Yuletide indecision

[dbskyler]

I have enjoyed Yuletide every time I've done it, but I'm just not feeling the Yuletide spirit this year. I am especially depressed about the fact that no one seems to be sharing my fandoms. I know, it's silly to moan about the smallness of your fandom for a small fandom exchange, but here we are.



First, of the three fandoms I nominated, the only characters in the tag set are the characters I nominated. So either everyone else agrees with me that these are the best characters, or I am the only one who nominated them. Given the fandoms and characters in question, I am pretty sure the answer is me sitting here in the corner by myself. *clutches DVDs tightly*

But, well, nomination is just the first step, right? Surely other people will want to request and offer these fandoms! Except, not so much. That list of requested / offered fandoms is fun, but also extremely depressing. The number of people who have requested the fandoms I nominated is exactly zero, for all three fandoms.

But never mind the nominations -- what about the fandoms I plan on offering? I sat down with the tag set and came up with four fandoms to offer, then looked at that list again. Out of my four fandoms, want to know how many people I potentially match with? One. As in, one person, not one fandom. ONE PERSON.

I know people are still signing up, but at this point I'm just feeling, why bother? I should just write a treat for that one person and call it a season.

Oh, and most of the fandoms I want to request aren't on the list either, although I realize that people may be offering them, and they're just not showing up because no one has requested them. But I'm definitely feeling the lack of love for my fandoms. And I didn't think they were that obscure, either. Well, except for Quark. That one I'll admit is fairly obscure. But it's a sci-fi comedy with Richard Benjamin, which automatically renders it awesome.

Comments

[thisbluespirit]

*hugs you*

Hey, if you are feeling unhappy about being part of the exchange, the deadlines, any of those things, I would nod here and say that you shouldn't sign up.

However, pointlessness, nobody sharing fandoms, all that stuff I recognise only too well and I hereby say that as long as you love those fandoms - as long as you have reason to believe you may match with at least one person - you go sign up now before it's too late!!

That's an order! WHat if you don't and the world does not get it's Gita-fic? What then, I ask you? What if some poor obscure fandom person who is even now writing their sign-up won't be getting an awesome fic because you decided it was pointless to sign-up and offer it? (These things are just as true as your what ifs?) So. Get out there and Yuletide and remember, if you do prove awkward to match, that just means you'll end up on the pinch hit and 10 people will fall over themselves to write you fic and probably even get into your fandoms for you, because that's what happens on the pinch hit list.

♥

ETA: Also, masses of people sign-up at the end!! The summary is never even fully up to date till its closed! And if we want to talk obscure fandoms, three of mine (those that I nominated) I can only nominate and request if I'm absolutely sure I can request at least 2 other fandoms other people are nominating because no one else will request them and it's extremely unlikely anyone else will offer them - and yet I unrepentently make the attempt, because sometimes things catch people's eye in Yuletide! People not signing up write treats. (Plus, I think the limiting of noms to 3 means that you're going to get less of people nominating the same fandoms, especially when they're not current/more popular things, likely to outgrow Yuletide.)

[dbskyler.livejournal.com]

Actually, I'm more worried about having no one to write for than having no one to write for me. I'm sure someone will write for me -- and as you say, there's always the PH list -- but only one person wants to read the fandoms I plan to offer. I went through the tag set again, but I just don't see anything else I want to write!

But the rest of your points are well made, and I appreciate the encouragement.

[thisbluespirit]

Yes, having to offer a different fandom is trickier, but I think it's probably unlikely really - and if it did happen, I suppose you could always bow out at that point if you really couldn't offer anything else.

And while only 1 person may have made the relevant request, that doesn't mean there's only 1 person who'd want to read the fic - there are usually a whole bunch of others! They're just not requesting, because someone else already is and you've got to choose the first fandoms of your heart.

But if it is worrying you too much, as you say, you can always treat people if you'd rather. I'd just be inclined to say sign-up and if it falls through, well, it falls through then - I think it's quite unusual really.

[thisbluespirit]

PS. I don't want to be a) the annoying person pestering you to do Yuletide or b) the annoying person who points out the obvious thing you've already gone through sixty times, but

have you investigated all the five minute fandoms in Other Media? There are often some really fun things - adverts and YouTUbe shorts and artwork and blog posts and the sort of humour you're so good at it. And poems and songs and cracky 80s music vids!

