oh yeah, so much this! you're a smart person, really, to take the precaution, as permanently losing access to the good stuff burns. there is lots of older fic that's just vanished into the ether, and while I'd love to revisit it, it's just gone.
I began downloading the occasional story I really liked from AO3 when that first became an option ages ago, and when I started reading hockey fic started snagging just about everything I liked enough to rec. I try to do that every few weeks at least, so something won't vanish on me. though somehow I once missed a really great magical realism/pirate AU and the author pulled it - I didn't discover that until a friend wanted to reread it and knowing I was pretty compulsive about saving stories asked me when she discovered it had vanished from the archive. and of course that was the one story I *didn't* have. I'd really like to reread it too.
no subject
I began downloading the occasional story I really liked from AO3 when that first became an option ages ago, and when I started reading hockey fic started snagging just about everything I liked enough to rec. I try to do that every few weeks at least, so something won't vanish on me. though somehow I once missed a really great magical realism/pirate AU and the author pulled it - I didn't discover that until a friend wanted to reread it and knowing I was pretty compulsive about saving stories asked me when she discovered it had vanished from the archive. and of course that was the one story I *didn't* have. I'd really like to reread it too.