Fan Fiction

Fan Fiction

 

Fan-fiction lives in that world of “character appropriation,” where the fans believe they know better than the creatives what’s best for the characters they adore.

It can be lighthearted and fun. Or downright creepy. I’ve seen more than a few examples of both. Don’t even get me started about Rule 34.

Pretzel Problems
I’m not quite sure where this piece fits in. It qualifies as fan-fiction, but it’s based on material from another source. There was an attraction at Epcot in Walt Disney World from 2009-2012 called Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure. You would go to various countries as a member of Team Possible and help her sidekick Wade solve mysteries and catch bad guys. It used Bluetooth interactive activities so the phone would trigger displays or animations.

The story sprang out of an entry blog entry from one of my Disney blogs. I was describing playing the game, then started a little free prose experience, playing with the idea of taking one of the adventures and writing it from a first-person point of view. The more I wrote, the more I got interested. What if you were more than just a kid in a theme park with a flip phone in your hand, but instead an agent living the adventure for real? I did some research on the show, added in some other action-adventure tropes, and added a few comedic touches. 9,000 words later, the adventure around the Germany pavilion turned into Pretzel Problems.

Who knew snack foods could be so dangerous? Well, besides my dietician…