Fic: Nightmares and Dreamscapes; James/Maria; R

Title: Nightmares and Dreamscapes
Fandom: SH2
Pairing: James/Maria
Rating: R
Wordcount: 1117
Spoilers: Full game spoilers for SH2
Warnings: Experimental style
Author's Note: Taking the 'Leave' ending for this
Summary: James wonders if he can ever go back, and how deep scars of the soul truly run. Written for sh_het weekly lyric prompt.

The ghosts are crawling on our skin
We may race and we may run
We'll not undo what has been done
Or change the moment when it's gone - David Gray, The Other Side

( Nightmares and Dreamscapes )

And Now, An Actual Post - On Fandom Feedback Trends

Because I do have things to talk about today! Purely fandom things, but still.

It's always interesting comparing fandoms. At the moment, I mainly write for Death Note and Silent Hill. (And HBC, but I'm not counting that here, because I don't interact with strangers in that fandom, and I've stopped posting my FMA work to comms so it doesn't count either.) And I always end up comparing and contrasting my experiences with other fandom fellows between the two.

Mainly, fic feedback. With Death Note I tend to get a lot of feedback, and mainly the standard stuff. A couple of lines of generic feedback. Which I do not knock, not at all. Any feedback is good feedback, as far as I'm concerned. Every so often I get a great review with details and specifics and some con crit, and that's awesome. But that's pretty much it. The general 'hey, great fic!' followed by 'thanks, glad you enjoyed!' or something similar. This, in my experience, is generally how it goes.

Now I've only written a handful of SH fics, but I'm already blown away by the level of feedback that I've seen and received in this fandom. My own fics get long, detailed, specific reviews. Other people's fics get long, detailed, specific reviews. I have yet to see a fic - on sh_het or sh_femslash at least - that wasn't answered with a thoughtful, in depth critique.

This boggles me. I'm not used to this at all. I'm not used to routinely getting into long conversations in comments on fics. And now I start wondering... are there other fandoms like this? Is it common in video game fandoms? I've only written video game fic for Xenogears, which is essentially a dead fandom, so I have no experience here. Or is it simply because these two communities are relatively small, close knit groups?

I'm rather used to fandom being a big giant sandbox where the kids kind of have their little groups, and hang with their friends, but interact politely if distantly with the majority and share their toys with a sort of quiet, almost impersonal demeanor. I'm not used to the sandbox being full of kids who get along and play together and end up hand in hand building a sand castle together after sharing the toy firetruck.

I don't know if I had a point, other than 'wow I like this fandom'. Especially since I'd avoided it for so long due to scary stories about nothing but Pyramid Head running off with and falling in love with a steady stream of painful Mary Sues.

In conclusion: awesome feedback is awesome, SH fandom is full of cool people, and I think I'm going to be happy here.

(Oh, and does anyone know where I can get a SH moodtheme?)