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hannigramtropefest · 2 years

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What is the Hannigram Tropefest? (Rules and FAQ)

The Hannigram Tropefest is a fanwork event centered around the NBC TV show Hannibal and the relationship between Hannibal Lecter and Will Graham (ship name Hannigram).

It requires at least two tropes intentionally included in a fanfic. (There is a list of potential tropes you can draw on here.)

(Hannigram Tropefest is based, by the permission of Muse and Jojo, on the Dean/Cas Tropefest. And some of the rules are partly based on the ones from the SPN Dystopia Bang.)

While works created for the Hannigram Tropefest are welcome to draw on other interpretations of the Hannibal narrative, as depicted in the films, and the original novels of Thomas Harris, the characters must be based mainly on the depiction by Bryan Fuller.

For this event, fanfics are written first by fic writers and then claimed by artists, collage makers, photo manip makers or vid makers who then create work/s based on their claimed fanfic.

Head here for the fest’s schedule.

Rules and FAQ

Failure to abide by the rules of the Hannigram Fest can potentially lead to participants being disqualified from the current fest, future fests, and other fandom events moderated by the mod/s.

All participants MUST BE aged 18 years old or older to take part

No ifs, no buts, you must be aged 18 or over on sign up in order to take part. Should you be found out to be lying about your age, you will be permanently banned from the fest and any other fandom events run by the mod/s.

In order for a fanfic to be considered eligible for Hannigram Tropefest it must:

Contain two or more general fan tropes or specifically tropes from the Hannibal fandom. There is no limit on the upper number of tropes you can use.

Have a relationship between Hannibal and Will as its main focus, featuring prominently in the fic’s story. This relationship can be non-sexual and just friendship should you wish to write a Gen story.

Be at least 3,000 words long (mini fic) or at least 10,000 words long (big fic). There is no upper word limit.

Not have been previously posted anywhere else online (including Patreon) or in a zine.

Be a self-contained story that doesn’t require people to read existing fics or a sequel to get the full story.

Have been beta read before posting.

If you’re unsure whether your idea is okay, contact the mods at [email protected] or send a Tumblr ask.

In order for art/manips/collages/vids by creators, a.k.a. visuals creators, to be considered eligible for the Hannigram Tropefest they must:

Be based on a claimed fanfic that the fest mod/s recognize as assigned to the creator.

Not be for a fanfic the visual creator has written themselves.

For mini fics (3,000 words+): One piece of media of the creators preferred medium (art/manip/collage/vid). Vids must be at least 30 seconds long.

For big fics (10,000 words+): Two pieces of media of the creators preferred medium (art/manip/collage/see next point for vids). Vid creators only have to make one video but it must be at least 1 minute long.

It is up to visuals creators individually if they wish to make more than the number/length described above.

If you’re unsure of the fest requirements, contact the mods at [email protected] or send a Tumblr ask.

All participants must confirm they have a working email address

Within 72-hours of signing up for the fest, you will receive an email asking you to reply to that email in order to confirm that your address is working.

If you don’t confirm your email address you will not be considered participating in the fest. Should you not have an email from the fest within 72-hours, check your spam/junk folder. And if it’s not there, email [email protected] or send a Tumblr ask.

The Hannigram Tropefest does not tolerate harassment

If you are found to be harassing participants, you will be banned from this fest and any other fandom events run by the fest mod/s.

There must be no explicit sexual content depicting characters below the age of 16

Hannigram Tropefest won’t accept anything with graphic extreme underage sexual content. For the purposes of this fest, we’re defining that as anything below the age of 16. While either child sexual abuse or consensual childhood sexual activity may be included in your plot, it cannot be depicted explicitly.

Fics featuring 16- and 17-year-olds engaged in sexual activity must be labeled as underage, including if their partners are 18 years old.

Works must be accurately tagged and include effective warnings for claims and posting

Please note that all major warnings should be applied on all works, not just regarding underage sexual content. Plus accurate tagging makes it easier for the artists to pick work they will be comfortable with during art claims. And it makes it easier for readers when everything is posted on AO3.

