Let The Fanfic In! The value and contribution of fanfiction to the transmedia network

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Let The Fanfic In!

The value and contribution of fanfiction to the transmedia network

MA Thesis

Television and Cross Media Cultures

Loetje de Voogt

6058558

First reader: Anne Kustritz

Second reader: Stephen Amico

June 27, 2014

University of Amsterdam

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UNIVERSITEIT VAN AMSTERDAM June, 2014

This MA thesis is presented

by

Loetje de Voogt 6058558 Amsterdam

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Abstract:

This research examines the possible contribution of fanfiction to the transmedia network and its position within the contemporary media landscape. By examining the course of the position of fanfiction throughout the years, a new position of fanfiction can be established, as it has now shifted to a more accessible and accepted position. The analysis of the TV show Arrow shows how fanfiction can contribute to the overall transmedia experience, as the online stories expand the existing storyworld, offer alternative plotlines, and deepen and enrich the experience of the viewer. The narrative structures of Arrow’s fanfiction provide more space and time than any other transmedia platform to take the viewer into a more in-depth journey of the Arrow storyworld. This research thus shows how fanfiction can be a valuable contribution to transmedia networks for producers as it ensures persuasion, audience connection and financial impact. The analysis of Arrow also shows a shift of fanfiction into the mainstream as it is striking that the main genre is heterosexual, – “Olicity” fiction, the pairing of characters Oliver Queen and Felicity Smoak – while in most cases slash (same sex) fiction is the largest fanfiction genre.

Keywords: fanfiction, fans, transmedia, transmedia network, transmedia storytelling, Arrow, slash, media, fan works.

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Acknowledgements

I am indebted to several people for their support of this thesis.

First of all, I would like to thank my parents, Emmy van Houten and Pim de Voogt, who have made it possible for me to study at the university, and who have supported me all these years. If it was not for them, I would not have been able to finish my education. Many thanks for all your love and support. I would also like to thank my friend and fellow student Hugo, who was always there to help me out with any obstacle I would encounter, and who I could always turn to whenever I needed advice.

Naturally, I would also like to thank my supervisor Anne Kustritz, who has helped me to gain new insights and to make interesting observations. If it was not for her and her feedback, I would not have been able to write this thesis I am now so proud of.

Many thanks to all. Loetje de Voogt.

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1. Introduction

Within humanities, as the name evidently describes, the human is the central object of studies. We examine human interactions and learn what the motivations for particular actions are. By studying fanfiction, one can get close to what it is that drives fans in their activities. Fanfiction is the writing of stories by fans, based on already existing characters and worlds written by another author. Fan authors ‘borrow’ these existing characters and worlds and often write alternative storylines in which the characters lives and adventures take new and alternative turns. Fans literally put their thoughts and desires on paper in fanfiction. They write down what they would like to see happen and how they imagine a story would develop. A very import aspect of reading and writing fanfiction is commenting on one another’s work. By doing so, a web of interactions evolves. This web is very interesting for scholars, as it tells something about how the interactions between fans work, how ‘fan authors’ see themselves, and how they relate to the narrative transmedia world of an existing text. Thus far, little research has been done to the relation between fan works and transmedia, and in particular on fanfiction. This research will contribute to and help to expand this upcoming research genre.

In this research I will examine how fandom and in particular fanfiction has developed over the years, and how it has established itself within the contemporary media culture. Fanfiction was, for a long time, a fairly underground activity and still is a subject rather unknown to many people. That said, it so happens to be the case that the fanfiction culture is rapidly evolving and getting more awareness. With this research I aim to explore that evolution and explore the position of fanfiction in the contemporary transmedia landscape. I will examine how fanfiction is valued in social/academic perspective and what this is like from the industry’s perspective. Questions that arise with that are; How did fanfiction start out? What was its (cultural) value initially and how did the industry react to this phenomenon? And most importantly, how has the position and the value it started out with developed over the years? By providing a short history of (media) fandom and fanfiction one can better understand how fanfiction is positioned within these contexts, and this will provide answers to these questions.

By examining these different perspectives on fanfiction, a more important question can eventually be answered; how fanfiction is positioned within and how it can contribute to the transmedia network; a storytelling strategy most media corporations use these days. The incorporation of fanfiction into the transmedia network is related to the attitude of both the industry’s and the academic world towards it. In an era of digitalization and technology all types of media tend to blur together. New ways of storytelling evolve in which the consumer participates more than ever. When the viewer turns on the television he or she is constantly invited to search for

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other media to continue the experience of the show he or she is watching. According to scholars like Henry Jenkins, the audience wants to have the opportunity to not be a couch potato, and become an active user (Jenkins (c) 2006). Many TV shows and movies use convergence (Jenkins (a) 2006) to provide a new form of television or film experience. What does fandom mean for these transmedia worlds and to what extent are fans and fanfiction a part of it (since fanfiction is a part which cannot and is not controlled by the producers)?

The TV show Arrow from The CW Network is one such series that makes use of convergence and transmedia storytelling. It’s first episode was aired on October 10th in 2012. That means the show is only one-and-a-half years old and therefore interesting to examine as it shows us the latest forms of transmedia storytelling and the latest interaction between producer and consumer. This also means that the fanfiction culture around Arrow is very recent, and it can show us how the fanfiction is valued within the transmedia world around a new recent TV show. As mentioned before, there are many different opinions and perspectives on fan activities and fanfiction in particular. The main question of this research is therefore; what is the value and position of the fanfiction of Arrow within its transmedia landscape and how does it contribute to the overall transmedia experience? To answer this question, a definition and explanation of transmedia networks is acquired, which will be presented in chapter 2. The history of fandom and fanfiction will be examined in chapter 3, which will put the position of Arrow’s fanfiction as it is today in context. Chapter 4 will examine how fans and fanfiction are positioned within our (social) culture and within the academic field, which will show the importance of studying (Arrow’s) fanfiction and help understand its position within our society. Chapter 5 will examine the industry’s perspective, and will show why fanfiction is not (yet) incorporated as a (full) part of transmedia networks. Chapter 6 is a case study on Arrow that explains how fanfiction fits within the/Arrow’s transmedia landscape. This case study is used to show how Arrow’s fanfiction differs from other fan works and how it can be a valuable contribution to its transmedia network. Eventually this research will demonstrate how valuable fanfiction as a transmedia strategy can be for corporations and producers, as the characteristics of fanfiction correspond strongly with the characteristics and strategies used in transmedia to enrich the viewer’s experience.

