FanFic

That's a question, Velvet? How so? Think the answer's pretty clear: Guess I'll go and register there, I'll PM you with more details, don't want to spoil the thread here or get too offtopic.

My personal opinion of fanfiction, which I don't expect anyone else to adhere to, is as follows:

Fanfiction is kind of like masturbation. They are both activities that can be a lot of fun, but it is for me alone-- I don't want anyone watching. And I certainly don't want to watch anyone else do it.

I don't mean to be insulting, but your vision of an interesting storyline is probably very different from mine. Most fanfiction I've read had me wondering about where the author got his ideas about characterization.

For example, take the recent link I saw to another post, where LaCroix went on a 'date' with the Malkavian. I do not see LaCroix's character acting that way at all. That author's vision of the character is incompatible with mine.

Published works are a little different... sequels are usually based on a character created by the author. The ones that aren't, like those based on an existing story, are researched and edited to have as much in common with the original story as possible. Fanfiction does NOT usually follow this rule... the new author is free to go off on whatever tangent they choose.

This feeling goes double for fanfiction that is, shall we say, 'erotic' in nature. I really do not want to see someone else's fantasy put into print. If you do, that is your business... and I'm free not to read it. What a great country I live in, where freedoms like that exist.

I like playing this game, and I owe a debt of gratitude to those who have kept it alive for this long. But I'll pass on the fanfiction, thank you.

[PS - Hope nobody is offended by this. I do not make fun of anyone who reads and/or writes fanfic. But someone will probably be offended anyway.]

Oh, you're not offensing anyone, I think ^^

About the Lacroix date with the malkie, I just like to say it's credible (Lacroix, as explained, has to accept to keep the Malkavian happy, which is a political need, even if the political bullshit is not that shown in Bloodlines). It's a bit too much (I would not have gone all the way).

And I also like to say that most white wolf published work is not by the same authors. Hell, most books contradict each other. Milwaukee by Night is just wrong. Montreal By Night is not better. Factor Chaos is complete non sense (but it makes me lol). World of Darkness France (a published book in French) is also soooo wrong... Being published doesn't mean "quality". Have you read Twilight ?
For the new WoD, it's by the same persons most of the time, and they did make a bible (you know what a bible is in pen and paper rpg ?).

Claudia wrote:

they did make a bible (you know what a bible is in pen and paper rpg ?).

Well, I know I'm not the one whom you asked, Claudia, but I'd like to know anyway. Is that some kind of guidline for players/storytellers?

Actually it's more of a guideline to authors
It's the information you have to use and on which you have to base your story to be able to call it "star wars" for instance, or a series. In pen and paper, a bible is composed by definitions and lexical words, so every book published under the name "Vampire the Masquerade" doesn't contradict itself (like, one saying France is Camarilla and Spain Sabbat, and the next book says Spain was never sabbat..).
Graphic charts, concept of the work, psychological profiles of some characters (or all), places and history

This is the batman's writter bible

Ah, I see. Makes sense enough, though... and something like this may also be interesting for fans, although to a lesser degree, I think. Thanks!

Well it's more for tv series (Babylon 5, X Files, and many SF series), but pen and paper rpg use them more and more often (but almost never able to the public ><)

New World of Darkness? Bah! I wouldn't read anything based in that setting, anyway. Vampire the Requiem is a watered-down, pussy-whipped version of what used to be a decent game. I flipped through the core rulebook a few years ago, and was unimpressed. No more Caine... now all the vampires are descended from the soldier who pierced Christ's side. They did away with half of the clans, too.

Forget it... I'm starting to rant now. For me, Vampire The Requiem does not exist... like the second Indiana Jones movie, or the third Aliens movie. Or any of the Twilight movies, period.

PGM i shall make your words my own. The Requiem sucks.

Oh about the Christ piercing stuff, that's just a theory.. In Requiem, it's quite solid, but the truth will be never known, as vampires tend to lose their memories. So each "sect" has its own view. Besides, there are not anymore "the good guys" (Cammie, USA, France, UK) and "the bad guys" (Sabbat, Mexico, Germany, Spain). Clans are less stereotypical, even if they are fewer ; although with the bloodlines, they are about 20.. Old WoD has too much, to each new fashion, with ebony kingdom, lhamians and stuff (ohmygod Asia is interesting people now, lets make a new series of books to sell, and they wont be normal vampires, but kuei-jin !).
The Masquerade took for real the Old Testament, and that's what I don't like. Taking something as the old testament as something "historicly accurate", yeah right the Gran Canyon was made because of the big Flood...

