Snowflake #4

[flamingsword]

Challenge #4
In your own space, make a list of things that you wish existed in fandom or elsewhere, and/or that you'd like someone to create or do for you. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

1. I want fandom to have a plotbunny foster home/abandoned work amnesty clearinghouse. I want a community where you can go there and say, “Look, I know that I have written 80k of this 100k fic, and it has a thousand kudos, and 45 subscribers. I know a bunch of people are invested in it. But I just can’t do the rest of it, so if anyone wants my notes for the rest of the fic, they are on this Googledoc. Feel free to write the rest, if you want, and I will gladly link your continuation from the original work.” We need one of these, IMO.

B: I want some fic where Padme Amidala Naberrie pulls out the whips and chains, and spanks the Dark Side out of Anakin Skywalker. It can be an OT3 fic, you know I love those, but I am tired and aggrieved of someone who was the queen of a planet at 14 being written as helpless and lacking agency as an adult senator. I don’t care how Lucas wrote her, that shit does not fly in these skies.

Å: I want a working stargate so I can visit all my friends. And since SGA and SG1 fandoms are the only places I know of that are both creative and overeducated enough to make that happen, I am expecting this soonish. C’mon, y’all.

Comments

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

>>1. I want fandom to have a plotbunny foster home/abandoned work amnesty clearinghouse. I want a community where you can go there and say, “Look, I know that I have written 80k of this 100k fic, and it has a thousand kudos, and 45 subscribers. I know a bunch of people are invested in it. But I just can’t do the rest of it, so if anyone wants my notes for the rest of the fic, they are on this Googledoc. Feel free to write the rest, if you want, and I will gladly link your continuation from the original work.” We need one of these, IMO.<<

Yeah, you're right. It won't work on DW, it needs a database. *ponder* Maybe talk to the organizers over at AO3? They have vested interest in fandom generally, and favorite fanfics boost support for that website. Everyone hates abandoned works; this would at least try to reduce that. I think you've got a good idea and a good chance. It's worth a pitch at any fanhub, actually, but AO3 has the best database I've seen, so start there.

>>B: I want some fic where Padme Amidala Naberrie pulls out the whips and chains, and spanks the Dark Side out of Anakin Skywalker. It can be an OT3 fic, you know I love those, but I am tired and aggrieved of someone who was the queen of a planet at 14 being written as helpless and lacking agency as an adult senator. I don’t care how Lucas wrote her, that shit does not fly in these skies.<<

Seconded. Gods, and somebody do the same with Darth Emo. That was embarrassing to watch.

Re: Thoughts

[mesotablar]

I second (again) the need for a plotbunny foster home/abandoned work amnesty clearinghouse. I've seen big works deleted because the author was nagged for their WIP and no one thought to step forward and offer their help.

AO3 sort of already has the framework. The 'Inspired by/re-mix' option links works together but at the moment it is one way. From the new work I can easily find the original, but the original doesn't link to the new works. It could be done manually but if it was automated there might be less chance of links breaking when other random internet glitches and changes occur.

Re: Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> I second (again) the need for a plotbunny foster home/abandoned work amnesty clearinghouse. <<

Add it to your wishlist! Boosting the signal improves the chance it will occur.

>>I've seen big works deleted because the author was nagged for their WIP and no one thought to step forward and offer their help. <<

Alas! I may say, "I'd love to see more of this," but I don't pester people. Nobody's obligated to do anything in fandom that isn't fun.

>> AO3 sort of already has the framework. The 'Inspired by/re-mix' option links works together but at the moment it is one way. From the new work I can easily find the original, but the original doesn't link to the new works. It could be done manually but if it was automated there might be less chance of links breaking when other random internet glitches and changes occur.<<

It does work both ways! But you have to either set it to "automatically approve connected works" or personally examine and approve each request. If the person doesn't do that, it doesn't connect from the original to the transformative work. I try to stay on top of my connect requests.

However, that's not the same thing as having a place to offer abandoned works.

*ponder* But there's a patch we could use: if you abandon a work, simply include a statement at the end offering to let someone else take it over. Unless the moderators throw a shitfit about that, readers will see it.

