Project AFTER
April 10, 2004
10 Fanfiction Universes We'd Like
to See
An editorial by Richard Goodness
It seems that nowadays just about every popular TV show,
anime, and book has a fanfic about it. However, that doesn't
mean that there are fanfics for everything out there.
Partially as a guide to new writers looking to do something
different, partially as a way of ensuring that other works get
the in-depth exploration that only fanfiction can provide, I
have assembled a list of Ten Fanfiction Universes We'd Like
To See, presented in an exciting countdown format for your enjoyment:
#10 Nietzschean: The title character of Thus Spake
Zarathrusthra has long been an enigmatic and controversial
figure. Anyone who would announce the death of God would have to
be. Who better to meet and understand him than our good friend
Mary Sue? The two could have riveting dialogues together and go
off hand in hand to search for the Ÿbermensch. Of course,
Nietzsche's painful bouts of syphilis and insanity would put a
damper on things, but there's nothing that Mary Sue can't do!
#9 Porn Stars: Sometimes, people want to write some smut,
or PWP. And sometimes people want to do fanfics involving real
actors. However, the former is usually looked upon with disgust,
and the latter is generally a taboo in the fanfiction community.
With fanfics set in the universe of porn films, however, you
could easily do both and get away with it! Now the world would
know what sex between Ron Jeremy and Paris Hilton would be like!
The slash branch of this fanfic universe would, of course, be
obvious.
#8 Dictionary and Thesaurus: Am I the only one who sees a
great deal of tension between the guide words at the top of
dictionary and thesaurus pages? I mean, just turn to page 130 in
my copy of Roget's--you've got fruitful and fuzzy. What an odd
couple--and yet they're fated to spend eternity together. I see
all sorts of adventures for them--as fruitful meets up with his archnemesis
fruitless, fuzzy has an affair with frustrate, and
the pair harbors a fugitive. Just the thought is exciting!
#7 Shakespearean: We've been reading the plays of William
Shakespeare for hundreds of years. Don't you think it's a little
old? I mean, we all know how they end up. Romeo and Juliet?
Passé. But with the magic of fanfiction, all you slash fans
would be dying to read Romeo and Julius Caesar! And I know I'd read
Othello if the Moor's anger was raised because he was
jealous of Hamlet's attentions to Desdemona.
#6 Disney Nature Films: Remember White Wilderness, the
movie that fabricated the "fact" that lemmings run to the sea in
packs and drown themselves? Or Yellowstone Cubs, the delightful
adventures of two bears lost in a camp? I sure do! Now all the
cuddly creatures of your favorite Disney nature films can be on
your computer screen--in fanfic format! With comedic interludes
in which Walt himself argues with the stars of the show, these
fanfics would be something that everybody could be "wild" about!
#5 Famous Artists: Most of the great artists were
insane--but you'd have to be full-on crazy to not appreciate the
beautiful paintings that pairings like Monet/Manet would
produce! And so what if Michelangelo and Van Gogh lived in
different centuries? There's no reason they couldn't have a
romance--Andy Warhol's time machine would eliminate any problems
with the space/time continuum!
#4 Sunday Comics: Hey, if we can write fanfics about
manga, why not go with the American institution that is Sunday
comics? Wouldn't you like to find out what would happen if
Calvin and Susie got together? How about a
stream-of-consciousness fic where Andy Capp ponders his unhappy
marriage and descent into alcoholism? And for the more salacious
among us, there's also the possibility of a lemon between
Marmaduke, the cast of Mutts, and the dog from Marvin!
#3 Opera/Musical Theatre: Sure, it's nice going to a
Broadway play every now and then, but it gets to be really
expensive--and if you're not in the New York area, you're
generally stuck with touring companies and local knock-offs. The
next best thing would, of course, be fanfiction of all the major
plays and operas! The songfic genre would be a natural way to
put the theatre experience into one easy-to-read text file! Just
think: We'd finally have the stories of such plays as Les Miserables,
The Phantom of the Opera, and Oliver! in prose form!
#2 TV News Broadcasts: We all watch the evening news, but
rarely do we know the behind-the-scenes drama that goes on. I
for one would love to know what would happen if, say, Dan Rather
and Peter Jennings met. And I'm getting really tempted to write
a fic from Walter Cronkite's point of view, set on the day that
Kennedy is assassinated.
#1 Project A.F.T.E.R. Forums: Because, really, there are
untold stories that we just don't know about! Who knows what
Malheidsman and Dai Ou do in their free time? Fanfiction
writers, that's who! Though, for the sake of our sanities, no
slash fics, please.
Special thanks to Mary Kate Cusack for suggesting Famous Artists
and Opera/Musical Theatre; and to Alex Barry for the original
inspiration for Porn Star fanfics.
Richard Goodness - 4/10/04