39,327
edits
Fanfic Fuel: Difference between revisions
m
Mass update links
m (Mass update links) |
m (Mass update links) |
||
Line 1:
{{trope}}
{{quote| '''[[Johnny Yong Bosch]]:''' Maybe kids will write some fanfics about it.<br />
'''[[Atop the Fourth Wall
Many times a creative work will leave large gaps in a character's [[Backstory]], or not mention what happened between two instances of seeing a character, or object or place. We might get a bit of explanation, usually a throwaway line that suggests a [[Noodle Incident]], but either way we are left to imagine it ourselves.
Line 16:
* Many of the "could-have-beens" on the [[What Could Have Been]] page are prime fanfic fuel. The same goes for the ideas on the [[Wild Mass Guessing]] pages.
** Similarly, many one-shot comics and manga (as well as tv pilots) can be used as plots for fanfiction.
* [[And the Adventure Continues...]] invites possible sequels.
* Any work with a [[Time Skip]] that doesn't cover the intervening period in enough detail.
* Putting two characters in a cave or similar small space together will result in a few hundred fics about them [[Lemon|getting it on]]. [[Unfortunate Implications|Please]] [[Fridge Horror|remember that]] [[Most Fanfic Writers Are Girls]].
Line 24:
== Anime and Manga ==
* ''[[Infinite Stratos]]'', nuff said. For average viewer, it's just a mediocre [[Unwanted Harem]] [[Recycled in Space|WITH]] [[Instant Awesome, Just Add Mecha|MECHA]]. [[Vocal Minority|Fan Fic writers on the other hand]]... War, politic, social shift... the potential is limitless, and three point above is rarely addressed in the canon source (except small clues here and there) despite it was said the introduction of titular [[Powered Armor]] [[Informed Ability|more than few things changed]], leaving the gap for the fic writers to explore. It was not rare to find the sheer difference of atmosphere in I.S. fanfic as the result, from [[Romantic Comedy]] / [[Shipping]] to [[Grimdark]] [[War Fic]], despite the [[Needs More Love|tiny size of the fanbase]].
* ''[[
** [[Backstory]]: L's / Mello's / Near's / B's / Matt's [[Dark and Troubled Past|Dark And Troubled]] [[Mysterious Past]]. What does Wammy's House do and why was it built? / Light's career as a [[Kid Hero|teen detective]] and/or [[For Want of a Nail|what would happen if Light didn't find the notebook]] or [[What If|what would happen if]] {{spoiler|Light didn't get his memories back.}}
* ''[[
** It doesn't help either that almost all the movies could be considered [[Alternate Universe|Alternate Universes]] because they don't fit very well with the main continuity, so you have many possible universes to tell stories about.
* ''[[Cowboy Bebop]]'' persistently reveals a lot of background detail to the audience without actually telling them ''anything'', leaving enormous room for speculation. Most of this concerns the past relationship between Spike, Julia and Vicious, though other characters (especially Ein, Wen, and Mad Pierott) aren't exactly lacking.
Line 33:
* ''[[Sailor Moon]]'' spans millenia and follows only a dozen or so girls of what could be hundreds. Naoko did say that there could be senshi all over the universe, and we even meet a couple dozen alien senshi in the last season. Therefore, there's ''reams'' of Silver Millennium, Crystal Tokyo, and "Team Other Than The Sol Senshi" stories out there, and the pile grows all the time.
* Three words: [[Pokémon|Ash Ketchum's]] [[Disappeared Dad|father]].
* ''[[
== [[Comic Books]] ==
Line 43:
== Film ==
* Happens a '''''lot''''' with [[The Dark Knight Trilogy]] fanfics featuring how [[The Joker]] got those scars of his, simply because he was [[Unreliable Narrator|so inconsistent about them]] in the film.
* An example from ''[[Transformers: Dark of the Moon]].'' By the third film, [[The Masquerade]] is completely broken, and everyone is aware of the Autobots' existence. The movie doesn't go into much detail about this, but there are many ideas that can inspire a fanfic. One is how the nations of Earth are shown to dislike the Transformers (there's a mentioning of poll results stating that half the world would feel safer if the Autobots left). One must also wonder how other countries feel about the US using Autobots for non-Decepticon related problems (such as destroying illegal nuclear plants in the Middle East). Overall, there's a whole potential to explore how Earth must cope with the knowledge that one of the world's most powerful nations has [[Humongous Mecha]] on its side, as well as the fact that said support also warrants even more alien attacks.
** There's also the matter of why Mikaela broke up with Sam.
** Before [[Dot M]], there was a fairly large number of [[Day in
Line 54:
** Every fan has their own opinion about the various inconsistencies of the saga. Some issues (like how the school(s) were created, how magic and technology have evolved together, or how British wizards can possibly be so bloody dumb) are almost never addressed and are calling for a lot of imagination.