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1.1. The show Arrow

Arrow shows us the story of Oliver Queen, a young billionaire who supposedly died in a violent shipwreck and was missing for five years before being discovered on an island in the Pacific. Oliver had to survive the hard way on this island, where he was tortured and mistreated for years. He gained incredible hunting and fighting skills to survive the island. When he returns to Starling City he returns with a mission; to eliminate all the evil from the city and everyone who has “failed it” and right the wrongs of his father. He then becomes the vigilante The Arrow. By day, Oliver pretends to be the old billionaire partyboy he used to be, but at night he fights crime in the city. Gradually he becomes a team with his bodyguard Diggle and his IT employee Felicity Smoak. Together they must protect Oliver’s secret and save the city. Oliver has to lie to his mother Moira, his sister Thea, his best friend Tommy and his ex-girlfriend Laurel Lance in order to protect them against any harm.

Through a compilation of episodes with present time and flashbacks the viewer finds out what happened to Oliver on the island. On board the Queen’s Gambit, the name of the ship, was Sara, the sister of Laurel Lance (the last was Oliver’s girlfriend when he last left Starling City). When the ship goes down, Sara is pulled into the water and believed to be lost and drowned. Gradually the viewer finds out the shipwreck was not an accident and Oliver’s father was not the man he thought he was. The viewer learns that Oliver was not alone on the island. Oliver spent a great deal of his island time with Slade and Shadow, who trained him and taught him how to fight. Together they try to find a way to get off the island, which gets them into new dangerous situations over and over again. Eventually, Oliver comes across Sara and finds out she is still alive. She works for a man who tries to find a medicine called Mirakuru, which is somewhere hidden on the island. Under critical conditions, Sara and Oliver inject Slade with the Mirakuru, which then turns him into an almost super-humanly strong man, with delusional thoughts. These horrible experiences have made Oliver, The Arrow, into what he is now; a cold-blooded killer, who hunts evil at night.

In the second season, premiered on October 9th 2013, there is a change in Oliver’s attitude towards his actions. He has sworn not to simply kill the evil in the city anymore but to improve the conditions of the citizens and punish the villains. However, this is not so easy since his past on the island is chasing him. Again through flashbacks the viewer learns that Slade and Oliver became enemies, through the death of Shadow, whom they both loved. This has caused Slade to promise Oliver to once take away from him all that he has, just like he did with him. All through season two, Oliver has to cope with Slade hunting him down. Sara, who has joined the League of Assassins, the viewer learns, returns to Starling City as The Canary, another vigilante. Together with Felicity and Diggle they do everything in their power to stop Slade from hurting everything and everyone in Oliver’s life and to keep the city safe.

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2. Transmedia

To understand properly how fanfiction is positioned in the contemporary media landscape and how it can contribute to the transmedia network, one must first examine why fanfiction would not be incorporated in the transmedia network. This has to do with the position of “the fan” and his or her activities, in historical, social, academic and industrial context. The following chapters will therefore examine how the fan and fan activities have evolved over the years, and how they are currently established in different contexts. This will help to understand what motivates, or de-motivates, producers to incorporate fanfiction into their transmedia network in general, and eventually in the context of Arrow’s fanfiction. This chapter will provide a definition of transmedia and how fanfiction fits within the transmedia framework.

2.1. Transmedia and fanfiction

The increase in online consumption through computers (…) has led many (…) makers to invest in new media and technologies in order to enrich the audience experience of television fiction

(Grandío and Bonaut 2012, 558).

The digital era in which we live, with all its new technologies, has enabled both producer and consumer to experience “old” media in new ways. As Maria del Mar Grandío and Joseba Bonaut argue in the quote above, the online community and possibilities have led makers to invest in new ways to enrich the experience of the viewer. The viewer no longer simply wants to be a “couch potato” but wants to (or wants to be able to) continue with the story outside of the television show. The audience looks for new experiences and the industry responds to this by combining different (plat)forms of media to enlarge the overall experience of a movie or a TV show. This is what media scholar Henry Jenkins introduces as media convergence in his book Convergence Culture:

By convergence, I mean the flow of content across multiple media platforms, the cooperation

between multiple media industries, and the migratory behavior of media audiences who will go almost anywhere in search of the kinds of entertainment experiences they want (Jenkins (a) 2006, 2).

Not only does the viewer want to be able to continue with the story elsewhere, he or she also wants to participate in the story and the way it evolves. As Stanley Baran and Dennis Davis explain; “[i]f you want it, you can get it somewhere. And if you want it but can’t get it, you can create it yourself, as the Internet and digital technologies have turned us all into potential content producers” (2009, 23). This new model of watching television requires and ensures an active audience – a “participatory culture” (Jenkins, 2006) – and a change in the values of the storytelling model (Grandío and Bonaut 2012, 559). Anyone can participate in the creating process and produce content online or use the

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content created by other users.

This active audience has moved the industry towards a new way of storytelling – transmedia storytelling – a term introduced again by Jenkins, in 2003. Transmedia storytelling is the expansion of the original story (in this case often a movie or a TV show) onto several media platforms, such as websites, videogames, comic books, online episodes etc., which are all self-sufficient to enable its individual consumption. Jenkins explains that,

(…) each medium does what it does best — so that a story might be introduced in a film, expanded through television, novels, and comics, and its world might be explored and experienced through game play. Each franchise entry needs to be self-contained enough to enable autonomous

consumption. That is, you don't need to have seen the film to enjoy the game and vice-versa (Jenkins 2003: In Scolari 2009, 587).

Each medium has to be independent in a way that it can be consumed without consuming the other platforms. The producers explore what each medium can do best to add value to the story and how they can create a multimedia story world altogether (Grandío and Bonaut 2012, 564). The actual TV show remains the main and central story, but as Grandío and Bonaut argue the “interactive media offer a deeper approach to these fictions’ complex worlds: adding new values to the TV story and creating new plots” (2012, 564). Frank Rose describes how transmedia storytelling results in a deep immersive way of entertainment; “(…) stories that are not just entertaining, but immersive, taking you deeper than an hour-long TV drama or a two-hour movie (…) will permit” (Rose 2011, 3). According to Buckner and Rutledge (in: Grandío and Bonaut 2012) “there are three reasons why producers should be using transmedia storytelling to make their audiovisual stories more successful: persuasion, audience connection, and financial impact” (560). Viewers can be persuaded into staying connected to a show or movie by providing extra information online (webisodes, interviews etc.). By incorporating social media into transmedia storytelling, viewers can stay connected. Social media enable an immediate communication between viewers, but also between producers and consumers. Because of the rapid speed of the Internet and the ongoing creative process on the media platforms the text is never a “finished, completed product” (Zaccone, 2011. In: Grandío and Bonaut 2012, 561), and it needs to be reconsidered as a part of a wider, always changing user experience, that requires scholarly attention.