Forms of abuse or non-consensual activity may be included in stories, but must be warned for.

May I write HEU (Hannibal Extended Universe)?

As the central point of this fest, aside from tropes, is the relationship between Hannibal Lecter and Will Graham, ships related to the HEU are not allowed to feature as the main ship/friendship in the story.

But that doesn’t stop you from having Duncan Vizla as an ex of Will Graham, or suggesting that Grigg Harris once had a one night stand with Hannibal Lecter, or that Adam Raki is Will’s long lost sibling, or that Nigel is somewhere lurking in the background… Or that Twincest is afoot.

If you wanted to write something set in the Harry Potter universe featuring Hannibal and Will, that would also be permitted, and so on.

If you’re unsure whether your idea is okay, contact the mods at [email protected] or send a Tumblr ask.

May I write an AU?

You are allowed to write an AU. From Canon-Divergence to a Sci-Fi AU and anything in between.

And of course, canon universe is permitted.

Am I allowed to write Hannibal or Will in other relationships?

While past and just ending/concurrent relationships involving other characters with Hannibal or Will are permitted, core relationship focus must be on the relationship/friendship between Hannibal and Will. For example, Hannibal could be in a sexual relationship with Alana or Bedelia at the start of your story, but eventually ends up with Will.

Other characters are allowed to have background relationships with each other, regardless of whether they’re canon or fanon, e.g. Margot/Alana, Jimmy/Brian, Jack/Bella.

May I write a Gen fic?

Yes, so long as a friendship between Hannibal and Will is clear and explored.

Do I have to make a cover for the story I am paired with?

Visuals creators are under no obligation to make covers for stories. But should you wish to make a cover - you may. Authors are also welcome to make covers, but they must discuss doing so with their partner first, to make sure two covers aren’t made.

May I sign up as both a visuals creator and an author?

You may, but you will not be allowed to make something for your own story.

Do you have any beta readers I could contact?

There will be a list available should anyone sign up as one. Details on how to access it will be shared after sign up and once the fest has some beta readers.

Do I need a Tumblr/Twitter/AO3/LJ/Pillowfort/Dreamwidth account to sign up?

You need a working email address and an account on either Tumblr/Twitter/AO3/LJ/Pillowfort/Dreamwidth when you sign up.

You will need to provide that email address and details on your fandom account/s during sign up.

Authors will need an AO3 account to post their finished work when it comes to their posting day.

Where can I post my finished work?

Fanfics may only be posted to AO3, and posted in their entirety on an assigned posting day. They must be submitted to the Hannigram Tropefest 2022 collection.

Art/manip/collage/vids can be posted on Tumblr, AO3, LJ, Dreamwidth, DeviantArt, Pillowfort, YouTube, etc. If posted on AO3, please submit to the Hannigram Tropefest 2022 collection.

Do I have to submit a masterpost?

Either the author or visuals creator in a team will submit one masterpost to Hannigram Tropefest with links to both fic and visual creations. We will provide information on how to do that nearer posting.

Do fics have to link to art/manip/collage/vids and do art/manip/collage/vids need to link back to fics when posted?

Yes. Stories must link to the art/manip/collage/vid creation/s based on them, and art/manip/collage/vids creations must link to the stories they are based on.

It is up to visuals creators’ discretion as to whether an author may embed their work in their story on AO3.

How long must fics and art/manip/collage/vids remain online for after posting?

Anything created for the Hannigram Tropefest must remain online for at least one year after the end of the event’s posting schedule.

For vids you can post unlisted. For fanfics you can post fics so that only registered AO3 users can access them.

How much of my story must be written before claims?

All fanfics must be 80% complete to be eligible for the claims process.

How much of my fic must I post on my posting day?

On your assigned posting day, you must post your complete fic: that means being posted to AO3 in its entirety on your posting day.

Do I have to do a story promo?

