Is it still a fan-fic if you use other fictional character in your work?

[Nanosized_Nonsese]

Hello, this will be my first time posting something in this forum.

Recently, I'm quite hooked with anime multiverse kind of stories, something like a group chat, or maybe MC reincarnated into romcom world, or having a system where you can draw manga. Yeah, mostly it was akikan40's works. And I'm inspired to write something similar with what he did.
But here's the thing:
1. I'm using already established fictional character from another works.
2. The MC has a system that kinda summoned those characters into the world.
3. The world is not related with any other work. I, the author himself, purely world-builded it from scratch.
4. And the plot is not in any way, following or mentioning the story of the character MC has summoned.

So, my question is ..., the same thing as the title of this thread. Is it still a fanfic if you use other fictional character in your work and only that? There's no dimensional travelling, anime-multiverse visiting, or the likes. There's no Megumi Kato as your neighbor or Hiratsuka Shizuka as your aunt. It's just summoning those characters from another works into MC's world.

 

[lnv]

I'll let the dictionary solve this one:

fan fiction
"stories involving popular fictional characters that are written by fans and often posted on the Internet"

Definition of FAN FICTION

stories involving popular fictional characters that are written by fans and often posted on the Internet —called also fanfic… See the full definition

www.merriam-webster.com

So to answer your question, yes it would be a fanfiction.

Now if your story had characters that were loosely based on them but not actually them, then no.

 

[Cipiteca396]

3. The world is not related with any other work. I, the author himself, purely world-builded it from scratch.
4. And the plot is not in any way, following or mentioning the story of the character MC has summoned.

If you've done this much, what's stopping you from making the characters up as well? It's just a tiny bit more effort, and you'll have something that's entirely original. You've come this far, right?

Otherwise, yes, it's still fanfic since you're using someone else's characters.

 

[Ddraig]

Well it will either be a reference, blatant copying, fanfiction or a crossover depending on stuff.

 

[Anon_Y_Mousse]

At this point, can't you just make the characters a reference to the source material instead of ripping it off? Basically do what History's Number 1 Founder did.

 

[Olga_Haus]

“Not necessarily” is the answer to the question in the thread title.

There are plenty of works, from Alan Moore’s ‘League of Extraordinary Gentlemen’ comics to Coetzee’s novel ‘Foe’ that use characters from other sources but that nobody would, in good faith, call ‘fanfic.’

Parody, allusion, reference and pastiche are all older literary concepts than our modern understanding of fanfic, and you’ll notice straight away that the dictionary definition above isn’t prescriptive because That’s Not How Dictionaries Work.

(My novel’s got a character who’s a reference to TS Eliot’s The Waste Land and a scene in which a parody of the Daleks appear. I don’t think anyone could in good faith suggest my novel was fanfic of The Waste Land or the Daleks)

But the answer to the question “Is the concept described in the first post fanfic?” then the answer would be “Yes, and that’s fine. It sounds cool.”

 

[Carpio]

Hello, this will be my first time posting something in this forum.

Recently, I'm quite hooked with anime multiverse kind of stories, something like a group chat, or maybe MC reincarnated into romcom world, or having a system where you can draw manga. Yeah, mostly it was akikan40's works. And I'm inspired to write something similar with what he did.
But here's the thing:
1. I'm using already established fictional character from another works.
2. The MC has a system that kinda summoned those characters into the world.
3. The world is not related with any other work. I, the author himself, purely world-builded it from scratch.
4. And the plot is not in any way, following or mentioning the story of the character MC has summoned.

So, my question is ..., the same thing as the title of this thread. Is it still a fanfic if you use other fictional character in your work and only that? There's no dimensional travelling, anime-multiverse visiting, or the likes. There's no Megumi Kato as your neighbor or Hiratsuka Shizuka as your aunt. It's just summoning those characters from another works into MC's world.

I would advise making it not a fanfic, honestly make it a cool new isekai. I did a thread on this but the majority of folks dislike fanfiction or are neutral, so I feel like adding the fanfic genre to the story may hinder its chance, and I'm sure you could write a very good one. But if you do want to take that fanfic route, I would recommend adding an actual conflict that threatens the characters, as people also seem to dislike the Gary Stu and Mary Sue that often appear in these stories. Make a well-defined antagonist, even if they are weak and constantly lose, as honestly, the majority of the story is dependant on that.

 

[CubicleHermit]

There are plenty of works, from Alan Moore’s ‘League of Extraordinary Gentlemen’ comics to Coetzee’s novel ‘Foe’ that use characters from other sources but that nobody would, in good faith, call ‘fanfic.’

Weren't all the classic character re-used in LXG already out of copyright?

One distinction between fanfic, and just writing a sequel/spinoff/alternate version is that you need permission for the latter when the characters original works are still in copyright (or, more rarely, if they aren't but someone has active trademark rights to them.) Whereas once things are out of copyright, you can reuse the original however you want.

There are a few fair-use exceptions like parody. And it gets a little more complicated for writers who were active in the 1920s or where there are really high profile adaptations.

 

[Ellen_Dunkel]

Hello, this will be my first time posting something in this forum.

Recently, I'm quite hooked with anime multiverse kind of stories, something like a group chat, or maybe MC reincarnated into romcom world, or having a system where you can draw manga. Yeah, mostly it was akikan40's works. And I'm inspired to write something similar with what he did.
But here's the thing:
1. I'm using already established fictional character from another works.
2. The MC has a system that kinda summoned those characters into the world.
3. The world is not related with any other work. I, the author himself, purely world-builded it from scratch.
4. And the plot is not in any way, following or mentioning the story of the character MC has summoned.

So, my question is ..., the same thing as the title of this thread. Is it still a fanfic if you use other fictional character in your work and only that? There's no dimensional travelling, anime-multiverse visiting, or the likes. There's no Megumi Kato as your neighbor or Hiratsuka Shizuka as your aunt. It's just summoning those characters from another works into MC's world.

It's definitely fanfic. I think the specific term is 'crossover au'

 

[Paul_Tromba]

By a technicality, most of the Star Wars books and new movies/shows are commissioned fanfics as they were not created by George Lucas nor had George Lucas personally canonized them. Really, any spin-off that introduces ideas and/or characters that were not already established in the original universe by the creator is fanfic.

 

[T.K._Paradox]

By a technicality, most of the Star Wars books and new movies/shows are commissioned fanfics as they were not created by George Lucas nor had George Lucas personally canonized them. Really, any spin-off that introduces ideas and/or characters that were not already established in the original universe by the creator is fanfic.

Yep, Star Wars sequels never happened.

Those that believe so need to cancel their Disney+ subscription.

 

[SailusGebel]

Yes.

 

[T.K._Paradox]

Yes.

Oui

 

[2021]

Oui

Ci

 

[T.K._Paradox]

Ci

Ja

 

[2021]

Ja

Ja…JAJAJAJAJAJAJAJAJAJAJAJAJAJAJA