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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Discussion Fan Fic Nuggets of Awesome

Discussion in 'Fan Fiction and Writing Resource' started by Goodwood, Apr 14, 2015.

  1. Goodwood

    Goodwood Jedi Master star 5

    Registered:
    May 11, 2011
    I thought I'd kick off an opposite form of the Pet Peeves thread, both to talk about good narrative tricks and clever use of tropes, as well as to help new authors find examples to follow as well as pitfalls to avoid. Of course, with such a thread, there may be the inclination to pull a humble brag, but we'll just assume good faith here. ;)

    One nugget of awesome I like to see is the clever hinting of an important character, but in a way that the reader doesn't realize that the name is anything other than a throwaway mention. Also known as Chekhov's Gunman, it's especially cool if said character later ends up becoming a well-developed and -liked person in his/her own right.

    So, feel free to chip in with other nuggets, and don't be afraid to mention particular examples (note, TOS and forum rules still apply).
     
  2. ekrolo2

    ekrolo2 Jedi Knight star 2

    Registered:
    Jun 17, 2014
    Don't know if this qualifies but I always like the interesting ways (good) fic writers manage to put on a spin on canon, like what if Luke actually perished during the attack on his home on Tatooine, or how Palpatine would've adopted his plan should he have been discovered before enacting Order 66. Comics made me a real sucker for Elseworlds stories and while official SW material on that is (sadly) scarce, its nice to see that niche get filled up by fan fics, even if a lot of them squander the potential.
     
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  3. Goodwood

    Goodwood Jedi Master star 5

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    May 11, 2011
    There's the Star Wars: Infinities comics if you've not seen them; they're takes on the three films of the OT that center on what could have happened as a result of one seemingly minor change. Well-done AU can certainly be awesome, and any particular mentions definitely qualify for this thread. :)
     
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  4. ekrolo2

    ekrolo2 Jedi Knight star 2

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    Jun 17, 2014
  5. Lady_Misty

    Lady_Misty Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 21, 2007
    A piece of fan fic awesomeness is when the author has almost throwaway lines in one of their works referring to blah and in another work blah happens. And what makes it awesome is if he hadn't read their earlier fics in the same fandom you wouldn't have picked it up.
     
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  6. Ewok Poet

    Ewok Poet Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Jul 31, 2014
    On the contrary, that makes it a pet peeve. If a new person who joined yesterday wants to read the said author's stuff out of curiosity, the author needs to make it easy for them. Either that, or don't publish in public, it's not a little elite club.

    This said, my first nugget of awesome would be the authors who neatly interlink everything, add notes and so on.
     
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  7. Lady_Misty

    Lady_Misty Jedi Grand Master star 4

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    Mar 21, 2007

    It wasn't like that at all. When I commented on it it he was pleased that I had picked up on that detail but it wasn't dead obvious that he was referring to a throwaway line from his collection of short stories and the circumstances were different as well.
     
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  8. Goodwood

    Goodwood Jedi Master star 5

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    May 11, 2011
    Ah, you're referring to foreshadowing. A very effective technique, and can be used in many situations to great effect. :)
     
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  9. Ewok Poet

    Ewok Poet Force Ghost star 6

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    Jul 31, 2014
    Aaah, my bad. Foreshadowing is cool. :)
     
  10. DarthIshtar

    DarthIshtar Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Mar 26, 2001
    Nugget of awesome: When an author puts in a reference to something or a revealing comment that they didn't mean to be so significant.
     
  11. Chyntuck

    Chyntuck Force Ghost star 5

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    Jul 11, 2014
    When fics cross-pollinate, and you find a character, an object, an event or an anecdote created by one author pop up in a fic by another author. I first saw it happen with a green tiara that Luke was wearing in various fics around the boards, and then it all got out of control :p Seriously though, there's something really delightful when you see various authors' timelines mesh spontaneously.
     
