As the Mod team just had the extraordinarily unpleasant task of removing a story by a popular and talented author, we thought it might be a good time to revisit a few fundamentals of Elysian Fields and the material we host.
Firstly, we are a Spuffy site. We always have been and always will be. As such, a Spuffy pairing must be prominent throughout the duration of the story, as is stipulated in our site rules. This means that Spuffy can’t just happen in a story at some point but must be prominently featured throughout the duration of the story. This can and has been done in a variety of ways, as many talented authors have demonstrated over the years.
Now, we do allow temporary /Other pairings and will continue to do so. Sometimes, it is essential in telling a Spuffy story, and we certainly don’t want to stifle anyone’s creativity. However, these pairings must be, by definition, temporary, and respect the Spuffy prominence rule. This had led to some confusion about the sort of material that is EF-appropriate, and we have been approached by authors who were uncertain if their fics were appropriate for the site. Particularly, fics that include or end in Spuffy, but in which Spuffy are side characters or fics that contain prominent explorations of other relationships. In these instances, we have decided that Spuffy endgame by itself does not meet the prominence guidelines and have told authors that we cannot host them on Elysian Fields. Whether a fic meets our guidelines is something we consider on a case-by-case basis, as no two stories, authors, or writing styles are alike. The Mod team is responsible for deciding what does and does not qualify.
This is not to say that you won’t find fics on our site that don’t strictly adhere to these guidelines. We’ve been around fifteen years and have, over the course of that time, experienced a varying degree of moderation from the active mod team. This has led to the inclusion of material that was not originally intended for Elysian Fields. For instance, when Elysian Fields was founded, stories containing threesomes were not permitted, as the space was intended solely for Spuffy material. Threesome fics became allowed due to lack of oversight and a lack of awareness by a new mod who hadn’t been apprised of the original rule. This is an occurrence the current Mod team does not wish to repeat, as it can subtly reshape the original framework of the archive. (Don’t worry—we’re not taking away threesome fics, though Spuffy must remain the focus and emotional heart of such stories).
Today, and for the last several years, moderation decisions are discussed among all moderators so that no one person is running the show. This has become essential as the archive has grown, particularly over the pandemic years. As we continue to grow, though, the Mod team is determined that the original intent of the archive be honored, which means saying no to certain fics, including those that are heavy /Other. We know many of our members have varying tastes (and that’s great!), but there are other places, most notably AO3, for these stories. Crucially, we must also remain fair to the authors who have asked us about similar works and been told that EF isn’t the right platform.
We also understand that it is difficult to gauge the suitability of a story that is in progress and can only issue our decisions based on the information we have. We are happy to reevaluate stories once they are complete to determine if they meet EF’s requirements. In no instance will (or has) an author’s work be removed without warning or explanation.
If you have questions about the applicability of material for the archive, please reach out the Mod team.
--The Mods on March 02, 2022 05:36am 42 Comments
Since we writers all know how meaningful comments can be, even old ones, I hope Dusty had the time to save all the comments she'd gotten on her story before you pulled it, considering that you have given her a warning about this. I can't imagine how devastating it would be to just lose all that without the possibility to even save it for herself.
And I know you haven't asked for comments, because clearly this is a decision you feel strongly about and this is your space, but I have to agree with Bookishy on this being a major deterrent to enthusiasm. Obviously I know you'll just remind me that no one is forcing me to post stories here! It is, though, a pity to feel less enthusiastic about a place you used to love.
I respect and love all the work that the moderators have put into the site and I love all of your stories to bits - but to be honest this all feels a bit arbitrary in terms of judgment.
If one strictly adheres to these standards, the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer itself would be questionable since it starts with Angel and ends with Spike.
I do understand the need to limit stories to those that are specifically Spuffy, but I think that it might be better to have a separate category for stories with a 'long burn' (which I love as much as front-ended Spuffy) that start with Buffy and Spike with an Other. That way, readers who don't want to read those kinds of stories can avoid them and those who love them can have fun in their own little sandbox.
