FEF Member Directory
Join FEF
FEF was founded on
4 April 2001.
What Is FEF? | Freedom of Expression in Fanfiction
Purpose:
FEF provides fanfic fans with a means to show their support for other authors/archivists/etc. by displaying a button on their website.
What FEF stands for:
FEF and its supporters recognize the right of all fanfic authors to write what they want. Flames and nastiness because of genre, pairing, fandom, etc. are detrimental to the fanfic community and do nothing but discourage authors. (Please note that I do not consider constructive criticism a flame. Constructive criticism is essential to good fanfiction. There was a bit of confusion earlier about this, and it was my fault.) FEF wants to encourage fanfic fans to promote a friendly environment. That principle includes adult fanfiction, erotic themes, slash, and unconventional relationships when writers and archives provide clear ratings and content warnings.
Why I started FEF:
It is my personal belief that writers should be able to write whatever they want, be it het, slash, chanslash, Mary Sues, whatever. If I don't want to read it, I'll just skip over it. I also believe that archivists have the right to archive whatever they choose. No archivist should be slammed for not taking smut, or slash, or anything else. I've seen the atmosphere in several fandoms sour because of intolerance of someone else's kinks, and I was disappointed. One person's kink will always be someone else's squick, and that's okay. Everyone has their own opinions. I also think that everyone has the right to express their opinions, but IMO, there are better ways to do it than with flames.
As a personal example, I read and write in the X-Men fandom. I like most pairings, but I do not care for Logan/Rogue romances. That's my squick, and I'm okay with that. I usually just delete any story with that pairing. I don't read it and flame the author for writing L/R fic, and I expect to be able to write Logan/Jean fanfic and be given the same courtesy. This is the attitude I want to promote with FEF: tolerance.
I know that FEF won't stop flamers from blasting anyone because of pairing, etc.; nothing can do that. I just want to provide fans that share my opinions with an opportunity to show their support for fellow fans.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact PhoenixFyre.