Missing Fic – all you need to know

Category: Fic lost in upgrade

It’s probably easier to do this as a FAQ so you don’t have to read paragraphs of backstory to get the info you need.

Why are fics missing?

Because the old site, running eFiction got hacked.

How come you have the info but not the fic?

eFiction kind of worked in two parts, an SQL database and text files. The database never got hacked, the physical site (php and text files) did. The database contains all the information about the fic, but the actual fic is contained in .txt files.

The text files were either deleted by hackers or filled with malicious code and my webhost deleted them to keep the site safe for users.

Why is it the most recent fics that are missing?

Honestly, I don’t know. It could be that they were deleted from a very early hack and I didn’t notice. I have various backups going back to the dawn of time, but for a period the site was being moderated by someone else. During that time they had access to the server to make backups and so I didn’t bother. Possibly your most beloved fics were hacked and lost, but I replaced them with backups.

Or, on the other hand, maybe the hack just flooded the most recent files? Who knows. I don’t really understand malicious code. I just delete whatever DreamHost tells me to and replace it with my own clean files.

Why don’t you just get the fic from the LJ community?

Because LiveJournal is literally the worst place to search for anything. Even the best organised community in the world is hard to navigate, and these are very old fics, and the community was not always consistent with tagging or archiving. And that’s fine, because the site is an addition to the community, the community is not a backup for the site.

Also, the fault is with the structure of LJ and not the community members or mods, or their practices. Seriously, peeps, no shade. LJ as a site sucks, not you guys.

I did search, but quite often was unable to find what I was looking for. Also, the archive date on the site is not always the same as when it was posted to LJ. The user may have purged their account. They may have only ever used the site and not LJ.

Basically, it’s a long shot with no guarantee of success, so I only did a cursory check.

I have a copy of the fic, but I’m not the author, can I send it to you?

Um… I guess. Since the fic was originally archived here, I do have permission from the author to archive it. However, if you’ve made any changes to it, then no. I’d rather have the fic from the author direct, but any port in a storm. If you have the link to the missing fic hosted on another website, that would be handy. My google-fu has failed me on the missing fics.

I am the author, and I want the fic taken down

Ok, no problem. Send me an email with your username and the list of fic titles you want removing.

I am the author and I’d like my fic to be reinstated

Excellent, there are two options:

• Email me with a word document of your fic and I’ll upload it for you.

or

• Take control of your account. Go to the login page, and click on the Lost Password link (or click here). Input your email address, and you will be sent a reset link. Change your password, login, and make any changes you want to your own fic.

If you can’t login or don’t receive the reset email, email me, your account may be linked to a defunct email address.

My email address is
dove@sweetvalley.online