inv-only snape/harry community?

[cimorene]

i know there are harry/snape addicts who don't like crap fic.  i wonder if there'd be a market for an invitation-only community like shacking_up?  could be a good place to rec, for people who do that, and a good place to read for people who are afraid to read very far because of the daunting quantity of badfic.

Comments

[glitterdemon.livejournal.com]

I would sure be interested in reading such a comm.

[bookshop.livejournal.com]

Dude, I think there'd be a *huge* interest in it. The funny thing is, even though I really don't like the idea behind seekertoseeker because I think the *last* thing we need is another invitation-only H/D community, I feel like this community is something that would be really useful, because there aren't *any* invitation only fic archives out there who focus on Harry/Snape. I can't think of any communities either.

So. Yeah. I'd probably pimp it, shipper though I'm not. :))

[glitterdemon.livejournal.com]

I think the *last* thing we need is another invitation-only H/D community

Really? The first invite-only LJ community I ever came across for H/D was seekertoseeker. Only a few archives, like Pure Magnetism (and isn't that defunct now?). If anything, it's at least more visible than any others that may exist.

[bookshop.livejournal.com]

Good points. Diagon Alley (coincidentally run by Sheena as well) is also invitation-only, and there are a lot of smaller tiny h/d fic archives that are pretty much run by requesting fanfics the owner likes. Also Pure Magnetism is supposedly coming back at some unspecified point in future (though that's what they they said about Snitchfiction, so who knows). And also, there are just *so* many H/D communities out there, and I can't off the top of my head think of any harry/snape communities. there's more of a need for an h/s community, and if it's going to start off strong, starting it invite-only is probably just going to be a good thing.

And to be totally honest, it's also that I have a thing, you may say it's irrational or oversensitive, about any community that sort of sets out to be exclusive. Invitation-only fic archives and LJ communities can have standards without being truly exclusive--the PSA, for example, is a good example of that. Pornish Pixies is another. I just felt that seekertoseeker was going in the direction of being subjective and selective, and that already too many people were looking at it and going, "oh, all those people must be BNFs"--which I think is ridiculous, and not the fault of the community at all--but it was something that made me a little wary. Also, there was the fact that most of the fics that were being posted there were crossposts of popular fics that had already been widely read and distributed--and I tend to not see a need for something like that as much as a need for a strong forum where developing writers can write in a positive environment and get good feedback, and where good writers can post fics to an immediate audience.

Those were my subjective impressions initially of seekertoseeker, and if I turn out to be wrong as I watch the community develop then I'll probably re-join. But on the whole I think I'd feel better overall about a harry/snape community that's invite-only because i think that, since there's more of a direct need for a strong harry/snape community, it has more potential to sidestep the issues i was concerned with and bring good new fic right to the community, instead of through other more general avenues.

[glitterdemon.livejournal.com]

I don't really want to get into a discussion on the merits of invite-only communities, or we could be here all day going back and forth. I will say that, as the moderator of shacking_up, one of the most important features to me with that comm is the recs system, which allows the current members to make recs for fic by authors who aren't members. From the comm info:

[This] serves a few important functions: that a) more good writers will be brought to my attention who I can then invite to participate in the comm, b) my opinions won't be the only ones in the mix, and c) both old and new fiction, fiction by authors who are not members and authors without LiveJournal accounts will all be included on the community's master list, thereby making it a much more definitive and complete collection.

I think cim is proposing a similar system, unless I'm mistaken. I essentially allow myself to make my own invitations on a completely subjective basis, and then if there are other authors people want to see, this allows for that as well. I think something like this might help make other invite-only comms such as pornish_pixies or seekertoseeker better communities, really.

I'll also say that it's sort of necessary to be an elitist bitch to run these sorts of communities, and as there is so much crap to wade through for any pairing, sometimes it helps to have a snob in the midst. There are already plenty of communities that do more inclusive work. I'd hope that if this community started as invite-only, it would remain so, and let comms like snape_potter do the job it set out to do (which was have any community to post H/S at all, as I didn't think there was one before that).

[bookshop.livejournal.com]

See, I *love* those rules and I think it's really helpful in sort of balancing what is, to me, not so much exclusivity as a general standard of excellence, with an open-door policy.

I also know that Seeker to Seeker has a similar rule in that once you've joined the community you can rec another writer to join it as well. Your way, though seems a little more democratic. And I will also add that one of my favorite communities, quibblerrecs, works because, while it's a rec community rather than a fic community, it has all members participating in a system where they vote on recs. While anybody can join, the large number of people voting ensures a basic general standard of which fics make the official recs list there--that I like. And that community was also formed by wankstar so I think she's very aware that a fic community needs to have a certain standard to do its job well. I just don't like it when "standards" begin to become "elitism" in the minds of the people outside it. (God knows we have enough of that on my side of the fandom as it is.)

I think shacking_up is a great community, by the way--the few things I've read there I've really enjoyed.

[cimness.livejournal.com]

yeah. i think i will keep control of inviting, however, because, you know, there's someone who likes every piece of badfic out there. just look at the reviews when people post them. (or, you know, don't.)

