[...] And You Though The Only Uncomfortable Part About Sweet Charity Was Requesting Incest Fic

[stopitsomemore]

So this just happened:



Quick background for anybody unfamiliar with Sweet Charity, it's a fandom charitable auction. People offer to write stories, make art, create vids, buyers bid, and the proceeds go to a charity, usually RAINN. (See subject line for awkwardness.)

With any sort of activity like this, there are the inevitable defaults and disappointments, and usually Sweet Charity will ask for pinch hitters. Having enjoyed the fruits of the project and been very fond of its ultimate cause for years, I've watched the whole thing go down without any idea that just beneath its veneer of candy sweet cooperation, creative energy and fannish engagement for the greater good was barely concealed disappointment and sad faces.

Obviously, it's shitty to bid for something, pay money for it, and never see the results, but come on. Seriously? There has to have been a better way to handle this right? Even if you're upset -- which is entirely understandable -- is posting to Sweet Charity's lj community in what can only be described as an exceedingly petty way the best method of resolution?

I'm curious now that I see this uncomfortable flip side to the charity auction trend. Have you ever bought something and never seen it come to fruition? How do you deal with that sort of thing? Either way -- sound off.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

I bought a 500 word fic in my fandom auction for Help Haiti and I've never received anything. The person is on my flist, we're reasonably good LJ friends and I admit, I am really disappointed. I don't regret the money at all, it went where I wanted it to go anyway. But it was an author I really liked, and it was my first (and only) fandom auction. Since then the author has offered and completed fics for other auctions and other people and I just have to assume they forgot me :/ I don't like to bring it up now, it would make things too awkward.