History Main / FanficFuel

* ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKing'' has a lot of this.

May lead to {{Continuation}} or FanSequel. See CanonFodder, a subtrope where these scenarios actually get addressed in the work, or the creators at least imply that they intend(ed) to tell these stories themselves at a later point. See also FandomSpecificPlot, where specific fanfic scenarios become popular among fanfic writers.

*** How Wash and Zoe fell in love.

*** What Book did before he was a shepherd.
*** Heck, let's just say everyone's backstory.

*** And probably the biggest one post-''{{Film/Serenity}}'': Where does the ship go next after Miranda?

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Minions}}'': The prologue shows just a few examples of who Minions served in the past. What other historical figures did they serve as well?

* The Aincrad story arc of ''LightNovel/SwordArtOnline'' focuses almost exclusively on Kirito and his unintentionally-gathered [[BattleHarem harem]] of [[GamerChick female players]]. But even including all of the side characters from that arc, they are only perhaps 20 out of the ''ten thousand'' unnamed, off-screen players who were trapped in Sword Art Online for two years. Nearly all of whom were gamers. The [[SturgeonsLaw sheer volume]] of [[SelfInsertFic self-insert]] and [[OriginalCharacter OC]] [[FanFic fanfic]] rivals many longer-running series.

* ''{{Franchise}}/SuperMarioBros'': If Princess Peach isn't Bowser Jr.'s mother, then who is?

** The show in general raises some questions about the nature of ghosts and the Ghost Zone that are never given answers (or [[FanDislikedExplaination ones are unsatisfying]]), leading to fans [[EpilepticTrees come up with their own creative answers for]].

** Thanks to its untimely end, along with [[WhatCouldHaveBeen the original writer, Steve Marmel's plans]] rejected for [[SeasonalRot the third season that did happen]], many things are prime targets for Fanfic Fuel. Two particular favorites are [[FutureMeScaresMe Dark Danny]]'s return, which the show promised but never actually included, and [[OppositeSexClone Danielle "Dani" Phantom]] being introduced to Danny's family, resulting in her being adopted.
** Fans also often wonder what, exactly, happened when Danny first gained his powers, and in the month after that, since the show more or less skips over those things -- the [[FreakLabAccident accident]] in which he got his powers is only shown in the ExpositoryThemeTune and in the episode "Memory Blank" (and in that episode, we only see a few photos of the event, and the characters ''recreating'' it), and we don't see what happened in that first month at ''all''. The show also raises some questions about the nature of ghosts and the Ghost Zone, which fans like to [[EpilepticTrees come up with creative answers for]].

* ''Machinima/RedVsBlue'''s mysterious Project Freelancer has inspired numerous fan fics based on it, the [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman questionable experiments]] it performed off-screen, and its various agents that all existed before the series occurred.

* While any one-shot character from ''Anime/OjamajoDoremi'' has this, [[IllGirl Nozomi]] and [[KidFromTheFuture Fami]] get this the most since they had a lot of potential as characters and several loose ends.

** The main series revolves around a WakeUpGoToSchoolSaveTheWorld plot about a rag-tag group of {{Ordinary High School Student}}s battling the secret alien invasion of Earth by {{puppeteer parasite}}s--but the ''backstory'' to the series involves a full-on {{Space Opera}} about a massive interstellar war between the noble Andalites and the parasitic Yeerks, which has only been briefly glimpsed in a few flashbacks and two {{prequel}} novels. The vast majority of the epic Yeerk-Andalite War has still never been seen, leaving it a wide-open canvas for fanfic writers to play with.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'':

* ''[[VideoGame/ChronoTrigger Chrono]]'' series:

*** Another less common FanficFuel is about what Guile is hiding behind his DominoMask. Why is the Fortune Teller at Termina shocked when he takes it off?

** ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 4}}'' takes place ten years after the events of ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 3}}''. The Eastern Brotherhood of Steel have reverted to a xenophobic and traditionalist ideology, Owyn Lyons has passed away [[spoiler:and so has his daughter Sarah]] and been replaced by [[AscendedExtra Arthur]] [[UsedToBeASweetKid Maxson]], and we have only a few concrete details into the state of the Capital Wasteland except the fact that the Brotherhood have established ''de facto'' rule of the region as feudalistic overlords. This has led to some downright ''juicy'' speculation into events just after the ending of ''3'', the fate or whereabouts of the Lone Wanderer and of other characters, and the current state of affairs in the Capital Wasteland.

