Fanfic!

[Jenica Sabiny]

I don't really read much anymore, but while I did MAN was I addicted. Julen and Uluki have both mentioned reading some, so if it turns out to be just the three of us ladies then at least we're nerds together!

But of note: sorry ladies, I'm not a slash fan

What shows did you enjoy reading stories for and do you have any favorite authors that you kept/keep up with?

I'll be the queen nerd here and start:

I only read fanfiction for TV shows. No movies and no books and no book series. For some reason those just don't appeal to me...

Highlander (the show, not the movie) always drew my attention the most for fanfic. One of the best authors I've found in all my years of reading it:

Sylvia A. Volk

http://members.shaw.ca/sylviavolk/

The page has a few different authors, but Volk's work, to me, is flat-out amazing. "Millenium" and "Living Water" were just like wtf omg to me. My only complaint is that she started taking the storyline in a direction that I didn't much care for, but her writing is still amazing to me.

There's a couple of other series that I keep up with (or kept up with), but let's start small at first

[Julen]

For a couple of years, I was really into a British band called Placebo. I belonged to several fanfic boards related to them (20th Century Boys, Bitter Pill, and Access All Areas). Sadly, none of those boards are still in existance, so I can't provide any links, but there were some very talented writers. Most of us eventually moved on to writing our own original fiction.

If someone knows where I can find some good Josh Groban fanfic, I will be eternally in your debt. The few things I've discovered so far are nauseatingly Mary Sue. Really, the only thing worse than Mary Sue fics written by twelve-year-old girls are Mary Sue fics written by forty-year-old-women. Yeesh!

For some reason, I don't find fanfic based on movies/TV/books to be as interesting -- maybe because so much more is already established by the original creator. But I will admit to having peeked at a few fanfic related to the following:

Pirates of the Carribean. (Orlando Bloom and Johnny Depp. Dressed as pirates. Need I say more?)

Firefly. (Mostly just curious to see if anyone was really writing it. Mal/Jayne pairings? Are people INSANE?)

Harry Potter. (I want to see Neville get some. Is that so wrong?)

X-Men. (Never read the comics. But after seeing the second movie, I totally fell in love with Nightcrawler.)

[Jenica Sabiny]

Now would that be fanfic based on the songs by the artist? Featuring the artist themself? I can honestly say I wasn't aware that kind of fanfic existed.

The thing about fanfic based on actual TV shows/movies/books is that if the person writing it doesn't understand the psychology of the character they're trying to write for it fails instantly. There are ingrained limitations (and sexual orientations) of a character that need to be respected and I hate hate HATE it when someone tries to totally rewrite the character to fit their idea.

The only show I've ever kept up with that I absolutely refused to read fanfic of any kind for is Farscape. That show was awesome all by itself and for some reason I honestly hated that people wrote fanfiction for it. Why? WHY? The main character went through so much that he was literally insane by the end of the show's run. What more could you ask for?!

[Kutlin]

I'm totally retarded and have no clue what you guys are talking about.
And here I thought I was in deep in my nerdness.

[Julen]

Now would that be fanfic based on the songs by the artist? Featuring the artist themself? I can honestly say I wasn't aware that kind of fanfic existed.

Band fanfic uses the members of the band as characters in stories. I like it for a few reasons. One, I'm really inspired by music I like, and it's fun to get to use that inspiration in a really direct way. Two, I tend to get huge crushes on musicians whose work I admire, so it's nice to work out some romantic tension. And three, I think it's a bit less limiting than fanfic based on the work of other authors. It seems kind of weird that this is true, but you usually know less about an actual musician than you do about the main character in a novel.

Of course, there's the whole debate about the ethics of RPS (Real Person Slash). Is harmful to write things that almost certainly aren't true about someone who actually exists? Is it slander? My general feeling is that most musicians probably have better things to do than read fanfic written about them, and their lives are going to be very hard if they don't have more sense than to get offended by it. And it's arguable that Placebo are real people anyway.

[Julen]

I'm totally retarded and have no clue what you guys are talking about.
And here I thought I was in deep in my nerdness.

