Fic List Project

[Amara D'Angeli]

Last fall some members of the Sam/Jack 'ship community got together and started a list of S/J fics. We separated the fics out by category and were able to produce quite a list. After that venture we started a master list of fics.

Another Gateworld user brought an idea to my attention. Suppose we created a similar master list for character centric fics from all over the Stargate franchise.

I'm here testing the waters. Is this something fans of SG Atlantis characters might be interested in? If you haven't seen the lists and am not quite sure what we're aiming for, please visit the Master Fanfiction List and then, perhaps, the Team Fics to see how it works.

Certainly, not all lists need to follow the format created by the S/J lists, but we would ask that other lists follow the format for the master fic list. The initial thoughts as they bounced around for the character centric fics included opening an SG Atlantis thread and then having posts within that thread for each of the characters and doing the same for SGU, SG-1, and then a separate thread for original characters.

If you like the idea and there's someone out there who would like to shepherd the list(s), that's fantastic! If you just like the idea of the lists but preferred I did the organization and upkeep, I'm okay with that too. (Though I already manage several S/J lists and would LOVE to see more people involved in this project.)

So, weigh in, if you would. I'm anxious to know what the community thinks.

~Amara

[Raelis]

I think it's an awesome idea,and I would like to contribute in whatever way I can. I know from experience that lists like this are a blessing for a fandom newbie.

[Sparky She-Demon]

I'm willing to take part in it!

[Amara D'Angeli]

Fantastic! Perhaps one of you might like to manage a list of SG Atlantis character centric fics?

Originally we were thinking one Atlantis Fic Thread and then a post (or more) for each of the main characters. But if that idea doesn't work for you, just set something up and we'll go from there. I'm happy to lend any of the experience I got from the S/J project iffen ever you want it.

[Raelis]

I'm not sure how we're going to go about this. Will we deivide the fic by character or by pairing? For example, let's say we have an Elizabeth-centric fic list. Will this list include gen and all pairings? Are we going to divide it by genres like the Sam/Jack lists)? There's so much fic in the SGA fandom that I am not sure how to break it into lists. Also, will we include only family-friendly fic, or is linking to NC-17 stuff allowed?

Thoughts, ideas?

[Amara D'Angeli]

Linking to NC-17/Adult material is absolutely not allowed. We've handled this issue on the S/J lists by linking to the author's profile. That seems to be working wonderfully.

Because these lists are character-centric and not 'ship-centric, I think that no matter who the main character might be involved with is immaterial. For instance, if the story is Elizabeth-centric and she's paired with Sheppard, then the fic would be listed under "Elizabeth Weir". If the Elizabeth/John shippers wanted a list of strictly 'ship-fics then the fic could be cross-posted to that list. Likewise if the fic was simply Elizabeth centric with no ship at all, then the fic could also be posted to the "Elizabeth Weir" list but not to any ship list. Make sense or did I just make that clear as mud?

For a character-centric list the fics could be arranged in several ways: simply by character or by character and then further broken down by genre. Depending on the character and prevalence of fic, it might be best to break it down by genre.

It's true that Atlantis has spawned a lot of fic. So it might make more sense to have multiple threads for Atlantis than to have multiple posts within a thread for all the characters. But, ultimately, that'll be up to the list manager(s).

There's really no set formula here. What worked for the S/J lists may not work for the character-centric lists. But then again, perhaps it might. Again, it's up to the list manager(s).

[Raelis]

It's clear so far. Well, I'm not the most Internet-savvy person, so I'm not sure I know what 'managing a thread' entails exactly, but I'd be willing to try my hand at it... I'd happily make a list for SGA team and gen fic. Also, maybe a list of fic divided by seasons. If we're talking character-specific, I have plenty of suggestions for a Rodney-centric list ('cause I love him).

[Amara D'Angeli]

Both would be awesome!

