While We Wait: Boredom Strikes Back

[Kraznaya]

NK, I'm glad you at least had to stretch my argument to illogical extremes to prove your point.

There's a huge difference between literary allusion and the fanfiction I'm criticizing. The examples you brought up are not regarded as fanfiction, because they do not fall under the category of what characterizes modern fanfiction, which is characterized by the flaws I described.

Now, are there relative levels of how good or bad fanfiction is? Of course. The worst offenders are the ones which blatantly use the shell of the original authors' character ideas and take them in completely unbelievable directions. There's better, on the relative scale, fanfiction which simply borrows the author's universe because they appreciate the work expounded on the setting. But modern fanfiction, by definition, steps on the original author's work to an extent not found in classical literary allusion, and mutates the original intent present in the work of authors who are very much alive. That some authors might be angry at this perversion shouldn't come at a surprise.

 

[EQandcivfanatic]

Some people would call Wagner a lazy plagerizer actually. I've had that argument with my brother. Still unresolved. Every good story has to have SOME sort of originality. Even if it's simply combining unoriginal elements. Therefore when I say "ripping off" I mean those who fail to add ANY original elements of their own, even if it is simply in the construction of the narrative. For example, we have an NESer among us, who back in the day, simply ripped off a Harry Turtledove novel and claimed it to be an original work on the Apolyton website story contest. Of course when it comes to matters of literature and music and so forth, I'm pretty sure we all draw different lines at the points between "homage", "fan fiction", and "rip off."

 

[das]

Personally I've discovered I simply can't stomach fanfiction as such, in its stricter modern sense, when it's just someone trying to write about a setting and characters made by someone else and clearly failing. I can tolerate it just fine when it is... different enough to arguably no longer be pure fanfiction! i.e. mostly when it just borrows some concepts from the setting and explores them in a different way. But by then, you rather have to ask whether any purpose is served by it being fanfiction; whether the author could not have done as well or even better if he had simply made his own setting, borrowing some of the concepts for it as authors do.

I'm not sure if I would apply this to games, though.

 

[nutranurse]

I wholeheartedly agree! Even on the games part, assuming that you mean it's a different sort of fanfiction if you were to make a game that has the setting of the world, i.e. Third Age Total War/The Fourth Age Total War. Not sure if things like that count as modern fanfic.

Not enough of a possibility for Aragorn to make out with Legolas in either.

 

[SKILORD]

I don't care for fanfic myself, but I find the idea of repressing fanfic reprehensible. Come on, if people are inspired to write by the universe or setting you have created then you have succeeded as a writer and should not attempt to antagonize the people who like your stuff.

EDIT: For those who question the quality of fanfic prose, have you read S.M. Stirling's prose?

 

[Thlayli]

Just to agree with what NK and Iggy said...

 

[das]

I don't care for fanfic myself, but I find the idea of repressing fanfic reprehensible. Come on, if people are inspired to write by the universe or setting you have created then you have succeeded as a writer and should not attempt to antagonize the people who like your stuff.

EDIT: For those who question the quality of fanfic prose, have you read S.M. Stirling's prose?

Heh. Honestly I'm feeling tempted to lump a large part of expanded universe stuff in there as well, based on my admittedly limited exposure to it in a rather obscure segment (to wit, the Amber expanded universe, which is for all intents and purposes simply awful fanfiction).

And as a reactionary I could hardly not use red.

 

[Lord_Iggy]

The situation of my active battlefronts in Neptune's Pride.

 

[EQandcivfanatic]

Red is by far the superior version.

 

[nutranurse]

btw, next time you guys get a game going hit me up? I stopped playing Neptune's only because I was tired of playing with random people who dropped out frequently.

Also:

 

[das]

Is it an eco-friendly version, nutra?

 

[nutranurse]

The pokeballs are 100% organic.

 

[Lord_Iggy]

I'll organize a starting time a few days ahead of time. Right now the current game with Bil, Thlayli, Luckymoose, Kentharu and I is approaching its final stages, as the Thlayli/Lucky/Iggy alliance rushes towards what may become the penultimate conflict.

 

[Kentharu]

Iggy is a cheaty face! Don't play with him!!

 

[Lord_Iggy]

Cheaty face? I haven't heard that one before!

 

[Matt0088]

I'll organize a starting time a few days ahead of time. Right now the current game with Bil, Thlayli, Luckymoose, Kentharu and I is approaching its final stages, as the Thlayli/Lucky/Iggy alliance rushes towards what may become the penultimate conflict.

Reaffirming my interest/commitment.

 

[carmen510]

btw, next time you guys get a game going hit me up? I stopped playing Neptune's only because I was tired of playing with random people who dropped out frequently.

Also:

I actually have an English-translated version of the original Pokemon Green, most likely achieved by ROM hacking. Unlike most hacks, this one one was almost completely grammatically correct and the text was formatted correctly.

 

[SKILORD]

I feel like I should be ashamed to admit this but I only played Yellow....

 

[Lord_Iggy]

Never played a Pokemon game, but I've learned enough from osmosis to act like I have.

 

[das]

Never played a Pokemon game,

Yes.

but I've learned enough from osmosis to act like I have.

No.

The ability to dodge cultural osmosis is just one of my many superpowers.