Alfandria: Difference between revisions
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===Creation of alt.fan.dragons=== |
===Creation of alt.fan.dragons=== |
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The alt.fan.dragons newsgroup was established on December 1st, 1993 by |
The alt.fan.dragons newsgroup was established on December 1st, 1993 by Existing Phantom as a place to discuss dragons more generally. Phantom was "a starving dragon fan in a dragonless internet", and posted to Usenet asking if any others were interested in creating a group.<ref name=":0">{{Citation|title=The early history of AFD, as present by ExistingPhantom|author=ExistingPhantom|url=http://www.dragonfire.org/AfdEarlyHistory.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120130041751/http://www.dragonfire.org/AfdEarlyHistory.html}}</ref> In the proposal for the creation of the group, its intended uses included discussing ideas about dragons and depictions of dragons in fiction, and sharing art and creative writing related to dragons. It was created under the alt.fan.* namespace, which represented fan communities.<ref>{{Citation|title=Proposal / Request For Discussion - New Newsgroup ALT.FAN.DRAGONS|author=ExistingPhantom|url=http://www.dragonfire.org/files/text/AFDCharter.txt|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120130041810/http://www.dragonfire.org/files/text/AFDCharter.txt}}</ref> |
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People who identified as dragons began to appear somewhere between September and November of 1994. Phantom names Blackburn as one of the first people to self-describe as such. He initially tried to stem the posts about dragon identity, because he was concerned it would put off other posters. Eventually, he stopped when he realized the group was more popular than ever before.<ref name=":0" /> Jenna Hegler states that over 160 self-identified dragons revealed themselves to the newsgroup in the months after Blackburn's introduction.<ref>{{Citation|title=When I joined the newsgroup in September, that was indeed what the newsgroup was, for humans dicussing aspects of dragons...|author=Jenna Hegler|date=March 6th, 1995|url=https://groups.google.com/g/alt.fan.dragons/c/Ea0c6cpHDXo/m/xz-bd6DNptcJ}}</ref> |
People who identified as dragons began to appear somewhere between September and November of 1994. Phantom names Blackburn as one of the first people to self-describe as such. He initially tried to stem the posts about dragon identity, because he was concerned it would put off other posters. Eventually, he stopped when he realized the group was more popular than ever before.<ref name=":0" /> Jenna Hegler states that over 160 self-identified dragons revealed themselves to the newsgroup in the months after Blackburn's introduction.<ref>{{Citation|title=When I joined the newsgroup in September, that was indeed what the newsgroup was, for humans dicussing aspects of dragons...|author=Jenna Hegler|date=March 6th, 1995|url=https://groups.google.com/g/alt.fan.dragons/c/Ea0c6cpHDXo/m/xz-bd6DNptcJ}}</ref> |
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As the number of dragons grew, some members jokingly began to refer to the phenomenon as the "dominance of dragons".<ref>{{Citation|title=My turn to say hello|author=Various|date=January 8th, 1995|url=https://groups.google.com/g/alt.fan.dragons/c/McvoHQmawKQ/m/RS9cw0L-oQIJ}}</ref> The phrase began to be used, capitalized, as a proper name for the group, and was soon shortened to simply "the Dominance".<ref>{{Citation|title=Falado greets newfound fellow dragons!|author=Various|date=January 9th, 1995|url=https://groups.google.com/g/alt.fan.dragons/c/xUV1Aq4a6-g/m/KqQLbxWim08J}}</ref> |
As the number of dragons grew, some members jokingly began to refer to the phenomenon as the "dominance of dragons".<ref>{{Citation|title=My turn to say hello|author=Various|date=January 8th, 1995|url=https://groups.google.com/g/alt.fan.dragons/c/McvoHQmawKQ/m/RS9cw0L-oQIJ}}</ref> The phrase began to be used, capitalized, as a proper name for the group, and was soon shortened to simply "the Dominance".<ref>{{Citation|title=Falado greets newfound fellow dragons!|author=Various|date=January 9th, 1995|url=https://groups.google.com/g/alt.fan.dragons/c/xUV1Aq4a6-g/m/KqQLbxWim08J}}</ref> |
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Later a member derived the name 'Alfandria' from the newgroup's name, and it quickly became the predominant name used.<ref name=":0" /> The name was also given to communities on other platforms which served the same members. |
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===Creation of other spaces=== |
===Creation of other spaces=== |
