ADMIN POST: The Mission Report Challenge

[cesperanza.livejournal.com]

Okay, this comes from an idea by nudaydreamer and it's like, three--three!--cool challenges in one! As she puts it:

I'd love to see a Mission Report Challenge. We all know some crazy shit happens on those other worlds, and authors could choose to a) write a (pornalicious?) Report That Will Never Actually Be Filed Because Elizabeth Would Freak Out And Such, b) write a euphemistically suggestive report that leaves those of us with dirty minds quite clear on what happened, without being explicit, or possibly c) take another author's story and write a report of type a or b for it.

Everybody got that? See, it's kind of a Document Challenge and it's kind of a Remix and it's kind of Classified and Porny--or not; it's a festival, really. Now to clarify about option c)--if you choose to write a mission report of somebody else's story, we'll ask you to credit them, but we won't require you to ask their permission Edited to add: and get their permission, or check the links below. HOWEVER, if you want to opt OUT of option c)--i.e. tell people that they can't write a mission report of your story or stories, even with credit--please leave a comment in this post ASAP. Edited to add: link to new opt-out post below! We WILL ask challenge respondents to check before posting that the writer hasn't opted out of the challenge. Edited to add: Merryish reminds me to say that it is, of course, perfectly acceptable to write a mission report on one of your own stories!

It's August 21st; stories will be due on Monday, September 4th, Labor Day, at midnight.


Edited to add: Freezing comments here: click here for a policy clarification, opt-in, and opt-out posts are above.

Comments

(frozen) Re: Won't Be Joining this Comm Ever.

[misspamela.livejournal.com]

I just want to point out again, as I did above -- and I'm not affiliated with this community, just baffled by the response -- that the challenge is NOT to remix stories, just to write a mission report about a story. You wouldn't be *changing* the story at all.

I'm wondering if the message is getting mixed in the reaction

(frozen) Re: Won't Be Joining this Comm Ever.

[debc.livejournal.com]

Even if "remix" isn't the exact correct word for it, my reaction would still be the same.

They're saying it's all right and perfectly acceptible to use someone else's fanfic without permission and it's not.

And honestly? I don't think "remix" is the wrong term. You're just taking someone else's fic and reworking it from a different angle, which is exactly what a remix (in as far as all the Remix challenges I've seen done before defines it) does.

(frozen) Re: Won't Be Joining this Comm Ever.

[kissingchaos9.livejournal.com]

But it's not reworking it from another angle. She's not suggesting that you completely rewrite someone else's story and claim it as your own, she's suggesting you write a *mission report* of someone else's story. So, if you read astolat's Mostly Harmless, the challenge would be in writing a mission report that didn't describe John and Rodney getting blown by fluff ball aliens.

Which, heh. I'd honestly like to read that.

(frozen) Re: Won't Be Joining this Comm Ever.

[debc.livejournal.com]

Umm... yes, that pretty much is what this challenge is asking. Not only that, but the original posting of this challenge calls it "a kind of remix."

However, you're missing the main point of my post by chosing to focus on that one term. My point is that permission-getting should be manditory, not optional and that it's bad fandom manners otherwise.

(frozen) Re: Won't Be Joining this Comm Ever.

[kissingchaos9.livejournal.com]

Honestly, I feel like the original challenge was poorly worded, because I'm interpreting that "kind of a remix" was meant to convey the idea that you'd be using another person's fic as inspiration for a mission report. However, if you're interpreting it as "take another person's fic and totally rewrite it and definitely be shitty and rude about it, too," then it's understandable that you would be upset.

And on some levels, I do agree that permission should be required, but I also understand why it's not. You're basically writing a book report for someone else's fic, which leaves no margin for reinterpretation.

(frozen) Re: Won't Be Joining this Comm Ever.

[debc.livejournal.com]

See? I've already heard that "book report" analogy and I don't really find that it fits.

Nor do I understand why the permission is not required. I'm not a fandom newbie by any definition and if it's one thing I've learn in 10+ years in fandom is that if you don't have respect for fellow fanfic authors, you don't deserve respect in return.

