Taxonomic Classifications of Fanficcers

Let me establish something:

I LIKE FANFICTION.         

That’s right—I am a fanficcer. I am not going to hide that fact when posting on this blog, nor am I going to attempt to sugarcoat it. Plain and simply put, I am a fan of writing and reading fanfiction: A fanficcus authorus, and a fanficcus readerus, too.

If you have a problem with that (which would make you a fanficcus malficcus), you have two choices. The first choice is to bite me. The second choice is to ignore me completely. I prefer the second option, should you actually have a problem with my preferences.

Now, I know I seem all defensive and whatnot, but let me explain: I don’t know if it’s just the snooty kids at my college who act this way, but it seems that every time I mention fanfiction in front of the people I know outside the internet, I get laughed at—or, if the person who hears me saying something along the lines of “I write fanfiction” is skeptical of the merits of fanfiction (in which case they are a fanficcus skepticus), I’ll just get a pitying, unconvinced look followed by an abrupt dismissal of my writing abilities.

This has, of course, led me and my delicate sense of self-worth to the shameful act of hiding my fanworks from most of the people in my life (making me a fanficcus closetus). Practically the only people who know I write fanfiction are my roommates; to everyone else I just say that I “write and post stories on the internet,” leaving what KIND of stories to their imagination.

I hate having to admit that I’m shy about my fanfiction. I really do. Fanfiction has taught me SO MUCH about writing: being able to craft a story from beginning to end while getting feedback on each and every chapter posted (a handy tool, because if your story starts getting boring you’ll actually get a heads-up before wasting too much time on a dud plot); having people tell you if your characters are consistent since they know them just as well as you do; learning how to keep people interested in a story when there are so many others to choose from… there are tons of reasons to write fanfiction, especially if you’re looking to hone your writing skills in a stress-free environment full of people who all love the same things you do.

Because let’s face it, people: Fanficcers love their fandoms. They have to. They wouldn’t be writing fanfiction if they didn’t.

On that note, while I can’t say that all fanfiction authors are as concerned with improving as I and many of my friends are (because I, a fanficcus learnicus, want to publish novels in the near future and I use fanfiction to gauge what an audience might respond best to), I CAN honestly say that the fanfiction world is populated by far more than hormonal teens lusting after fictional characters—because even if you hate it, the “hormonal pre-teen girl lusting after a fictional character” IS the overall fanficcer stereotype (fanficcer fangirlus).

Just take a look at some of the more popular fandoms. Harry Potter is full of youngsters captivated by a brand new world full of possibility and magic (both literal AND figurative in this case) and it shows from the multitude of crack pairings and chat-speak stories clogging up the archives. They’re young, they’re in love, they don’t know any better, and while you can’t blame them for trying to be a part of a world they adore, their presence can sometimes overwhelm a newcomer to the fandom (fanficcus n00bicus) and make them think: “Gee, are ALL the authors like this?”

The answer is a resounding ‘no.’ Dotting the list of fics you’ll find utter gems of stories written by Harry Potter’s first fans, many of whom are college-aged at this point and well past their fangirling tendencies. The young ones are simply a louder voice since there are so many of them—after all, fewer college-aged kids have time to write fanfics than middleschoolers, but maybe if more of the older fans DID write stories, the stereotype could get turned around.

The Yu Yu Hakusho fandom—of which I am a loud and proud contributor—is another example of a fandom with an odd mix of fic-types and fanficcers. The show originally aired in the early 90s in Japan; in America it aired around the year 2000 or so, putting me at only ten years old at the time. Most of my friends in the fandom share a similar background: They watched the show as a pre or early teen, today they own the DVDs, and since the series had an abrupt and unsatisfying ending, we do our best to fill in the gaps and give the beloved characters the real resolutions they deserve. Jumping into the fandom today, you’ll probably run across more of these older authors (fanficcus originalus) than younger ones. YYH isn’t advertised much anymore and the older fanbase is basically all that’s left of the fandom’s long-gone golden era of popularity—it’s no wonder, then, that writers under the age of twelve are few and far between.

However, there is a surprising ring of younger voices in the newer pages of the archives, and after speaking to a few of these authors on how they got into YYH, I found a trend. Most members of the younger crowd (Generation 2, or fanficcus secondarus) have older siblings or parents who watched the series and were subsequently introduced to it through the trickle-down effect, or they caught the tail end of the series right before it stopped airing on Cartoon Network’s Toonami block and rediscovered it when they hit their teens. These new voices are younger, yes, and some of them might be less experienced, but nevertheless it is exhilarating to hear that YYH is being passed on into new hands, ones who can further expand the fandom even though the show has long since reached its end. Without them, the fandom would pretty much be dead. We fanficcus originalus owe the fanficcus secondarus a lot.

                I feel as though I’ve segued into an off-topic thingamajig (not to mention how I’m starting to sound like a naturalist with all these taxonomic classification names) so let’s get back on track.

