A shame, really

[sharelle]

It's pretty sad, but I have this terrible sinking feeling that Dancing Lessons may not be long for the internet. It saddens me because it always struck me as *the* quintessential Spike/Buffy story, and one I'd often return to again and again to enjoy. The ladies who contributed certainly wrote one of the loveliest and cleverest plots in fandom.

I can only hope that the most recent kerfluffle doesn't result in the dismemberment and scattering of a story that's become not only a staple, but a testament to the talent of so many fanfic writers.

I wish the ladies involved all the best. (I know it's hard when one individual causes problems for the rest.) I'm sorry for your troubles.

Comments

[makd.livejournal.com]

Your reaction is the kindest yet. It's a tragedy, isn't it? I wonder what happened to her?

[sharelle.livejournal.com]

It's an unfortunate mistake on her part. From reading her thoughts on the matter, I honestly feel that she didn't think the situation over as thoroughly as she should have, nor did she take the reactions of others into account. I can only hope she learns from it.

I feel especially bad for her fellow contributors; they seemed rather blindsided by this. I'd hate to see the series disappear completely -- especially since they also put a huge amount of work and talent into the project.

[makd.livejournal.com]

I've never read any of the Dancing Lessons, only The Butterfly Effect and maybe one other short (very short) story.

However, now I'll download and print out the story, since it's a classic I always MEANT to read, so that when I've the time to read it, it'll be available.

[sharelle.livejournal.com]

I'm sure I'll be doing the same. I'm sure you'll enjoy DL; the writers who wrote it really worked so well together.

Unfortunately, that makes this whole situation even more of a shame.

[fishsanwitt]

I have no idea what's going on.

[sharelle.livejournal.com]

While I prefer not to get into gossipy detail, the link in question is here. (Though I'm sure it's undoubtedly at Fandom Wank by now.)

I really feel sorry for those involved -- the misguided ones as well as the ones affected as a result.

[fishsanwitt]

Ah. I see.

That's really too bad - for everyone involved.

[orichaldragon.livejournal.com]

What on earth made cj think that asking for money would be a good idea? Maybe her fame as a fanfic writer finally got to her? I don't really care all that much about the issue myself, since I gave up on Dancing Lessons a long time ago, but I do feel badly for her co-writers. There'll probably be a lot of friendships destroyed over this.

[sharelle.livejournal.com]

The third one is the only one I haven't read. (The first two installments make a complete enough story, whether "Restoration" ever gets finished or not.)

Truthfully, I feel she just made a mistake -- without thinking it through as much as she said she did. It's unfortunate that it ends up affecting others by extension, and that some friendships will end as a result.

I hope things cool down quickly; I've always found this fandom such a pleasant place to be overall.

[sweet-ali.livejournal.com]

Just catching up on all this, as i missed the original post, but from the comments I've read, I get the gist of it.

How...disappointing, is all i can say. Others have said it better, including yourself, but in the end, what a disappointment on so many levels. I do wonder what, if anything, can be rebuilt, but judging by the most recent message from CJ, it seems that there isn't a whole lot that will. DL brought me into fandom, as did CJ... Just rather sad, i guess.

[sharelle.livejournal.com]

I agree with you most wholeheartedly. It seems a very sad end for such a wonderful member of fandom. (Like you, it was her stories and collaborations that first interested me in BtVS, beyond the series itself.)

I do wish her the best, and I hope she finds what she is looking for.

[rustybitch.livejournal.com]

Shit! You could've knocked me over with a feather.
This is not a dumb 18 year old. CousinJean has been in fandom long enough to know this is a big no no.
And a pity because her work has given me much enjoyment too. Among the first I read really.

Sigh.

[sharelle.livejournal.com]

I've always admired her talent a great deal; her collaborative efforts with the other DL authors were wonderful.

It really is a shame, and I hope she learns from it in some way.

[kcarolj65.livejournal.com]

It's a shame bordering on a tragedy. I've loved this series (been a while since I read it, though...I should probably print out what's there NOW) and was looking forward to its completion. I don't mean to sound judgmental, but what cj did was really inexcusable. Thanks for the heads-up.

[sharelle.livejournal.com]

I should probably print out what's there NOW

Yeah, I spent a bit of this evening doing some of that. It's really very sad when someone who is rather admirable in other ways makes foolish choices.

Based on what she's said so far, it's not likely that she'll learn from this experience right away -- but maybe eventually. Hope so.