Blather About Fanfiction

Yo, the Updates Moved!

2012-12-28T01:20:47Z

Scribbld was down and (I thought) out for the count this summer/fall, so all the fic site updates are now at http://ladyphoenix9.dreamwidth.org/ under the same tags as here. I won't be updating here again, but I won't run in and delete anything, in case this is still getting people to the right place via Google. You never know. So long, Scribbld! It was fun while it lasted, but I need better stability in my site updating journal.

Cyberpastery Preview

2012-02-16T18:06:09Z

For anyone wondering what happened to Valentine's Day Bakery goods, they are mostly online, except the FnF section, and the content that wasn't online to be archived at the end of the site's active life (the Tarou and Dimando shrines, most of the images from the Rubius shrine, a few fics). There is still formatting wonkiness in several of the fics that are up but they should at the very least be readable. At any rate, if you're wanting to get some "live from 2002" cyberpasteries, you can mosey over to http://www.lethesbanks.com/Bakery/ for a sneak peek at the revived site. I probably will not get the FnF part up for a while longer, but hopefully what's here will keep you sated until then.

Two Quick Notes

2012-02-06T22:55:43Z

1. I backed up this journal at Dreamwidth under the same username because Scribbld was acting funny the other day. I may eventually switch all the necessary links for updates over to there and delete this journal, because...

2. I have been inundated with spambots here. I turned CAPTCHA on (sorry) because I'm betting you want my online time actually doing things other than dealing with spambots, like, you know, category pages at BSFMN or getting the Bakery ready to go live. Little stuff like that, yaknow?

BSMFN, SDKLR, and Bakery News

2012-01-28T19:49:42Z

Just a couple quick notes on the BSMFN archive:

~ I'm changing the styling over to external CSS; no big change on your end, but it was a timesaver for me because...
~ I finally decided I should put up the story-by-category pages. They'll be trickling in sporadically over the next week or so.
~ After the category pages go up, I'll be adding in an honest to goodness index page (I'd been using the alpha-by-title page as the main page for far too long).
~ Once all that happens, I'll need to sit down and double check that all the stories have a listing on the appropriate category pages.

I also had a horrible nightmare last night when I dreamed someone else had been passed the BSMFN archive after Serenity, and they had been updating with super-snazzy php sort options...not to mention listing mediocre fic! Not only was I jealous of their coding, I was peeved at their fanfic choices.

At SDKLR:

~ I have been remiss and not yet updated the info for Dark Angel, one of the contributing artists, yet. You can now find her as Melospiza on Livejournal and Fanfiction.net.

On the Bakery side:

~ Nothing's online yet, but from what I've gathered so far, things are looking good. I may have been slightly hasty with my Valentine's Day prediction, as I found some of the files have corrupted text formatting, so I have to check them all a bit more carefully than I would for plain text files (or, ahem, read each story as I work on it).

The Bakery - I Mean It This Time

2012-01-09T19:08:49Z

Yes, I really do mean it. I've started work on The Bakery. If things stay (relatively) quiet through January at my job, I would estimate I'll have most of the site mirrored at Lethe's Banks by early February (perhaps a Valentine's present? Not sure).

Time to make a Bakery tag, methinks...

BADK Removed

2011-11-01T02:10:39Z

Yeah, back to back updates, what is the world coming to? Nothing good, unfortunately, as Anna-chan emerged from cyber-limbo to request the removal of her site. I hope you enjoyed the resurrected BADK while it lasted. The searingly pink thing was starting to grow on me.

Leave a couple wilted roses on your way out, thank you, and really, good night until January. XD

Reminder for Content Changes

2011-10-30T19:25:03Z

First, a note: I am alive. I did not have a summer break, as I was preoccupied by the dramarama llama, who had a fun time causing havoc. Hence, not much progress on the site front. No Bakery progress at all. =(

But, as I just had a change for a listed author, I wanted to remind anyone who stumbled in, over, across or around these sites that if they need to make content changes, you can either leave a comment here or track me down at my email ladyphoenix9 AT hotmail DOT com. No need to get really complex in your notes, but make sure if you're trying to mask your real name that you check any email addresses that might be associated with your fanfics/art, not just names listed in the text of the page. And please give me a heads up if you might have your name buried in an author's note somewhere...I might miss those, especially if you put your notes at the end of the story.

See you in January, maybe, when I recover from Christmas at work. (I hope.)

Hosting News

2011-09-02T01:59:15Z

I know the hosting news has been dangling for quite a while now, but some concrete numbers came up today. I wanted to let you know that it doesn't appear the (probable) price increase is going to break my bank account. Your mirrored fan sites are going to live through another year (without driving me crazy in the process). =)

BSMFN "Should Have Beens" for 2004

2011-08-30T04:14:41Z

Like 2003, I saved a double-digit amount of stories, so please be patient as I sift through them on my second readings. I will also be doing an Honorable Mentions section again, mainly because this was a rather lackluster year for innovations, but there are some solid stories that still deserve recognition.

BSMFN Choices

1. FIVE MINUTE RIDE by flighty.thistledown
Motoki and Ami have a chance meeting on a bus. Each learns some things about the other. Not plot-heavy, but a nice character study through Motoki's eyes. Check out the rest of her Sailor Moon fanfics; I think I'd read each one for previous BSMFN installations, but they hadn't quite done something different enough to get a mention here.