I am lucky enough to have a choice of things to offer, so I haven't really poked around much myself, but I am amused by

Incompentent Time-Travelling Saxophone Haters
Cubicles & Careers (YouTUbe) (which I found via the Fandom promotion post and would totally offer if US office working wasn't nearly as baffling to this Brit as it is to the characters - it's a little YouTube series (vv short) in which fantasy characters play a RPG where they are office workers. (They don't like it much.)
And someone's nommed the Alfred Noyes poem The Highwayman, which I've known since I was small. (That was tempting! Except I knew I could never do it justice and 10 other people would be bound to offer it.)
And I know Clocket had a series of ads and there was a whole post linking to the nominated artwork.
Oh, and somene's nominated Cluedo/Clue (the board game)!

Anyway, even if this was an Annoying Comment, I hope the fandoms amused you, too! (None of them are quite as good as the 10 Stupidest Things I've Heard Since Richard III's Remains Were Found Blogpost, though. Obviously, that was the best, as that was the one that me and my flist were responsible for.)

:-)

[dbskyler.livejournal.com]

Those are amusing fandoms, yes! But here's the thing: I just don't feel I can write for things like that. I mean, I enjoy reading the fic when other write people write for those crazy fandoms, but I need a stronger connection to the material, or I just can't get inspired. In fact, I've never been able to successfully write for anything other than a TV show. Well, once for Gilbert & Sullivan, but that was a Madness ficlet -- basically, a filk.

However, you have convinced me that I should indeed sign up. You are very persuasive! And encouraging, and wise. I was just feeling depressed about my poor neglected fandoms, but I should sign up and wait to see if I'm unmatchable instead of assuming I'll be unmatchable. Also, SJA has finally shown up on the requested fandoms list -- one request and one offer -- so at least one other person is also Yuletiding SJA, hurrah! (Although, I hope it's not one of my flisters who changed their signup because I was whining about being alone in my SJA love. Even though that would be a sweet gesture. But also sad.)

[thisbluespirit]

That's fair enough. I do love the random things people come up with, though. :-)

And, hurrah! \o/ And double hurrah! for SJA. And it wasn't me, anyway. I do enjoy SJA and will be glad to see fic for it, but I'm clinging to my chosen fandoms like a limpet. (Anyway, if they did, then all that happened was that you reminded them of their overwhelming love for SJA and they had to run off and alter their requests. I mean, no one would do that for the sake of it at yuletide; it would be highly unwise.)

[dbskyler.livejournal.com]

The other SJA person changed their signup. It's back to me being the only person to request the fandom. But at least a few people are willing to write it.

And I did find another fandom to offer, which means at this point, I'm able to write for more people than are able to write for me, unless there are hidden bucket offers somewhere. Both numbers remain low, though.

[thisbluespirit]

Oh, that's a shame. But still - you're matchable, and fic should happen both ways. And hopefully you'll have a lovely Yuletide!

Now we've just a few days to wait before the secret writing and worrying and stuff all happens...

[thisbluespirit]

But here's the thing: I just don't feel I can write for things like that. I mean, I enjoy reading the fic when other write people write for those crazy fandoms, but I need a stronger connection to the material, or I just can't get inspired.

*looks at dbskyler*



;-p

[dbskyler.livejournal.com]

Ha, yes, well, I really meant it when I wrote that, but later, as I was fruitlessly searching for another fandom to offer, I started to wonder if I could write Incompetent Time-Travelling Saxophone Haters after all. The more I considered it, the more I thought that actually, I could probably do it. I knew it would require original characters, which I don't usually write, but I saw some possibilities, so I decided to offer it. And sure enough, I matched on it. (Honestly, I think if I hadn't offered it, I would have been unmatchable, so I wasn't surprised.)

[thisbluespirit]

Aw, well, it was a fab story, so I'm glad you did, whatever your reasons! I kept meaning to check out the fics in that one, but didn't get round to it until Pers told me what you'd written. :-)

[dbskyler.livejournal.com]

Well, you can't check out all of Yuletide, especially not in the week before author reveals -- you'd do yourself an injury! I'm pleased you found it, though, and that you enjoyed it, especially as you're the reason I knew about the fandom in the first place!

[paranoidangel]

What lost_spook said. I was going to come here and say exactly the same thing, but lost_spook put it far more eloquently.

And most importantly, if you don't sign up you'll be depriving the world of more Gita fic!

[dbskyler.livejournal.com]

Well, even if I do sign up, the world may still not get any Gita fic. Even if I get SJA. Which, honestly, would be fine with me, which is why I nominated the other characters in the first place. (Do you know how long it's been since I've seen a new fic with Maria or Alan in it? Neither do I, because it's been SO LONG! And Clyde is also one of my favorites.)

