Fanfiction
 

I read an article in TIME magazine about it, and would be interested to hear some opinions about it.

Is it right, or wrong? Should it be illegal?

"Do characters belong to the person who created them? Or to the fans who spend their weekends laboring to extend those characters' lives, for free?"
- Quote from the TIME magazine article; The Boy Who Lived Forever, Inside the alternate universe of fan fiction, where Harry Potter's Story never ends
by Lev Grossman

I don't have any problem with people making fanfiction as long as they don't try and make any money off it.

I think that I do not think this is a serious issue :D maybe give us a link to the times article, so see what issue is, otherwise just more spam about whether like or dislike this rather unimportant form of uninspired writing.

Here is a link to the article:

http://www.time.com/time/arts/articl...081784,00.html

Without Fanfiction, we wouldn't have squirrelking's hilarious Half-Life: Full Life Consequences series.

so basically still argument of whether like or dislike this :D

=Actually was quite well written one, so give my too penny's worth then :thatface:

=I think the legal debate is stupid, there is clearly no argument here and any writer who is up his/her own ass as to make one is ether so oppressed with money as to warrant no respect as writer anyway or just muppet who is getting involved in issues they clearly have no actual comprehension of issue commenting, thus warrant no respect ether.

=As for ethical argument, well I do not think any direct causal harm is caused by it, thus no reason to stop others doing it, but I personally dislike fanfiction for two main reasons:

1=I think as writer there is obligation to write your own work as respect to the write. This is someone else's your world, that you are allowing being allowed to visit. That does not give you the right to start rearranging their seating plan or reprint the walls because they like green more than red. If you want world with green, make it, don't ruin someone else's work with an arrogant and conceited view that you could do it better than they did. (As personal thing, I find this especially offronting when people start adding in sexual relationships because is something which should an subtle and deep thing between characters and to just tritely start throwing characters into relationships all over place, demeans that. That is only made worse by fact most fanfictors have no knowledge or understanding of sex or relationships....seriously why does anyone think good idea to put bakura and a fecking duel disk together -_-)

2=I also think you are showing lack of respect to yourself. If you hold true to the original work, you are needlessly restricting yourself to stay within the confines of anothers rules, when could just write freely if act creatively then make your own rules. If you forgo the rules predetermined by the original writer, then basically all doing is writing own work, but admitting lack the ability to make own names and frictional depiction.

Ether way, refute yourself

Obviously the idea that fanfiction should be illegal is laughably stupid. I've railed against the concept of fanfaction, as I believe it is a creative black hole, and one of many indirect causes of the modern (western) comic book industry fucking itself into oblivion but I will defend it's right to exist to my very final breath.

Case and point: How would you justify parody? The moment you try to make fun something, ANYTHING, copyright holders could instantly shut you down simply because you are using their work as a reference point for your humor.

More than anything, we need our laws to clarify what Fair Use actually is because as it stands even if you follow every rule of fair use you can still get slapped with a C&D and have no way of combating the legions of legal teams.

What was the name of that Doom fanfiction again? You know, the one about John killing the demons. All fanfiction should be that funny.

Shouldn't be policing how we choose to enjoy our favorite titles.

...*X's out of my hentai tab*

I don't have a problem with fanfiction. They're great and entertaining.

I don't have anything against fanfiction as long as the fanfiction writer isn't making money out of what they're doing.

More fan fic writers should.

>Implying all are great and entertaining.

I agree that as long as you're not making money off of it (without permission of the original creator), then you should be fine.

I write both fan fiction and original fiction and read both as well. I don't post much of my original fiction since I hope to publish it someday as actual novels.

Fan fiction has been great practice for improving my general creative writing skills.

I know there isn't a lot of GOOD fan fiction, but I rather see bad writing there for free and just pass it up instead of having to pay fifteen dollars at Barnes and Noble only to realize that the story I bought was... not worth the money, shall we say.

I do post some of my shorter original works that I don't intend to actually publish.

I write because it's my life, my passion. Telling me to stop writing is like telling me to stop breathing. I get a few people telling me that but it's become fuel for my fire rather than a put down as of late. I keep going, and letting people critique my work. Practice makes perfect, as they say.

Also, I may detest certain elements of fan fiction, but they're not going away. I don't expect them to. Likewise, I support or practice things others detest, such as OCs as major characters (sometimes paired with canon characters) and AUs. I know some people don't like these elements, but likewise, they are not going to go away.

