Last of the Duelling Fics

[icarus]

Okay, it looks like people are tired of the duelling fic. The last one is located here.

Comments

[snapetoy.livejournal.com]

It's not that I'm tired of the duelling fic icarusancalion, it's just that I'm not familiar with the author, and when I don't know the author, I have no opionion and won't vote.

I'm sorry you won't be continuing with the duelling fics. I've enjoyed seeing the diversity of opinions.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

But... but... Cedar's a BNF, really she is. Hmm. She - she writes Percy. Really, really great Percy. And D/S. Really, really good D/S.

If you want a Percy who will chill your marrow, read 'The Palmer Method.' And there's 'Like The Finest Gold,' Lucius/James that will tickle your spine.

Oh dear... is her audience narrow because she tends to write so many unusual pairings?

Icarus

[snapetoy.livejournal.com]

My comments were certainly not intended as a criticism of any individual author's status. Indeed, they were more revealing of my own inadequacies as a reader.

I wish I had more hours to read, but unfortunately, those that I do have, I stay within my comfort zone.

My apologies for any misapprehension!

snapetoy bows*

*grins*

[absynthia.livejournal.com]

I'm not tired of it. Just have not been familiar enough with the last two authors you chose to pick one as their best. I had only read 2 or 3 things by each.

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[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Oh, well I'm putting up authors that I've only read one or two stories by as well. Aja's really popular, but since I'm not really a Harry/Draco reader, I hadn't read anything but Love Under Will until the contest - then I read Bluejeans!Harry and Atrophy. I figure if I've only read one story by a particular author, well, that makes it easy to choose. ;)

Icarus

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

Oh! I will be bold and say this: I'm still very keen on the duelling fics! But, speaking from my own experience and not for anyone else's: some of the latest authors are people whose works I do not know, or do not know well. That's a side effect of you naturally having gone with some of the more popular authors first--as you look for more, fewer individuals who also have you on their friendslist will know all of the authors you showcase. If, however, you're tired of the exercise, it's your prerogative to say, "I'm tired." But I'm still enjoying it! Matter of fact, I'm bookmarking Cedar's stories for later reading, see.

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[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

I don't want to depress the authors though! I mean, this is partially -- okay largely -- for them. And if I put their names up and all we hear is the crickets chirp, well... ouch. I was going to do Telanu and Josan and Resonant... but I'm a little alarmed. What if I put up Josan's name and nothing happens?

Icarus

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[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

Your point is well taken. You should do as you think best!

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[cracking-heart.livejournal.com]

if you put up Josan's name, i'll participate! her "aftermath" is one of my favorites. (i'm new to this duelling thing, but i'm game.) :)

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[snapetoy.livejournal.com]

Guaranteed if you put josanpq up, I'm there. And it'll be a hugely difficult decision!

Severus and the Crup.
Snape and Son.
Betrayals.

What about WIPs? Can I do a write-in for a WIP? QPQ-TOO?

I'm going to have exactly the same problem with Telanu and Resonant. Whaaa!

I have to tell you that the chances of you putting Josan, Telanu and Resonant and nothing happening are zero.

Go on, icarusancalion, you know you want to!

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[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

WiPs are accepted. And all right, we'll go for it. ;)

Icarus

[aubrem.livejournal.com]

I'm the same as the people above - I just haven't read Cedar's stories. I love Dueling Fics. I enjoy voting when I have read the author's work and bookmarking when I haven't. Maybe you're wider read than most of your friend's list is? You do both us and the writer a favor when you get few replies - that means you're reccing a writer we haven't read before.

I know Cedar is a BNF but the HP fandom is so big I just haven't gotten to a lot of it yet.

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[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

She doesn't write the 'big pairings,' I know. I'm not sure. The exposure's good. But this is a little like throwing a party and then having no one show up.

Okay. I'm going to adjust this a little bit.