There is an optional promo period between October 17th - 31st. Details on how to take part will be emailed to fest participants nearer the time.

Promos can only happen before posting through the fest’s method that will be shared with participants nearest the time.

Stories must remain anonymous before claims

You may not share recognizable details of your story before claims on social media or public Discord servers.

Are claims done as they come in?

When art claims are happening, visual creators and authors are contacted as they are matched.

Both stories and visual creations cannot be shared on public channels before their posting date

This means in whole or in part, so no sneak peeks on public Discords, Twitter, Tumblr or other public, one to many sites or apps. The exception is anything allowed as part of a promo and then that must be as an official promo.

You are allowed to share complete works or previews in the writing and art specific channels on the fest’s Discord.

Is there a Hannigram Tropefest Discord?

Yes. Ask the mods for an invite if you’re a participant.

#Hannigram Tropefest #Hannigram Tropefest 2022 #mod post #rules

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mostlysignssomeportents · 5 years

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2019 Hugo Award finalists announced

The 2019 Hugo Award nominees have been announced; the Hugos will be presented this summer at the 2019 World Science Fiction Convention in Dublin, Ireland.

Normally, I find that I've read and reviewed a huge slice of the year's finalists, but this year is different; I've done a lot less reading lately, partly because I wrote two books in 2018 and partly because the new EU Copyright Directive ate my life for about 10 months in the past year.

I was a little sad to be so far behind the curve when I saw the new list, but then I realized that this meant that I had a bunch of really exciting books to add to my to-be-read pile!

One notable inclusion: the Archive of Our Own fanfic archive -- a project of the Organization for Transformative Works (for whose advisory board I volunteer) -- is up for "Best Related Work."

Congrats to all the nominees!

Best Novel * The Calculating Stars, by Mary Robinette Kowal (Tor) * Record of a Spaceborn Few, by Becky Chambers (Hodder & Stoughton / Harper Voyager) * Revenant Gun, by Yoon Ha Lee (Solaris) * Space Opera, by Catherynne M. Valente (Saga) * Spinning Silver, by Naomi Novik (Del Rey / Macmillan) * Trail of Lightning, by Rebecca Roanhorse (Saga)

Best Novella * Artificial Condition, by Martha Wells (Tor.com Publishing) * Beneath the Sugar Sky, by Seanan McGuire (Tor.com Publishing) * Binti: The Night Masquerade, by Nnedi Okorafor (Tor.com Publishing) * The Black God’s Drums, by P. Djèlí Clark (Tor.com Publishing) * Gods, Monsters, and the Lucky Peach, by Kelly Robson (Tor.com Publishing) * The Tea Master and the Detective, by Aliette de Bodard (Subterranean Press / JABberwocky Literary Agency)

Best Novelette * “If at First You Don’t Succeed, Try, Try Again,” by Zen Cho (B&N Sci-Fi and Fantasy Blog, 29 November 2018) * “The Last Banquet of Temporal Confections,” by Tina Connolly (Tor.com, 11 July 2018) * “Nine Last Days on Planet Earth,” by Daryl Gregory (Tor.com, 19 September 2018) * The Only Harmless Great Thing, by Brooke Bolander (Tor.com Publishing) * “The Thing About Ghost Stories,” by Naomi Kritzer (Uncanny Magazine 25, November- December 2018) * “When We Were Starless,” by Simone Heller (Clarkesworld 145, October 2018)

Best Short Story * “The Court Magician,” by Sarah Pinsker (Lightspeed, January 2018) * “The Rose MacGregor Drinking and Admiration Society,” by T. Kingfisher (Uncanny Magazine 25, November-December 2018) * “The Secret Lives of the Nine Negro Teeth of George Washington,” by P. Djèlí Clark (Fireside Magazine, February 2018) * “STET,” by Sarah Gailey (Fireside Magazine, October 2018) * “The Tale of the Three Beautiful Raptor Sisters, and the Prince Who Was Made of Meat,” by Brooke Bolander (Uncanny Magazine 23, July-August 2018) * “A Witch’s Guide to Escape: A Practical Compendium of Portal Fantasies,” by Alix E. Harrow (Apex Magazine, February 2018)

