It’s time, Internet, to have a little conversation about fan-fiction and other fan-works. To make that phrase a bit less unwieldy, I’ll refer to them as derivative works. This is a fantastic term to use, as the works “derive” something major (fictional universe, characters, or situations, to name a few possibilities) from another work. Depending on the intent and the commercial impact of the work, they either enjoy protection from copyright violations or the creators can be held liable for losses or damages they inflict on the creators of the original work. Luckily for me and for you, I’m not here to give a dissertation on the legalities or lack thereof of these works. I will instead share a few that have come to my attention over the years, in the hopes that I can share some joy (and in a few cases, misery).
Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality
This epically long piece of fan-fiction takes the world of Harry Potter and asks a seemingly simple question: what would happen if Petunia Evans did not marry Vernon Dursley? In Methods of Rationality, she instead married a professor of biochemistry at Oxford. Harry grew up reading science fact and science fiction. Voldemort definitely read, and quite possibly wrote, the Evil Overlord List. Defense Against the Dark Arts is run as a Battle Magic class, complete with a sort of Wizard Paintball that brings to mind the Battle School scrimmages in Ender’s Game. Throw in a plethora of geek culture references (for instance, both Death Note and Gargoyles are stories that young Slytherins grow up hearing) and you have a recipe for an enjoyable piece of writing. Be warned, however. It stands at 72 chapters, each of significant length, and updates sporadically. Addiction to this fic is likely.
There Will be Brawl
A webseries that takes a decidedly darkly comic look at the world of Super Smash Brothers, particularly Brawl. The series makes nods to Silence of the Lambs, borrows its tone from Sin City and throws in a bit of Watchmen-esque deconstruction. The story mostly follows Luigi, who is on the trail of a brutal murderer only known as “The Butcher”. This case is set in the backdrop of a dystopian Mushroom Kingdom torn apart by gang violence. This is full of plenty of continuity nods to the games, both in the Super Smash Brothers series and in the characters’ original game series. In addition, it is chock full of nightmare fuel. Not for the faint-hearted.
8-Bit Theater
A comic that starts off as a parody/retelling of Final Fantasy I using the original in-game sprites. It then deviates from the original story – which is a blessing – and incorporates more detailed pixel art and backgrounds. The story follows Fighter, Black Mage, Red Mage, and Thief, the four dysfunctional Light Warriors. With the exception of Fighter, who is only obsessed with swords, they are all self-centered to the point of being truly evil. Luckily, they are so grossly incompetent that their attempts to destroy and/or take over the world actually work toward saving it. Supporting characters include White Mage, who responds to Black Mage’s unwanted advances by using a giant hammer; Sarda the Sage, who is nearly-omnipotent, and completely insane; and King Steve, the incompetent ruler of Corneria, who sends the Light Warriors on their quest in the first place. The comic has finished its run, and includes an epilogue with non-pixel art by Matt Speroni.
Ahab’s Wife
This is quite literally a novel-length piece of Moby Dick fan-fiction that was picked up by a major publisher. Told entirely from the perspective of Captain Ahab’s wife – who was mentioned less than 5 times in Melville’s original – the story has Una hob-nobbing with abolitionists, taking to sea herself, and includes the aftermath of Ahab’s fateful final voyage. In a notable improvement from the original, there are no chapters about cetology. Chock-full of literary and historical references, and a decently entertaining read in its own right.
Applied Phlogiston 