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Jae:
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Seeing as how we're not showing AMG this week, I'm sure you all
thought that you'd have a much-needed respite from reading an article by
Bart and me... Well, you thought wrong! Tonight, we're here to talk about a
topic that most sane people wouldn't touch with a ten-foot pole -- namely,
fanfics.
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Bart:
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And here with us today is our special guest -- a martial artist, stud, and
fictional character, Ranma Saotome.
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Ranma:
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Hi.
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Jae:
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Now when they heard that I signed us up for an article on fanfics, half of
the members of E-board were ready to burn me at the stake.
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Bart:
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What about the other half?
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Jae:
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They were more in favor of crucifixion.
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Bart:
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And what, might I ask, is wrong with fan-fiction?
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Jae:
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Oh, not that much, besides the fact that half of them are bad continuations
of Ranma.
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Bart:
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Not to repeat myself here, but what about the other half?
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Jae:
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Well... I suppose there's some good Ranma and some Sailor
Moon, too...
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Bart:
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Well, I'll have you know that I've written a bunch of fan-fiction, and I've
never mentioned Ranma once.
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Ranma:
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And why not?
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Bart:
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*throwing a bucket of cold water on Ranma* Because I'm above cheap,
overused gags.
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Ranma:
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Hey! *pours a pot of hot water over herself*
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Jae:
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True... there are some good fanfics out there... They're just a
little hard to find at times. Well, I guess my earlier comments are
a little misleading. Fan-fiction, like its second cousin fan-art, comes in
all shapes and forms. From what I've seen, though, it all falls under two
general types: Fanfics and Shared World Stories.
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Bart:
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Well, those two types are a little broad. Fanfics can be broken into quite a
number of categories, actually.
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Ranma:
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Good Ranma and Bad Ranma, right?
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Jae:
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Hey, I just said that they're not all about Ranma.
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Ranma:
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Damn.
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Bart:
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There's self-inserts, original fics, semi-original fics, mega-crossovers,
songfics, lemons, limes, and revenge fics, to name a few.
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Ranma:
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Revenge fics?
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Bart:
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They're kind of a reverse of a self-insert... an anime character somehow
gets transported to the real world and gets back at all of the fic authors
who have been mean to him. Or her.
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Ranma:
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Cool. Any way I can take part in one of these?
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Jae:
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I think that in your case, the list would be a bit too long to handle --
even for you.
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Bart:
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Anyway, I think maybe I should point out some of the really good fics I've
read, to kinda give people a starting point. My personal favorite is one
called "Slayers Reflect"1... basically, it's a Slayers
series that continues after the movies leave off. It's also one of two fics
I've read that I'd say is definitely better than the original series.
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Jae:
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Whoa, a series that's actually better than the original? Now I'm not sure
if I've run across any of those, but I do have to admit that there are some
pretty damn good writers out there in cyberspace.
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Bart:
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The other one of these is one called "Neon Exodus Evangelion"2.
A lot of people may disagree with me on that point, because it doesn't have
Shinji in it, but all in all, it's one of the best fics I've ever seen.
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Jae:
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As for Shared World Stories, or RPGs as they're often called, they're just
that -- a set of stories by multiple authors that all take place on the same
world.
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Bart:
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Now, I doubt that a lot of people have heard of Shared World Stories...
there aren't a lot of them around.
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Jae:
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True... They aren't as noticeable as they were a few years back. Two of
the better ones that I've seen are the FFRPG3 (Final Fantasy Role
Playing Group) and the NuRPG4 (Nexus Universe blah blah blah).
Both of them have been going on for a number of years by now.
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Bart:
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Translated: I'm plugging these two because I participate in both of them.
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Jae:
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That isn't the only reason, the FFRPG was the original Shared World
Story, and the NuRPG was a child RPG. Well... okay... so I am
plugging it a little, but that's not the only reason. *Jae ponders*
Hey! You're in the same boat I am. At least I'm not an admin,
unlike some people here. Anyway, to continue this cheap plug, both
of those (and others) are good places for the budding writer or
writer-wannabe to start out.
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Bart:
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Of course. And, in all honestly, writing for one can be a lot of fun. You
have a captive audience and a free source of comments.
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Jae:
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Captive being the key word. Just like in everything else out there, with
fanfics, there are the good, the bad, and the truly terrifying, and by
terrifying, I mean terrifying.
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Ranma:
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And talk about scary. Remember reading that lemon where Shampoo and I --
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Bart:
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*interrupting* Let's not go there.
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Jae:
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Please don't... (Now this, dear readers, is an example of a lemon fanfic.
Lemons are fan-fiction stories which are roughly comparable to hentai.)
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Bart:
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Anyway, if Jae gets to plug Nu and FF, it's only fair that I plug my own
fanfics -- namely "Patlabor Stateside" and "Be Careful What You Wish
For"5.
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Jae:
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"Patlabor" is a semi-original fic, while "BCWYWF" is a self-insert, and
they're pretty well done, I must admit.
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Ranma:
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A what and a what?
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Jae:
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Bart, it's all yours.
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Bart:
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A semi-original fic is where the author writes about a
previously-established setting but with new characters, and a self-insert is
where the author actually writes him/herself into the fic.
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Jae:
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All in all, I'd have to say that fanfics are a lot like Jansen's food. Most
of what you find is barely digestible and can leave you feeling sick, but
occasionally, you come across something that's pretty damn good.
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The Art of Fan-Fiction