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There's this line, this division, in reading fanfiction. It's nebulous, ever-changing and near impossible to judge. But when you cross it, you cross it.
What the hell am I talking about? I call it the line of fanfiction vs. realism. There's only two kinds of fanfic when you get right down to it: There's the ones where you read them, and you know you are reading fanfiction. And then there's the ones where you forget you're reading fanfiction at all. It's where everything falls into place so clearly that what you're reading isn't something created by a fan, it's something pulled out of the canon of an alternate universe and luckily just happens to be displayed right in front of you on your computer.
The characters are so fully realized, the plot is drawn so exactly from the world foundation already provided, and the style is so loyal that... you forget. While you're absorbed in reading it, you simply forget that what you're reading hasn't happen, and won't happen, and isn't happening onward with each word you absorb.
These fics are so good that you can't judge them on quality, because the quality is so high it's expected to be the way it is, because to be in this category it has to have this professionalism that, while not necessarily flawless, is equal to that of the source (tv, book, etc) form which it draws. So all you have left to talk about is content. And even if there are random technical flaws, they seem so far away from the story that you neither notice nor care.
It's not always quality that defines the line, though. It's the intent of the story. Fanfiction by nature tends to be extraordonarily self-aware. That's the best way I can describe it. Anyone who has read enough of it knows that in-jokes are littered in stories: in-jokes from the series, from the fandom, from the writer's social fandom circle or previously posted stories. Even when they're not menat to be funny at all, only to be present, they are there and we see them when we read. This is one of the wonderful things about being a fan of anything-- the ability to catch those references and winks directed toward others like you.
The fics that cross the line into the other kind of fanfic have a level of what I can only call realism... or maybe call unfailing loyalty to canon and canon intent as perceived by each of us individually. Typically if the fandom picked has no realized pairings then these stories will not have any either, or if they do the pairings will follow canon to the letter of the script, and logically extend outward from that point. This is another way the two kinds can be separated... there are many great fanfics whose soul purpose is to create a fantastic story around two characters who are not together in canon at all. I have read quite a bit or quite a few of these, depending on the particular fandom involved.
Another way is the plot-- if the series is episodic, likely the story will be too. The beginning and end of the fic will likely be very similar in terms of style to the beginning and end of a story arc on the television, film, or book, etc, that it is drawn from.
The even more difficult thing is that the defining line for all this changes for every person. A story I find to very fannish (even if I adore it) might be something that another person sees as the ultimate homage to canon realism. But the thing is... when you're reading a fic that hits like this, you know it.
Does any of this make sense? I keep wanting to go back to my original definition--- one kind feels like fanfiction, the other kind feels like it's not fanfiction at all. Because it's not about the fan, it's about the fiction. And when you're reading the level of escapism is so high that it seems like you're reading the real story itself, not something another fan like yourself created. It's like reading a book you spent 7 dollars on and stood in line for. Even though you didn't, that's the kind of reward.
Transition Anchor is like that. Buffy Season Noir is like that. Return to Gaea is like that. Daemons Luminati is like that. Traitor to the Cause is like that. Dreamer Awakened. The Price of Freedom. Countess. Broken.
The above are some of my favorite fanfictions. However, some of my other favorite fanfictions do not cross that line at all: Spiegel Im Spiegel (BtVS). descant descending (BtVS). Leadbelly: She Wanted to Die (CB). Treacle_a fanfic that I can never remember the name of. Ten Thousand (BtVS). When Darkness Falls (BtVS). Wagering History (BtVS.) These are all such fantastic stories, but they're so deeply tied to fandom in my mind that I the suspension of disbelief is different. Crossvers, too, will never be this way because crossovers just don't happen in canon.
I don't even know why I'm talking about this now. But I was doing dishes and had just read some absolutely amazing canon-like fanfic (Return to Gaea, linked above), and I was ruminating on how different an experience it was from reading equally good stories where canon is not a factor at all, or changed as appropriate.
What the hell am I talking about? I call it the line of fanfiction vs. realism. There's only two kinds of fanfic when you get right down to it: There's the ones where you read them, and you know you are reading fanfiction. And then there's the ones where you forget you're reading fanfiction at all. It's where everything falls into place so clearly that what you're reading isn't something created by a fan, it's something pulled out of the canon of an alternate universe and luckily just happens to be displayed right in front of you on your computer.
The characters are so fully realized, the plot is drawn so exactly from the world foundation already provided, and the style is so loyal that... you forget. While you're absorbed in reading it, you simply forget that what you're reading hasn't happen, and won't happen, and isn't happening onward with each word you absorb.
These fics are so good that you can't judge them on quality, because the quality is so high it's expected to be the way it is, because to be in this category it has to have this professionalism that, while not necessarily flawless, is equal to that of the source (tv, book, etc) form which it draws. So all you have left to talk about is content. And even if there are random technical flaws, they seem so far away from the story that you neither notice nor care.
It's not always quality that defines the line, though. It's the intent of the story. Fanfiction by nature tends to be extraordonarily self-aware. That's the best way I can describe it. Anyone who has read enough of it knows that in-jokes are littered in stories: in-jokes from the series, from the fandom, from the writer's social fandom circle or previously posted stories. Even when they're not menat to be funny at all, only to be present, they are there and we see them when we read. This is one of the wonderful things about being a fan of anything-- the ability to catch those references and winks directed toward others like you.
The fics that cross the line into the other kind of fanfic have a level of what I can only call realism... or maybe call unfailing loyalty to canon and canon intent as perceived by each of us individually. Typically if the fandom picked has no realized pairings then these stories will not have any either, or if they do the pairings will follow canon to the letter of the script, and logically extend outward from that point. This is another way the two kinds can be separated... there are many great fanfics whose soul purpose is to create a fantastic story around two characters who are not together in canon at all. I have read quite a bit or quite a few of these, depending on the particular fandom involved.
Another way is the plot-- if the series is episodic, likely the story will be too. The beginning and end of the fic will likely be very similar in terms of style to the beginning and end of a story arc on the television, film, or book, etc, that it is drawn from.
The even more difficult thing is that the defining line for all this changes for every person. A story I find to very fannish (even if I adore it) might be something that another person sees as the ultimate homage to canon realism. But the thing is... when you're reading a fic that hits like this, you know it.
Does any of this make sense? I keep wanting to go back to my original definition--- one kind feels like fanfiction, the other kind feels like it's not fanfiction at all. Because it's not about the fan, it's about the fiction. And when you're reading the level of escapism is so high that it seems like you're reading the real story itself, not something another fan like yourself created. It's like reading a book you spent 7 dollars on and stood in line for. Even though you didn't, that's the kind of reward.
Transition Anchor is like that. Buffy Season Noir is like that. Return to Gaea is like that. Daemons Luminati is like that. Traitor to the Cause is like that. Dreamer Awakened. The Price of Freedom. Countess. Broken.
The above are some of my favorite fanfictions. However, some of my other favorite fanfictions do not cross that line at all: Spiegel Im Spiegel (BtVS). descant descending (BtVS). Leadbelly: She Wanted to Die (CB). Treacle_a fanfic that I can never remember the name of. Ten Thousand (BtVS). When Darkness Falls (BtVS). Wagering History (BtVS.) These are all such fantastic stories, but they're so deeply tied to fandom in my mind that I the suspension of disbelief is different. Crossvers, too, will never be this way because crossovers just don't happen in canon.
I don't even know why I'm talking about this now. But I was doing dishes and had just read some absolutely amazing canon-like fanfic (Return to Gaea, linked above), and I was ruminating on how different an experience it was from reading equally good stories where canon is not a factor at all, or changed as appropriate.
