Fanfiction.net: Where Fans Come Together

Fanfiction.net: Where Fans Come Together
The artifact I have chosen for this analysis is a website called Fanfiction.net. As the name suggests, Fanfiction.net is a home for massive amounts of fanfiction; for those who are unacquainted with the awesomeness that is fanfiction, it is fiction that has been written by fans. To offer a more helpful explanation, it is fiction about an idea that belongs to someone else; the author writes their own story about one of their favorite books, TV shows, video games, etc. The writer essentially has free reign in the story; they can introduce new characters and settings, and the plot follows whatever twists and turns their imagination can come up with. But, the key characteristic, as stated above, is that all of the original writing, like the plot, is based around someone else’s original story, and the fanfic author has no claim to any recognizable (i.e. from the show, book, etc.) aspects.
To look a little further into Fanfiction.net, the site is divided into categories. The home page offers links to fanfiction for Anime/Manga, Books, Cartoons, Comics, Games, Misc, Movies, Plays/Musicals, and TV Shows. There is also a second section that offers fanfiction for Crossovers into all these same categories; a crossover is a story that combines aspects of two otherwise unrelated works, such as Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings (yes, it’s been done). When browsing through the different groups, you find an enormous list of titles; each title links to the fanfiction written for that particular piece. Stories or movies with more than one or two fanfics have their own group; however, if a work has only one fanfic, that fanfic often winds up in the Miscellaneous section.
The site also offers several different fan-friendly features. When looking for something in particular, the site has a search option. Readers can save certain stories or authors as favorites, to make them easy to find in the future. Readers can also comment on the stories they have read, either offering criticism or just saying that they liked the piece. The Just In page showcases all of the brand new stories, while Communities and Forum pages allow site users to communicate. Finally, the Beta Readers page allows writers to find a Beta, or an editor to help them with their work.
Setting, character, and action themes: 1) For setting, I found these references: Fanfiction.net is the actual website, while Anime/Manga, Books, Cartoons, Comics, Games, Misc, Movies, Plays/Musicals, and TV Shows are the different pathways available within the site. Communities and Beta Readers are character references; a Community is formed by an individual site member, and Beta Readers are volunteer site members. Action references include Search and Forums; Search allows readers to find specific stories/authors, and Forums allow site members to communicate.