(Using "you" as a generic "you" btw.)

To me, getting permission is respecting the author, even if it is just for a "coda" or as you put it, a book report.

(frozen) Re: Won't Be Joining this Comm Ever.

[kissingchaos9.livejournal.com]

I'm not ces and would hate to speak for her, but I do understand, and in no way believe that she would ever, ever encourage someone to use someone else's work for anything more than inspiration without asking permission. And she did make credit mandatory, so it's hardly a plagiarism issue.

If you don't feel comfortable with the challenge, opt-out. I hardly believe that if you're a popular enough author that someone wants to write a mission report of one of your stories you won't know about this challenge by the end of the day, especially with all the wank that's exploded.

(frozen) Re: Won't Be Joining this Comm Ever.

[kissingchaos9.livejournal.com]

Although, I do believe that an opt-in would have been a lot more effective than an opt-out.

And I don't want to sound like I don't think an author's concern about theft or plagiarism are valid. I understand that completely, trust me. But, to me, inspiration is different. There are several really, really shitty stories floating around in other fandoms that claim to be "inspired" by one of my fics, and while I hate to see my name attached in any way to a shitty fic, there's nothing I can do when the idea of a character in leather pants is hardly one I can claim as mine and mine alone.

(frozen) Re: Won't Be Joining this Comm Ever.

[debc.livejournal.com]

A hot character in leather pants is never a bad thing. ;-)

It's just how the author in question gets them there with owrds that mucks it up sometimes.

I agree, an opt-in would have been better. Or else limiting it to just authors who are a member of the comm and knew this challenge was going on. As it is, there are a lot of authors not on this comm who would be surprised to find a coda/mission report about one of their fanfics.

(frozen) Re: Won't Be Joining this Comm Ever.

[kissingchaos9.livejournal.com]

Oh, leather pants. *sigh*

Also, I promise I'm not being argumentative, but I can't think of another way to word this.

If they're not on this comm, how would they find it? Challenge responses can only be posted to the comm. And I'm *not* saying it's right if they author doesn't know, just that I'm not sure I understand how they could be suprised if they don't read the comm.

(frozen) Re: Won't Be Joining this Comm Ever.

[debc.livejournal.com]

If they're not on this comm, how would they find it? Challenge responses can only be posted to the comm. And I'm *not* saying it's right if they author doesn't know, just that I'm not sure I understand how they could be suprised if they don't read the comm.

Well, I'm not on this comm, but I've read several fanfics posted here because I have 21 friends (people on my flist) who are on this comm. Three of them, all of whom have written fics for challenges posted here, are members of the fanfic collecitve I co-mod and help maintain. (http://www.ink-and-quill.com) When those people write fic, you'd best believe I read it as well as check out where the inspiration comes from. Their participation is like a reccommendation in my book.

That's how people who aren't on the comm would find it. It's not an f-locked comm, so while posting is limited to members only, reading/viewing is not.

Oh, leather pants. *sigh*

Should be standard issue uniforms, no? *imagines McKay in leather*

(frozen) Re: Won't Be Joining this Comm Ever.

[kissingchaos9.livejournal.com]

Ahhh, I see. Thank you.

Now I would like to write a story where a crazy alien invents a, um, photon ray that destroys all material but leather and the crew is forced to wear nothing but leather for the rest of their lives, lest they be embarassed by their public nudity.

OH, CRACKFIC.

(frozen) Re: Won't Be Joining this Comm Ever.

[debc.livejournal.com]

Now I would like to write a story where a crazy alien invents a, um, photon ray that destroys all material but leather and the crew is forced to wear nothing but leather for the rest of their lives, lest they be embarassed by their public nudity.

I would so read that!

(frozen) Re: Won't Be Joining this Comm Ever.

[kissingchaos9.livejournal.com]

I would actually prefer Martin Gero to write that, so we could SEE it.

Mmmm, Lorne in leather.

(frozen) Re: Won't Be Joining this Comm Ever.

[debc.livejournal.com]

I *so* love the way you think! ;-)

(frozen) Re: Won't Be Joining this Comm Ever.

