Fan Fiction At Pan Historia
By Captain StarCastle
Fan fiction (alternately referred to as fanfiction, fanfic, FF or fic) is a broadly defined term for fiction about characters or settings written by admirers of the original work, rather than by the original creators…Wikipedia
There are all different types of Fan Fiction Novels at play around Pan Historia. Because we write fiction, often based on characters created by other authors or film makers, it is pretty hard NOT to. Normally we associate ‘fan fic’ with a television or film series, comic books, even well known novels—science fiction and fantasy the most common genres for ‘fan fic’ to be found here at PAN—but some novels, not tagged as such, but are based on historical characters, and/or true events in history, come very close to the label of Fan Fiction. True ‘fan fic’ novels here at Pan, usually have a disclaimer paragraph on the Novel’s DJ, and many of the characters as well.
There are ‘fan fic’ characters all over PAN as well. Not just novels. I’m sure I will miss many of them, but those I have recognized have surprisingly gone un-noticed as ‘fan fic’ characters. For the most part they are not in novels, or the novels they were in have long since been retired. Characters from the Firefly novel are still hanging around, their home only vanishing a short while back. There are numerous characters, as well as, short story lines at Short Cuts—the home of a new novel at Pan Historia. Short Cuts is where many of these ‘fan fic’ novels are given life and presented for public interest. Some of these stories eventually become Pan Novels with canon characters created by existing Pan members and will attract new members who are interesting in such Novels, while others are content to remain at Short Cuts, as a side interest.
Kingdom of Hearts: Hearts Destiny is one of Pan’s Novels that started in Short Cuts November of 2005 and by mid-December of that year, the Novel was created. Planeshift is another novel, the most recent to come out of Short Cuts, that began as a presentation, an idea, generating interest before becoming a novel.
Other ‘fan fic’ based threads at Short Cuts include The Crazy Zone, happy to remain a story thread at Short Cuts with characters based on the works of Kenneth Bulmer of the Dray Prescot series, and George R.R. Martin’s Song of Fire and Ice novels. Two sets of books that have nothing in common but have come together nicely to create a very different and fantastical world. Bug Hunt is another novel thread you might want to read at Short Cuts, based on the Alien films.
There are many more, you simply have to go seek them out. There might be one waiting for you at Short Cuts that your ‘fan fic’ character is dying to write in. Usually these threads are reserved for the writing cast, but contacting the creator of these threads could lead to you joining in. You never know. And as far as characters around PAN who are notably ‘fan fic’ based, we might look to our very own AVATARS, the one’s we all use to represent our many created characters, some who are active in several novels and various genres, and those who are just here to observe and for the moment remain un-noticed. I ran across such a character name while searching for someone one day; Elora Danan—a character from The Chronicles of The Shadow War trilogy created by George Lucas and Chris Claremont. I recognized the name being from the Lucus film, Willow. Interesting.
FANTASY GENRE:
Existing, long-gone, and newly formed Pan novels based on ‘fan fic’ can be found in all genres and based on various well-known and popular material. However, novels in the Fantasy genre are among the most popular due to the background material they present. Novels such as New Tales From Middle Earth and The One Ring—both based on the writings of J.R.Tolkein, specifically the Lord of The Rings novels—using characters created by Tolkein, while still creating a new environment for those characters to play in. The Tolkein stories are highly imaginative, with a wide variety of characters and lands containing lots of material in which members can create new tales for those characters.
It’s all in good fun and with the greatest respect for the creator of these published books and their characters.
SCIENCE FICTION GENRE: TV and FILM
Science Fiction is one of the most popular forms of ‘fan fic’ here at Pan, boasting several SciFi novels based on popular film and television series material. Star Wars: The Saga, Smuggler’s Moon, and The Jedi Civil War are PAN novels based on characters and events created by George Lucas; material, background and characters pulled from the Star Wars films and varied books that have been written over the last 3 decades—many of the SW books creating continuing storylines that pick up after Episode VI. Smuggler’s Moon is interesting as many of the characters are created specifically for the novel…introducing new characters to an already existing ‘fan fic’ world.
Star Trek has it’s place in the SciFi ‘fan fic’ based novels at PAN as well with Star Trek: Beyond Stars Reach, The New Commonwealth, and Adventures of The Frontier. All these novels have their background in the television series, partly in the films, and characters are pulled from both. It is refreshing to see so many new SciFi characters that fall nicely into these novels as well. The great thing about science fiction, even ‘fan fic’ based, you can create fantastical worlds with new characters that fit right in with the originals.
