An utterly stupid question

[adores_draco]

There was a guessing poll at the hd_career_fair. Quite a few of you recognised for instance fics by blamebrampton and treacle_tartlet. How did you do that? What "signs" do you look for? Do they favour certain kind of plots, often use certain words or sayings or something like that

Comments

[blamebrampton]

*LOVES YOU!*

I was feeling terribly meh about my CF fic, mostly because things were a disaster during the writing of it, but also because I had wanted to write something 'different' and yet here I was doing political comedy again. And then, after I submitted it, I realised that the end was a bit like An Act of Simple Devotion, too!

I then told myself that if I couldn't be original with this one, I had at least managed funny, and so let myself off the hook. That you did not know it was me fills me with joy and glee!

As to Treacle, I think the 'tells' with her writing are the verve and romance, but that said, Pomegranate was a substantial departure from a lot of her shorter stories, and so I was impressed with the number of people who picked it as hers. I can only assume they are on her flist and know she is a chef in RL!

I REALLY want a copy of Do Bats Have Bollocks, BTW ;-) (and yes, they do.)

[adores_draco]

I wrote you an answer and used the check spelling and preview option and my answer just disappeared. I suspect a conspiracy. *nods

[blamebrampton]

Just the boy ones!

Alas, I am generally a disappointment on the boysex, unless it is Sirius and Remus, when all of a sudden it is easy. I think it's because those two are about my age, while the others are all wee little bairns!

[adores_draco]

Nobody can tell a boy bat to grow a pair. Now I know. *nods solemnly*

No disappointment there. They were actually very romantic. :)

I like wee little bairns... *blushes*

I recently went to the movies with two of my colleagues. The first one is twenty one and the other one is nineteen. I simply counted their ages together! A fourty year old man is old and mature enough. Right? ;)

[adores_draco]

Just to be clear: there weren't any "Harlequin style" fics at this fair.

Or if there were I totally missed them. :)

"My precious..." *murmurs*

[adores_draco]

That's really a relief! Thank you!

I started to think there's something seriously wrong with me. A missing piece of brain or something like that...

Is it easier for you too to recognise the drawing styles?

[alovelycupoftea]

Hmmmm, it is tricky. I have to confess, I cheated a little with Pomegranate - people at the UK meet up said they thought it was treacle_tarlet, so I just went along with that! I wouldn't have got it otherwise!

My other guess were not so much based on writing style, which I am just a bit lame at attaching to authors, but some detective work! I guessed enchanted_jae wrote Stray Pucks because I knew she likes hockey. And The Boy Who Baked - I have no idea how, but that fic just yelled cassie_black12 at me!

The other ones, it was more like detective skills really - I looked at who beta-ed, sometimes I looked to see whether someone I thought might have written it had commented, and sometimes I just guessed! (Although, I guess leo_draconis wrong!

&hearts

[adores_draco]

You attended the UK meet up? How was it? Unfortunately I couldn't make it.

So you'd say it is more detective work than genuine intuition?

I once guessed that sassy-cissa wrote a fic because it reminded me of another fic she wrote. It did also help that oldenuf2nb recommended the fic. They're friends and tend to (rightfully) praise each other's work. It's another thing that I almost got beheaded because the author's were supposed to be anonymous. I was naïf enough to think she would be flattered that someone recognised her fic. Don't get me wrong - she was but I shouldn't have posted it until the fest was over. My inner house-elf was mortified.

I loved "The Boy Who Baked"! I have to read more cassie-black12. :)

[alovelycupoftea]

Ahh, the meetup was super fun! Hopefully you'll be able to come to the next one!

I think it's a combination of the two - sometimes when I was reading fic, I thought, this feels like X, but I could never work out why I felt that. I think it is probably about themes and structure and the cadence of people's dialogue and stuff. Unfortunately, I didn't write these thoughts down, and when I came to the guessing poll, I didn't have time to reread, so there were lots I didn't leave a guess for, even though, when reading I had an idea. Because of that, lots of my guesses were detective work, by looking again at the author's notes and betas, remembering if anyone in particular had rec'd it (like heathen_arcade said, you can often narrow it down to cliques), and then guessing!

That sounds like a terrible experience! Poor you and your house-elf!

Do! She wrote a lovely one for hd_smoochfest. I think all her fics are on her journal.

[leo_draconis]

Did you? Did you guess someone else wrote mine, or that I wrote a different one? Some people can spot my work- like my dear adores_draco - and I always wonder what it is that makes it recognizable. Especially since I'm awful at picking out authors. I had some ideas this time, especially about Jae's, but I'm never really accurate.

[beatnikspinster]

Yeah, art doesn't really get the anon experience, until you take it to a venue where no one knows you.

Some people have reoccurring themes or structures that make them easier to identify. Some leave clues or "hint" on their LJ to identify their story. Mostly before posting, but occasionally after. Sometimes it can be narrowed down to one of various cliques, based on who recs and betas. After that, it's a process of elimination. I used to be okay at guessing, but I've been half out of the fandom since summer.

everything shouldn’t be covered in gold, silk and/or diamonds.

HAhaha! Yes. That's one of my pet peeves. Not just shiny stuff, but any flagrant class detailing. I call it The Anne Rice Tic. Like, if a character's "rich" and pretty, half the work of characterization's knocked out. What's hilarious is when authors call a character one class, then the details miss the mark completely. My inner Marxist laughs cruelly at those moments.

[adores_draco]

"My inner Marxist laughs cruelly at those moments." I quite like your cruel inner Marxist! :))

You're probably right about the hints. I suppose I've just been oblivious to those.

When I started reading H/D I sometimes thought that a child had written a fic because some things just screamed adolescence. There was a time when most of us wanted to be princesses who lived in luxury. If real life turned out to be something else maybe drinking "Dom Pérignon from gold rimmed antique chrystal flutes while lying on VERY EXPENSIVE (haha!) silk sheets" would make the day brighter. Especially if there were two gorgeous, preferably naked young men involved. ;)