History Main / PeriodFic

!This trope is [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=16704221780.21565300&page=1#1 under discussion]] in the Administrivia/TropeRepairShop.

A Period Fic usually takes the characters of any fandom and places them in a different time period than the setting of the story. It may involve time travel, but most of the time it doesn't.

May or may not include the UsedFuture.

[[JustForFun/IThoughtItMeant Not about]] [[AvertedTrope averting]] NoPeriodsPeriod. Though we'll probably need a trope for that someday. Also not a fanfic about the full stop.

Compare {{Elseworld}} and SettingUpdate, although most of these are Setting ''Down''dates. Contrast ModernAUFic, where characters are placed into a contemporary setting.
----
!!Examples

* ''Scion: The Last Aeromancer'' is a story on Website/FanFictionDotNet which turns ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' into a Western fantasy while keeping the plot mostly intact. However, the author hasn't updated for a very long time, so it's sadly a DeadFic.
* The ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'' fic ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/11014245/chapters/42589514 What if they were all pirates?]]'' is ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin.
** From the same WhatIf series, ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/11014245/chapters/37012431 What if they lived in the Civil Rights Era?]]'' and ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/11014245/chapters/26592918 What if the series was set in modern times?]]''[[note]]The 90s slang and tech levels have made ''Animorphs'' an UnintentionalPeriodPiece to some extent.[[/note]]
* Fanfic/Batman1939 explores Batman's fight to clean up Gotham during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII. While Batman himself ''was'' around in 1939, the fic includes characters and concepts that were not part of the Batman mythos in UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks.
* Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse
** There is a minor genre of ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger'' fanfic where various characters (almost always just one to limit familiar elements for them to latch onto) from the modern day get zapped back in time to the early 1940s, usually either Brooklyn or London, just in time to serve in World War II with Steve, Bucky, and the Howling Commandos. Darcy Lewis and Tony Stark are popular choices, as seen in ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/7202681/chapters/16344506 Bygone]]'' and ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/15005567/chapters/34779971 Time Falls Away]]'', respectively, as well as Clint Barton in ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/6004771/chapters/13791244 The Other Man Out of Time]]'', Natasha Romanoff in ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/4865342/chapters/11151302 Just a Blast From the Past]]'', and a post-Winter Soldier Bucky who has joined the Avengers and swaps places with himself circa-1944 in ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/2660255 to memory now i can't recall]]''. There's even a handful of crossovers that do this, such as [[Manga/FullmetalAlchemist Edward Elric]] (well, [[RuleSixtyThree a genderbent version]]) in ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/7087441/chapters/16109188 I'll Catch a Break Someday]]'', and even [[Franchise/HarryPotter Hermione Granger]] in ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/16559939/chapters/38800091 Three of Fate]]''. Bonus points if there's a sequel where the timeshifted character gets back to the present to see Steve get defrosted, and the aftermath of Steve seeing his friend (or lover) in the future not a day older since 1945.
** ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/1513238/chapters/3197942 The Guilded Age]]'' is a retelling of ''Film/TheAvengers2012''... if it was set during the late Victorian era. It's notable among other historical [=AUs=] in MCU fic for adapting a storyline that necessitates superpowers and everyone's ability sets rather than simply a no-powers AU romance or character drama. Captain America is a defrosted [[WoodenShipsAndIronMen Napoleonic-era naval hero]], Iron Man has a {{Steampunk}} look, and the Hulk still managed to be a thing, albeit without the help of gamma rays.
* The Website/AlternateHistoryDotCom fic ''[[https://www.alternatehistory.com/forum/threads/209961 Superman 1842: Spirit Made Flesh]]''[[note]]You need an account to read it[[/note]] transplants the DC heroes into the 19th century. Kal-El lands in the Great Plains, and is adopted by a Native American tribe (and turns out to be a massive help in resisting settlers and the US government). Bruce Wayne is a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Métis Métis]] boy, son of Thomas Wayne, a wealthy fur trader. Aquaman is adopted from a freak show...by a slaveowning Southern planter. Meanwhile, Lex Luthor grows up as an Irish-American orphan in New York City, whose friend becomes ComicBook/TheFlash. At present, none of them have met each other yet (though Aquaman did meet ComicBook/{{Vixen}}, and fought her over the ethics of slavery). Sadly, as the fic appears to be abandoned, they likely never will.
* The ''Series/DoctorWho'' fanfic collection ''[[http://www.whofic.com/series.php?seriesid=2676 Really Stretching UNIT Dating]]'' has stories placing the Brigadier and UNIT in the 1790s, 1920s, 2020s, Ancient Greece and 12th century.
* ''Series/HoratioHornblower'' takes place in the Age of Sail era, and the TV adaptation is specifically set in the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/16501658/chapters/38649710 Half Jack]]'' is an AU fic from UsefulNotes/WorldWarI. It starts in 1915, roughly alongside the Battle of Loos and after Dogger Bank. Horatio and Archie are Sub-Lieutenants instead of midshipmen.
* In universe, TabletopGame/TwilightSparklesSecretShipficFolder has "Hearthswarming: A Detailed Account".
* ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6102321/1/NGE_A_Century_Apart NGE: A Century Apart]]'' asks the question, "What would happen if ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' took place 100 years earlier than it did in canon?"
* ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2531597/1/Golden_Day Golden Day]]'' by Gondolier moves the plot of ''Literature/ThePhantomOfTheOpera'' to Hollywood in the Roaring Twenties -- with good period research, no less.
* ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/67364/1/Rendezvous_with_Fate_An_Alternate_Universe_Fanfic Rendezvous With Fate]]'' by [=iCe=] relocates ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'' to feudal Japan, and casts Akane as the time-traveling widow of Ryouga, who has accidentally come back in time and possessed the body of Ranma's estranged wife, Kodachi.
* ''[[http://web.archive.org/web/19991006034910/http://solo.abac.com/moonromance/o/matmon.htm Matrose Mond]]'' by David H. Olivier sets the action of ''Anime/SailorMoon'' in UsefulNotes/NaziGermany.
* ''[[http://princesspandaart.deviantart.com/art/Blood-of-Beauty-Prolouge-648402186 Blood of Beauty]]'' takes ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'' into 1880s American, turns several characters into vampires, and dabs in ParanormalRomance.
* There was once a sudden explosion of Cartman/Kyle ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' fics set in UsefulNotes/NaziGermany, with Kyle in a concentration camp, hiding in Stan's family's attic, or otherwise persecuted, and Cartman as a sadistic Hitler Youth.
* ''Fanfic/TheRodSquad'' is basically ''WesternAnimation/ChipNDaleRescueRangers'', but ten years earlier, in [[TheSeventies 1979]]. Chip wears a tie that's as wide as a surfboard ([[CostumeExaggeration and he uses it as a surfboard]]), Dale has an afro, and Gadget wears bell-bottoms and platform shoes. Together, they have to face a lot of "HASSLES" and "RIP-OFFS" on their assignment by baseball manager Charles O. Finley to prevent a Disco Demolition Night.

