Fanfiction is often referred to in popular culture, while also shrouded in myth. I asked our fellow students who happen to be fanfiction readers about their experiences and perception. How did they become passionate fanfiction readers? What role does fanfiction play in their lives? As a layperson I was thrilled to uncover all of that.
Photo by Vedhas Pathak
Fanfiction is often referred to in popular culture, while also shrouded in myth. I asked our fellow students who happen to be fanfiction readers about their experiences and perception. How did they become passionate fanfiction readers? What role does fanfiction play in their lives? As a layperson I was thrilled to uncover all of that.
Photo by Vedhas Pathak
How long have you been reading fanfictions?
A: I’ve been reading fanfiction since I was about 10 years old.
B: I remember that the first thing I was reading was for the show ‘The 100’. I didn’t always care about the main characters, I cared about the parents. I’m not gonna explain the plot of The 100 one because it’s bad, but that’s the first thing that I read. So let’s say I was 12 or 13 when I started reading them. When I first started I was so fascinated by the fact something like that exists that I became really obsessed with the fanfiction about the couple from ‘The 100’.
How did you get into them?
A: My sister’s friend recommended a fanfic to me, and I continued reading after that.
B: I honestly have no idea. I try to remember when I first downloaded Tumblr – because for me these two things are very connected in my personal life. But I think I made my first Tumblr account in 2016. So I started reading fan fiction before that.
Where do you read fanfiction?
A: I read fanfiction on ao3, because I find the layout easiest to navigate.
B: I was never a Wattpad girlie until recently actually, but I first learned of Wattpad through Pinterest. Wattpad has a horrible search function. I tried to find fanfiction for the couple that I wanted to read about, but because they were way less popular than the actual main characters, I couldn’t find anything on Wattpad. Fanfiction.net was the spot when I was first starting out because I probably just Googled fanfiction and it popped up. Archive of Our Own is the most basic and famous one. It’s really good. It has a good tagging system and you can also exclude tags which is great. It still has the same problem where people can tag a pairing as being present even though the story is not about that pair at all and they show up for one sentence or as a character.
How do you think people perceive fanfictions?
A: I think people treat fanfiction as some sort of “teen girl” thing, and it comes across as something only obsessed fangirls do. It’s seen as a very immature and niche thing, even though it had a long history and precedent.
B: I think people’s perception of fan fiction really depends on their background because I’ve had moments where I randomly connect with someone and then we both realised we had a fan fiction phase and a fandom phase. It’s still kind of taboo, people find it weird, especially because a lot of people have the perception that fan fiction is just porn. And I mean, there is a lot of porn, but it’s not just porn.
How does that affect you and your perception of fanfictions?
A: I’ve learned not to pay much attention to what people think of fanfic and I usually stick to people who wouldn’t judge me for reading stuff like that. I feel like those that judge fanfiction are people that don’t understand people having fun in a way they don’t personally approve of.
B: I don’t think it affects it that much because I don’t care that much. I mean, I like, I guess it’s talking about it with people I’m not close with, or if I were to talk about it with a group of people I just met, I wouldn’t mention it because I don’t know the vibe yet. And people do find it weird sometimes.
Do you think there is a community within the fanfiction readers?
A: I definitely think there is a community based around fanfiction. People have inside jokes about fandom culture in general and fanfiction is part of that.
B: Yes, definitely. I think it’s on Tumblr, at least that’s what I’m familiar with. There are really big fandoms with people who are very devoted to fan fiction. It’s not just fan fiction, I wouldn’t say that there’s specifically a community of fan fiction readers. There are communities of fans, and some write fan fiction, some make edits, some write, some draw fan art, some like to make memes.
What aspects of fanfiction do you find most appealing?
A: The thing I find most appealing about fanfiction is that it allows you to expand on the limited story of the sourcework. A narrative is kind of inherently limited and fanfiction allows you to explore aspects that are not covered by it and explore potential scenarios and find additional depth and themes within the story.
B: I would say for me, it’s mostly about being able to continue engaging with the story in some way even though it’s over or even when it’s not over, just being able to engage with the characters in a different context than the one that is in the show.
And then fanfiction is also a way to see those dynamics and characters and character growth explored in a different way than in the show and be in a more in depth way if they weren’t given that much attention in the actual media. Some of the fan fiction is written in a really inspiring way and then for those pieces, I would say that I would read them even if they weren’t about the characters that I’m interested in. It is also seeing how other people see the characters that I enjoy and are able to put them in creative situations and still describe the character’s reactions in a way that seems natural to me.
