see me ramble without a point and then get irate about something completely different

[odycee]

I've been watching the discussion on this post about quality vs. popularity in fic and there's some discussion about reccing in there. Some people are saying that reccers aren't reccing new authors enough and moaning that the same people and the same fics are recced over and over again. Now, that may indeed be true, but at the end of the day, people can only recommend what they actually read and most folk don't have the time (or sanity to spare) to read everything on comms like remusxsirius or mckay_sheppard to pick out the gems from the eye-bleedingly bad crap, so of course you're going to get the snowball effect - the more people rec it, the more people read it. I pretty much do all my reading from recs (omg, I love my del.icio.us inbox so much).

Most people (myself included) who make recs, rec what they enjoy reading and it's as simple as that - if it's by an obscure author and I enjoy it, I'll rec it. If I enjoy something that ninety million other people have recced, I'll still rec it because I enjoyed it. There's no agenda behind it and it's so, so subjective. Not everyone enjoys the same stuff, and people have wildly differing tastes, but that's life.

I'm sure that I had a point somewhere in there but I think the dog must have eaten it.

Talking of dogs - and that's hot animagus wizards called Padfoot, as opposed to mangy ones that eat my points (smooth segue, Cee, smooth) - Gary Oldman still hasn't been cast as Sirius in OoTP. People! WTF?! Via grrliz from here:

Douglas Urbanski, of the Douglas Management Group, has told Dissendium that unless an offer is made by next week, Gary Oldman will not be reprising his role as Sirius Black in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. A deadline has been put in place for early next week, Mr. Urbanski told Dissendium. He said that the desire on Warner Brother's part has been low since the beginning, even though the money Oldman wants to reprise his role is little. He added that it is unfair for Oldman to wait, as other films have assumed he is a part of the next Potter film, and, like the rest of us, he needs work for the summer.

As of this moment, Gary Oldman is not a part of Order of the Phoenix, has never been, and unless anything changes next week, will not be a part of this.

o_0 is all I have to say to that.

Comments

[thrupenny.livejournal.com]

Some people are saying that reccers aren't reccing new authors enough and moaning that the same people and the same fics are recced over and over again.

I have to say, that kind of attitude really bothers me. I expect I'd feel differently if I was a writer and my stuff was being overlooked (not that all the people who think that way fit those criteria) but you know, reccers aren't professionals. They don't have a duty to rec from all corners of fandom (although it's cool if they do), or rec a certain number of stories by new writers in a week. If you (generic you!) think a story deserves reccing, then rec it yourself, or bring it to the attention of a more established reccer. Anything but the same old 'hey, it's like fandom is a popularity contest! Isn't that a bit unfair?' discussion which will go round and round until the end of time with no resolution because fandom, like life, is unfair.

Argh, sorry. I didn't mean to get spleen all over your journal. The chin-stroking, it bugs me :)

Secondly, WTF GARY OLDMAN?

[rivier.livejournal.com]

I honestly think there is - in a fandom as large as this - a certain amount of follow-the-herd going on with recs, too. I've seen people saying things like, if they read an un-recced story, they actually enjoy it less than reading one where their liking has, in effect, been validated by the peer approval of someone else - and the bigger the name, the better.

Many people take comfort in numbers - they don't want to be seen as the Bateman cartoon, "The Fan Who Liked A Story Everyone Else Thought Was Shite". It's human nature to cleave together, for security.

[semielliptical]

but at the end of the day, people can only recommend what they actually read

So true. 3-4 years ago, I *hunted* for good Remus/Sirius fics but now...there so many more stories, and my reading time is more limited, so I'm unlikely to find and then rec a hidden gem of a story. It's a bit sad, because I like "discovering" a new author, but now I pretty much rely on other people do the discovering.

Why can't they settle with Gary Oldman already? :(

It makes me wonder if David Thewlis will be in OotP. I would not mind if he was replaced - not that he was bad, but he just doesn't look right to me. Though perhaps Remus won't be in the movie at all.

[thistlerose.livejournal.com]

Ack, reccing. Half the time, I forget to do it, unless the story really stands out for one reason or another. To be honest, I don't read much that isn't produced by my flist, unless it comes highly recommended. I just don't have time.

I don't understand the whining, though I've probably been guilty of it at one time. If you want people to recognize you, make some noise. Post to the comms that get a lot of traffic. Do challenges.

[thistlerose.livejournal.com]

Also, it helps if you really are good. And if you market yourself well. For R/S, if I see certain things in a person's fic header, I just won't read. I don't care what I may be missing. Rem, Siri, puppies, crappy summaries*, false modesty... All these things will hurt you if you're looking for new readers. Just saying. :)



*I, for one, suck at summaries.

