Not sure where this should go...

[Ninsaneja]

This isn't an idea for a new fic - but it does involve writing a new fanfiction.
How about all those fanfics that you enjoyed - but never were finished? Years have gone by and you never saw the end. What should happen to these old fics?
I propose a revival of dead fics by new authors, NOT a continuation but an adaptation of the ideas placed in a new light so that they may one day be finished. This would obviously include asking for permission but if an author is dead...
How long do we wait for a response? Which fics do we choose? How far do we stray from the original fanfiction? I was reading "Vengeance and a Half" for the third time and "Warriors of Light and Shadow" for the second and decided that I wanted to see at least one of these old ideas drawn to their full potential.
So:
Warriors of Light and Shadow (Tribute to Storm Bringer):
Original Idea (FF.net summary): The forces of light and shadow clash in a war over possession of a powerful artifact. At the center of that war stand two warriors who have lost everything. They are the key to this world’s survival…They are the key to each other’s survival.
Original Idea (My Summary): Sailor Moon is displaced by the Outer Senshi. Ranma is ronin. These two meet and decide that they aren't going to be pushed around any more.
My Changes (To be edited as I read the story again): Characterization, slight. Revealing of curse, later(not sure if he is locked, actually). Outer Senshi, slightly more evil and more resolved.
More to be written after 2 weeks/email returned, whichever comes first.
Email sent: september 13, 06
If you have an interest in reviving old fics, please post, even if you don't intend to write anything. Reminding mods that I am sending an email before doing any serious work on this on the off chance that they are still around, so don't hit me for being a little brief with the actual story please!
Edit: Err, unreversed.
I apologize if the author of any fics mentioned is on the boards. I tried to search - but failed.

[Ninsaneja]

Update:
This is an automatically generated Delivery Status Notification
Delivery to the following recipient failed permanently:
the_storm_bringer@hotmail.com
Technical details of permanent failure:
PERM_FAILURE: SMTP Error (state 9): 550 Requested action not taken: mailbox unavailable
As expected, Storm Bringer is no longer writing. I am, sadly, too tired to being immediately but I will have a larger sketch of what I intend to do with Storm Bringer's idea in a week or maybe by the weekend.

[TerraEpon]

Well...some people would say that should shouldn't do it unless the author allows it.
Personally? My opinion is that it's no different than writing a fanfic in the first place. They are unauthorized after all.
Now, if you contact the author and he or she says no, that's a different story, of course.
As for my choices, I have way too many to even think of where to start.
-Joshua

[Metroidvania]

I don't know about this.....
Yes, it's a good idea in theory, but what if the author comes back later, and you've done something he or she didn't like.
although fanfics aren't licensed, they are creations of the original author......
If the mods okay it, I may think about it, but until then, again, I'm not sure it's a good idea....

[Alathon]

Eh, I don't think that original fanfic authors really have any right to complain about spinoffs being done based on their work. They are, after all, uniformly doing the same thing, and do so based on commercially published media no less.
But is it the polite thing to get someone's permission before doing a spinoff? Certainly. Especially given how accessible fanfic authors tend to be, and how free of legal obligations they are, relative to professional authors.

[WG_Writer]

my opinion is this, if the author can be contacted about it then they must be asked, but if they stop writting for several years, no less then three, and there is no way to contact them, then they have stopped writting. Kinda of a 'public domain' type rule.
So many ideas and fics die because the author moves on and never leaves note saying they are done. But many writters are just slow. But if after 3 years your email addy no longer works, your web page hasn't been updated, and there is a general lack of knowledge then I say yes it is well and truely abandoned.
This however does beg the question of the author return. But that question should be left to them, simpl put some authors would be put off by someone else doing one of their ideas, I certainly am not. In fact I say If I disappear then after 3 years I hope someone picks up the flag for me, but then again I am a loud mouth and its generally hard to miss me.
Any way its put, I feel that its a community decision. And should be one done on a fic by fic basis, I am certain some of us have these writters on messenger, and could find out from them their opinions. Plus the fact that fanfiction like this is being shared, (Rule 1 of fanfiction is you write for yourself, but be honest if you are posting it online that is what you are asking for.) and you don't want the target audience hating your guts over poor handling of something. So again, i think it should be a community decision and only if the author seems to have disappeared.

[Metroidvania]

Eh, I don't think that original fanfic authors really have any right to complain about spinoffs being done based on their work. They are, after all, uniformly doing the same thing, and do so based on commercially published media no less.
But is it the polite thing to get someone's permission before doing a spinoff? Certainly. Especially given how accessible fanfic authors tend to be, and how free of legal obligations they are, relative to professional authors.

But if I've read correctly, what Ninsaneja's proposing is straight continuation, with only minor changes....
Spin offs are fine, but direct continuations? Well..... As WarG said, after several years, and no email replies or website updates (Gabriel Blessing comes to mind), I suppose it wouldn't be so bad.....
(Shrugs)
If you feel that strongly about a fic, and get permission, or in Ninsaneja's first case, apparent death, I won't complain.
Perhaps it's just me who's uneasy about this...and if so, I digress.

[crystlshake]

It would probably be a good idea to credit the original author in the disclaimer the same as for the original source material. Providing a link or enough information for a reader to track down the base fic would also be in good taste.
If you are picking it up after where it stopped I dont really see much of a problem with it. Its not really that different from normal fanfiction just that part of the source material is fan created by anouther auther. A parallel could easily be drawn to works started before cannon completes and causes the story to become AU. A nice chunk of Harry Potter stories fall into this category.
As long as you arnt palgerizing the other authors material anymore than happens with other fan fiction (well those that dont read almost like the original script anyway) it should be fine if credit is given. In all honesty, it could be percieved as flattering and may inspire the original to pick up the quill again so to speak. Motivate or inspire them if they wrote themselves into a corner or behind a writers block. Do realize however that it will be an uphill battle. You may have some flaws from the original to overcome or more daunting still, expectations to meet.