  12. Exeter

    Exeter Jedi Grand Master star 4

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    Feb 2, 2005

    Absolutely! Back in the day, there was a good-sized group that did this and it was always fun to see which references you could spot. I remember that one particular setting (Bortelles, a lovely and dreary city on Corellia) got borrowed so often that one writer assumed such a vibrant and fleshed-out place had to be canon and used it, only finding out later it was entirely the creation of The_Face. The unobtrusive ones are always the best—things that just look like interesting worldbuilding bits and offhand background stuff to regular readers, but get you to grin if you recognize them—and really make us feel like a community with its own unique contribution to the (same) universe.

    Or you can go the less subtle route like Souderwan did: create a character suspiciously named Exe'ter, introduce your audience to his inherent arrogance and unlikeability, then have the Death Star vaporize his home planet.
     
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  13. metophlus

    metophlus Jedi Padawan star 2

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    Jun 30, 2015
    ... a writer referencing characters or events from Tales of the Jedi.
     
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  14. Goodwood

    Goodwood Jedi Master star 5

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    May 11, 2011
    When you can just tell by the way a writer depicts canon locales that not only has s/he done the research, but has taken that extra step to try and flesh things out in a believable manner while at the same time preserving the essence of that location. This can be applied to other things as well, such as vehicles and starships, etc.
     
  15. Ewok Poet

    Ewok Poet Force Ghost star 6

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    Jul 31, 2014

    Oh, shut up, Kovacs.
     
  16. metophlus

    metophlus Jedi Padawan star 2

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    Jun 30, 2015
    Defend my honor, Goodwood.
     
  17. Goodwood

    Goodwood Jedi Master star 5

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    May 11, 2011
    Um...what?!
     
  18. Ewok Poet

    Ewok Poet Force Ghost star 6

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    Jul 31, 2014
    A nugget of awesome: humour and serious themes mixed in the same story.
     
  19. Exeter

    Exeter Jedi Grand Master star 4

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    Feb 2, 2005
    Nuggeting: When somebody takes an obscure canon character and fleshes them out so well they're indistinguishable from a well-written OC. They've been rescued from the pit of unimportance and been given new life and the best part is it all feels vaguely dirty, a seedy smuggler trying to look somewhat legit. The Han Solo of fanfic stories.
     
  20. Ewok Poet

    Ewok Poet Force Ghost star 6

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    Jul 31, 2014
    Now I am more eager for your reviews, seeing what you're into. LIFE IS UNFAIR, BAAAAH, MOTHER GOAT, WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO YOUR FAITHFUL SERVANT, EP?
     
  21. metophlus

    metophlus Jedi Padawan star 2

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    Jun 30, 2015
    ... stories that show there's plenty in the GFFA outside Jedi, Sith, and the Force. And glowy sticks.
     
  22. Lady_Misty

    Lady_Misty Jedi Grand Master star 4

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    Mar 21, 2007
    I have never read any of the comics featuring Wrenga 'Jix' Jixton and for a long time thought he was an OC until I learned (don't remember how) that he was from a comic series.

    However I thought he was awesome from the fics I read and incorporated him into my main AU Verse and know of ons other person that has only read fics featuring Jix but has placed him in two fan fics.

    Another piece of FFNoA is callbacks to a subject/idea/event/thing.

    In a Star Wars AU Luke learns the truth shortly after Bespin and in despair allows the Force to guide him in plotting an indirect course back to the Rebellion only to fall put of Hyperspace almost on top of Executor. Long story short he learns that some people view the Jedi Mind Trick as a form of Mind Rape and that thought on the Mind Trick returns at least twice and even Luke is asked if he ever controlled someone like one would control a marionette.
    Sent from my iPadd from another galaxy using Tapatalk
     
  23. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

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    Aug 31, 2004
  24. Ewok Poet

    Ewok Poet Force Ghost star 6

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    Jul 31, 2014
    The whole Ascended Extra trope and what one can do with it.

    I had a character created for a fanon entry eventually become the centre of my fictional universe and get a 70K word story.

    At this point, a strange extra from that 70K story is slowly becoming a fan favourite. :p
     
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  25. Ewok Poet

    Ewok Poet Force Ghost star 6

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    Jul 31, 2014
    Interconnected microuniverses FTW!

    EDIT, to show that this was a legit post: it was about Raissa Baiard, Findswoman and me. [face_love]
     
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