#fan archives

[edzephyr]

Destination: Trek debrief in link above !

[mostly-funnytwittertweets]

[moonchild311]

"you've already left kudos here. :)" ok and I'll leave some more. You got a problem? Because in my opinion, this work is so good and the author totally deserves it

[my-castles-crumbling]

Me at age 13, exhausted at school after staying up all night to read fanfic: I can’t wait until I’m an adult and I can stay up reading without any consequences!

Me, an adult, exhausted at work after staying up all night reading fanfic: Fuck.

[shyjusticewarrior]

At some point "fanfic can be as good as professional writing" became "fanfic should be as good as professional writing" and that's caused major damage to fandom spaces.

[kriz-smthn]

[savage-sinister]

I really don't understand how "without getting kudos or comments a fanfiction author is going to assume that people who clicked their fic didn't like it" became a controversial take.

I don't know why some people think an author should imagine, or guess that people who click their fic enjoyed it it when nobody is telling them that.

If you're re-reading a fic constantly, or leaving it up in your tab so that it re-loads every day for a hundred days the author is not going to know that unless you tell them. They'd love to hear it. It would make their day.

And if you don't tell them you liked their fic, there's no reason for them to assume you did.

[spilledmilkxo]

after almost decade of using AO3, i have just found out that you can put it on dark mode.

NO MORE BEING BLINDED BY FICS

edit: in case you didn’t see the comments, i’ve made a post about how to do this

[the-bar-sinister]

Smut fic on AO3 always seems to have a way lower kudos to hits ratio than non-smut fic; because a larger percentage of people reading feel ashamed to attach their screen name to a kudos on an adult fic.

Which is a shame, really.

If you're posting smut, never let yourself be disappointed in the number of kudos.

[innerenigma]

•Normalize Fanart for Fanfics Again You Fools•

It's not cringe anymore (it SHOULDN'T be cringe anymore), just do it. You're doing something you enjoy, who cares what anybody else says! So spread the words my fellow internet brethren.

Spread the Word :)

[edzephyr]

How did you go about finding all the original artwork etc., for your preservation project?

Did you start searching for it and then others started sending you stuff?

When I was just getting into Star Trek I was gifted 3 boxes of fanzines by an ex-convention organizer. I had started to write a book (/extended thesis; the PhD I never did) on Kirk and Spock's characterization and relationship, and as part of my research I realised that a lot of physical fandom history was in danger of disappearing, or already had, as original generation fans were dying and their collections - art, written/publishing materials, and fannish ephemera - was becoming lost (e.g. disposed of by disinterested parties). I saw a lot of art in zines and newsletters and wondered where the original work had all gone. I was gifted the two giant Shelley Butler pieces, that so moved me, that (also as an artist myself) I decided to create the first archive dedicated to Kirk and Spock (and the Enterprise) that prioritized collecting, preserving and sharing original art pieces related to them. Shelley, for example, does not know where most of her originals are now. It would be great to find more of hers, and provide her with scans.

The biggest challenge is when collections including art and fanworks pop up that have come from estate sales and third parties try to cash in; finding funds and negotiating is tricky, and I am glad of the team stateside who help with that in the immediate term. It leaves the challenge of fundraising to cover these costs. Unfortunately my industry is fickle and terrifically difficult to tame, and my income is not a lot to write home about. It would be much easier if I were doing the work I'm capable of, and earning accordingly!

I make it a point to support fellow artists whenever I can, and so the collection is a mixture of contemporary and vintage. Every artists' take has a story to tell. There is also some official and production related art but it is not easy to find, nor often affordable. I missed a TMP concept sketch of Spock on Vulcan due to hesitating over cost, and regret that greatly. There is a set of TAS animation cels to share that was offered at modest cost by a friendly trader at my local comic con, and this is a terrific piece, but requires a custom display that has not yet been addressed (time and cost).

I do wish more vintage pieces would come out of the woodwork and simply land on the doorstep, so to speak, but it's not an expectation; it's a lucky and generous thing if it happens, and always so encouraging. I have also acquired art from other fandoms and gifted that to appropriate fans/archivists - it all works best by supporting each others' efforts.

[dekuboya]

Short Jon gender euphoria comic for the soul :,)

[mostly-funnytwittertweets]

[moonchild311]

"people who stay up at night are either insomniac or In love" people who stay up at night read gay fanfiction on AO3 what are you on about?

[not-mary-sue]

Alright, to ao3's soon to be arriving Wattpad Refugees, a basic guide to general user culture:

1.) Unlike Wattpads vote system that let's you like each chapter, the ao3 equivalent kudos only allows one per work. Everyone is generally quietly annoyed about this. To engage with each chapter, you're heavily encouraged to comment. Trust me, it makes people's day.

2.) Ao3 has no algorithm. By default it's latest updated work first. You can find things to your taste through searches, filters and tags.

3.) 'No archive warnings apply' and 'user has chosen not to use archive warnings' mean two very different things. No archives warnings means the work is free from any content that could require a warning tag (character death, graphic depictions of violence, non-con, etc). User has chosen not to use archive warnings means it could contain any of the warning content, be it hasn't been explicitly tagged. Treat it like an allergen. No archive warnings apply is allergen free. User has chosen not to use archive warnings, may contain traces or whole chunks of the allergen. If you're likely to have a bad reaction, maybe don't take the risk.

4.) Speaking of warnings, ao3 has very few restrictions on the type of work that's allowed. Whatever your personal thoughts or feelings on that are, thats how the site is. You're likely to run across some dark subject matters and a lot of people are uncomfortable with reading that. You're well within your rights not like these works and have your opinion on whether they should be allowed, but harassing the authors of such works (or any works) is more likely to come back on you than them. Ao3 operates on a strong policy of 'don't like, don't read'. Use the tagging system to your full advantage to only engage with the kind of works you want to see.

We look forward to welcoming you all and seeing the fantastic works you create. Happy writing!