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Dalvenjah FoxFire, founder of the DALnet IRC network, was also a regular of alt.fan.dragons. In 1995, he created the #afd channel.<ref>{{Citation|title=30 years...|username=Miravlix|date=April 16th, 2023|url=https://groups.google.com/g/alt.fan.dragons/c/843Gm0jQ6R4/m/W5fjVO-hBgAJ}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|title=Build it and They Will Come...So Come Already.|username=Draconis The Lord Dragon|date=Feb 13th, 1995|url=https://groups.google.com/g/alt.fan.dragons/c/XZefdyvdjBI/m/-GAWg_lC3FkJ}}</ref> As a result of technical issues caused by malicious users, the channel was recreated on the SorceryNet network in 2003.<ref>{{Citation|title=Notice|author=Lonita|date=January 9th, 2003|url=https://alfandria.livejournal.com/24354.html}}</ref> |
Dalvenjah FoxFire, founder of the DALnet IRC network, was also a regular of alt.fan.dragons. In 1995, he created the #afd channel.<ref>{{Citation|title=30 years...|username=Miravlix|date=April 16th, 2023|url=https://groups.google.com/g/alt.fan.dragons/c/843Gm0jQ6R4/m/W5fjVO-hBgAJ}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|title=Build it and They Will Come...So Come Already.|username=Draconis The Lord Dragon|date=Feb 13th, 1995|url=https://groups.google.com/g/alt.fan.dragons/c/XZefdyvdjBI/m/-GAWg_lC3FkJ}}</ref> As a result of technical issues caused by malicious users, the channel was recreated on the SorceryNet network in 2003.<ref>{{Citation|title=Notice|author=Lonita|date=January 9th, 2003|url=https://alfandria.livejournal.com/24354.html}}</ref> |
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an ftp site<ref name=":1">{{Citation|title=Alt.Fan.Dragons Frequently Asked Questions|url=http://www.dragonfire.org/IndexFAQ.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120130041756/http://www.dragonfire.org/IndexFAQ.html}}</ref> |
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In 2001, a Livejournal community was created for the group.<ref>{{Citation|title=First post, welcome and all that...|author=Banrai|date=August 3rd, 2001|url=https://alfandria.livejournal.com/263.html}}</ref> This community was used to organized in-person meetups in the mid 2000s.<ref>{{Citation|title=London, UK March Gather|author=Tal|date=February 12th, 2006|url=https://alfandria.livejournal.com/52055.html}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|title=FC 2006 Dragon Gather|author=ExistingPhantom|date=December 23rd, 2005|url=https://alfandria.livejournal.com/51609.html}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|title=UK August Gather poll!|author=Tal|date=June 7th, 2007|url=https://alfandria.livejournal.com/54425.html}}</ref> |
In 2001, a Livejournal community was created for the group.<ref>{{Citation|title=First post, welcome and all that...|author=Banrai|date=August 3rd, 2001|url=https://alfandria.livejournal.com/263.html}}</ref> This community was used to organized in-person meetups in the mid 2000s.<ref>{{Citation|title=London, UK March Gather|author=Tal|date=February 12th, 2006|url=https://alfandria.livejournal.com/52055.html}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|title=FC 2006 Dragon Gather|author=ExistingPhantom|date=December 23rd, 2005|url=https://alfandria.livejournal.com/51609.html}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|title=UK August Gather poll!|author=Tal|date=June 7th, 2007|url=https://alfandria.livejournal.com/54425.html}}</ref> |
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| ⚫ | A MUCK was also created; the website appears to still be active.<ref>{{Citation|title=alfandria.net|url=https://alfandria.net/}}</ref> It was noted as being reasonably active as lately as 2013.<ref>{{Citation|title=Just another day in the Alfandria clearing|author=Arcturax|date=July 7th, 2013|url=https://alfandria.livejournal.com/65097.html}}</ref> |
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(other places probably were too, but that's what i've got sources for so far) |
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===Book project=== |
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===Book project===<!-- not sure where the best place in the article is for this, but it seemed like a pretty big deal --> |
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As poetry and art were posted to the newsgroup, Quelonzia and Existing Phantom began a project to publish an anthology of members' works. The proposed title was ''Soaring Heart and Soul: The Stories and Poems of Dragons''. Significant progress was made, progressing to the point of discussing publishing, paying contributors and copyright registration. A user named Walkfar offered to bring the manuscript to a publisher's convention in August of 1996.<ref name=":2">{{Citation|title=AFD Publication Project Update|author=Quelonzia|url=http://www.dragonfire.org/~lonzia/afdbook.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/19990202212636/http://www.dragonfire.org/~lonzia/afdbook.html}}</ref> |