Best Series * The Centenal Cycle, by Malka Older (Tor) * The Laundry Files, by Charles Stross (most recently Tor.com Publishing/Orbit) * Machineries of Empire, by Yoon Ha Lee (Solaris) * The October Daye Series, by Seanan McGuire (most recently DAW) * The Universe of Xuya, by Aliette de Bodard (most recently Subterranean Press) * Wayfarers, by Becky Chambers (Hodder & Stoughton / Harper Voyager)

Best Related Work * Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works * Astounding: John W. Campbell, Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein, L. Ron Hubbard, and the Golden Age of Science Fiction, by Alec Nevala-Lee (Dey Street Books) * The Hobbit Duology (documentary in three parts), written and edited by Lindsay Ellis and Angelina Meehan (YouTube) * An Informal History of the Hugos: A Personal Look Back at the Hugo Awards, 1953- 2000, by Jo Walton (Tor) * www.mexicanxinitiative.com: The Mexicanx Initiative Experience at Worldcon 76 (Julia Rios, Libia Brenda, Pablo Defendini, John Picacio) * Ursula K. Le Guin: Conversations on Writing, by Ursula K. Le Guin with David Naimon (Tin House Books)

Best Graphic Story * Abbott, written by Saladin Ahmed, art by Sami Kivelä, colours by Jason Wordie, letters by Jim Campbell (BOOM! Studios) * Black Panther: Long Live the King, written by Nnedi Okorafor and Aaron Covington, art by André Lima Araújo, Mario Del Pennino and Tana Ford (Marvel) * Monstress, Volume 3: Haven, written by Marjorie Liu, art by Sana Takeda (Image Comics) * On a Sunbeam, by Tillie Walden (First Second) * Paper Girls, Volume 4, written by Brian K. Vaughan, art by Cliff Chiang, colours by Matt Wilson, letters by Jared K. Fletcher (Image Comics) * Saga, Volume 9, written by Brian K. Vaughan, art by Fiona Staples (Image Comics)

Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form * Annihilation, directed and written for the screen by Alex Garland, based on the novel by Jeff VanderMeer (Paramount Pictures / Skydance) * Avengers: Infinity War, screenplay by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, directed by Anthony Russo and Joe Russo (Marvel Studios) * Black Panther, written by Ryan Coogler and Joe Robert Cole, directed by Ryan Coogler (Marvel Studios) * A Quiet Place, screenplay by Scott Beck, John Krasinski and Bryan Woods, directed by John Krasinski (Platinum Dunes / Sunday Night) * Sorry to Bother You, written and directed by Boots Riley (Annapurna Pictures) * Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, screenplay by Phil Lord and Rodney Rothman, directed by Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey and Rodney Rothman (Sony)

Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form * The Expanse: “Abaddon’s Gate,” written by Daniel Abraham, Ty Franck and Naren Shankar, directed by Simon Cellan Jones (Penguin in a Parka / Alcon Entertainment) * Doctor Who: “Demons of the Punjab,” written by Vinay Patel, directed by Jamie Childs (BBC) * Dirty Computer, written by Janelle Monáe, directed by Andrew Donoho and Chuck Lightning (Wondaland Arts Society / Bad Boy Records / Atlantic Records) * The Good Place: “Janet(s),” written by Josh Siegal & Dylan Morgan, directed by Morgan Sackett (NBC) * The Good Place: “Jeremy Bearimy,” written by Megan Amram, directed by Trent O’Donnell (NBC) * Doctor Who: “Rosa,” written by Malorie Blackman and Chris Chibnall, directed by Mark Tonderai (BBC)

Best Professional Editor, Short Form * Neil Clarke * Gardner Dozois * Lee Harris * Julia Rios * Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas * E. Catherine Tobler