2. THE JACKET'S ON THE HOOK by Annikaya
Prizma finds someone has been in her room and moved Sapphire's jacket.

3. DREAM GIRL by Venus Smurf
Reincarnation can only take you so far. Mina, Malachite, and the weariness of learning to trust again.

4. CHANGE by apsara
Rei and Jadeite say screw the trusting, go straight to the sado-masochism. A dark (AU) first season, evil!Jadeite pairing fic.

5. REBIRTH AND RENEWAL by aviatrix8
This is another fic that may have been posted earlier (2000 to be precise) but didn't hit ff.net until 2004. The Akayashi Sisters are visited by someone from their past -- perhaps the last person they ever expected to see again. It is a missing moment from the Super Famicon game "Another Story," so I feel it's notable for the somewhat obscure source and, of course, for featuring the quirky miniboss squad.

6. FROM PREDATORS TO PREY by Blue Jeans
Blue Jeans is at is again, this time with an intense two part vignette featuring Ann and Ail. She was able to tap into the weird brother/sister/lover/just plain confused teenager vibe those two have going on and play off their jealousy over Usagi and Mamoru without it seeming as juvenile as it did through most of the story arc.

7. THE OVERTURE by Paparini/Cookirini
This story stuck in my memory from long ago. It's one of the earliest fanfics from the PGSM continuity; almost all of them seem to focus on Darkury, and this one's no exception. Ami is trying to readjust after her brush with the dark, only to find herself a pawn of the Dark Kingdom again. This fic is strongly reminiscent of reading a transcript of the PGSM show (including the opening and credit songs) so it may not be the sort of thing everyone would like.

8. RETURN TO THE PAST by Mangaka-chan
Chibiusa returns to the past after the Stars season and finds herself beset with doubts and insecurities in her sleep. The weaving together of the multiple characters, old and new, is perhaps the highlight of this fic. The balance between the drama and action helps tremendously to make this a solid effort. The only downside are some typos that made it through revision.

Honorable Mentions

1. DEATH IS BUT A TRIP by Dark-Kingdoms
In the Dark Kingdom subset, it's pretty common to have Zoisite and Kunzite met up again after death, but this fic did it a bit differently. If you've read "The Wish" in the main archive by Ken Wolfe, you've already met Death of the Endless. Now consider for a moment how Delirium and Desire would factor in. This is...surprisingly touching. I mostly blame Delirium. (Take note that this story is a bit rough in spots; English is not the author's first language.)

2. WATCHING by SMoonEmpress
Not really new ground, here, with a Pluto and unrequited King Endymion story. What caught my eye was the melancholy narrative style. It manages to capture Setsuna's feelings of perpetually being an outside observer, even when she's surrounded by friends.

3. A STUDY OF VENUS: SILVER MILLENNIUM by Iryl
This is perhaps the classic Minako and Kunzite fic of this period and I would be remiss to omit it entirely. Unfortunately, it suffers from Cheap Romance Book Syndrome, in that perfectly good characters start acting like zombies to create unnecessary, flimsy melodrama to pad out the middle of the story. I'd recommend about the first nine chapters before this veers off into the stock romance book you've read a thousand times before.

SDKLR Update

2011-05-31T03:30:29Z

A quick note to say I finally coaxed the Wayback Machine to cough up Elektra's poem "Human." You can find it online again in the contributor's section.

Not much other progress in anything else right now...hanging on for some sort of summer break to catch up on all the old stuff and see about salvaging the Bakery (see, I didn't forget). No hosting news yet, either. Humph! Well, honestly I wouldn't have time to deal with it anyway, but knowing what I have to do, if anything, would help.

BSMFN "Should Have Beens" for 2003

2011-05-08T07:40:01Z

2003 must have been a wellspring of creativity for Sailor Moon stories on ff.net. I have saved more fic candidates from this year alone than I had all the previous entries combined (1999-2002). Please be patient with me as I try to pick out the best plums in this pudding. There were so many I'm including an honorable mention section for the good but not quite best stories of 2003. As always, the numbers for the fics are in no particular order, just however they were saved in my bookmarks.

BSMFN Choices

1. QUEEN OF THE UNDERWORLD by Suki
I've always had a soft spot for Prince Demando. Add in my giant, raging nerd-love for Greek mythology, and I think you can begin to see why I was so utterly impressed with this story. Not a light read, but deep, slow, and melancholy is what's required to set up this story convincingly, and Suki delivers. The only tale I know that has placed Demando and the rest of the Black Moon Clan in the Silver Millennium in a decidedly sympathetic light.

2. SAILOR SATURN HAS TWO MOMMIES by Kanna-Ophelia
As I bet you guessed from the title, this is a parody story. I was not familiar with the source being parodied ("Heather Has Two Mommies") when I read and selected this story, but it's pretty obvious what this is about. I think the lesson you should take from this is don't piss off the girl with the Silence Glaive.

3. ALWAYS ON MY MIND by Scifiroots/Lionna Mouri
This story was apparently written in 2001 but not posted until 2003 at ff.net, so I'm keeping it in the 2003 batch. It is downright hard to find any stories that touch on Taiki, and even fewer that at least sort of remind you of the anime or manga. This is, I think, the best short story featuring Taiki that I've found yet. What does home mean? Taiki finds some satisfaction to his homesickness by the end of the story.