Until recently, fanfiction has not been considered as a(n) (official) part of transmedia storytelling, since it is not controlled by the production industry and mostly written by amateurs. As Anne Kustritz explains “often discussions of transmedia only incorporate consideration of corporate forms of transmedia narration, ignoring independent and fan-produced material” ((b) forthcoming, 2). This research will examine how fanfiction contributes to the transmedia story, since it does all the

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things that other (official) transmedia platforms do for a TV show – expanding the story, creating psychological depth for characters, offering alternative storylines etc. Fanfiction can persuade and connect audiences, and by doing so, it can contribute to a successful franchise or popularity of the show that ensures a positive financial status.

Fanfiction and fan works show us the complexity of transmedia storyworlds, as they complicate, and at the same time enhance, the relationship between artist and fan – producer and consumer. Kustritz explains how “fan works seriously require challenging the authority of both authors and copyright holders to determine a story’s meaning and legitimacy” ((b) forthcoming, 2), as fan authors become authors of new plotlines, and fans interpret stories in their own ways. Kustritz examines how fan works function within the transmedia narrative and seriality. This research will focus on how fanfiction in particular can contribute to the overall transmedia network and how it functions within its narrative and seriality. The narrative structures in fanfiction challenge the rules of classic literature and show us new ways of interpreting a story, which will be expanded on in

paragraph 4.2. It also shows how the anti-fanfiction movement of corporations is outdated and a new collaboration is necessary between the industry and its consumers. It is a unique and much underappreciated form of interaction that should be studied to research the new possibilities and ways of television storytelling. The goal here is not to argue that fanfiction is now an activity for the regular viewer but to explore how fanfiction (and fan works) has (have) developed over the years into what it is now, and how it (they) can contribute to the experience of a transmedia world, and why it therefore should be considered and incorporated by the production companies.

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3. A Definition and History of Fandom and Fanfiction

This paragraph will set out the history and origin of fanfiction and how it ‘came into being’ as it is today, which will then also provide a clear definition of what fanfiction is. To do so, one must first look at the history of fandom. Arrow’s fanfiction builds on a long history of fan culture and corresponds to many other fanfiction communities. Therefore, the development and position of fanfiction over the years need to be contextualized, to understand the position of Arrow in today’s context as fanfiction has developed strongly since its first believed occurrence (which will be

complicated in the following section) since 1926. The prior history of fanfiction ensures its position in today’s society, therefore a closer analysis is necessary to understand both the continuities of Arrow’s fanfiction with other fan writing and how Arrow’s transmedia strategies differ from other networks and fan works.

3.1. Fans and fandom

As Jenkins states, cultural studies has directed its attention more towards processes of reception and so developed a more sophisticated understanding of the relation between the audience and the mass media, and how they interact with it in their daily lives (Jenkins (b) 2012, 1). The position of the consumer has become more and more important in the contemporary media landscape. The

consumer is nowadays more able than ever to communicate with the producer. Whether or not this gives the consumer more power is a much debated question, which is a whole study on its own. A particular group of consumers that has gotten more attention the last few years within the academic field are “the fans”.

Though a lot of research has been done to media fandom, most of it has been rather recently and not many researches focus on fans in specific. This field of research is upcoming and still in its developing phase. As Francesca Coppa states, no comprehensive history of media fandom has been written (up till her own article) and historic research of fandom would presuppose a relevance of specific fandom activities (Coppa 2006, 41). This of course implies a previous belief of non-relevance in the academic field. Yet, with an explosion of fan activity, which is enabled to the fans through technical developments such as the introduction of the Internet, Bronwen Thomas argues that an interest within the academic fields such as literary and narrative theory, ethnography, feminism and queer theory, and cultural studies has emerged (2011, 2).

Before the word fandom became associated with science fiction it was mostly applied to sports and theatre. The first science fiction fandom traces back to the 1920’s and 30’s. Science fiction fandom is said to have developed on the ‘letters page’ of the magazine Amazing Stories in 1926. However, as Thomas argues, “links have also been drawn with oral and mythic traditions; with

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traditions of collective interpretation” (2011, 1). The first believed science fiction convention was in 1936 in Philadelphia with only a hand full of people. In 1939 the first World Science Fiction

Convention was held, which is now known as Worldcon and is held annually ever since1 (Coppa 2006, 43). The readers were now able to react on and communicate with the editor(s) and ultimately, and most importantly for modern fandom, with each other (Coppa 2006, 42).

These readers weren’t just readers, but they became (deeply) involved fans. As Veerle van Steenhuyse puts it; “Fans are fans by virtue of their enthusiasm and commitment. Unlike

‘mundanes,’ they are dedicated enough to seek out fellow-fans, to gush over their object of

affection, or, indeed, to write about it” (Steenhuyse 2011, 2). Henry Jenkins even describes the fan as a “textual poacher,” a concept borrowed from Michel de Certeau, and defines fans as “readers who appropriate popular texts and reread them in a fashion that serves different interests, as spectators who transform the experience of watching television into a rich and complex participatory culture” ((b) 2012, 23). Fans are thus deeply involved viewers, unlike the ‘ordinary’ viewer, who engage with an object in a way that often considered excessive (by the ‘regular, general viewers’ and the

producers). Fans go beyond the provided storyworld and expand their fantasies in a fan community with each other.

3.2. Fanfiction

Back in 1966, the beginning of (screen) media fandom – which is described by Louisa Stein and Kristina Busse as the “evolving traditions of fans of film and television programs, as well as of certain books, musical groups, and film and TV actors” (2009, 194) – there was already a typical profile of ‘the fan’; mostly women who “were better educated than most, heavy readers, and scientifically literate” (Coppa 2006, 45). These women started creating creative responses to the show such as poems, songs, drawings, stories etc. and special fanzines arose; unofficial and non-profit magazines produced by fans . Fans gather (“poach”) small pieces of the larger story and transform them into their own stories. Fans started creating their own written stories, parallel to the original story. These stories are called fanfiction or fanfic. The stories are produced by fans but based on the plotlines and characters of an existing single text or a group of texts. This is called ‘the canon,’ the entire (original) source text on which fans base their stories. Thomas explains that “these fan-created narratives often take the pre-existing storyworld in a new, sometimes bizarre, direction” (2011, 1). Steenhuyse argues that particularly in television fandom, fans do something new with the familiar. She explains how “audio-visual media may provide a "vivid, concrete set of images" and sounds, but they offer less "direct insight" into the characters' "thoughts and emotions" than literary texts do” (2011, 6). This is important, as this is the main reason why fans engage with or create fanfiction, according to

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many scholars. They wish for a deeper, and more enriched experience of the already existing storyworld. Television has a limited time, namely the 40 minutes of air-time in the case of Arrow, which disadvantages the opportunity to expand on the characters’ backgrounds and relationships. Fanfiction therefore enables the viewers to take matters into their own hands, and release their imagination as to what these backgrounds and relationships can or will be.