** The SequelSeries, ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'', is filled to the brim with potential fanfic hooks. Not only is the show set eight decades after ''[[WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender Avatar]]'', but there are also several smaller [[TimeSkip time skips]] within the show itself, including a whopping 3-year gap between Books Three and Four. Also, ''Korra'''s comparatively faster pace means that a lot of background details that aren't directly relevant to the plot are left open-ended, including [[WorkingWithTheEx the specifics of past relationships]], the exact details of villains' [[MysteriousPast rises to power]], and [[SequelNonEntity even the fates of some of the main characters of The Last Airbender]]. Considering the creators are [[TeasingCreator well aware]] of how their show's fandom operates, this is almost undoubtedly intentional. In fact, in the Book Four commentary, they told people to write fanfic about Mako's relationship with Zuko's granddaughter because they couldn't fit her into the show.

* ''Franchise/{{Ben 10}}'':

*** In "Chameleon", [[spoiler:Marinette's friends and classmates are quick to force her out of her seat with NoSympathy and are quick to believe that she's picking on Lila when she tries to debunk her lies, leaving Mari to nearly get akumatized twice]]. The episode has lead to a large number of fics that involve Marinette getting ostracized from her class and/or getting akumatized, while the class is no longer trusted by her after they realize [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone what they've done]].

*** Not to mention ''Mystery Incorporated'''s many cryptic references to past historical mystery-solving organizations who were compelled to hunt down evildoers under the Evil Entity's influence. There were the Hunters of Secrets (a quartet of Mayan warriors with a pet jaguar), the Fraternitas Mysterium (a quartet of Spanish monks with a pet donkey), the Alianza Misterio (a quartet of masked Mexican outlaws with a pet skunk), the Mystery Gang (an all-female quartet of cowgirls with a pet bull), the Benevolent Lodge of Mystery (a secret society of Victorian inventors with a pet orangutan), and the Mystery Fellowship (an eccentric high-society family of detectives living in a dark mansion that ''sank into the Earth'').

** It's revealed in [[Recap/TheSecretShowS2E12ItsAHamsterWorld "It's a Hamster World"]] that Changed Daily and Lucy Woo were the Victor and Anita of their day back when they were agents. Only their final mission together is depicted, though, which begs the question: what must their other missions have been like? Moreover, what kind of rogues gallery did they have besides Hamster Man?