4. LIKE THE SEA by Rapunzel4
Speaking of other rare things, it's hard to find genuine humor surrounding Neptune and Uranus. They just don't lend themselves that well to the antics you can get away with for the other senshi. This fun and fluffy ficlet examines Michiru and the effect the sea has on one specific part of her body. (Come on, now, don't screw your face up like that at me; it's not a lemon.)

5. AS GOD IS MY WITNESS, I THOUGHT TURKEYS COULD FLY by Sophia Prester
And speaking of humor...this story nails it perfectly. A large part of the effectiveness here is the narrator's voice, guiding us through what normally goes wrong in a holiday cooking story, and why that didn't happen here. Laugh out loud funny in parts -- very reminiscent of some early Terry Pratchett Discworld books, right down to having footnotes.

6. THE TRUTH by Water Mage
There aren't too many stories written from Shingo's perspective; this is the best I've found. Sailor Moon is his favorite senshi, but maybe not for the reasons they give in the show.

7. LIFE'S LESSONS by Gelles/Blueberry Enterprises
Epic in scope; AU and science fiction in feel. You're going to find typos; you're going to spot missing horizontal bars at scene transitions, you're going to be body-checked by memories and flashbacks throughout the story. Even so, this quirky fic will seep into your brain and make you read it. The closest comparison I have is to Yang Wenli's "Renaissance" story taken to the extreme. It mainly follows an original character (with helpfully large doses of the Inner Senshi, particularly Minako, to keep you in the Sailor Moon universe) in a Crystal Tokyo we didn't see in the anime or manga. That means we're in dystopia territory, which you can argue is old hat for Crystal Tokyo, except that the OC must face at one point the recognition the "good guys" would have been terrorists to her just a short while ago. Dark and made me squeamish at a few points, but definitely worth the read. Bonus points for cameo appearances from some of my favorite characters.

Honorable Mentions

1. FOR TOMORROW by Appearances
This story, set in the R timeline, had me seriously concerned it was going to be a suicide fic. It is not, which was a pleasant surprise and a relief. While I loved the story here, it was the unfortunately jarring language and somewhat disjointed telling that disqualified this tale from being one I would recommend freely.

2. FORGOTTEN FRIENDS by Dejana Talis
This could almost be the sequel to another story I picked in 2001, "Friendships Lost" by Misha. This time instead of Naru thinking of Usagi, it's Motoki thinking about Mamoru's secretive behavior. The reason this was not a complete keeper was because of the utterly horrific writing tic of "the blond man," "the dark-haired friend," etc. Ugh! I never knew I had a rage button for that until this fic. Maybe no one else will mind as much as I did.

3. ENOUGH FOR ETERNITY by The Firefaery
Mars. Serenity. Unrequited love. If Chris Davies hadn't covered this ground thoroughly already in BSMFN, I think this fic would have been a shoo-in. However, due to its late publication date, it will just have to settle for the honor of being the best Mars/Serenity I've read on ff.net since I started the Should Have Beens project.

4. GIVE ME TONIGHT by pikachiyo/Abigail
One of my goals was to find a decent Seiya/Usagi story for BSMFN. This is the closest I've gotten to a "perfect" story for the archive, though I'm not quite sold that this is going to be the pinnacle of the genre. If you've never had the (dubious) pleasure of reading this pairing before, you know Mamoru is usually bashed with extreme prejudice. It doesn't happen in this fic, which was a huge plus. It's also not your usual happily ever after story, either. The reason I'm not sold is that there are internal inconsistencies, Usagi and Seiya are colossally short-sighted, and it rather mucks up the canon ending for the anime without offering a solution or repercussions. (Not that it *can't* work out, but the more I think on it, the creepier it gets.)

5. WHEN DAWN COMES by Kimra
I wanted to dislike this story. I found plenty of reasons to do so, too. Normally something this riddled with typos would drive me up the wall, out the window, click-the-back-button-and-forget-it. It didn't happen in this story. As if the typos weren't enough on their own, there's plenty more to hate about this story. It starts off with date rape drugs and ends with death, and is peppered with author's notes all the way through holding the story hostage for feedback. *throws hands in the air* It sounds like the worst story in the world, but give it a go when you're feeling tolerant. Spell-checked and edited a bit, this story would be spellbinding. Horrifically spellbinding. And even better (worse), the ending is wide open with three outcomes to choose as your favorite (the author's pick, plus two more alternates.) Perhaps we should all be relieved Kimra didn't have a beta for this, as I'm not sure the world could have handled this fic in pristine shape. (I mean, look, I threw Dejana Talis down into the honorable mentions for a mere writing tic...if I can make it through 28 chapters -- mostly long chapters -- without clawing my eyeballs out over the typos, there has to be something special here.)

6. A LONELY NIGHT by Memory Dragon
This is a bit of a trick fic and I'm sure it's been done before (I recall reading one like it before, and it was inspired by another similar fic in another fandom by the author's admission, so *shrug*). Since it's a trick fic, summarizing it would likely give away the trick. You will still probably see the trick immediately unless you are very unfamiliar with Sailor Moon. But it's still worth a read to see just how interchangeable two characters (four characters?) really are in the manga.

7. A SECRET KEPT by Karen Hart
Speaking of something I've seen done many times but is still worth a read is this little short story, told by Ikuko. Usagi as Sailor Moon should logically be the not-secret of the show with that ridiculous hairdo. (Remember the S episode where all it takes is for Minako to sport the odangos to been taken as Sailor Moon? Yeah, and yet...) Mom's in on the secret of Sailor Moon but pretends to be oblivious for Usagi's sake. Much better, I think, than trying to write it as if her entire family is as intelligent as blind cave frogs.

