Fanadapted

Fanadapted refers to content created by fans that reinterprets or reworks a source work. It encompasses a range of transformative activities, including fanfiction, fan films, fanart, fan subs (translations), fan dubs, music videos, mods, and fan-made games that adapt characters, settings, or narratives from original works. The term is not uniformly standardized; in many contexts the same ideas are described with phrases like “fan-made,” “fan-created,” or “fan adaptation.”

Key characteristics of fanadapted works are their transformative nature and their origins in fan communities rather than the original creators. They are typically distributed through fan-run platforms, social media, and fan archives, and often emphasize exploration of alternate plotlines, character perspectives, or stylistic approaches. While fanadapted projects frequently operate in a non-commercial space, the degree of permissible adaptation varies by jurisdiction and by the policies of rights holders.

Legal and ethical considerations are central to discussions of fanadapted content. Copyright law, fair use or fair dealing, licensing, and platform rules shape what fans may legally create and share. Community norms often encourage attribution, non-commercial use, and non-infringing practices, though these guidelines are not legally binding and attitudes toward fanworks differ among rights holders.

In scholarship and fan communities, “fan adaptation” or “fan adaptation studies” is used to analyze how fans transform source material and participate in participatory culture. The term “fanadapted” thus serves as a descriptive label for fan-originated reimaginings across media.