----

Compare {{Elseworld}} and SettingUpdate, although most of these are Setting ''Down''dates.

A PeriodFic usually takes the characters of any fandom and places them in a different time period than the setting of the story. It may involve time travel, but most of the time it doesn't.

* ''Fanfic/TheRodSquad'' is basically ''WesternAnimation/ChipNDaleRescueRangers'', but ten years earlier, in [[TheSeventies 1979]]. Chip wears a tie that's as wide as a surfboard ([[CostumeExaggeration and he uses it as a surfboard]]), Dale has a FunnyAfro, and Gadget wears bell-bottoms and platform shoes. Together, they have to face a lot of "HASSLES" and "RIP-OFFS" on their assignment by baseball manager Charles O. Finley to prevent a Disco Demolition Night.

** There is a minor genre of ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger'' fanfic where various characters (almost always just one to limit familiar elements) from the modern day get zapped back in time to the early 1940s, usually either Brooklyn or London, just in time to serve in World War II with Steve, Bucky, and the Howling Commandos. Darcy Lewis and Tony Stark are popular choices, as seen in ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/7202681/chapters/16344506 Bygone]]'' and ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/15005567/chapters/34779971 Time Falls Away]]'', respectively, as well as Clint Barton in ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/6004771/chapters/13791244 The Other Man Out of Time]]'', Natasha Romanoff in ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/4865342/chapters/11151302 Just a Blast From the Past]]'', and a post-Winter Soldier Bucky who has joined the Avengers and swaps places with himself circa-1944 in ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/2660255 to memory now i can't recall]]''. There's even a handful of crossovers that do this, such as [[Manga/FullmetalAlchemist Edward Elric]] (well, [[RuleSixtyThree a genderbent version]]) in ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/7087441/chapters/16109188 I'll Catch a Break Someday]]'', and even [[Franchise/HarryPotter Hermione Granger]] in ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/16559939/chapters/38800091 Three of Fate]]''. Bonus points if there's a sequel where the timeshifted character gets back to the present to see Steve get defrosted, and the aftermath of Steve seeing his friend (or lover) in the future not a day older since 1945.

** ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/1513238/chapters/3197942 The Guilded Age]]'' is a retelling of ''Film/TheAvengers2012''... if it was set during the late Victorian era. It's notable among other historical [=AUs=] in MCU fic for adapting a storyline that necessitates superpowers and everyone's ability sets rather than simply a no-powers AU romance or character drama. Captain America is a defrosted Napoleonic-era naval hero, Iron Man has a {{Steampunk}} look, and the Hulk still managed to be a thing, albeit without the help of gamma rays.

** ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/1513238/chapters/3197942 The Guilded Age]]'' is a retelling of ''Film/TheAvengers2012''... if it was set during the late Victorian era. It's notable among other historical [=AUs=] in MCU fic for adapting a storyline that necessitates superpowers and everyone's ability sets rather than a no-powers AU, just adjusted to the time period. Captain America is a defrosted Napoleonic-era naval hero, Iron Man has a {{Steampunk}} look, and the Hulk still managed to be a thing, albeit without the help of gamma rays.

** ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/1513238/chapters/3197942 The Guilded Age]]'' is a retelling of ''Film/TheAvengers''... if it was set during the late Victorian era. It's notable among other historical [=AUs=] in MCU fic for adapting a storyline that necessitates superpowers and everyone's ability sets rather than a no-powers AU, just adjusted to the time period. Captain America is a defrosted Napoleonic-era naval hero, Iron Man has a {{Steampunk}} look, and the Hulk still managed to be a thing, albeit without the help of gamma rays.

** There is a minor genre of ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger'' fanfic where various characters (almost always just one to limit familiar elements) from the modern day get zapped back in time to the early 1940s, usually either Brooklyn or London, just in time to serve in World War II with Steve, Bucky, and the Howling Commandos. Darcy Lewis and Tony Stark are popular choices, as seen in ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/7202681/chapters/16344506 Bygone]]'' and ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/15005567/chapters/34779971 Time Falls Away]]'', respectively, as well as Clint Barton in ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/6004771/chapters/13791244 The Other Man Out of Time]]'', Natasha Romanoff in ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/4865342/chapters/11151302 Just a Blast From the Past]]'', and a post-Winter Soldier Bucky who has joined the Avengers and swaps places with himself circa-1944 in ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/2660255 to memory now i can't recall]]''. There's even a handful of crossovers that do this, such as [[Manga/FullmetalAlchemist Edward Elric]] (well, [[RuleSixtyThree a genderbent version]]) in ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/7087441/chapters/16109188 I'll Catch a Break Someday]]'', and even [[Franchise/HarryPotter Hermione Granger]] in ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/16559939/chapters/38800091 Three of Fate]]''.

** There is a minor genre of ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger'' fanfic where various characters (almost always just one to limit familiar elements) from the modern day get zapped back in time to the early 1940s, usually either Brooklyn or London, just in time to serve in World War II with Steve, Bucky, and the Howling Commandos. Darcy Lewis and Tony Stark are popular choices, as seen in ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/7202681/chapters/16344506 Bygone]]'' and ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/15005567/chapters/34779971 Time Falls Away]]'', respectively, as well as Clint Barton in ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/6004771/chapters/13791244 The Other Man Out of Time]]'', Natasha Romanoff in ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/4865342/chapters/11151302 Just a Blast From the Past]]'', and a post-Winter Soldier Bucky who has joined the Avengers and swaps places with himself circa-1944 in ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/2660255 to memory now i can't recall]]''. There's even a handful of crossovers that do this, such as [[Manga/FullmetalAlchemist Edward Elric]] (well, [[RuleSixtyThree a genderbent version]]) in ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/7087441/chapters/16109188 I'll Catch a Break Someday]]'', and even [[Franchise/HarryPotter Hermione Granger]] in ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/16559939/chapters/38800091 Three of Fate]]''

** There is a minor genre of ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger'' fanfic where various characters (almost always just one) from the modern day get zapped back in time to the early 1940s, usually either Brooklyn or London, just in time to serve in World War II with Steve, Bucky, and the Howling Commandos. Darcy Lewis and Tony Stark are popular choices, as seen in ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/7202681/chapters/16344506 Bygone]]'' and ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/15005567/chapters/34779971 Time Falls Away]]'', respectively, as well as Clint Barton in ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/6004771/chapters/13791244 The Other Man Out of Time]]'', Natasha Romanoff in ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/4865342/chapters/11151302 Just a Blast From the Past]]'', and a post-Winter Soldier Bucky who has joined the Avengers who swaps places with himself circa-1944 in ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/2660255 to memory now i can't recall]]''. There's even a handful of crossovers that do this, such as [[Manga/FullmetalAlchemist Edward Elric]] (well, [[RuleSixtyThree a genderbent version]]) in ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/7087441/chapters/16109188 I'll Catch a Break Someday]]'', and even [[Franchise/HarryPotter Hermione Granger]] in ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/16559939/chapters/38800091 Three of Fate]]''