BSMFN "Should Have Beens" for 2001 and 2002

2011-01-23T23:23:36Z

The good news is that there are a few more this time. I think the saddest thing is seeing how relatively few comments the genuine decent-to-exceptional stories receive.

1. THE AWAKENINGS OF TSUKINO CHIBI-USA by Kotetsu (2001)
This will be the only story I did not pick out myself, as it holds the dubious distinction of having been chosen for the BSMFN archive and then, inexplicably, was not added. Bad maintainer; no cookie. As you might guess, this will be the epic Chibiusa fic of the archive, describing how she grew up as a Sailor Senshi in Crystal Tokyo. [If anyone else has a story that Serenity picked out to host on the BSMFN archive that didn't get added, could you let me know? I don't mean to slight anyone else who ought to be in the archive.]

2. THE STONE-HEARTED PRINCESS by Queen (2001)
Especially following Lady Brick's removal of her story, we are in need of some Queen Beryl sympathy around this place. This polished story paints a more sympathetic and logical picture of everyone's favorite bitch-queen of Sailor Moon with this manga-based retelling of her childhood to the fall of the Silver Millennium. This is, perhaps, the first and only time Endymion has a strong mother figure in a fic. Refreshing, replete with scattered (and relevant) references to the later seasons, and a stunningly simple and poignant conclusion.

3. FRIENDSHIPS LOST by Misha (2001)
Naru was poised in the first season to be a major player in Usagi's life, but by Sailor Moon R, she's reduced to comic youma fodder, and she's erased from her life by Stars. Some writers remedy this by making Naru a senshi herself to gain admittance to the club, but this short story takes a more realistic look at what happens to the childhood friends you accidentally left behind.

4. SHOCK by Jelp (2001)
They never did tell their friends, did they? A funny little story that I obviously can't say too much about.

5. PAPER WISHES by Blue Jeans (2001)
Rei, like Mamoru, seemed to get dumped with the tragic backstory. Blue Jeans weaves the elements of Rei's past and present together for this little Christmas tale full of paper wishes.

6. THE BITTER GLASS by Mara Celes (2001)
When I try to think of the story that epitomizes Zoisite in the Dark Kingdom, this is hands down the winner. Darkly beautiful, at times disturbing, and not for the faint of heart. It is heavily anime-based (topped with a sprinkle of manga), so you know what that means. Stay away if the canon yaoi gives you the creeps and the squicks.

7. POINTS OF LIGHT by Aaron Nowack (2002)
A lyric description of Hotaru and the rather idiosyncratic way she celebrates the new year.

8. MOON SQUARED by Ebiris (2002)
What have I always said about time travel in Sailor Moon? This story is a humorous exploration of what problems even a simple wish can have near the Ginzuishou. All the senshi and even some of our pals from the Dark Kingdom and Sailor Animates get some time onscreen to "enjoy" the temporal oddities. Poor Sailor Pluto! Grammar Nazis, beware the persistent and pervasive abuse of apostrophes-as-plurals (yes, it's aggravating, but the story is cute enough to compensate.)

9. AINO MINAKO AND HER AMAZINGLY FABULOUS SEARCH FOR A BOYFRIEND by Moogle and Kate B (2002)
All the other senshi found love; why can't Minako? She sets out to snare a man with some proactive ploys in this humorous fic. Minako-chan must be working off some serious love karma. Will Minako find love before Artemis dies of embarrassment?

10. THE AINO MINAKO SUPPORT GROUP by Kihin Ranno (2002)
I admit, this is a nostalgia-glasses fic. I was delighted to see it still on ff.net all these years later, and here it is, gracing my Should Have Beens list. It is not one I'd normally consider, but I recall John Hitchens added a couple fics for his nostalgia purposes, so I don't feel too out of line here. I went on a Minako reading binge one time and this is the fic I remember best of the lot. After reading the "Amazingly Fabulous Search for a Boyfriend" (above), I realize Kihin Ranno missed a couple suitors to lock in this room. But then, I don't know how much torture we really need to subject Artemis to...

11. DEAD BOY'S POEM by Sophia Prester (2002)
If I'm not mistaken, this was a challenge fic where the author was given a song and she had to figure out what fic to write around it. In this case, Sophia Prester gives us a little glimpse at Mamoru's final thoughts before he sets out to battle Zoisite for the Rainbow Crystals. It helps make some sense out of Mamoru's change in attitude with Usagi in that episode, don't you think?

12. RELATIVITY by sexylyon (2002)
Were you all dying, not seeing this beautiful fairytale included in the list? I beg your humble forgiveness, as this tale deserves recognition for its exploration of the foundation of Crystal Tokyo and (being sexylyon) the unbreakable love between Usagi and Mamoru in the face of untold transmutations across centuries. Gold dot story by BSMFN standards.

BSMFN "Should Have Beens" for 1999 and 2000

2011-01-23T15:09:15Z

After some consideration, I figured the sensible thing to do about the new content for BSMFN was to put it in the journal under its own tag. Before I get started, I want to remind you I'm working with the same constraints John Hitchens imposed on himself -- no unfinished fics -- but with the additional handicap of only having fanfiction.net to look through. So I humbly submit that if you think a story deserves a mention here and it's still available online that you let me know.