Icarus

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[aubrem.livejournal.com]

Would it be enough to warn the writer ahead of time: "I'm going to duel your fics, there's a chance only a few people on my list will have read your stuff, shall I go ahead and do it so you can get the added exposure?" I'm not a writer so I don't know if that would go over well or not. I'm sure that the number of responses isn't about whether people admire the author's the work - just whether they've read it at all.

Also, it's nice to have warning of what duels are coming up so we can do the reading if we haven't already. I didn't vote in Isis' duel because I was still working my way through her fics when the voting ended.

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[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Boy you guys are really responsible. I just vote for my current favourite and to heck with whether or not I've read them all.

Icarus

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[aubrem.livejournal.com]

go on, laugh at me - I hate to give an opinion I don't feel sure about - it's the lawyer in me. : )

[painless-j.livejournal.com]

Icarus! What are you talking about? As one of the most eager representatives of 'people', I can only repeat what the guys said - just an unfamiliar author (I've read only one fic of hers, smth like 'Four Seasons' and I just have no time to read anything else). *pouts* Please, don't stop, it's one of the best things these days - to open friend-list and yay! new voting at Icarus' journal. And it really helps to get to know about good fics I missed. I really appretiate it. Please-please?

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[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

I also heard from someone who's completely new to the fandom who's using it as a guide. So... so long as the authors aren't bummed out by fewer votes, I'm game.

Icarus

[likebunnies.livejournal.com]

Speaking as someone from the outside of anything BNF and from slash, I think in all fandoms and pairings and whatever, there are degrees of 'BNF' status. I know that sounds stupid but one person's BNF is another person's 'Huh? Who?' That doesn't make them any less of an author. It just means that their works aren't as widely appreciated as they should be. Perhaps if you have them as a dueling fic author and let them know that it's happening and that they might not get thousands of replies but that they'll at least be getting new readers curious as to why they're picked, they'll probably appreciate it.

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[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Yep. I think you're right.

I'm also discovering that my friendslist is unusually mature and responsible, and they're not voting until they've read every single solitary fic on the list.

Oy. I wouldn't ever be able to vote if I did that. Okay, I'll continue, with fair warning to the authors.

Hey, you got blacklisted? Lucky you. *Icarus pouts that this journal was not added to the blacklist, alas.*

Icarus

[tinderblast.livejournal.com]

I don't think that one or two smaller responses from readers necessarily means anything, but I think your view of a bnf writer is subjective, as everyone's is, and what seems obvious to you isn't obvious to everyone. Plus, not everyone has the time or the inclincation to vote, particularly if you choose het writers or people who write in ways that your f-list doesn't enjoy.

*shrugs mildly*

There can't be a big reaction to every post. It odesn't mean anything bad, though. I'm sure that Resonant, for example, would have lots of people voting.

-brodie

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[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Yeah, but this one was really slow. It's not that I need the attention. I don't care, I'll post my own stories for that. ;) It's just that I don't want the writers to feel bad.

Aja and Maya and Aspen: over a hundred votes.
Rushlight and Isis: about 30-50.
Cedar: we're up to 16 votes.

So it's really a question of will the author be all right with having fewer total votes than the next person? It's the entire reason I've kept this to BNFs, because if there's no votes, there's no game.

Icarus

[absynthia.livejournal.com]

Hey -- I have another suggestion. What about letting it go for longer than 24 hours? I know you have a couple of times, but just as a rule, why not let it run for 48? Because on all of the authors I've voted on except two I had read everything, I DID go read the stories of theirs that I had not before I voted. (That doesn't make sense but I'm half awake so maybe you can figure it out, lol.) If you put up someone I'm not familiar with, I'm not going to even attempt to go read all their stuff in one day. But if I have two, I might consider going through a big chunk of it. (If the first I read is pretty good.) So in a way, you are encouraging us expand our reading lists...

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

That's a great idea. It slows down the pace for me as well, and I won't run out of writers as quickly. ;)

Will do.

Icarus