* Two points in ''[[The Chronicles of Narnia]]'' have launched a thousand fics:
** 1.) Most of ''[[The Lion, the Witch
** 2.) Susan's absence in ''[[The Last Battle]]'' is brought up once, quickly dismissed, and never mentioned again. Adding to [[Inferred Holocaust|the potency of]] [[No Endor Holocaust|this fuel]] is the [[Unfortunate Implications|phrasing of the reason given for her absence]].
* [[The Hunger Games]] has [[Elsewhere Fic]] fuel aplenty. After all, ''someone'' (be it a canon character or an OC) has to have won the [[Deadly Game|Games]] for years 1-73, and most of them we know little or nothing about.
Line 73:
** Insert!Dawn-Fic: Everyone in the Cast was given false memories of Buffy's little sister Dawn in the Fifth season. How would any given episode in the first four seasons play out with Dawn there?
** Normal!Verse: "Normal Again" told us that the entire show was a hallucination being created by Buffy in an insane asylum. Describe that world. Maybe the [[Big Bad|Big Bads]] are all just manifestations of her doctors.
** Yet Another Halloween Fic: Also called YAHF for short, these deal with the episode where people wearing cursed Halloween costumes started turning into the things they dressed as. ''[[
*** Hell, Halloween Fics have sprouted a tiny subgenre: Xander gets all the abilities and hardware (including a certain blue AI) of [[Halo|Spartan-117]]
* ''[[
** Connor!Be-Gone-Fic: Angel [[Deal
* ''[[
** ... anything, really. How Wash and Zoe fell in love, Simon's time studying as a doctor, what Book did before he was a shepherd (heck, let's just say everyone's backstory), what was the first time Patience shot Mal, the War of Independence, and perhaps most importantly, ''where does the ship go next after {{spoiler|Miranda}}''?
* The alternate universe on ''[[The Middleman]]''. What happens with Fatboy Industries? Do alt!Middleman and alt!Lacey save the world? And what does aerosolized soup taste like, anyway?
* ''[[
* ''[[ICarly
** Why did Freddie end up in Seattle, or more accurately, why did his mother come to Seattle on her own, with him. Often combined with the father question.
* Similar with the parents of characters from sister show ''[[Victorious]]''. Only Tori and Trina's parents are seen regularly, Jade's dad was mentioned on one occasion, and both Beck's parent's appeared off screen in on episode. Often fics that mention the parents will have Andre's parents dead, Jade's parents either abusive (especially if it's an angsty fic) or just neglectful and uncaring, the latter being more supported by canon. Cat's parents are generally pretty neglectful as well, though just ''how'' neglectful they are depends on the fic. Robbie, being the [[Chew Toy]] and [[The Woobie]] will almost never, ''ever'', have a happy home life, and as of "Locked Up'' that view is pretty supported by canon. Beck's usually the only one who will have anything close to good parents, although there will usually be a few issues considering that he lives in an RV just so he can get away from them.
* It's easy to wonder about all the possibilities for adventure surrounding the concept of the Red Pirates in ''[[
* ''[[Supernatural (TV series)|Supernatural]]'' gives fans Dean and Sam's entire childhood to deal, Sam's "Stanford Era" is popular, though it doesn't necessarily focus on Sam. The rest of their childhood leaves plenty of questions. Just how much [[Parental Neglect]] did the boys actually suffer? How many schools did they go to? What caused the rift between Bobby and John? The list goes on.
** There are also the multiple [[Alternate Reality Episode|alternate realities]] established/suggested.
*** ''What Is and What Should Never Be'' 2x20
Line 92:
*** ''[[Alternate History|My Heart Will Go On]]'' 6x17
** Also, the four months Dean was in hell (or the 40 years, depending on the brother the fic focuses on)
* ''[[
** The fact that we didn't actually see Booth and Brennan [[They Do|finally resolve their]] [[Unresolved Sexual Tension]] in "The Hole in the Heart" has been fodder for more than a few fics. One notable(and lengthy, at nearly 200 chapters and still going) fic, "[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7177882/1/The_When_and_the_How_bA_b_bBone_b_to_bPick_b The When And The How: A Bone to Pick]", suggests that they didn't actually do the deed while she was staying at his apartment after Broadsky killed Vincent, but sometime a few days later, prior to "The Change in the Game", after dealing with Vincent's death and getting some perspective on what they really mean to each other.
* A surprising number of ''[[Lois and Clark]]'' fics were inspired by the episode "That Old Gang of Mine", specifically one scene where Clark is shot at point blank range by a mobster's bullet. More than a few stories tried to explain how Superman dealt with the possibility that he might never become Clark Kent again, since the rest of the world thought Clark had been killed.
Line 102:
== [[Theater]] ==
* In the ''[[Wicked (
** Not to mention the 2 to 5 year (depending on what you like to believe) gap between Act 1 and 2 where we go from Elphaba Defying Gravity to Fiyero and Glinda working for the Wizard and Nessa becoming Governor and enslaving Boq. There's a tonne of missed action just there. Also the fact we only get a few Shiz scenes in the musical...