And my additional caveat. All reviewers will have their preferences, and I'm no exception. My prejuidices are:

Crossovers
MPreg
The Oscar and the Hitler stories -- you old school peeps know what I'm talking about!

I'm also leery of:

"Senshi in America" or "Gaijin in Tokyo" stories
Hotaru/Chibiusa romance during the S to Stars timeline (I would like some friendship stories, but alas, too often these seem to end in random!porn)
Songfics, most poetry, flash fiction and drabbles
Unreasonably long stories

And last but not least, I'm specifically looking for topics/characters/themes/whatnot that are NOT already in the BSMFN archive.

-------------------------

1. INSOMNIAC by Karcy (1999)
First Season Mamoru gets some love in this short fic. More vignette than story, it is packed to the brim with allusions to Mamoru's past. Lovely and direct. When you reflect on it, it really is a miracle he's not more of a psychological hot mess than he is.

2. RECESSIONAL by Angus MacSpon (1999)
It is bewildering to me that Angus Macspon didn't make it into the archive. He is probably best-known for Sailor Moon 4200, but this short story is a sampling of his creative genius in a quickly-digestible serving. It is the end of the Silver Millennium, but there are some loose ends to tidy up and a future to plan. Who else is capable of the task but Pluto?

3. NIGHTMARES OF A GOOD MAN by Zeng Li (2000)
Dr. Souichi Tomoe was a good man, once, but you know what they say about the pavement on the road to hell. A short, foreshadowy fic taking place around early/mid-season of Sailor Moon S.

4. FATHERLY CONCERNS by mako-clb (2000)
Only in a show like Sailor Moon could your protagonists meet and interact with their future daughter before she was even a twinkle in their eyes. It gives the future task of parenting an odd sort of anxiety you might not see elsewhere. This short fic is obviously centered on Mamoru after the birth of Chibiusa.

5. SAILOR DECOY by Bill K. (2000)
The show neglected to tell us what Minako was thinking when she learned she wasn't the Moon Princess after all, just integrating her into the group amid those turbulent last few episodes before the battle with the Dark Kingdom concluded. Here's Bill K.'s take on the feelings she went through after the reveal.

SDKLR and Hosting News

2011-01-20T13:45:02Z

I've been tweaking things over at SDKLR. This included the link updating I promised to do, along with fixing a long-standing boo-boo on the contributor's fanart page (Rossie Townsend and Cinthia T.C. were both dropped from the fanart page, despite having their names listed on the contributor index.) I also made a favicon for the SDKLR, which I hope shows up sooner rather than later (lol). Of course, I need to make sure that it works with my host, which brings me to my second round of news.

While I was looking on the support forums this morning, I saw some news that the hosting service I'm using may not make it through 2012 for financial concerns. Plenty of time to prepare, so don't panic. I went ahead and bought an upgrade package (hopefully that will help them a bit with the monetary situation) and I have every intention of staying where I am or popping over to their parent site at a little more cost. But just to be safe, I'm also looking for a free hosting site that could serve as a mirror. It would be quite aggravating to have done all this work and then lose my webspace to host it. (Typical, though, really.)

I just might have to do some dedicated fundraising once I see what the situation is with the host, but I will keep these sites around. Somehow. Even if it takes me setting up an old spare computer and making it my server. These sites shall not die (again).

Edit on the 21st: So I don't make another post and clutter things up, here are a few more items that have changed over at SDKLR:
~ Elektra's works (that I could get) have been added back into the fanfic section. I am missing her Carousel songfic "Don't Do What I Did." Her poem "Human" is just not coming off Archive.org right now but it should be saved in that archive (maybe). If you have either, please send them my way so we can complete that page. (Please?)

~ Two art pieces by Kristin were identified through the old archives. One is the picture of Kunzite strangling Zoi; the other was an image I didn't have before of Zoi at tea.

~ Four Soylent sketches migrated from the unknown artist section to her crypt; namely the gryphon, Zoi's fancy new hairdo, and two of Kunzite and Zoisite being all cute together.

~ Clever people who remember the splashpage index at the old SDKLR will be able to see the "Bump" page again, as I like to call it, if they investigate a bit. A few more nested pages were also grabbed but haven't been linked to the live site yet. This is in anticipation of putting up the original why/what/where links on the home page. Maybe you could poke around and find them, if you're really bored and want to read the disclaimer and stuff like that again. [The who section was taken down by Soylent before the site went kablooey as she felt they were inadequate and unnecessary, instead referring people to "In Metallia's Name" for their character analysis needs. I'll be honoring her wishes and leaving that section off the revived site.]

~ I think some of the art in the unknown section may have been accidentally put there when I was working on BADK. If I see it's listed over there, I'll be taking it out of SDKLR so I can whittle down that unknown section some more.

Whew! Still lots more to do. Need longer hours in the day to do it. ;_;

Thanks to aria_elwen!

2010-12-14T22:31:28Z

Here I am, checking out my journal in December to see where I left off in my updates, and what do I find but I note on where to find an archive of The Bakery from aria_elwen. This is good, not just because the Bakery was awesome, but because I was able to use that to find some missing content.

So, to add to my To Do list...I see a Bakery 2.0 mirror coming in summer of 2011! Thank you, aria! The last of the red hot sakuras will live online once more! :D (And is it totally sad that was the first thing I checked? It was probably sad...)

Planned Updates

2010-10-26T03:20:54Z

Since I will probably be too busy to do this while I still remember, I'm going to type up my to-do list for all the rescued sites for about December. (Sadly, I'm not jesting.)

