(no subject)

[wook77]

I'm going to try to keep this as short as possible. As Fandom Wank has made mention of this, I will respond.



Below is the timeline, proof and correspondence regarding the sockpuppeting of eeyore9990 as argyle_the_sock.

April 1, 2008: hd_worldcup posts Riptide by a currently anon author. coffeejunkii posts a review. The moderation team screens this review within 2 minutes of posting. I, personally, contact the author to discuss the review. The author responds (email quoted verbatim and with permission):

OK, see, my first impulse is to say hey, go ahead and unscreen, I'm a big girl and I knew when I made the ending ambiguous that some people would really, really hate it. In a way I'm even kind of perversely pleased by the comment, because I'm not sure I've ever gotten a review that was scathing but intelligent - I've mostly just had reviews that were variations of "eew gross hary would never kiss malfyo thats disgustign" ;)

The moderation team unscreens the comment per the author's request. coffeejunkii and I email back and forth to discuss the review. All three parties agree that a conversation after the reveal will be best.

April 8th, 2008: argyle_the_sock on IJ makes a post entitled "How to Comment on a Piece of Fanwork Without Transplanting Your Arse to the Top of Your Head, or How NOT to be an Asshat".

April 9th, 2008: Multiple people email me about this sock. Trap is set to capture IP address of the sock. Screencap of IP logging: here. argyle_the_sock deletes the post and replaces it with "mission accomplished" message. No screen captures of the original post exist.

April 10th(a): I investigate the IP address of the sock against a list of suggested identities. Disqualify all but one.

April 10th (b): eeyore9990 discusses, in iulia_linnea's meta post responding to the original argyle_the_sock post, how she did not pay attention to the contents of the post. Instead, she found herself impressed with the blockquotes.

April 11th(a): I email the person whose IP matched the sock's. This person is eeyore9990 Screencaps of this email in multiple parts (**Please note that the emails have been edited to remove the names of people/communities not involved in this situation. I have kept the names of those that have posted about either this situation or the reviewing at the hd_worldcup. All posts mentioned were, at one time, public**):

First Email
Request for more time
eeyore's response
My Response

April 11th, 2008 (b): Attached to the emails from eeyore9990 is a supposed copy of the post. I have uploaded this post to here. The redacted parts are as originally sent to me. The section that eeyore9990 redacted is the part detailing how coffeejunkii is an asshat.

April 16th, 2008: I received a request for an update as to the status of eeyore9990's fic from a teammate. I refused to discuss it with this person per the terms of my agreement with eeyore9990. Capture.

April 17th, 2008: eeyore9990 emailed me to discuss the status of her fic. I reminded her of the agreement. Capture.

May 4th, 2008: An anonymouse posts a fandom secret concerning the same situation using similar verbiage to the rant from argyle_the_sock. No proof exists that this secret was submitted by eeyore9990. (Link to post: here including an exchange by anonymice below.

Current: Before completing this post, I emailed the author of Riptide for permission to quote her verbatim. When I did so, I received the following response:

Yes, by all means, use whatever you want. Hopefully it'll defuse things a bit…

And no, this definitely did not sour me to the experience. I'd love to participate in an event like this again, assuming RL allows me to. And you can quote that too if you'd like :)

We, the mods, have held to our end of the bargain. We have not discussed this situation with anyone other than those directly involved. I have my suspicions as to how oulangi received her information as to the identity of the sock but they are just that, suspicions. Regardless of where the information came from, there is now fallout from the wanking sockpuppet and, thus, the agreement is null and void.

As for the ramifications to Team EWE, the mods do not want to punish the team for the behaviour of one of their members. It is completely unfair to them as they had no input to the situation. Thus - eeyore9990's story will remain for voting purposes so as not to negatively affect the rest of her teammates. At the conclusion of the games, her story will be removed from the website and the communities. It will also be removed from the official registry of works produced. Her banning will stand.

Comments

[aoibhe.livejournal.com]

... uhm. yes. Special.


Fwiw, anyway, I thought you handled the e-mails and the situation brilliantly and with the utmost maturity. ♥

[wook77.livejournal.com]

Thank you muchly. It's an awkward situation and stuffs :/. I just wish that it hadn't happened at all, tbh. The games and all the participants have been awesome so I'm hoping this won't reflect on the games themselves.

[mizbean.livejournal.com]

Yikes. I had no idea this was going on. I'm sorry this happened to your fest. It amazes me that people do things and don't think they're going to get caught.

[wook77.livejournal.com]

Yeah - it's been brewing for awhile. I'd rather it hadn't happened but, unfortunately...

I really don't get the things people do, either, especially when, in this situation, a simple email or a comment would've handled things without the added wank.

[furiosity.livejournal.com]

I think in technical lingo, this would be termed a rimshot.

GET YOUR MIND OUT OF THE GUTTER OMG.

[midnitemaraud-r.livejournal.com]

Mmmmmm....rimming! :-P

[dream-wia-dream.livejournal.com]

Wow. I had no idea this was going on. I think you and the other mods handled this with a lot of class. Bravo.