Anik LaChev argues that to fan authors it is not as much about the shocking plot turns, as it is about the “coming together” of two characters and the road towards this moment, how it happens (LaChev 2005, 86). According to LaChev, “pairing” is the vast majority of fanfiction; romance stories in which the goal is to write the coming together of two characters. These aspects ensure the different valuation of fanfiction (in comparison to traditional literature). Fanfiction is mainly focused on the emotional content and attachment instead of correct grammar (although grammar should not be discounted) (LaChev 2005, 90). With the up come of Star Trek, which was considered “mainstream” science fiction, fanfiction also became more “mainstream”. As most of these

mainstream programs evolved around friendship and partnership in that time, this opened doors to a new wave of fanfiction which was called slash fiction; “a variety of fanfiction based on constructing same-sex relationships between characters” (Thomas 2011, 7). Viewers started to read “alternative” relations and plotlines in television shows where “buddies” (two man working together, or being good friends) had close friendships etc.

Back in the days, most of the works of art by fans were mainly printed fanzines. This changed with the arrival of what would later be called the Internet. Digital technologies enabled the onset of the World Wide Web. Fans were now able to create and access very specific communities,

specialized in their interests, publish their stories and reactions, and almost immediately receive feedback. Most importantly, the boundaries between author and reader, creation and interpretation were challenged (Thomas 2011, 1). This development also ensured a shift for slash fiction into the mainstream. As the slash-zines were previously mostly sold from literally a box under the counter, it was now able to publish and access these specific fanzines online. Those who wanted to read these could now access them (more) easily and those who did not could easily avoid them (Coppa 2006, 54). Also, now that slash fans were able to talk and discuss slash fiction openly with each other online, “many began to articulate their reasons for slashing, reading strategies, and politics” (Coppa 2006, 54).

So when reading about fanfiction, one can conclude that the precise origin, timeline and definition of fanfiction is much debated within the academic field. Fanfiction develops itself,

adjusting to the context of the age it is produced in. With the arrival of the Internet traditional forms of fandom have changed – the forms of fandom, accessibility and fields of interests – which will be further explained in paragraph 6.4. Fans can now move through ‘fannish’ activities with high speed

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and scan easily for their ‘likes’ and ‘dislikes’. Therefore it is interesting is to examine by the means of the fanfiction of Arrow, a very recent television show, how fanfiction has positioned itself today. Fanfiction has already transgressed from ‘under the counter’ produced fanzines to online fanfiction archives such as Fanfiction.net – (one of) the biggest fanfiction archives online, which will be elaborated in chapter 6. This contextualizes the preceding history of fanfiction – a context in which fanfiction transformed from a fairly unaccepted and small activity to an Internet society with endless possibilities – that has led the fanfiction of Arrow to transform to what it is today; a more

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4. Fanfiction in Academic and Social Cultural Context

The previous chapter has shown how fanfiction has developed and established itself over the years. Yet, it does not show how fans and their activities have been valued and positioned from a social cultural context. The validation of the fan in this context relates closely to the academic appreciation of the fan and fan works. Why has it been such a small field of research, and what does this mean for the use and position of fanfiction in the transmedia network? This chapter shows the importance of studying fanfiction, and explains the reasons for the under-appreciation and under-utilization of fanfiction from the academic and social cultural context. This eventually helps to understand the importance of studying a program such as Arrow, with it being a new and recent transmedia program that shows the continuities and the differences with this preceding attitude from both the society and the academic field.

4.1. Weirdo’s with no life(?): Fans in social cultural context

Roberta Pearson argues that fan studies had once begun as “an act of reclamation and celebration; reclamation from the geeky image constructed by the media” (Pearson 2010, 86). Fandom has always been, and still is an underrated and much debated “to be worthy or not” social concept. Henry Jenkins gives an example of how he himself is addressed when speaking of fandom, in context of the representations of Star Trek fans;

These representations won widespread public acceptance and have often been quoted to me by students and colleagues who question my interest in fan culture; their recognition and circulation by non-fans reflects the degree to which these images fit comfortably within a much broader discourse about fans and their fanaticism (Jenkins (b) 2012, 12).

The representations Jenkins talks about are the sketches about “Trekkies,” the Star Trek fans, who are represented as “crazies”, “misfits”, as people with “no life” etc. What is interesting about his quote is that is appears there are some assumptions imbedded in our society about fans.

[T]he fan still constitutes a scandalous category in contemporary culture, one alternately the target of ridicule and anxiety, of dread and desire. Whether viewed as a religious fanatic, a psychopathic killer, a neurotic fantasist, or a lust-crazed groupie, the fan remains a “fanatic” or false worshiper, whose interests are fundamentally alien to the real of “normal” cultural experience and whose mentality is dangerously out of touch with reality (Jenkins (b) 2012, 15).

These assumptions can be traced back to the concepts of “good taste”, as explained by Pierre Bourdieu. Certain tastes and ways of behavior seem “natural” to some, because they belong to a

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particular social and cultural group, who all share the same values and behavior. Fans differ from this, not only because of their choice of object or their degree of intensity, but by the ways they approach and read texts, which are often alternative ways. As Jenkins explains, “fans enthusiastically embrace favored texts and attempt to integrate media representations into their own social

experience” ((b) 2012, 18). Fictional worlds become real worlds, to the extent that they are places that can be inhabited and explored in many different ways. Yet, Jenkins argues “[t]here is always someone more extreme whose otherness can justify the relative normality of one’s own cultural choices and practices” ((b) 2012, 19). Apparently, a fan is something we should not or do not want to be, which is remarkable since there are so many fans around the world, in all kinds of genres. There is still a firm and problematic stereotype about the fan imbedded in our society, to the extent that the activities of the fans are regarded as unimportant and “ridicule”.

Not only does the first quote say something about fans themselves, it also implies something about the people who study them. As Jenkins explains, students and colleagues question his interest in fan culture. Fans are imbedded in our society as “low” culture, so why bother to study them? Particularly in this case, why study the works of art they produce? LaChev explains how she encountered the same problems when explaining her object of research to colleagues.

[W]hen I managed to explain to them what fan fiction was and could be, most of them wore looks ranging from sympathetic to freaked while checking my ears for any pointy additions to them. And even though I’ve never owned a set of Vulcan rubber ears (nor have most of the fan fiction writers I’ve met and worked with), it seemed to be a given that reading or writing fan fiction was a bizarre hobby that only a freak would consider (LaChev 2005, 84).