What needs do you think fanfictions fulfil for you?
A: For me, I find that fanfiction fulfils my need to play around and get creative with ideas for something that isn’t just in my head. I get to see other people’s opinions and ideas and I get a sense of community from finding like minded writers. It’s like another form of analysis, and it’s a fun mental exercise.
B: I would say it doesn’t fulfil any different needs than any other sort of media does. But just engaging with a piece of media that can show something about the world in a different light helps me learn about myself or relationships with others. I don’t think there’s anything super specific that fan fiction fulfils in me that other media doesn’t. There’s this connection with a person who’s made the thing that I’m enjoying, which is slightly more specific when it comes to fan fiction because they’ve chosen to write about the character that I really love.
What leads you to reading fanfiction over a book?
A: The main bonus that fanfiction has over books is that it doesn’t require the build up that is in a book. The works are written off of already made characters, settings, and themes. You can read something about characters you’re already invested in, as opposed to having to build up emotional investment with a new cast and world.
B: I would say two main things. During the academic year, I’m just not able to read books, which is sad and I don’t like it, but I just can’t. I don’t have enough brain space to engage with a new piece of media in a way that I would want to. That’s why I’ve been into fanfiction because I’m familiar with the characters in the world and I can just kind of jump in without needing to go through all of the hard work of reading a book. And also, it’s less of a commitment. I feel like when I read the book, I have to either buy it or borrow it or go to a library to get it. But with fan fiction, I can just open it and then close it if I don’t like it or leave a tab open for six months and feel way less guilty than I do when I do the same thing for a book because it’s fan fiction.
In what ways, if any, do you think fanfiction provides a sense of relief or comfort?
A: I think it does provide a sense of comfort. You get to read about characters you like experiencing things that are comforting or extremely upsetting. It can be both cathartic and reassuring.
B: I think it does to me. I seek out mostly comforting fan fiction, which then obviously brings me comfort because you’re reading about the characters that you enjoy and they’re happy and then that’s nice. Then again, it’s a sense of connection with the person who wrote it because they’re writing about your character. It creates connections and I’m happy to see somebody’s creative expression over something that I really like.
Would you say that fanfiction is related to your overall well-being? If so, how?
A: I don’t read fanfiction that often nowadays because I’m very busy, but back when I used to read it almost every day it provided me with an escape from things I didn’t wanna think about, similar to regular books. I think it had the same benefits as reading books does, but in a more bite-sized format, which makes it more accessible.
B: I mean, I read more fan fiction when I have more time, so it’s related in that sense that you can see how busy I am based on how much fan fiction I read.
How long have you been reading fanfictions?
A: I’ve been reading fanfiction since I was about 10 years old.
B: I remember that the first thing I was reading was for the show ‘The 100’. I didn’t always care about the main characters, I cared about the parents. I’m not gonna explain the plot of The 100 one because it’s bad, but that’s the first thing that I read. So let’s say I was 12 or 13 when I started reading them. When I first started I was so fascinated by the fact something like that exists that I became really obsessed with the fanfiction about the couple from ‘The 100’.
How did you get into them?
A: My sister’s friend recommended a fanfic to me, and I continued reading after that.
B: I honestly have no idea. I try to remember when I first downloaded Tumblr – because for me these two things are very connected in my personal life. But I think I made my first Tumblr account in 2016. So I started reading fan fiction before that.
Where do you read fanfiction?
A: I read fanfiction on ao3, because I find the layout easiest to navigate.
B: I was never a Wattpad girlie until recently actually, but I first learned of Wattpad through Pinterest. Wattpad has a horrible search function. I tried to find fanfiction for the couple that I wanted to read about, but because they were way less popular than the actual main characters, I couldn’t find anything on Wattpad. Fanfiction.net was the spot when I was first starting out because I probably just Googled fanfiction and it popped up. Archive of Our Own is the most basic and famous one. It’s really good. It has a good tagging system and you can also exclude tags which is great. It still has the same problem where people can tag a pairing as being present even though the story is not about that pair at all and they show up for one sentence or as a character.
How do you think people perceive fanfictions?
A: I think people treat fanfiction as some sort of “teen girl” thing, and it comes across as something only obsessed fangirls do. It’s seen as a very immature and niche thing, even though it had a long history and precedent.
B: I think people’s perception of fan fiction really depends on their background because I’ve had moments where I randomly connect with someone and then we both realised we had a fan fiction phase and a fandom phase. It’s still kind of taboo, people find it weird, especially because a lot of people have the perception that fan fiction is just porn. And I mean, there is a lot of porn, but it’s not just porn.