I was enjoying The Fairytale (which I had just read for the first time this morning!) and I'm sad to see that stories like that are no longer going to be posted on EF.
I also agree with the above posters that it will make others feel leery in posting their stories since the guidelines are so uncertain. Is there any way to modify the decision - perhaps through separating the stories from others into their own category/space?
I just had the extraordinarily unpleasant experience of having my creative baby deleted without my consent. The only warning I was given was at 10pm the night before and then in the morning the story was gone. I feel zero respect from the moderator team and am really disappointed in how this was handled. There was no time to save anything. There was no discussion or questions about what the plans for this story were. And there was no consideration for storytelling nuance. You can tell a love story in a variety of ways and I picked an unusual path because it was interesting to me and to the readers who were following along. I have no doubt that my story was a fundamentally Spuffy story. That's why it was so popular on this platform and why people are so disappointed right now to see it removed like this.
I still hope you reconsider and give the story a chance to do its thing. And I hope you stop deleting all the shouts and comments about it. The community should be allowed to express our feelings on the matter as well.
I don't envy you such a difficult decision. The line has to be drawn somewhere, but where to draw it, is such a hard decision to do.
Oh Wow. Like so many, I was thoroughly enjoying the story just deleted, granted, in part because being on this site guaranteed it would end Spuffy. On the other hand, I understand (having dealt with people who are very rigid in their pairing preferences in other places), that the amount of Bangel in it could well have sparked some complaints. It was wearing a bit thin for me, if I'm being honest. :) However, as the mods pointed out, there are other places to post BTVS verse fics where there is more flexibility than what is stated is available on EF. I have several more or less Spuffy fics that are only on AO3 or FF.net because the plot or amount of Spike or Buffy/other exceeds what would be acceptable here. I ask ahead of time if I'm not sure, and I have been told "no" at least once. This site is what it is, and has to be appreciated for that. The only legitimate complaint I can see making is that, given how much of the fic had been posted already and how many followers it has, perhaps some warning to both the author and to the readers might have been a good idea? Perhaps allowing the author to take it down herself (or copy the comments) and to provide a warning and explanation for readers, as well as letting them know where and how to find it elsewhere . Being a mod is not an easy job, and you can never make everyone happy. You have my support, whatever you decide.
We understand if our rulings aren't always agreed upon, but we take them very seriously. Yes, we are a "small team" making the decisions, as we have been since the site was founded -- that is literally what we're here to do. In general, it is our job to ensure that fic being posted on site follows the rules, which are as clear and un-arbitrary as we can make them. That is not to say we never make mistakes or haven't missed things, but that is part of why we only work unanimously -- to migitate any single strong opinions and remain as objective as we can. There's always going to be a certain amount "stifling creativity" in the sense that we are a niche area of fandom and that our site has certain boundaries for posting that sites like A03 don't have. We certainly never ask for outlines from authors, but have reviewed them if sent.
We also want to mention that none of this is a change from previous rules and submission expectations. We're sorry if it dampens enthusiasm for anyone, but this is not a new enforcement. This is also not the first fic to be removed and no doubt it will not be the last. We appreciate that this fic was popular and that there is disappointment and hurt, but it is unfair to allow a fic to remain just because it is popular when someone else's was removed or denied hosting for the same reasons. We want to be as consistent as we can. As was noted to the author, the fic will be available for re-evaluation once complete.
I understand the hard choices that must be made by the Mods and that everyone has to be respected. However, this story had clear warnings and A/Ns about where the author was going. No one was being forced to read this story and for those people who complained about the pairing - they chose to read it. This feels like the equivalent of punishing the whole class just because one student did something bad. Unfair. Dusty, I’m sure you will have a long list of people looking for your story and I hope you are able to finish it - even if it is in another site.
