By Pauline Fontanaud | Staff Writer |
Fanfiction is the nervous system of an online community of fans broadening and keeping alive the fictional universes they love.
I know sometimes people just can’t stand an ending, or a character leaving. This can be true for movies, TV shows, books, or even video games.
So people turn to fanfictions to either find their happiness, or to write it.
Fanfictions, or fanfics, are written fiction stories about characters from pre-existing works of fiction or even real life celebrities.
They are all about changing endings, couple pairings, or even writing all of the characters in an alternate universe.
The authors morph the existing works into a new universe—sometimes minutely, sometimes drastically.
“Fanfics allow you to get lost in ideas previously not explored on the show,” stated student Theresa K.
The beauty of it all is that there are no rules, no boundaries as to what you can do with the characters. The only limit is your imagination.
While there are no rules about how and what to write, copyright laws may still be in place.
Fanfictions are rarely authorized by the original owners. Some authors encourage them, while others forbid them.
J.K. Rowling, the creator of “Harry Potter,” is “very flattered by the fact there is such great interest in her Harry Potter series and that people take the time to write their own stories,” said the spokesman for the Christopher Little Literary Agency.
However, the creator of “Game of Thrones” has been pretty open about his dislike of the concept.
“My characters are my children, I have been heard to say. I don’t want people making off with them, thank you,” stated George R.R. Martin on his blog.
You can usually find a disclaimer at the beginning of fanfictions; they remind everyone that the author doesn’t own anything related to the original work and is just playing with the characters.
E. L. James, known for “Fifty Shades of Grey,” started out with writing fanfictions. She wrote an erotic “Twilight” fanfic and rewrote it with new characters, resulting in the memorable trilogy.
Some professional authors started out writing fanfiction, while some published authors use this liberating form of writing to have fun between their own books or to get over their writer’s block.
One downside for the reader is that the lack of rules doesn’t ensure the quality of the readings.
“I tried reading fanfiction, but the writing wasn’t very good,” stated student Cesar Marin.
It’s important to remember that this is also a training exercise for many aspiring authors.
It can take time to find a good story or idea that appeals to you.
There are different genres of fanfics, just like there are different genres of fiction in real life.
A person could read a whole “Star Wars” fanfic labeled “romance” that would only be about Yoda and Chewbacca’s life as a couple. Like I said, no limits, and people are writing about the craziest pairings possible.
The ratings are also specified, detailing the level of mature content from K to MA, similar to movie ratings.
Because there are no limits, some authors prefer the raunchy side of things, and a lot of graphic art was inspired by it. Not only can you read crazy pairings, but also see them Photoshopped together in an intimate setting.
Another great thing allowed by fanfics are crossovers. Authors merge different universes and have the characters interact. You can read or write a crossover between “Friends” and “Twilight,” for example.
Fanfictions are available on a number of different free websites. In my opinion, the most complete and practical website would be Fanfiction.net, but archiveofourown.org is a good one too.
There is also a free mobile application called Fanfiction Reader. You can download the stories in one click and create your own little library, with access to them offline.
Fanfiction is life, enjoy!
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