Star Trek Big Bang claims... I'm amused.

[mijan]

So, I've been claimed by a fanmixer, but not by an artist.  I wonder... because these claims are anonymous (they don't know which fic is being written by whom)... if I'd have been claimed sooner if my name was attached to it.  My summary does NOT indicate a ship (even though Kirk and Bones are totally BFF-close and then some in this story), or sappy romance. 

I wonder... what is our fandom really looking for in a fic?  Or did I just write a weak summary?  Or should I have been more clear in the summary about just how much I beat the crap out of Jim, the angst I inflict on Bones, and the living nightmare they both survive?  I mean, I like my summaries to be subtle.  

But hey, it's all good.  I wonder who will claim it.  Or will I illustrate my own fic this year?

Anyway, just got back from Dragon*Con.  Very tired.  Going to bed.  Will post about the con tomorrow.  <3

Comments

[nightshadow-t2.livejournal.com]

I'm sure it'll get art soon. It's too good a story not to. :D

[mijan.livejournal.com]

Meh, whatever happens, happens. Not too concerned. Just amused.

[gadgetorious.livejournal.com]

We have theorized that the majority of artist's are K/S shippers because I think only a couple of people on my flist have been claimed so far. Ironically, a lot of the people I consider my favorite authors haven't been claimed.

[mijan.livejournal.com]

Perhaps that's the case. No idea. Just pondering.

[eldritchhorrors.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately, it seems like the fandom tends towards fluffier romance. I've noticed less feedback in general goes to the writers who push the envelope more. I think this is because people are looking for a happy escape, and well written angst often requires a lot of thought on the part of the reader. Brain candy triumphing over thinkyness.

It's a shame, because I think some of the best fandom writers are also some of the most underrated.

(So I don't get a heap of shit, I will point out that I have written fluffy romance, so this is no criticism of the good fluffy romance that is out there.)

[nikki4noo.livejournal.com]

Kinda disagree because early on there was a large number of stories that were angst driven that got a whole lot of love. If you look at the Kink Meme (the original one) a lot of the fills were angst driven as well. Last years BB was a lot of angst fest, which interestingly was why I decided when I signed up this year to do a more Rom Com type story, with a bit of angst and action thrown in.

Lately there has been some push towards the fluffier stories, I agree.

The fact that there are 40 artists that signed up and then haven't bothered to claim anything is a worry.

[mijan.livejournal.com]

I dunno - I thought our fandom had a pretty die-hard h/c contingent. There's a LOT of angst in Kirk/McCoy, that's for sure. I just wonder if the way I did my summary wasn't strong enough. Either that, or my title sucks. I'm still working on that.

[nikki4noo.livejournal.com]

I've got an artist but no fanmixer. Yet, if the notes I wrote, and we had to include in our submission, had of been posted I think I might have had a fanmixer. 90's AU set in San Francisco I think has a lot of fun possibilities for a fanmixer. My summary alludes to it being an AU and in SF but that is all. Like you I don't like to reveal everything in a summary.

Most of the artists are K/S, some of the better K/M artists haven't signed up for this BB. I noted that the majority of claims were for the K/S stories.

I know some of the stories and who wrote them from the summaries posted and interestingly they have not been claimed. So is it that fandom will click on something with someones name on it regardless of the summary? Seems so and yet I do like the idea that here that preconception has been taken away, all they have to go on about is the summary.

[mijan.livejournal.com]

Oh, I KNOW that if my "notes" had been included with the claim post, it would have been snatched up. My notes explicitly state that this is the sequel to my last year's big bang fic (AAtKM).

Sad that the K/Mc artists haven't signed up for this one.

I have no idea why fandom will jump on certain things, and certain people's fics, and not others. In some cases, it's a quality thing, but Big Bang claims are a great equalizer, and... *shrugs*

[whiteraven1606.livejournal.com]

And I wonder if I would have been claimed that much slower if my name were attached to the summary. I too only have a fanmixer at the moment.

I know you would have been snapped up in the first few claims if your name had been attached. They wouldn't have even read the summary.

I am now waiting for the second round of claims to see who claims what first. :)

[mijan.livejournal.com]

It's interesting how this all works. I'm glad you got claimed! :D

[sphynxle.livejournal.com]

It wasn't a weak summary - in contrast, it made me want to read it more. I do think a good majority of any fandom, sadly, is geared toward the romantic side of things. I've been having my own crises about this lately. I feel as though if I don't write hardcore Bones/Jim, Spock/Jim, Spock/Horta porn, no one is going to like it. And that's a very sad thing.

Someone will claim it. I have faith :)

[mijan.livejournal.com]

Yeah, our fandom is rather obsessed with the "ship" of things. Granted, my big bang LAST year didn't technically have a "ship," but the Kirk/McCoy folks seem to feel the depth of their friendship and their dynamic was "close enough." So... whatever.

:)

[silvertoekee.livejournal.com]

lol I don't know about any of the other artists, but to me picking the fics was like bingo. I had to skim through all the stories summaries super fast because there were lots of them and just slap my choices asap. There wasn't a whole lot of time and I didn't really care about the pairings to much. So whatever snagged my attention be it a word or something in the summary was what got picked. I wonder if I tried this for lotto would I actually win anything ;)?

