What is Rule 64? An In-Depth Look at Creative Derivatives in Internet Fandom Culture
Rule 64 is a popular internet meme referring to the endless creative derivatives and “AUs” (alternate universes) that fans produce for existing fictional characters and stories. It states:
If it exists, there‘s an AU of it.
This rule satirizes the boundless imagination found in online fan communities. But it also reveals a genuine truth about derivative works thriving on the internet.
To understand Rule 64, we have to dive deep into the history of internet fandoms and remix culture. This guide will explore:
- The origins and meaning of Rule 64
- Its relationship to other “Rules of the Internet”
- Examples of popular alternate universe genres
- The motivations and psychology behind AU creativity
- How the internet enables existing fandom tendencies
- The intersection with copyright and fair use laws
- An analysis of why humans love to reimagine stories
So whether you’re a fandom veteran or newcomer, read on to learn all about the boundless creativity of Rule 64!
The Origins and History of Rule 64
Before we unpack what Rule 64 means, let‘s look at where it came from.
Rule 64 comes from the “Rules of the Internet” – a list of numbered rules that originated on the anonymous imageboard 4chan in the early 2000s. They satirize online culture by taking real behaviors and exaggerating them into “ironclad rules”.
For example, Rule 34 states:
If it exists, there is porn of it. No exceptions.
This mocks the abundance of porn online by proclaiming all things, no matter how wholesome, will become pornographic.
Rule 63 likewise exaggerates the tendency to gender swap characters:
For every given male character, there is a female version of that character.
Rule 64 first emerged in the mid-2000s as a complement to Rule 34. If Rule 34 says everything has porn, Rule 64 says everything has alternate universe versions made by fans.
Early references to Rule 64 can be found on 4chan threads like this one from 2006. The concept then spread organically to discussion forums and sites like Tumblr and Reddit devoted to fandoms.
By the 2010s, Rule 64 was an established cornerstone of internet fandom culture. It reflected the growing practice of fans creating alternate versions of existing stories and characters.
So in summary, Rule 64:
- Originated on 4chan as satire of internet culture
- Complemented the more famous Rule 34
- Spread to broader fandom culture in the 2000s and 2010s
- Is now widely referenced as an example of internet creativity
Next, let‘s explore what exactly Rule 64 means and its relationship to fan practices.
The Meaning of Rule 64
At its core, Rule 64 suggests that if any piece of media, character or story exists, fans will create “AU” (alternate universe) versions of it.
Some examples of popular alternate universe genres include:
- Historical AUs – Characters placed in different historical time periods
- Genre AUs – Changing the overall genre of the story (horror to comedy, etc)
- Crossover AUs – Combining two different fictional universes into one
- Coffee Shop/College AUs – Placing characters into mundane everyday settings and jobs
- Gender Swap AUs – Switching the gender of characters
- Canonical Divergence – Spinning off branches from the existing story
Essentially any creative derivative is possible. Fans have boundless imagination to reinterpret characters and settings.
Rule 64 is part of a larger series of “Rules of the Internet” that exaggerate real behaviors online:
- Rule 34 – If it exists, there is porn of it.
- Rule 63 – For every male character, there is a female version.
- Rule 42 – Nothing is sacred.
These rules poke fun at the creativity, derivative works, and refusal to treat anything as off limits that emerges from internet culture.
Examples of Popular Alternate Universe Genres
To understand Rule 64, let‘s look at some popular types of alternate universes seen in fandoms:
Historical AU
Historical AUs place existing characters into different historical time periods. This allows fans to keep the characters they love while exploring new settings and historical events.
Some examples include:
- The cast of Harry Potter placed into a 1980s high school AU
- Superman as a hero in medieval times
- Darth Vader as a Wild West outlaw
- Final Fantasy characters in Ancient Egypt
Part of the appeal is seeing how iconic characters might translate into different cultural eras. A historical AU shifts the entire context while (ideally) keeping character personalities intact.
Genre AU
In a genre AU, the overall genre or mood of the story shifts – such as from comedy to horror or romance to mystery.
For example:
- The light-hearted sitcom Friends reimagined as a bleak dystopian thriller
- Batman rewritten as a wacky workplace sitcom
- Harry Potter in a science fiction setting with futuristic technology
This allows creators to experience characters in unusually contrasting genres. Or bring fresh genres into long-running franchises.
Coffee Shop/College AU
In coffee shop or college AUs, characters are placed into casual everyday jobs and settings vastly different than their source material.
Superheroes might work as baristas by day in a coffee shop AU. Murder mystery characters become roommates in a college AU.
The humor and appeal lies in bringing extraordinary characters down to mundane earth. Seeing powerful heroes or villains in casual jobs pokes fun at their over-the-top natures.
Crossover AU
A crossover AU combines two separate fictional worlds into one. Such as imagining Darth Vader entering the Harry Potter universe or Gandalf teaching at Hogwarts.
Crossovers allow fans to imagine dream combinations of characters from different franchises interacting. It sparks debates like whether the Death Star could destroy Hogwarts or how Sherlock Holmes would solve crimes at Marvel‘s SHIELD.