Best Professional Editor, Long Form * Sheila E. Gilbert * Anne Lesley Groell * Beth Meacham * Diana Pho * Gillian Redfearn * Navah Wolfe

Best Professional Artist * Galen Dara * Jaime Jones * Victo Ngai * John Picacio * Yuko Shimizu * Charles Vess

Best Semiprozine * Beneath Ceaseless Skies, editor-in-chief and publisher Scott H. Andrews * Fireside Magazine, edited by Julia Rios, managing editor Elsa Sjunneson-Henry, social coordinator Meg Frank, special features editor Tanya DePass, founding editor Brian White, publisher and art director Pablo Defendini * FIYAH Magazine of Black Speculative Fiction, executive editors Troy L. Wiggins and DaVaun Sanders, editors L.D. Lewis, Brandon O’Brien, Kaleb Russell, Danny Lore, and Brent Lambert * Shimmer, publisher Beth Wodzinski, senior editor E. Catherine Tobler * Strange Horizons, edited by Jane Crowley, Kate Dollarhyde, Vanessa Rose Phin, Vajra Chandrasekera, Romie Stott, Maureen Kincaid Speller, and the Strange Horizons Staff * Uncanny Magazine, publishers/editors-in-chief Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas, managing editor Michi Trota, podcast producers Erika Ensign and Steven Schapansky, Disabled People Destroy Science Fiction Special Issue editors-in-chief Elsa Sjunneson-Henry and Dominik Parisien

Best Fanzine * Galactic Journey, founder Gideon Marcus, editor Janice Marcus * Journey Planet, edited by Team Journey Planet * Lady Business, editors Ira, Jodie, KJ, Renay & Susan * nerds of a feather, flock together, editors Joe Sherry, Vance Kotrla and The G * Quick Sip Reviews, editor Charles Payseur * Rocket Stack Rank, editors Greg Hullender and Eric Wong

Best Fancast * Be the Serpent, presented by Alexandra Rowland, Freya Marske and Jennifer Mace * The Coode Street Podcast, presented by Jonathan Strahan and Gary K. Wolfe * Fangirl Happy Hour, hosted by Ana Grilo and Renay Williams * Galactic Suburbia, hosted by Alisa Krasnostein, Alexandra Pierce, and Tansy Rayner Roberts, produced by Andrew Finch * Our Opinions Are Correct, hosted by Annalee Newitz and Charlie Jane Anders * The Skiffy and Fanty Show, produced by Jen Zink and Shaun Duke, hosted by the Skiffy and Fanty Crew

Best Fan Writer * Foz Meadows * James Davis Nicoll * Charles Payseur * Elsa Sjunneson-Henry * Alasdair Stuart * Bogi Takács

Best Fan Artist * Sara Felix * Grace P. Fong * Meg Frank * Ariela Housman * Likhain (Mia Sereno) * Spring Schoenhuth

Best Art Book * The Books of Earthsea: The Complete Illustrated Edition, illustrated by Charles Vess, written by Ursula K. Le Guin (Saga Press /Gollancz) * Daydreamer’s Journey: The Art of Julie Dillon, by Julie Dillon (self-published) * Dungeons & Dragons Art & Arcana: A Visual History, by Michael Witwer, Kyle Newman, Jon Peterson, Sam Witwer (Ten Speed Press) * Spectrum 25: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art, ed. John Fleskes (Flesk Publications) * Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse – The Art of the Movie, by Ramin Zahed (Titan Books) * Tolkien: Maker of Middle-earth, ed. Catherine McIlwaine (Bodleian Library)

John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer * Katherine Arden (2nd year of eligibility) * S.A. Chakraborty (2nd year of eligibility) * R.F. Kuang (1st year of eligibility) * Jeannette Ng (2nd year of eligibility) * Vina Jie-Min Prasad (2nd year of eligibility) * Rivers Solomon (2nd year of eligibility)

Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book * The Belles, by Dhonielle Clayton (Freeform / Gollancz) * Children of Blood and Bone, by Tomi Adeyemi (Henry Holt / Macmillan Children’s Books) * The Cruel Prince, by Holly Black (Little, Brown / Hot Key Books) * Dread Nation, by Justina Ireland (Balzer + Bray) * The Invasion, by Peadar O’Guilin (David Fickling Books / Scholastic) * Tess of the Road, by Rachel Hartman (Random House / Penguin Teen)

https://boingboing.net/2019/04/02/dublin-worldcon.html

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spiralatlas · 6 years

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From Player to Developer

I got asked to be on a panel about how I got into games for the Perth Games Festival, here's the notes I plan to work from.

Summary:

I'm a hobbyist visual novel and puzzle game maker. I have health problems that mean I can't work an actual job, I make games very slowly and don't have the energy to promote them much so the income they bring in is always going to be limited. I treat it like a hobby and make my games "pay what you want", so that as many people can play them as possible. Luckily my husband earns enough to support us both.

I've been making little games every now and then since I first got access to a computer as a child. But until a few years ago being in the games industry seemed both impossible and unappealing. I can program, but my talents and interests tend more to abstract ideas than the kind of fiddly technical problems that seemed to be 90% of games programming. And while I've always liked art and writing I never felt I was good enough to do them professionally.

The two things that propelled me into games making were (1) becoming so sick I had to quit working and needed a hobby (2) encountering the visual novel framework Ren’py, which takes care of most of the fiddly technical stuff I don't care about but still lets me code in complex extra features if I want them.

I've since put out the original scifi visual novel SOON, the Unity based puzzle game Perpixeled, and the demo for a dating sim based on Jane Austen's novel Northanger Abbey. All of which can be seen on my itchio account.

Over time I've connected more with other game developers, and while I can feel self conscious as a hobbyist they've been very welcoming, and it's been fantastic for encountering new ideas and talking to people with similar interests.

Since game making is a hobby for me I use cheap or free tools, and avoid hiring other people. I have zero creative skill or motivation when it comes to music, until now I've relied on free resources but will probably end up hiring a composer to score a game one day.

If you have any questions please ask, and I will do my best to answer!

Tools and resources I have used:

Fairly easy to use:

Ren’py: visual novel engine

Twine: make text based games

A bit of a learning curve:

Unity: general game making tool with an emphasis on 3D

Blender: 3D modelling

Other resources:

Interactive Fiction discord

Let’s Make Games a vibrant, friendly, and helpful community of Perth developers

the resource tag on my blog

More of my backstory:

I did a Phd in computational mathematics, then worked as a science communicator and data analyst. I liked the idea of being more creative but lacked the motivation and self confidence to do more than the odd little sketch. And my attempted programming projects tended to stop working for no apparent reason. So I stuck to my strength: maths.

I developed serious chronic fatigue syndrome nine years ago. I had to quit my job, and could no longer do high level maths. I desperately needed a new source of purpose and accomplishment. So I got into making fanfic and fanart, where the bar for making other people happy turned out to be low enough for me to pass pretty easily.

About 6 years ago I encountered a fan game made in the visual novel engine Renpy. The game was clearly thrown together without much effort yet ran perfectly. Sure enough, the engine was easy to use and reliable.

I made a few silly parody games which was super fun. I liked the idea of making something original but wasn't sure what.

Someone I know in the online femslash community reblogged a post on tumblr talking about how cool it would be to make a lesbian vampire dating sim but noone would be interested. A bunch of people, myself included, said YES I WOULD, and to everyone's surprise we actually started making the game, now called Copper Rose.

It was a great experience, we all shared ideas and played to our respective strengths. At that point I'd only been identifying as a bi woman for a short time, and it was cool making queer fiction with a group of other queer women (which we all identified as at that time) After a while most of the team lost interest and wandered off to do other things, leaving me and one other person, Ash, who I have become close friends with. As it happened we both realised we're non binary and bi, so it's a bi non binary vampire dating sim now :)

And the two of us are still at it! Visible progress on the specific game Copper Rose has been very slow for various reasons, and the game doesn't resemble the original much any more, but it's still been a really amazing creative partnership. We've learned a lot about ourselves and about game making, and we have helped each other a lot with our respective side projects.