Managing a list really isn't hard. You open the thread and set up the format (what you want bolded, if you want a bullet feature, etc.), you make (or ask some one to make you) a banner if you want one. You add the stories you know of that fit the profile of your list. VERY IMPORTANT: Before you tell anyone else you've created the list, reserve a handful of posts so you've got room to grow and expand. You'll want to make sure the list part of your thread is always at the very top. After that, you invite people to make suggesstions to your list and add them as they come in. You're welcome to check out one of the S/J lists and see how we're getting it done.

[taris-eirien]

I'd be happy to help with Sheppard fanfic. I recently did a fic recommendation a day (alphabetically, a couple of rounds) for the Shep Whump Thread. I have hundreds of Shep and Team Sheppard fics bookmarked. I don't read/review ship or slash.

[Amara D'Angeli]

I'd be happy to help with Sheppard fanfic. I recently did a fic recommendation a day (alphabetically, a couple of rounds) for the Shep Whump Thread. I have hundreds of Shep and Team Sheppard fics bookmarked. I don't read/review ship or slash.

Then it sounds like Sheppard centric fics will need their own list. I don't read Atlantis fics so it'll be up to the Atlantis folks to decide how many threads you'll need to manage all the fics and how you'd like to divide them up. The only reason I mentioned character-centric was because I was specifically approached about that method of dividing up the fics - but feel free to make the lists however you like.

The S/J lists had a whole bunch of lists and then a "big lists" that was links to all the lists (it's that "big list" we used as our posts on the Master Fic List). If Atlantis ends up with a bunch of lists, you may want to consider doing the same thing.

[Aang]

And I could volunteer to manage a Carson Beckett list, I've probably read most Carson-centric fics out there by now and could probably come up with a fairly decent list, plus I can ask my friends over at Carson's thread if they have any further suggestions for the list

[Amara D'Angeli]

I'm so glad you guys are getting into the spirit of the project!

Please remember to open your lists in the Fanfiction forum.

1. Make lists!
2. Create a "big list" (you'll probably want to include this list as a post in each of your list threads so you'll need to work together to make sure the list is current).
3. Post the big list (or provide the big list to me, Amara to post) on the Master Fic List

That's it. Easy as pie!

[Raelis]

It's all great so far. So, I have no idea how to make banners and such, so if anyone is up to making a few for our lists, that would be awesome!

I ahve a few questions with regards to S/J lists, given that we're using them as an example. Are those lists recommendation lists or merely lists that provide all fic that you could find for a specific genre, regardless of what you think of its quality? Because I am sure there are thousands of S/J stories out there many of which did not make it to the lists here... so how did you choose stories?

Also, are slash lists allowed here? Or only het/gen?

[Sparky She-Demon]

I'd be interested in managing a Sparky fic list.

[Amara D'Angeli]

It's all great so far. So, I have no idea how to make banners and such, so if anyone is up to making a few for our lists, that would be awesome!

I ahve a few questions with regards to S/J lists, given that we're using them as an example. Are those lists recommendation lists or merely lists that provide all fic that you could find for a specific genre, regardless of what you think of its quality? Because I am sure there are thousands of S/J stories out there many of which did not make it to the lists here... so how did you choose stories?

Also, are slash lists allowed here? Or only het/gen?

For the most part the S/J lists are simply lists. In all fairness, it probably started out more as recommendations because they were born from information we'd saved. But, over time, as we've run across others that fit they've been added. So no, I wouldn't go so far as to say it was a rec list. The list managers aren't responsible for guaranteeing quality. As long as the submitted fic meets the list criteria then it's added to the list. Our critera are pretty broad since we're working within categories without other limits, but really...

...As far as what's allowed - that's entirely up to the list maker. Just remember you cannot link directly to any NC-17/Adult rated material. We've solved that problem on the S/J lists by linking to the author's profile if there's adult material involved.

I'd be interested in managing a Sparky fic list.

Fantastic!