And continuing the TV ‘fan fic’ craze, existing novels Babylon6: A New Era and Stargate SG1 both tap into the creative worlds of SciFi from the popular television series shows, now only seen in re-runs and on DVD.
Here at PAN their characters and events go on, are kept alive by devoted fans and writers who continue to take the existing canon characters on new adventures. Always fun to play in these science fiction and fantasy worlds. Alien Hive is another SciFi novel her at PAN, who’s world is ‘fan fic’ based—set in the universe created by the Alien films—but the characters are new and of the non-canon type. Very different and made for those writers who enjoy keeping that storyline alive.
TV AND FILM: Continued
To continue on with television and film material, ‘Fan fic’ is not limited to science fiction or fantasy either. Many of PAN’s novels fall under other genres such as Drama and Horror, their characters and background material based on popular television shows and/or films that have a strong fan following on those subjects. Evolution Activated, just getting started with characters from the Heroes TV Series, while Chosenis based on the TV series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer as well as characters from the Angel series. At the other end of the 'fan fic' scale is Highlander: The Novel, based on the Highlander Series of the 90s staring Adrian Paul. All three popular shows from three very different genres present worlds for creative writers and fans to get involved in.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Clash of Steel, almost historically based in it’s material, yet fantastical and dramatic in it's content, has a cast of characters right out of the film trilogy, pirates to be sure…argh…but ‘fan fic’ based all the same.
Other ‘fan fic’ novels are Comic based, or created from Animated shows and film as well, such as Time Lords and Adventures of the New Teen Titans, and the previously mentioned Kingdom of Hearts: Hearts Destiny, which is actually filled with Walt Disney animated characters and those interested in the fantasy of the ‘cartoon’ world where ‘anything is possible,’ all three paying tribute to comic and game fans.
WESTERN AND HISTORICAL:
Lastly, but never leastly…if there is such a word, PAN novels that fall into a completely different realm of ‘fan fic’ based characters are stong here at PAN as well. Westerns are a popular genre history fans can grab hold of in the novels Deadwood and Tombstone, both using characters created from the popular HBO series Deadwood and the film based on the historical western figure, Wyatt Earp and the famed city of Tombstone. (had to get the boss in there somewhere). Their settings are based on and closer to reality situations, so different from the Fantasy and SciFi worlds. There are also real characters and events in novels like All For One: Tales of the Musketeers that falls into the Historical genre with characters and historically sound events from the past that have been incorporated into the 19th Century novel by Alexandre Dumas as the back drop for the novel. Another historically based PAN novel, 1066: Year of the Conquest , based on the historical events that lead to the conquest of England in the 11th Century by William of Normandy—the time line of events set nicely in the novel of the same title, by David Howarth. Canon characters exits in both of these novels, but many members have created other figures that blend in nicely to these historically based worlds.
Not to be out done, are the many historically based novels that border on ‘fan fic’ because they have such a dominant ‘fan’ following here at PAN, novels set in the ancient times of Rome and Greece. Many of the characters are original concepts by the members of these novels, with reference and respect to actual historical characters that existed in those ancient times. Three of those novels are Alexander to Cleopatra: The Hellenistic Age, An Empire Divided: The Fall of Het-Uart , and Athens; all set in historical lands where Egyptians, Greeks and Romans existed and survived, each novel creating an original POV based on events and characters that may or may not have existed.
BOOK AND (more) GAME BASED:
The Forgotten Realm and The Avatars of Darkness and Radiance fall into this category of ‘fan fic’ but are not the only book or game-based novels at PAN, based on The Wizards of the Coasts,a division of Hasbro, and the Storm Constantine’s Wraeththu books respectively. Several of PAN’s book based novels have fallen away over the years, but there is plenty of new literature and media out there to pull material from to keep writer’s alive and creative.
CONCLUSION:
I’m sure I left out some novel that might be considered ‘fan fic’ but I did my best. All in all, almost any novel can be thought of as a form of ‘fan fic’ with only a few actually falling neatly into that category, as they are filled with ‘fans’ of that particular storyline, or genre. If you are a Vampire fan then the Horror genres are out there too. If you prefer romance, several novels will hold your interest long enough for you character to strike up a promising relationship or have their heart broken. PAN has just about every form of ‘fan fic’ based and/or just ‘fan’ based novels you could hope to find in one place.
All in good fun…and with due respect to the copyrighted characters and storylines…*salutes*