At the beginning of the Copper Rose project I was just the background artist because I lacked the self confidence to volunteer for anything else, but over time I ended up becoming one of the writers, and taking over the programming.

I now make original games by myself. I'm still not as good at any of writing, coding, or art as I would like, but I can do them all well enough, and have learned a lot and am learning still.

#panels #perth games festival #resource #about me

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tanakariza · 7 years

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The Netflix Death Note is a Fanfiction

About a week ago, Netflix released the trailer for their live adaptation of Death Note and the internet is exploding with opinions of this trailer. “Oh no, Light is White! Oh no, L is Black! Light looks emo!! This anime is turning into an American drama! This is not Death Note! My favorite anime is getting destroyed!! AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!” Ok, everyone, what don’t you stop typing, calm the fuck down and listen to me.

There seems to be this notion that a story being adapted to a different medium must be exactly like the original source, because the original source is a treasure that must never be tampered with. The movie must be exactly like the book. The anime must be an exact realization of the manga. This anime or cartoon cannot possibly be a live-action film because the visuals wouldn't look the same in real life as they do in the original source. Any small detail different from the source material, even in the slightest, puts the fandom in an uproar.

Well, my friends, in order to help you overcome the horror that is the “ADAPTATION,” I have a proposal to make. Try viewing this Netflix movie not as an adaptation, but rather as a fanfiction, specifically an AU fanfiction.

For those of you who don’t know, in the realm of fanfiction, there is a genre called the AU, or Alternate Universe. In an AU the canon is written into an alternate reality. There are two types of AU fanfiction. The first is where, in a certain instance, something different happens, leading the story to go in a completely different direction from that point on. My friend Queen_Mab wrote a Gravity Falls AU called Ad Astra where, at the end of the episode “Not What He Seems” after Mabel lets go of the lever, Dipper rushes toward it and closes the portal. However, since Mabel was right next to the portal, she ends up falling into it when it closes and is transported to another dimension where she meets a long lost family member. In the story from then on, Mabel and the family member find their way home while the Mystery Shack crew try to open the portal again. There are also a number of Fullmetal Alchemist fanfics where Ed was not able to recover Al’s soul and has therefore completely lost him. And there are also a number of Your Lie in April fanfics where Kaori doesn’t die at the end (that is not a spoiler, they hint at it throughout the anime).

The other kind of AU fanfiction, which is the one we’ll focus on here, is either a complete retelling of the story in a different setting or the characters from canon in a different setting, making references to canon without completely retelling the story. Make No Mistake by dickyang and vageege is a One Piece AU that takes place at an American college. Luffy lives in a large mansion and is invites Nami, Usopp, Sanji, Zoro, and Chopper, who are all students at Sabaody University, to live with him in this house. Robin and Franky are professors of archeology and engineering at Sabaody University and Brook is the student’s landlord. The characters are a little different from canon to make more sense in this setting. Chopper is a human is a human instead of a reindeer and Brook is not a skeleton, but a very old man. This is only one example of this kind of AU. There are other fanfics from many different fandoms that are set in college, high school, and in coffee shops. There are others in which the primary cast from canon play in a touring band together. I personally like to think of any adaptation as a fanfiction of some kind. The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a fanfiction of the Marvel Comics with many things added in and taken out here and there. The American live-action Ghost in the Shell is an AU fanfiction telling a slightly different story than its predecessor, the Ghost in the Shell anime movie. This American live action Death Note is an American AU fanfiction set in Seattle, Washington.

Since the American population is much more racially diverse than Japan, all of the characters can be any race the writers choose. It is possible for Light to be white and L be black. It is also possible for Light to be black and L to be white. Any character in this movie could be Latina, Polynesian, Middle Eastern, or Asian. They do not have to be Asian.