BSMFN
~~~ Finish tagging the stories with categories.~~
Finished slightly later than planned on 1/19/2011. But it's finished!
~ Standardize category names.
~ Add categories, if appropriate.
~ Try to add/update the authors' homepage links, if I can.
~ Possibly add some more colored dots to denote often-recommended stories.
~ *gulp* Start asking for some new content. (Yes, I'm crazy. I've been reading through ff.net from year 2001 and have picked out some potential new stories. Yes, this is going to be tedious. I reiterate: I am crazy.) New content may go on a new page to avoid the scrolling wall of doom text that is alpha-sort by title.
I decided it would be best handled over here instead of adding to the existing archive: look for the tag should have beens for my fic choices for this archive.

SDKLR
~~~ Update link list (I have a few urls to change).~~
Accomplished 1/19/2011.
~~~ Bring the fiction over (I'll feel better knowing I have those mirrored on my side; I'll also restore the original SDKLR order of them).~~
Accomplished (with cold fingers) 12/15/2010.
~ Update Astrodonna's page to include a link to Sailor Renegade (bonus content is bonus) and some extra art that may or may not have been on the site. (I'm becoming an Astrodonna art hoarder....)
~ Add in the missing History of the Dark Kingdom chapters turned up thanks to aria_elwen.
~ Add the only Herald Elanor story I've found so far, "Diversity."
Both accomplished on 1/30/2011, plus Celeste Goodchild sent along her missing fics to complete her page at the SDKLR. Wahoo!
~~~ Appropriately sort out some of the unsorted art.~~
Accomplished 1/20/2011. Whee!
~~~ Add link to this journal for updates.~~
Accomplished (with popsicles for appendages) 12/15/2010.
~ Add in some extra Jess Stonicus art (or try to match it to her missing pieces...)
~ Restore the Why/What/Where buttons, links, and subpages on the main index.

TN
~~~ Bravely attempt to link to archived pages on her link list; otherwise, this is the only site that is, in truth, "static." =P~~
~ Accomplished 11/18/2010! Sick days are good for quiet, non-paying work.

BADK
~ Some art needs duplicating on this side from SDKLR
~ Fix broken image on links page
~ Try to make page navigation easier here; it's a pain getting to all the fanfics.
~ Go hunting for the missing content. May be fruitless, but I'll give it another go.

Sailor Renegade
~ See if I can get some sort of script so you can click through the images without having to go back to the main page. I know they exist; the question is whether I can implement a good one on my server.
~ Finished the script on 10/27; check out the comic here. Design is minimal but functional.

My Top Ten Fics at BSMFN

2010-09-18T20:11:43Z

I do not want to repeat fics from John Hitchen's list; obviously, they're great and need no further promotion. My reading habits are a bit different, so it really wasn't a problem to pick out some different stories to showcase. I chose my selections based on which stories I remembered best after about a decade of first reading them. There will be a good bit of first season/Dark Kingdom stories in here, since that's my favorite season.

In more or less favorite order:

1. Renaissance (179k) by Yang Wenli
Pluto gets a chance to shine in this epic. What could have easily have become a Gary Stu character in Ferryman remains a believable and engaging new original character. I would say this has a distinctly manga-version feel to it. And as you might guess, there's a Dark Kingdom connection that makes the loop seem complete and explain the segue into Crystal Tokyo. While there are some typos and odd grammar, it manages not to be a deal-breaker when compared to the whole package. (Maybe one of these days I'll run all the fics through a spellchecker.)

2. Time Twister (124k) by Mike Chenoweth
Time travel in Sailor Moon offers a real playground for talented authors. In this NA dub fic, we are presented with a "what if" time travel scenario from an accident with Rini's Time Key. What if Nephlyte survived the attack in the park? One change snowballs into further tragedy -- how can this be fixed? You'll just have to read it to find out!

3. The Four Horsemen (95k) by Ken Wolfe
In order to prevent a resurgence of the Dark Kingdom., the Inner Senshi set off to destroy a second power source building strength under the Arctic Ocean. What they find there is not exactly what they expected. It seems almost any choice the senshi took here was going to lead to tragedy; Ken Wolfe ramps up on that emotion with a look at the youma of the Dark Kingdom and why they fight. This story will make you to pause to consider the first season in a new light.

4. The Dark, Twisted, Grotesque, Violent and Generally Perverse Adventures of the Sailor Scouts! (51k) by Mark Latus
This is a bit of what I'd call meta-fanfiction. There's not one complete story story here, just some excerpts of fics-that-could-have-been strung together by frame that is very similar to MST3K. The senshi are supposed to pick a fic, or bad things will happen. Are any of these worthy of the senshi? Familiarity with other fic cliches and anime may increase your enjoyment of this story.

5. Disgust (12k) by Lunari
So how did Metallia enter the solar system? Lunari explores the darker side of magic in this brief but chilling look at the beginning of the end of the Silver Millennium.

6. The Lunch Counter (9k) by Kenjiro Cross
A look at the senshi unwinding after a fight. The perspective of the Everyman narrator is perfect; he can ponder those improbable things we've always wondered about but can't seem to address in a serious, Senshi-centric fic. Where DO they keep their purses in their fukus?

7. Queen of Diamonds (19k) by Pandora Diane MacMillan
An exploration of Mamoru, Prince Diamond, and the woman they both love. You should read this one after dark for an extra level of spookiness.

