Well, I don't know what to say...

[bk_forever]

I hope those of you who wanted to read this week's Fic of the Week were quick about it. My heartfelt apologies to anyone who wasn't fast enough.

I read the first three chapters on Monday night, commenting on each one as I always do. Maybe I should have waited until I reached the end before commenting because at least then I might have read it all.

Tuesday evening, I went to read chapter 4 only to find the whole story had been taken down. I guess the writer just didn't want anyone reading it now, which is odd since it was posted directly to a public community for anyone to read, but there you go. It's gone.

It was a good fic, very angsty, I was enjoying it. Presumably the writer had forgotten it was there until they started getting comments on it, which means by commenting I've managed to take away everyone else's opportunity to read what was proving to be an enjoyable fic with an intriguing OFC. So, I apologise.

It's not going to stop me reccing older fics, nor will it stop me commenting on them. The majority of writers are delighted to get new readers on their older stories. For whatever reason, that seems not to have been the case this time. Very disappointing, not to mention baffling. Ah well, hopefully next week will turn out better.

Chalk that one up to experience I guess. *wanders off to find something for week One Hundred and Ten*

Comments

[bluelilacs.livejournal.com]

That's kind of strange. If you go to her LJ account, the first thing on it is one short TW story from Dec '09, nothing before that and nothing else in the fandom at all. She seems to have deleted everything back to the time the account was opened in Sept '08.
Her writing is quite good, judging from the one TW story she left, so maybe she did as others have done and rewrote her works with original characters and got them published? Idk who she is so I obviously have no idea, but I guess it is a possibility. Too bad. I would've liked to have read her TW fics.

[bk_forever]

It's just weird, and very disconcerting. I certainly didn't expect THAT response to reccing their story, but like you say, we can only speculate as to why. Chances are, the one Torchwood story left is one they overlooked and meant to delete, so maybe I should get over there and read it before that vanishes too.

Their account on AO3 is mostly Merlin fanfiction with a few minor fandoms on the side. Maybe they disowned Torchwood after CoE and can't bear to think about it anymore. I know a lot of people felt that way. It's sad though. So many great writers have taken down fics or deleted their entire journal, denying newer readers the chance to appreciate their work. I could never do that with any of my fics, I just want them to be enjoyed and spread around in the hope that they might bring a little happiness to people's lives. I write because it fills a need for my creative side, I'd write even if no one but me ever read my stories, but once they're out there on the net they're free for anyone to read, no restrictions.

[aviv-b.livejournal.com]

That is a shame. Every couple of months someone over on FF.net will leave a comment after finishing Ianto's Journey. It makes me very happy. That being said, if people start asking very specific questions about the story, it's awkward because I don't remember every line I wrote and I would have to go back and reread to answer. I've had to 'fudge' a few times, LOL.

[bk_forever]

The writer of last week's Fic of the Week choice was delighted to have people reading her fic again. I've never left comments on a fic saying how much I was enjoying it only to have it snatched away before I can finish reading it. Well, until now that is.

Also, LOL! I'm sure no one minds if you can't remember every word you've written - you HAVE written a lot, after all!

[tardisjournal.livejournal.com]

Wow, that's weird. You were only being a good citizen of the Internet by encouraging others to read a story that, at one point at least, the author wanted people to read, and by leaving comments. You didn't do anything wrong. You had no way of knowing the author now has issues with Torchwood, or their writing at that time, or something else altogether. Could be a lot of things, really. I'm just sorry you didn't get to finish what sounded like an interesting story! (And that others, like myself, didn't even start it. :-p)

Keep doing what you're doing--I think most people are happy to know their work is still being read and enjoyed, or at least, not violently opposed to it. This was just a fluke. :-p

[bk_forever]

I hope so too, last week's Fic of the Week author was delighted to be getting comments on one of her older fics, and several other authors who are still around but not active in the fandom also gave very positive responses. Of course, some give no response at all because they've abandoned their journals, but I still comment, just in case they drop by occasionally. Lives change, people move on, I get that. *sigh* People are strange, I don't understand them. =P

[neverminetohold.livejournal.com]

That is a pretty weird reaction. Personally, I'm glad for every reader I manage to attract, no matter the fandom ^.^" That said, I don't think you should worry too much that this is a direct result of you leaving a comment or reccing the story. It could have been a mere coincidence.

