The Middle Distance

Thank you for the link to Tolkien Fan Fiction; it's a beautifully designed site, and I love the idea of a place that does not over-insist on the distinction between slash and gen. I hadn't heard of TFF before (like everyone and her sister I'm on the HA mailing list and am archived at HASA, but must admit that I haven't kept track of doings at either place for a very long time, apart from popping into HASA now and again to review stories).

Um, I have a curiousity question: I call it that to wave a big flag that says "harmless! harmless!" and to distinguish my question from the sort of question people ask when they intend to start fulminating at some point. I haven't followed the HA list for almost a year, but when I did follow it, HASA itself was more or less HAs archive. Membership in the two was distinct but, well, "Henneth Annun Story Archive" and all that. Um, do you know the reason why TFF seemed necessary to the folks who founded it -- what its distinct mission is that HASA does not fulfill? Oy: even asking the question feels like dipping my toe into a gigantic heaving sea of controversy that I know nothing whatsoever about, but, well, I'm curious, and the FAQ file and rules on the site didn't seem very enlightening on this point.