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Here are some of my thoughts regarding the trials and tribulations of using another person's characters and universe.
I've had some frustrating responses regarding the story I've written which uses the Naruto Universe. All of the negative feedback has been over Naruto's demon or the transformation technique -- all claiming that the story I've written isn't believable for different reasons.
I've written a story in which Naruto uses techniques to create a female body and mind-switch with it. As part of the process, he uses an technique called "henge" which transforms someone into another thing or person. It's one where a trained eye can see through it like a disguise, so it's both an illusion and a physical transformation. As a compromise, I've dubbed it a "solid hologram" to make all parties happy. But if you aren't aiming for 100% perfect canonical adherence so that you can write your story, should you go back and do a rewrite so that you don't violate the consensus of the fanbase?
The transformation Naruto makes into a woman when he performs his "sexy technique" had been described somewhat as an illusion in the anime that a Chunin or Jounin level ninja might detect, but also alternatively as a physical transformation (a frog transforms into a fox so it can have claws to hold onto something, or a monkey god turns into a diamond-hard staff). It can be challenging to choose one or the other without getting negative feedback regarding your use of techniques described in the Naruto canon.
I do understand some criticisms where characters act out of character drastically. For example, I do have criticisms of other transgendered stories regarding Naruto. There was one where Iruke-sensei dresses as a woman as part of an infiltration and intelligence operation for the village and poses as a wife to Kakashi. He employs the use of Naruto's sexy technique so he can pull off the illusion and for no reason anyone can imagine, starts having a sexual relationship with Kakashi. This is very unbelievable because the lemon scene seems to imply that Kakashi prefers Iruke's male form for sex.
It goes without saying that my story violates a few rules as well, so here is my mea culpa...
I've committed some very great sins against the mangaka god of the Naruto Universe:
* I brought Jiraiya back to life (without explanation) because I hadn't read far enough into the manga to realize he's dead. :) So now, like a soap opera, I need to use the old amnesia "hit my head and washed up on shore" excuse, darnit.
* I've made the henge jutsu more like a solid hologram
* I've given Naruko (the fans have named Naruto's female form) a new name
* I've forced Naruto to remain a female or lose his ability to become Hokage. What decent transgendered story doesn't set up such an insidious plot? :)
* I've made Sakura turn to Konohamaru for comfort (and possible future romance) -- the pairings squads are out in force sending me mail regarding this to my amusement. There are some Yaoi (boy-boy love) and Yuri (girl girl love) crowds which badger me into making Naruto into either gay boy or gay girl or vehemently warn me not to make him into either. :) I think there's plenty of set-up for an Ino/Sakura pairing, a Konohamaru/Sakura pairing, Naruto/Konohamaru, Naruto/Jiraiya, and Naruto/Sasuke (where is that Sasuke at eh?)...etc. The point of the story isn't pairings, so when there's an uproar over a romantic or sweet moment between two characters, it gives me reason to laugh evilly and give them what they fear :) Plot twists and drama are inevitable when you have such a large cast of characters. I mean, I haven't even introduce Guy Lee (the guy with the look too "unique" for Sakura's taste) into the mix.
I am interested in how other writers deal with fans who have particular tastes that are hard to satisfy.
--PDXGuy
Comments
Universe
You write in an established universe at your peril. The upside is that there's a certain amount of free advertising and you have a ready-made world and characters. The downside is that the fans you draw in expect to see their beloved characters acting as they've come to know them and will get ticked-off when you screw with them. They have a basis for comparison, and, with some justification, deviations will be considered mistakes.
I'm following Sailor Ranko, a comic strip in a crossover Ranma/Sailor Moon universe, and believe me, the author hears it when she goes astray.
On a personal note, I wrote a story in the Zhor universe once (and am still digesting how I want to finish another story in that universe). I was fortunate that the author, Overlord, and I had some extended conversations about that story, and I made an effort to fix some areas that didn't follow canon. If you don't have someone who's intimately familiar with your universe, then you're at a disadvantage.
Aardvark
"Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony."
Mahatma Gandhi
"Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony."
Mahatma Gandhi
It depends on how you use the universe
It depends on how you use the universe. My experiance was to use another universe in a specific way. First, to have the biggest leeway, my main characters were creations of my own who just happened to reside in the Universe. In that way when they did new things or showed new capablilities there was not a cannon to show that it was wrong as long as it was consistant. I had the actions of the new characters change preexisting characters. I had the old characters react in an in a way that was consistent with their character. I also used a variation of the universe where liberties had already been taken adapting it away from the original.
In an offshoot of this universe I told another story with these characters. The fans objected when I seemed to destroy a favorite character. However it was a phoenix action where the character rose again with anenhanced life. Since the end result was better than her begining, the fans forgave me for the momentary loss.