Fanfic is when people write stories based on characters or settings that they didn't create. For instance, if I was to write a story featuring Harry Potter, that would be fanfic. If Harry was getting it on with Ron, that would be slash. (Slash is gay fanfiction, named after the "/" used to describe pairings. In my example, it would be Harry/Ron.)

A "Mary Sue" fic is one where the author has created a character to serve as a stand-in for herself. And this character is a genuis, beauty queen, athletic champion, and the focus of every male's desire. In short, pathetic wish fulfillment.

Don't feel bad about not knowing. The first time I heard the term "slash", I thought they were talking about stories where people got cut.

[Kutlin]

Lol, as for the slash, I was thinking the same thing.
The Mary Sue I have been introduced to, when I first started writing I was told definately not to make a Mary Sue.
Fanfic huh? Pretty Nifty..
And Julen...your a girl?
I get confused...At first I take avatars and names as true signs of gender...Again, forgive me for ignorance.

[Julen]

And Julen...your a girl?
I get confused...At first I take avatars and names as true signs of gender...Again, forgive me for ignorance.

Yeah, I'm a girl. But no need to apologize. I've made the same mistake -- back when I first joined, I was convinced that Blood Ravenous was a guy. Anyway, the fact that you thought I was a guy reassures me that Julen (the character) isn't coming across like too much of a chick. I worry about that sometimes.

[Jenica Sabiny]

Well sometimes Rosemary is a bit more butch...



Just kidding. I heart Julen as a character. I find him very relatable.

Also, a Mary Sue character isn't inherently bad, just overdone. The idea of a strong woman character is appealing, but the idea of this female having no setbacks or inherent weaknesses and handling every situation with practised ease is boring. Women aren't superheroes just because they're women, and I for one get very very frustrated with this whole "kick-ass female warrior rawr" trend that's been going on with media and stories.

Xena and La Femme Nikita aside, that is

[Kutlin]

Nah, he doesn't come off as a chick. You play a very good guy lol.
Wow okay maybe came off a bit wierd... Your a very good writer, keep it up.

[Julen]

Well sometimes Rosemary is a bit more butch...

I think we can all agree that Rosemary could probably kick Julen's ass.

And you make a good point about Mary Sue. There's nothing wrong with a protagonist who's smart, strong, and attractive. But any character -- male or female -- who has no flaws is boring to read about.

And thanks to you both for the kind words about Julen.

[Blood Ravenous]

Uh oh, does that mean Ryxa and/or Asiona act like guys? I always think its the other way around, where I don't know how to play guys. (o_o)

Hehe, but yeah, I read fanfictions sometimes. For the most part I hate them with a passion because people just get ideas and instead of using their own characters they use already established characters and twist them around. (I HATE HP fanfic, because I have started to read out of curiousity and it is just awful... There was one where Ron and Voldemort were doing it! WHAT? At least make sense plot-wise and character-wise! It's not just HP, but HP is notorious for it in my mind.)

Mostly I just read fanfics for manga...Not sure why nothing else. I haven't wanted to read them for movies or novels, just manga. Probably because there are a lot of places that manga doesn't explore that is hinted at. Like, if anyone has ever read Saiyuki, that manga is so chock full of sexual-but-not things it drives me nuts. She always draws the characters in sexy poses for covers, etc, but then during the actual plot there's no sex or hints of it.

</rant>

[Julen]

Uh oh, does that mean Ryxa and/or Asiona act like guys? I always think its the other way around, where I don't know how to play guys. (o_o)

When I first joined, you were mostly writing Coinneach -- you were doing that thread with the lady who has visions. He seemed very male, so I just assumed you were. And you have to admit that Ryxa has some very "masculine" qualities, although she's a completely believable female. It wasn't until sometime later that you brought Asiona back. She's a VERY "girly" character. If I hadn't already realized you were a girl by that point, I would have been very impressed that a guy could write a young woman so convincingly.

Although I like some anime and manga, I just can't get into fanfics based on them. No matter how skillfully they're written, I still see the characters as cartoons running around in my head...

[Frug]

Ryxa's hot! You watch your mouth!

[Metarie]

I've written a few My writing, I think, has improved since I began those.

Not sure where to share them, though. Some were intentionally erotic in nature. A bit tame I am sure by some standards, but I did enjoy writing them. Happy to PM if you would like to read. If I can find them.