talentless, creativeless fanfic...

So, after spending last week immersed in a debate about whether fanfic is ethical or at all legitimate, I'm spending this week... in another debate about whether fanfic is ethical or at all legitimate.

*sighs*

This time, it's a discussion on reworked fanfic being published as original fiction. An interesting topic - but the anti-fanficcers are mainly arguing that "you're taking someone else's plot/characters/setting rather than putting in the effort of coming up with your own!"

...using someone else's PLOT. By reworking my own fanfic.

*sighs again*



My dear arguers,

It may have escaped your notice, but fanfic does not consist purely of finding a transcript of a tv episode, and putting "she said" in between all the dialogue.

Supposing I go crazy and decide, for some reason, to rework a fanfic as original fiction. Say... hmm... this one here.

I change some names, alter a few words, and I have... an epistolary short story about two roommates getting on each other's nerves and an escalating prank war.

Or what about this one? I'd end up with a short story about a ghost and his friendship with two women.

It may have escaped your notice, ranting people, but Buffy the Vampire Slayer never featured stories about a woman falling in love with a coat-rack, or someone deliberately sabotaging dinner with his girlfriend's sister, or a vengeful army of trained drop-bears. And, tragically, Angel and Illyria never got it on.

Heck, half the time my fanfic doesn't even include anyone else's characters, let alone plot.


And yes, I can see you opening your mouths, about to say "Ah, but I didn't mean that kind of fanfic..." Yeah, but - you kinda did. You said "fanfic", and then promptly showed the whole world that you had no idea what "fanfic" tends to involve. Hence I will go forth and ignore your opinion.

(Actually - first I'll post a short rant on the subject. But then I'm going to ignore your opinion. Just you watch me.)