In another fan fiction I used a universe that was mostly new to people being an old one where there were established character traits that I interpreted with a different point of view to explain why in my story the characters acted in a certain way. I also introduced an external element, unrelated to the character's powers which accomplished a transformation.
In another fan fiction, it is the children of the original characters who are accomplishing the main action of the story. The original characters are there mainly in a mentoring capacity where the youth are guided by the actions of the adults.
Messing with a cannon character and giving them unexplained different capabilities or giving a thing an unexplained capability will ordinarily lead to the kind of reaction that you experianced. If there are changes, then those changes must be explainable within the realm of the universe where you are playing. If you don't meet that requirement then it is more useful to not play in that universe and play in one which is completely new where you can define it to be as you wish.
Three of my fan fiction pieces are completed and the fourth is in progress. The short story that started out my first fan fiction novel remains to this day my story with the most hits in my catalog of stories here. That in itself means I did something right becasue a lot of those hits have occured after everyone who cared had a chance to read it so some care enough about the story to come back and reread it.
Respect the universe and treat it right and the universe's fans will treat you right.
All my hopes,
Sasha Zarya Nexus
All my hopes
Ariel Montine Strickland
spinoff
I just wrote a silly little story set in the Flintstone universe to relatively positive reactions. I think that if you go far enough off of the source material, the audience knows you're not trying to make your story canonical, and they're willing to have fun with you.
That's not a half bad idea....I wonder...
if it's too late to lay devastation on their preconceived notions? :)
Heh. thanks for the comment. I like the idea of a Flintstone universe TG story. :)
Fan-fiction vs Parody
I used to write a lot of fan-fiction set in the Marvel heroes universe, this is back 45 years ago. :) I even sent some of my stuff into Marvel until I found out that they would not read fan fiction for legal reasons. :(
Recently, I wrote a Popeye story here that is either parody or fan fiction. I tried to keep it within the universe of the original Fleischer cartoons (rather than the Thimble Theatre/E.C. Segar comic strip origins, though Sea Hag is more of a strip character). But that's a pretty loose canon (hee hee) and I had fun with it. :)
One of the things that sometimes bugs writers for actual TV series like Star Trek is the fans insistence on canon. So it doesn't just happen to fanfic writers. :)
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
You'd think that...
a kid's show wouldn't attract wine-sipping leather-armchair and cigar types with a computer, but...
:)
The great thing about Star Trek TNG is you can have holodeck adventures. Heck ... has anyone gotten dibs on writing a holodeck TG? :) I can just see it now... transporter accident... holodeck illusions.... it's ripe with possibility!
I just love the weird stuff. I'm definitely going to look for your Popeye story. :)
Holodeck
On some of the Star Trek fansites, holodecks and transporter malfunctions are just grist for the mill. TG/Slash is a favorite there but those are mostly non-TG women writers who just like to play with the ideas.
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
Well.... it's to be expected ..
You well picked in my opinion one of the hardest Universe to write a fan fiction in and to top it off your using the main character Naruto. You have guts that all I have to say , Naruto fans are like ravaging wolves, they will eat each other at the first sign of weakness.
Like Sasha state above the first problem your going to run into is that your readers or atleast most of them are going to be naruto fans so there going to know this universe and its rules. But it gets much much worse.
Masashi Kishimoto has laid out a few rules in regards to ninjutsu in how it works, i.e. nature manipulation of chakra and form manipulation. etc But like any good author he has made these concepts vague enough that he has a lot of wiggle room storywise... The bad news is that every Naruto nerd reader you get has there own interpretation on how the rules work and are going to get angry when you break them. And as a rule the nerdier fanboy/fangirl is the more likely they are to complain.
LOL
I agree. I think I might have reached them with some of the new chapters. Most of my comments are along the lines of "I have a hard time with this story because...." then they finish up with "But this is a good story, so I'll see where it goes".
I'm very careful to mask my scent so that the wolves don't smell my fear :)
I think it depends on the universe
I am writing a non-canonical fan fiction piece in Maddy Bell's universe.
I sent my original story idea to Maddy.
And nothing I have ever sent to Maddy for posting on her site has ever been altered. And the piece, to date anyways, has been mostly well received by fans of Maddy's Gabyverse.
I think a large part of it is how the original author perceives the work. If they show support then it is hard for people to jump all over it when the author is okay with it.
My experience, FWIW.
Kate
"While the rest of the human race are descended from monkeys, redheads derive from cats."
Kate
"Before you diagnose yourself with depression or low self-esteem, first make sure you are not, in fact, just surrounded by assholes." William Gibson