*grumble* Fanfiction.net *grumble*

[wyntir_knight]

The powers that be over at Fanfiction.net have amused themselves by removing all scene markers in all the fics -- the only exceptions are the "sanctioned" breaks, meaning those heavy lines that you can put in. I really hate those heavy lines. I mean, what published work uses those things? And here's the thing ... you can put your section breaks back in just like you had them before (be they x-x-x or oOoOoOo or whatever), but when they upgrade the system again, you'll lose them again. And really, I wouldn't mind so much if they allowed for a bunch of spaces between scenes, but I've never been able to get that to work. FFNet insists on "fixing" the extra spaces.

Now I get the joy of going in and replacing all of those scene markers ... This is going to be a bitch for my WIPs and I have to admit, that this is pushing me one step closer to just abandoning the site and just posting on LJ and over at TransFictions. *grumble*



March 22nd, 2008 -- Summary of upgrades/notes since the last update:

- We have added Safari v3+ and Opera v9+ browser support for document and profile editing. We strongly advice all Apple/Mac users to upgrade to the Safari v3.1 web browser.
- Online/Doc Editor: Spell-checking and preview accuracy have been improved.
- We do not support dash or other character based section/scene markers. If you wish to create a separation in your chapter, please use the officially supported horizontal line feature in our document editor or in your favorite word program. Using unsupported section markers will only make your entries less compatible to future upgrades. You can create the horizontal lines in Microsoft Word or OpenOffice by typing 3 or 4 consecutive dash/hyphen keys and then hitting enter. The site will correctly recognize these scene breakers when you upload them.

Comments

[thelittleone]

Feh. Funny how this is making the decision to leave FF.net much easier. =\

[wyntir-rose.livejournal.com]

They're not doing themselves any favours that's for sure.

[straya.livejournal.com]

Dammit, FF.net! IMO, this is far more annoying than anything LJ's done in the last couple of months. Ungh.

[wyntir-rose.livejournal.com]

Yup, I'm feeling the same way ... I just don't get the point of this, I really don't.

[lilyoftheval5.livejournal.com]

I really wish they would stop turning people off. It used to be so convenient to just go there and get a quick intro on a new fandom or an update of an old one. After the NC-17 ban things just started to erode..... And every time I went to check some older stories, authors disappeared in the vastness called the Net.
Why are people so self-destructive these days?!

[wyntir-rose.livejournal.com]

I hve no clue. It's not like FFNet has the only sandbox either, so do they really think that people will stick around if they keep fiddling with the system?

I know that I've written them an email - not that I think it'll do any good. If I don't hear back about it (even an acknowledgement of receipt would be nice) I'm going to start pulling some of my fics.

[lstarrunner.livejournal.com]

Huh.

I wonder how the new wonderful system recognizes the verboten homemade breaks, 'cause *looks around conspiratorially* it hasn't stripped mine yet.

Ya didn't hear it from me.

Now, watch, tomorrow they'll get around to 'upgrading' my ficcage. Not that I think it needs an upgrade, and not that anybody asked me if they could change it... huh. It did introduce some wonky italics in a chapter of my main storyline that I must go fix now BECAUSE IT ATE SWOOP'S CRESTED SMILEY. Aaauughh! I worked hard to get that in the fic-bit, too. *grumble*

[wyntir-rose.livejournal.com]

I think that they're just stripping the ones that their coders have thought of. The more exotic ones haven't been hit yet. ... But you know, I have visions of them stripping valid words in their zeal .. "Oooooh!", for instance ...

[lstarrunner.livejournal.com]

Yeah, all those not-words that are so very important when writing, shall we say, significant interaction. *makes suggestive eye movements*

You know, mine are scene changes about half the time, the other half, they are merely point-of-view shifts, just a hint to the reader that the camera angle is changing and the narrator is someone new. I just don't feel that a horizontal rule really gets one's attention as much; I know when I'm engrossed in a story, a mere line isn't even going to register, no more than a bit of dirt on the screen.

I need to go check every fic bit that uses my radio-speak marker, don't I? *grumble grumble*

Thank you for pointing this out, so I know to be watchful over there.

[wyntir-rose.livejournal.com]

I hope your fics haven't been turned too dog's breakfasty.

[lstarrunner.livejournal.com]

So far, so good. *knocks on wood*

Yours?

[wyntir-rose.livejournal.com]

It's not too bad. A lot of my early stuff used the Arabic five pointed star symbol, and FFNet hasn't touched those yet. All of my x-x-x's are gone, but I didn't have too many of those in my short fics.