[[folder:Unspecified Types of Fuel (included, but not limited to)]]
* Many of the "could-have-beens" on the WhatCouldHaveBeen page are prime fanfic fuel. The same goes for the ideas on the WildMassGuessing pages.
** Similarly, many one-shot comics and manga (as well as TV pilots) can be used as plots for fanfiction.
* {{Alternate Continuit|y}}ies[=/=]{{Alternate Timeline}}s can be made when the writer makes their own version of a {{sequel}}[=/=]{{prequel}} in a series or they might even rewrite the original story if they feel the creators [[TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot Wasted a Perfectly Good Plot]].
* Characters [[TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter whose potential is never truly unlocked by the canon writers]] will often be taken up by the fanfic writers instead.
* AndTheAdventureContinues invites possible sequels. Writers may also give specific characters their own [[SpinOff Spin-Offs]] at that.
** When a character seems like a HeroOfAnotherStory, fanfic writers may be tempted to...well, write that story.
* Any work with a TimeSkip that doesn't cover the intervening period in enough detail.
* Crossovers with other works of fiction. For example, if ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' does a crossover with ''Franchise/StarWars'', then it's more likely to see fanfics about ''Pokémon/Star Wars'' crossovers than ''Pokémon''/anything else crossovers, especially if the release date of said crossover is near. Even years after said crossover occurred, it will be likely to see hardcore fans of both franchises write fanfics about one franchise crossing with another. This is especially prevalent in shared universes (like the Marvel and DC comics universes). The more crossovers two franchises have, the more likely it is to see fanfics being written about those two franchises crossing over together. Amusingly, the opposite can also be true: If a lot of fanfics cross one franchise with another that it has never crossed with before canonically, then MAYBE the owners of said franchises will get together to make their franchises cross over, because they know that said crossover will be a huge hit and make them a lot of money.
* Putting two characters in a cave or similar small space together will result in a few hundred fics about them [[{{Lemon}} getting it on]].
* {{POV Sequel}}s: Parallel stories that may take place just prior to, concurrently, or just subsequently of notable canon events or those same events are seen from a different angle by other characters.
* SequelNonEntity characters are practically engraved invitations. ''Something'' must have happened to them to prevent their appearance in the sequel.
* The {{Backstory}} of a character is a good source of this.
* A NoodleIncident is something from the past that is sometimes referred to but never properly explained, with the implication that whatever the truth is, it's far less interesting than anything the audience can imagine. Naturally, any improperly explained incident is just begging for a fic or two dedicated to it.
* Series that end abruptly or unsatisfactorily, as Henry Jenkins cites in ''Literature/TextualPoachersTelevisionFansAndParticipatoryCulture'':
--> ''Series/AlienNation'' ended on a cliff-hanger; Creator/GeorgeLucas completed only one of a promised three ''Franchise/StarWars'' trilogies [[note]] This was obviously written before the prequel trilogy was released and the sequel trilogy was announced; in all fairness, Lucas wasn't sure if he was able to complete them at the time[[/note]]; ''Series/{{Beauty and the Beast|1987}}'' denied fans the resolution of the Vincent-Catherine romance; ''Series/BlakesSeven''[='s=] fourth season concluded the series with the apparent deaths of its major characters.
* Entirely new characters who live in the same fictional universe of a franchise and whose specific relation/association to the original characters may or may not be revealed. They can be complete strangers, new close friends, relatives including ancestors and descendants. In some cases, such as certain epic ''Franchise/StarWars'' fics, the story develops such complexity that few, if any, traces of the original remain.
** Also includes SelfInsertFic with {{Author Avatar}}s when the author desires to put ''him/herself'' in the fictional universe.
[[/folder]]

** As a sequel to ''Chrono Trigger'', ''VideoGame/ChronoCross'' has a {{Wild Mass Guess|ing}} about [[spoiler:the enigmatic masked magician Guile being Magus searching for Schala (the bonus ending of ''Chrono Trigger DS'' implies Guile being an amnesiac Magus, albeit one from a timeline different from that of the Magus seen in the main storyline)]]. This leads to many (though still not very common) novelizations of ''Chrono Cross'' with said {{Wild Mass Guess|ing}}.

** The ShroudedInMyth nature of [[AscendedDemon Sparda]] is easy fanfiction fodder, particularly as each mainline game adds more and more to his backstory and list of feats without actually showing the particular sequence of events. This only expands further if one takes into account statements made by Creator/HidekiKamiya (either through games he's directed or via Twitter), particularly the assertation in ''VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}}'' that Sparda's human bride Eva was an Umbra Witch who entered a contract with him -- presumably marking the beginning of [[InterspeciesRomance their courtship]].

** Also regarding ''Ocarina of Time'' as well as its sequel ''Majora's Mask'', what did the Hero of Time do upon leaving Termina? ''Literature/HyruleHistoria'' confirms that the Hero's Shade, the ghost who is ''Twilight Princess'' Link's ancestor, is the Hero of Time, so many fanfics dealing with this subject tend to feature how he lost his eye and whom he started a family with (the ranch girl Malon being the most common candidate).

* ''VideoGame/Mother3'' leaves most of the details about the TimeSkip after ''VideoGame/{{Earthbound}}'' (''Mother 2'', in Japan) deliberately clouded in mystery and enigma. As such, there are numerous fan works exploring [[spoiler:the catastrophe that completely destroyed the world of ''Earthbound'']], the people of Tazmily's [[spoiler:journey to the Nowhere Islands after their world's destruction]], and [[spoiler:Porky Minch]]'s [[StartOfDarkness descent into complete evil]], not to mention the full story of [[spoiler:the long-vanished race of people who built Osohe Castle]].

