WARNING: fanfiction.net reportedly purging all "explicit" fics

I'm going to tellllll! I'm going to tellllll!

Any time you post material on a site that does not actually belong to you, you take your chances on whether that material will continue to be hosted indefinitely. That's kind of a given, and I'm baffled that people are still surprised by this.

That said, I don't think highly of bullies or busybodies, and from what I can see this Critics United crowd is the worst possible combination of both.

shadowwalker said:

I'm going to tellllll! I'm going to tellllll!

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Hahaha! Go for it, I don't even remember what my username was.

Is this because of the so-called "explicit" postings on the site? If so, there have always been rules against this, and besides, there is a rating system where you warn people if it might be inappropriate to some. However, I think this critics group are bullies.

They're getting rid of the explicit fanfics? But they're the only reason I ever go to that site!

Then I guess you'll have to go to a site where explicit fics aren't banned. There are plenty out there, after all.

Not a big fan of Critics United, but I think it was inevitable that a group like them would form eventually in response to the many fanfic writers whose response to honest advice about what is and isn't allowed within site rules is flaming and vitriol, often both from themselves and a pack of their friends. Been there. Done that. Got the scars to prove it.

I don't believe in two wrongs making a right, but it's not like they're doing it to innocent little writers who are grateful to be told when they've made a mistake in what they can post.

Darcie said:

Is this because of the so-called "explicit" postings on the site? If so, there have always been rules against this, and besides, there is a rating system where you warn people if it might be inappropriate to some. However, I think this critics group are bullies.

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To be fair, it looks like Critics United is focusing on real-person fics, chatfics, songfics, author-note chapters, and other formats that aren't allowed per the rules. In my browsing on their forum, I didn't see a lot of instances of singling out fics with explicit scenes, and when they did, it was usually among a host of other violations.

ETA: That was to say, I personally think that the recent purge of explicit content was done on FF's own initiative.

heza said:

To be fair, it looks like Critics United is focusing on real-person fics, chatfics, songfics, author-note chapters, and other formats that aren't allowed per the rules. In my browsing on their forum, I didn't see a lot of instances of singling out fics with explicit scenes, and when they did, it usually among a host of other violations.

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I don't see the point of 'being fair' to bullies of any kind, but that's just me.

I haven't looked at their site or anything, but if they're pointing out fics that break the rules of the site, I see nothing wrong with that.

Neither do I. If a site doesn't allow porn, song fics, or chat fics, take it elsewhere. The latter are annoying, and the former is for another fanfic site. I'd guess something like Agony in Pink is what they're trying to ban. Hell, if I wasn't so busy, I'd consider joining CU. People who can't follow very simple rules are annoying.

If you want to write about yourself banging one of the Jonas bros in very detailed chat fic format while pasting song lyrics from their band below, I feel no sympathy for you if your fic got removed.

Oh as long as the songfics are going, I'm perfectly okay with that. Just as long as they don't delete the Merlin, Glee or Harry Potter slashfics...

... yes, I know I'm a pervert.

As long as they aren't in graphic detail, I'm sure they'll stay. 90% of fanfic.net is slash.

Well, perhaps that's an overestimate, but a great deal of the site is M/M.

Sarashay said:

I don't see the point of 'being fair' to bullies of any kind, but that's just me.

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I wasn't saying to "be fair to bullies." What I'm saying is the title of the thread and the linked article make it sound as though it's CU's fault all the explicit fics are being deleted. From what I can tell in browsing their forum, explicit fic is not their priority, so I don't think they're the cause. They're the cause of a lot of real-person fic, songfic, chatfic, etc. getting taken down. Be as mad as you want about that. But it looks like FF is targeting the explicit stuff on their own. I'm just separating out facts. Credit where credit is due.

I also don't think reporting something that breaks the rules, resulting in it being deleted, is bullying. It is, at worst, snitching.

I recently had a story deleted from the site without warning or explanation. It certainly didn't have any sexual content. The space for explanation of why the story was deleted was blank!

I thought about it a lot, and the only reason I could guess at was that the story had mentioned a character feeling suicidal sometimes. Perhaps that's against the rules, or someone thought it was??

I decided not to worry about it, but I'm not in a hurry to post more things lately since the site seems up in the air about deleting stories.

veinglory said:

I also don't think reporting something that breaks the rules, resulting in it being deleted, is bullying. It is, at worst, snitching.

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http://wtffanfiction.tumblr.com/pos...nt-mass-deletion-of-stories-on-fanfiction-net

Leaving reviews that call stories "shitfic" and "a bucket of toxic waste" is a little more than mere "snitching" in my book. Just saying.

I stopped visiting FF when they removed the NC-17 rating for stories. It became too PG-13 for my tastes.

Magnas said:

I stopped visiting FF when they removed the NC-17 rating for stories. It became too PG-13 for my tastes.

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QFT

It's been a rule for many years (at least 8 because that's when I started submitting), so no one should expect 'hard-core' stuff. There are, as has been stated many times, other sites where that is accepted; I see no reason there shouldn't be one where it isn't. If I want to read more 'adult' stories, I know where to go to find it.

I think it came in about eight/nine years ago. I know NC17s were allowed when I first started posting, and that was about nine years ago.

Bailey_Montagne said:

I recently had a story deleted from the site without warning or explanation. It certainly didn't have any sexual content. The space for explanation of why the story was deleted was blank!

