Information on Fanfiction

Hmmm... As long as I've been on the Net, I don't think I've ever seen an information page explaining exactly what fanfiction really is or what types there are. So, I've decided to do one of my own. Hopefully, this information will be fairly accurate and I will ask any fellow fanfic author out there for his/her input to make this information more accurate.

What is fanfiction/fan fiction?

Well, for starters, I have yet to find out if this is actually one word or two, but I guess that really isn't too important since everyone out there should know what I'm talking about. "Fanfiction" is exactly that: fiction written by fans. In other words, fanfiction are stories made up by people who have used existing works as a basis for their own. There is no such thing as original fanfiction simply because by its definition, fanfiction is based off of existing material.

What is the difference between fanfiction and fiction?

Original fiction is completely made up by the author him/herself. Fanfiction is based off of existing material. For example, my page contains numerous links to Ranma fanfiction. Since Ranma 1/2 is already an existing story/manga/Anime, any fiction that uses its characters and/or locations is considered fanfiction. The Amber series, by Roger Zelazny, is original fiction because it is his work alone.

What kinds of fanfiction are there?

Ah, the question finally appears. I remember the good ol' days when this particular question could have been answered easily. There used to be two kinds: original flavor and not. Nowadays, though, there are many different categories that a fanfic may fall into. Below is a (hopefully) complete list. This list is based on my knowledge of Ranma fanfiction and may miss something vital created as a result of a different type of fanfiction. If this is the case, then I hope that someone will tell me so that I may correct this page.

Original flavor:: This type of story attempts to maintain the original intent of the series/story in which it is based on. With Ranma 1/2, an original flavor fanfic means that it is slap-stick comical with all of the zaniness of the original manga.
Dark:: Just like the word indicates, these stories are filled with dark images and scenes. More often than not, a person either dies horribly or is murdered. Subjects such as rape are also found amongst dark fics.
Angst:: These stories cause the protagonist to undergo severe emotional torment. Often, another person, a loved one perhaps, is dying from some sort of disease or illness. Sometimes, these stories take place right after a person has died but despite the subject matter, the reader sees the torment as it is occurring in the main character. The net effect is to pull the reader into the emotional turmoil as well.
Sad:: While these stories also put the main character through emotional pain, it is often in remembrance of something rather than currently experienced. A likely cause for this kind of story is that someone has died (note: past tense).
Song fic:: This genre utilizes a song's lyrics to tell a specific story. The story progresses as the song does. The song can either help the story's action move along or show the chracter's emotions that are being felt.
Filk song/Parody:: Think Weird Al here. This genre takes a song, replaces the lyrics with different ones, usually comical in nature, and has the reader sing the modified song in his/her mind.
Crossover:: These stories can crossover different Anime/manga titles to one another, Anime/live action, or even different fanfic series. Some crossovers have equal amounts of both of the crossovered worlds while others do not. It just depends on the author.
Lemon:: Sex. Simple enough for you? These stories contain sex, ranging from rated R stuff to wild honkin' XXX junk that'll make your mind explode.
Lime:: These stories hint at sex. The reader might get the scenes before and after the act, but not the action inbetween.
Mush:: Also known as W.A.F.F. (warm and fuzzy feeling). Stories like these are romantic in nature, showing the love between a couple.
Alternate universe:: The ultimate "What if..." genre. These stories attempt to answer that philisophical question by showing what could have happened instead. Often, these are also original flavor but don't have to be, especially if the author's purpose is to make a serious series more comical and vice versa.
Self-insertion:: Yep, it had to happen. In these stories, the author writes him/herself into the story to interact with the main characters for often disasterous, but humorous results.
Pre-volume 38/Post-volume 38:: While this only pertains to Ranma 1/2 fanfiction and is not actually a type, it is important enough to list here. Labels like these get included by the author of a fanfic if he/she wants to specifiy when the story takes place. Often, a specific time is not given and the reader only knows whether or not the story supposedly takes place during the manga or after it.
Revenge-fic:: (special thanks to Raymond Haney for this suggestion) This is a special type of self-insertion fic where the characters of whatever series the author is using for his/her fanfic decides to pay him/her a visit in the real world. The results of these visits ranges wildly; however, a common outcome is that the characters get revenge for whatever hell the author has put them through in the course of his/her fanfic. Authors dying horribly, getting cursed with Jusenkyo water, getting advice on dating, or having their fanfics critiqued by the characters are all possible in revenge-fics.

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