Dr. Argyle and Ms. Mule
Meet Argyle the sock.

Now meet Eeyore9990. Oh, right – you’ve already met her.

A million years ago in fandom terms (so like 4 months) the mods from several large HP fests received an email from “argyle the sock” originating from a hotmail.co.uk addy. Argyle was concerned that these big fests rejected people who wanted to participate, and wouldn’t a fest of people who were rejected be awesome? Oh, and let's call it HP_scratchoffs or something equally demeaning.

Natch, the various fest mods contacted didn’t want to touch the proposal, mostly because the notion was that this would be a fest for people who arbitrarily weren't "good enough" (in the e-mailer's eyes) to be chosen.

Soon thereafter this post appeared from eeyore9990, bemoaning the over-abundance of fests:

“Why? Why does any fandom, even one as large and varied as HP fandom, need five billion fests? Right now, at this minute, I can think of at least three fests that are posting, several more that are in the writing stage, and a few that are taking sign ups. Why?”

Why indeed.

eeyore9990 you might remember, also HATES freedom reviews. To her, fanfic is a special gift, like a flesh and blood child, that should be appreciated and loved and adored no matter how butt-fugly said child is.

Naturally in Eeyore logic, the correct response when someone not only hates being judged, but also hates the over abundance of fests is …to join and pimp lots and lots of fests with judges and voting!

Yeah!

When the mods of various fests weigh in, Eeyore apparently decides that insulting the people who run the fests that you want to play in might not be the best way to garner invitations to participate in the future, she adds this:

ETA: I think I tripped over my point and landed on my ass up there. Let me simplify it here. I don't have a problem with fests in general. I have a problem with the sheer number of fests. Why does fandom need fifteen fests focusing on one pairing? As an example: First there was the Snarry Games. It was (is) awesome and wonderful and drew the best of the best. People made note of that and instantly, overnight, there were fifteen new Snarry fests popping up all over the place. I just don't think we need SO MANY fests. Why can't we be like the Snermione people? They have one fest. That's all they need. They don't ruin a good thing by mass-production.

So far – whatever – just another blip of attention whoring in the HP wankdom.

Then the HD worldcup begins, and coffeejunkii has the nerve (NERVE I SAY!) to leave feedback that is less than 100% glowing on a team Epilogue fic. Eeyore is on team EWE.

The comment was initially screened by the HD worldcup mods but subsequently put back at the request of the fic author.coffeejunkii was asked to tone it down in the community – essentially the “situation” was handled. Quietly, with a minimal of fuss.

However, this was not enough for Argyle the Sock, and fandom shall not be spared hir logorrhea Boldyslocks Opinions! Rawr!

**The original of this was deleted. This copy was helpfully provided originally by Argyle hirself. There is a piece missing from the middle that Argyle helpfully summarized (and I bolded) for us**

Title: 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
To be honest, dear friends, this How-To Guide was originally going to address typical mistakes seen among those new to fandom. However, given the newest of new trends, it is the decided opinion of myself and my friend—whose actual identity is difficult to determine as he's been here far longer and has considerable more build up of lint—to grasp our remaining threads firmly and plunge into the morass.

Concrit is Critical to the Aspiring Producer of Fanwork
If you read, write, draw, or do anything else (vidding, for example) in fandom, it can often be difficult to decide when to comment and how to comment. Comments as feedback are, generally, treasured by those who receive them. Feedback can come in many forms from the generally amusing *ded* to more thought provoking comments that have obviously been mulled over by the one providing the feedback. Feedback can also come in the unamusing form of the flame, but we will leave all those forms for now to concentrate on the newest form of feedback: The Critical Comment.

The Critical Comment has achieved some notoriety of late as it has stirred up a bit of antipathy among certain sectors as well as praise among others. Whenever two sectors of fandom are split in such a manner, it tends to draw notice of those less desirable off-shoots of fandom. For instance, the socks in the dryer vents. But I digress.

On the one hand, Fanworkers will go to great lengths to receive comments. Every author and artist in fandom covets their comments and judges the acceptance of their work based on comments received. Those who claim to not watch their comment counts closely are simply disingenuous and make me wonder what ELSE they will be less than forthright about. Again with the digression. Apologies.