I thought about it a lot, and the only reason I could guess at was that the story had mentioned a character feeling suicidal sometimes. Perhaps that's against the rules, or someone thought it was??

I decided not to worry about it, but I'm not in a hurry to post more things lately since the site seems up in the air about deleting stories.

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I've heard similar things from other people, that some of the deletions seem arbitrary or unfair.

It's fair enough for them to start enforcing their rules. People who posted sexually explicit fics were always doing so at their own risk. But yeah, it is worth pointing out that some people who are annoyed at ff.net right now claim to be annoyed because of stuff like you're describing.

I realize that the server problems have been annoying and you can't necessarily get an account immediately, but the Archive of Our Own has been working really hard to fix things, and it's an archive worth supporting. The Organization for Transformative Works is putting a lot of effort into making AO3 the best fan-supported, all-inclusive archive out there. Think about making the switch!

thebloodfiend said:

I really don't see the problem. I used to be a member for a few years. Authors whose stuff got too explicit posted the "naughty" versions on adultfanfiction.net (or whatever it's called) or their websites or made them available for pdf download, and posted the links on their bio pages. As it's not an adult site, and it's against their TOS, they should remove the porn. If the only purpose of your fic is to write a lemon between your OTP (I've seen way too many of those, often badly written and quite laughable), post it on a site for erotica/porn. Otherwise, turn down the heat. I've got nothing against porn/erotica, but that's not what the site is for.

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Stories are not strictly divided into "porn" and "non-porn." It's quite possible for a story to have both plot and sex.

Someone might have brought this up already, but the problem with adultfanfiction.net, as I see it, is that it seems to be focused exclusively on erotic material rather than just being a site that allows erotic material. So if you have a novel-length fanfic which has only or two explicit scenes which are nonetheless essential to the story, it doesn't really belong on either site.

Fanfiction.net can do whatever they want, I guess, regardless of whether it makes sense. It's their website. But this seems to me like a case of them caving in under the pressure of a small but loud minority. Based on the sheer number of people complaining about this new crackdown, most people who post stuff on ff.net do not want any such restrictions.

That, and a huge percentage of stories on their site--even those that aren't lemons--have some sort of adult content. If they remove it all, they won't be left with much.

There are people who just don't want to read anything that has sex in it, and that's fine. But it makes more sense to me to just have a rating system so that people can filter out the M or MA rated fics when they do a search. I mean, really, what's wrong with that? Everyone's happy; people can post whatever they want but no one has to look at anything they don't want to. The only reason for making a separate website, as I see it, is the belief that anything with adult content is inherently inferior and shouldn't be allowed to rub elbows with the better class of fics.

The Otter said:

Someone might have brought this up already, but the problem with adultfanfiction.net, as I see it, is that it seems to be focused exclusively on erotic material rather than just being a site that allows erotic material. So if you have a novel-length fanfic which has only or two explicit scenes which are nonetheless essential to the story, it doesn't really belong on either site.

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This is how I view it, too. I have a fic that I was eventually going to put one lemonish scene in, somewhere around Chapter 35, but the rest of the story is just story. I know there are some readers who really want that scene, but with the way things are going at FFN, I'm going to have to seriously knock the steam factor down a few degrees. I thought about doing an alternate version at AFF, but the actual users there would be disappointed in the surrounding vanilla story, and I doubt my current FFN readers would go there to read it.

But this seems to me like a case of them caving in under the pressure of a small but loud minority. Based on the sheer number of people complaining about this new crackdown, most people who post stuff on ff.net do not want any such restrictions.

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It really doesn't matter what people want or don't want in the way of restrictions. It's up to the site owner, and he's obviously made a decision about it. And, again, I don't think this "minority" is targeting the MA fics. They're reporting mostly fics that violate formatting rules, atm.

ETA: I've also noticed in recent months a significant push in new features, etc. I'm not sure what the sudden interest in improvement means, but I do wonder if the purging of rule-breaking fics is related to it... like, they're putting on the Sunday Best or something for some kind of future initiative.

That, and a huge percentage of stories on their site--even those that aren't lemons--have some sort of adult content. If they remove it all, they won't be left with much.

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Adult language and situations are allowed if they fall under the M rating. It's the explicit, graphic content (which would fall under MA) that's being purged. There are still plenty of "M" fic on the site that won't be affected by the purges.

There are people who just don't want to read anything that has sex in it, and that's fine. But it makes more sense to me to just have a rating system so that people can filter out the M or MA rated fics when they do a search.

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Can't tell if you mean the current system is fine or if you're suggesting they implement a rating and filter system (which they already have).

The only reason for making a separate website, as I see it, is the belief that anything with adult content is inherently inferior and shouldn't be allowed to rub elbows with the better class of fics.

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I don't think that's the belief at all. Even with the rating and filtering system, there is nothing in place to prevent underage readers from viewing explicit content on the site. It's like leaving free beer on the sidewalk outside your convenience store and not carding anyone who snags a case. It's a liability for the site, and they're addressing it by removing the MA fic.

heza said:

I don't think that's the belief at all. Even with the rating and filtering system, there is nothing in place to prevent underage readers from viewing explicit content on the site. It's like leaving free beer on the sidewalk outside your convenience store and not carding anyone who snags a case. It's a liability for the site, and they're addressing it by removing the MA fic.

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This is the whole point. FFNet wants to be as 'family friendly' as possible, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that.