History Main / Fanfic

%% FanficsOfThe2020s

* HateFic: A fan-fiction which kills everyone off.
* OriginalFlavour: A very good fan-fiction, often that sticks as close as it can to the original canon material.

One example of this is the manga/anime ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'', released well before the Internet became ubiquitous and when many fans had no easy access to the original source material. All manner of details -- including the explanation of Akane's mallet as either a [[KiAttacks ki attack]] or as residing in a [[HyperspaceMallet hyperdimensional pocket]], her {{Flanderization}} into a "psychobitch", her [[LethalChef lethal cooking]] (rather than being just bad), and the names and fates of the many {{missing mo|m}}thers -- were never touched on in the show but became standardized in ''Ranma'' fan fiction over the course of approximately a decade. The process was accelerated and exacerbated by the appearance of fanfiction written by people who had never actually seen the show itself and whose only exposure to ''Ranma'' was other fanfiction.

No statement on the legality of fanfic has ever been given in American formal law or in its courts. Some argue that it's a form of copyright infringement; however, see [[http://digitalcommons.lmu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1347&context=elr "Legal Fictions: Copyright, Fan Fiction, and a New Common Law"]], and note the above precedents. The two most common arguments for fanfic being legal involve either implied consent -- companies and authors have every right to enact a FanworkBan as evidenced by [[Website/FanFictionDotNet FanFiction.Net]]'s banlist but are mostly tolerant -- or fair use -- the non-profit, educational and transformative use of the work justifies its existence. The latter is the main argument that sparked the development of the Organization of Transformative Works, a fan labor advocacy site.

* Dead Fic

Of course, [[FanFicRecommendations the hive mind have a few favorites]]. [[SoBadItsGood/FanWorks There are also a few favorite unfavorites]], if that doesn't [[LogicBomb confuse you too much]]. [[TroperWorks Some here have even written a few]].

* FanWorks/WebComics

* FanficsOfThe2020s

* FanWorks/{{Crossovers}}

* FanWorks/OtherMedia (Advertising, Asian Animation, Pro Wrestling, Puppet Shows, Roleplay, Podcasts, Theater, Theme Parks, Toys, Web Serials...)

* {{WAFF}} (Warm And Fuzzy Feeling): A fan-fiction designed to be cute.

* FanWorks/OtherMedia (Advertising, Asian Animation, Pro Wrestling, Puppet Shows, Roleplay, Podcasts, Theater, Theme Parks, Toys, Web Serials...)

* FanWorks/OtherMedia (Advertising, Asian Animation, Pro Wrestling, Puppet Shows, Theater, Theme Parks, Toys...)

* FanWorks/WebOriginal (Roleplay, Podcasts, Web Serials, Web Videos...)

* FanWorks/OtherMedia (Advertising, Puppet Shows, Theater, Theme Parks, Toys...)

* FanWorks/WebOriginal

* to get the characters to have sex with, date, marry, have children with, or have crushes on, each other or the author (see {{Shipping}})

Authors often have conflicted reactions to fan fiction set in "their" universe, which sometimes leads to the aforementioned FanworkBan. Creator/JKRowling has largely embraced ''Franchise/HarryPotter'' fanfics, albeit with certain limitations, for example, and Creator/TamoraPierce [[http://www.tamora-pierce.net/frequently-asked-questions/publishing-faq/ advises aspiring writers]] that fan fiction can be a good way to hone one's writing skills. Sir Creator/TerryPratchett acknowledged it exists and was cool about it, pointing out that ''everything works so long as people are sensible about it.'' He added two caveats: anyone doing ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' fanfics shouldn't even ''think'' of doing it for money, and authors should take care not to put it where he might see it -- since he didn't want to risk being accused of plagiarising his plagiarists (so to speak), however inadvertently, for his own future plots. Creator/GeorgeRRMartin, author of the epic fantasy series ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'', [[http://grrm.livejournal.com/151914.html expressed his disdain for the practice]], saying that "creating your own characters is a part of writing." He's even gone so far as to threaten legal action should he become aware of any fan fiction set in the Westeros universe. In contrast, writer/journalist James Bow [[http://bowjamesbow.ca/2010/05/07/in-defence-of-f.shtml makes a rather firm case]] for supporting fanfics, pointing out that it forms a stepping stone ''towards'' creating your own characters and setting. As far as media businesses are concerned, reactions have ranged from Franchise/ArchieComics demanding immediate removal to Creator/{{Paramount}} taking some of the better ''Franchise/StarTrek'' fanfics and having them published in print books.

