Questions, questions...

[bluflamingo]

Well, one question: should I sign up for the Avengers fest exchange?

I ask, because of the last three fic exchanges I've been part of, I've only actually only got something in return from one of them. Which, I like exchanges for the prompts that make me write stuff I wouldn't usually, but... I guess I'm kind of sad that I didn't get anything in return. For one of them, the mod was my assigned writer, and kept saying she was working on something... but I think she fell out of the fandom, because if she was, she never finished it. For the other, I know the mod had a hard time around when fics were due, which is probably why I never got anything.

I don't know. I feel a little doomed, and slightly... not exactly fool me once etc but like I might be better off staying out of exchanges for a while. Though I do like to write for them.

Or maybe I'm just whining about bad luck, I don't know.

Advice?

Comments

[princessofgeeks]

I pinch hit for a multi fandom exchange, and did not even get a thank you from my recipient. No acknowledgement whatsoever. I didn't get a story in return because of being a pitch hitter, so that was not the deal.

This made me sad, but it would not stop me from participating in the future.

On the other hand, I have never been disappointed in the Jack/Daniel Ficathon, where you write a story that's assigned to you for another participant.

So I guess it's kind of hit and miss.

Don't know if that helps.

[bluflamingo]

I've written for people and not got any kind of acknowledgement from them, including pinch hitting for them, like you - somehow none of that bothers me that much, I just sort of assume that people are sometimes forgetful or rude or hate what I wrote for them or whatever.

But the whole point of fic exchanges is that everyone who signs up at the start gets a story (obviously different for pinch hitters). I think maybe I'm just bitter though.

[princessofgeeks]

yeah, it can be hard to let go of that bitterness. This is true.

[bluflamingo]

Stupid thing to get bitter over though - I think I'm more annoyed with the first one who kept promising and then just stopped answering messages. Like, it's a GIFT exchange, ignoring me in the hopes I'll go away cos you found another fandom you like better is not in the spirit thereof. Mrr!

[princessofgeeks]

*pets*

[sid]

'Avengers' seems so huge to me that I'd think they would have pinchhitters coming out the wazoo...

[bluflamingo]

This is very true.

Though also true for the first one, which was Hawaii 5-0 when it was still super-popular (though I'm pretty sure the mod who was writing (or not!) for me moved fandoms and just figured it didn't matter).

[colls]

wow, the exchanges I've participated in the mods always arranged pinch hitters and everyone got a story/vid/whatever :(

[bluflamingo]

Same, in my experience. The second one I know the mod was/is having a rough time, and so it doesn't fuss me so much, but the first one is - I know the mod was meant to be writing for me, and I got so many "I swear, next week" emails before she started ignoring me, so I'm a bit... If you're not going to do it, at least tell me that, yeah? But being the mod is the one time where you don't have to assign a pinch hitter because the story didn't get turned in by the deadline, and it's not like I can report her to the fandom police :)

Okay, so maybe I'm more bitter about her, and a bit oh my god, again, seriously? about the second one

[dirty_diana]

I was once the mod for an exchange where my recipient had to ask me point-blank if I was looking for a pinch hitter. I had genuine reasons for not being done yet, but it still helped get my butt in gear, hee.

(So I guess I'm asking if you've tried being rude about it. No one would blame you!)

But that is extremely bad luck, bad moderation, and I don't blame you for being gunshy. But the odds are against that streak of bad luck staying that bad, is one way of looking at it?

[bluflamingo]

I can't be rude to the second one, because I know she's having a rough time and I like her, and honestly, that one wouldn't have bothered me that much if not for being the second time in a short space of time.

The first one started ignoring my messages, so I think she resorted to rude first :)

I guess what you say about the odds being in my favour is right... though my family tends to say that bad luck comes in threes...

[scrollgirl]

I kinda want you to sign up just so I could read what you wrote ;) But you should do what feels right for you -- it does seem like you've had some bad luck in the past! I'm tempted to sign up for the Avengers exchange bc I want to believe that if someone was expecting fic from me, I'd actually deliver. But then I defaulted on my last ficathon, so that obviously didn't hold true! (John/Ronon, oh God I feel so bad, though thankfully gaffsie got a pinch-hitter in place.)

I guess you have to ask whether you trust the mods to get a pinch-hitter in place if your person defaulted?