Uber

Uber is a popular fanfic genre in the Xenaverse. 
The term was coined in 1997 by Kym Taborn, a fan who created the online Xena journal Whoosh!. What is this... Über?. Last update 26 December 2001. (Accessed 6 October 2008) 
An Uber-Xena story takes the essence of the characters and places them in another time, another place, or another reality.Lunacy. Lunacy's Fan Fiction Reviews - Definitions. (Accessed 6 October 2008) The uber characters do not have the same names and do not have to be mirror images of the canon characters. Sometimes they are descendants or reincarnations; usually they resemble the originals physically, and they share the same type of bond.
The term Uber migrated to other fandoms, including Buffy the Vampire Slayer fandom, where Willow/Tara Uber fiction appeared. The concept of Uber fanfiction broadened to 'refer to fan fiction of any genre, in which the main characters are translated into a different setting than normal' with uber characters retaining their canon names and personalities.Through the Looking Glass (archived link) a Willow/Tara Uber Fanfiction archive, FAQ page, accessed 12 Jan 2022.
==History==
The Uber genre was prompted by the Canon AU of Mel and Janice in the episode "The Xena Scrolls", which aired on the 13th of January 1997. It is believed that the first Mel/Janice story was Bat Morda's Is There A Doctor On The Dig, posted in March 1997.Lunacy, THE HISTORY OF XENA FAN FICTION ON THE INTERNET Posted 1998. Last accessed Nov 2, 2011.
A Meeting of Chance by WhiteCat, regularly cited as the first UberXena fic was posted in January 1997. While this story didn't have all the elements of a traditional UberXena story, namely the soulmate bond between the ÜberXena and ÜberGabrielle, it did contain many other story elements. The author obviously agreed and the story was updated sometime before 2000 to include the following
Whoosh! cites Get Your Kicks on Route 66 by Miss and Aisa, as the first recorded attempt at an ÜberXena story featuring the theme of soulmates. This was an incomplete serial short story which was posted on a private mailing list in early June 1997.WHAT IS THIS...ÜBER? posted at Whoosh, Last update: 12-26-01. Accessed, June 10 2022. They also state that the first completed ÜberXena was a western by Della Street, called Toward the Sunset, which was posted on a private list on June 14, 1997. Whoosh! also claims that the first publicly posted and complete story was The Hitch Hiker, by Bongo Bear. It was posted on July 22, 1997. 
However other disagree and point to Darkone's Warrior's Heart as the first ÜberXena story; written in January 1997, and publicly available the following month.
See Whoosh! for more information on the development of this trope and the different categories of Uber stories 
See The History Of Xena Fan Fiction On The Internet by Lunacy (1998) for information on the development of Uber in the context of XWP canon developments and fanfiction trends. 
See also: Beyond Uber
==Bards In Print==
In early 1999, Tropical Storm by Melissa GoodAmazon.com: Tropical Storm. (Accessed 17 November 2008) became the first commercially released Uber-Xena novel, which started a trend that led to more and more Uber-Xena print publicationsLunacy. A Very "Good" Thing For Fan Fiction, published in Whoosh! #46, 2000. (Accessed 17 November 2008) and the creation of a few small publishing houses.
Examples: Accidental Love, The Bluest Eyes in Texas, Breaking Away, Gun Shy, Josie and Rebecca: The Western Chronicles, Lucifer Rising, Redemption, Retribution...
A fan in 2014 remarked about Xena fandom and fiction: 
==Fan Comments==
On Uber Fiction vs AUs (posted 2005 or earlier):
On UberXena vs Immortal Xena stories (posted 2007 or earlier):
On the definition of Uber and fannish drift of that definition (2010):
: 
==Meta==
* The Sex Lives of Xena: Warrior Princess Alt Fan Fiction Authors (1998)
* Spinning Off From The Source: Alternative Fan Fiction Changes With The Seasons (1998)
* "How Long 'Til My Soul Gets It Right? Karma, Reincarnation, And All This Uber-Fiction (1998)
* They're Letting You Write Your Thesis About That?: an essay by Kelly Rowett (1998) 
* The Other Side: Writing Alternative Xena Fan Fiction from a Male Point of View (2000)
==Resources==
*Über über Alles
*The Über Xena/Original Story List by Eileen Marks lists more than 2,000 stories. In addition to author, title and story link, the compilation includes the names of the uber characters, their occupation and basic info about the setting.
*Lunacy's Uber-Xena Fan Fiction Contents Guide contains information about author, title, type (gen or alt), occupation and setting (time and location) for all the uber stories she has reviewed on her site.
==References==
 
Category:Glossary
Category:Xena: Warrior Princess Fandom Glossary
Category:Femslash Fandom
Category:Social Media Feature-Terminology Thursday