I do like better the old Wod, but that's because I'm used to it, I worked for it, and I threw away the crap.
But I have to admit, and I'm not ashamed of it, that the New WoD is in all points better than the Old one. The narration is better, combat stuff is better, overall game system is better, and the historical and political backround is well worked on. Anyway, it depends on the GM, always, so once you get to play a good scenarii..

There were definitely problems with Vampire: The Masquerade. White Wolf put out so much junk that the gamers became oversaturated with BS... some of which contradicted each other. Plus, they had done so many revisions that they were becoming a joke... sort of like the Dungeons & Dragons people. (What are they on now... twelth edition D&D? whatever)

But the Old WOD concept was so much more interesting. My quick read-through of the Requiem rulebook (if the clerk had known just how much I was retaining, he would've made me stop reading it) left me with a bad taste in my mouth, and a resolve never to buy anything in the Requiem game line.

In my opinion, conflict is necessary to a good story. White Wolf's desire to get away from the old 'good vs. evil' storyline left the game setting with nothing to drive an epic story... it's all about politics, and the boredom of living night to night.

Companies are in business to make money. But to me, White Wolf turned into money whores, who threw out a successful game concept so that they could start over and make gamers buy all the rulebooks again.

*(Note: the opinions of one bitter middle-aged man do not necessarily represent the views of "Team Camarilla International", or anyone who doesn't hate White Wolf with a bitter, fiery passion.)

PGM1961 wrote:

*(Note: the opinions of one bitter middle-aged man do not necessarily represent the views of "Team Camarilla International", or anyone who doesn't hate White Wolf with a bitter, fiery passion.)

HAHAHA! That made me LOL real loud!

PGM1961 wrote:

There were definitely problems with Vampire: The Masquerade. White Wolf put out so much junk that the gamers became oversaturated with BS... some of which contradicted each other. Plus, they had done so many revisions that they were becoming a joke... sort of like the Dungeons & Dragons people. (What are they on now... twelth edition D&D? whatever)

So true, and that is something which is rather sad mainly because the start was just great.
And for D&D alas, i will speak no foul words of it, but ok, sorry...have to do it, can't keep it in!! %*(&(&(!! when they started the 4th edition.

PGM1961 wrote:

But the Old WOD concept was so much more interesting. My quick read-through of the Requiem rulebook (if the clerk had known just how much I was retaining, he would've made me stop reading it) left me with a bad taste in my mouth, and a resolve never to buy anything in the Requiem game line.

Me too, but still....i like some of the ways in which they have changed the clans and the artwork is a lot better.
But those factions, rather boring actually, especially the lancea sanctum.

PGM,
wouldn't all art be somewhat masturbatory?
and definitely closet writers, who hang on to their writings, never sharing (crime to which i plea guilty, many counts)

to me FanFic is something quite the opposite.

hey, playing a game, now that is masturbatory, playing with oneself and sex toys
MMORPG is more like an orgy, then.

but, as i was saying
to me, FanFic is an homage.
it is an effort to give back
a fictional universe that has become part of the reality the fans inhabit, characters that have become part of the fan's family and friends, plotlines that have become part of the unfolding lives of fans, and most specially a comunity of like minded people, the comunity of fans, with shared intrests
FanFic is a giving back, a sharing out.
yes it has a measure of the particular person's, a stamp of the individual fan's, contribution to that universe, it's unique touch, individual brand, but it is generous, altruistic, giving back.
one has received so much entertainment, and more, one wants to give back.

FanFic to me is the same kind of thing as for example Camarilla Edition of Bloodlines, or even more The Final Nights (which is not to demean Team Camarilla International, but to raise Fan Fiction)
and you, PGM, appreciate the efforts of TCI.

in my personal case, my fiction could hardly be labeled fan fiction, or more exactly it was not specific to the game Bloodlines, but to the WoD universe in general.
it was grounded in their rules, from the character who is a Malkavian to small things like dancing in clubs raises humanity to the possibility of finding other supernatural beings in the night, but it was very much my own fiction.
when writing fiction, a very important preliminary work is world building, to create the setting of the story, and i let that up to WoD, the setting to my story was WoD's universe, a ready-made world building, but my story was very uniquely my own.