FanFiction
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Nerdy, written erotica doesn't need Tumblr to survive
If you lose your copy of Brave New World, it's simple to replace the entire story, word for word, by buying a new version of the book from Barnes & Noble or borrowing one from the library. If your home is burglarized by a bibliophile and every book you've ever owned suddenly disappears in the dead of night, you'd still be able to rebuild that collection with relative ease. There might be a few you couldn't replace -- an old, strange tome that once called your name in the back of a dusty second-hand bookstore; faded covers stamped with out-of-print authors; the only copy of your grandmother's memoir. Barnes & Noble doesn't stock these stories in its back rooms. They're lost forever.
CBS and Paramount settle lawsuit with 'Star Trek' fan film
It's been a wild ride for the folks behind the Axanar Star Trek fan film, but it's finally over -- the fan production group has settled its lawsuit with CBS and Paramount. The terms of the agreement aren't completely clear, but both parties have announced that the deal will allow Axanar productions to finish and release its fan film for free as long as a certain number of undisclosed "substantial changes" are made. Even better? According to Ars Technica, the settlement doesn't require the fan group to pay damages, either.
CBS and Paramount release 'Star Trek' fan film guidelines
While Paramount and CBS's lawsuit against Axanar Productions is still ongoing, the two studios have finally produced a set of guidelines meant to govern fan-made Star Trek productions in the future. While the guidelines might be a good start, and a sign that studios could be warming up to community input, they are still extremely limiting.
Paramount and CBS are still suing the 'Star Trek' fan film
Although J.J. Abrams and Star Trek: Beyond director Justin Lin lobbied hard for the movie studio to drop their lawsuit against the crowdfunded Star Trek fan flick Axanar, Paramount is apparently ready to engage their lawyers once again. As the Hollywood Reporter notes, Paramount and CBS have told a California federal judge that their legal action against the makers of Axanar is still pending despite earlier statements indicating the two groups were close to reaching a settlement and guidelines for future fan films.
'Sonic the Hedgehog' tribute games reflect a mascot's fall from grace
It'd be an understatement to say that the Sonic the Hedgehog game franchise hasn't held up well over time. Sonic was once nearly as big as Mario, but a long string of bad titles (with exceptions) ruined his rep -- you're more likely to spot him in dodgy fan fiction and internet memes than a popular game. And the homebrew developers from Arcane Kids know it. They've built the Sonic Dreams Collection, a batch of tiny tribute games for Macs and Windows PCs that acknowledge the Sega mascot's fall from grace. It masquerades as a leaked set of Dreamcast protoypes, but it's really a nod to the weird places Sonic fandom has gone in the 21st century. There's a "Sonic Movie Maker" where the hedgehog calls you his dad, and "My Roommate Sonic..." well, let's just say it turns romance stories on their head.
Five recommendations from the first fanfiction challenge thread
The new fanfiction forum is in full swing and filling daily with stories from the avid fan-writers of WoW. Nethaera has been helping things along by adding new writing challenge threads about once every two weeks or so. The first of these asked the readers to imagine they were an attendee at the trial of Garrosh Hellscream and to describe what they saw. It's not a competition, but Nethaera did outline a few rules, notably, the writers could not exonerate Garrosh. It's been fascinating to read the responses. Many feature similar themes and ideas, but there is endless variation on the theme. As I did a few weeks ago with the forum at large, I've picked five of my favorite stories from the thread and listed them below. There are many more than these that deserve attention, but time is short and I am but one person. Please feel free to comment with some of your own favorites, as well!
Five of my favorite stories from the fanfiction forum
The new official WoW fanfiction forum has been live for a little while now, and it's starting to fill up with a variety of stories for the interested reader. There you can find tragic tales of fallen heroes, tongue-in-cheek vignettes, and even some chronicles devoted to filling in the gaps of Azerothian history. Really, even after only a few days of existence, there are more than enough stories to keep a fanfiction enthusiast busy for quite some time. In the spirit of drawing some attention to the forum as a whole, I've spent some time reading through a number of the threads there and picked out a few of my favorites. Mind you, this isn't necessarily a comprehensive list, because I simply don't have the time to give every single posted tale the attention that it deserves. The ones I've chosen caught my fancy for any number of reasons--the originality of the concept, some aspect of the writing, or the effect of the story. They are listed below in no particular order. Do click on over to check them out, and feel free to add favorites of your own in the comments!
