Author Topic: an aside note about Fanfiction...  (Read 2057 times)

Cannonshop

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an aside note about Fanfiction...
« on: 23 June 2023, 23:05:41 »
Fanfiction lets us do things, that the official writers can't, or won't, do.  Sometimes they can't because of long-standing policies, sometimes they won't because it doesn't fit the direction they want to take the readers (and us).

one hundred percent, they're NOT WRONG.

let me reiterate, they're not wrong.  We write fanfic, because it's fun, you read it, (hopefully) because it's fun.

just thought I should put that out there.
"If you have to ask permission, then it's no longer a Right, it has been turned into a Privilege-something that can be and will be taken from you when convenient."

cawest

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Re: an aside note about Fanfiction...
« Reply #1 on: 23 June 2023, 23:27:46 »
yep... i write what i want because it is a hobby.  and my wife lets me because it is not a boat. 

Red Pins

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Re: an aside note about Fanfiction...
« Reply #2 on: 23 June 2023, 23:46:53 »
I was thinking on this recently.  Why do I write fanfic?  Boredom, really.  I have nothing to do during long shifts except mindlessly swing mops and brooms or walk around festooned with PPE and steel toed shoes behind equipment.  Without something to think about it's just so boring...

And it's the thrill, too.  I waited, what, 6-9 months for an update of This was easier on tabletop, and downloaded it to a flash drive AND READ IT DURING WORKIng hours.  (I figured, what the heck, dirt doesn't run.).  It was more important than ANYTHING else.

And of course, after so long without a group, I had to have something to look forward to.  For a while, it seemed everything new was a fan product.  It even spurred me to try, not that I claim to be any good.
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The New Clans:Volume One
Clan Devil Wasp * Clan Carnoraptor * Clan Frost Ape * Clan Surf Dragon * Clan Tundra Leopard
Work-in-progress; The Blake Threat File
Now with MORE GROGNARD!  ...I think I'm done.  I've played long enough to earn a pension, fer cryin' out loud!  IlClan and out in <REDACTED>!
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drakensis

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Re: an aside note about Fanfiction...
« Reply #3 on: 24 June 2023, 01:03:27 »
Canon writers operate under constraints that are intended to protect and grow the Battletech property - it may not always work out that way, but that's the idea and mostly it's succeeded (otherwise we wouldn't keep getting it, which is great).

Fanfiction writers have more freedom, but also not that responsibility.
"It's national writing month, not national writing week and a half you jerk" - Consequences, 9th November 2018

FWCartography

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Re: an aside note about Fanfiction...
« Reply #4 on: 24 June 2023, 04:07:15 »
Fanfiction allows us to explore the stories that simply don't fit with the overall plan of the property, whether it's because they have no influence on the direction it takes or whether it's because it's simply unexplored.

It also allows us to pose that one, most dangerous question: what if?

The official writer, as cannonshop said, is not wrong. Largely also because they simply follow the roadmap others have created for them. You could also say, they are the ones building the sandbox. Us fanfiction writers then get to play in the sand.

DOC_Agren

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Re: an aside note about Fanfiction...
« Reply #5 on: 24 June 2023, 09:46:21 »
I would like to thank all of you who write CBT Fanfiction for those of us to read and enjoy.
"For the Angel of Death spread his wings on the blast, And breathed in the face of the foe as he passed:And the eyes of the sleepers waxed deadly and chill, And their hearts but once heaved, and for ever grew still!"

Daryk

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Re: an aside note about Fanfiction...
« Reply #6 on: 24 June 2023, 11:05:55 »
I would like to thank all of you who write CBT Fanfiction for those of us to read and enjoy.
THIS.  All day long!  :)

monbvol

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Re: an aside note about Fanfiction...
« Reply #7 on: 24 June 2023, 11:17:27 »
I know I'm a small timer even in the FanFiction community but I'll say I am glad people are enjoying what I've been able to put out for them.

Plus if I really had to write under the constraints that I'd have to to get published for Battletech, well I honestly don't know what I'd write to fit that.

HFC05

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Re: an aside note about Fanfiction...
« Reply #8 on: 24 June 2023, 12:57:40 »
I would like to thank all of you who write CBT Fanfiction for those of us to read and enjoy.

I appreciate that people indulge me in what I'm doing. For me writing is cathartic and a good creative outlet. I thoroughly enjoy the BattleTech universe. It has some deep lore that I sometimes get lost in. I remember how those early technical readouts described battles and campaigns from a very vast and endlessly warring universe. It really captured my imagination back then, and it has been a delight to revisit it. As a kid I came for the stompy robots and cool tech, as an adult I stick around for the intergalactic intrigue, the cool tech, and stompy robots.

Thank you Doc Agren, and all the other readers who make writing fan fiction a worth posting and keep me trying to be a better writer and story teller.