She argues how fanfiction falls “under the devilish category of entertainment-enslavement and is seen as having no greater artistic value whatsoever, apart from being a danger to the freedom of one’s mind” (LaChev 2005, 91). Her research in Germany pointed out how Germans thought of being a fan; “unpopular and strictly limited to grown men (soccer) and teenage girls (boy bands)” (LaChev 2005, 91). She addresses this phenomenon to the fact that in Germany there is (still) a big divide between high [C]ulture and low entertainment culture. People do not want to “be” a fan and fanfiction – the activity of a fan – is not worthy of studying since it is simply considered as low

culture. This of course makes studying fanfiction difficult as there is not much research done, and it is hard to bring the results under serious attention when people discard the subject as irrelevant and “unworthy”. So not only the fans themselves, but also their works and activities and the people who study them are “ridiculed” from the social cultural context, in which the fan is regarded as a

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4.2. Why study fanfiction?

The previous section shows how society regards fans and their activities and explains the neglect of studying them from an academic perspective. Why then do some academics argue in favor of them, and how does the academic field respond to their arguments? Several arguments from different academics will show the importance of studying fans and fan works in this section which will then result in understanding the preceding underutilization of fanfiction and stress the importance of this research.

Thomas argues, “online fanfiction is ripe for analysis because it makes visible the process of creation and reception as authors and their readers engage in ongoing interactions about their stories” (2011, 9). The immediacy of the Internet has changed the relation between author, fan author and fan/reader. According to LaChev this immediacy is also the reason for the popularity of the genre. The direct contact between writer and reader (in fanfiction people are usually both) is “one of the most remarkable qualities of fan fiction and sets it notably apart from commercial fiction” (LaChev 2005, 90), since in commercial print fiction this immediacy does not exist and fans are not able (or only over a much longer period of time) to communicate with the author.

LaChev and Kustritz both argue in their own ways how fanfiction can challenge the classic study of literature on the basis of narrative structures. LaChev argues how the immediacy, as

mentioned above, and the rapid pace of the Internet provide a new way of storytelling and writing, in which new and rewritten stories are provided everyday and the writing process is a public

occurrence. Kustritz argues that if fan works were to be considered as a fully legitimate part of the story, they would “significantly complicate the question of how transmedia serial narration can function” ((b) forthcoming, 5). This refers to the agency audiences gain over a story, by writing endless plotline possibilities in fanfiction. The speed of the Internet, and the order in which stories are provided challenges the classic narrative structure of chronological seriality, with different time dimensions and endless alternative events. This new agency of the user to “control” the storylines, or at least offer alternatives, and the agency of the user to choose which path to take is very interesting for scholars. This also shows how the user/viewer can contribute and challenge the overall

storyworld narrative by providing new story paths with his or her writings.

LaChev considers fanfiction as “a sort of meta-textual commentary on life’s more or less basic issues” (2005, 87). This would mean that fanfiction could mean a lot to academics as well as readers. Since the stories usually concentrate on life’s basic issues (love, tragedy, hurt etc.) and a large group of people comment on it, or take the story in a different turn, it can inform academics how different ideologies exist among different people (or races, genders etc.). The readers can profit from these different comments when they themselves struggle with the same issues and can learn from one another, as they can communicate about the questions and issues. So instead of considering a fan as

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something which should not be striven for or something to be avoided, as is clearly done by the German example LaChev studied, it can actually help individuals to read fanfiction, to explore several approaches to a problem or a story.

Another reason why these academics argue that fanfiction is worthy of studying is the fact that some fan works can rival professional fiction. Even in the early years of fanfiction, fan written books were sometimes published and whole spin-off series were produced by fans (Star Trek: New Voyages/Phase II, 2003). LaChev explains the Über fiction genre; when characters are transferred to a world or scene which is underlying and unrelated to the TV show. A variation to this genre are the independent or semi Übers, which “can be read completely separate from the original show context” (LaChev 2005, 89). These independent Übers can be published for commercial purposes since they are no longer directly linked to the copyrighted material (LaChev 2005, 89). The fact that these works are a threat to the professionals is to many academics a good reason why fanfiction would be worthy of studying. The fans themselves are not always pleased though about the commercialization of independent Über fiction, since the free access of the material within the fanfiction culture is a typical characteristic of fanfiction and one of the pleasant aspects for fans.

A difficulty of studying fanfiction that is often argued though, is that because of the anonymity of the Internet, and the emotional attachment of the authors, the object of research is not unified or quantifiable, and ultimately cannot be verified (LaChev 2005, 86). Though, LaChev argues, through surveys a general identity of the fan can be established. Another difficulty is the strong attachment many authors of fanfiction have with fandom and fanfiction. The problem here is that fans and academics are sometimes very involved with fanfiction (academic fans are then called “aca-fans”). These aca-fans are mostly avid users and producers of fanfiction. This can get in the way of providing an objective look at fanfiction, since many aca-fans will write in favor of the

phenomenon. This is also a critique that comes from scholars from different disciplines, who argue that an objective and distant approach to fanfiction is necessary. One can argue though that as a researcher of fanfiction, one almost has to be a fan to understand the culture of fandom. The academic has to immerse oneself in the world of fanfiction to understand what is written, what can be done and how people interact with each other. It is hard to do this when one wants to stay at an objective distance. To fully understand the experience of being a fan, one has to become a fan. The line between being a fan or a fan studies academic is thin, and since fan studies is still in its developing phase, an appropriate form of objective observation may still have to be developed. The expansion of the academic field that studies fan works, would foster this progress. More and more academics acknowledge the knowledge and information that can be distilled from examining fans and their activities, as they can teach more about the difficult and always changing relation between author and consumer. The attitude of many academics, and also of the society, is

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nonetheless still mainly condescending towards the study of fans and their works, which is

unfortunate since new narrative structures arise with the immediacy of the Internet, where readers can choose their own paths and enlarge their fictional storyworld and new and unfinished stories are posted every day.

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5. Fanfiction and the Industry

Not only does the reading and writing of fanfiction have its consequences and developments within a social cultural context, but also within the field of digital production and consumption. As already mentioned in the introduction, technical developments have enabled new possibilities for consumers in general and according to Pearson also particularly for fans:

The digital revolution has had a profound impact upon fandom, empowering and disempowering, blurring the lines between producers and consumers, creating symbiotic relationships between powerful corporations and individual fans, and giving rise to new forms of cultural production. Some fans revel in the new opportunities presented by digital technologies, while others lament the digitally enabled encroachment of corporate power into every space of fandom. (Pearson 2010, 84).

Pearson argues here that relationships between corporations and fans have emerged and have given new shapes to the fanfiction and the industry culture. This chapter will examine what these

relationships exactly are. How does the industry cope with the production of fan works and vice versa. What is the position of fanfiction when looking from the industrial perspective? This relationship is of importance as it explains the position of fanfiction of Arrow within its corporate context. The attitude of producers towards Arrow’s fans and fanfiction reveals the power relations between fan and producer and it shows what possibilities and opportunities fans have with their fan works. There is a longer history though that precedes this attitude and relationship, which must first be examined to contextualize the situation of Arrow.