[wook77.livejournal.com]

Thanks. We did our best to try to work through the entire situation with the least amount of fallout for the games and the team.

♥

[midnight-birth.livejournal.com]

I think you and the mods handled the situation brilliantly! The e-mails you sent the person were to the point, fair, explained the whats and whys and set down guidelines. I love that. Very efficient! Bravo for being able to deal with all this with a cool head.

I read through your correspondence with the person, and there is something she stated that just got to me.

"As an author, there seems to be an "invisible wall" surrounding those who comment. We're apparently required, as authors, to sit back and allow out work to be raked over the coals, put up with anything anyone wants to say about something we've invested time and effort into, and then say nothing in out defense or in defense of other authors."

It kills me when people don't realize that that is exactly how it works. I mean, she's speaking about just fan fic, and it's an even harsher reality when it comes to professional writing. As one who provides art for the public (any sort of art for any sort of public), it's very clear that the people who will be exposed to are behind an invisible wall, and the writer is expected to put yourself behind one, too. Those who cannot handle that have no business writing for the public of any sort, and generally do not survive it.

Even the best authors out there have been dragged through the dirt. Every single book ever published has been given a review so horrible it would make the author want to quit, but such is life. Professional writing critics aren't even required by job description to justify their reviews. The nice ones do. Obviously, it's a little less harsh when it comes to fan fic. Actually, from what I've seen, unless someone's trolling, reviewers generally try to stay away from horrid reviews, or to keep them respectful, in the very least.

I think she really really missed the whole point. The review that she got so riled up about wasn't even that bad. It was actually a good kind of "upsetting" review, because the reviewer said "I was disappointed", rather than "it was bad".

Anyway, sorry to post a mini-rant in response to a rant. :) I have very strong opinions when it comes to people who write for the public and what kinds of things they have to learn to suck up.

[wook77.livejournal.com]

Thank you. We definitely did our best to handle this with the least amount of fallout for the games and the team. You can't please all the people all the time but we did our best to get as many as possible :D.

Your rant actually reminds me of the Authors Behaving Badly stuffs that's been happening over at Dear Author (http://www.dearauthor.com) and the Reba Belle situation. Have you been following that?

[kerryblaze.livejournal.com]

You handled it gracefully. Sorry that it had to come up in the first place!

[wook77.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I'm sorry that it did, too. The boggling bit to me is that there were so many other, less wanky, ways to handle her concerns. I acknowledge that, to her, they were valid but why not address them directly with coffeejunkii? Start that open discussion and let the cards fall where they might.

[maple-mahogany.livejournal.com]

My goodness.

I do nothing but bring my icon.

*hugs*

[wook77.livejournal.com]

Thanks muchly! We need to go for dinner and drinks. lots of drinks and a movie! Narnia or Indy or something :D.

[red_squared]

I'm not a H/D fan, but some of my f'list is, and I have come across mention of HD_WC from time to time n my f'list or other random LJ-lurking.

That said? I had no idea about this incident until the F_W post just now, which suggests to me that you (and other mods, if there are other mods) handled this really well.

[wook77.livejournal.com]

I'm glad that you hadn't heard of this before f_w. We really tried to keep the fallout as small as possible.

I don't think I'm betraying any confidences when I say that the mods and I had a lot of discussions about how to handle this and stuffs. We try to get on the same page about lots of things.

The best part of this whole fest is that I have learned quite a bit of how to run this sort of fest. There are things we'll be improving for next round.

And even if you're not into h/d - let me just tell you that there are some things that will convert you :D.

eta: edited for clarity.

[secretsolitaire.livejournal.com]

Wow, this was fascinating reading! I had no clue any of it was happening. *bows to your modly wisdom and class*

[wook77.livejournal.com]

:D It would be much more fascinating if it were fiction and not a true story. I think I can speak for everyone (else) involved in saying that we all worked fairly hard at keeping the fest from fandom wank. There have been some other incidents but this one boggles me when I think of the other ways that the concerns could have been raised.

[spacefragments.livejournal.com]

you guys (you, the mods and the author of the criticized fic) are way classy. :]

i had only seen the fandom secret post, so i was all like wtf. now i see the whole picture! and it's not a very nice-looking one. :/

[spacefragments.livejournal.com]

ps. i feel like i have to be on coffeejunkii's side a little because she is a fellow non-capslock-user. :p

[best-of-five.livejournal.com]

awesomesauce. she = asshat. you = win.

d00d. how much hot boi smexing haf i missed because of work?

[wook77.livejournal.com]

Not much boi sex at all, unfortunately. Nothing until next week is what it's looking like.

