I suppose this was to be expected.

[fpb]

Dear Cowards:
I understand that you have been making a fuss about a fic of mine being Niffled. You have made sure to do so where I could not answer or, if possible, even hear of it; but in such a way as to make as much trouble for the Niffler (who was simply exercising her own right to have an opinion) as possible. Is it not sad to live so wholly without honour, grace, dignity, or self-respect?

Heaven knows what purpose your existence has. I can't imagine. I would refer you to terrorism or organized crime, since your dishonesty and your methods seem suitable for that kind of work, but you are too gutless for anything violent. You crawl and twist and slither and grovel and hide away from the light and nurse your evil-smelling little feuds and your nasty passions as though they were something to be proud of.

Even worse, you make it hard for me to avoid pride. Enemies like you are a badge of honour; one does not feel any the worse about oneself when it is found that he is unpopular among moral slime. I would not even take notice of your filthy writhings, were it not that you have targeted, not me, but the Niffler in question - like the vermin that you are. Not being able to get at me, your putrid self-importance demands that someone should be made to suffer.

What is amazing about you is how true to form you run. You live and act according to the template of cowardice and immorality, every time.

Sincerely,

Fabio P.Barbieri.

P.S.: This post is locked against anonymous posters. Let's see whether I can force any of you to act, for once in her lifetime, like a human being.

Comments

[slytherincesss.livejournal.com]

Hi,

I was directed to your post by one of the current Nifflers as an FYI; I hope I can provide some clarity. First, let me state for the record that none of the current Nifflers had any complaints about your fic being Niffled, nor was your fic being Niffled discussed on the Niffler mailing list by any of the current Nifflers. Secondly, when Gun brought up on the Niffler list that your Niffle was being questioned on LJ (she did not say by who) I, as the Niffler mod at FAP, posted the following (excerpted for relevancy) to the Niffler mailing list for all Nifflers and former Nifflers who remain on the list to consider:

Fic is subjective. If a fic speaks to you as a Niffler, Niffle it. I do not feel like all the Nifflers have to agree on a fic, or that a fic is Niffle-worthy. Nifflers have the right to like and dislike any fic they choose to -- Niffling is *not* what I consider a group effort. We are a group, but we are not required to all agree.

There are many stories that I have reviewed as the Niffler mod that I found mediocre at best. Likely there are tons of people out there who have read my own fics (two of which have been Niffled) and find them mediocre at best. There are some premises that, no matter how well-written, don't appeal to certain readers, and nothing will change that. Whether or not a given *author* is Niffled should be based solely upon that author's writing. If a given Niffler likes a given story . . . Niffle it.

The Niffler mods do not pull Niffles very often; in this round of Niffling, I have rejected only one story, and I got nine second opinions from nine separate people before making that decision. I do not reject stories for Niffling because of the author. Because FPB in particular is on a ban from FAP at present, I did check with Heidi about allowing him to be Niffled because of that; both of us agreed that he is eligible.

I do not feel that the group needs to automatically support each and every Niffle -- that quickly morphs into a Unimind dynamic, and it stifles honest dialogue about what we as individuals care about in fic. Anyone is free to express their opinions about any fic Niffled on FAP, and that includes giving honest feedback on the Niffler forum threads themselves, as well as posting to LJ. Flames and author bashing will not be tolerated on the Niffler threads themselves; however, dissention and con-crit is not banned or discouraged.

My motto? Ain't no one above con-crit. But also? Different strokes for
different folks.

You all were picked in the spirit of diversity in fic reading and recs -- I strongly feel that you all have the right to like what you like, and Niffle what you want (within reason; if it's a sucky fic, and it's obviously a sucky fic, I'm gonna call you out on that -- privately, of course -- especially if I think/find it is a nepotism Niffle. I am so NOT down with that). I myself am not comfortable with the idea we all have to think the same way about fic, and I'm not going to censor Niffles based on that premise alone.

Hope this helps. Gun, anyone has the right to hate a fic that you Niffle, but you are certainly not obligated to get the group's approval for a Niffle. It's your call -- if you want feedback, ask. If not, that's okay too. But you don't need to clarify or justify your choices, within reason.

Lastly, again to reiterate, when I saw your fic was slated to be Niffled, I did check with Heidi just to ensure Niffling a currently-banned author/FAP member wasn't against the *general* rules of FAP or the ToU; it is not against the rules to Niffle a banned author.

Congratulations on your Niffle -- most authors never get this kind of public nod, so it's always neat to be Niffled. Enjoy your Niffle, and know that none of the current Nifflers or Niffler mods attempted to stifle your Niffle. Theregoesmygun has proven herself to be a careful and thoughtful Niffler, and she felt your fic was deserving of the spotlight. If you have any further questions or wish to discuss this with me, please don't hesitate to e-mail me at slytherincess@gmail.com.

[fpb.livejournal.com]

Who said that I ever charged any of the current Nifflers with anything? I think I am now clear about, if not who did the protesting (and I do not want to know unless she has the elementary self-respect to deal with me in person), then at least her reasons (in so far as brute prejudice can be called a reason) and her political purpose. Before you took the trouble to mail this, I had already been assured that all the Nifflers had taken what might for convenience be called my side, although it is not my side but the side of freedom of thought and expression; and I said, as you can check on this thread, "thank God for that". Which, however, does not improve my view of whoever stirred up the trouble.

As for those wonderful FA rules, I beg you not to stimulate my sarcasm any further. I am having to exercise restraint not to write down one of twenty different replies that occurred to me at that point.