Fanfiction is a Gateway Drug
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| Nom nom nom... |
So, I spend about nine hours a day talking on the phone while at work. That's my job. This is unadulterated, unexaggerated fact. Most of my calls are simple. The wham bam thank you ma'am of the cellular world. Buy every once in a while I get the little 97 year old lady who's calling in trying to figure out how to use the new smartphone/tablet she bought so she and her cat, Mr. Wiggles, can Skype while she's on vacation hunting vampires in Romania. While I totally just added the bit about vampires for flair, the other stuff is actually pretty spot on.
And so, it is in these instances that I find myself concocting different ways to cut my own ears off while this woman tries to figure out why she can't have the name crazycatlady at gmail dot com as her new email address (it has been taken, no doubt, by the last woman I assisted). What does one do in times like these? Apart from the occasional affirmation that you're still on the line, you've not a lot to do. After finishing my followups and drawing several incarnations of this woman being nommed on by the previously mentioned vampires, I find myself at a loss. And then, epiphany! Why waste precious time twittling my thumbs when I could be doing something much more productive. I could be writing fanfiction.
Fo those of you unaware of this most noble and nerdy pursuit, fanfiction is the blatant kidnapping of characters from your favorite movie, TV show, book, comic, musical group, whatever and forcing them into all sorts of hilarious or ridiculous situations of your own design. It's like writing short stories using pre-packaged, pre-established characters. It's pretty fun, actually. The best part is pairing said characters off in ways that the have not been previously explored. This, my friends, is called slash fic. Romantic entanglements of characters that would make even the original creators blush. It's fairly addictive stuff. This art form reaches it's true pinnacle, however, with crossover fic, where rules are pretty much flipped the bird and suddenly you have characters from some high-brow British historical series having lengthy petting sessions with your favorite X... man. This is the good stuff folks.
All ridiculousness aside, writing fic can actually be a great exercise for any writer looking for a little fun. It allows someone who might not have their own ideas yet (but has the thirst to create and develop some skill) to practice plot and character development building on a pre-existing foundation in an atmosphere that is supportive and encouraging. It's all fun and games, no one profits, no theft involved, just a good way to flex the proverbial pen with a few familiar faces.
It also has the potential to create that warm fuzzy feeling in your chest. You know: pride. Confidence in one's self related directly to the fact that you have created something of value (even if that value is simply of the entertainment persuasion). This sense of accomplishment is important and shouldn't be overlooked. As someone who used to thrive on a false sense of accomplishment created by completing menial tasks in a virtual reality, the tangible sense of fulfillment that comes with the creation of the creative is pretty much invaluable.
Baby steps.
Aaaaaaaaaaaaanyway, My power keeps flickering, a result of the melting snow and ice left over from the ridiculous storm we've had over the last few days. So, I think I'm going to go arrange the blankets, check the matches and count the cans in our storm shelter one more time.
Adieu,
robin