** Similar to the Eeveelutions potential is the "Regional Forms" introduced in Generation VII. The idea of wildly different regional variants of earlier Pokémon threw open the floodgates to reimaginations of familiar favorites.

* As Sanzaru Games refuses to continue the franchise, ''VideoGame/SlyCooperThievesInTime'' has gotten quite a lot of {{Fix Fic}}s that [[spoiler:either justifies Penelope's poorly written FaceHeelTurn, or undo the DownerEnding with Bentley and Murray finding Sly in Ancient Egypt and bringing him home, or even having Sly turn up in ''modern day'' Egypt instead]].
* ''VideoGame/SoulSeries'': ''VideoGame/SoulcaliburV'' gets barely over a year in development. [[http://train2game-news.co.uk/2012/03/26/train2game-news-soulcalibur-v-story-mode-one-fourth-of-planned-size-each-character-was-to-have-own-story/ The length of Story Mode is drastically shortened due to time constraints,]] with ''numerous'' plot elements mentioned in official bios prior to the game's release being ignored or glossed over left and right and only a [[NoExportForYou Japanese-only artbook]] attempting to [[AllThereInTheManual fill in the blanks]] of exactly ''what'' happened in [[TimeSkip the seventeen-year interim between]] ''SCIV'' and this game. (Heck, there aren't even character-specific Arcade endings to help shed light on things.) For a while, fanfic writers were scrambling to answer the various questions that ''SCV'' couldn't bother to... only for ''VideoGame/SoulcaliburVI'' [[AlternateContinuity to come along]] [[{{Revision}} and]] [[ContinuityReboot wipe the slate clean]]. Even then, that [[spoiler:''VI'' [[ArcWelding frames the events of its predecessor]] as a definite BadFuture (despite ''V'' ending with both soul swords disappearing into Astral Chaos) and features [[MyFutureSelfAndMe the original timeline's Cassandra tipping off her current-day incarnation to this development]]]] is rife with possibility.

** The fact that Anne [[spoiler: upon dying at age 91 will become replacement of omnipotent GuardianOfTheMultiverse, basically becoming a god]].

* Since the ''WesternAnimation/{{Beetlejuice}}'' cartoon has an almost completely different premise than the [[Film/{{Beetlejuice}} movie]] did, one of the most common sources of fanfic fuel involves figuring out how the cartoon versions of Beetlejuice and Lydia met and became friends. (There ''is'' a vague back story given in the [[ComicBook/{{Beetlejuice}} comic book adaptation]], but it's unclear whether this is intended to be canon to the show.) The other question fic writers like to try to answer is, in the absence of a proper series finale, what became of the duo's relationship in the future?

* ''WesternAnimation/{{ReBoot}}'' ended with a satisfactory GrandFinale in the third season, although the seeds of [[GreaterScopeVillain a greater evil in play]] were revealed earlier, the Supervirus Daemon having infected the Guardian Collective (who are normally immune to virus infection). The original air date for the Season 3 finale was 1998, and [[VindicatedByHistory good reruns]] on Creator/CartoonNetwork brought about [[UnCancelled a fourth season]] in 2001 to pick up on the Daemon arc. In the interim, fanfic writers had a field day telling a ''Franchise/StarWars''-esque battle to save the net. When the fourth season finally aired, the story was notably [[HypeBacklash not the epic, sprawling battle expected]] but isolated encounters that took up a whole four episodes to tell. And the less said about ''The Guardian Code'', the better.

** ''[[Recap/StarVsTheForcesOfEvilS2E31RunningWithScissors "Running with Scissors"]]'' is a major source of this. Marco spent sixteen years in a YearInsideHourOutside dimension in this episode, so fans naturally explore the possibilities of all the adventures he must have had during that time. It's also popular to build off of the bittersweet mood of the ending, which implied that Marco would have a hard time readjusting to life on Earth, which [[TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot ended up not being the case]].

* ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'' gets quite a lot of this with its large TimeSkip and original [[ScrewedByTheNetwork cancellation-induced]] cliffhanger ending. What did [[spoiler:the Justice League]] do when they were BrainwashedAndCrazy? What happened to [[spoiler:Kid Flash]]? How does [[spoiler:Darkseid]] figure into all of this? That said, the show was UnCanceled, so it could explore these itself.