We enjoy a good story every now and then.We sit, starry-eyed as someone tells it, eager to take in every little detail. The protagonists earn our respect and support as the story continues, and we find ourselves entranced as we await the climax of the story. Whether it’s the drama, the action, or the spectacle, a good story is one to remember and pass on. When the story ends, many are content with the outcome and think nothing more about it, but for others they may long for a sequel, a happily-ever-after, or a good conclusion to explain everything. Many of us just don’t want the story to end, and so, after much thought and planning, we decide to do something about it.

What I’m talking about here is fanfiction.  It’s one of the only subjects or hobbies of which I can speak about with a sort of holy reverence, for I have written more than my fair share. Fanfiction writers choose their universe from fictional books, comics, anime, games, and more. While I cannot speak for all writers, I believe that they strive to continue with the stories laid down by the games with sequels, or to strike out and make something completely different like prologues, alternate universes, in-depth character analysis, even romance stories between two unlikely characters. By using our imagination, we writers are able to build upon what already exists and mold it into something we can take great pride in.

My experiences with fanfiction started back in the later years of high school, in a writer’s group operated by an eccentric friend of mine. We were told to reach into a hat and pull out a prompt/genre to write a short story on, and I just so happened to pick out fanfiction. I confess, that’s not a lot of drive or reason to keep up with it now is it? Truth be told, I had Street Fighter from CAPCOM on my mind, and within that universe of body blows and magical traveling hobos (Ryu) I found a character who not only attracted my attention but dominated it for years to come.

The character’s name in question is

. She’s a sadistic, cruel, manipulative shrew, and I say that in the most affectionate way I can. She was different from the usual villains because she was a woman, but there was more to it than that. CAPCOM, the company that gave birth to her existence, gave her a story that had too many holes in it for me to enjoy. At 15 years of age, an evil organization killed her parents and destroyed her left eye, then she may as well have dropped off the face of the earth for 10 years before coming back with a new eye and a thirst for chaos. Interesting, I thought, but what happened in those ten years, and where would life take this woman when she extracted her revenge?

I wrote until my fingers ached and my will was strained. I filled in as many holes as I could in this woman’s story, I made her fight new foes, I gave her new ambitions and desires, and I made her face herself and the repercussions of her actions. When a writer establishes such a strong connection with a character, to the onlooker it seems as if they’re controlling everything the character does as if the author is the mastermind. In truth, it’s the character that tells the story, and the writer is only following their lead and advice, jotting down everything they say. When I wrote, it was as if I had Juri herself sneering over my shoulder, bopping my head when I made mistakes and scoffing if I somehow managed to get something right.

You become enamored with the stories and worlds in fictional works of art, and you lust for more. Fanfiction is quite easy to write as long as you have an idea, and if you do, hardly anything can stop you from telling your own unique story. Want to write a crossover story of Twilight and Harry Potter? I’m concerned, but go right ahead! Thinking about starting a romance between two characters who are known to hate each other? Right on, pal! Trying to write the main story from the villain’s point of view? I’m eager to see their reasoning, and your take on their character!

Fan fiction is easy to pick up yet hard to master. Some may think that it’s  not creative or child’s play to build upon the works of others. You’re probably not creating new characters, ideas, or locations, but you are throwing curve balls at established characters to see how they’ll react. If there’s one thing we like more than seeing our favorite characters miserable, it’s guiding them out of their troubles and into triumph. We fanfiction writers can do this just as well as established writers, perhaps even better when we’ve been there to see the character through previous hurdles and triumphs.

As long as you’ve got an idea to run with and a desire to see a story full of potential continued by your hand, you can come up with anything.