The last abode of freedom - Fanfiction as art

What do we think when someone says “fanfiction”? How could it be explained to someone who has not heard of fandoms, Archive of Our Own, Fanfiction.net, or X (Formerly Twitter) online events, such as Zines, Big Bangs, and themed weeks? And, since you clicked on this article, why exactly do I call it the last abode of freedom?

Let me assume you know nothing about fanfiction. The literal meaning is somewhat self-explanatory - it is a piece of art, written or drawn, based on already existing characters - yes, on someone else’s intellectual property. The US fair use laws allow the use of IP if no profit is made from it. An interesting detail with its own loopholes, and we would return to it later. Fanfiction is created in the online realm of fandoms - communities, fellowships, or groups of people with a passionate love for the same piece of media, be that a film, a book, a boy band, or a video game. The usual places for fandoms to gather and to create their own communities vary from X (formerly Twitter), Tumblr, BlueSky, Discord Servers, Telegram, you name it. People from all over the world gather to write stories, draw fan art, write music, create comics, create pins and stickers, most of the time for free. The reason is simple - love. Most of the time, the fans rewrite works because they want to see their favorite characters get together, usually, same-sex ones, but it is not limited to that alone. Sometimes, an ending is so sad that one feels they must rewrite it. Sometimes, it is missing altogether. Sometimes, the story is so dark and depressing, while the characters are amazing, that the fan wants to write a story about them all attending colleges (instead of fighting Titans, for example). Queue the College AU.

The reason for my writing this post is rather simple - once again, the Harry Potter fandom is faced with yet another potential controversy about fair use and profits of fanfiction. An insanely popular fanfic, “All the Youg Dudes,” by MsKingBean99, is going to be traditionally published. This work is over 500 000 words long, has over 19 million views, and 301 000 likes. It is so popular, in fact, that it even has its own Wikipedia page. The reaction within the fandom has been mixed - some fans are happy that their favorite work is being published as a book, some are skeptical that it breaks some kinds of intellectual property laws, and some are downright angry. There are several reasons behind it, from the hate of JK Rowling to pure envy, but the main argument against it is that publishing fanfiction removes its soul.

This is far from the first time fanfiction has bled into the realm of “real” writing, nor is it the first fanfiction at all to do that. For example, a Dramione (Draco/Hermione) fanfic titled “Manacled” by SenLinYu was taken down from Ao3 and traditionally published under the new title, “Alchimized,” in September, 2025. The next one, you probably have heard of - “Fifty Shades of Grey” by E.L. James was originally a Twilight fanfiction. There are other titles as well: “The Angel of the Crows” by Katherine Addison, “After” by Anna Todd, “Point Pleasant” by Jen Archer Wood, and so many more.

These titles might appear to be exceptions, but there are many more that are not considered fanfic anymore, such as Dante’s “Divine Comedy.” Surprised? I would argue that it might as well be the Bible self-insert fanfic! Dante imagines himself going through Hell, where he meets Virgil, a celebrated ancient Roman poet, and is led by him out of the forest and toward purgatory. The 1966 “Wide Sargasso Sea” by Jean Rhys is a prequel to Charlotte Brontë’s “Jane Eyre,” a staple of Victorian literature and my personal favorite, in which we witness Mr. Rochester’s relationship with Bertha and her descent into madness.

Despite both works being technically fanfics, they are widely celebrated to the point that they are considered their own stand-alone works. Moreover, both are respected, while most fanfiction is not considered “serious writing.” And yes, in many ways, it is not - more often than not, the works we see on Ao3 are unedited drafts at best. However, there are lots of works that embody all the best qualities of writing and creativity while also being better than most of the published books. There is a commonly talked-about theory in fandom circles that fanfiction is not considered serious for a similar reason as “Twilight” movies are not — it’s for girls. Women are more prevalent in fandom spaces in general, thus making fanfiction writing a female-dominated field. So, of course, it must be put down.

A lot of common criticisms that fan fiction receives sound like this: it is unserious, unedited, poorly written, with poor characterization, or too much sex, too much wish-fulfillment, etc. Fanfiction is not good or bad writing; it is simply writing. Just like any other genre, it varies from serious to not, from funny to sad, from bizarre to holy, and so much more.

The main controversy with “All the Young Dudes” is the association with JK Rowling. Her transgender bigotry aside, the publisher is only interested in this work because of its popularity. It is something that can gather an audience, hence it will sell, and it is almost like “Harry Potter.” I can see it clear as day, you walk into a bookstore next year and see a stand with “All the Young Dudes” (with a new title, of course) and JK Rowling’s “Harry Potter” on the same stand. Much like the new HBO show, it is a cash grab more than anything.

And here comes what I consider the most important part — the overwhelming majority of fanfiction content online depicts homosexual relationships. The absence of a publisher allows for more creative freedoms, more explicit scenes, exploration of sexuality and gender, and a wider variety of plots. In places like Russia, where the LGBTQ+ movement (ignore the paradox that it does not exist, that is, the Russian government doing its thing) is illegal, fanfiction remains the only source of sexual education for teenagers with non-traditional sexual orientation, as well as an example of relationships that stray from the heteronormative model. No topic is too obscure, or off the table, no ridiculous, gross, or insane idea is too crazy to write. If you can think it, somebody out there has already written something similar. And that itself is freedom.

Fanfiction writing is created out of love, not desire to make money, or to become the next great American novel (although many writers who would have started as fanfic writers). In fanfiction, there is no publisher, no supply and demand, no constraints on topics or what would be palatable for a mass audience. There is no demand for profit, there is no need to create for any reason other than because you love the source material. But when we start selling it to publishers, when we start making it a commodity, it will end up becoming one.