TF2chan

Website
Name:	TF2Chan, aka "the chan"
Owner/Maintainer:	Ashe and Kumori
Dates:	25 January 2008 - current (largely unused as of 2015)
Type:	Anonymous Messageboard
Fandom:	Team Fortress 2
URL:	(Website) http://tf2chan.net/, Archived version (Official Steam Group) https://steamcommunity.com/groups/tf2circlejerk, Archived version (Discord) https://discord.gg/XU2Vppt, Archived version
"Trembling enthusiasm over exposed flesh!" Turn the crank, grease the wheel. Together, we can be industrious. Join the Circle and LEND A HAND!
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TF2chan was/is a chan for Team Fortress 2 slash fanac. It was the most popular and influential space for Team Fortress 2's slash fandom for many years. A good amount of early TF2 fandom BNFs got their start on TF2chan. An addition, several long running memes and TF2-specific tropes originated from the messageboard, such as Tentaspy, Nazi!Medic, and DICKS EVERYWHERE. Left 4 Dead, another Valve game, had its own section on the website.

Although TF2chan was anonymous, "namefagging/tripcoding" was common and accepted. Many of its fanartist users could be recognized based off their art styles alone in their posts. TF2chan had a "no anime and furries" policy as a gatekeeping measure. Original characters and self-inserts were also frowned upon. No minors were allowed on the forum.

In 2014-2015, after years of use, the forum became deserted following a larger migration of its userbase over to Tumblr. Much of its fanfic has since been re-hosted on Archive of Our Own.

In following years, opinions regarding the forum's culture and fanwork output by both its former userbase and TF2's newer fanbase have been mixed. This is due in large part to fannish drift and loss of overall cultural context. Most of TF2's fanbase as of the 2020s have only heard of the website through word of mouth and rumor, and likely have never used a messageboard themselves, let alone were familiar with messageboard culture circa 2009. Some former regulars have expressed discomfort with what they saw as a culture of casual racism on the board, including offensive nicknames for Demoman, a Black character. Others disagree with this characterization.

TF2chan goes on and offline, and it is currently unstable for its use as a forum as of December 2023. It runs on Kusaba X. There was also an active PaintChat Room. The website also hosted secret santas, called TF2chan Secret Santa Exchange, for three years (2011-2013), and it had its own steam group called TF2 Circlejerk.

Before 2008

Before 2008, most of TF2's Slash was shared on online forums and imageboards, such as 4chan's /v/, Oekaki, plus4chan, YouTube, and Valve's own Steamcommunity forum. TF2chan was created so that these fanworks wouldn't be flamed by non-slash fans or otherwise deleted for being adult content. Although no posts from 2008 currently exist on TF2chan itself, its steam group has posts from as early as March 2008.

Rules

Fanart posted on the news page welcoming Ashsflames and Novichok back into the moderation team. Somewhat unusual in this fanart is a blond interpretation of Scout. Drawn by Tetra.

Along with Global Rules, there was also rules specifically for Art Boards. Legal and Addendum information was available as well.

Global Rules

These rules apply on every board unless noted. Last updated 5/22/13.

1. No one under the age of 18. However, we cannot guarantee that everyone is of age here. We can only make judgements based on your behaviour. If you act underage, you will get banned, no matter what age you claim to be.
2. Do not share personal information about other users that could compromise their identity.
3. Do not use URL shortening services to link to malicious sites.
4. Do not spam or flood by copy-pasting messages in several threads/boards.
5. Do not spam links and refrain from linking to referral marketing sites.
6. Do not advertise your website/scheme/porn.
7. Do not derail threads from their original topic.
8. Try to keep your spelling and grammar tidy.
9. Don't post furry material. Leave your fursuit at the door. If you admit to being a furry, expect to be ridiculed.
10. Plagiarism (posting another person's work and claiming it is your own when it is not) is an instant permaban.
11. Do not harrass or flame other users.
12. Discrimination upon any basis is unacceptable. Not only is it against the rules, but you should feel bad.
13. Trolling for the sake of "shit-posting" is a bannable offense. Trolling otherwise when it is in jest is alright.
14. Do not abuse or excessively take advantage of site features (such as reporting other users).
15. Ban-dodging is an instant permaban.
16. If you have a serious problem with another user, think you're being harrassed, are unsure about reporting someone, think you were banned unfairly or in error, or just have a question about the rules, feel free to drop by our Discord and talk to a moderator.
17. Above all else, use common sense and don't be a cuntrag to other users.

http://tf2chan.net/news.php?p=rules, ^{Archived version}

Etiquette

When reacting positively to another user's fanart, it was customary to say I CAME. Artist is unknown.

One anonymous user's reaction to the forum post-Tentaspy popularity. This art references Godhand Edit, a meme on 4chan.