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However, the project was stated as being 'on hold' in 1999, seemingly related to the unauthorized republishing of contributors' works.<ref>{{Citation|title=Dragon Poetry and Story Book Project.|url=http://www.dragonfire.org:80/afdbook/afdbook.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/19990423205746/http://www.dragonfire.org:80/afdbook/afdbook.html}}</ref> |
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was to be called "soaring heart and soul: the stories and poems of dragons"<ref name=":2" /> |
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significant progress was made |
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publishing, paying contributors and copyright registration was being discussed<ref name=":2" /> |
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book was even going to be taken to a publisher's convention<ref name=":2" /> |
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stated as being 'on hold' in 1999, seemingly related to the unauthorized republishing of contributors' works<ref>{{Citation|title=Dragon Poetry and Story Book Project.|url=http://www.dragonfire.org:80/afdbook/afdbook.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/19990423205746/http://www.dragonfire.org:80/afdbook/afdbook.html}}</ref> |
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==Culture== |
==Culture== |
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Elder members of alt.fan.dragons are called 'old fruits', and newer members are called 'young nuts'. A person was typically considered to become an old fruit one year after their first post, so the anniversary of that post is known as their 'fruiting day'. Karenji remarks in ''Draconic Dictionary'' that some people were 'early fruiters' or 'insta-fruiters' - they fit in so well with the group's culture that it was as if they had always been a member.<ref>{{Citation|title=Draconic Dictionary|author=Karenji|url=https://www.labyrinth.net.au/~gsj/Karenji/Drakkydictionary.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20191220012544/https://www.labyrinth.net.au/~gsj/Karenji/Drakkydictionary.html}}</ref> |
Elder members of alt.fan.dragons are called 'old fruits', and newer members are called 'young nuts'. A person was typically considered to become an old fruit one year after their first post, so the anniversary of that post is known as their 'fruiting day'. Karenji remarks in ''Draconic Dictionary'' that some people were 'early fruiters' or 'insta-fruiters' - they fit in so well with the group's culture that it was as if they had always been a member.<ref>{{Citation|title=Draconic Dictionary|author=Karenji|url=https://www.labyrinth.net.au/~gsj/Karenji/Drakkydictionary.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20191220012544/https://www.labyrinth.net.au/~gsj/Karenji/Drakkydictionary.html}}</ref> |
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Many newsgroup members utilize the Dragon Code in their post signatures. The code was created by Baxil as a means of condensing information about one's draconic form into a series of letters and symbols to save space.<ref>{{Citation|title=The Official Dragon Code Page|author=Baxil|date=June 3rd, 1997|url=https://www.tomorrowlands.org/draconity/oldcode.html}}</ref> Responsibility for maintaining and providing information about the code was transferred to Wyrm on July 20th, 1998.<ref>{{Citation|title=It's official|author=Baxil|date=July 20th, 1998|url=https://www.tomorrowlands.org/draconity/dragoncode.html}}</ref> |
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dragon code! |
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stuff abt the relationship between people who actually identified as dragons in ways we would consider otherkin-ish vs other people who were fans or roleplayers or whatever |
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people engaged in roleplay regardless of identity, and it was accepted even in serious conversations<ref>{{Citation|title=Anti-Human Sentiment at AFD [was Re: Second Posting]|author=various|date=December 27th, 1997|url=https://groups.google.com/g/alt.fan.dragons/c/nTDVeT9d9jk/m/RQTYT7JTmWoJ}}</ref> |
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==References== |
==References== |
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Revision as of 16:37, 15 September 2023
Alfandria is the name given to the community which formed around the Usenet newsgroup alt.fan.dragons. It is considered the origin of the draconic community. After the newsgroup, the members also founded a MUCK, an IRC channel, a livejournal community, and a hub website. Most of these spaces still operate today.