Actually, I hope to see people writing fan fiction about my original stuff someday. XD

Fan Fiction does not bother me. I do it from time to time as a means of entertainment and catharsis. I feel that so long as you are not trying to publish work revolving around pre-established characters that do not belong to you, then you're all right. Fan Fiction is also a great means to use for refining your skills as a writer, so that maybe one day any original work you may have will be the best it can possibly be.

I do dislike some of the yaoi stuff out there though, I'm not a homophobe in the slightest. It just annoys me when I stumble upon characters from my childhood that are being portrayed that way. You can draw and write it all you want, but don't ask me to critique it. Because something inside me will probably die.

So seeing your favorite childhood characters fucking each other is okay as long as it's heterosexual?

I fully agree with this SENTENCE, not question. >_>

On another note:
Renamon x Guilmon.

A match made in... is the digiworld hell?

To be honest, I'm not particularly fond of sexual activity of any kind in regards to my fondest childhood characters. If I read/watch porn I don't want to be reminded my childhood interests.

That's kinda sick dude.

I read that article online. It's interesting the authors that don't condemn it (Twilight, Potter) and those that try to burn it to the ground (vampire diaries, Ann Rice?).

It reminds me of those losers in Metallica and online music.

Well, you always have the choice not to read the stories. Why take the fun away from people who do read it just because yeh got a stick up yer ass? Same deal as people who hate dem fags: What business is it theirs?

I'm pretty sure the digiworld is just data. So it's the internet.
So whatever part of the internet corresponds to 4chan, that part is hell.

Also, you agreement with the statement is...interesting.
I mean, it's essentially destroying you acceptance of the character as anything but a caricature. People can develop and experience things is many thousands of ways, leading them down as many paths and experiences as an author can imagine (some more fanciful than reality, but let's keep this simple) and in fiction the characters should be able to go down the same. Homosexual interaction or no, so long as the pairing is PLAUSABLE by some standard there should be no weighing against it dependant on the sexual preference. Particularly in the hands of a good author.

...not entirely sure where I was going with that last paragraph, but anyway, the fictional characters are fictional. Their homosexuality is just as real as their heterosexuality, and especially in shows where sexual nature was not explored, a person can have no weighing as to the "true use of sexuality" in their fanfiction of it.

Hetero or homosexual, both are technically a perversion of the original characterisation, so really both should be given equal weighing.
The only reason someone would say "Eww, Yaoi, no" is because of a few things. If it is highly sexual Yaoi, a person may feel uncomfortable reading something highly sexual. If it was intended to be pornography, a person may be uninterested in reading it because it is just not working for them. If a person does not like Yaoi romance with no sexual scenes, they may be bored with the pairing, or don't feel they can relate.

But disapproving of a pairing in its entirety not because of the quality of the writing, or because it doesn't get you off, but because of the fact that it is homosexual as opposed to heterosexual?
There's some underlying discrimination in that, realise it or not.


Buuuuuut I bet it's mostly because you wouldn't read it because such things would not be fappable to your own personal tastes, not because you think such pairings COULD exist. :3

...Or I'm just not gay. Yeah, pretty sure that's it. Not everyone's bi. I know this is news to you, but yeah.

I accounted for taste and preference. =D :3

Yeah, AFTER you called me prejudiced.

I like to go off on meaningless rants before giving the actual answer. :3

I'm sorry if I offended you during this, and I give my sincerest apologies. I was simply killing time.

I know there are some professional authors out there who do not approve of Fanfiction, but in my opinion if the Fanfiction writer is not making any profit and is giving credit to the actual author then it should be okay.

no because to a lot of people they're shitting on the author's work by making characters fuck their sworn enemies, making them sadistic ass holes, pairing them with other characters from other stories, making really bad choices (Goku falls in love with Anne Frank and fights a Super Saiyan Hitler)
its not always about money, sometimes its about reputation

Yeah, but the authors have to realize that when they put their work out there that the masses won't always respond the way they want them to. It comes with having your characters adored by millions. In my opinion, they need to deal with it.

no, things these days shouldn't always be a simple "deal with it"
this generation is becoming a horrible one because they feel they should be able to do whatever they want and others should simply deal with it

^

Well, that's just how it is. It is not going to stop, so the authors should stop getting pissy about it, it won't change a thing. Besides, when you share your characters with the world, bad fanfiction is the price you pay. It is as simple as that.

For example, how would you like it if I made your favourite character marry Hitler and kill jews? Nobody wants that, just because people can do something doesn't mean they should be allowed to.