But... what if I can do something?
| Meta | |
|---|---|
| Title: | But... what if I can do something? |
| Creator: | "S" |
| Date(s): | September 11, 2011 |
| Medium: | |
| Fandom: | Beauty and the Beast (TV) |
| Topic: | |
| External Links: | But... what if I can do something?, Archived version |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
But... what if I can do something? is a 2011 Beauty and the Beast (TV) essay by "S".
It an overview of fan writing sources in this fandom, and a plea to keep those fics available. "An effort from all of us, to post online more fanfiction and art from the past."
Excerpts
Celebrating B&B fanfiction means coming to the realization that the fandom has fantastic treasures waiting to be discovered, and that online fic - and art - is only the tip of the iceberg. For almost twenty-five years, fans have dreamt and written about our Dream. Those stories and art pieces were created to be shared with other fans, via the paper zines which were the usual way to do it back in the day. But...
But now, the ways have changed, and those treasures are buried and forgotten, for most of those among us who only have access to the Dream via the Internet.
We rejoice for the Lending Library, and we are grateful for the great intuition of the fans who created it and for the dedication of those who have taken care of it. But...
But there are fans all over the world now, and although one can dream about winning the lottery, the sad reality is that postal fees can be prohibitive for those of us located outside the USA.
We are grateful for the Internet. While it cannot replace holding a real zine in our hands - ink, paper, smell, traces of previous owners and all - it has allowed online fans to read beautiful stories from present-day authors, and beautiful stories from past authors when they've granted permission to post them on B&B websites. But...
But those stories are just a few gallons of the ocean of stories that have been written. What about the others? "Tell me, Father: are we forever bound to long and crave and drool?"
Not exactly.
From the early days of the Internet, stories written for paper zines have been typed or scanned and put online to be shared via this "new" medium. When the stories were relatively recent, authors were easy to contact to ask for permission: many of them did it themselves, in their own sites or via online newsletters like Father's Online Library. But...
But now? Twenty-five years later, everything is much more difficult. Finding the authors and artists, and getting their permission to post their stories or art can be almost impossible.
Sooo.... Do you know fans from the past? Do you recognize names from B&B fandom on Facebook? Do you have addresses worth trying in your own address book? This is a common effort. There are plenty of websites willing to host the beautiful stories and art from the past, and scanners willing to do the work. Let's hunt for the authors, let's share the dream!