Amazon now indulges in your GI Joe fan fiction
Admit it -- as a kid, you got a little tired of the GI Joe team winning the battle in every cartoon episode. Wouldn't it have been nice if Cobra emerged victorious now and then? Thankfully for you, Amazon has just given you the freedom to rewrite your childhood memories: it has reached a deal with Hasbro to sell GI Joe fan fiction in Kindle Worlds. And if you didn't spend your youth watching animated soldiers, you'll be glad to hear Amazon has also scored licenses from Warner Bros. and Valiant Entertainment. The arrangements let you post stories set in Veronica Mars, the Pretty Little Liars spinoff Ravenswood and new Valiant comics like The Lizzy Gardner Files. Amazon's expansion still leaves just 20 Kindle Worlds to choose from, but it should please anyone who wants to give Cobra Commander his due. [Image credit: Pat Loika, Flickr]
Blizzard challenges you to put Garrosh on trial
Blizzard Community Manager Nethaera has thrown down a gauntlet to writers everywhere. As she rightly says, we probably knew it was coming when the fan-fiction forums were first set up, but already, there's impetus to share your imagination with others. As Nethaera informs us, Christy Golden's War Crimes is not yet out, so we do not know how Garrosh's fate will unfurl, but we can certainly put our imaginations to work. You can hit the break for Neth's full post, but the rules are pretty interesting. You can't exonerate Garrosh. He has to be made to pay for what he did, at least to some extent, even if the upcoming expansion implies pretty strongly that he doesn't really serve any time meted out to him. You also can't place too much of your story outside the courtroom, save a few flashbacks and memories. And you've got to keep it to one post. Before you complain, the word limits and specific criteria are a writer's bread and butter. You can read all about our very own Sarah Pine's experience doing just that for Blizzard. So hit the break, check the rules, and let your creativity flow! Given the comment threads we see here, we're expecting WoW Insider community greatness!
New WoW forum: Seat of Knowledge: Fanfiction
Yes, you read that title right, folks. A day many WoW fans and roleplayers have doubtless longed for has arrived: Blizzard has launched an official forum for posting fanfiction. I can honestly say that this is a day I never thought I'd see, yet here we are, and there are already some stories posted! Nethaera has opened the forum with two introductory posts, one with what seems to be the typical forum behavior guidelines and rules, and one specifically tailored for the new forum. Interestingly enough, there don't yet seem to be any rules regarding story content. Now, if you're at all familiar with the world of fanfiction, you've probably at least had a few run-ins with content that's sketchy at best, and I don't necessarily mean quality of writing, if you get my drift. So I sincerely hope that the lack of stated guidelines for what constitutes an appropriate story for the fanfiction forum is just because Blizzard hasn't gotten around to typing them up yet, but I suppose that remains to be seen. Still, use discretion when choosing which of your stories to post. I think it's safe to say that graphic sex, violence, and excessive swearing will be frowned upon. Rated T for teen, after all! Anyway, concerns aside, this new forum will certainly be a wonderful resource for WoW story enthusiasts and writers everywhere. Head on over if you like to read fan stories, and check out what's already been posted!
Kurt Vonnegut's work joins Kindle Worlds, Kilgore Trouts rejoice
Kindle Worlds has become unstuck in time. Amazon announced this morning that it has wrangled a license for Kurt Vonnegut's work, bringing Cat's Cradle, Breakfast of Champions and the like to the world of paid fan fiction. One rep from the author's trust called the deal a "natural extension of his legacy and a testament to the enduring popularity of his characters and stories." At the very least, it marks a turn toward more classic literature (and, arguably, legitimacy) for a program that thus far includes the likes of Gossip Girl and The Vampire Diaries. And certainly Vonnegut's vast catalog offers plenty of fodder for the prospective novelist, * and all.
Amazon opens up Kindle Worlds Store, for all your licensed fan fic needs
Come on now, why are you wasting your time here, when you could be reading some Gossip Girl fan fic? Roughly a month after announcing its licensed character publishing platform, Amazon has taken the wraps off of Kindle Worlds. The site currently offers up 50-plus commissioned stories based on properties like The Vampire Diaries, Valiant Comics titles, and yes, Gossip Girl. Worlds' Self-Service Submission Platform is open to the public as well, letting interested parties make some cash (up to 35-percent royalties) by putting their fan fiction up on the site. Stories are largely priced between $1 and $4. You can take a gander in the source link below, to make some sweet Gossip Girl of your own.
Amazon launches Kindle Worlds publishing platform for fan fiction, will pay royalties to writers and rights holders
Amazon's taken a number of steps to bring different types of content to the Kindle Store, and it's now venturing into an area that has a long history with the internet: fan fiction. The company's today announced Kindle Worlds, a new publishing platform that promises to pay writers royalties for stories inspired by established works. Naturally, the original rights holder needs to be a willing participant as well, and they'll also be paid a royalty for all fan fiction stories sold (Amazon itself with retain the rights to those stories). So what are your options for now? For the launch, Amazon has partnered with Warner Bros. Television Group's Alloy Entertainment to open up three of its series to fan fiction enthusiasts, giving you the chance to write stories set in the world of Gossip Girl, Pretty Little Liars or The Vampire Diaries. The company's promising that additional licenses are on the way, but for now you can check out the finer details in the press release after the break and at the source link below.
