfic

olderthannetfic:

And other fanworks, for that matter, but let’s talk about fic: When AO3 was proposed, it was in response to Strikethrough and other similar events. Livejournal deleted a lot of accounts without bothering to distinguish between actual pedophiles, survivor support groups, and 100% consensual fantasy fandom activities being done by adults with other adults (most of which involved RP accounts for 16-year-old Harry Potter characters anyway).

I helped write the first AO3 Terms of Service and set up the Abuse committee. AO3 was always intended to be welcoming to all kinds of fic, no matter how dirty, sick, socially unacceptable, bizarre, or out of fashion. During those initial TOS talks, we specifically discussed grotesque RPF snuff porn as the test case for something all of us on the committee found distasteful but would nonetheless defend because, by defending it, we created a space where all of our own favorite things were protected too.

Policing fic content is a slippery slope. Even if you only police the “worst” stuff, you create an environment where the more sensitive authors and no few of the ones “shipping to cope” are no longer comfortable posting at all. Attacking people for posting fic about rape/abuse/etc. is demanding that all survivors disclose. No amount of whining and backtracking will change this fact. It is a disgusting behavior that drives people from your fandoms and creates needless misery while adding nothing of value to the community.

If you want to kick certain kinds of content off of AO3, you do not belong on AO3 in the first place.

\o/

scarletwandamaximoff:

swingandswirl:

versus-a-blank-paper:

fraxinus:

fraxinus:

This just in: you’re opinion doesn’t fucking matter if you’re too much of a little chicken shit to put your name on it. Got a problem with the concept of a tip jar for fandom works? Get off your shitty anonymous online message board and get in my ask box to talk about it, or else go find a life (and a spine, while you’re at it).

When I see great creators hurt because a group of people with sad, pathetic lives have nothing better to do with their time than bitch about shit that is none of their god damn business I get pissed.

On this topic: Everyone who has ever created a fandom work should have a tip jar for people to drop a few bucks into if they like their work. There is not only nothing wrong with it, but it’s participation is completely voluntary. The idea that we have patreon for artists where their work is literally shielded unless you buy it but don’t support the idea of giving the option to buy someone a coffee after you spend hours binge reading all their fics is ridiculous as fuck. I don’t care if you have no job or a full time one, creation has a value and there’s nothing wrong with acknowledging it, especially in a completely voluntary way.

Betty may have been upset by that backlash, but i’m sure as shit not, everyone against it can fuck right off or get off anon and come at me. You wanna toss me $3 for a coffee because you like the things I make? You fucking do that shit. That’s your choice to give and my choice to take.

I would also like to take this time to encourage every single person following me who creates any kind of fandom work to set up a ko-fi or other tip jar button on their page. Fuck anyone who says fandom artists shouldn’t be tipped.

Here’s the thing: you can still get the stuff I make for free. For free. I’m not charging you.

But if I make you feel things??? If what I write makes you emotional, makes you sad or happy or whatever and you want to drop a buck or two in a coffee tip jar for me? There’s nothing wrong with that. I’m not charging you, it’s the reader’s CONSCIOUS DECISION to tip.

Would you tip a street musician a dollar if they brightened up your day? Would you tip a street artist with some spare change in your pocket if you stood there watching them paint when you were bordering on a panic attack, and it helped bring you down? I have, and I’ve read fics that I would gladly do the same for.

So why is it a bad thing for a fic writer to throw the proverbial hat out on the sidewalk? It’s not.

Every single creator who makes things foe free should have a link on their page for tips. Every. Single. One.

Co-signing everything said here.

Writing fanfic and creating fanart is WORK, and it’s not entitled for creators to have a mechanism for people to show their appreciation. God knows. I’d rather buy some of the excellent writers I know a coffee than pay for Hollywood’s latest round of whitewashed bullshit.

Okay, see, but I’m pretty sure making ANY money, even if its just tip money or whatever, off of fanwork is illegal, and you could be putting yourself in the situation where you can be sued. Hell, people have been sued, or at least been given a cease and desist order, over fanfic and such when they weren’t making money off of it (anyone remember Anne Rice? Before my time, but I’ve heard the stories).

So, really think about it, and do your research before you do something like this.

Yes PLEASE do your research before opining about the history of fandom. 

Fans have been asking for and getting money for fanworks for 40+ years with minimal C&D notices or threats or lawsuits: http://fanlore.org/wiki/Fandom_and_Profit

That is not to say it won’t happen: http://fanlore.org/wiki/Cease_%26_Desist

But we have used – and still use - fanworks to raise money for charity: http://fanlore.org/wiki/Sweet_Charity

and  to buy and sell fanzines: http://fanlore.org/wiki/Zine

and to buy and sell fanart: http://fanlore.org/wiki/Fanart#Selling_Fanart

And let’s not be Western centric:  See http://fanlore.org/wiki/Doujinshi and

http://fanlore.org/wiki/Scanlation

The attitudes towards fanworks + $$$ vary from community  community and from country to country: http://fanlore.org/wiki/Purchasing_Fanworks

And they have shifted over time.  See: “Ethics and Etiquette: A Proposal for the Buying and Selling of Fanzines”

Lots more at Fanlore, the fun run fandom wiki history project. http://fanlore.org/