Stephan Sokolow's Blog

Anyone who takes more than a casual interest in fanfiction has almost certainly hear the term "fanon". For those who are unaware, "fanon" refers to elements which have become so popular that people start forgetting their non-canonical status.

However, as any self-declared fanfic critic (myself, for example) will quickly tell you, being "fanon" is an indication of popularity but says nothing for the quality of the idea. In at least half of the cases I’ve seen, fanon traits are a sort of "say it ain’t so" response by fanfiction authors who, whether consciously or unconsciously, band together in their self-delusion. (Easily differentiated from "alternate universe" fiction by the question "does the story pretend to take place in the original universe?")

So today, I’ll make mention of two characters who are of excellent quality, but don’t count as "fanonical" because they are quite blatant divergences from canon.

Mr. Black

First, in the Harry Potter fandom, we have Mr. Black created by Rorschach’s Blot. Is he an ex-dark lord, possibly the incarnation of death itself, or is he just a guy on vacation as he claims? As anyone who has read the fic knows, he’s just Harry Potter trying to take a vacation.

One of the best indicators of the quality writing that went into "Make A Wish" is the flurry of little sidestories written by it’s fans. Off the top of my head, I can think of only one other fanfic which has done this and it’s definitely not suitable for children. However, it’s author is probably the most famous fanfic author in all the early fandoms.

Toltiir, The Bet, and more…

Whether you know him as Metroanime, Kestral, Gregg Sharp, or by another alias, the author of "The Bet" is an icon in the Ranma ½ fanfiction community and, though his fiction rarely strays from anime, it has influenced the minds of many of today’s best fanfic authors.

For those unfamiliar with "The Bet", here’s the summary.: In 1998, Gregg Sharp posted a flurry of mini-fics to the FFML (FanFiction Mailing List) which was, at the time, the place to find and share fanfiction. While "Featherbrite’s Tale" won and got extended, the other mini-fics were also quite enjoyable. These events spurred a flood of "unofficial bet entries" and, though almost unheard of, you occasionally find a new one written in nostalgic memory.

To finally get back on track, The Bet introduced an original character so appealing and well-done that it usually takes quite a while for newcomers to realize he’s original. That character is Toltiir, cat god of chaos.

Unfortunately, as with his other original characters, I just don’t know how to describe Toltiir without doing a great injustice. You’ll just have to read The Bet yourself.

Once More With Feeling by Crazy-88

Length: 12 Chapters, Ongoing
Sources: Neon Genesis Evangelion
Rating: 5/5

“Once More With Feeling” is a Neon Genesis Evangelion fic based on the implied anime-series ending (Shinji is included in the sea of LCL) where, seeing what awaits him once he lets go of his individuality, Shinji changes his mind and asks Rei/Lilith to take him back. He finds himself holding the phone before Misato arrives to meet him in the first episode.

The important change is that this time, he’s decided he won’t let the people he cares about come to harm through his own cowardice. I think this fic’s title really sums the concept up nicely. The only really memorable plot element for the first couple of chapters is that Misato’s blood-stained cross followed him back in time, but it’s an entertaining read nonetheless and things get really interesting later.

I won’t spoil the surprise, but I will say that this is the best “Third child with foreknowledge manipulates things to bring about a better end” fic I’ve ever read. The only thing I can think of which comes close is Calamity’s The Wild Horse Thesis, and in that one, Ranma is the third child. I especially love how the author managed a great deal of subtlety in the changes. Sometimes, Shinji uses Gendo-like tactics for better reasons… but sometimes the changes catch him by surprise without it seeming cheap in the way that so many second chance fics are.

There are various typos, grammatical errors, and the occasional formatting error which I suspect to be the fault of Fanfiction.net’s import filters, but in general, it’s a pretty comfortable read. If you like “second chance” fics or “Shinji helps Rei overcome Gendo’s conditioning” fics, you’ll kick yourself if you don’t read this.

My only regret is that I can’t write a review that does it justice.

Best Laid Schemes by Don Sample

Length: 5 Chapters + Prologue
Sources: Harry Potter, Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Rating: 4.5/5

This is a “Xander gets magical powers” story with a twist. What if Sirius Black, in an attempt to protect the newly orphaned Harry, swapped his form with another child. Not a big problem… until the spell unravels after the end of HP and BtVS leaving Xander looking like Harry and Harry as un-magical as Xander. Plot-wise, this is still just getting revved up, but the concept is nice and original and the writing is sound.

Definitely something you’ll want to keep your eye on.