Breakfast Topic: What's your headcanon?
Headcanon is a concept you may not be familiar with if you're not an RPer or fanfic writer. Simply stated, it's a fan's personal interpretation of events or characters in whatever setting they're a fan of. Sometimes a person may use their headcanon as a way of coping with a story choice they dislike, and sometimes it may just be to fill gaps in the story line. For example, in WoW fandom, you might hear someone say, "In my headcanon, Jaina and Kalec are just good friends, because I hate them as a couple!" or, "I have this headcanon that Cairne and Magatha were actually fairly close at one point, and had a falling-out, and that's one of the reasons she hated him so much and he didn't throw her out of Thunder Bluff." The first is an example of a coping (or "corrective") headcanon, the second is an example of filling in unknown gaps. One of the most fun things I do with my WoW friends is chat about our personal headcanons of the story and characters. What kind of relationships do these people have outside of what we see directly in official lore? Were they childhood friends, were they comrades in arms, were they lovers? Do these folks resent being forced into obligations they never wanted thanks to world events, or are they hungry to wield a power they wouldn't have otherwise achieved? How much does group X actually enjoy being allies (or enemies) with group Y? The "if only" game is endlessly fun! Do you have any WoW headcanons? Did you, by any chance, already tell us about them back in October? Have they changed? For the most part, I only discuss my own headcanons with a handful of people, because I'm way too shy to do it in public! If you're not, though, please tell us in the comments!
Travels through Azeroth and Outland returns
Travels through Azeroth and Outland was a player-penned travelogue through all of World of Warcraft's zones, written from the perspective of a canny Forsaken narrator with a good eye for the local culture (to the extent that places like Hellfire Peninsula could be said to have "local culture"). It was easily one of the best, most unsettling, and most thought-provoking pieces of fan fiction we've ever read, and it amassed a significant group of fans among players and Blizzard alike. It even has its own TV Tropes entry. Unfortunately for us, its author Zac finished all of the zones in the game through Wrath of the Lich King content and then left to focus on graduate school. But it's back! Zac will be updating the travelogue with Cataclysm content, starting with his recent entry on Kezan. It examines the city itself and the story of the Bilgewater Cartel's entry to the Horde, but it also contains a few, shall we say, anthropological observations. ("I was relieved that no one died in the (footbomb) game I watched, a sentiment not shared by the audience.") You can hop into the travelogue at any point and get a feel for what Destron Allicant, its narrator, is all about, but I would recommend starting from the very beginning. Trust me: It will change how you experience the game, and for the better. We've interviewed Zac previously, and if you're interested in getting some background information on how he's written the series, you'll find related articles here: Lisa's World of WarCrafts interview with Zac Forsaken narrators, MMO storytelling, and why the draenei are so scary Zac's notes on his characterization of all 12 races Narrative gaps, secondary characters, and Icecrown's unending bleakness Why players aren't necessarily "the good guys"
Movellas releases fan fiction contest winners
As you may recall, we posted about a World of Warcraft fan fiction contest being held by the online writing community Movellas a few weeks back. That contest has now ended, and Movellas has posted the winners. Winners include more than a few stories about the blood elves and high elves and a check-in with everyone's favorite adorable draenei, Dornaa. With the status of the Blizzard Global Writing Contest up in the air, this seems to be a pretty decent way for people to get their Warcraft fan fiction fix instead. Congratulations to all the winners. You can read all the winning entries over at the Movellas website.
Travels through Azeroth and Outland comes to a close
I've been pretty vocal in the past about my intense love for Travels through Azeroth and Outland. It's a five-year, player-penned travelogue that takes readers on an expansive journey through every zone in the pre-Cataclysm game. Over the years, it's attracted a lot of attention due to the incredible quality of its writing and storytelling. Not only does it have its own TV Tropes entry, but even Blizzard's taken notice, and we've gotten the opportunity to interview its writer. Even if you're not a roleplayer or all that interested in WoW's lore, Travels has an unsettling capacity to get you thinking about the deeper implications of the game's quests and become absorbed in the narrator's observations. It is, quite simply, one of the best pieces of fan fiction I've ever read and a hugely addictive story. If you haven't read it, please do. You will never see the game the same way again. But, as with all good things, Travels has reached its end. While Zac, its author, plans to post some story cues related to the Cataclysm expansion on his travelogue's forums, he's wrapped up the main storyline, and our beloved narrator -- a Forsaken named Destron Allicant -- is riding off into the sunset. I was lucky enough to talk extensively with Zac about what spurred the travelogue, how he sees the various Azerothian races, and good versus evil in Blizzard's universe.
