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When discussing fanfiction, topics about its validity as literature and its wider appeal are common; however, it is important to also discuss the role of characters in psychological discourse. Characters in fanfiction provide insight into how we process the world, and while some may see this as trivial, by being placed in extraordinary scenarios, characters provide a framework on how to handle the challenges and issues we have in our day-to-day lives and serve as examples and warnings on how to live and communicate.
What Is Fanfiction?
Fanfiction is writing based on already existing media such as books, television shows, and games. (( Wikipedia Contributors. 2023, August 20. Fan fiction. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation. )) As the name suggests, fanfiction are works created by fans typically using ideas and characters from the pre-existing media and altering it in some way; whether continuing the narrative or answering “what-ifs,” they expand upon the original media and make it their own.
They not only provide entertainment but can provide a deeper and more in-depth look at characters and the world the narrative never had the opportunity to explore and can be a method of unwinding after a long day. They are transformative works, works that add to or change the original media and are our love letters to the creators.
What Is Psychological Discourse?
The way we use language defines the world around us. When looking at psychology there are many methods of analysis, but one relevant to fanfiction is discursive psychology. Discursive Psychology states that:
“the language methods we use provide insight into the world around us, beyond the individual person and forming the framework for further analysis.”
(( McMullen, Linda M. “Essentials of Discursive Psychology (Essentials of Qualitative Methods).” Essay. In Essentials of Discursive Psychology. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, 2021. ))
By looking at this method of discourse in conjunction with fanfiction, it enlightens us into how a society operates, and in turn, we can apply it to the individual. Thus, creating a form of fandom that is individualized.
How Does Fanfiction Serve As Discourse?
Fanfiction by its very nature being based upon existing media, takes the original piece of media and expands upon it; as pieces of written media, fanfiction takes away the visuals and focuses on language and its use. Beyond its use as discursive psychology, another psychological concept often shown in fanfictions is the concept of resilience. (( Palmiter, David. et al. “Building Your Resilience.” American Psychological Association. Accessed June 18, 2023. ))
When authors place a character in a new environment, they test the character’s capacity for getting through tough and stressful situations aka resilience. They show us as the reader how the character bounces back to a healthier state, reforming connections, wellness, purposes, and having healthy thoughts.
When they rebuild who they are, we see them in a new perspective as they re-establish their community and themselves. By placing characters we know into a new world, the way they think and speak shows us how different words operate but share similar values. This makes these seemingly infallible characters go through what we do every day, showing that we are not alone. These issues on handling stress and new situations are universal, and something we can grow and learn to better manage.
One fanfiction genre we especially see this in is the “cross-over,” when two or more pieces of media interact with each other. One fascinating combination of fandoms has been Supernatural (2005-2020), Doctor Who (2005-), and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, particularly The Avengers (dir. Feige, Kevin; 2012). All of these shared a large common audience with the shared ideas of a world just beyond our own. A world the common person does not and is not supposed to see but was just beyond their sight.
Maybe if we looked a bit closer or were there at the right time, we would discover the secrets it held. Another through-line of this media was the idea of seeing “humanity” in things beyond people as we know it, and the interactions amongst people and families both blood and found. When placing any character in an unknown world, they rely on the lessons they’ve learned from the first friends and family they’ve made, and we see how the new choices they make lead to different outcomes.
How Do Characters (Re)build Resilience?
Breaking down the idea of resilience, it has a few facets to it. The first one being your connections. Your connections form who you are. They are the backbone of living a happy life and assist us in comfort, self-worth, and learning about ourselves. A big appeal of fanfiction is the interaction between characters and the mix of personalities, and with that, the wider spectrum of a character is revealed.
By developing the main cast and having them interact with one another, we also develop our perception of the protagonists as it relates to their friends, family, and enemies. In the original media, we only see how the bonds between the main cast formed, and we had the expectation they would get along in some way. However, in fanfiction that is not always a guarantee. The characters go through stages of apprehension and distaste until they separate or bond together. We see sassy characters get “outsassed” and happy characters show a darker side to their personality when pushed or questioned.
By seeing these characters and how they, despite these shortcomings, form at minimum a truce and at most a memorable friendship, we learn more about how they handle stress and cope with feelings of loneliness. We see the “outer layer” of their personality make way for who we imagine the character to be. Overall, we see how forming bonds helps them get through the situation they were placed in despite how strange it might be.
