I've Got Friends
| Meta | |
|---|---|
| Title: | I've Got Friends |
| Creator: | Winston Howlett |
| Date(s): | October 1976 |
| Medium: | |
| Fandom: | Star Trek: TOS and science fiction |
| Topic: | |
| External Links: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
I've Got Friends is a meta fiction/essay by Winston Howlett. He prefaces it with "This story is dedicated to Sharon Emily, who understands..."
It was printed in Tetrumbriant #12 in October 1976.
The topic is feedback and criticism in fandom in general. It specifically addresses the then-recent criticism and fan comments regarding Anji Valenza's Klysadel Universe, as well as some fans who over-stepped boundaries and criticized Valenza's personality.
One fan called it "a short warning against super critical reviews." [1]
Coded Names and Titles
Some of the names of the people in this fanwork are coded. Other titles and names appear to be more general.
The specific titles and names:
- Amy Valentine = Anji Valenza
- Factor Ten = Amy Valentine's zine, reference unknown
- Roy Alitson = Winston Howlett
- Warren = Roy's hip-talkin' friend [2]
- Ebony Goddess = The Goddess Uhura fusion with The Ebony Prince
- The Krysalis = Klysadel
- Kreath = Kraith
- The Tribble Shop = stand-in name for a generic Star Trek store
- Roogk = Raugk, a "monster" in Valenza's universe
Excerpts from the Meta
It opens with two friends talking on the phone.
About that review you did on Amy Valentine's zine..."
"FACTOR TEN?"
"Yeah. You were pretty rough on 'er, man. You didn't just put 'er zine down, you cut 'er up three ways past Sunday."
"And she deserved every word of it! That six-part story of 'ers — what's it called? 'The Krysalis'."
"Right. Well, that is the biggest load of crud since the Kreath series. Bad premise, bad plot, bad characterizations, rotten dialogue... I mean, can you really buy all that stuff about an alternate universe Earth with only sixty creatures on it, a handful of them human — being run by a big, black, 'intelligent' beast called 'Ralph'--"
"'Roogk'."
"Whatever... that has horns and travels from place to place by using dimensional doorways?"
"I dig, man, I dig. I didn't like the series either. But when you start getting' on 'er cas an' say she ain't got the brains God gave a tribble' ...an' she 'probably can't even write a grocery list without help from a mongoloid?..."
"So what? Are you concerned that I might hurt her poor little feelings?"
"That's not where I'm comin' from, man. I'm worried about you. From what I've heard, she's the wrong type o' chick to fool around with."
"Oh, really? And just what have you heard?"
"Notin' solid. Just something about her havin'... 'friends.'"
Later, Roy gets a visit from Amy. She asks him to go out for a walk with her. Roy is afraid, but agrees:
He did not say anything for the first few seconds as he studied her face up close through the screen door. Now free of visual distortion, the face fully matched the voice: pretty and pleasant, without the slightest trace of anger or malice, but possessing a kind of maturity that belonged to a woman much older.
Amy tells Roy:
"I, too, have written story reviews and fanzine critiques, Mr. Altison," she said quietly. "In many cases I did not like what I saw and read, and I plainly said so. But, most importantly, I concentrated my efforts on writing about the work, not the people who created them. I did this because, in most cases, I did not know the writer and/or artist personally, so I did not feel qualified to make speculations about his or her character or intelligence.
"But there seems to be a growing trend these days — among some people who want to be reviewers — to be vicious and hurtful. I don’t think this is right, Mr. Altison. It may be ’criticising', but I certainly don’t consider it ’reviewing."
[...]
"Look, lady..." he said after again looking around for signs of ‘friends' of hers. "I am not saying if I agree or disagree with your beliefs...or if I consider myself to fit in the 'category' you've described. I'm just saying that I read your stories about that big, black dimension-hopper—"
"'Roogk'," she supplied, stepping backwards into the treeline.
"—Whatever— and I just called the shots as I saw them."
"No, Mr. Altison, you did more than that." She shook her shadow-darkened head as she leaned against a large mound that was nestled among the foremost trees. Her tone was still quiet as she said, "You were needlessly cruel, and stated certain postions of your opinion as though they were fact. In my opinion, a published apology would be most appropriate."
His laugh was sharp and monosyllabic. "Lady, it's going to take a lot more than your opinion to convince me of that."
"I know," her voice said strangely. "That's why I'm so glad that...I have friends..." And with that she hit the mound with her open palm...a slap that had a fleshy sound to it. About a yard to her left, a single ray of moonlight captured the opening of a huge eye, its pupil more that! half a foot in diameter.
Roy's mouth went dry and his own eyes, opened to incredible size as the mound began to move. Amy Valentine's face — bearing a wicked smile — came out of the shadows as she stood up and stepped aside. His feet were rooted into the ground as he watched the shape tower over him, the eye never releasing him from its gaze. The shape became a body ten times blacker than the night sky that surrounded its head, which turned so that a second eye became visible to him...and below those eyes, a yard-long snout opened, showing two rows of long daggers... that smiled...
It was then — through the mercy of God -- that Roy Altison fainted.
What Roy does the next day:
With calm reserve, he crawled to his desk, rose and sat him self in his chair, removed the story page and inserted a blank sheet... and began to type a public apology...
Some Context
Tetrumbriant was the zine series that published both Valenza's fiction and art, as well as "I've Got Friends."
From the editor of Tetrumbriant #13 (May 1977):
A special answer to LUBA's letter [3], and to other readers who are interested.
As of our last conversation, which was some tine ago, Anji Valenza has stopped doing the Visuals and the Klysadel Universe for publication. Between now and then, she may have changed her mind.
If so, I have not heard. During her Trek fandom career, she received much negative commentary, much, not objectively oriented but directed at her personality and literary ability, about her work. This, coupled with a temporary setback caused by a joint project which we participated forced her to curtail work on her sine and general ST fandom activity.
Anji, like most creative people, is very sensitive about her work, not to mention her personality. She took many of the rawer ones to heart, feeling unappreciated in the sphere. Only her friends tried to assure her otherwise. We had nothing to back us up, since you folks don't write. Her talents are not squashed. I understand she is still active in legitimate (SF) fandom. They deserve her.
Luba, I will forward your remarks to her, as (I have been informed) she is presently extremely difficult to reach and selective about whom she responds to.
Winston Howlett's Rauk [4] story last issue, "I Have Friends", deals with her. It was another editor/creator's commentary on over zealous critics.
I doubt, seriously, whether you'll see her work on these pages again. At least, not anything I don't presently hold print-rights to at this moment. Try Probe. Winston is often able to dredge her out of her shell. Perhaps he can revive the Visual. I shall not try.
References
- ^ from Sehlat's Roar #5
- ^ "Warren" may also by "Warren James," the name Winston Howlett uses for himself in the essay I Didn't Know Uhura Had a Cleft in Her Chin!
- ^ "LUBA's letter" is not a letter of comment in the previous issue of Tetrumbriant and must be one that was sent either to the editor personally or is one that was shared with this circle of fans in another way.
- ^ Raugk, not Rauk