[mijan.livejournal.com]

I do wonder what it must be like for the artists. I'm still pondering over the folks who haven't claimed anything though.

So what was it in the summary of the fic YOU picked that caused you to grab it up?

[silvertoekee.livejournal.com]

lol the summary made me think there would be some action and excitement :D.

[grey-hunter.livejournal.com]

What's a fanmixer?

I've never participated in an y BB but I think illustrating your own fic isn't the worst thing that could happen to someone.

[mijan.livejournal.com]

A fanmixer creates a soundtrack for a story by assembling a list of songs that they feel fit the story.

I'm ambivalent about whether I think it's a valid "art form" in fandom because nothing new is created. It's only a re-organization of existing music in the form of a list. However, I will reserve judgment, as many people really like it.

Seeing as I've DONE fan-art, and I'm no slouch when it comes to art, I suppose illustrating my own isn't the end of the world. I just don't feel like I've got TIME. I need to focus on the STORY.

[grey-hunter.livejournal.com]

I see. I know that my taste in music is really different from that of 90% of my f-list; I'm not sure I'd want my fics to have a soundtrack. And I think you can always use sketches as a means to visualising the scene you want to write or if you run into a block and need some inspiration. And then if you're done with the fic, and still have time, you can finish the ones you liked.

[vixys.livejournal.com]

One day, I'm going to write some big meta on why it is that sometimes the most epic of fics go overlooked purely because of the lack of a ship (not even the "wrong" ship, as it were), because fandom can be very petty when it comes to these things.

Hmm.

But yes.

And I'm sorry I haven't been able to get to the second half yet. Fuck, university requires a lot of organisation.

♥

[mijan.livejournal.com]

I've wondered about this myself. The whole need for a "ship" seems to overwhelm the need for GOOD FIC, first and foremost. And yeah, fandom can be very petty.

And... let me know when you can get to it. Now that I'm back from my vacation, I'm going to start working on it more again.

♥

[emiliglia.livejournal.com]

I got frustrated with the lack of replies to the art and mixer claims, so I went and saw who was listed that made a claim - there were about 45 artists/mixers who hadn't picked anything.

Then I looked at the first listed pairing of everything left. The most unclaimed pairing by the artists is Kirk/McCoy (19 - second most unclaimed being Kirk/Spock with 5) and only 8 Kirk/McCoy fics have been claimed by artists.

So...take that info how you will.

[mijan.livejournal.com]

I'll take it to mean that our wonderful K/Mc ship isn't getting enough love. *grumbles* They don't know what they're missing. ;)

[emiliglia.livejournal.com]

I haven't counted how many K/S are claimed, but it seems to be that our 'ship is getting the shaft. And not in the good way.

[mijan.livejournal.com]

We should entreat more K/Mc fanartists to join in here. Maybe poke the folks on the K/Mc community? What do you think?

[emiliglia.livejournal.com]

I don't think it would help for STBB because last day for art/mix signups was the day the first drafts were due, and in the latest post about second rounds, the mods are sticking to that rule. Although I dropped a note about being willing to mix my own fic if that would help at all, so I'll have to see what they say about it.

[weepingnaiad.livejournal.com]

Yeah, this whole claiming thing is weird to me. Of course, I've never done a BB before and had no idea how all this worked. Thought my co-writer did an awesome job on the summary, but our first pairing listed is neither Kirk/Spock nor Jim/Bones, so I suspect that we'll be last.

*shrugs*

That's okay. Hubby's going to do a manip so we'll have something at least and I wouldn't change the story just to suit fandom.

[mijan.livejournal.com]

Different big bangs are run differently, but generally, yeah, this is how it goes. Claims are weird.

And I have no "pairing" listed, so that ought to make it interesting.

Yay for having a hubby who can back you up! :D

[zauzat.livejournal.com]

I'll be right there with you at the back of the queue! Writing Pike/McCoy plus character-driven rather than action, and add in a lame summary and no one is interested.

[weepingnaiad.livejournal.com]

*chuckles* We need to find Pike/McCoy artists! That's our first pairing and I don't get how that's NOT blisteringly hot, especially how you write them. UNF.

Ours is action-y, but it's about character, too. *sigh*

It's okay. I don't really need a bunch of kids my daughter's age reading my stories.

[zauzat.livejournal.com]

LOL I'm so out of the loop on popular culture that if any one fanmixes for me, I won't recognize a single song, not unless they go for the dreadful mid-80s stuff.

[weepingnaiad.livejournal.com]

Hey, I liked the 80s! :D

Of course, I like most music and compete with my daughter for her CDs, too.

[mga1999.livejournal.com]

You know, I really need to stop reading new posts on my phone in bed because I took one more look to see if any fic was posted and saw this:

Or should I have been more clear in the summary about just how much I beat the crap out of Jim, the angst I inflict on Bones, and the living nightmare they both survive?

Then I drooled all over my pillow so much that I couldn't get to sleep thinking of the POSSIBILITIES. lol

CANNOT WAIT! <3