History
Creation of alt.fan.dragons
The alt.fan.dragons newsgroup was established on December 1st, 1993 by Existing Phantom as a place to discuss dragons more generally. Phantom was "a starving dragon fan in a dragonless internet", and posted to Usenet asking if any others were interested in creating a group.[1] In the proposal for the creation of the group, its intended uses included discussing ideas about dragons and depictions of dragons in fiction, and sharing art and creative writing related to dragons. It was created under the alt.fan.* namespace, which represented fan communities.[2]
People who identified as dragons began to appear somewhere between September and November of 1994. Phantom names Blackburn as one of the first people to self-describe as such. He initially tried to stem the posts about dragon identity, because he was concerned it would put off other posters. Eventually, he stopped when he realized the group was more popular than ever before.[1] Jenna Hegler states that over 160 self-identified dragons revealed themselves to the newsgroup in the months after Blackburn's introduction.[3]
As the number of dragons grew, some members jokingly began to refer to the phenomenon as the "dominance of dragons".[4] The phrase began to be used, capitalized, as a proper name for the group, and was soon shortened to simply "the Dominance".[5]
Later a member derived the name 'Alfandria' from the newgroup's name, and it quickly became the predominant name used.[1] The name was also given to communities on other platforms which served the same members.
Creation of other spaces
Dalvenjah FoxFire, founder of the DALnet IRC network, was also a regular of alt.fan.dragons. In 1995, he created the #afd channel.[6][7] As a result of technical issues caused by malicious users, the channel was recreated on the SorceryNet network in 2003.[8]
In 2001, a Livejournal community was created for the group.[9] This community was used to organized in-person meetups in the mid 2000s.[10][11][12]
A MUCK was also created; the website appears to still be active.[13] It was noted as being reasonably active as lately as 2013.[14]
Book project
As poetry and art were posted to the newsgroup, Quelonzia and Existing Phantom began a project to publish an anthology of members' works. The proposed title was Soaring Heart and Soul: The Stories and Poems of Dragons. Significant progress was made, progressing to the point of discussing publishing, paying contributors and copyright registration. A user named Walkfar offered to bring the manuscript to a publisher's convention in August of 1996.[15]
However, the project was stated as being 'on hold' in 1999, seemingly related to the unauthorized republishing of contributors' works.[16]
Culture
Alfandria has developed a rich culture and extensive body of jargon over its history.
Elder members of alt.fan.dragons are called 'old fruits', and newer members are called 'young nuts'. A person was typically considered to become an old fruit one year after their first post, so the anniversary of that post is known as their 'fruiting day'. Karenji remarks in Draconic Dictionary that some people were 'early fruiters' or 'insta-fruiters' - they fit in so well with the group's culture that it was as if they had always been a member.[17]
Many newsgroup members utilize the Dragon Code in their post signatures. The code was created by Baxil as a means of condensing information about one's draconic form into a series of letters and symbols to save space.[18] Responsibility for maintaining and providing information about the code was transferred to Wyrm on July 20th, 1998.[19]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 ExistingPhantom. "The early history of AFD, as present by ExistingPhantom" (Archived version)
- ↑ ExistingPhantom. "Proposal / Request For Discussion - New Newsgroup ALT.FAN.DRAGONS" (Archived version)
- ↑ Jenna Hegler. (March 6th, 1995) "When I joined the newsgroup in September, that was indeed what the newsgroup was, for humans dicussing aspects of dragons..."
- ↑ Various. (January 8th, 1995) "My turn to say hello"
- ↑ Various. (January 9th, 1995) "Falado greets newfound fellow dragons!"
- ↑ Miravlix. (April 16th, 2023) "30 years..."
- ↑ Draconis The Lord Dragon. (Feb 13th, 1995) "Build it and They Will Come...So Come Already."
- ↑ Lonita. (January 9th, 2003) "Notice"
- ↑ Banrai. (August 3rd, 2001) "First post, welcome and all that..."
- ↑ Tal. (February 12th, 2006) "London, UK March Gather"
- ↑ ExistingPhantom. (December 23rd, 2005) "FC 2006 Dragon Gather"
- ↑ Tal. (June 7th, 2007) "UK August Gather poll!"
- ↑ "alfandria.net"
- ↑ Arcturax. (July 7th, 2013) "Just another day in the Alfandria clearing"
- ↑ Quelonzia. "AFD Publication Project Update" (Archived version)
- ↑ "Dragon Poetry and Story Book Project." (Archived version)
- ↑ Karenji. "Draconic Dictionary" (Archived version)
- ↑ Baxil. (June 3rd, 1997) "The Official Dragon Code Page"
- ↑ Baxil. (July 20th, 1998) "It's official"