8. The Case of the Missing Senshi (99k) by Frank Barr
A Sailor Moon Expanded story. It can stand on its own, but it should ideally be read after "The Babe Wore Blue." An interesting story melding hardboiled detectives and Crystal Tokyo. The research process here is much like my job and it's perfectly, realistically frustrating. The missing senshi may not be the one you're expecting.

9. All Quiet on the Terran Front (14k) by Victor Naqvi
As the title implies, this story draws heavily on All Quiet on the Western Front, but could be enjoyed without having read that first. A look at Jadeite and his experiences in the war against Beryl. Does this interpretation make Jadeite the weakest general, or the strongest?

10. A Chibi Chibi Lemon (12k) by Pandora Diane MacMillan
How would you write a lemon starring Chibi Chibi? Wait, don't try it without reading this first! This is also a piece of meta-fiction, requiring some familiarity with another infamous, not G rated lemon for full enjoyment.

Poking the Archive

2010-09-17T22:49:46Z

Indeed, I was poking the archive at BSMFN. This was half cosmetic and half content.

~ Added John's extra comments on stories and authors from the author alpha sort list. No, I'm not putting that online.
~ Added some fantastico colored dots to mark John's Top Ten stories without making another redundant page. I put my dots in, but I still need to decide on my stories. Am contemplating adding another dot to mark stories recommended on other sites.
~ Tweaked the About page for some content changes. I decided the Character section's not really useful; if you're here, you should know who the characters are. Added a little bit about me and my other rescue projects. Linked here for easier access to the updates.
~ Cosmetic change so the story page didn't look like a page of gobbledegook. I added a divider bar between each story.
~ Content change, to add "Horizon" back to the archive and add Elwen Skye's website. It's under the "Not Stored Locally" heading in case you're wondering.

I think that's it! I'm still working on the category listings, but trust me, they're dwindling every couple days. I still need to standardize those headings.

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This is probably the last big update I'll do until after Christmas on any of the sites, but I do want to mention I am feeling the desire to start adding to the collection again. I'll mull it over more, most likely by taking a read through some of the award-winning fanfics and fic rec lists before I start asking for new content. I am super picky, so there may not be much adding going on.

John Hitchen's Top Ten

2010-09-17T04:04:26Z

I really don't feel like adding this to the live site, but if you're curious, John kept a Top Ten list at BSMFN. Here it is, with his notes on what made each story great.

1. Secrets (1.3Mb) by Ken Wolfe

This massive story throws in everything yet makes it work. The story we all wish we had written. Slow to evolve, this apocalyptic tale picks up momentum as it unfolds, methodically tying up every loose end along the way, until at the end there is nothing left to do but stand in quiet awe. Ken ties in his four previous stories, The Four Horsemen, Frozen Time, Kiss of the Enemy and Under a Cloud. For maximum enjoyment you should read those first. Ken's stories can be found on this page. The aftermath can be read as well, Pictures at an Exhibition. Please e-mail Ken with your comments.

2. Damaged (206k) by Elizabeth Tuckwood

Elizabeth writes a classical tragedy in homage to the ancient Greek masters. The ending is the most controversial in all Sailor Moon literature. Would YOU have ended it this way? The jury seems to be split on this one. Tell Elizabeth whether you agree with it. She is currently developing a web page, Elizabeth's Generic Home Page

3. Five Minutes (26k) by Chris Davies

Striking prose, provocative characterization and a startling plot add up to one of the greatest stories of all time. Give Chris some feedback, and visit his website Stories by Chris Davies

4. One Sick Puppy (14k) by +Gradient

Sailor Moon is a story about love, friendship, growing up, sacrifice and redemption. In an extremely short story lasting one third of an episode, Gradient explores all these themes. The ending resonates with the deeper meaning of what is to come. Gradient paints a picture with utmost care and delicacy; only a stone would be unmoved. Do yourself a favor and check out his other stories at Gradient's Page of Silly Analogies & SM Fanfics

5. Interlude (205k) by Sexylyon

The most beautiful Sailor Moon story I have ever read. This is a piece of erotic literature, with all the warnings that implies. If you like it, please drop Sexylyon a line, and visit her website Ascension Dream

6. Obligations (500k) by Tim Nolan

The sequel to the two "Awakening" stories. It has it all - all the senshi, Usagi's princess mode, well-thought-out enemies, a tight plot, great drama, thrilling action and philosophical challenges. Tim's overall best story. His stories should be read in this order:
Awakening - Part 1
Awakening - Part 2
Obligations
The End of the Beginning

7. Sailor Moon Universal (570k) by Jendra

Wow! This is a long story that never puts a foot wrong. Please tell Jendra how much you liked it, and visit her website Crystal Keep for her latest effort.

8. Ripples (24k) by Laura Hudson

As the years wear and Ami tries to cope with her immortality, she gets help from an unexpected source from the past. One of the few stories that actually made me cry.

9. Distant (108k) by Greenbeans

Greenbeans tells an uncomplicated tale in a straightforward manner, yet brings it to life so vividly and with such great insight that the reader is riveted. Compelling stuff. Every story Greenbeans has written is great. Go to her home page Greenbeans' Home Page to check them out and give her some feedback.

