Reporting a vanished fic...
What Counts As "Vanished"?
The first thing you should do if you think a fanfic has vanished is...
- Check if it's already on the list. If so, you only need to contact me if you think you have new information.
- Search Google, Yahoo, and Bing. (The "Please double-check that it's plugged in, sir." step.)
- Search Fanfiction.net, MediaMiner, and FicWad using their internal search engines. (They don't index well)
- Check a RAAC (rec.arts.anime.creative) archive. 1 2 3
- If it's a Ranma ½ Lemon, check StFan's Ranma ½ Lemon Story Archive (NSFW).
If you cannot find the fic through any of those links, it is a candidate for being hosted here and you should
contact me. If you found the fic but it was difficult, I may still link it it via the "
Moved" section.
What Counts As "Crippled"?
A crippled fic is any story which originally used a mix of the following elements to flavor the reading experience but is now only available in a more basic form:
- Background colors, fonts, and other formatting
- Art (fan- or otherwise)
- Sidestories (especially fan-contributed ones)
You can
request that a fic be considered, but status will be judged on a case-by-case basis so I don't end up hosting every little story that included a scribble or neon-pink polka-dot background with yellow text.
Doing Your Own Searching
If you'd like to help look for a vanished fic...
- The Wayback Machine Mirror is a good general-purpose first stop for most everything but Fanfiction.net. (They block it)
- If the fic was hosted on GeoCities, you can check ReoCities, OoCities, and GEOCITIES.ws.
- If the fic is old enough, it may have been posted to the FFML (Fan Fiction Mailing List) 1 2, which has a search site that also covers earlier incarnations.
- If it's a Ranma ½ fanfic and you're not sure where it was originally hosted, check Rakhal Stormwarden's Penultimate Ranma Fanfic Index.
- If you think another step should be on this list, by all means, please tell me.
Note: This list is not a substitute for getting me involved. Experience and cunning aside, I can also put the fic on the Wanted list where someone who keeps a private archive of their favorite fics may see it.
