Regarding Fic Recs

[mosylu]

So one of the things I love (lovelovelove) doing on Tumblr is recommending other peoples' fic. Over there, it's pretty easy, just slap that reblog button.

But I'm not sure what to do here. Put up linky posts? Do one-by-one fic recs? Do a sort of fic digest at a specific time each week? Crosspost my reblogs? (That one seems particularly fraught to me; far too easy for it to look like I'm reposting as my own or trying to take credit, which is 180 degrees removed from the whole point of recommending fic.)

If you are reading this and you have an opinion (particularly if you are one of those whose fic I like to share), let me know. Especially especially if you've logged more time on DW or other LJ-style sites than I have, and you know some of the unspoken rules or longstanding traditions.

Comments

[hebethen]

I'm not a prolific reccer myself, but in my experience, I have seen recs in the following places:

1. rec-focused comms like fancake
2. fandom comms (for fics in that fandom)
3. digests or compilations after a particular event

[mosylu]

Ooo, I didn't know there were communities specifically for fic recs! Must check that out. I'm a DW-newb so I'm still learning things like this.

[anghraine]

I've seen everything from post-by-post recs, posts with short/medium/long lists of links (with enough information to give an idea of what they're about/what should be warned for/etc), posting into a rec community, regular digests like you're talking about for the more organizationally minded among us.

The digest idea sounds very cool to me, personally, although I lack the discipline for something like that myself. But pretty much everything you've said is DW-appropriate.

[mosylu]

Thanks for the input!

Since I do try to rec regularly on Tumblr, a digest actually appeals to me quite a bit too, because it would just be a matter of scraping up the links from a week's worth of reblogs and AO3 links. And "Fic Friday" or something appeals to my schedule-loving self.

I would definitely break it out by fandom tho. For one thing, I've already decided on specific icons for each fandom.

[rosaxx50]

I've seen all of the above - the one-by-one, digest, though less of reblogs. Het-reccers on livejournal used to exist for essentially a set/single fic recs a day. Dreamwidth tends to run more slowly, and consequently daily/weekly digests are more common (and my personal preference) than one-by-one, but you can definitely make each work. Why not try both, depending on your patience?

[mosylu]

I do remember seeing more lists and digests around, pre-Tumblr days. I'm probably going to play around with a lot of different formats over the next few weeks. Let me know which one you like best :)

[elperian]

Back in the day I used to do weekly fic recs on my blog with links to the OP's post (which became a little awkward with a person who was upset they weren't on it, so, er - ) but I've also seen communities for this! I think you could recreate mosylufic over here as a community and encourage people to cross-post to it as well?

[mosylu]

I didn't even think about communities! I'm sure there's Star Wars fic rec communities aplenty, but I'll have to see if there's any rebelcaptain-specific ones. I already know there's very little in the way of Flash fic rec communities on here, except for one that's focused on a NOTP of mine. And honestly due to ship wars, many Flash ships are NOTPs now, not because of the ship but because of shippers.

The thought of creating a couple of reccing communities is v. appealing to me, because if I get others to join in, I get more sweet sweet fic to read, muahahaahaha.

Would you join a rebelcaptain rec community if I end up creating one?

[elperian]

I would definitely join a rebelcaptain rec community if you made it! I could even help with the set-up/management if you wanted a co-mod (I've been toying with the idea of creating TRCN over here but I'm also just Le Tired right now and in the midst of the Secret Santa exchange).

eta: *groans* I did it I did it I made a comm here what is my life.

But yes to preserving the fic! :D

Sad to hear The Flash fandom is devolving into shipper wars. I always liked the fandom when I was still into the show (Iris/Barry + Cisco/Caitlin) but the show just got to be Too Much for me after a while.

[mosylu]

Le sigh. The shipper wars have been there in the Flash fandom from the beginning. From BEFORE the beginning, in fact. The Barry/Caitlin ship famously set sail when someone on twitter saw the casting announcement of Candice Patton as Iris West and in the next tweet they had proclaimed that Snowbarry was their ship of choice. Mind you, this was before anyone of the main cast besides Caitlin and Cisco had had any interaction with each other on screen. And then of course if you liked Iris you were contractually obligated to despise Caitlin, because there can be only one good woman in any show, ever. I was able to support both women and write Killervibe and Westallen for a few years, but after season three, the screaming Caitlin-hate reached a fever pitch and I had to disengage from about 90% of the fandom for my sanity's sake.

Anyway, didn't mean to spill fandom history all over you. Hooray for fic rec communities! I would love to be your co-mod if you want, and I can work on it here while you focus on the Secret Santa, which sounds like such a job of work. I just might check in with "o dear how do" every once in awhile.

[elperian]

Oh I meant I created the TRCN community over here! therebelcaptainnetwork But if you want to co-mod with me here on that, that would be ah-mazing (my co-mod on tumblr has had to take some personal time and I'm running things mostly solo right now).

I do remember the Bary/Caitlin vs. Barry/Iris shipwars but those were the stupidest and I like to pretend they didn't exist :P I loved all the core characters enough on their own.

[mosylu]

Absolutely, count me in! I've joined up and subscribed already.

(And that shipwar is somehow still going. Still. I . . . ????)

[elperian]

I can't believe how little self-control I have :P But thank you for helping me with the comm! I've made you a mod + unmoderated posts.

Somehow the HP ship wars are still going. It never ends :/