lavanya_six | A Potpourri of Fanfiction

Since I haven't been able to get any real writing done this week for RL reasons, it's time for another installment of FANFIC RECOMMENDATIONS!

The Kids Aren't Alright by Sam Donne

Series: Iron Man (movieverse)

Synopsis: A Vanity Fair article looking in on the life of Tony Stark about a year after the end of the Iron Man movie. Basically, it's an in-universe fake document written in the style of a real investigation piece.

Snip-it: "By Wednesday the paintball story was forgotten, consumed by a much larger firestorm. After months of rumors, speculation, tendentious editorials and prevarication from Stark Industries and the DoD, the story of Obadiah Stane’s treasonous deals had finally been broken in full by the New York Times. In his op-ed column, Thomas L. Friedman held up Stane’s actions as the foreseeable result of an unholy marriage between foreign policy and corporate interests and went as far as floating the idea that Stark’s abduction and Stane’s shady business deals were related, while Bob Herbert questioned how Stark could have been so blind to his CFO’s activities. To which Maureen Dowd responded that no one can screw you like family. The point was that you couldn’t see it coming—backhanded compassion from Dowd, if there ever was."

Why I Recommend It: Recommended to me in a previous potpourri by commentator Shanghairain, this fanfic combines two things I love: fake documents and deconstruction. The Kids Aren't Alright takes a look into how the real world would view someone like Tony Stark and his alter ego Iron Man. Even allowing for superheroics, it takes a pretty realistic look at how the world would respond to a superhero (or, at least, a super-solider) like Iron Man and what would motivate some dude to put on a suit of armor. Now I know deconstructing superheroes got old twenty years ago but this is still an original shot at that tired old game. Plus, how can you not love a fanfic that name drops Thomas Friedman?

The Terrible Secret of Animal Crossing by Chewbot

Series: Animal Crossing

Synopsis: Billy, a young boy of nine years, is sent by his mother to summer camp. When he arrives, though, Billy finds himself trapped into a horrific world of anthropomorphic talking raccoons, indentured servitude, and psychological torture. Can Billy escape? And what is the secret of Animal Crossing?

Snip-it: I had tried to call my mom on the phone they put in my bedroom, but all I got was an answering machine that spouted utterly useless Orwellian bullshit. To my horror, I inspected the back of the phone to find there wasn’t even a cord. Just a cheap prop. They had even gone so far as to nail it down to the shelf.

Why I Recommend It: If you've ever read a video game humor webcomic, you've definitely run across this common humor trope for lampooning any video game – namely, taking in-game logic (jumping on turtles, for instance) and then playing it ruthlessly straight. The Terrible Secret of Animal Crossing does the same, though not for humorous purposes. It takes the setting and activities of the cutesy Nintendo sim and then crafts an excellent if disturbing darkfic about the E-for-Everyone game. There's a nice spread of media here: manipulated in-game screenshots, original artwork (nicely done too), and even some chapters acted out on MP3 audio files.

Destiny's Child by Fire

Series: Ranma 1/2 and Sailor Moon (crossover)

Synopsis: What if, Ranma had been born during the 1600's, and on his visit to Jusenkyo, he fell into the spring of Drowned Young Girl. Now, when he is splashed with cold water he turns into a 12 year old girl that never ages, and the only way for him to regain his mortality is to join forces with an alien named Mistress 9 and become someone named Hotaru Tomoe… aka Sailor Saturn.

Snip-it: The sight of the water made Ranma initially panic, then he stopped and looked closer at the boy. Tuxedo, yes, and a lean and handsome turn to his face which many girls liked... but there was something... It was only when the boy stood, brushed off the excess water and began to go backstage that Ranma figured it out.

The boyfriend was a girl!

In a single jump, Ranma was over the rows of seats, and next to the startled boy. Grinning widely, Ranma put out his hand to the surprised girl. "Jusenkyo? Right?"

"No, Haruka."

Why I Recommend It: Just to prove I'm not a sucker for mixed-media fanfic alone, let me share this old school fanfic. It's a crossover between Sailor Moon and Ranma 1/2, and, yeah, that's been done a lot, but this is fun and just a wee bit romantic. It's well-written blend of both anime series (as well as a few others) and what more can you ask?