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(Anonymous)
2011-07-01 04:33 am UTC (link)

This one is still percolating, but I think it might grown into a beautiful wanky flower.

LotRfanfiction.com is an old and well-respected establishment in the fandom, preferred by many popular authors because of its lack of restrictions regarding sexytimes.

Early this week, the site goes down unexpectedly, with a note saying that it's under new ownership and temporarily offline to make the transfer.

Cue cries of anguish and frenzied saving of stories and reviews. Pitchforks are sharpened; torches are lit.

The site returns, unchanged, with this note from the new owner, one Keith Mander:
http://www.lotrfanfiction.com/news.php?action=newsstory&nid=99

Fans make comments, ranging from the reasonable ("The Tolkien Estate particularly is very, very protective of their copyright, and I'd hate to see our entire fandom targeted because of this") to the... rather less reasonable ("I agree with all the above that oppose you mr. Mander...Philandering corporate Donkey!"). There's also a comment from the previous owner of the archive, who cites financial hardship for selling the site. Various fans are butthurt and go on about the "purity" of fandom and how it's a "gift", and that they totally would have donated giant piles of money to the site if the owner had just asked.

The second post on the site's front page contains more of the same, with more replies from Keith Mander, which contain a fair mixture of corporate BS and sincerity:
http://www.lotrfanfiction.com/news.php?action=newsstory&nid=101

There's a rather revealing interview on Mander's website which, admittedly, makes him look rather like a "Philandering corporate Donkey":
http://midascode.co.uk/blog/website-purchase-review-of-just-poohcom-with-keith-mander/

And a couple fan reactions from other places:
http://esteliel.livejournal.com/428988.html
http://life-wo-fanlib.livejournal.com/76732.html

I personally am hoping that this will turn into a giant Fanlib-esque debacle, but I'm not sure if it has the momentum to do so. Only time will tell.

Anyone want to do a write-up?

	(Anonymous) 2011-07-01 04:34 am UTC (link)
	Grow, rather. Why are the typos always in the first sentence? (Reply to this)(Parent)

	(Anonymous) 2011-07-01 08:19 am UTC (link)
	I rather like 'Philandering Corporate Donkey' as an insult ... but do you suppose they know what 'philandering' is? (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	(Anonymous) 2011-07-01 04:39 pm UTC (link)
	I'm guessing they don't, but it certainly does roll off the tongue quite nicely. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	qem_chibati 2011-07-03 01:08 am UTC (link)
	Oh! Me! I would like to post to clairvoyant. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	qem_chibati 2011-07-03 01:18 am UTC (link)
	Posted here. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	PsIQPOmgCZ (Anonymous) 2011-09-29 12:29 pm UTC (link)
	TWxXGv Fresh thoughts, fresh view on the subject..! (Reply to this)(Parent)

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