Authors often have conflicted reactions to fan fiction set in "their" universe, which sometimes leads to the aforementioned FanworkBan. Creator/JKRowling has largely embraced ''Franchise/HarryPotter'' fanfics, albeit with certain limitations, for example, and Creator/TamoraPierce [[http://www.tamora-pierce.net/frequently-asked-questions/publishing-faq/ advises aspiring writers]] that fan fiction can be a good way to hone one's writing skills. By contrast, Sir Creator/TerryPratchett acknowledged it exists and was cool about it, pointing out that ''everything works so long as people are sensible about it.'' He added two caveats: anyone doing ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' fanfics shouldn't even ''think'' of doing it for money, and authors should take care not to put it where he might see it. Creator/GeorgeRRMartin, author of the epic fantasy series ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'', [[http://grrm.livejournal.com/151914.html expressed his disdain for the practice]], saying that "creating your own characters is a part of writing." He's even gone so far as to threaten legal action should he become aware of any fan fiction set in the Westeros universe. In contrast, writer/journalist James Bow [[http://bowjamesbow.ca/2010/05/07/in-defence-of-f.shtml makes a rather firm case]] for supporting fanfics, pointing out that it forms a stepping stone ''towards'' creating your own characters and setting. As far as media businesses are concerned, reactions have ranged from Franchise/ArchieComics demanding immediate removal to Creator/{{Paramount}} taking some of the better ''Franchise/StarTrek'' fanfics and having them published in print books.

One famous example of this is the manga/anime ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'', released well before the Internet became ubiquitous and when many fans had no easy access to the original source material. All manner of details -- including the explanation of Akane's mallet as either a [[KiAttacks ki attack]] or as residing in a [[HyperspaceMallet hyperdimensional pocket]], her {{Flanderization}} into a "psychobitch", her [[LethalChef lethal cooking]] (rather than being just bad), and the names and fates of the many {{missing mo|m}}thers -- were never touched on in the show but became standardized in ''Ranma'' fan fiction over the course of approximately a decade. The process was accelerated and exacerbated by the appearance of fanfiction written by people who had never actually seen the show itself and whose only exposure to ''Ranma'' was other fanfiction.

Another famous example is the ''Literature/HarryPotter'' fanfic ''FanFic/TheDracoTrilogy'', which was apparently so widely read that details such as Blaise Zabini being female and Ginny's name being Virginia were taken to be canon, [[OutdatedByCanon although they were both refuted by later books]].

* NotableFanfictionArchives

* FanWebcom

* FanWebcomics

''[[LetsSeeYouDoBetter If you want something done right, do it yourself.]]''

Fan fiction is often
* FanWorks/ComicStrips
* FanWorks/{{Crossovers}}
* FanWorks/FanWorks
* [[FanWorks/AnimatedFilms Films — Animation]]
* [[FanWorks/LiveActionFilms Films — Live-Action]]
* FanWorks/{{Literature}}
* FanWorks/LiveActionTV
* FanWorks/{{Music}}
* FanWorks/OtherMedia (Advertising, Puppet Shows, Theater, Theme Parks, Toys...)
* FanWorks/TabletopGames the place where EpilepticTrees are planted and cultivated. Expect many, many, ''many'' more fics to star the EnsembleDarkhorse than TheHero.

Although fanfic exploded along with [[TheInternet the Internet]], it existed ''well'' before the Net did. Such luminaries as John Stuart Mill contributed unauthorized, original stories set in a fictional universe. Before medieval French troubadours were shipping [[Myth/ArthurianLegend Lancelot and Guinevere]], the ancient Greeks were writing plays about relationships between characters in ''Literature/TheIliad''. In Creator/{{Plato}}'s ''Literature/{{Symposium}}'' one character complains that a play by Creator/{{Aeschylus}} got the characterization of Achilles and Patroclus wrong. [[SlashFic Namely, that it got the]] LoverAndBeloved dynamic backwards.