[odycee.livejournal.com]

If you (generic you!) think a story deserves reccing, then rec it yourself, or bring it to the attention of a more established reccer.

Yes! Exactly. You can moan about these things all you want but at the end of the day, anyone can say 'hey - this fic is cool, you should read it' so what's stopping them?

Anything but the same old 'hey, it's like fandom is a popularity contest! Isn't that a bit unfair?' discussion

Aaaargh yes.

Secondly, WTF GARY OLDMAN?

I KNOW.

[odycee.livejournal.com]

there is - in a fandom as large as this - a certain amount of follow-the-herd going on with recs

Oh, without a doubt there is. People like to be seen to be with the popular kids after all! At the end of the day, people are going to rec what they enjoy. And if they enjoy being with the popular kids then so be it.

they actually enjoy it less than reading one where their liking has, in effect, been validated by the peer approval of someone else

Wow. I always find it to be a pleasant surprise when hyped up things are actually as good as people say they are! I usually go in expecting it to be over-hyped. But maybe I'm just cynical...

[odycee.livejournal.com]

but now I pretty much rely on other people do the discovering

Me too. Although in large fandoms everyone must do that to an extent because you can't read everything if you actually want to sleep or eat or go to the toilet at any point!

Though perhaps Remus won't be in the movie at all.

Aaaaargh! I hope he is! There was speculation that Gary Oldman hasn't been brought back in because they're chopping Sirius out. I'm not quite sure how they could do that and keep the story even vaguely intact.

[odycee.livejournal.com]

Rem, Siri, puppies, crappy summaries*, false modesty

Rem and Siri. Aaaargh. There's nothing more likely to make me click away (well that's a lie - Hagrid/Snape probably will trigger faster clicking).

I, for one, suck at summaries

Rubbish - "Remus isn't the only thing that Sirius left behind when he died" is the best summary ever!

[thistlerose.livejournal.com]

I'm only good when the story is stupid. :)

[odycee.livejournal.com]

unless it comes highly recommended. I just don't have time.

I think a lot of people are like that. Not many people have the time to blindly trawl through archives or open communities to find the good stuff. I'm very grateful to the people who do, but I understand why more people aren't doing it.

[tacky-tramp.livejournal.com]

I dunno -- it sounds like it's Warner Bros' fault. They're the ones who haven't made an offer.

LETTER-WRITING CAMPAIGN!

[niennah.livejournal.com]

I was just thinking about the Gary Oldman situation yesterday and sort of assumed it had been fixed, given that I hadn't heard about it in a while. But now I am agog that they are so far into principal shooting and still haven't bothered to give him a call. What's going on? It's unbelievable that they wouldn't want him back as Sirius. And this statement seems to clear up the speculation that they're engineering the whole thing for more money.

Very worrying.

Also, re the reccing, I have to sort out my del.icio.us situation better. Usually I read fics that have been recced, too, simply for ease of finding good stories. Having said that, I sometimes see BNF fics that leave me thinking, "wow, that was a piece of drivel, and it wasn't even hot," and then I read the feedback and think, "are we reading the same fic?" It seems to me that's what the author of that discussion piece is talking about, and I largely agree.

However, I didn't read the rest of the discussion because oops I've got to get ready for work... !!

[odycee.livejournal.com]

Apparently he's in! They were obviously waiting for his birthday!

I sometimes see BNF fics that leave me thinking, "wow, that was a piece of drivel, and it wasn't even hot," and then I read the feedback and think, "are we reading the same fic?"

I agree with that and that does happen on regular occasions. I just chalk it up to different strokes and move on. But it was in the comments where a couple of people were saying that there should be more varied recs etc. Yes, there should be, but reccing isn't a social responsibility and most people (like myself) are lazy and will stick to what's already been recced. At least you know you have a greater than average chance of finding something that's at least spelt mostly right that way!

[odycee.livejournal.com]

I think it was the WBs fault. But it doesn't matter now because apparently he's in! Yay!

[niennah.livejournal.com]

YAY!!! And also, PHEW!!! Now we don't have to worry or protest or anything. :)

And ahh, I see. Should is a funny word to use there. All you can do really is rec different things yourself if you think that's what "should" be done. Complaining about it isn't going to help!

[odycee.livejournal.com]

I know! Good stuff.

I was probably paraphrasing there, but that was the general gist of it. Anyone can rec something so if you think things are being overlooked then rec it yourself! And then it too can get recced by everyone and so different people complain that overrated things are being recced too often. And so on and so on ad nauseum.