I didn't find the environment of the boards hostile at all, even if I have only been hanging out here for a month. Maybe that also explains why I don't mind the discussion that ensued on deathfic. Perhaps the fdk was not the place for it (and my apologies to the writer--I mentioned in my second post that I'd be willing to delete/move it or basically be understanding of what the mods decide), but all the same it would be a boring board if subjects were dropped just because they had been discussed previously.
Also, I thought people were pretty respectful to the writer, all I read were compliments and general comments on the genre--nothing that could be construed as disrespectful other than not discussing the fic itself in length in some posts (which I mentioned previously). That's the only point I'll concede although I do think that the discussion of the fic as a _type_ of deathfic (aka cc malo's comment) was appropriate and interesting.
A fic is never just a fic, it's never a flat piece of writing that one reacts to for itself. Being 'fan'fiction assumes a previous relationship to it's original story, a relationship of interpretation. The line between what is discussing the fic and discussing the interpretation that ties the fic to its 'origin' is very blurry. If people cross it I don't think it's something that should be considered disrespectful. That's a really strong word to use.
But what really disturbs me is the first part of the original post in this thread. I know that there are many veterans, so to speak, in this board--but does that mean that us newbies (and anyone with an opinion about a much discussed topic) should just keep quiet and stop posting for fear that a topic we might have an opinion has been discussed before? See, it's having to think of questions like that that really makes the environment on the board not so positive. At least for a newbie like me.
