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Date Posted: Sunday, May 07, 02:43:32pm
Author: Nell
Subject: Chiming in a bit late (r)
In reply to: incognito 's message, "LFN Fan Fiction History Lesson" on Friday, March 17, 11:40:18pm

but I think it's a fascinating question, especially in light of fabu's metafandomed post on trends in fanfic.

Like Jaron, I found the online presence of LFN fairly quickly - though by the time I'd found what was already then Susan's board, (I started at "Glass Onion" and "Row 17, plot 8" - which I think I just messed up), and then the LODM board, the fanfic had already been separated out.

There weren't even any links at the top of hte page at that point, but by and by some discusission of some story came back to the main ep-discussion board and I found my way to the story board, which split into two to handle the volume not all that long afterwards - and then to Ranma's archives, which at the time already seemed to have *tons* of stories. Though, as I read *all* of them over not that long a time, in retrospect, her colleciton has grown tremendously! *g*

There was also the other main archive, which I think was even older than Ranma's (by months only probably, but in that first outpouring of fic, months were crucial!) - whose name escapes me - from which Ranma and Jaron and other devoted souls have rescued as much as they could using the way-back-machine; some stories were archived both places, but many weren't. The LODM board also had fic archived on its site, and again, while a lot of it was also elsewhere, there were stories there that have been lost since that board closed.

At that time there were already fanfics in all kinds of genres - including filk, poetry, mission stories, back stories, short PWP pieces, long-ansty romance pieces, parody, humor and AU. RPS was also already in full swing, usually a self-insert meeting RD and PWP-age ensuing, that wasn't on the story boards then, however, it was mostly over on RD fansites and the LODM board archives and other more personal sites. LODM was one of the few places I ever came across to have both FPS and RPS, and in about equal amounts.

Many stories were definitely prompted by filling in between episode issues. Episodes where characters seemed to end on the outs, followed by episodes where amicable relationships seemed to have been restored, combined with a truly elastic canon time line gave writers *lots* to work with. Some of these were mission stories, others more character-meditation sorts of things.

I do have a *memory* of more longer fics, more multi-chaptered efforts, which I think may have been partially a result of the list/MB formats of most of the early stories. Looking back in the archives now, I'm not so sure that my impressions of more long stories then, than now, proportion-wise, is really accurate.

Fairly early on too there were already kerfluffles amongst the fanfic writers about the classic fanfic issues - quality, care, "writing as writing" vs. "writing as fan engagement" - and various spots were created by various factions in the debate. The Writer's Alternative, for example - which as I was still a lurker - I discovered late into it's life, while it was already on the down curve.

There were also authors who were already expirementing with posting only on their own websites..... some of that is still out there to be found, again, a lot isn't.

As the first flush of sites began to close up, toward the end of S4 when the series was also winding down, some new boards/sites appeared in response - Leigh established a whole series of boards during that time, including what are now the AU boards run by Rita, and eventually "The Isle," which combined storyboards with more general discussion boards.

The SAVE LFN boards, from which MR is a more or less a spin off, also went into high-gear during S3/4 - and a lot of the non-ficcish fantraffic went over there due to spats with and between Susan and other BNFs that I was way too lurkerish to even be aware of, much less follow, and some fanfic eventually started to show up over there as well.

There was/is also a whole world of TR boards and fic out there, mostly held together by Cathy and Catsma and the AW fans, but I never knew that much about them. I don't really know *why* I never really learned about their existence - I suppose the fact is mostly that as I was so satisfied by the Nikita and HR focus on the main boards it never dawned on me to look up anything elsewhere.

Jaybee would know a lot more about that part of LFN fandom, and I think she tried to save a lot of the TR fic that was housed there and nowhere else, but I'm not sure how much she was ultimately able to save, or where it is now. Jaybee?

As most controversy took place by email, and not 'in public' I couldn't say which stories were 'most' controversial... though eventually, somehow, fic that got rid of Nikita and replaced her in Michael's life with someone else faded away. I know that there were also a few stories that featured a tremendously abused - sexually and otherwise - very young Nikita that bothered people enough to post openly about their distate, I think that is part of the reason that Nikita507, for example, still posts her fic on her own boards, though most of is in Ranma's archives.

There has been at least one instance, since the series went off-air in the US, where a story with *very* graphic torture that wasn't warned for, years after all sex fic got warnings, got a bit negative feedback. Not for the story, but the lack of warning. The author eventually went on and wrote a whole story with that part of of it still in, and I think it was pretty well recieved. With the proper warnings!

I'm sure more could still be said, but I'm out of time and thoughts for now -

Nell

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