After all, there is nothing wrong with putting a FF on a rec-list. Personally, I think that's the greatest compliment, so cheer up! :)

[bk_forever]

It's too big a coincidence to have been chance in this case. I've checked this fic several times in the last few months, making sure it's complete, gathering the links, and a final check before I posted the links, but the moment I leave comments on it, it's gone, no warning, no explanation. All the Torchwood fics on their journal had already been removed, I guess they simply lost track of the ones they'd posted directly to communities.

I won't be doing anything differently in future, most writers are happy to get new comments on older fics. *shrugs* Takes all kinds, I guess.

[star54kar.livejournal.com]

While I freely admit I do not understand why anyone would pull their previously published fan fiction down, (unless it is for re-working the story as an original publication (which even then I have trouble understanding) or if there was a legitimate threat to the person's personal life such as potential negative exposure to a job) I have no qualms in stating that author truly has no manners!

It's one thing to take down your work, but to do so the way that they chose to do, without even having the decency to reply to one of your comments and say, "hey thanks for reading but I thought this had been taken down already so be just advised I'm going to delete it in a day or two" is just plain rude!

[bk_forever]

Yeah, that's kinda what I felt, I just didn't like to say. After all, it doesn't take a minute to reply to a comment.

Mostly though, I feel bad for the people who tune in to Fic of the Week and who now have no fic to read this week because it's gone. I don't really have time to sort out an alternative at this late date, not with any reasonable expectation of being able to fit in reading it myself anyway, so it feels like I've let everyone down =(

[star54kar.livejournal.com]

You didn't let anyone down! You are very graciously sharing your reading list with others when you have no obligation to do so. Just because one author decided to have the bad manners to delete without warning does not mean you are responsible for their actions. If anyone is letting anyone down it is that incredibly rude author!

[bk_forever]

Thank you, nice of you to say so.

I've gone ahead and posted a little replacement fic anyway, a three-parter. I should be able to manage to read that myself, even at this late stage.

[timelordshines.livejournal.com]

That was a really odd response...

I don't always get chance to read your fic recs, but this one just happened to come up when I was feeling in the need for something to read so I decided to go and take a look at the first chapter. Then I was hooked and just had to keep reading until the end. It was a great fic. Very angsty but well written, believable and in character.

I hadn't got around to posting a comment on it yet, but if the author was going to react like that I'm pleased I didn't. I was going to tell her how much I loved it and how I was going to go and seek out the rest of her tw fic back catalogue and get reading. Guess I wont be doing that anymore!

If you want to know how it finished, I can give you a brief synopsis.

[bk_forever]

All their other Torchwood fics have gone too, except for one which they seem to have missed.

I don't understand people deleting fics that they must have worked hard on in the first place. It's just such a horrible waste of effort and talent. It's one thing if they want to edit or rewrite something to improve it, but, just deleting everything... I couldn't do it with my own fics, I pour so much of myself into everything I write.

[cjulina.livejournal.com]

Don't blame yourself - you can't know it had anything to do with reccing a story. And do keep reccing! I've just gotten back into reading Torchwood fanfic after taking a couple of years off. Your recs make it easy to find quality ones that I'd never come across in my searching.

[bk_forever]

Thank you, I'm glad you're enjoying the recs - there are plenty of them, though a few journals have been deleted in the months since I recced the fics. Some have simply moved to AO3, others vanished completely, which is always sad.

This is my third year of Fic of the Week and I plan to keep it going for as long as I can. There are still a lot of fics out there that I haven't read yet. After all, I've only been reading them for 5 years, lol!