5.1. The industry’s perspective on fanfiction

The power relation between fan and producer dates back to the beginning of fandom, or as Pearson puts it “the relationship between fans and producers predates the digital age” (2010, 87). As Jenkins argues, it has a “part in the history of a series of organized efforts to influence programming

decisions” ((b) 2012, 28). Even when there was no Internet, fans managed to exert some power on the industry. The Star Trek Trekkies managed to save their show from cancellation (Pearson 2010, 87) and the hardcore Doctor Who fans ensured the fan community remained, what eventually on the long term can be said to have ensured the re-launch of the show in 2005 (Perryman 2008). Yet, Jenkins argues, fan campaigns just as often produce little or no result. Fans find themselves powerless to alter the program’s fate (Jenkins (b) 2012, 29).

Often, producers are supportive to these type of campaigns, or might even encourage them (as they bring the program under attention to potential viewers). Others, however have responded

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with contempt argues Jenkins, since the fan’s protection of “favorite aspects of fictional texts infringe upon the producer’s creative freedom” ((b) 2012, 30). William Shatner, the actor who plays Captain Kirk in the Star Trek series said about this: “People read into it [the series] things that were not intended” (Jenkins (b) 2012, 30). As Jenkins rightly notes, Shatner takes the right here “to judge what meanings can be legitimately linked to the program and which are arbitrary and false” ((b) 2012, 30). This of course does not only account for fan campaigns, but also for fan activities such as fanfiction, since especially in this field fans “poach” small pieces from the larger whole and extract relations or storylines which might not have been intended by the producers. Some producers would even go as far as (threatening) to prosecute fan publications that would threaten their official fan organizations and would violate the values of the show.

Pearson argues that many producers nowadays try to benefit from fan production activities by “indirectly monetizing user-generated content for the purposes of promotion” (2010, 85). This is for instance done by hosting competitions in which fans are asked to make small short films or write episodes (to promote or amplify a show), of which the best will eventually be produced. In the early beginnings of fanfiction, corporations tended to reject any form of fan work. Moreover, according to Coppa “Gene Roddenberry’s [creator of Star Trek] strategy of turning a blind eye to fan art and fiction was probably responsible for the flowering of media fandom” (2006, 45). Because of this, fanzines emerged and eventually even novels appeared. It did not take long for corporations to acknowledge the value of these fan works and so in 1979, ten years after its origin, the book Star Trek Concordence of People, Places, Things, written by fan Bjo Trimble in 1969 was officially published.

The active audience was a very controversial concept in these years. Nowadays, “the advent of the internet has greatly facilitated both the production of gifts and the exchange mechanisms among fan communities” as Pearson explains (2010, 87). The gifts are the fiction and works the fans create, the exchange mechanism is the interaction (and exchange of products) between fans and fan communities. What can be seen here is the increasing acknowledgements of the industry towards fan-communities and activities. In her article, Laura Felschow describes such an acknowledgement of the producers of the show Supernatural towards its fan culture. In the episode “The Monster at the End of this Book” many references are made towards the activities of Supernatural’s fancult. The two main characters, the brothers Sam and Dean, discover that a series of novels was written about them, with all their personal details involved. When they go online to do some research, they find fan fiction based on their characters, including slash fiction about them, which leaves them feeling disturbed. Throughout the episode winks are made at existing fanfiction authors and other fan activities (Felschow 2010, 6.1 – 6.2). Several things can be concluded about fanfiction from this episode, as the fans both received it as accurate and funny but also embarrassing and hurting. On the

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one hand, the episode acknowledges the existence of the fans and their activities online. It embraces the fiction written about the show and its characters and it introduces the fiction to the rest of Supernatural’s viewers by referring to it in an official episode. It even refers to the slash fiction, which might be odd for non-(slash)fans. Also by mixing up usernames of active (and important) fanfiction authors, they acknowledge their efforts and creativity. Therefore, it can be argued that the industry recognizes the importance and value of fanfiction, as they devote an entire episode to its existence. On the other hand, it can also be argued that it simply mocks the fanfiction culture. As Pearson describes, back in the days corporations were not that enthusiastic about fanfiction

especially when it came to the implication of homosexual relationships (2010, 87). Though the slash fiction is mentioned in the episode, it still is ridiculed by the characters themselves, and therefore also by the producers. Felschow argues that “The Monster at the End of This Book” reinforces the power of the writers and reminds cult fans that they may only receive what is offered (2010, 6.6). It is an effort to tip the balance back in the producer’s favor and it shows that they know exactly what is going on within the fan culture, even though they do not participate in it (Felschow 2010).

This example shows how the industry tries to retain power over fan productions. Even though corporations encourage fans to write pieces based on their existing texts, they still try to retain final authority. Jenkins describes the extreme example of Lucasfilm trying to maintain control over fan production. In a letter of the Star Wars fan club director the company’s position is

summarized ((b) 2012, 31):

Lucasfilm Ltd. does own all rights to the Star Wars characters and we are going to insist upon no pornography. This may mean no fanzines if that measure is what is necessary to stop the few from darkening the reputation our company is so proud of (…) You don’t own these characters and can’t

publish anything about them without permission (Jenkins (b) 2012, 31).

One fan responded to this letter saying Lucasfilm tells us what they see in Star Wars and that they will impose us to see this as well. This of course is a very difficult and much debated and disputed subject. To what extent do corporations have the right to recall their copyrights when they do not agree with specific stories or types of fanfiction? The Organization of Transformative Works has constituted the following rules:

Copyright is intended to protect the creator’s right to profit from her work for a period of time to encourage creative endeavor and the widespread sharing of knowledge. But this does not preclude the right of others to respond to the original work, either with critical commentary, parody, or, we believe, transformative works. (Organization for Transformative Works, Frequently Asked Questions) (Pearson 2010, 91)

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Transformative works are creative works about characters or settings created by fans of the original work, rather than by the original creators. A transformative use is one that, in the words of the U.S. Supreme Court, “adds something new, with a further purpose or different character, altering the [source] with new expression, meaning, or message.” (Pearson 2010, 91)

Still, until today producers and consumers are struggling and negotiating about these regulations. Pearson gives an example of Paramount who has drawn a set of rules regarding the contest of writing fan-authored stories for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. In their own words “certain types of stories would be disqualified from consideration” (Pearson 2010, 88).

a. Any story focusing on explicit sexual activity or graphic depictions of violence or sadism.

b. Any story that focuses on characters that are not past or present Star Trek regulars or familiar Star Trek guest characters.

c. Stories that deal with the previously unestablished death of a Star Trek character or that establish major facts about or make major changes in the life of a major character, for instance, a story that establishes a long-lost sibling or reveals the hidden passion two characters feel for each other. d. Stories that are based around common clichés, such as “hurt/comfort” where a character is injured and lovingly cared for, or “Mary Sue” stories where a new character comes on the ship and outdoes the crew. (Strange New Worlds Contest Rules. In: Pearson 2010, 88 – 89).