[glitterdemon.livejournal.com]

Naturally. If I think a reccer is out of their tree, well. Fortunately, that hasn't been a problem yet, because I've agreed with all of the recs. That's a good general side-effect of having invited people who know about this writing stuff in the first place.

[dorrie6.livejournal.com]

I don't write Harry/Snape, but I do read it, and I'd be thrilled if there were such a community for me to turn to.

[allectofromlj]

That would be a marvelous idea. There are so many badfics out there, and of course one of my major squicks is chan/teacher-student sexual relations, so even though I adore adult!Harry/Snape, I am absolutely horrified by the majority of the Harry/Snape fic out there.

Only please, please don't use the word Snarry in the community, or I will be forced to never read it.

[luna-k.livejournal.com]

Only please, please don't use the word Snarry in the community, or I will be forced to never read it.

Heh. Word.

[cimness.livejournal.com]

don't worry. 'sev' and variants are similarly banned.

[luna-k.livejournal.com]

I'd be all over that... but I'd just be there to find recs & stuff, since I'm not a writer.

Do it do it do it! ::waves pompoms::

[maruchina.livejournal.com]

I'd be very interested. I honestly haven't read any good Snarry fic in months.

[shezan.livejournal.com]

Of course there would be.

Harry/Snape

[leianora.livejournal.com]

I'd love to join such a community, if only to learn how to write Harry/Snape convincingly, in a way that has never been seen before, if possible. Hell, I'd even like writing cliche, as long as I liked what I was writing, you know? :-) I love the idea of having only well-written fics on it as well, because it saves me time and effort and makes reading such fanfic a pleasure, like it's supposed to be, not a chore. Maybe, we could go a little further in this, and have different contests, such as genre contests, novels, short stories, most fluffy, stuff like that? :-) Okay, I'm getting ahead of myself. Sorry about that. :-)

[rhiannonmr.livejournal.com]

Do it. I would join. I don't write it but I do read it, and having a place to come to where the fic is recc'd and vetted by others would be a nice thing. I like the pairing but there don't seem to be many comms that promote it.

[sorchar.livejournal.com]

I'd love it.

[dementordelta.livejournal.com]

I'd be interested. I don't do much reccing, but I'd love to read what other people rec.

[curia-regis.livejournal.com]

I would love to see such a community. There has been a bit of a drying up of Snarry lately. I want my fics! ;)

[cimness.livejournal.com]

>a bit of a drying up of Snarry lately

there's even been a partial drying up of the bad stuff, which is discouraging even though i have no desire to read it, you know? but that's what got me thinking.

[curia-regis.livejournal.com]

I wish more people would write it. *sigh* Even if it is bad fic. Bad fic is better than no fic.

[cimness.livejournal.com]

>Bad fic is better than no fic.

i don't agree, although admittedly, my standards go down SOME in this pairing and others i like a lot. if badfic is all i see, i don't read anything.

[isiscolo.livejournal.com]

Oh, gosh, it depends. I'm chary of invite-only communities, because a lot depends on who does the inviting. That's why I tend be a big supporter of recs (because after a while you know which reccers have taste that matches yours) but not so much of exclusive communities, which can both leave out quality and include crap (or let's just say, things not to the discriminating reader's taste), and hurt lots of feelings along the way.

On the other hand, if I was invited, of course, I'd be all for it.

[ffenest.livejournal.com]

I'd be interested in reading.

hmmm

[meneathiel.livejournal.com]

I wasn't even aware there was enough good Snape/Harry fic for such a site. Usually I run screaming away from Snape/Harry fics in horror. So yea I'd read it for the recs alone.

[switchknife.livejournal.com]

Would certainly be interested, if someone I trusted (like yourself) was in charge of the invites.

[snapetoy.livejournal.com]

I'd definitely be interested. There's so much crap around that a rec list would be most welcome.

[partitioning.livejournal.com]

Here via quickquote. I would be interested in reading the comm. I think people should be able to apply to the comm if they think their writing is good enough though. That way you won't get accused of only inviting your friends.

[ex-saepe968.livejournal.com]

All things that could help promote well-written Harry/Snape is most welcome:) Though I am a bit wary of closed communities—I think everyone should at least be able to comment on the posts made by the members.

[gaeta.livejournal.com]

Without meaning any offense -- and I would certainly subscribe to such a community if it were created -- I'd really like to see a community that encouraged "new" writers rather than one that becomes essentially another place to find stories by writers I already read. If there's a dearth of good Snape/Harry being written right now, then the way to change that is to become a more welcoming readership, not a more exclusive one.

[cimness.livejournal.com]

the idea was that you could get recs from people you trust there. i don't have the stomach for wading through the fandom slush-pile anymore, i think. i don't mean to discourage other people from reading snape_potter and equivalents, but i'd like to still read the pairing without having brain hurtyness.

[on-the-cusp.livejournal.com]

YES!

[laura-the-auror.livejournal.com]

I'd go for it if invited. pornicators is a new closed community for Snarry (or should that be Snotter?) fic-posting so a complementary rec posting community sounds like a good idea.

[painless-j.livejournal.com]

Theoretically, I'd be a devoted reader, following eagerly. But it depends on who the invited authors are.

[kaptainsnot.livejournal.com]

I'd be all for it, especially if it includes fanart as well.