Sunday Brew

This week's Sunday Brew is a little different. I'm going to be answering a question I've gotten a few times. This will be public, and also going up in a journal soon in all my posted places.

The question: Do I write Fan Fiction?
Short answer: Yes. But...
Longer answer:
I do write fan fiction. As in, stories set in known worlds (Final Fantasy, Star Wars, Doctor Who, Etc), using characters and concepts from those things (Freya Crescent, Jedi, The TARDIS, etc). Here is where the but comes in. If I am not familiar with the fandom or piece of media or whatever... I'm not comfortable making a story about it. And I'm not very likely to go out of my way to learn it just for a story. 

This has come up a few times. Someone asking me to do a story with (character) from (game) or (show) or (movie) that I simply don't know. Then when I say I don't know, they link me some youtube, or where it's available. I appreciate it, but it's not going to change my answer.

See, here's the thing. As a writer, the way I write is characters first, setting second, situation third. Characters in a setting, dealing with a situation. If I don't know the characters or the setting... I can't really write how they would act in a situation. I don't know them, or what's normal in that setting.

"But you write other people's OCs!" you say. Yes I do, but only if the owner of said OC is the one asking, or in very rare cases, has permission from the owner, but I still far prefer to deal with the person who's OC that is directly. That way, I can ask them specifically "How would this character act?" People are far more giving of details for their own character than "Make Lola Bunny fuck someone." That goes in with the presupposed idea that I know who Lola Bunny is, and how she would act. And even then... which version? The original horny version, the 2011 crazy version, or the modern girlboss version?

So. How can you know if I know the fandom? Easy: ask me. Just respect if I don't. Good rule of thumb, the closer to the 80's and 90's you get, the more likely I am to know it. More modern stuff I'm far less likely to know or care to know. This is not true for everything, but it's a good general curve to figure out how likely I am to be aware of whatever you're going to ask me about. Also, Video games are more likely than TV or movies. And almost never manga or anime. I'm a gamer at heart.

So, the answer is: Yes... but only if I know it.