[kissingchaos9.livejournal.com]

We should write Martin Gero a letter. He seems like a perfectly reasonable guy.

What's your spoiler policy, by the by? Because there are some pictures from an up-and-coming episode that I think you might enjoy...

(frozen) Re: Won't Be Joining this Comm Ever.

[debc.livejournal.com]

I don't mind spoilery pictures, as they tend to give me something to look forward to.

It's when people post rumors/spoilers about actual content of plots that gets to me. I like to enjoy the episodes (or not) without being tainted before hand.

(frozen) Re: Won't Be Joining this Comm Ever.

[kissingchaos9.livejournal.com]

This isn't really spoilery at all, I was just being careful :)

HAVE YOU SEEN THIS? (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v475/kissingchaos9/rodneyleather.jpg)

(frozen) Re: Won't Be Joining this Comm Ever.

[debc.livejournal.com]

Replying again because something just occurred to me.

You said (quoting you) that the challenge is NOT to remix stories, just to write a mission report about a story, but if you look at this orginal post (the post introducing the challenge itself), the mod openly calls it a remix.

Quoting original post, with pertaining part bolded:

Everybody got that? See, it's kind of a Document Challenge and it's kind of a Remix and it's kind of Classified and Porny--or not; it's a festival, really.

Therefore, I'm not wrong at all in calling a remix, because the challenge itself (as written) calls itself a remix.

And still, I stand my original opinion that the people running this challenge have done so in poor taste and ever poorer manners by not requiring that people chosing the remix option gain permission first.

Most remix challenges I've seen so far only allow stories to be bemixed if 1) the author is question is also particiapting in the remix themself and 2) if said author has listed the fic as something they don't care if it gets remixed.

This challenge says that anything, regardless of if the author is a member of this comm, is up for grabs without permission or even prior knowledge from the original author and that is what I find objectionable about the whole thing.

(frozen) Re: Won't Be Joining this Comm Ever.

[misspamela.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I went back and read that again and saw the same thing. I concede the point completely; it seems that my vision of what a "remix" is is different from a lot of people -- I've been corrected elsewhere! I'd just see this challenge more along the idea of writing a coda or an episode tag, not as rewriting the plot.

Still, I agree that asking for permission is the polite thing to do in either case.

(frozen) Re: Won't Be Joining this Comm Ever.

[debc.livejournal.com]

I honestly would have the same reaction if someone wrote a coda, tag or sequel to one of my fics without seeking my permission, and I know I'm not alone because I've seen it happen to friends of mine before and seen their reactions, too. There's a difference between knowing someone is going to do something and being okay with it and not having any warning/knowledge that it happened until you accidentally stumbled across it on some archive.

But then, I just may be old-fashioned in what I consider good fandom etiquette. ;-)

Still, I agree that asking for permission is the polite thing to do in either case.

It is, yes.

And I would like to apologize to you, personally, for sounding in anyway like I was jumping down your throat. (If I did.) I tend to get "over eager" when debating opinions and trying to get mine across.

(frozen) Re: Won't Be Joining this Comm Ever.

[misspamela.livejournal.com]

Oh, hey, not at all. No worries!

I think my reaction was more based on seeing people say "don't turn mine into McShep" or whetver, which wouldn't happen in this challenge as written.

But that's probably me missing the point of the permission thing, which I agree was probably worded badly.

(frozen) Re: Won't Be Joining this Comm Ever.

[khriskin]

Could it be that the poster meant it was a remix of previous challenges? They've had a 'Documentation' challenge before as well as a other challenges that were similar to this idea... no clue, just thinking that folks may be jumping into the assumption that challenges should rewrite the fic when that wasn't what was intended.

The whole thing is rather ambiguous though.. hopefully the mod will log back on and help clarify things. *crosses fingers*

(frozen) Re: Won't Be Joining this Comm Ever.

[debc.livejournal.com]

It's not the "remix" that's getting to me, however. It's the "no permission necessary" part.

(frozen) Re: Won't Be Joining this Comm Ever.

[khriskin]

Ah, sorry for the misunderstanding then, the whole thing just confuses me at this point. *sighs*