The character who wasn’t displaced can take on the role of a guardian or teacher as they must look at their world from an outsider’s perspective, revealing the eccentricities and charm they may have lost to normalcy. Looking at someone like Tony Stark from Marvel, while he can be quite charming, he is a rough personality. Growing up in a neglectful household with his father constantly working, he used humor, sarcasm, and alcohol to process his emotions and situation.
He is an inventor, philanthropist, and womanizer; his teasing and confident language denotes how invasive the people around him are to him. He grew up in the upper class of New Yorkers, a society where people saw your value in your money and what you could do for them. There is a formality to the way others of this society speak, but Tony demonstrates he is an outcast by using the vernacular instead. We see how he has very few people he can be honest around, being humbled by his assistant Pepper Potts and teased right back by James “Rhodey” Rhodes.
Through these connections, we see Tony drop these defensive tactics and reveal someone who, while flawed, loves and wants love in return. He has issues and trauma as many of us do; he is beyond difficult to deal with, but not only does he find people who are willing to work with him, he finds friends. He learns and improves and while he still does offend and thrives off sarcasm, it is no longer exclusively used to hide his pain. During the process, he finds a purpose and wellness, and the next step to discover his resilience.
How Do Characters Find Purpose And Wellness?
The other parts of resilience are introspective. How do we discover purpose and wellness? Purpose can best be found when we are well. When we no longer must focus on surviving, we can thrive and look beyond the present. Once we establish connections with those around us and have people we can trust, we can investigate our goals and what we can achieve.
When we have people who care about us, it becomes easier to care about ourselves. can best be found when we are well. When we no longer must focus on surviving we can thrive and look beyond the present. Once we establish a relationship with those around us and have people we can trust, we can look into our goals and what we can achieve. When we have people who care about us, it becomes easier to care about ourselves.
Gabriel from Supernatural uses a lot of the same coping mechanisms as Tony. In addition, he ran away and separated himself from his siblings. Gabriel speaks with confidence and a harsh tone that shows how in this world, it’s fight or flight. “God,” who the series refers to as Chuck, suddenly left the angels after trapping one of their siblings in Hell, the humans roaming the Earth being his newest creation.
The angels tried many things to get Chuck’s attention, but nothing worked. They devolved to fighting amongst themselves along with fighting hell. They tried to follow what was in their mind the “purpose” assigned to them. Only when separated from this world could Gabriel heal and realize that he still wanted to help humanity and his siblings. He no longer wanted to run.
The Last Archangel (( Works, Organization for Transformative. “Archive of Our Own Beta.” Archive of Our Own, July 19, 2013. )) by inukagome15 is a crossover fanfiction of Supernatural and The Avengers (dir. Feige, Kevin; 2012). Picking up after Gabriel dies in Supernatural, in this fanfiction, he then gets sent into the Marvel universe, taking up residence in the body of Tony Stark. Gabriel, an Archangel, has to adapt and learn what it is to be human. Looking beyond their speech patterns and respective societies, both characters value family.
At their cores, they hurt because they feel and value connection so deeply. After being changed and separated from what he knew, Gabriel reestablishes his family in the form of the Avengers while working together to save the earth. He discovers his free will and learns that the angels fighting each other is not what was meant to be. No parent wants their children to fight amongst themselves, and via the Avengers, Gabriel, and Tony both learn how to love and forgive. When Gabriel goes back into the world of Supernatural, the people he knew are shocked to see how he’s changed.
While he’s snarky and confident, he makes sure to show them that he loves them. He does not make the same mistakes of allowing them to fight amongst themselves or running, having his goal and accomplishing it. Gabriel saves Lucifer and ensures they are reborn into different circumstances so they can show the goodness that was inside them.
Why Fanfiction Is Beneficial And How It Connects To Who We Are
Characters in fanfiction are changed, yet they still hold the core values of their original iterations. Through language, fanfiction enlightens us about different aspects of the original media we don’t otherwise see. They take these characters and, purely through words, give us a look into their psyche and the problems of their worlds.
We see how they rely on their initial, less curated, mechanisms for dealing with others and interacting with the world and grow to develop their resilience. Through their work, fanfiction authors teach us that no matter the circumstances, purpose, and hope can be built and found.