Along with Rules, there were also etiquette suggestions.

Etiquette

1. Fanbrat behaviour, i.e. "OMG SO KAWAII DESU XDDD", *does action*, "SQUEEEE", etc., makes you look underage. Don't do it.
2. Keep the fangirly bullshit behavior to a minimum if you MUST act like that at all.
3. Do not act like a weeaboo. Anime may be cool, but the people who obsess over it and use the art style as a crutch instead of learning real anatomy are obnoxious.
4. Weeaboo emoticons such as ^__^, o__o or T__T are frowned upon heavily. Please do not excessively use emoticons.
5. Do not spout memes. Meme-spouting is for kids who want to show their friends they're cool and edgy because they browse 4chan from school.
6. Sometimes, people on the Internet are mean. This is normal. Giving people a veil of anonymity automatically makes some of them act like assholes. Do not take this personally.
7. Sometimes, people on the Internet say things that contradict your personal preferences and opinions. This is not the same as being mean. Learn to understand the difference between people being assholes and people having opinions that differ from your own.
8. When someone has an opinion that differs from your own, do not respond by being an asshole just because you have Internet anonymity.
9. TF2chan is not your Blogspot, LiveJournal, FanFiction.net, deviantART or tumblr page. If something happens that upsets you, do not scream and cry about it, just deal with it. The Internet is not a hugbox. If you scream and cry about it, expect to be ridiculed.

http://tf2chan.net/news.php?p=rules, ^{Archived version}

The Crocosnipalypse

Fanart posted for the one year anniversary of Crocosnipalypse. Artist is unknown, likely Exac.

During the summer of 2010, troublesome moderation made many regulars of the forum leave. This summer is referred to as The Crocosnipalypse by the mod team which replaced the previous one.

DICKS EVERYWHERE?

This dick gif. Artist is unknown.

DICKS EVERYWHERE was implemented as a word filter. The exact phrase likely comes from when TF2 fans not accustomed to shipping culture found the adult works on the website, complaining that the website had "dicks everywhere." When clicking on a board, there's a chance for a horde of floating dick gifs to fly across the screen. This was added in an update in 2013.

Threads of Note

• Toast to the TF2 fandom by PerryJ, where regulars reminisce on the board and Team Fortress 2 fandom as a whole.
• Ideas to Make This Site Suck Less by Cat Bountry, recommending ideas for the boards future in 2013.
• On the subject of /workshop/ by Nevvyland, suggesting the board went downhill with the introduction of /workshop/.

TF2chan from 2015-current

im still obsessed with tf2chan by the way. it's completely dead and fossilized and the fossils are disintegrating because some encoding changed and now half the punctuation in all the fanfic has been corrupted into euro signs and trademark symbols. but i'm still obsessed with Fandom 4Chan For Girls.

trr3rr asked:

I learned more about how to enjoy and develope my own creative writing and art from tf2chan than I did from art school and 2 English A level courses. TF2 really is the game of all time.

spengs replied:

I've been playing TF2 again recently and I'm so glad it's remained this constant good in my life lol... God tf2chan was Something back in the day... It certainly Affected me fundamentally. Some of the most fucked up and evil fics on there but also some of the most beautiful and masterful ones I've ever read...

#do you remember the one about a dystopian au where theres like a scout breeding farm#or the one where engineer builds scout a sex robot#but God there was also one where sniper and engineer are trapped in a dimension or something trying to figure out how to get home#and as the story progresses sniper realises hed rather be doomed with engie than let him go back to his wife and be alone in the real world#and in the end he literally watches himself unravel like thread#im not doing it justice but it Changed Me#there was also one called It Could Be Worse that lives in my mind at all times and creeps into my forethoughts on quiet summer evenings#but i digress#tf2 really is the game of all time

spygender said:

i've been crawling through old fic on tf2chan and it's so weird how hostile people were towards ocs and self-inserts. why were they so afraid of fun. who were they trying to prove themselves to.
#(i would not recommend crawling through tf2chan without caution. there's a lot of dubious content with little to no warning.)#(unfortunately there's some diamonds amongst the rubble and also i have hyperfixation disease)

schnozzbun-art replied:

oh my god you are so brave. tell us if you find something interesting

1tbls replied:

@schnozzbun-art *soldier salute emoji*

eudevie replied:

Because alot of us were fresh off of 4chan's /v/ at the time and still had that terrible internet culture. I'm still friends with a bunch of 'em, and we cringe at the cringing now. Many of us have grown from that mindset.

References/Further Reading

TF2chan was mentioned in PC Gamer UK, ^{Archived version}

asktf2chanmods, a Tumblr ran by TF2chan mods, ^{Archived version}