                When people insult fanfiction on the grounds that it’s full of the stereotypical hormonal pre-teens, I tend to point them toward Yu Yu Hakusho regardless of whether or not they’ve seen the show. While it’s not exactly rare to find bad-fics or troll authors (fanficcus trollus) in the YYH section, they are NOT the general rule of the fandom. I think that in comparison to other fandoms, the YYH section is populated by a breed of fan many other fandoms lack. Yu Yu Hakusho is an oldie, a golden oldie, and most writers tend to reflect the show’s venerated status by treating it with respect. We LOVE Yu Yu Hakusho—we love the characters, the premise, the inexpressible taste of the show, and although there are authors who will take characters far outside their personalities for the hell of it, maliciously abuse Kuwabara, or kill off Keiko because many think she’s just plain too “annoying” to live, the majority of on-site authors are the type who want to fill in the gaps the show left unfilled, and they want to do it well.

They are the fanficcus exemplarus—the exemplary fanficcers—and I wish their voices were louder. Maybe then I, a fanficcus closetus, would have the courage to raise mine.

Terminology (with bonus terms not used in the above text):

Fanficcus authorus: A fanficcer who writes fanfiction.

Fanficcus badficcuss: A fanficcer who writes bad!fanfiction (not to be confused with fanfic badfic, which classifies the actual story). Can be intentional (in which case they may have cross-bred with fanficcus trollus) or, more commonly, unintentional (in which case intervention from fanficcus exemplarus is wise).

Fanficcus closetus: A fanficcer who has trouble admitting they write, read, or review fanfiction; a closeted fanficcer.

Fanficcus exemplarus: A respectful, articulate, capable, and in all other ways exemplary fanficcer. Determined on a case-by-case basis; no age restrictions.

Fanficcus fangirlus: A fanficcer stereotype. This specie is a “phase specie”, or one that can be grown out of.

Fanficcus learnicus: A fanficcer who write fanfiction in order to grow better at writing, be it fanfiction, school, or other work.

Fanficcus malficcus: A person who dislikes or hates fanfiction and fanficcers in all capacities. However, by being aware of what fanfiction is enough to hate it, they have landed themselves in the fanficcus genus. (For someone unaware of what fanfiction is, see homo whatficcus.)

Fanficcus n00bicus: A new fanficcer who isn’t yet savvy with the way the fanfic world works.

Fanficcus originalus: A fanficcer who has been with a fandom since its inception, or at least close to it. Usually older; there are exceptions.

Fanficcus readerus: A fanficcer who reads fanfiction.

Fanficcus secondarus: A fanficcer who is new to a fandom. Age flexible. Can become a fanficcus originalus after gaining enough experience or recognition.

Fanficcus skepticus: A person who doubts the merits of fanfiction, but harbors no real hatred for it. However, by being aware of what fanfiction is enough to doubt its merits, they have landed themselves in the fanficcus genus. (For someone totally unaware of what fanfiction is, see homo whatficcus.)

Fanficcus trollus: A fanficcer who intentionally mocks a fandom, fanficcer, etc. for their own amusement.

                Homo mehficcus: A human being who has no real opinion on fanfiction. Has usually heard of it, but their definition is normally patchy at best. Parents tend to fall into this category.

Homo whatficcus: A human being who is unaware of what fanfiction is in any capacity; a human being who has never heard of the concept of fanfiction.

Classifications of Stories:

Fanfic AUfic: A fanfic set in an alternate universe. Could be subtle (one canon story arc never happened or happened differently) or pronounced (the Star Trek cast goes to highschool).

Fanfic badfic: A bad fanfiction. Can be applied to badly written, plotted, or characterized fics.

Fanfic chatfic: A fanfiction written in chatspeak.

Fanfic crackfic: A crack fanfiction. Even though fanfic crackfic may contain elements of fanfic badfic, fanfic OOCfice, or other fanfiction classifications most view in a negative light, fanfic crackfic uses these elements in a humorous, ironic, satirical, or otherwise subversive way that is self-aware.

Fanfic goodfic: A good fanfiction. Can be applied to any fanfiction of any other category (though probably not fanfic badfic for obvious reasons).

Fanfic MarySuefic: A fanfiction containing a Mary Sue. NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH fanfic OCfic.

Fanfic OCfic: A fanfiction containing an original character (OC) as a primary main character. NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH fanfic MarySuefic.

Fanfic OOCfic: A fanfiction containing characters who are consistently out of their established canon character.

Fanfic slashfic: A fanfiction containing slash.

Fanfic songfic: A fanfiction based on or formatted around the lyrics of a song.

Fanfic trollfic: A fanfiction written by fanficcus trollus, typically to gain negative attention or rage.

Fanfic WTFfic: A fanfiction that makes no sense. Often confused with fanfic crackfic, fanfic WTFfic is a real attempt at a fanfiction that was ill-conceived and not properly thought out prior to publication. Crosses over with fanfic badfic.