And would it be unethical to post it to the archive without the original author's knowledge or permission, given that no one seems to know who AY is/was?
In my opinion, yes. I would have a hissy fit if someone posted one of my stories somewhere without my permission. I know this for a fact, because it's happened, and I did
. I don't mind if people link to them, but re-posting is a big, big no-no with me. And if I take them down completely, it's because I
want them down.
People come and go in fandom. That's just kind of the way it is. I think they should really have the right to take their stories with them when they go, if that's what they choose to do. It's a shame when it's a great story that has made an impact on the fandom, but there are various reasons why an author might not want his or her work to remain on the web, and I think that as a community of writers, we should respect that.
Just my .02
Caroline
