Fanlore and AO3 In The UK Guardian article

[morgandawn]

Two things that pop out from the Guardian article: they used Fanlore and AO3 to explain some fandom terms. And, they 'grok' fan fiction in a way that Amazon and and TPTB do not. The comments are also interesting.

"Fan fiction is in a different universe to Kindle Worlds"

"Fan fiction exists to create what the original work is failing to offer. An obvious example is slash fan fiction, which responds to the unequal numbers of male and female characters, and lack of gay people, in popular culture by creating stories where two male characters get it together. Often in very explicit ways.

Authors might be pro-fanfic, including the holy trinity of JK Rowling, Stephenie Meyer and Joss Whedon, but getting that nod isn't the same thing as being rubber-stamped by the powers that be. Licensed by the franchise means rules will keep fans stuck making more of the same stuff. Fan fiction can't play nice with the franchise. Because the whole point is it goes where the franchise can't or won't go.

Fan fiction is a place of wing fic (an alternate universe where the characters have wings) and Mpreg (an alternate universe where men get pregnant – like something from Norman Tebbit's worst nightmares). You can't package up a place like that and sell it.

And telling and retelling stories, however we want to, is bigger even than a giant like Amazon. Fanfic existed before the internet and it will still be around when we live in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. After all, it's created enough of them."

Comments

[laurashapiro]

Thanks for the link! I hadn't seen this one.

[lferion]

That is an excellent article. Thanks for finding it!

[liviapenn]

Wow, even the comments are surprisingly good...

[heidi]

It's probably better than most because Mathilde comes from fandom - she and I have been friends since the HP days (and not saying this is why it was better than most, but I was a source on this piece - my actual quote was cut because of space, but basically paraphrased).