When a piece of media, such as a TV show or a movie, is shared with the world, the characters and the story go from belonging to the creators to belonging to the fans. They get to enjoy every minute of it, and if their creativity allows for it, they take it a step further by creating different scenarios for the characters they love (and even those they hate). That is when fanfiction enters the scene.
Fandoms began many, many decades ago. Some say it goes as far as starting with Sherlock Holmes when fans began writing the first fanfiction in 1897. The idea of fanfiction is that the fans get to write whatever story they see fit for the characters. They take canon storylines and moments to form a universe that doesn’t exist on TV or the big screen. They give their favorite characters a new life, a new ending and maybe even a new love interest. Fanfiction plays a big role in fandom culture by allowing fans to have their creations.
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With the number of stories being shared now, it was only fitting that fans of multiple fandoms took over and wrote their own stories. Whether they started on fanfiction.net or Archive of Our Own, fans found a home for sharing their stories with others who had the same interests and wanted to read different narratives for the characters they loved. It is a way of honoring said characters by showcasing their importance to the fandom.
For those more familiar with Archive of Our Own (which seems to be the preferred fanfiction platform at the moment), there are thousands of fanfiction for all sorts of TV shows and movies. They are available for everyone to read with different labels, tags and warnings for fans to find precisely what they want, but also for those who don’t understand the culture behind fanfiction to have their go at it.
In May 2023, a writer for Vulture wrote about fanfiction surrounding Succession. If you have seen the show, you are very aware that every single relationship on the show is dysfunctional and borderline toxic. Therefore, the fanfiction for the show’s pairings (Tom/Shiv, Tom/Greg, Roman/Gerri, etc.) follows the same formula as the series. However, the Vulture article called these writers and their readers “freaks” and “depraved.”
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The article, of course, struck a nerve among fans (and not only the Succession fans) at being called such terrible names. The truth is that fanfiction isn’t based on being freaks or simply talking about sex but on the pure joy fans get from sharing something they love. Fanfiction is there when shows disappoint them, don’t make a particular pairing canon or when there is more written between the lines, and fans want to explore that.
The “locals,” or viewers who watch an episode and do not think about it after it’s over (until the following episode), might not understand what fanfiction is about or find it strange. But they are an outlet for people to share their talent and creativity while crafting stories for some of the most popular characters on the screen.
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When a show, for example, disappoints fans with its ending, they take matters into their own hands and create alternative universes for the characters. The best and most recent example is the Tedbecca fans, who, after seeing their two characters separated from each other without a logical explanation on the Ted Lasso Season 3 finale, turned to fanfiction to write an alternate ending, one that made sense to them and brought them joy beyond what was on paper.
For the Law & Order: Special Victims Unit fans, fanfiction has become the only way to see (or “read,” for a better term) Elliot Stabler and Olivia Benson together. While the show has played the “will they/won’t they” game for over two decades between them, fans have created stories in which they are finally together. They have given these characters the happy ending and the love they deserve.
Then, you have one of the biggest reasons fanfiction has such a significant role in fandom culture: the queer fans. For as long as television has been around, the queer community has made it evident that lack of or bad representation are big themes. Even when a show introduces a queer character or couple, most of them fall for the “kill your queers” trope that leaves fans feeling that the creators or showrunners don’t respect them. Why can’t they have the same happy endings as the other characters?
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So, for queer fans, fanfiction is a way to create and read the happy endings they wish they could see onscreen. They are a way to get the representation they deserve, even when their favorite TV show or movie isn’t giving it to them. It is a method for younger generations of queer people to see they are still valued and deserve good things, too.
Many non-canon queer ships have found their names in fanfiction of all types. It is those ships that don’t have a chance at becoming canon onscreen but have a home in the hearts of the fans. A great current example is Barbara Howard and Melissa Schemmenti (better known as Work Wives) on Abbott Elementary. While the canon ship of the show (Gregory and Janine) has 104 fanfictions written on Archive of Our Own, Work Wives has 458. This proves that queer fans need escapism from the lack of representation or the hardship of reality, and they achieve it by creating their own world.
While for outsiders, fanfiction may seem like it’s created by freaks, the fans understand the true meaning and importance of these creations. They are a warm hug, a way out of the “real world” when things get tough. In the same way people tune in for a TV show or watch a movie to forget the world around them, fanfiction writers and readers turn to these pieces of literature to tune out the world for a bit.
Fanfiction honors established worlds and characters by creating alternative universes where they live happily and can satisfy fans.
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