I love EF and have no plans to leave the community - but I do not agree with this decision.
I haven't read the story that was deleted but let me just take this opportunity to say frankly that I am extremely uncomfortable with a popular story that wasn't even completed yet and was leading to Spuffy as per confirmation by Dusty being deleted. It's not about notifying a writer (or the readers) about this beforehand. Let's be very clear. Notifying is just window dressing. It is about deleting a story because of rules that have been - again, as confirmed by Dusty - met or would have been met had the story been allowed to continue.
For heaven's sake, there is a story archived here where Buffy tortures Spike to death. What rule could Dusty's fic possibly have violated that the aforementioned rule does not violate?
Again, I am extremely uncomfortable. I am actually alarmed. Deleting something - a piece of art no less - is a measure that should be warranted with extreme caution, if at all.
I am really concerned by this. Telling an author that her work will be deleted without even giving her the time to save comments seems very arbitrary to me. And it's always been very clear that Spuffy is the end-game of this fic, as with all her fics.
I am really, really worried by developments on this site in recent months, to the point of starting to ask myself some very hard questions. I don't want to leave EF, but I am with flow and others in being very alarmed and uncomfortable.
I am so incredibly disheartened and appalled by this decision. This story was clearly established as a Spuffy fic from the beginning and was exploring their post-series reunion in an authentic way. (I want to say it was in a 'unique' way, but it wasn't even entirely unique - there are several other stories on this site that start with a similar premise. I assume those authors received a similar notification last night?)
I'm a math teacher - I know what it's like to be in love with the rules. But I think it's also important when making decisions, especially those that are subjective in nature that we ask ourselves who are we helping, and who are we hurting. How does removing it from the site 'help' anyone? It may have sat close to the boundary line based on the opinions of some (and clearly not many, because plenty of Spuffy fans were loving it) it wasn't hurting ANYONE by existing on this site. On the other hand, who are we hurting by removing it? In this case, you're hurting ALL of us who were invested in the story, who enjoyed the story's slow burn, sexual tension and hugely creative premise (that was JUST getting started!!) The sheer number of Shoutbox comments that are being wiped out on this topic today along with the comments should be a gauge of the impact this action has on the community as a whole. More importantly, though, you're hurting Dusty. I know you said she could complete it and submit it for some sort of subjective approval, but please take a minute to own what you've done: at a minimum, this action has essentially killed this story. I don't want to speak for her, but I would imagine the last 24 hours has taken all of her excitement and inspiration for what would have been an AMAZING story and flushed it down the toilet. I wouldn't blame her if she chose not to continue this story anywhere, and that thought is DEVASTATING to me, knowing where this story was going and the amount of time and energy that has gone into it already. Actions like this are what alienate people from fandom, and let me just say that losing Dusty from EF would be a gut-wrenching blow. She is one of the most engaging, active members of this community, and I don't know how anyone could doubt her dedication to Spuffy. We're supposed to be a community here, right? A community where we celebrate each other's voices, stories, and insight? This does not feel like a very community-driven decision.The sheer number of Shoutbox comments that are being wiped out on this topic today
This. It feels deeply disturbing that discussion is only permitted where it is hidden.
If Dusty leaves, I doubt she'll be the only one. 
The thing is, she didn't violate your posting rules, and suggesting that it will be available for a re-evaluation once complete seems like a throwaway statement to absolve any wrongdoing. The evaluation should have taken place before removing the story, not after. There should have been a discussion with the author before yanking it off the site, to possibly understand where the story might lead, or at the very least, given them ample opportunity to save comments, an author's only payment for contributing to this community. Since it was so popular, something tells me that there were more people who enjoyed it than didn't. She gave ample warnings and ultimately, it is a Spuffy story, this decision should have been handled with a bit of finesse in support of the author. If you were receiving complaints from readers, then it should have been made clear to them that they have the choice to read or not read something if they don't like it (which is why we have warnings in the first place), instead of punishing the author who writes and shares their art free of charge while adhering to your guidelines. If this happened to me, if you took down one of my stories without giving me a chance to explain myself, I'd leave this site in a heartbeat. I respect that moderating an enormous community has its downfalls and heartaches and that some decisions are difficult to make, and we all sincerely appreciate the hard work that you do so that we have a place to enjoy our favorite couple. I just feel like you made a bad call this time, guys.