Not all fanfic is written, though that's the most common form. It can be in any [[{{Formats}} format]] that can tell a story. In Japan, {{manga}} ''{{doujinshi}}'' (amateur "comic books") are a common vehicle; and with the increasing ease of their production on personal computers, [[FanVid fan videos]] (ranging from {{anime}} series, to ''Franchise/StarWars'') have also appeared.

Some fanfiction becomes well-known enough to influence other fanfics, which themselves influence more fanfics, and so on in a domino effect. This can and does result in the creation and perpetuation of {{fanon}}, when one author comes up with a "cool detail" and others blindly copy it without realizing it was her invention. Furthermore, characters can become [[{{Flanderization}} Flanderized]] by the feedback loops of fanfiction, sometimes [[MemeticMutation changing dramatically from their original form]].

Of course, [[FanFicRecommendations the hive mind have a few favorites.]] [[SoBadItsGood/FanWorks There are also a few favorite unfavorites]], if that doesn't [[LogicBomb confuse you too much]]. [[TroperWorks Some here have even written a few]].

Due to the inexperience of many fanfic writers, fan fiction has gained a reputation for being a source of [[SoBadItsGood horrible,]] ''[[SoBadItsGood horrible]]'' [[SoBadItsGood writing]]. However there are fanfics out there that are [[FanFicRecommendations INCREDIBLY]] [[SturgeonsLaw good]]. Sometimes being just as good as, if not better than, the original work.

Fan fiction is often the place where EpilepticTrees are planted and cultivated. Expect many, many, ''many'' more fics to star the EnsembleDarkhorse than TheHero.

No statement on the legality of fanfic has ever been given in American formal law or in its courts. Some argue that it's a form of copyright infringement; however, see [[http://digitalcommons.lmu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1347&context=elr "Legal Fictions: Copyright, Fan Fiction, and a New Common Law"]], and note the above precedents. The two most common arguments for fanfic being legal involve either implied consent -- companies and authors have every right to enact a FanworkBan as evidenced by fanfiction.net's banlist but are mostly tolerant -- or fair use -- the non-profit, educational and transformative use of the work justifies its existence. The latter is the main argument that sparked the development of the Organization of Transformative Works, a fan labor advocacy site.

Currently, the [[NotableFanfictionArchives largest source of fanfiction on the Net]] (and probably anywhere else) is the [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin aptly named]] Website/FanFictionDotNet, which as of 2013, offers approximately nine million stories across all but a select few canons (which were banned due to creator request) and an automated system for posting. A newer site called Website/ArchiveOfOurOwn is starting to nip at Website/FanFictionDotNet's heels, though, with over 1.7 million stories and less restrictions on what can and cannot be posted. And to top it all off, in mid-2013, Amazon.com joined in the act with its Kindle Worlds program, which allows for the publication and sale (!) of fan fiction from specific 'verses.

Of course, [[FanFicRecommendations the hive mind have a few favorites.]] [[SoBadItsGood/FanWorks There are also a few favorite unfavorites]], if that doesn't [[LogicBomb confuse you too much]]. [[TroperWorks Some here have even written a few.]]

'''Special note for authors of fanfics:''' The fact that you wrote the fic gives you no say in whether or not we have a write up on it, unless you create the page for it yourself. Furthermore, you do not have more say on the contents of the page than any other author. You quite expressly do ''not'' have the right to have our page taken down because you wish to disown your work or because you don't like the tropes we have found in it. The page here is ours. The fic is yours. Those are different things.

!!Categories of Fanfics

* {{Lemon}}: A fan-fiction which explicitly contains sex. Banned on fanfiction.net if the sex is explicit enough to warrant an MA rating, though there has been some disagreement over where the line between M rated and MA rated content should be drawn.

* {{MST}}: Story in which characters riff a previously written work via snarky comments inserted into the original text. Banned on fanfiction.net.

* ScriptFic: A fan-fiction in the form of a script. Banned on fanfiction.net.
* SongFic: ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin. Banned on fanfiction.net if copyrighted lyrics are quoted within the text.

* [[RecursiveFanfiction Recursive Fic]]: When a fan-fiction gets popular enough to have fan-fiction of its own.

!!Fanfics by medium:

!!''See also'':

-->'''Statler''': These stories did do something right.
-->'''Waldorf''': What do you mean?
-->'''Statler''': They make the source material look amazing in comparison!
-->'''Both''': Ohohohohohohohohohohohoho!