[AscendedWarrior]

IMO this idea has maret, well that and I've had the same Idea going through my head for quite awhile... Well the only question is if you have the inclination and skill to do so...
That and whether the mods would allow that sort of thing on this forum...
Well that's my 2 cents...

[Daniel Jess Gibson]

I agree that a continuation of an author's work is not beyond the pale, even spinoffs would be acceptable, if the author can be contacted. If reports are accurate Gregg Sharp's the Bet was so widely copied he gave up on it, but he was actively writing at the time.
I've had authorized spin-offs of SSM, although only one properly credited me, I really need to tell them to fix that, because I've gotten plenty of plagerism warning about them.
I'd say do your best to try and concact the authors, then treat their work with respect. I do find it ironic that we're `borrowing` from preofessionals, and are the least bit squemish about borrowing from other ameteurs.

A thief who steals from a thief is pardoned for 100 years.

[Hazard]

I'm not sure if the Sailor Ranko series was authorised or not, but even if it wasn't, it's here right? I believe it would be rather hypocritical to say that someone may not write a story based on yours, when you are doing the exact same thing. I do agree with Crystlshake, at least admit that you are basing it off of someone else's work, you are after all writing a continuation fan fic of fan fiction...

[Neko-]

I'm not sure if the Sailor Ranko series was authorised or not, but even if it wasn't, it's here right? I believe it would be rather hypocritical to say that someone may not write a story based on yours, when you are doing the exact same

Sailor Ranko series was a completed fic from the original author, which saw a few (sanctioned) spin-offs/continuations. In fact, I recall they were linked from Fire's site, so Fire did approve of their existance.
As such it's not a continuation of a non-completed fic which is the point of this thread. The point here is to take a fic that is incomplete, and decide if it's applicable to take it's idea's and premisse (possibly leaving the whole original bit intact), and continue the story to a complete one.
My personal opinion would be to give credit to the original author, refer to the original story, and take it from there after an adequate period of time has expired and contact with the author has failed and has no hope of ever succeeding. Kinda the same thoughts as WarG.
If possible I'd stick to the bit the original author put forth, and try to continue from that (but my writing skills are less then noteworthy) although I can understand it if minute changes and revisions would be made to the original to better guide it to the intended conclusion of the new author.

[lwf58]

Fan fiction is a gray area in the laws of most countries. The original characters, settings, and situations of manga and anime (or live-action TV shows and movies) are copyrighted on many levels, but the one that concern fans most are the intellectual property rights, because the majority of copyright laws are intended to prevent others from profiting by another's work.
Fan fiction is normally overlooked or permitted by the authors, publishers, and distributors because it's non-profit. The same goes for most doujinshi. It gets stickier when fans try to sell their works. Unless they are doing completely orginal stuff, then they are breaking many kinds of copyrights.
Where creators get peeved by fanworks is when the fans get stupid. There are a few notable incidents where fans wrote a story using the settings and characters of a famous author, and then the author wrote a similar story of their own. In the cases I'm thinking of, the fans then tried to sue the author for "stealing the idea". Authors such as Mercedes Lackey have issued a blanket prohibition of fan fiction based on their work because of such incidents.
Other authors encourage fan fiction. Eric Flint even collects fan fiction stories he likes and publishes them, paying the fans for their work. (The Grantville Gazette is series of fan fiction stories and fan articles.)
That's why we put disclaimers at the beginning of fan fiction stories. Disclaimers are not there to directly protect the fan fiction author. They are there to reassure the owners of the series that the fan author will not attempt to dispute their rights, and thus they need take no action against the fan. That's why the essential elements of a disclaimer are a listing of the owners of the work their story is derived from, and a phrase saying in so many words that they acknowledge the pre-eminence of the owner's rights.
As for using another fan's ideas? That gets back into intellectual property. The characters, settings, and original situations don't belong to the fan, but the plot and any original characters do, as does the prose used in the story. By disclaiming, the fan author gives up the right to his or her work if the owners of the series come up with a similar story, but that doesn't apply to other fans. By US law, anyway, the fan has a copyright to his or her work when published. That's why it's wrong to use another person's fan fiction as a basis for your own without permission.
BTW... The Bet is fair game because Gregg Sharp long ago gave permission for anyone to use the concept and his original character, Toltiir, if they wish. The Bet is effectively public domain property.

[Ninsaneja]

I was actually intending to rewrite all the parts already written by the author and then take from my own modified version to finish. I may need some help on sailor moon parts, I only have the Ranma manga to refer from and rely on wikipedia etc. for sailor moon information...
I have to admit, I had started this with the hope that someone better than me would start the process for Vengeance and a Half, which is my favorite unfinished fic (should call it a deadfic or what?)
I'm almost entirely sure Fire's email is offline because his site at the same domain name is offline...
If the mods allow, I'm definitely going to post on these boards.

[BlackSamurai]

I was actually intending to rewrite all the parts already written by the author and then take from my own modified version to finish.

That's what I got from the original post - a rewriting, from the very beginning, with the same basic premise and plotline. I agree about the intellectual property situation being a little sticky, though. And I didn't know that some authors prohibited fanfiction based on their works. I'll have to look into that so I don't end up liking a book a read enough to actually sit down and write a fic, then end up getting sued.