As someone who has been a reader on EF since 2006, this is beyond disappointing and disturbing.
What brought me here was the diverse Spuffy library right at my fingertips. I've never been one for cookie cutter fics. If I was in the mood for angst? I would search for one under the CATEGORIES and WARNINGS. Same thing for comedy, romance, etc. And that goes for a temporary Angel/Buffy relationship or Spike/Other because those stories, leading to Spuffy endgame, can be a whole lotta fun. And if it was under the appropriate warning and category - awesome because that's what I was searching for. And also awesome for the other readers who could CHOOSE to skip right over them.
I keep reading how Dusty broke the rules - I. Just. Don't. See. It. And clearly from reading the other responses, I'm not the only one who feels this way. Every comment that is posted disagreeing with this decision, I agree with everything they have said 100 percent.
It was stated in the author's notes and comments, practically advertised on a Times Square billboard, that Spuffy would end up together in The Fairytale. It was an exploration of their feelings being tested, in their relationships with others. And it was also labeled under the right category and right warning - why have those specific ones then if "they break the rules?"
I mean no disrespect, and of course this is your site and I appreciate the work that is put into it. But at the end of the day, I just feel that removing The Fairytale doesn’t seem like it has anything to do with a reader’s best interest. This just seems more like a power play move on a fanfiction website that's supposed to be enjoyable.
Funny you should say that, @Dee81... What brought me to EF was Dusty. 
I haven't read the fic in question, though I have read and loved other Dusty fics, so please take this with all the love and care that one can possibly muster for the author in question. I get how this would be devastating. I hope this can be resolved privately, one way or another.
We are so, so lucky to have EF as carefully moderated and cared for as it is. I desperately hope this doesn't cause a schism, because there I have found nothing as supportive, nurturing, or full of good feeling and care as this site. A troll shows up in the comments? This person is not allowed to continue. Someone tries to sell spam? This is not allowed to continue. A story is unreadable? This is not allowed to continue. Someone is harassing someone else? This is not allowed to continue. Someone HAS to keep the rules of the site, and it makes the mods targets again and again for situations exactly like this. My experiences with the mods have always been respectful, polite, and it is clear that a decision like this makes them actively heartsick. They are taking all the brunt of the fallout -- which they know may be extensive -- and are working without payment to make this place helpful and supportive.
In the end, someone active and caring has to stand in this position of target for our protection. And everyone, also be aware that there are hundreds of interactions behind the scenes which we usually don't see because they are not as public or unpopular as this decision. I've been in tight corners with interactions on this site, -- very tight -- and the mods have always been fair and honest (and discreet, which is invaluable in itself.) Please everyone, try to take the bad with the good. Having active moderators is what's kept this site alive and whole through so, so much.
As this has been troubling me all day, I am at least heartened to come home to find a bunch of other readers are feeling what I'm feeling, following this story removal.
EF has been a refuge for me (and for so many of us, I would wager), ESPECIALLY through a few very dark and difficult years. It has been a place of fantasy, romance, inspiration, and joy free from the negative, political BS we are all subjected to in the real world on a daily basis. Dusty, for me, has been an extreme source of happiness, excitement, and entertainment for me as a reader and a serious inspiration, as a budding writer. Watching her story updates come in, up til and through The Fairytale, has been a much-needed dopamine hit I look forward to each week.