This has only scratched the surface of possible alternate universe ideas. Fans have created AUs limited only by imagination.
Now that we‘ve explored examples, let‘s analyze why fandoms love creating diverse AU content.
The Psychology and Motivations Behind AU Creativity
On a psychological level, what motivates fans to spend time creating alternate universe versions of existing stories?
The Joy of Remixing
Human creativity has always involved remixing and reinterpreting existing ideas. As author Jonathan Lethem wrote in his essay “The Ecstasy of Influence”:
All creative work builds on what came before. Nothing is completely original.
Alternate universes just represent a form of remixing we‘ve done for centuries with folk tales, plays, novels and more. The internet simply enables this remix impulse on a bigger scale.
AUs allow keeping characters you‘re emotionally invested in while exploring new directions. The joy comes from putting a personal spin on a story you love.
Thought Experiments and Subversion
AUs allow creators and fans to essentially conduct “thought experiments” by changing aspects of fictional worlds.
What if Luke joined the dark side – how might the Star Wars story have unfolded? What if Hermione was sorted into Slytherin instead of Gryffindor?
These subversive AUs make us re-examine characters and events from new angles. The best genre fiction acts as a mirror reflecting issues in the real world. AUs magnify this by reframing stories from new vantage points.
Escapism and Comfort
Finally, AUs provide escapism by literally transporting beloved characters to new worlds. They expand fictional universes for additional adventures.
If you find comfort in certain characters or stories, AU fan fiction extends time you can spend with them. Some fans simply never want great stories to end.
Accessibility of the Internet
While AUs have existed for centuries, the internet drastically accelerated their creation and visibility. Online platforms provide tools and audiences to create and share derivative works.
Without the internet, AUs were limited to fan fiction zines and niche communities. The web gave fans a direct digital pipeline for their creativity.
The accessibility of sites like Tumblr and Ao3 (Archive of Our Own) fuels Rule 64‘s exaggeration of AU ubiquity. Sharing AU ideas is frictionless which increases their volume.
In summary, the appeal of AUs is:
- Joy of remixing existing stories
- Thought experiments that reframe narratives
- Escapism and comfort of beloved worlds
- Accessibility of the internet to create and share
This helps explain why fans dedicate such passion to AU content.
Copyright Laws and Fair Use
The legal status of derivative fan works like AUs raises interesting copyright questions.
Copyright law gives creators control over reproductions and derivative versions of their work. But parody and transformative works are protected as “fair use” exceptions.
Most fandom creators don‘t profit from AU content. And AU fan fiction transforms existing stories substantially by crossing them over with new worlds.
So technically AUs likely qualify as legal transformative works. But corporations sometimes still issue takedown notices against fan works.
Fandom lawyer Anusha Srinivasan argues AUs should be protected speech:
Fandom AUs are transformative works made for love, not money. Fair use laws protect fans remixing worlds as free speech.
So while companies rarely sue individual fans, the law remains murky on AUs. Ultimately fans do it more for the love than potential profits.
Why We Love to Reimagine Stories
On a broad level, what does our human passion for AUs say about imagination and storytelling?
Archetypes and Recombination
Joseph Campbell‘s “hero‘s journey” and Carl Jung‘s archetypes suggest all stories draw from shared symbolic sources. Luke Skywalker and Harry Potter are essentially heroes on the same mythic path.
AUs remix archetypal characters in new combinations. This resonance with core human storytelling instincts may explain their appeal.
We intuitively inject familiar archetypes into new worlds in AUs. It feels “right” to transplant recognizable heroes and villains into different times and genres.
Thought Experiments
As mentioned earlier, AUs function as hypotheticals and thought experiments. What if Superman landed in Gotham instead of Metropolis? How might that change their respective stories?
This ability to ask “what if?” represents a key element of human imagination and even the scientific process. AUs let us rigorously test fictional scenarios.
Ironic Juxtaposition
Comedy often relies on juxtapositions – bringing unlike things together for ironic effect. Cookie Monster eating vegetables. Batman in a café ordering lattes. Yoda as a rock star.
The humor comes from the absurd contrast. AUs work similarly by colliding fictional worlds that sharply differ in tone.
Conclusion
While exaggerated for effect, Rule 64 speaks to real human tendencies. We intuitively love to remix archetypes in new combinations. The internet simply unlocked this impulse by empowering fans to “AU” just about anything.
AUs let us steer cherished characters down new branches in their journey. Or laugh at ironic genre juxtapositions when Harry Potter runs a nightclub.
Fandom culture will doubtlessly keep this tradition alive. If any fictional universe exists, its AU doppelganger can‘t be far behind thanks to imaginative fans.
So next time you stumble upon a work of fan fiction that sends Walter White into the distant future or casts Jane Austen‘s Elizabeth Bennet as a superhero, appreciate it as an expression of Rule 64 in action. All it takes is a spark of imagination to ignite an alternate universe.