[lullabymoon]

Bear in mind the sign up summary doesn't show bucket list offers either.

Saying that, the last three years all my request fandoms have been one where I was the only nominee and the only request showing. I still got matched even when no offers were showing on the summary, and I didn't even have to go out to pinch hits. I've got some really great fic - clearly not just phoned in so there was clearly someone out there who loved the fandom even though they didn't nominate.

I would say don't let it put you off because I've honestly enjoyed Yuletide more these last couple of years because I've found someone else who likes my teeny fandom.

*hugs*

[dbskyler.livejournal.com]

Honestly, I think part of my depression about the whole thing is coming face-to-face with the fact that Sarah Jane Adventures is now a teeny fandom. Not that it was ever super-popular -- after all, it qualified for Yuletide -- but back when it was on the air, there was a regular, if small, stream of fic, and it actually came close to having too many fics on AO3 for Yuletide eligibility at one point. But now no one wants it!

[lullabymoon]

Ah, yeah, that is perfectly understandable. I hate it when fandoms shrink like that. :(

[arcanetrivia]

I know noms are closed this year, but can you nominate a fandom w/o participating further? I can't seem to write anything at all anymore, so I wouldn't be able to join in that way. But there neeeeds to be more fic for my pet tiny fandom.

[dbskyler.livejournal.com]

You're not supposed to nominate unless you have a reasonable expectation of participating. This is because they don't want to waste resources on getting fandoms into the tagset (and it does involve a fair amount of behind-the-scenes work) when those fandoms may not be requested or offered by anyone. But it's not policed, and you can have someone who legitimately believed they would sign up at the time of nominations, but then didn't for various reasons.

If you want to participate from the sidelines, you can offer your services as a beta. Or if you think you might get inspired to write if you only came across the right prompt, you can wait until the requests are made public, or search through letters and if you get inspired, write that person a treat (1000+ words) or a Madness fic (less than 1000 words). You don't have to be signed up to do that. You can also try to nab a pinch hit, but that requires committing to 1000+ words and a shorter-than-normal deadline, which would only work if you're fueled by panic (I am not).

[arcanetrivia]

You're not supposed to nominate unless you have a reasonable expectation of participating. ... But it's not policed, and you can have someone who legitimately believed they would sign up at the time of nominations, but then didn't for various reasons.

I see. Well, that would be one thing, but for me I'd be doing it in bad faith, which seems like a crap thing to do. Fortunately I have someone who regularly writes for Yuletide agreeing that it needs to be nominated next year, so hopefully all I need do is bide my time.

[dbskyler.livejournal.com]

Another thing you can do in good faith is promote your fandom before nominations. That way, it may even get nominated by more than one person. There is usually an official promotion post at yuletide, so all you'd have to do is watch that comm next fall, and then rave about your fandom. Here's the one from this year.

[clocketpatch]

If I'm understanding it correctly, the Yuletide algorithm tries to match up the people with only one possible match (writing or receiving) first, so it's more likely to be unmatchable if your initially able to match to several people than if you're only able to match to one. (I may or may not be understand that right?)

Do sign up though! The world needs more Gita fic! I haven't been able to find a source of the SJA which makes me very sad. The only access I have to it now is via fic.

[dbskyler.livejournal.com]

Well, I know people can be double-assigned, so probably if there's at least one person who requests what you offered, it works out. Although I don't think people can be triple-assigned, so if you have several people intersecting on just one little fandom, someone gets left out? Gah, matching is hard.

But as my flist is overwhelmingly of the opinion that I should Yuletide, I think I'll have to acquiesce.

[dbskyler.livejournal.com]

Oh, and I don't know of any free SJA sources, but you should be able to buy it. It's available at iTunes, and the whole series is out on DVD in Region 1.

[dbskyler.livejournal.com]

Ooh, wait, I just discovered that SJA Series 1 is free on hulu.com! (Do you have access to hulu in Canada?)

[clocketpatch]

Sadly no. (I've got a bit of a dislike for hulu because they blocked all legal avenues of watching series 4 of the Thick of It in Canada and forces me to jump through proxy hoops to watch it. Though they apparently now block anyone using a proxy ip from even viewing their site. Boo.)

[dbskyler.livejournal.com]

Well, that sucks. Boo to hulu! (I refuse to give them any money, but I will watch things for free there if I can find them.)