To see her story removed for this "prominence" rule seems both ridiculous for the many reasons people here have already stated, AND because "prominence" itself is such a vaguely defined term. What, exactly, must be prominent? The word count we must wait before they shack up? The number of times they kiss? The percentage of time they're in the same room together? How much time they're sleeping together or officially romantically involved? Or is it a reverse thing--every time one of them indicates interest in anyone else, the story gets a demerit--and if you reach your limit, the story's out?
That may come off as snarky, but as a brand new writer here (been reading for years, literally just posted my first chapter THIS WEEK), I legitimately want to know. To understand this guideline you're adhering to that seems arbitrary to so many of us and very difficult to navigate for those of us trying to write new, inventive stories featuring ALL OF OUR favorite pairing.
If Dusty had been a new writer, and The Fairytale had been her first story, and you were getting tons of complaints that maybe a secret Bangel shipping operative had sneaked into our midst, MAYBE I could understand the ruling. Maybe. But as it is, she is a long-time, OBVIOUS devotee of Spike and Buffy, and she's continually (and impressively) given of her creative talents to this community and to so many of us who absolutely love her stories and the variety they bring.
To sum up, I, like so many here, am eternally grateful for this site, what it represents, and those of you who do the often thankless work to keep it up and running. You do us all a giant service. But this decision has truly left me feeling hurt (for Dusty and frankly, for myself--I feel like I'm on the losing team when I didn't even realize I was playing a game). It's left me feeling betrayed (both for her and the almost nonexistent amount of notice she was given, and for myself, as a little hatchling writer now worried for my own work). And it's left me feeling yucky, for lack of a better word, about a space and community that, until now, has been nothing but a joyful refuge. I appreciate your rules and decisions, but I sincerely you hope reconsider this one. -Brooke
The fic in question was a WIP so the reality is - how can you know it didn’t comply with the rules?
It’s a legitmate question. I’ve read stories on this site, that are still up, that have taken thousands upon thousands of words to get to Spuffy. They have a label slow burn.
I can understand removing a finished fic that did not deliver on it’s promise, but I honestly am disheartened, baffled and quite sick about this choice.
I realize this is a private, moderated site, but it seems to me that not allowing a story to finish, is presumptuous in saying it won’t deliver on the ‘rules.’
If BTVS series only went to season 3, we’d never have had any Spuffy.
I feel bad for the author (someone’s FREE work I have enjoy immensely) and feel that if these are the ‘rules’ there are quite a few more stories that violate these rules that should be looked at by the moderators.
I mean no disrespect to the Mods (I truly appreciate how much work is put into keeping this space) but I really don't understand the decision here and find it very, very disappointing and disheartening. All warnings were in place as required, and yes *currently* there was only /other pairings going on but it was still in progress and Dusty even made the effort of having Spuffy interaction every chapter. Is Choices also going to be deleted? I adore the story (and was also enjoying The Fairytale), and clearly at least some of the mods did too as it was featured multiple times. But now I'm scared it and all my comments on it will be gone.
I agree with Bookishly in that this feels like it could really stifle some writers' creativity--I get that they're not everyone's cuppa tea but I personally really love slow burns (slow like a wet rope on fire, that's my passion) and second love stories, and this ruling is basically killing any intersection of the two being hosted here. I had an idea similar to Dusty's that I was beginning to play with writing after my current work but now I feel I either have to abandon it, or go elsewhere. And I don't want to go elsewhere because I really love this community, I love our discussions and the readers and writers here. And yeah, I understand that I and nobody else is entitled to post here but I also think that it sucks that someone should have to leave their community (even for just one story) because they want to explore a story in a different way. I mean, canon is arguably structured this way, Buffy and Spike's relationship is heavily effected by their first loves and those prior relationships are part of what pulls into contrast how wonderful they are together. I think that absolutely is a valid way to explore their relationship in fanfic, and it's no less "Spuffy" for it.