Line 110:
* All of those spartans that didn't get a story on the ''[[Halo]]'' games and in the [[Expanded Universe]].
* ''[[Silent Hill]]'', being a premiere [[Mind Screw]] series told exclusively from the view of the player character ({{spoiler|with the possible exception of ''Shattered Memories''}}), contains a wealth of information for fans to explore, especially concerning the nature of the eponymous [[Genius Loci]] and the cult that worships it.
* Many ''[[
* Several fics based on ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
* ''[[Pokémon]]'' has generated massive numbers of fanfics over the years, thanks to the sheer cultural presence in the childhoods of an entire generation. The games(especially the early ones) often had sparse characterization and backstories for many characters(including [[Silent Protagonist|the protagonists]]), making [[Alternate Character Interpretation|alternate character interpretations]] easy for many writers. And we're not even getting into the related media...
* ''[[Metal Gear Solid]]'' fandom is particularly fond of writing fics about Liquid's backstory (usually set during his time in the Middle East) or the day The Boss killed The Sorrow. In fact, these two plots are so popular in MGS fan fiction that almost every male MGS fan writer has taken on the former, and almost every female MGS fan writer has taken on the latter.
* Very little is explained about Malefor's backstory in [[The Legend of Spyro]]: Dawn of the Dragon. Any fanfiction that's not Spyro/Cynder shipping is probably this. His "death" in the final game was also vague, leading to many fanfiction and fan comics.
* ''[[Soul Series
Line 123:
== Western Animation ==
* Many have wondered what happened during the time skip between the last episode of the second season of ''[[
** Also, since ''[[Transformers Animated]]'' left quite a few questions unanswered, plenty of potential there. Especially with the Allspark Almanac Volume 2 coming out, which will contain unused Season 4 material.
* The [[Show Within a Show]] in ''[[
* Many people wondered what happened between the timelines of ''[[Justice League Unlimited]]'' and ''[[Batman Beyond]]''. Fifty years had passed and many of the Justice Leaguers are gone. They've also wondered about the circumstances which led to Warhawk, son of Hawkgirl and Green Lantern, being conceived and born.
* ''[[Invader Zim]]'' contains a surprising amount of background detail upon which numerous fans can and have elaborated, ranging from an interstellar war to Irken reproduction.
** Especially since the show was canceled just as it was developing a [[Myth Arc]], and the creators have revealed their basic plans to fans.
* ''[[
* The fate of Ursa in ''[[
** And, you know, a century-long war, with plenty of rich, undeveloped ground for exciting battles and stuff. And one thousand Avatars in the history of the world, too.
* ''[[Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers
* Long before there was ever a [[Lilo and Stitch: The Series|series]] to take up the idea, ''[[Lilo and Stitch]]'' writers had 624 blank spaces to fill in with fan characters, a vaugely described laboratory for them to be born in, and a universe for them to explore. They made sure to take advantage of this.
* Fans of ''[[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic
** The show has confirmed the "one kingdom" theory.
** Luna's 1-year [[Chuck Cunningham Syndrome]].
** Now we have [[Just for Fun/Daring Do/Just For Fun|Just For Fun]], an [[Adventurer Archaeologist]] who is the protagonist of a [[Show Within a Show|Book Series Within A Show]]; the contents of one of the books have been shown on-screen, we know the title of another, and we know that there are many other books in the series. Cue lots of fan-made "[[Character Name and
** In "[[My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic (Animation)/Recap/S2 E17 Hearts and Hooves Day|Hearts and Hooves Day]]", the Cutie Mark Crusaders create a love potion, but they only use a very small amount and leave quite a bit in the pitcher. Cue Shipping Fics involving one pony (or more) accidentally drinking the potion and [[Hilarity Ensues|hilarity ensuing]].
** The introduction of Tartarus and time travel spells in "[[My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic (Animation)/Recap/S2 E20 Its About Time|It's About Time]]" has given rise to many fanfics
** Now that the second season finale has aired, it's provided plenty more potential fuel. The biggest example is the finale's [[Big Bad]] Queen Chrysalis, who {{spoiler|isn't killed or [[Sealed Evil in
*** Then there's the question of just how Shining Armor and Candence fell in love (not to mention ''why'' Twilight had a Princess for a foalsitter). <ref>Okay, part of the latter may stem from the fact that Cadence wasn't supposed to be a Princess (or a winged unicorn) in the first place, but the point still stands.</ref>
* ''[[The Lion King]]'' has a lot of this. For starters, the movie [[Leitmotif]], the never ending Circle of Life, means that you can write entire sagas of the royal lion family. Then, there are lots of characters that were introduced but not developed in comics or books, like Ni, Tama, Tojo. Also there are many story gaps that fanfic writers love to fill, like the years of Scar's reign, or were the Outlanders from the second movie came from.
| |||