What is fanfic?

Fanfiction is fictional work based on existing characters and settings. It’s written by fans in an amateur capacity and is posted episodically like a modern-day Dickens serial—or as a one-shot—to sites like Fanfiction.net, Wattpad, or Archive of Our Own. 

Inspiration could be a popular book series or tv show, anime, video game – the possibilities are as endless and unhinged as the human imagination. Which is to say: very. 

In the first episode of Disney+'s new television show Percy Jackson and The Olympians, Sally Jackson imparts to our titular hero, “Not everyone who looks like a hero is a hero, and not everyone who looks like a monster is a monster.” I had already been anticipating this adaptation for months, but that was the moment I knew I was going to love it. Neither the scene where Sally takes Percy to see his namesake’s statue at The Met nor that thematically on-point quote are in books, but (and I will fight Rick Riordan on this) both feel like they should have been. And that’s exactly what a good adaptation should do.

It’s impossible to miss Y2K’s fingerprints all over pop culture right now – even The Associated Press has deemed it relevant and widespread enough to report on.

Crop tops, wide-leg jeans, glittery eye makeup, claw clips, and flip phones are all the rage. Britney Spears is as beloved as ever, with her latest book selling over 1 million copies in its first week. Shania Twain is on tour. Walmart has gone viral for a Mean Girls-inspired ad. Survivor is 45 seasons in with a cult following of all ages. It’s enough to feel transported back to 2004.

Whether it stems from escapism, nostalgia, or Y2K really is just that girl, the 2000s resurgence is strong and doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon. That leaves two choices: Cringe or join in on the fun. Here at The FMC, we love a good trend and finding joy wherever we can, so we say, “That’s hot. Lean in.”

Recently, I was asked, “What is the scariest movie you’ve ever seen?” Being a massive horror film fan—living for the thrill of a good scary movie in a darkened room, hoping that I’m unable to guess who the killer is so that I can fully enjoy the final act of the movie and their reveal—it was hard for me to think up a film that really scared me. Hulu’s No One Will Save You was probably the closest I’ve been to “on the edge of my seat” in the longest time, but it was a fun watch overall and left me with many thoughts and comparisons to Buffy The Vampire Slayer’s episode “Hush” (also pretty disturbing). So I wracked my brain: “What is the scariest thing I’ve ever seen?”

It hit me that the most truthful answer is probably Poltergeist, but only because I watched it when I was in 6th grade. I also have an irrational fear of clowns (which I thought I was free of when sitting down to watch the horror classic, but I guess you’re never really safe from clowns, are you?). I had to sleep in my mom’s bed for days after that. But I really wanted to share something I’d watched as an adult. And then I realized that the scariest or most disturbing thing I’d seen in the last decade was probably from The Haunting of Hill House.

Alongside crunchy leaves and pumpkin-flavored everything, autumn brings endless activities, like apple picking, pumpkin carving, hiking, bonfires, hayrides, Halloween decorating—the list goes on. The introverts among us know that the dip in temperature also makes Fall the perfect season to stay in, curl up, and have a movie night (or several) as the nights get longer.

It is no secret to those who know how much I love the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But, I can catch those of you that don’t up with the following sentence: I once took part in a three-day franchise marathon hosted by the El Capitan Theatre so that I could watch Avenger’s Endgame a few hours before everyone else. It’s that intense of a relationship. Yet, my appreciation for all superheroes is rooted in an undying love for one in particular.