Another famous example is the ''Literature/HarryPotter'' fanfic ''FanFic/TheDracoTrilogy'', which was apparently so widely read that details such as Blaise Zabini being female and Ginny's name being Virginia were taken to be canon, [[{{Jossed}} although they were both refuted by later books]].

!!Authors:
%% Only authors with Creator/ or Tropers/ pages go here.
* Creator/AAPessimal
* Creator/AgentMatt
* {{Creator/Amoridere}}
* @/BMeph
* @/{{Belphegor}}
* Creator/{{Bleedman}}
* Creator/BookwormGal
* Tropers/{{Century}} (''Fanfic/WarriorsOfTheWorld'')
* FanFic/ChateuLosElForests
* Creator/{{Cjupsher}}
* Creator/CleolindaJones
* Creator/CMRRosa
* Creator/ConveyusPrime
* Creator/CoryOfPRIVATECorp
* Creator/DakariKingMykan
* Creator/DanKim
* Creator/DavidGonterman (''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehog'', ''Anime/SailorMoon'', ''Franchise/PowerRangers'', ''Disney/PeterPan'')
* Creator/DetsniyOffSkiword
* Creator/DGDDavidson
* Creator/EliezerYudkowsky
* Creator/EmmaIveli
* Creator/EnchantedLucy
* Creator/{{Evilhumour}}
* Tropers/{{Firechick12012}}
* Creator/{{Finmonster}}
* Creator/{{Fiondil}}
* Creator/Foobar137 (''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'')
* Creator/ForteKham617
* Creator/FrolloFreak
* Creator/{{Fuzzboy}}
* Creator/{{Garfieldodie}}
* Creator/HansVonHozel (Pretty much everything....InNameOnly)
* Creator/HyperInuyasha
* Tropers/{{Iheartgod175}}
* Creator/{{Insaneponyauthor}}
* Creator/{{InsertNameHere}}
* Tropers/{{Iowaforever}}
* Creator/{{Kaiimi}}
* Creator/{{Katzsoa}}
* Creator/{{Kelothan}}
* @/LadyNorbert
* Creator/LegendaryBiologist (''Anime/{{Gungrave}}'')
* Creator/{{Legendbringer}}
* Creator/{{Lucillia}}
* Fanfic/{{Lyricwritesprose}}
* Creator/{{madsthenerdygirl}}
* Creator/MellyOHara
* @/{{metalsonic655}}
* Creator/MF217
* Tropers/{{Milarqui}}
* Creator/MisterP (''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'')
* Creator/MonicaGilbeyBieber ''(WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants)''
* Creator/MonRa
* Creator/MontyOum
* Creator/MorwenTindomerel (''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'', other fandoms)
* Creator/MrTrollXDD
* Creator/{{Naglfar}}
* Creator/{{Niceperson}}
* Fanfic/NickTheUltimaswordWielder
* Creator/NimbusLlewelyn
* Creator/PerkyGoth14
* Creator/PeterChimaera
%%* FanFic/PhantomsAnge
* Tropers/PolishValsion (''[[{{Fanfic/AceCombatTheEquestrianWar}} Ace Combat: The Equestrian War]]'')
* Creator/RalphHayesJr
* Creator/RatedRPonyStar
* Creator/RoseOfPollux
* Creator/RufusTSerenity
* Creator/SanityRequiem
* Creator/ShakespeareHemmingway
* Creator/ShadowCrystalMage
* Creator/{{Shebakoby}}
* Creator/{{Shortskirtsandexplosions}}
* Fanfic/SideshowJazz1
* Creator/SolariusScorch
* Creator/SueMary / [=MarissaTheWriter=]
* Creator/{{Swing 123}}
* Fanfic/TalosAngel
* Creator/{{Tangent}}
* Creator/{{Tastychainsaws}}
* Creator/{{THEPETEPETERSONEXPERIENCE}}
* Creator/TheApocryphalOne
* Creator/{{the ultimateSora}}
* Creator/UltamiteNineball
* Creator/{{Vathara}} (Tons, generally in crossover form.)
* Creator/{{Voltalia}}
* FanFic/TheWarioBarkerCollection
* @/{{Wax}}
* Creator/{{Weavillain}} (WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse)
* Creator/WinterRae
* Creator/YoshizillaRhedosaurus
* Creator/ZeroTheClusterZero
* Creator/{{Zokusho}}