I’ve also heard complaints about the names and to that, I’d say that Japanese names are very uncommon in America. Therefore, it makes sense to change them to American names. Light Yagami’s name is changed to Light Turner and Misa Amane’s name is changed to Mia Sutton. It makes sense. “But, Riza, this is still another example of America americanizing everything it touches!” Well, let me ask you this: What if Netflix decided to set the story in Japan for the sake of being true to the anime? If this were the case, we’d face similar problems we’re having with Ghost in the Shell. There aren’t enough American Asian actors who can fill up a film cast, and there certainly isn't American Asian actor who can attract a crowd the way Scarlett Johansson can. This leaves the casting crew with no choice but to cast non-Japanese actors to play Japanese people, including the main character. And the public falsely accuses them for the whitewashing they didn’t intend on. For reasons like this, I think that if you're an American film maker adapting a Japanese anime for a Mass American audience, the best approach is to write it as an American AU fanfiction.

Another criticism I’ve seen is that Light’s character is not like the Light in the anime. In the anime, Light was cool and handsome and thought of himself as superior to those around him, which was how his god complex came into formation. From what we’ve seen of the live-action trailer, Light seems a lot more insecure and reserved. Emo is a word I’ve seen used to describe him. Anime Light is Mr. Cool and Netflix Light is someone that Mr. Cool would pick on.

Now, remember the point I’m making here. This is not a Death Note adaptation but rather a Death Note AU fanfiction. And in AU fanfiction, writers have the freedom to make a character different from their original counterpart, because it’s not canon. The Reverse Falls AU is a very popular AU in the Gravity Falls fandom where Dipper and Mabel (the canon’s protagonists) are the villains and Gideon and Pacifica (the canon side-villains) are the heroes. In many realizations of this AU, Bill Cypher (the canon main antagonist) is Dipper’s sidekick and has a crush on him. In some of these fics, Dipper uses said crush as a source for abuse, making Dipper cunning and evil and Bill innocent and shy. Of course, there are many fans who don’t like these fics because of their different takes on these characters. What fans who like these fics appreciate is their different and creative ways of interpreting these characters. Maybe we can try viewing Netflix’s version of Light a different and creative way of interpreting the character.

Because Light’s personality is different in this version, the story is likely to go in a slightly different direction as well. And you know what, that’s OK. This is fanfiction. It can be whatever the writer wants. And judging the predictions I am making from this trailer, I think the story work. My predictions are that Light will be the high school student picked on by the jocks and has developed hatred toward those people for that reason. He finds the Death Note, learns what it can do, and uses it to eliminate his bullies so he can live a life of ease. Then, he thinks that maybe he can do the same to other bullies so that those bullies’ targets can live a better life along with him. Then he will branch out to criminals and this is where the police will come in if they haven’t made their appearance already. Frankly, I think this is an interesting take on the story. In this version, Light’s god complex would come from hatred built up over time rather than from just having the power to kill people.

Now, am I not saying it’s wrong to criticize adaptations. What is wrong is hating an adaptation for the soul reason of not staying true to the original source. I’ve read the Planet of the Apes novel by Pierre Boule, which the 1968 film was adapted from. The twist at the end of the film is completely different from the one in the novel, sending a completely different message to the audience. They each sent different messages to their audience while keeping the premise the same. That is something I think is amazing. I’m sure I would have appreciated the original 2003 Fullmetal Alchemist anime for their very unique takes on the alchemy of that universe. The only reason why I gave it a 4-out-of-10 on MyAnimeList, is because it had so many plot holes that made the plot make no sense and the ending came out of nowhere (and The Conquerer of Shambala made up for that ending either). In any case, what I’m hoping is to offer you a different way of thinking about adaptations so that you can look at them, not as reiterations of their source, but as something inspired by their source. Let me know what you think.

#adaptationsarefanfiction

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