Daryk

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Re: an aside note about Fanfiction...
« Reply #9 on: 24 June 2023, 13:40:46 »
As weird as it sounds, I actually enjoy editing as much (if not more) as writing.

Red Pins

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Re: an aside note about Fanfiction...
« Reply #10 on: 24 June 2023, 15:26:33 »
As weird as it sounds, I actually enjoy editing as much (if not more) as writing.

Ohmigod!  You too?!
...Visit the Legacy Cluster...
The New Clans:Volume One
Clan Devil Wasp * Clan Carnoraptor * Clan Frost Ape * Clan Surf Dragon * Clan Tundra Leopard
Work-in-progress; The Blake Threat File
Now with MORE GROGNARD!  ...I think I'm done.  I've played long enough to earn a pension, fer cryin' out loud!  IlClan and out in <REDACTED>!
TRO: 3176 Hegemony Refits - the 30-day wonder

Daryk

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Re: an aside note about Fanfiction...
« Reply #11 on: 24 June 2023, 15:38:51 »
It comes from grading graduate school papers for three years...  ::)

mikecj

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Re: an aside note about Fanfiction...
« Reply #12 on: 24 June 2023, 15:46:33 »
I appreciate FanFic.  Exploring different areas, the road not taken, seeing events from different perspectives, and just exploring the imaginations of very talented people.  The depth of the commitment made by so many people to the setting is as astonishing as the talent they share.

THANK YOU!
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idea weenie

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Re: an aside note about Fanfiction...
« Reply #13 on: 24 June 2023, 21:15:06 »
Fanfiction is the only place where you can write about a planet with an aggressive heath & safety inspection force, whose only purpose is to prevent offworld creatures from getting loose.  They don't care if you are pirates, they just want to make sure you don't let ants, rats, or roaches loose on the planet because its ecosystem is that fragile (let alone fleas, ticks, etc).

"I don't care who you are Mr Butcher, you are not going to land until we have made sure that there are no potentially invasive creatures among your people.  The reason that the planet produces so much food easily is that the ecosystem is so fragile.  To give an idea, hummingbirds are an invasive species!

"I don't care about how many people you plan to pick up, I just want to make sure you don't leave anything behind. That means I have to clean your Mechs inside and out, your soldiers have to go through decontamination, and the entire exterior and interior of your ship needs to be sterilized to make sure you don't let loose bacteria and viruses."


Or a planet with the complete opposite, where they have to make sure nothing gets offworld.  "Sure, go ahead and land.  But we gotta inspect your ship before you leave to make sure you don't have any of the amphibious murder-squid eggs stuck on your shoes.  The eggs are almost microscopic, can survive weeks out of water, and can handle PH extremes that would kill a person.  When they hatch the creatures hunt in packs, and we have copied tactics from them that my team used to get second place in SCUBA combat drills.  The only reason we didn't get first place was because the judges took points off as they said our tactics were too ruthless and could be considered warcrimes."

willis

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Re: an aside note about Fanfiction...
« Reply #14 on: 25 June 2023, 21:28:02 »
I may not do fan fiction per say, but I do very much enjoy creating books/pdfs for folks so that others may enjoy them

Red Pins

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Re: an aside note about Fanfiction...
« Reply #15 on: 25 June 2023, 23:45:29 »
Well, make sure you post it So I can download a copy for my collection.   :whip:
...Visit the Legacy Cluster...
The New Clans:Volume One
Clan Devil Wasp * Clan Carnoraptor * Clan Frost Ape * Clan Surf Dragon * Clan Tundra Leopard
Work-in-progress; The Blake Threat File
Now with MORE GROGNARD!  ...I think I'm done.  I've played long enough to earn a pension, fer cryin' out loud!  IlClan and out in <REDACTED>!
TRO: 3176 Hegemony Refits - the 30-day wonder

willis

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Re: an aside note about Fanfiction...
« Reply #16 on: 26 June 2023, 00:11:04 »
check out Marauders TRO's, Clan Hell's Horses - Project Zhukov and Clan Snow Raven - Project Nelson to name a few

Red Pins

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Re: an aside note about Fanfiction...
« Reply #17 on: 26 June 2023, 00:59:21 »
Actually, I use Marauder's projects to explain my own to curious students...   >:D
...Visit the Legacy Cluster...
The New Clans:Volume One
Clan Devil Wasp * Clan Carnoraptor * Clan Frost Ape * Clan Surf Dragon * Clan Tundra Leopard
Work-in-progress; The Blake Threat File
Now with MORE GROGNARD!  ...I think I'm done.  I've played long enough to earn a pension, fer cryin' out loud!  IlClan and out in <REDACTED>!
TRO: 3176 Hegemony Refits - the 30-day wonder

Tyler Jorgensson

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Re: an aside note about Fanfiction...
« Reply #18 on: 26 June 2023, 13:04:52 »
Wait… people actually write fanfic?!?!? I thought we all just sketched notes on scrap paper and left it in my to do pile like my thousand un painted minis….