The stories these fans are supposed to write are for the profit of the producers. The pitfall of these rules though is that fans have to abandon a lot of particularities that attract them to writing fanfiction (like pornography, reading against the grain, being rebellious, etc.). Corporations must therefore determine the value of fanfiction to them and may need to adjust their rules and demands on how it should be written. As Suzanne Scott and Pearson put it: “

“Media fandom is rapidly being constructed as a fertile battleground where the territory between online gift economies and commodity culture will be negotiated” ([Scott] 2009). It is not resistance, it is negotiation, with much of this negotiation taking place in the legal minefield of copyright law (Pearson 2010, 90).

Copyright laws can of course complicate the writing of fanfiction, but as Russo and Pearson describe, it is now a matter of negotiation between producer and fan. The fact that fans are even mentioned in conditions and prenuptials is a positive thing according to Pearson, as it acknowledges their influence and value. Jenkins argues that “fan fiction repairs the damage caused by an increasingly privatized culture [by producers and corporations]” ((a) 2006, 256). Tight controls have “protected”

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corporations, but damaged fandom cultures. Fanfiction repairs this damage by rejecting the idea of one absolute (original) version.

5.2. The fan-author relationship

It is not just the corporations and production companies that struggle with this relation between fan and writer. Original authors of books, stories and shows are not always positive about fans “taking” their work and transforming it into new, alternative or altered plotlines. Stein and Busse quote science fiction writer Robin Hobb on her feelings towards fanfiction: “[f]an fiction is to writing what a cake mix is to gourmet cooking” (Stein and Busse 2009, 205). She also calls fanfiction “Paint-By-Number art” (Stein and Busse 2009, 205). In the eyes of Hobb, and with her many others, fanfiction is a third-rate, low class activity, without much value, which is almost a “disgrace” towards the original, authentic work of an author.

Yet, not all authors show resistance against fanfiction. J.K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter series, has proven to be aware and actively supportive of fanfiction. Within the Harry Potter fanfiction, slash fiction is one of the most popular genres, often involving the character Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts. At an appearance at Carnegie Hall Rowling announced that

Dumbledore was, indeed, gay. Catherine Tosenberger argues that this confirmation lends support to the argument of slash not simply being a “perverse resistance” to a given text’s presumed

heteronormativity but rather “an actualization of latent textual element”” (2008, 201). This would mean that fan authors do not just invent alternative readings and stories, but they actually read and recognize the deeper storylines and actually (fully) understand the text.

The reactions of the fans to this confession of Rowling were very divergent though. Some fans saw it as a reaction towards fan requests and desires to provide them with more information while others saw it as her desire to control the interpretation of her books (Tosenberger 2008, 201). Besides that, fans also felt “robbed” of their ability to fantasize about what happens after the book ends, which is “one of the great treats of engaging with fictional narrative” according to journalist Rebecca Traister (Tosenberger 2008, 201). “If you didn’t put it in the books, please don’t tell us now” (journalist Jeffrey Weiss in: Tosenberger 2008, 201). This issue raises the question of how much power and influence the author has, or should have. Does the author has the right to retain control over the imaginations and interpretations of his or her existing text? By confirming the alternative readings of fans, authors bring themselves in a difficult position. On the one hand they might please the desires and urges of fans to gain more information and confirmation of their ideas and readings, but on the other hand they can also ruin the fun of imagination for them. They might also ruin the fantasy world of the fans who did not read or recognize this alternative reading (since it is not always explicit) and who had wished it would have stayed the “dominant” way.

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In the previous section an example of acknowledgement of the fans in Supernatural was given. The show Buffy the Vampire Slayer shows similar episodes to the one in Supernatural, where an active acknowledgment of the fans came forward. In her text “Buffy Acknowledges the Fans” Justine Larbalestier describes five episodes in which this phenomenon occurs. One of these episodes is “Superstar” in which Jonathan, a minor character in the show, becomes the main character of the episode through a spell and becomes an adored superstar who does everything right. In the rest of the show, Jonathan is considered an outsider who wishes to be a “star” like Buffy. At the end of the episode the spell is reversed and Jonathan is considered “pathetic” for wanting to be like Buffy. Larbalestier argues about this that “the object of desire, the show and its actual central character, Buffy, is punishing the one who desires it: the fan” (2002, 234). Some fans, she found, liked the episode very much, since it was obviously dedicated to the fans, and enjoyed the way it mocked the Mary Sue form of fanfiction. Other fans, though, felt very uncomfortable watching the episode as the desires of Jonathan to be Buffylike came “dangerously close to caricaturing the relationship of fans to the show” (Larbalestier 2002, 234). The power balance between fan, author, and producer is

therefore very complicated and undefined. Fans are sometimes heard and acknowledged by the industry, but the motivations behind those acknowledgements are not always clear.

5.3. Fans and Felicity Smoak

What the above shows, is how author and fan interact and how they both exert influence on each other. Fans take new turns with storyworlds and corporations respond to these activities (either negative or positive). An example that shows a positive interaction between fan and producer, and which puts the analysis of Arrow in context is the example of character Felicity Smoak. Felicity, an employee of the IT department of Queen Consolidated, was scheduled to make a one-time-only appearance in season one’s third episode “Lone Gunmen”, with a small “possibility of recurring”. The overwhelming positive reactions of fans that followed on Twitter and other online platforms

therefore surprised the producers. Felicity rapidly became the fan’s favorite, which made the producers decide to make the minor character a recurring one.

Initially, Felicity’s air time was little. After her first episode in which she has 00:02:09 minutes of air time, the following two episodes in which she stars, #4 “An Innocent Man” and #6 “Legacies”, gave her approximately 00:01:44 and 00:01:11 minutes of air time, with in episode 4 two scenes and in episode 6 only one scene. As the show progresses, Felicity keeps returning on the screen, which eventually resulted in making the character a series regular in season two. This promotion of the character to a series regular had mostly to do with the popularity of the character with the fans. As Emily Bett Rickards, the actrice who plays Felicity, says herself “(…) thanks to the fans and the

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reaction, they brought me back”.2 If the fans had not gone online to express their love and

enthusiasm towards this character, Felicity would have been a guest star with only one, maybe two episodes in which she would star.