I also agree with GetItDone in that this would be a devastating blow if I were in Dusty's shoes. It'd kill my modivation to be cut off from my readerbase and forced to build a whole new one elsewhere. If nothing else, she should have had a least a couple days of warning time before everything was removed so she could save her comments; people have jobs and live in different timezones, 12 hours or however long was given is simply not enough time for many of us to go in and save everything.
Again, I want to make it clear that I hold tremendous respect for the mods. I can't even begin to understand how much work and dedication goes into keeping this space running as smoothly as it does--you don't have to have things like the Facebook page, the Discord or the Shoutbox but it's there so we can have a space for discussion and it's a blast. But regardless, I sincerely urge reconsideration of this decision. I think it sets a very disheartening precedent.
As both a writer of Spike/Buffy, a writer of Spike/Other, a long-time fan, and both a contributor and mod of this site, I'm not sure what admin message I can add that my co-mods haven't already tried to express. I do want to address a few things...
- Comments in the Shout Box were deleted not out of censorship, but because members were asked to direct them here in this space, and the Shout Box isn't the place for them. Plus, they'll disappear in the shout pretty quickly anyway when new shouts come in. Here, we have a standing record of comments and you don't have a word limit.
- I understand being sad and disappointed at a certain decision, but sending real people like our mods truly hateful personal messages about this decision is not okay.
- Mods deleting a story because it doesn't follow guidelines set up by a private hosting site isn't up there with banning a book. This is fan fiction. I love it, otherwise I wouldn't be here, but this isn't a general 'shipping site. It has a very narrow, niche focus. Not for everyone, I understand, and if someone from Mutant Enemy decided to, they could shut down every Buffy fan fiction site tomorrow - and they would be within their rights to do so. So, what's housed here is only "original" in that I wrote it, but I use characters that don't belong to me. And my words are only here because I follow the guidelines and rules expressed by the site. I have a Spike/Other story that ends in Spike/Buffy, but it has never even occurred to me to host it here, because it stretches the limits of tolerance for a Spike/Other pairing. I know this. I can host it elsewhere. I can even make an original fic out of it. Lots of options for that story that don't involve EF.
- There are literally hundreds of stories and hundreds of thousands of words on here devoted to solely the Spike/Buffy pairing. As a writer of both Spike/Buffy and Spike/Other, it's hard for me to grasp how keeping a pairing focusing and celebrating one pairing is stifling creativity at all.
- I'm also confused by people "worried" about their stories for "fear" of being "censored" or "banned." I've had stories deleted from sites because they've not subscribed to a pairing or a word count or a rating, and I've moved them to other platforms that fit them better. This wasn't a mod "power play," like we're all cackling in a corner and twisting our evil mustaches, trying to ruin writers' days. If anything, we have the hard job of protecting both readers and writers - and I guarantee no one sees or knows what happens behind the scenes that we are put in the position of dealing with. Decisions like this aren't done out of spite or maliciousness at all. Having been the owner of deleted words, I understand this very well.
I don't expect I'll change anyone's mind who is bound and determined to view this decision as hateful, but I needed to voice my support for my fellow mods and reiterate my love for this pairing and with this site. The reason the mods are here is really out of love, I promise you that, whether you choose to believe it or agree with our decisions or not.
I mean no disrespect to the Mods (I truly appreciate how much work is put into keeping this space) but I really don't understand the decision here and find it very, very disappointing and disheartening. All warnings were in place as required, and yes *currently* there was only /other pairings going on but it was still in progress and Dusty even made the effort of having Spuffy interaction every chapter. Is Choices also going to be deleted? I adore the story (and was also enjoying The Fairytale), and clearly at least some of the mods did too as it was featured multiple times. But now I'm scared it and all my comments on it will be gone.