DOC_Agren

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Re: an aside note about Fanfiction...
« Reply #19 on: 26 June 2023, 17:55:23 »
Wait… people actually write fanfic?!?!? I thought we all just sketched notes on scrap paper and left it in my to do pile like my thousand un painted minis….
I feel judged seriously now.  8)
"For the Angel of Death spread his wings on the blast, And breathed in the face of the foe as he passed:And the eyes of the sleepers waxed deadly and chill, And their hearts but once heaved, and for ever grew still!"

Tyler Jorgensson

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Re: an aside note about Fanfiction...
« Reply #20 on: 26 June 2023, 18:30:14 »
I feel judged seriously now.  8)

Click on the links in my Sig: you’ll see how far I’ve gotten in mine lol

But seriously though

Everyone keep it up at your own pace 👍

Wrangler

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Re: an aside note about Fanfiction...
« Reply #21 on: 26 June 2023, 20:31:31 »
As just humble reader.  I was always been "Johnny come lately to the party" to get into stuff, that including fan fiction.  However, I've grown to love it.

Frankly, it broke my heart couple times when the forums died.  It's why I try safe guard writer's hard work using Fan Fiction wiki for BattleTech that Sarna.net built back 2009ish. 

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Tyler Jorgensson

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Re: an aside note about Fanfiction...
« Reply #22 on: 27 June 2023, 11:25:56 »
As just humble reader.  I was always been "Johnny come lately to the party" to get into stuff, that including fan fiction.  However, I've grown to love it.

Frankly, it broke my heart couple times when the forums died.  It's why I try safe guard writer's hard work using Fan Fiction wiki for BattleTech that Sarna.net built back 2009ish.

You and RedPins both: hero’s …. Although if you could delete my fanon stuff that’s be great lol

Red Pins

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Re: an aside note about Fanfiction...
« Reply #23 on: 27 June 2023, 16:14:39 »
NO.  HAHAHAHA.  NO.  hehehe.
...Visit the Legacy Cluster...
The New Clans:Volume One
Clan Devil Wasp * Clan Carnoraptor * Clan Frost Ape * Clan Surf Dragon * Clan Tundra Leopard
Work-in-progress; The Blake Threat File
Now with MORE GROGNARD!  ...I think I'm done.  I've played long enough to earn a pension, fer cryin' out loud!  IlClan and out in <REDACTED>!
TRO: 3176 Hegemony Refits - the 30-day wonder

Lazarus Sinn

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Re: an aside note about Fanfiction...
« Reply #24 on: 28 June 2023, 20:53:49 »
I love the fanfic. I wish it was in audiobook form so I could listen to it when I am working. Through the fanfic I have been able to visit many different parts of the universe that I otherwise would have missed out on and the beauty of it is that much of it has liitle to no effect on the overall canon universe as experienced by regular players so I simply consider it to be another aspect of the universe that has been detailed. So please do not stop writing.

BattleTech was the first game I ever played that had what I feel to be unlimited potential. Even back in 1989 when I was first introduced to it and there were only a few TROs and rulebooks it placed no limitations on what we could do and where we could go. Your imagination was your only limitation and we could not wait for the next issue of BattleTechnology magazine to come out. I was in the US Navy at the time and we were underway about 10 months out of the year so we had lots of time to play both the tabletop and the RPG and the shipwide communications network on a Ticonderoga class cruiser allows you to play the RPG regardless of where you are and whether or not you are on watch.
Foolish consistencies are the hobgoblins of little minds.

Steve

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Re: an aside note about Fanfiction...
« Reply #25 on: 28 June 2023, 22:59:00 »
A decent point.  Fanfiction has a lot more freedom in exchange for being, well, fanfiction.  If any of us became official writers we'd start getting restrictions on what we could do, where, and how.

Granted, we'd also be getting paid. 8)
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willis

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Re: an aside note about Fanfiction...
« Reply #26 on: 29 June 2023, 01:08:18 »
I have to admit in my opinion that fan fics are better than the cannon stuff....

Elmoth

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Re: an aside note about Fanfiction...
« Reply #27 on: 29 June 2023, 03:25:08 »
Quite usual really. One of the things is that they touch on things that interest me more (small unit games) or are free from the MANY constraints that mainline authors have to work with, like massive fact checking and strict directives on what will happen. Or they just invent stuff on the fly that have no relation to canon, as this is their own turf, not catalyst's and so have free decision to go offline. And that is fun.

Cheers,
Xavi