How does that affect you and your perception of fanfictions?
A: I’ve learned not to pay much attention to what people think of fanfic and I usually stick to people who wouldn’t judge me for reading stuff like that. I feel like those that judge fanfiction are people that don’t understand people having fun in a way they don’t personally approve of.
B: I don’t think it affects it that much because I don’t care that much. I mean, I like, I guess it’s talking about it with people I’m not close with, or if I were to talk about it with a group of people I just met, I wouldn’t mention it because I don’t know the vibe yet. And people do find it weird sometimes.
Do you think there is a community within the fanfiction readers?
A: I definitely think there is a community based around fanfiction. People have inside jokes about fandom culture in general and fanfiction is part of that.
B: Yes, definitely. I think it’s on Tumblr, at least that’s what I’m familiar with. There are really big fandoms with people who are very devoted to fan fiction. It’s not just fan fiction, I wouldn’t say that there’s specifically a community of fan fiction readers. There are communities of fans, and some write fan fiction, some make edits, some write, some draw fan art, some like to make memes.
What aspects of fanfiction do you find most appealing?
A: The thing I find most appealing about fanfiction is that it allows you to expand on the limited story of the sourcework. A narrative is kind of inherently limited and fanfiction allows you to explore aspects that are not covered by it and explore potential scenarios and find additional depth and themes within the story.
B: I would say for me, it’s mostly about being able to continue engaging with the story in some way even though it’s over or even when it’s not over, just being able to engage with the characters in a different context than the one that is in the show.
And then fanfiction is also a way to see those dynamics and characters and character growth explored in a different way than in the show and be in a more in depth way if they weren’t given that much attention in the actual media. Some of the fan fiction is written in a really inspiring way and then for those pieces, I would say that I would read them even if they weren’t about the characters that I’m interested in. It is also seeing how other people see the characters that I enjoy and are able to put them in creative situations and still describe the character’s reactions in a way that seems natural to me.
What needs do you think fanfictions fulfil for you?
A: For me, I find that fanfiction fulfils my need to play around and get creative with ideas for something that isn’t just in my head. I get to see other people’s opinions and ideas and I get a sense of community from finding like minded writers. It’s like another form of analysis, and it’s a fun mental exercise.
B: I would say it doesn’t fulfil any different needs than any other sort of media does. But just engaging with a piece of media that can show something about the world in a different light helps me learn about myself or relationships with others. I don’t think there’s anything super specific that fan fiction fulfils in me that other media doesn’t. There’s this connection with a person who’s made the thing that I’m enjoying, which is slightly more specific when it comes to fan fiction because they’ve chosen to write about the character that I really love.
What leads you to reading fanfiction over a book?
A: The main bonus that fanfiction has over books is that it doesn’t require the build up that is in a book. The works are written off of already made characters, settings, and themes. You can read something about characters you’re already invested in, as opposed to having to build up emotional investment with a new cast and world.
B: I would say two main things. During the academic year, I’m just not able to read books, which is sad and I don’t like it, but I just can’t. I don’t have enough brain space to engage with a new piece of media in a way that I would want to. That’s why I’ve been into fanfiction because I’m familiar with the characters in the world and I can just kind of jump in without needing to go through all of the hard work of reading a book. And also, it’s less of a commitment. I feel like when I read the book, I have to either buy it or borrow it or go to a library to get it. But with fan fiction, I can just open it and then close it if I don’t like it or leave a tab open for six months and feel way less guilty than I do when I do the same thing for a book because it’s fan fiction.
In what ways, if any, do you think fanfiction provides a sense of relief or comfort?
A: I think it does provide a sense of comfort. You get to read about characters you like experiencing things that are comforting or extremely upsetting. It can be both cathartic and reassuring.
B: I think it does to me. I seek out mostly comforting fan fiction, which then obviously brings me comfort because you’re reading about the characters that you enjoy and they’re happy and then that’s nice. Then again, it’s a sense of connection with the person who wrote it because they’re writing about your character. It creates connections and I’m happy to see somebody’s creative expression over something that I really like.
Would you say that fanfiction is related to your overall well-being? If so, how?
A: I don’t read fanfiction that often nowadays because I’m very busy, but back when I used to read it almost every day it provided me with an escape from things I didn’t wanna think about, similar to regular books. I think it had the same benefits as reading books does, but in a more bite-sized format, which makes it more accessible.
B: I mean, I read more fan fiction when I have more time, so it’s related in that sense that you can see how busy I am based on how much fan fiction I read.