10. A Tokyo Senshi in Queen Rei's Court (255k) by John Biles

THE Ami epic. All aspects of her personality are on display, her strengths and weaknesses are ruthlessly exploited, and she rises to the task. The scholarship displayed in the Arthurian/Norse myths is impressive, and the tale is even better. If you only read one Ami story, make it this one. If you like it, please drop John Biles a line. Better yet, go check out a host more of his fanfics at Bailesu's Fiction Page

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I really should, once I finish the category updates, make note of MY Top Ten. Serenity and Nephrite never got around to making theirs. =P

Lost fiction recovered

2010-08-26T19:52:47Z

Well, I shouldn't say "lost" so much as "removed from the collection because the previous archive maintainer was a lazy bum with no Google-fu or tenacity."

Precisely one story is known to me to have been removed by the maintainers of BSMFN. It was "Horizon" by Elwen Skye. The wild hair took me to find it today, and find it I did. It was waiting on ff.net, right there in plain sight.

The reason it was removed was that apparently it had been on a private site, and the email given no longer worked. That was the policy in the early days, to remove stories where the author could not be contacted. Fine and dandy, and I understand. However, I do not believe in losing things once you've already deemed them worthy. Sooo, before I get it linked back to the live site, enjoy an early poem of Haruka and Michiru over this way: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/1069738/1/Horizon

I believe this originally dated to about 1999; it's on ASMR that early, at any rate. It could be older. (Not that "older" always means "better," just that it was perhaps more novel at the time than it would be today.)

Reading and Updating

2010-08-22T21:09:23Z

Indeed, I have been reading/skimming some of the fics at BSMFN that lack categories. Many I'd read once before. Some are not to my taste, but most have stood the test of time. Still 55 to go. *deep breath*

And I have popped Sailor Renegade back online.It's not officially linked and live yet, but soon! I am in talks with a cohort about penning the end (both of us are a bit crazy. At least we've both scribbled some comics before.)

I'm sure my professors would despair that my chosen field of work is in preserving fanworks for a Japanese children's show. *facepalm*

It's definitely summer

2010-07-20T02:34:21Z

I'm already diving into my next salvage project. Predictably (I suppose) it's recovering some more lost and forgotten work from one of the prolific contributors to the SDKLR -- Astrodonna. It seems the gal wrote a doujinshi back in 1999. I thought to myself, "No way is the majority of this doujinshi still going to be floating around online ten years later." Still, it's Astrodonna and her art is worth the effort, so I checked. Page after page started coming up. I still cannot believe it. More than 100 pages long, and only one page is missing!

I am trying for the last time tonight to turn up any live links to any of the pages this was hosted at or current names of the web host, but it appears it's well and truly dead. The main page is tossing up 404s and nothing similar is coming up in Google, so I'm guessing this is pretty much going to be a "done deal" to get it live again before summer is over.

This is quite possibly the best forgotten jewel I've unearthed yet. You can thank me after you read it.

Bishounen Ai no Dark Kingdom

2010-07-02T18:56:26Z

Anna-chan's site lives once more. Nip on over to Anna's page and take a test drive. Try not to sear your eyes on the pink front page (I'm sorry, that's how she designed it.)

Another Recovery Effort

2010-06-17T00:05:39Z

Not from me, this time. Maraviollantes has dedicated himself to preserving an entire gamut of fan-created Sailor Moon games. This includes the NES-type games and the other sorts of ... fun things Moonies used to do online, including Moonie Codes and "You know you watch too much Sailor Moon when..." lists. I can see this site becoming a huge timewaster. Visit the site at sailorvgame.org to see the impressive amount of recovery he has done.

I did have a site I was almost ready to take live, but I've put that one on hold for now as I am missing a huge chunk of the prize content. Instead I decided, since I had a request for it, I would work on Anna-chan's Bishounen Ai no Dark Kingdom. There will be some overlap with SDKLR but there's enough content (including the sequel to "Thorns of Balm,") that I figure I had better make the set complete and add the content.

SDKLR Update

2010-06-06T22:27:32Z

You can tell it's summer (almost) by my ability to putter around on the websites. I sat down with SDKLR this afternoon and...

-- Put up the Herald Elanor and Jess Stonicus pages under Prolific Contributors. Herald Elanor is, sadly, devoid of content, as she seems to have disappeared off the face of the internet. Any leads on her stories would be appreciated.
-- Added some more contributor artwork. This includes some "extra" Astrodonna pieces I had saved (maybe not from SDKLR) and an entirely new unknown artist section under fanart. At least some of that fanart is about half-identified, but if anyone out there can help confirm this, I'd be appreciative. And give you an e-cookie. I waited on putting them up hoping that, I don't know, a prophetic dream would somehow enlighten me. Didn't happen. I'll take my chances with internet wrath.

So, what's left for SDKLR? Not much. I'm just hoping to fill in the gaps at this point. If it happens, it'll be great, but I'm not holding my breath. About the only thing I haven't done is duplicate the contributor's fanfiction on my site, but as that's available elsewhere it's not a priority right now.

Although I don't think I've said anything to this yet publicly, I want to thank everyone who has emailed me to thank me for hosting both the SDKLR and the Best Sailor Moon Fanfiction sites, and all of the visitors who privately think the same thing. I certainly started the rescue project for selfish reasons, but I am very happy other people are getting their nostalgia kicks along with me. Believe me when I say I know that feeling of excitement and relief when the long-lost site suddenly pops up in a Google search, and there it is, layout and all, waiting as if it hadn't been lost for five or six years. I'm right there sharing it with you.