Alright, given that I accidentally started this domino effect rolling with
Boundless Curiosity (even though it's definitely not the first of its kind, I'll stress), I think I'll probably state my two cents on the "fic set in another fic" idea.
Typically, this idea works best as a supplement to an idea/fic with a lot of world-building potential behind it that can subsist an offshoot spin-off (so as of now it'll mostly be Rhombus'
Hunters verse, Sovereign's
Separate Ways, TLD's
The Swimmer Trials, Ducky's
Shorty's Dark Past, probably most of Dave's work as well as a couple of profound one-shots with strong themes and ideas), with two common categories I can think of:
1) Bridge the parent fic's canon while remaining canon-compliant to the original author's work (ie. missing scene, thoughts behind minor character, expanding a scene, different POV, minor what-if scenario)
2) Expand on the parent fic's idea (ie. major what-if scenario which changes the entire course of the parent fic, a straight-up fanmade sequel to the original work, or opting to merely borrowing the crux of the core concept - ie. the many LBT human self-insert stories), basically following an AU set in the parent fic's verse which need not necessarily be canon-compliant to the parent work.
Now, I'll personally recommend going for the first, and I'm going to elaborate why. If you're going to write something in the latter category, I would advise caution as it is very easy to fall into the trap of losing the tone and/or charm of the original story you're drawing inspiration from. To put this in perspective, from what I read in
The Eighth Hunter, that fic would fall in the latter category and it slowly but surely gains an identity of its own, one which might not identify with readers of Rhombus' original work. With stories of this style, you'll run the risk of not capturing the audience who loved the original so much for what it is and what it stands for.
On the other hand, with fics-of-fics (heh) in the first category, you're capturing the tone and general ambiance of the original story, and you'll likely enrapture the original author of the work as well. Say if I were to write a fic elaborating on Sparkle's backstory and/or day-to-day life as an offshoot to
Secret Love, not only will it please original author
@DiddyKF1 compared to if I were to write a far-off sequel which may not even fit the tone of the original romance fic, but there's definitely an audience who have read that fic that has this nagging thought in their mind, and by fulfilling that you will satisfy their hunger for by creating a response to a question that they didn't even know they wanted the answer for. With
Boundless Curiosity, I decided to focus on the successor leaf-eater gang since I really liked them and felt they had more to them when reading Songs, and lo and behold it turned out I wasn't alone in that regard (which was something I didn't even know or consider when drafting the idea).
So I'd recommend going for an idea along the lines of the former/first category. But that's just my tip from observing many, many fics trying to use other fics as a base. You don't have to listen to my rambling, it's just an observation.
I completely second that idea. It would be a great experience for sure to explore another author's universe with a story of our own, albeit the major problems it could bring is namely that it lives up to the premise of the original concept.
This is definitely a caveat! If you're going to base your work off another's, there will be definitely comparisons made, so my advice is not to compete with the original author, but to compliment their style. Be mindful especially if you're using their OCs... treat their character the way like your own and don't have them go OOC, with exceptions you should make sure that they'd act almost identical to how they would in the original story, and remember to try and stick to the general tone and style of whichever fic you're borrowing from.
Fics based on specific AUs are common in other way larger fandoms and have been successful, so I will definitely be pleased if people are interested in expanding other author's ideas! It's all about perspective - you might see potential in something that your favorite author has seemingly glossed over, so why not self-indulge yourself? It's why we write fanfics to begin with.