Not searchable ... hmm, but a tag could be created, and if tags get used repeatedly then they become searchable. It's why I purposely replicate tags I love, so I can spread them around, like "Howard Stark's A+ Parenting." :D

So it would be nice to have a purpose-made hub, but we can kludge it on AO3 with extant tools, if the moderators don't kill it.

Re: Thoughts

[mesotablar]

Oh, I didn't realise it was an approval thing! Geez, there should be an intro tutorial when you get an account there. I've been on years and am still discovering basic stuff. Though I will still say it is a bit clunky.
Maybe like 'orphan work' it can be a tick box option to 'release work' or something? then it can automatically list a required additional tagset and change the connected work settings for that fic alone (so no messing with main account settings or clogging approvals pending lists). I just worry that an additional hub would end up with broken/messy searches and forcing authors to expend more energy on a work they want to drop anyway...

Re: Thoughts

[flamingsword]

I agree that there needs to be a How To OT3 tutorial, especially now that so much has changed since the beginning!

Re: Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

>>Jeez, there should be an intro tutorial when you get an account there.<<

There was when I came on, also years ago; but I don't remember what was in it or not. The connect function just sends me a note whenever someone bases something on my work.

>>Maybe like 'orphan work' it can be a tick box option to 'release work' or something? then it can automatically list a required additional tagset and change the connected work settings for that fic alone (so no messing with main account settings or clogging approvals pending lists).<<

Good ideas, you should propose those.

>> I just worry that an additional hub would end up with broken/messy searches and forcing authors to expend more energy on a work they want to drop anyway...<<

Credible threat.

[ex_flameandsong751]

B: I want some fic where Padme Amidala Naberrie pulls out the whips and chains, and spanks the Dark Side out of Anakin Skywalker. It can be an OT3 fic, you know I love those, but I am tired and aggrieved of someone who was the queen of a planet at 14 being written as helpless and lacking agency as an adult senator. I don’t care how Lucas wrote her, that shit does not fly in these skies.

OH GODDAMN YO I would write this if I was still in Star Wars fandom, because I agree SO MUCH, and it happens I've written femdom, but the sequel trilogy and all the... uh... uh-ness... surrounding it pretty much made me nope out. Like, my OC Nicholas is a very very very AU non-evil Dooku, and the Force is a thing in at least two of my universes but that's like the extent of it now.

I agree though that this needs to be a thing, and whoever writes it is going to get like a billion kudos because I'm guessing a LOT of people agree here.

I also wish there was a working stargate, I would totally have coffee or [beverage of your choice] with you.

[flamingsword]

It would make such a hot fic! And you could do so much with their headspaces, to increase the psychodrama of the story. I love really satisfying emotional transformations, and the setup would basically write itself. Dammit, if no one else writes this, then I may have to.

My beverage of choice is usually a large decaf breve latte, in case you get to the cafe/bakery before I get there.

(I love caffeine, but it makes cramps worse for me, ugh.)

[tellshannon815]

That would definitely be a good idea re the abandoned fics! Thanks for participating

[motorharp]

I want a working stargate so I can visit all my friends.

I was just having this discussion with someone yesterday!

[flamingsword]

Because it’s a good idea!

[tsuki_no_bara]

it took me longer than it should have to recognize the highly appropriate Å for your last wish. >.< but also, yes! why don't we have stargate (or teleporter) technology yet? do we need to find aliens first?

[flamingsword]

I'm hoping they find us soon. Maybe next season?

[spikedluv]

working stargate

That would be lovely! A transporter would also work. But not the thing from Terminator where you have to go naked. *g*

That plotbunny foster home comm is a good idea! There are a lot of WIPs that just never get finished. *coff* There might be a 'create something' challenge coming up. *bg*

Oops! Stupid coding.

[dhampyresa]

I want fandom to have a plotbunny foster home/abandoned work amnesty clearinghouse.
What an amazing idea!

Å :DDDDDD

[melannen]

I think you could do the plotbunny foster home with an AO3 collection! Have a strong note on the collection that anything added there is open to continuations by other people. In fact I know of at least one multifandom collection for bits of abandoned stories already (The Shiny Bits, more people should use it!)

Specifically for letting other people write, you could probably set it up to use the AO3 prompt meme mechanic. If the person hasn't written any of it, they submit a prompt for others to claim. If they've written some, they submit a full summary as the prompt, and then what they already have as the first fill, and other people can claim to write more/their own version.