Darkscribes Blog for Rommel

Pissed off.

January 22, 2008 | No Comments Posted

So I submited Power Plays to EFO last month. Big Mistake.

Two weeks into the wait I get this from Fresh C:

You certainly didn't make it easy for us with this one, I'll tell you that.
 The problem in QCing this story comes from the fact that it is primarily a lemon, but it is a lemon with plot. A lemon with plot is not something commonly seen... well anywhere. What makes this even more rare is that the technical writing used here is definately above average. It's clear that you know what you're doing in that arena.
Likewise the characterization is surprisingly realistic for the EVA fandom. Shinji is unexpressive and indecisive, Asuka is abrasive and coniving (yet vulnerable underneath it all), and what little we see of Misato seems to be on point as well. The secondary characters such as Toji, kensuke, and Hikari are more or less in the ballpark, though more sex-oriented than normally percieved.
And That's really my only problem with this story (as far as acceptance onto this site is concerned). Yes it's a lemon with a plot, but the plot revolves around the story being a lemon. There's no escaping that the main draw to this story is that it involves sex.
But I did a lot of thinking about this and I figure using sex as a method to explore a plot is just about the same as using humor, or action. Both of these elements (like sex) draw ones attention essentially away from plot, but at the same time you use it here to accent the main plot (that basically being an issue of dominance within the relationship with Shinji and Asuka).
You don't know how much I wanted to reject this story (on grounds of principle) but after thinking about it I realized that I've approved stories with less "meaning" in them before.  And since EFO accepts lemons, to reject this I'd be a bit of a hypocrite. So as far as I'm concerned, approved. Nice writing and kudos on having a lemon with an actual plot. (never thought I'd see the day...)

So I keep waiting. Apparently I need two approvals to get this thing through. Weeks go by. Almost an entire month, in fact. Then I get this from Fresh C:

Huge EDIT: Sorry to be a flip-flopper on you, but really after looking at Himonky's review I realized that this story does violate the rules of the site that prohibit Rape in a story when the intention of said rape is merely to arouse (which it clearly was in this case). I had forgoten about this particular part of the rules of the old site (which until further notice I'm still following). So sorry for "getting your hopes up" if they were up.

I have been patient enough and to be frank with you I'm rather tired of the BS. I don't care if it is approved. I don't care if it's rejected. I don't even to know why, how, what, or where. The fact of the matter is this has been sitting in limbo for a month and despite that fact nobody seems able or willing to make up their damn minds about it.

"I think there was a mix up as to which order the fics are supposed to be looked at.  Newer fics were added to the top of the list for some reason, though this has now been fixed."

That's what Himonkey said to me on a PM, after repeated attempts to get this thing looked at. I'm sorry, but you guys KNEW this in the cue because I made a point of telling you. More than once, and more than one way. At the risk of sounding like a whiner, I made a post in the forum to get someone to go over it. Hell, I even made a post on the main page of the site. And despite a month of trying to get a yes/no on this, nothing has was resolved. All I got was "You'll have two more comments before next friday."

Needless to say, that didn't happen. Which prompted another post, though "at this point" I was fairly sure it was pointless.  

And now, THREE weeks later I get a cop-up. See what I mean with the BS? Sorry, but that won't fly. Hence, this post. No, there were never any hopes. Well, actually there was one: that would do what you are supposed to do in a timely fashion. That hope pretty much ended a long time ago. A rejection doesn't bother me--it was expected from the start. Let me repeat that, I expected a no. I would have respected a no, and in fact commend Himonkey for having the guts to reject a technically superior fic in terms of the writing and characterization on the grounds of the subject matter. But that it took a month, and comes in such a backhanded way seriously pisses me off.  

Please explain to me why should I even bother uploading anything to EFO if it takes so long for TWO people to go over it, and one of those comes up with shit like this?

Now I need to be a jerk and ask for a quote of the "rule" that you apparently "forgot", that is unless it was totally made up on the spot (the excuse, not the rule). The site as it is accepts lemons provided they are well written, and lemons are meant to arouse. Contradiction much?

But lets forget about the rules--and in case you weren't around back then, I helped write them and in fact they were made in such a way as to make getting a lemon posted near impossible. That's not my issue.

Simply put, a month into this "Oops, I changed my mind" is not good enough for me.