[pir8fancier.livejournal.com]

I really don't understand why this whole exchange has been made public at all. By supporting and alluding to fandom-wank's story you are making this public in a way I find distasteful. These are private discussions between the mods, eeyore, and coffeejunki. Making all of us privy to these discussions is not, in my view, productive. All you had to do is make one announcement, that due to recent events this story has been removed from the competition, it did not affect the standing of the other stories on the team. End of story. This public outing only feeds the sharks circling the waters for fresh kill that is characteristic of LJ, and I think it should have been kept underwraps. Let fandom-wank feed the sharks. It's none of my business.

[rickey-a.livejournal.com]

Thank you. I was afraid to think that I was the only one who saw it this way.

[pir8fancier.livejournal.com]

In addition, someone pointed out to me that this is your personal LJ, and something like this, that addresses the entire community of writers who participated in the hd-worldcup, should appear in the general hd-worldcup community. You are speaking as the mod of the community, not as yourself, and this does not belong here.

[furiosity.livejournal.com]

This is wook's LJ. Everything and anything she feels like saying belongs here, whether she's speaking as herself, a community mod, or on behalf of the neighbour's psychic kitten. I must admit to being somewhat appalled that you of all people would presume to dictate what people should and should not post in their own journals.

[shygryf.livejournal.com]

i see it came to this and you were hoping it wouldn't.

*hugs*

[wook77.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately, it did come to this.

*hugs back*

[reddwarfer.livejournal.com]

I find this post disappointing. Really disappointing. Sorry. As well as the whole situation. starting with the wank, the sock and how people have responded to it and the actions people have taken to expose it all.

fwiw, I thought that fandom secrets has a backlog, so stuff posted isn't necessarily recently submitted.

[wook77.livejournal.com]

I have to agree with you. I'm extremely disappointed, upset and hurt over the entire situation, fwiw. I didn't want to have to post about this. In my defense, I did my best to keep the fall-out quiet but, unfortunately, things kept piling on and, in the end, I have to do what I said I would do.

And that's really good to hear on the fandomsecrets thing. Thanks for that, especially, that makes me feel better about the whole thing. I'm not at all certain who posted it though of course I suspect eeyore9990. That there was a delay definitely makes me wonder.

[neversleeps.livejournal.com]

You already know how I feel. ♥

[wook77.livejournal.com]

♥

[grey-hunter.livejournal.com]

So confusing... and - not having read any of the comments before - I have to learn it NOW that I totally misinterpreted the ending of that fic!!! LOL

[wook77.livejournal.com]

Honestly? Isn't that part of what fiction is about, for the readers to put their own spin on things? So maybe you did and maybe you didn't - that's the beauty of the whole thing :D.

[melusinahp.livejournal.com]

As a fest participant, I can't tell you how disappointed I am that this had to come out on the eve of the reveal. All that energy and work, and now all the excitement of the end is going to be overshadowed by wank. That just sucks so hard.

[wook77.livejournal.com]

I'm rather hopeful from the amount of squee so far that it hasn't been overshadowed. That's one of the reasons this post is here instead of on the main comm. I'd rather a dogpile wouldn't happen. Those that don't know but want to can find out. Otherwise - they can just go on their merry way.

And yes - the timing sucks.

[shes-gone.livejournal.com]

*hugs*

Isn't this all just supposed to be fun?

[wook77.livejournal.com]

*clings*

You would think that it would be fun but, obviously, there are those that think fandom should only be fun for themselves and fuck everyone else.

Also - completely random but your icon never fails to make me smile every time I see it.

[inspiredlife.livejournal.com]

As someone who's been following the worldcup religiously and doesn't personally know any of the people involved, I think you handled this situation with grace and sensibility. It's unfortunate that you have to deal with this right now but you're managing wonderfully!

Best of luck with the recounting and stuffs. I was really looking forward to the reveal but this will give me the chance to comment on a few more fic. :)

[wook77.livejournal.com]

Thank you kindly.

I hope you were able to get to read and comment on a few more! I can't believe there was only a 10 point difference. Totally crazy but, I guess, I should have expected it with the amazing talent throughout all of the teams!

[archon-mentha.livejournal.com]

Wow. :(

[wook77.livejournal.com]

Yeah - about my reaction to the whole thing, tbh.

[lilithilien.livejournal.com]

Being on the fringe of fandom has its advantages sometimes. ;)

Thank you for the explanation (which I found on fandom_wank). I think you handled this delicate situation exceptionally well. And all the while were able to pull off a phenomenal fest. I'm sorry that this soured it a bit, though. You guys had enough on your plates without dealing with all this.

And I am *very* glad to hear that the team wasn't penalised for this.

[wook77.livejournal.com]

Hee! Doesn't it?

I'm glad that you thought so. It was a no-win situation, tbh, so I did what I had to and, imho, tried to do it as nicely as possible. I know that there are those that think I should have outright banned eeyore and disqualified her story and punish the team but I just couldn't.

[oconel]

I have no idea how I missed this post. (RL, I guess)

Anyway, I'm sorry to hear she kept the wank going on when everything had been handled quietly and would have remained like that if she had behaved.

Edit: Oh, and reading the comments has been revealing.