I agree with Bookishly in that this feels like it could really stifle some writers' creativity--I get that they're not everyone's cuppa tea but I personally really love slow burns (slow like a wet rope on fire, that's my passion) and second love stories, and this ruling is basically killing any intersection of the two being hosted here. I had an idea similar to Dusty's that I was beginning to play with writing after my current work but now I feel I either have to abandon it, or go elsewhere. And I don't want to go elsewhere because I really love this community, I love our discussions and the readers and writers here. And yeah, I understand that I and nobody else is entitled to post here but I also think that it sucks that someone should have to leave their community (even for just one story) because they want to explore a story in a different way. I mean, canon is arguably structured this way, Buffy and Spike's relationship is heavily effected by their first loves and those prior relationships are part of what pulls into contrast how wonderful they are together. I think that absolutely is a valid way to explore their relationship in fanfic, and it's no less "Spuffy" for it.
I also agree with GetItDone in that this would be a devastating blow if I were in Dusty's shoes. It'd kill my modivation to be cut off from my readerbase and forced to build a whole new one elsewhere. If nothing else, she should have had a least a couple days of warning time before everything was removed so she could save her comments; people have jobs and live in different timezones, 12 hours or however long was given is simply not enough time for many of us to go in and save everything.
Again, I want to make it clear that I hold tremendous respect for the mods. I can't even begin to understand how much work and dedication goes into keeping this space running as smoothly as it does--you don't have to have things like the Facebook page, the Discord or the Shoutbox but it's there so we can have a space for discussion and it's a blast. But regardless, I sincerely urge reconsideration of this decision. I think it sets a very disheartening precedent.
**okay, I have no idea why my comment posted 2 extra times, feel free to delete those, that wasn't on purpose
I accept that Buffy kissed Angel in Chosen and that her feelings for her vampires are mixed up. The story was appropriately tagged with other and slow-burn warnings and no one was being forced to read it. I also appreciate that Dusty doesn't really elaborate on the physical moments between the other pairings except for mood setting. Also Spike and Buffy are interacting all the time in this.This feels very arbitrary based on all the other stories on this site with a similar premise.
@kats_meow: I totally see where you're coming from. I can understand and appreciate that there's more going on behind the scenes, whatever that might entail, but the simple fact is that moderators, by default, are not infallible. Sometimes they make mistakes and this feels like one. Not a hateful mistake, but a mistake that should've been handled with more care for the author than was given. Especially because no rules were actually, technically broken. That's the point all of us are trying to make.
@kats_meow, I think the reason we are all reacting like this isn't necessarily the rule itself but the way it has been enforced. That is to say, in a non-blanket way (why this story and not all other stories that have longer /Other pairings?), while the story was being posted instead of after its ending (especially since apparently it had Spuffy interactions, and thus had SPUFFY AS ITS CENTRAL THEME, every single chapter), and in a truly disrespectful way to the author (we all know how important comments are to us writers. What could it have cost to give Dusty and the readers a week or even just a few days to save everything?).
Maybe I'm wrong and you guys just don't care about any of this. I'd be honestly surprised, though, as it seems to me like you are all careful, thoughtful writers who care about their interactions with their readers.
As for the rule itself, of course it is your site and you run it however you see fit. (Although of course you can't be surprised that people won't like it.) But maybe deleting a very beloved, ongoing WIP by a very beloved author wasn't the easiest way to make everyone understand this rule. I had no idea this would ever happen because up to now, I have seen /Other pairings and it never even occurred to me that these stories being deleted was a possibility, exactly because I knew Spuffy was still their central theme, no matter what. Maybe more warnings as to what was possible (a story being deleted from the site, something I've literally never seen before here) could have made us all more conscious of the possibility and thus could have prevented this kind of situation, as far as reactions go if not when it comes to Dusty and her story in particular.
In any case, I think we all agree that you ladies do an astonishing amount of work to keep this site running and we are all thankful for it. And I'm sorry to hear you've received hateful personal messages, because that is the kind of shit that always sucks.
