[ SECRET POST #2681 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #2681 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 02 pages, 035 secrets from Secret Submission Post #383.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

And if you do commission fanart, it's a lot easier to specify what you want and be relatively assured that that's what you're going to get in the final thing.

As an example of something I commissioned just recently (not fanart, but the same principle), I asked the artist to draw my character and his wife wearing specific outfits and cuddling on the couch reading a book. I gave them reference pictures for the characters and the outfits and in a few weeks I got back a picture that looked pretty close to what I had envisioned in my mind.

Whereas with a fic, I could say I want scenario A with characters B and C but the author could go in a totally different direction than what I'd been wanting, or they could write it in a way I don't really like, or maybe I don't quite agree with the way one of the characters acted in it, etc. etc. There are just so many ways it could go wrong and not turn out anything like what you were hoping for.

[(Anonymous)]

Thiiiiiiiiiis is the thing.

I mean, yeah, I've written essays about the legalities and why one gets to be lighter shades of legal gray than the other, etc etc.

But the big thing that makes it unviable on a larger scale isn't just the legality (though that is quite an obstacle on its on)--it's this. With fic, you really don't know what you're gonna get. Oh, there's some uncertainty to fanart (although, yeah, with prints, hey, look, you know EXACTLY what you're getting), but generally you can tell at a glance whether or not you like an artists' style. For a complicated piece, you can see rough sketches without it spoiling the end result. It's exactly what you see.

There's no way to guarantee a story is gonna be exactly what you want, or even close to it, because everyone's mind works differently. You can tell someone to draw Spider-man riding a mechanical bull and get exactly that, because what you're asking for is a simple, frozen moment, from an artist with a specific style. But if you ask for a story about Spider-man riding a mechanical bull, who knows what you'll get.

[(Anonymous)]

Exactly. When I commission an artist, I've already looked through their other art and decided that I want to see a particular character or scene in their style. I can get a pretty good idea of what it's going to look like in my mind before I ever shell out the money for it. And, like you said, for more complex things, the artist has always sent me the rough sketches to look at and approve before they go any further.

There's a much higher chance that I'll end up liking any art I commission than there is the chance that I won't, basically. But fic? That's pretty much a crap shoot. I have authors I usually like and even then I don't always like every single fic they write.

[blitzwing]

I don't understand this kind of thinking at all. Writer's styles are often really distinctive, to the point where authors who were writing anonymously or pseudonymous have been outed. Both with professional writers and with say, kink meme writers, who had become easily recognizable even though they were posting anon.

Likewise, with themes/content--if you commission a dark-edgy writer to do a wedding scene, you're not going to expect a fluffy, happy wedding story.

But if you ask for a story about Spider-man riding a mechanical bull, who knows what you'll get.

Most people? I mean if you're familiar with the author's writing you'll know whether you're getting something funny or something introspective, shallow or deep. You know whether this author writes woobie-Loki or BAMF-Loki or whatever floats your boat.

The exact plot (does Spiderman get sick and throw up? Break the bull-riding record?) does not matter so much as getting the writing style, tone and characterization you like. If you're wanting really specific plot points those can be spelled out--there are plenty of incredibly detailed prompts just as there are vague ones.

Sorry for the tl;dr. It's just the "writing's a mystery!" stuff is baffling. I have to wonder how much all of you saying this read or pay attention to what makes up a writer's style...

[(Anonymous)]

I just think an artist style is easier to suss than a writer's style. But also, "style" isn't the issue. We're not talking about style, we're talking about content. When I commission something, and when someone commissions me, it's because I want a very specific piece of content. Content in art you can tell at a glance. Content in writing, not so much.

I mean, there are plenty of writers I like who still write things I didn't like. I dunno.

[(Anonymous)]

This, exactly. Especially this part:

I mean, there are plenty of writers I like who still write things I didn't like.

I have never encountered an author where I have liked every single thing that they wrote, ever. I can like their writing style but that doesn't always translate to the content of the work in a way that I like.

The only way to ensure that I get exactly the fic that I want to read would be to give them a detailed play-by-play outline of how I want the fic to go down, and by that point I might as well just sit down and write it myself since I've already written the entire plot outline there.

[blitzwing]

...Well I guess you're not the kind of person who'd commission fanfic then? And that's okay. But me, when I like an author, I usually like everything they write. I can think of tons of cases where that's true with both professional authors and fanfic authors. I even read fic for canons I've never watched due to that.

[(Anonymous)]

You said this so much better than I could have. It's not just about the plot and character that you're getting - it's the writer's style, all those shades that can't really be pinned down.