Most of you don't know me except for a few blog comments and sorry to say even fewer story comments.

Erin's appeal for donations got me to thinking. The first paragraph (in part) "…annual server contract for four of the BC/SD/TGF servers is coming due. These servers run BC, Stardust, TGFiction.Net, CrystalHall, qnez, TGLibrary, StorySite and a dozen other TG and TG friendly websites…." got my attention.

I got out of computers after the transition to mini computers and before servers. Dial up to BBS was the big thing then. I try to keep current with PCs and enjoy the internet but never bothered to learn modern languages, website fundamentals, etc. I always preferred COBOL, FORTRAN, RPG, Basic and various Assemblers. I put up with Windows but would prefer Linux if the software I use was available.

Due to the cumulative effects of previous accidents and other problems I’m on disability and spend a lot of time reading, watching anime and watching movies online.

For these reasons, I’m only vaguely aware of the problems hosting and maintaining websites Erin and crew face.

I have a bunch of favorite authors and stories from here and other places around the internet that I enjoyed enough to save either to my Calibre Library or just HTML files to reread later. There seems to be a lot of stuff from our current crop of authors that are only on alternate sites and it would be wonderful if they could post them here with their other stuff.

I know we can't raid other sites but the original author might be able to post their early work here. I don't know if there is exclusivity or not.

Now I know it would be unreasonable to post Whateley stories here when they have their own website but it seems that more websites are on shaky ground these days and some stories exist only on these websites. Some from authors that no longer write TG fiction or are no longer with us. It would be a shame if the works of some of the pioneers of TG fiction disappeared into the bit bucket.

I'll admit that some early stories may not be the best the authors have written but some are hidden gems. Not all stories here or on other sites are to my taste because I like stories/manga/anime genre (comedy, dark comedy, demons, fantasy, horror, magic, magical girl, mecha, military, school, science fiction, space, steampunk, supernatural, vampires and some Yuri). I can stand a little harem if it’s not too silly. I’ll try others just to be sure I’m not missing anything. I don’t mind 2-300,000 word book length stories.

It would take some time to list all the categories here and elsewhere but some of my favorites are Caregivers by E.E.Nalley, Heaven and Hell by Maggie Finson, GabyVerse by Maddy Bell, Julie-verse by Julie O, S.P.A. Universe by Karen Page, Bikini Beach by Elrod W, Spells 'R' Us by Bill Hart, The Center by Lilith Langtree, Whateley Academy by Maggie Finson, et al, Erinyes By Bek D. Corbin and Jordan Winters Adventures By Bek D. Corbin.

All five books of The Unofficial Biography of Kimmay By G.L. Hudson

All The Fury Saga/And All My Dreams Torn Asunder By Darkside

All three books of Araya's Hope By Prudence Walker

Maidens Curse By Prudence Walker

The Teg Legacy By Prudence Walker

Carversion By Prudence Walker

Just about anything By Prudence Walker

The NicBrig Chronicles Connie and Seanna By Armond

Found in Translation By Armond

Asor esse Rosa By Armond

To Make A Frittata, You Have To Break Some Eggs By Armond

Just about anything By Armond

Zapped By Bob Arnold

The Serendipity Of Freedom By Lisa Caitlin Grey

The Alien Within or Holy Crap, There's An Alien In My Bed! By Lorraine Bank

Pioneers By Lorraine Bank

The Dragon's Staff of the Master Druid By Lorraine Bank

Revenge of the Mommies By Lorraine Bank (Just for grins)

Just about anything By Lorraine Bank

Just about anything By Bek D. Corbin

Just about anything By Maggie Finson

Just about anything By Morpheus

8 Dragons Book One The Distance Between Yes and No By Rebekkah deMere

8 Dragons Book Two Though Calm May Prevail Under Heaven By Rebekkah deMere

8 Dragons Book Three When the Enemy Opens the Gate By Rebekkah deMere

The Songs of Ch'i Book One A Narrow Defile A Deep Ravine By Rebekkah deMere

The Songs of Ch'i Book Two The Softest of Things By Rebekkah deMere

The Songs of Ch'i Book Three The Hard Is a Brigand By Rebekkah deMere

Spent Cicada's Song Book One Village and Well By Rebekkah deMere

Spent Cicada's Song Book Two A Veil Barely Seen By Rebekkah deMere (Chapters 1-27 Available)

G11 Mistaken Identity By Sarah Bayen

G11 Planetfall By Sarah Bayen

G11 Colony By Sarah Bayen

SPACETRAN By Beverly Taff (I haven't read the new edit but I read and enjoyed the original several times.)

Just about anything By Angel O'Hare

Just about anything By Tyrone Slothrop

Midnight Downloads By Wendy-J

Just about anything Whateley

The problem with listing favorites is you always forget somebody and my list is not totally inclusive of authors and stories I read and/or save.

This is in no way a derogatory comment against NickiUK and I would've recommended NickiUK's stories of Nibs or Nibola Nibs Calton, the Gangrels, the Conspiracy and other adventures around the planet Darra Von. She had about dozen or so stories including interesting side stories that flesh out other Characters, Gangrel Units, Politics, places around Darra Von/Other Dimensions, maps and drawings. She has deleted/unpublished? her old versions of the stories and has started posting some new edits but there doesn't seem to be any completely pieced together. If she gets around to posting completed new versions, I would definitely recommend them because I really enjoyed them and wish I had saved them when I had a chance.

There are several on-line comics I follow and may do a marathon catchup if I hadn't read one in a while. Sometimes I start at the beginning and read then all again.

I don’t have a ready solution but thought of the old proverb “For Want of a Nail”

For want of a nail the shoe was lost.
For want of a shoe the horse was lost.
For want of a horse the rider was lost.
For want of a rider the message was lost.
For want of a message the battle was lost.
For want of a battle the kingdom was lost.
And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.

Now, some of the conspiracy sites as well as some other sites advocate being prepared for the internet to go dark or to become so restricted that it becomes unusable. Some advocate various strategies from simply carrying a USB stick with a copy of information you have to share on it to trade with someone else (sneaker net) all the way up to using software with your WiFi card to create an ad-hoc network or even a Lunch-box Server.

In summary, there seems to be a lot our reading material tied up in the servers Erin and crew provide and maintain. There are probably a lot of little things we can do to help. Some I can think of.

Don't block ads and maybe click on some once in a while (don't know how she gets paid. view, click or both). If you can aford it maybe support the sponsors if you are in the market for their product.

If your TG and other enlightened/tolerant friends don't know about the site, recommend it.

Erin may have other ideas.