What is the longest book you can think of? Maybe War and Peace, a 1,225 page novel with over five hundred characters? Or Lord of the Rings with over 480,000 words across the three sections? What if I told you that the longest work of fiction in recorded history is a 220 chapter, 4,061,129 word story about the video game Super Smash Bros?
On March 4th, 2008, Fanfiction.net username AuraChannelerChris uploaded the first chapter of The Subspace Emissary's Worlds Conquest. Eight years, 220 chapters, and over four million words later, the author is still continuing his story- one of sixteen works he’s posted on the site over the years. This single piece of fan-fiction is six times longer than War and Peace, making it the longest work of fiction in the English language. So how come more people haven’t heard of it? Or even know the author’s real name?
The problem isn’t the author, it’s the genre. For whatever reason, the majority of people are under the impression that fan-fiction, fan-art, and other fan works aren’t “real art”, that they’re just cheap imitations of other’s creations. And while there are some disastrous fan-works, like the infamous My Immortal or Hogwarts School of Prayer and Miracles , most fan-works show an incredible amount of skill and passion behind them. Just type the name of your favorite TV show or movie into Google with the word “fan-fiction” or “fan-art” to see for yourself. Fair warning though, once you start down that rabbit hole, it’s tough to get out of it. Websites like ArchiveofOurOwn.org, Fanfiction.net, and DeviantArt hold hundreds of thousands of fan-works on everything from The Avengers to Bee Movie.
There is no limit to what fan artists and writers will come up with. Want to read a story about Harry Potter from the perspective of a background character? It’s there. Ever thought about what would’ve happened if Darth Vader had never fallen to the Dark Side? You can find out. Wonder what the characters of Star Trek would look like as the opposite gender? There’s a hundred artists with their own unique vision.
This incredibly prolific and diverse art-form has entered into the global spotlight in recent years, in part due to the success of the Fifty Shades trilogy by E.L. James. The series began as a Twilight fanfiction posted online, and is now preparing for the premiere of its second feature film. While many don’t approve of the dark themes of the book series, this idea that one of the hundreds of thousands of fanfiction writers, most of which are everyday people with full time jobs, could attain such success is inspiring to many. Students, teachers, parents, doctors and more- all devoting their free time to honoring their favorite artists and their creations. As they say, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
Fan-works perform many roles in our society. One of which is the encouragement of young artists. Personally, I started writing fanfiction when I was 11. It provides a safety net, a chance to practice the basic elements of storytelling without the added pressures of world-building and character creation. Artists learn to develop their own styles by experimenting with those of others. Even budding musicians can work with designing their own versions of cinematic scores. However, I’d argue the most important role of fan-works is encouraging and challenging mainstream media.
In recent years, there has been a spike in demand for increasingly diverse media, and this concept is extending far beyond simply racial diversity. More and more people are asking for diversity on many fronts: race, religion, gender expression, sexual orientation, and even asking to showcase characters with disabilities. This is important for mainstream media to understand and integrate. Everyone likes to see themselves represented in media, and in our favorite stories. Especially for children, being able to see and emulate fictional role models can be great for self-esteem.
And this push has come thanks to the fan-fiction and fan-art community, in particular. Anything goes when it comes to fan-works, so individuals feel free to explore and experiment with their own ideas about characters and stories, known as “headcanons”. You can find stories about transgender characters, autistic characters, LGBT characters and more. People with OCD, bipolar disorder, and other mental conditions are often portrayed in mainstream media as “crazy” or the butt of a joke. But through fan-works, they can create and find positive representation.
The message from these creators and consumers is clear: You can tell your story, but we get to rewrite the ending. You can give me table scraps, but I will not starve. We will continue to create new stories for your characters until we get to see ourselves in them. There is nothing malicious behind these screens, no fan-creator desperate to take money or fame from the original minds behind our favorite books, movies, and shows. They only want to contribute to the beautiful worlds that have been created, and hopefully add their voice to support the people missing from those worlds.