Why was Felicity such a hit with the fans? Especially since the producers did not intent her to stay. The keyword in the explanation of Felicity’s popularity is (character) identification, as was the case in the example of Jonathan in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. As Cynthia Hoffner explains,

“[i]dentification [in film and literary studies] has been defined in various ways, but commonly refers to the process by which a viewer shares a character’s perspective and vicariously participates in his/her experiences during the program (Maccoby & Wilson, 1957)” (1966, 389). It is about the psychological relationship between character and spectator, in which the spectator recognizes his or herself in the character (consciously or not). There are several reasons why Felicity is an identifiable character for the viewer. First of all, one could say that spectators can identify with her, simply because she is a woman. The CW’s main target is the 18 – 34 year-old woman3. One could say there is a “male gaze,” instead of the regular female gaze in this show, with an obvious heterosexual norm, on which will be expanded in section 6.3.2. Nearly every episode shows shots of Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) being shirtless and working out, thus showing off his fit body. In that way the show clearly focuses on female spectators. Often spectators identify with same-sex characters, and since the main target and likely the audience of Arrow is female, they search for female identification. Why then was Felicity the woman who was most identifiable for the viewer? Why not any of the other female characters – Moira Queen, Thea Queen and Laurel Lance – that were introduced in the first few episodes? When regarding the targeted audience of 18 to 34, Moira can be soon eliminated, since she is a mother and somewhere in her fifties. Thea, Moira’s eighteen-year-old daughter, would then be more appealing, but since she represents a billionaires family, not many people will be able to identify with such wealth. The character of Laurel Lance stands closer to the “ordinary” woman, yet still she is presented as a beautiful, very confident and strong woman with a highly successful career as a lawyer, which might not be something the majority of the viewers can identify with. Felicity on the other hand, is introduced to us as a small character (initially), working in the IT-department of Queen Consolidated. She wears glasses, unremarkable clothes (also initially), and a ponytail which all make her less sexy and attractive and more ordinary. Also, the fact that she works in the IT-department is interesting, as many science fiction fans (who are also mostly women as was

2_{Interview with Emily Bett Rickards on www.greenarrowtv.com. Byrne, Graig. ‘Arrow Interview: Emily Bett}

Rickards Talks About Felicity Smoak’s Popularity, Shirtless Oliver & More’. Greenarrowtv.com. April 19, 2013. <http://www.greenarrowtv.com/arrow-interview-emily-bett-rickards-talks-about-felicity-smoaks-popularity-shirtless-oliver-more/13929>. Accessed on 16-05-2014.

3

Gough, Paul J., James Hibberd. ‘'90210' upfront and center for CW’. Hollywoodreporter.com. May 5, 2008.

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explained in chapter three) work in similar areas, so they can identify with her work and intelligence. The regular, ordinary woman is also not likely to get in contact with a billionaire such as Oliver Queen. That is why fans can relate to Felicity, as it is simply because of her work and the time and place that she comes in contact with him. What happens then, at their first encounter (episode 3 “Lone Gunmen”, season one) was an important factor that made her become so popular. The first few episodes Oliver is very distant and closed to all of his friends and family. When he meets Felicity and asks her to fix his laptop, she acts a little cheeky by asking him how his laptop crashed. When Oliver replies with him having spilled a coffee over it, and she in return answering that it looks more like bullet holes, we see Oliver sincerely smile for the first time. This did not went by unnoticed by the fans. The “ordinary woman from the IT-department” is the first woman to have an effect on Oliver and make him feel comfortable (or maybe uncomfortable because of tension?). The chemistry between Oliver and Felicity was picked up by the fans which initiated the love and interest for the pairing of Oliver and Felicity. Felicity is the most identifiable character as she is the character closest to the spectator. Her “ordinariness” makes her recognizable and identifiable for the “ordinary” (female) viewer.

All the above examples show the complexity of the fan-author relationship. The industry’s attitude towards fan works, and particularly fanfiction, has changed over the years. Where it once started out as an activity that was mostly counteracted by corporations and producers, it has now shifted towards a dialogue between producers and fans. Fans are invited to write stories for episodes, and producers show their awareness of fans and their activities through fan dedicated episodes and other acknowledgements. Yet, there are still often corporations that turn their head for fanfiction and either do not wish to be associated with it, or even go as far as fighting it. This is unfortunate, as fanfiction is not only an exhaust and escape for fans to turn to with their new and alternative ways, it also provides the producers with information of what fans would like to see, and who they like, as is shown in the example of Felicity Smoak. Negotiations and new strategies are therefore required, to improve the overall transmedia experience of the storyworld.

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6. Transmedia Fanfiction in Arrow

The previous chapter clearly shows the history of the attitude of the industry towards fans and fanfiction. Because of the deviating plotlines in fanfiction, corporations have kept their distance from this fan activity. This chapter will argue, by the means of Arrow’s fanfiction, that fanfiction can be a valuable contribution to the overall transmedia network of a film- or TV production, because fanfiction can function as a transmedia strategy, as section 6.2. and 6.2.1. will show. Transmedia strives to let the viewer continue with their storyworld experience and enrich their viewing, by providing agency for the viewer so they can choose whether to engage with the story deeply or not. Fanfiction also ensures this agency, by providing the viewer multiple paths and stories to choose from. Narrative structures persuade the viewer to remain loyal to the show, as section 6.3. will show, and audience connection and interaction is achieved, which is a very important transmedia strategy, according to Buckner and Rutledge.

6.1. Fanfiction platforms, narrative structures and intertextuality

To examine how the fanfiction based on the TV show Arrow is positioned within- and how it contributes to Arrow’s transmedia world, the methodology used by Grandío and Bonaut (2012) to analyze transmedia narratives, will be applied on Arrow, only the focus will lie on fanfiction and fan works. In their analysis, Grandío and Bonaut focus on various aspects of the transmedia narrative of which the following will be used in this research: - the platform itself and its accessibility, - narrative, and - intertextuality. In paragraph 6.2., the transmediality of Arrow will be described, focusing on which media platforms are used to narrate the story. In addition, the platforms of two online

fanfiction archives will be examined to provide an overall idea of how these types of media platforms are structured and how they function. In paragraph 6.3., the narrative aspects of Arrow and its fanfiction will be explained. Also, by focusing on the slash fiction of Arrow in paragraph 6.4., it will show how the Arrow fanfiction fandom differs from other fandoms and what this means for the position of fanfiction in general. Finally, in paragraph 6.5., the intertextuality of Arrow will be

described and how the intertextuality of fanfiction can contribute to enrich the experience of Arrow.

6.2. Transmedia platforms of Arrow

The producers of Arrow use several forms of transmedia storytelling to continue and expand the storyworld outside of the TV show. To position Arrow’s fanfiction within the transmedia network of Arrow, its complete transmedia universe must first be examined. To start with, simultaneously with