Luckily (?), I didn't personally receive hate mail, but I read what was received and... let's just say I wish I never saw what I did. And I can't believe it was a personal, hateful attack about a decision that was made about a... fan fiction - which, yes, we all love it and love to read it and write it and share it. But these were words up there with what I would expect if a mod clubbed a member of your family. Not OK. And it's really made me sad that there are people here who think it's OK to talk to anyone like that about a situation you disagree with. 'Nuff said on that.
I understand that people are upset. Because members don't see fics we don't accept and those messages with those authors, it seems that this decision has come out of left field, because those fics haven't even made the site. Having Spike and Buffy interacting throughout a fic, being promised the pairing as endgame, but having notes about how heavy the /Other pairing is and how that isn't going to change in a while is stretching the limits of the rules for the site.
Again, not trying to change anyone's mind or argue, just trying to explain how I see it from my side, especially as a writer who HAS been deleted and DOES write Spike/Other.
I also mean no disrespect to the mods and it is not OK that any of you have received hateful messages. I’m very sorry for that. I know you care as much about EF as we all do.
That being said, I don’t agree that this story explicitly broke any rules. None of the Bangel moments were explicit and like many have said, it seemed to be more in the background. It just makes me wonder about any slow burn stories and what is the line? Is it OK to be no Spuffy for 50+ chapters as long as there is no /other happening?
I would just be curious to know the final straw that lead to this decision as the story was already 13 or so chapters long and I wonder why it was able to go as far as it did if it wasn’t adhering to the rules.
I’d like to know if this decision was made based on the fic itself, or solely on the author’s note? That seems to be the only specific but that’s been mentioned as having violated the rules.
I also mean no disrespect to the mods and it is not OK that any of you have received hateful messages. I’m very sorry for that. I know you care as much about EF as we all do.
That being said, I don’t agree that this story explicitly broke any rules. None of the Bangel moments were explicit and like many have said, it seemed to be more in the background. It just makes me wonder about any slow burn stories and what is the line? Is it OK to be no Spuffy for 50+ chapters as long as there is no /other happening?
I would just be curious to know the final straw that lead to this decision as the story was already 13 or so chapters long and I wonder why it was able to go as far as it did if it wasn’t adhering to the rules.
I support the mods' decision to moderate whatever fics they want hosted on this site. I'm also sorry for any hate you guys have received. The amount of time and care you guys put into this site is incredible. It really is a window back into the pre-tumblr, pre-instagram, pre-reddit world of fandom.
However, if what Dusty says is true and she was only given 12 hours notice of warning before her fic was deleted, I don't support that in the slightest. For any story with at least one comment, please consider giving a 2-week minimum warning from here on out. Sometimes people are extremely busy with life so that would give them the necessary time to save comments, and what is an additional 2-weeks to EF in the grand scheme of things? If one of my stories and accompanying comments had been deleted in a span of 12 hours, I would be a crying wreck.
Related to that, as a professional web developer, also please consider retrieving Dusty's story and comments for her. Even deleted, the data could still exist. If you have access to a backup copy of the servers, please access it. If you don't, please consider calling your hosting company and seeing if they have a backup. Many server backups are automated and rewritten on a daily/weekly/etc basis, so if the data still exists, time is of the essence.
First in foremost, I get that this is your site, and that it's stuck around and become such a vibrant community for as long as it has because of the work you all put into it.
At the same time, as someone writing in the community, it is baffling to me that this can be seen as anything other than stifling creativity, as quashing someone's story for the fault of not sending you an outline to get approval beforehand--especially when there were Spuffy interactions in almost every single chapter of the fic in question--seems shortsighted and frankly limiting when it comes to the definitions of love, how characters experience character growth, and how Spuffy finds their way to one another. And while you say you must remain fair to authors who have asked about similar works and been told EF isn't the right place, the fact a small mod team of practicing authors themselves is making these arbitrary decisions about something so subjective does feel like a major deterrent when it comes to enthusiasm about continuing to participate in the space.