Breakfast Topic: What is your favorite World of Warcraft fan art or media?
This Breakfast Topic has been brought to you by Seed, the Aol guest writer program that brings your words to WoW Insider's pages. With the massive number of players logging in every day to WoW, there's an equally expansive amount of art and media coming from that player base. Very few games have ever brought out such a community of creative minds showing the rest of us their vision of a fantasy world. From machinima to custom WoW dolls (I mean action figures -- right, guys?), to Horde/Alliance-themed cakes, there are a ton of different venues for artists of all varieties to express their passion for the game. I've just recently begun to start watching WoW-based machinima and have discovered there are quite a few masterpieces out there from people who seem talented enough to write or direct feature films. After the Cataclysm launch, I'm going to start an ongoing fan fiction story about a rogue and what his life is like after Deathwing ravages Azeroth. It should be plum full of adventures and high jinks! Although I'd love to include custom artwork with that story, my drawing skill ends at stick figures, so I'll have to use to screen shots. Out of all the different art, videos, and other "warcrafts," are there any you'd like to participate in? Or maybe you already check out great fan art, make custom troll outfits for cosplay, or bake cupcakes shaped like murlocs. What are your favorites?
The Lawbringer: The trouble with fan fiction
Pop law abounds in The Lawbringer, your weekly dose of WoW, the law, video games and the MMO genre. Running parallel to the games we love and enjoy is a world full of rules, regulations, pitfalls and traps. How about you hang out with us as we discuss some of the more esoteric aspects of the games we love to play? Finally, I return home after a bit of bliss. Fun is over -- it's time to get serious by talking about fan fiction. Sort of. You see, fan fiction is one of those areas that people love to hate, hate to love and everything in between. What is it about fan fiction that gets people so upset and so defensive? Is it the personal nature of the craft, the accusatory piggy-backing on other people's characters, or just that so much of it is mind-numbingly terrible? Who knows? Today, we're going to explore a few of the concepts of fan fiction in a very no-nonsense, barely legal way, to give you aspiring authors something to consider while writing your own fan fiction or even original content. With my post-vacation bliss now completely out of my system, thanks to reading so much terrible fan fiction in preparation, I am happy to share with all of you a story that I've been writing for the last minute and a half. Don't be cruel, now. It's pretty much going to become the greatest story ever told. Enjoy.
World of WarCrafts: Travels Through Azeroth (and art contest)
World of WarCrafts spotlights art and creativity by WoW players, including fan art, cooking, comics, cosplay, music and fan fiction. Show us how you express yourself; contact our tips line (attention: World of WarCrafts) with your not-for-profit, WoW-inspired creations. "This has never happened to me before. I'm a good pilot, dammit! Ugh, I know I'm going to be charged for it too. Serves me right for renting out a Cartel Zeppelin, dammit!" It was a dark, steaming jungle night in northern Stranglethorn. The ambient noise of the forest is astonishing. An endless natural orchestra of birds, insects, and mammals play in the lush canopies and dank undergrowth. Much like the Swamp of Sorrows, rain is a daily occurrence in Stranglethorn Vale. After Spirra crossed over the mountains it looked as if we would soon reach the goblin metropolis of Booty Bay. Then an unexpected storm blew us badly off-course. Spirra took this in stride, saying that it would just take a little longer, and that she could stop by Grom'gol if I wanted. Then, drifting low over the verdant jungle ceiling we heard a staccato of gunfire rise from the tangled landscape. Bullets shattered the propeller and pierced the balloon, and we streaked to the ground. It ended suddenly when Spirra's zeppelin impaled itself on a tree. Fortunately, neither of us was badly hurt. We climbed down the tree, carrying what supplies we could. Of our attackers we found no sign. ("Stranglethorn Vale," Travels Through Azeroth and Outland) Have you ever wondered what it would be like to actually be in Azeroth? To travel from place to place, staying in inns or with friends and acquaintances, taking in the sights and logging it all down in your journal? Find yourself transported as you see Azeroth and Outland through the eyes of itinerant traveller Destron the mage, as documented in the fan fiction Travels Through Azeroth and Outland. This ongoing, lore-based tale is deep -- deep enough in quantity to have accumulated years' worth of entries, and deep enough in content to be recommended by TVTropes.com. ATTENTION, ARTISTS: Submit your own illustration of Travels Through Azeroth's main character, Destron, for a chance to have your art featured here at WoW.com and on the main page of Travels Through Azeroth. Join us after the break for more details.
