Animals in Fanworks
| Tropes and genres | |
|---|---|
| Related tropes/genres | Animal Transformation, Werewolf, Kemonomimi, Knotting, Bestiality |
| See also | Alpine, Cats, Penguinfic, Lolcat in Fandom, Unicorn, Dragon |
| Related articles on Fanlore. | |
For the fandom focusing on anthropomorphic animals see Furry.
Animals appear in fanworks under a variety of circumstances:
- Animals, usually pets, who are characters in canon
- A human character who is transformed into an animal
- A species, real or fictional, that is mentioned in canon (e.g. a polar bear or sehlat)
- The soul or essence of one or more humans being represented as having the form of an animal, usually as a spirit animal (in The Sentinel, a panther and a wolf), or in fanworks for the His Dark Materials series, in the form of a dæmon
- Animals who do not appear in canon
Popular Animals
Some species are especially popular:
Fantastic Creatures
Some fantasy canons (Harry Potter, Xena, Merlin, The Last Unicorn, etc.) include mythological creatures as major or minor aspects of the story. These creatures can also be inserted into fanworks for non-fantasy canons.
Examples in Fanworks
Fanfiction
- The Animal Files - an archive for animal-centered X-Files stories.
- Fuzzy Duck Smell by Devil Doll, (Stargate Atlantis). McShep story in which Rodney lays eggs and he and John parent the resulting brood (a.k.a. the one with the ass-ducklings).
Fanvids
- Tamacun by Cherryice, an Avatar: The Last Airbender vid about the character Appa, a giant flying bison.
- Icebound Stream by sisabet, a due South vid in which Fraser and Victoria are polar bears, metaphorically.
- Walk the Line by tv_elf, a March of the Penguins vid.
- Every Penguin Dance Now by mranderson, a Happy Feet vid.
- Alone by sisabet, an Arthur/Merlin vid with brief but significant appearances of both a dragon and a unicorn.
Fanart
In media zine art, non-canonical animals were often paired with a character who may or may not have been wearing clothes. See also Teddy Bears for examples of male television characters holding teddy bears.
Naked Quantum Leap character surrounded by large cats, all looking cuddly
Star Trek character fights Cthulhu
Zine art cover of Star Trek characters and the humpback whale from Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
inside art from Stardate: Unknown #5, Kirk and canine pal, artist: Gerry Downes
Canonical dragons: Dragonriders of Pern fanart
Non-canonical dragons: Star Trek fanart
The Sentinel characters with their canonical spirit guides
Kirk and a rodent of unusual size, from Contact Christmas #2, art by Jan Davies
Kirk and an eagle from First Time, art by Caren Parnes
Deanna Troi and a dolphin on the cover of Betazine, artist unknown
Barretta and Fred from Pop Stand Express #4, Sandra Goodall
Cover of the The Model Horse Shower's Journal's edition of May 1976
Recs
Furry
Art depicting anthropomorphized animals is a major aspect of furry fandom. See Category:Furry for examples.
Human Characters with Animal Traits
In certain fandoms, a genre of fanworks that gives otherwise normal humans certain animal traits is fairly common. Kemonomimi (characters with cat ears and usually a tail as well) are popular in anime/manga fandom canon and fanworks. Canine-type knotting and/or Alpha/Beta/Omega fic is popular in certain fandoms, and feline-type barbed penises in others.