Further Hugo drama ft. Ursula Vernon and RS Benedict

[anghraine]

This is a tiny thing, but I've just seen RS Benedict et al's desperate attempt to drag Ursula Vernon for being insufficiently self-flagellating about benefiting from the Hugos bullshit.

As far as I can follow:

• The RSB/Rite Gud crowd seem to be under the impression that Ursula Vernon bathes in gold coins derived from her illegitimate Hugo.
• There was a comparison to Pontius Pilate that I don't fully comprehend. I don't think Vernon (or possibly anyone) does either, but it did allow for a lot of pictures of David Bowie in the threads.
• Vernon is currently in regular chemotherapy for cancer.
• There was a speculation that Vernon was actually in cahoots with Dave McCarty to get the Best Novel Hugo (...) or maybe it's just her irresistible sexual allure.
• Fanfic is a faint specter over all of this because of the File770 BNFs' tantrums over the AO3 win a few years ago + RSB being the same RS Benedict who periodically has vapors about fanfic in general.
• This is also the same RSB who (almost as desperately) tried to make "squeecore" happen awhile back.
• Because of unrelated WSFS incompetence, Vernon hasn't received the physical award yet and hasn't made a decision about what to do with it.

Most of this whole thing sucks, but ... lmao.

Comments

[alias_sqbr]

Oh my god. I spent a moment trying to figure out how the hell they think this makes sense when she's been very open and vocal about how someone else should rightfully have won. But it's "The Hugos were rigged (yes), therefore the person who 'won' the Hugos eg the winner of best novel is a Bad Guy (no???)".

Like I get how when a huge nasty conspiracy happens to rig an election, there's a certain... natural narrative appeal to villainising the people who won that rigged election. But she did nothing wrong except be a white American who wrote a popular book!

[anghraine]

Yup. It now looks like, by the nomination votes, vanishingly few of the English-language authors should have been on the ballot at all and she won because of racist double standards about slating + Worldcon admins metaphorically throwing a dart and selecting her. Going on about all the things she should be doing about it (between chemo treatments, presumably?) and how she's somehow like Pontius Pilate and blahblah is really bizarre.

I mean, I already thought of Benedict & co as glorified trolls and this only confirms that opinion. But it's a very strange turn!

[chestnut_pod]

What a nasty piece of work. And why pick on Ursula Vernon as opposed to anyone who actually DID the rigging?

[anghraine]

Benedict calls herself the most dangerous woman in science fiction, which I guess means "awkwardly trying to bully the most famous woman involved, for a 'collateral damage' value of involved." The general feeling on Bluesky, as far as I can tell, is that it was motivated by shit-stirring for clout in a very Twitter way that is not really suited to the norms that have grown up on Bluesky, for all that it looks like Twitter.

[lizbee]

I saw this -- despite having RSB blocked, I just had to go look -- and setting aside the question of why would you bully anyone, why would you choose a universally beloved, decent person as your target? You're not going to look good.

(Having said that, I think my middle grade novel is squeecore, so I do owe RSB a thanks for coining that phrase. It's a gently queer book for children, so she'll be FURIOUS.)

[anghraine]

Right? I mean, shit-stirring for clout is basically RSB's whole gig, but that doesn't fly nearly as well on Bluesky as on Twitter (the main reason I was surprised by it tbh).

I feel like RSB's explanation of squeecore is basically "stuff about marginalized people that RSB doesn't personally vibe with", which I don't find a very useful or coherent category! OTOH, a gently queer book for children is certainly the kind of thing she'd dislike, lol, so badge of honor there.

[dragoness_e]

Never heard of the person (RSB, that is).

[anghraine]

You haven't lost much!