How to Write a Good Fanfic

2.4 - 3-Rs: The Remix, Responsefic and Recursive Fanfiction

Today I wish to discuss the three R in fanfic, which are the remix, the responsefic and the recursive fanfiction.

What are the three Rs?

Here are the three Rs as defined by Fanlore.

Remix – a remix is a fanwork that is a re-envisioned version of an earlier fanwork
Responsefic – responsefic is a fanwork created in part as a method of conversation, or argumentation, sparked from the creation of someone else's fanwork, or an entire trend of fanwork, or an entire trend of fanwork
Recursive Fanfiction – Recursive fanfiction is fanfiction, where a transformative fanwork is itself treated as the canon for further transformative works (also known as fic of fic)

What is the difference? Is there a difference?

So, in regards to the three Rs there is definitely an overlap between the three that can occur, yet given the debate regarding whether one should receive permission from the original writer is oft debated in fandom.

The difference between a responsefic and a remix, or even a responsefic and a recursive fanfiction is rather straight forward. For something to be a response fic, it must in fact be written with the purpose of responding to something in fandom in a critical manner. If said story is inspired by a trend in fandom, then it's definitely neither a remix or a recursive fanfic. If the story doesn't re-envision another person's story, it's not a remix. If said story doesn't utilize the fic canon for your story, then it's not a recursive fanfic.

As for the difference between remix and recursive, I find myself not trusting the example used regarding what is a recursive fic and what is not a remix, for here are the arguments made regarding Silver Queen's Dreaming of Sunshine (Naruto fanfic) and Shadow Under Water by wafflelate.

- Argument 1: It "has "Dreaming of Sunshine" in its fandom category right along with Naruto," which as I currently look at the story, I see that said story currently only has the first for its fandom category, but when I click on said fandom tag it's clearly redirects to the Naruto fandom tag, just as Minecraft Diaries redirects to Minecraft.

- Arguement 2: "It's tagged 'Alternate Universe – Canon Divergence'" The problem with this argument lies with the fact the original story, if it were to be posted to AO3, would also have the same tag.

There's a third argument, which purports that "the author's one divergence from the canon set out in the recursed fic is to age Shikato's mother up a couple of years off screen so that Shikako was born was born to a pair of 17-year olds instead of a 17-year-old and a 15-year-old," completely forgetting the fact the writer "explores what would have happened if Shikako had been born 8 years earlier, to the same parents" also counts as a divergence.

Not helping argument three is how the lists of techniques and conventions for remixes does in fact list sequel/prequel, albeit while noting that there is debate whether this counts as a remix or not. I argue no, it does not count as a remix unless there is in fact an existing sequel or prequel of the story and one went in with the purpose of re-envisioning the sequel or prequel which in turn could be something as simple as "the writer went this way with their sequel/prequel and I went in a completely different direction".

I also don't think saying "remixes are often written to stand alone — one could read the remix first, then the remixed fanfiction — while recursive fic tends to rely on the recursed fic it's drawing from." for the simple reason it's not as straight forward as that, but I say this as someone whose written fanfic for contests where what I write must be able to stand on it's own. Mind you, this doesn't mean the story in question doesn't "reply on the fandom it's drawing from."