Those who support the Critical Comment say that the Authors/Artists should be less sensitive. After all, one can only learn from the Critical Comment and, therefore, become a better Author or Artist because of it. Not so, say those across the way. The Critical Comment is nothing more than a thinly disguised flame. After giving this much thought, and reading the comments in the latest Olympic-style fest to hit the waves of fandom, I think the reason there is such fraction is that there is something missing from the Critical Comment. A constructive aspect.

(Unfortunately, I must have written the part with Outofthisplace's comment (link and text) in the ij post screen because I don't have it here. It was her comment on Riptide, so you can easily find it. I pointed out how it was concrit that every author worth their salt would be eager to receive. There wasn't a lot of commentary from "Argyle" as her comment really stood on its own… It wasn't entirely complimentary, but the criticism was constructive. Then I posted the link and text of coffeejunkii's comment. The rest of the post is as follows.)

This comment left me scratching my seams, I don't mind telling you. I'm not entirely certain what one is supposed to glean from that, especially as this comment is an open dialogue with the Author of the fic.

Before you pull your indignation around you in a righteous sheath, please understand that I am not disallowing coffeejunkii or those like her their opinions. Opinions are cheap; everyone has one. We are all not only entitled to them, but we are also inundated with them from all sources.

That being said, I'm not entirely certain why so many are defending this ilk of Critical Comment. The only intention I can read from this is simply to hurt the Author. A moment of temporary satisfaction and a lifetime of asshattery.

As you can see from the above, commenting can be tricky. If all else fails, remember this, especially during fest season: Even though a posting may be anonymous, there is a person behind the fic or the art, someone whose only intent was to entertain, gaining nothing monetary in response. Regardless if the Fanwork was created for a competition or for a gift, comments can and do colour perception.

Constructive Criticism is priceless. Flames are worthless. Where does your comment fall?

IF you actually got through all that - congrats! As you might imagine, it got some attention. I didn't backtrack all of the posts - but there was a fair amount of discussion (once again) on feedback, manners, and how fandom ought to be.

On the face of it, Eeyore and Argyle would appear to be fandom opposites. Eeyore thinks silly fests are ruining fandom, while Argyle want to start another one. Eeyore jumps in to defend random people and decries meanies, while Argyle is comfortable getting her bitch on and demonstrating exactly the behavior Eey has belly-ached over in the past.

But not everyone sees them as so different. People begin to speculate on Argyle's identity, and Eeyore is mentioned as a suspect. But Eeyore, so she says, hadn't seen the Argyle sock until it pointed out, and was more impressed with Argyle's superior HTML skills. This may be the first Alibi by HTML I've ever seen; No I cannot possibly be that Sockpuppet, I don't know how to code for it.

The post has since been locked, But I have screencaps:




Despite Eeyore's compelling HTML defense, the rumors continue, and several people email the modswith their suspicions. The mods remember the odd email they got way back when.
More talk, and the mods lay a trap. IP evidence cast suspicion on eeyore9990, and when confronted she confesses.

The mods tell her they’ve decided to ban her from basically any fest they’re involved in, and warn her that if she continues to snipe/campaign against coffeejunkii they will out her as "Argyle". Her story stays in the fest so it won’t mess up her teams chances in the fest, but at the end they will not be archiving her story. They ask her to withdraw herself from the fest.

EDITHer full (very very long) reply:



The Clift note version:

No, I won’t withdraw. Also, you’ve got it all wrong! I wasn’t attacking anyone, just writing meta!

Plus by sockpuppeting I was PROTECTING the worldcup from wank, because I'm a known wanker.

and anyway, complaining to mods is “tattling” while sockpuppeting is your civic duty?

Also, authors have it so hard:

We're apparently required, as authors, to sit back and allow our 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 our defense or in defense of other authors. Not even, obviously, in an anonymous meta post. Defending ourselves leaves us open to the derision and wank of others.

This could (should?) have been the end of it. It might have simply died a unwanked death, had this not showed up sometime later on fandom secrets:



That’s coffeejunkii’s journal background in the picture. People on fandomsecrets make the connection. As does coffeejunkii. As does, well everyone who've read the email exchange reproduced above, and seeing that Eeyore has decided NOT to stop her campaign against concrit coffeejunkii, release copies of the exchange and the IP evidence.

Over in Muleville, Eeyore’d like us to know:


Why yes, dear, we did. Thanks for the show.

ETA One of the mods of HD worldcup has replied! Plus with added Screencapping goodness! HERE