Was there a coup? Am I just coup-less?

[crazydiamondsue]

I know a couple of you on my flist have started and/or are involved in these, so I have a question:

What's with all the new "friends only" fanfic communities? Are we morphing into the "Queer as Folk" fandom and no one told me? Is it because of "adult content"? 'Cause if so - I've posted quite a bit of unflocked "adult content" in my day. Is it adult-adult? And what exactly does "darker" mean? Does Xander eat a live chicken while Tara circles him slowly, burning incense; as Spike makes a questionable collage of pre-pubescent Elijah Wood manips?

I'm being flip - but seriously, what's with the Friends Only? (Please attribute the bemusedly bitter tone to the fact that I use communities to track down fics for the su_herald and if they're locked, I can't link them.)

So why are we suddenly becoming a fandom of the "down low?" Um, I think Joss knows we're writing smut. Seriously.

Comments

[smashsc.livejournal.com]

Sometimes there is a reason. Right after the Serenity previews started a locked fic community started. Locked so that people who hadn't seen the movie wouldn't run across any mention or accidental spoilage if surfing friendsfriends. A month after the movie's opening though that seems a little silly and it seems like posters are starting to unlock when they make new posts (although the movie hasn't been released everywhere internationally yet).

I don't see any logic for locking closed canon fic communities.

[crazydiamondsue.livejournal.com]

Spoilage makes sense (and I think that was a lot of the reason in the QaF arena - not to mention the proliferation of available downloads since evidentally who but you and I have Showtime?)

It's just odd for me to see flocked B-verse communities that wish to advertise that they're around, you just have to friend to read. Typically people want to have their fic read by a wider audience, you know? So I need the rationale (for I am "stare and poke 'til you figure it out" like that.)

[smashsc.livejournal.com]

Watching QaF was more fun relatively unspoiled and on Showtime. I know I missed some good fic, but *shrug*

I honestly think there is a shame factor (commonly "oh I'm going to the special hell for this") involved. If the community is locked then your flist cannot see what you write unless they are in the special club too. Or at least that is my impression from the recent BSG RPF wank which came down, it seems, on the side of locking all RPF because "the shame." Pfft I say. It is a pain in the neck when doing newsletters (and also boo for making it harder for those of us who have no shame to find fic.)