Things that make you go Hmmm...or, WTF?

***I want to emphasize that this is just my opinion and is in no way a reflection of the others that contribute to this blog. This was solely done because I thought this fuckery needed to be addressed. If you have a comment, please direct it to me, IdreamofEddy***

Okay, so it's no secret by now that tby789 has pulled The Office off of FFn. Here's what replaced the content:

Due to an opportunity that has been presented in light of recent, unanticipated media developments, I have made the difficult decision to remove The Office from my account.

I’m thrilled by the amazing response I’ve had to this story, and have enjoyed being part of a vibrant fellowship of readers and writers; something I want to continue very much. When I discovered fan fiction last year, it was as though a whole new world opened up to me, and I wouldn’t trade that for anything.

The Fandom Gives Back fundraising effort for Alex’s Lemonade Stand will continue on until Friday, November 20 at 12 midnight. I’m pleased to be part of such a worthwhile endeavor, and absolutely bursting with pride at all we’ve accomplished already. This will be our lasting legacy in the fandom, above and beyond our writing and even the personal connections we’ve made.

My hope is that you will understand my decision, but ultimately my priority is to myself and my family- something I think everyone can understand. My intention is to remain in the fandom; I will be posting the epilogue on November 18th, as well as an outtake on the 28th, but only here on my site www . tby789 . com. I will continue to tweet via tby789.

My expectation is that I will be treated with respect, personally and with regards to my copyrighted fiction. I have truly loved being part of a community where women so enthusiastically encourage each other, explore their creativity and reach for the stars, and that is what I choose to emphasize at this turning point.

With love,
Christina

Wow! We can copyright our stories, even with the characters that Stephenie Meyer created?! Here's what I found on FFn's TOS:

D. In connection with User Submissions, you further agree that you will not submit material that is copyrighted, protected by trade secret or otherwise subject to third party proprietary rights, including privacy and publicity rights, unless you are the owner of such rights or have permission from their rightful owner and the necessary consents from any individuals whose personally identifiable information is contained in such material to post the material and to grant FanFiction.Net all of the license rights granted herein.

Okay, so that means that an author has to have expressed consent from the owner of such rights, correct? I mean, if tby789 says her story is "copyrighted", is it copyrighted as it was given to us? So, Stephenie Meyer gave her permission to use her characters' names? Wow! That's great!! (...googling SM's phone number...Shit. She's at the NM premiere...)

I could certainly understand her pulling the story in light of all the media attention that The Fandom Gives Back is receiving; ninapolitan has pulled all but one fanfic; and, LolaShoes left this note on Let Your Light Shine (I was reading it after Tina recommended it, and when I went to the next chapter, well...):

I wanted to post a slightly more informative author's note because I've received numerous PMs and emails.

I am not pulling the stories for good. This hiatus is going to be temporary. I've had a few people ask me why I've pulled a completed story, even if only for a few weeks. (1) I've wanted to beta this for awhile and it will be easier if I pull it as a full story and work on it over the next month. (2) More importantly, we have the Fandom Gives Back fundraiser going on this week and I don't want the content of these stories to at all distract from the message of the fundraiser, which is support for Childhood Cancer research and advocacy. It's very important to me that everyone knows that I love these stories and am very proud of them, and the fact that they are M rated is something that I don't want to distract in any way from our charity efforts.

Please PM me if you were in the middle of reading these stories. I won't make you wait until January 1, 2010 to finish.

Thanks for your understanding. When it re-posts it will be completely edited and updated. Yay!

xoxo

Lola

Okay...So, I can see how that might be beneficial and advisable to promote The Fandom Gives Back. They, or maybe we, don't neccessarily want to say that some of the things that are being offered up for auction or sale are of an adult nature, right? I mean, how many bidders out there are buying a one shot that's rated K+? Or, who's gonna win those delicious little goodie baskets that Twigasm Podcast is offering? Sparkly Peens, ass beads, etc, etc. Anyways, my point is this: I can see that as the chairpersons for this event, and that they themselves are representing us, they would want to do so in a positive manner. We're raising money for kids here; it's probably best we do it without letting the rest of the world know that some of the things we are offering are NOT for kids.

Or is it? I'm pretty proud to write a smut-filled one shot for an adult that wants to make a donation to this charity.

After all that, I saw this being tweeted on Twitter: http://www.twitlonger.com/show/vakq.

So, I figure the girls are doing damage control. But, damage control for what?

I've read tby789's post a few times, and in her post she clearly states that an opportunity has made itself known, one that she cannot pass up. Okay, so what? She was offered a publishing contract? For that story? Really? That's great! All she has to do is change the names and she can publish a romance novel, right?

I don't want to get started on the issue that perhaps the chairpersons of this event are receiving perks. I've come to expect this happens a lot with the individuals who put this type of thing together, and maybe they should for all their hard work. They deserve it. But, I do want to address the fact that the fans - us - we, who were reading her story, gave her a push in the only direction she could go with that wonderful story, and that was up. And now, to see that the attention received from The Fandom Gives Back campaign has perhaps influenced that even more, the author of The Office is going to reap the benefit. Well. Good for her. We made that happen.

What I don't like is this: We were the support. We were the push. We are the ones donating our time and our creativity to this campaign, and she has done the same. But, now that she's reaching for the stars, and can perhaps make a name for herself, it's what? Nice knowing you? Thanks for reading my story, now fuck off? That's what it feels like to me, and that's why you gotta wonder about those perks. I would have enjoyed the copy on FFn, and I would have bought the book.

Hmm...Maybe they should address The Fandom Gives Back with a unified statement?

Tina (JaspersDestiny) decided to pay tby789 a little visit to her site, www.tby789.com. There are currently 21 posts from fans stating how sorry they are that she has pulled her story, or stories, but that they understand (for the most part) why she has done this. One post indicates some confusion over tby789's decision. So, Tina decided to post a little comment of her own, as follows: "So, I guess I'll ask the question: What exactly do you mean by your "copyrighted fiction"? Certainly you don't mean stories like The Office? While a wonderful story, this is a Twilight, Bella/Edward fanfic. You neither own Twilight, or it's subsidiaries, nor do you own Bella or Edward. Hmmm, c'est intérréssant, n'est-ce pas? Good luck with that." Guess what Tina got back as a response? "Your comment will be visible after approval."

Maybe we who are confused sound a bit conspiracy-theorist, but...what gives?

And, aren't copyrighted fics supposed to be posted on Fictionpress, and not FanFiction.Net?

Hmm.