this is a long time comingā¦
Itās been 2 or 3 years (give or take) since I broke my several-year-long rest from fanfics. Before BTS, i used to read many, many Naruto, Inu Yasha, and Harry Potter fanfics (who remembers the citrus scale?) as well as a few Big Bang fanfics. Then somewhere down the road, I stopped reading fan fiction and erased it entirely out of my life.
It is thanks to a wonderful lady (whoās name I will leave out for privacy reasons) who helped me to remember the beauty that is fan fiction. I eventually began to venture out and found wonderful creators here on Tumblr. Considering itās been a few years now, I have read a multitude of fanfics. Iāve read well over 400 stories, all equating to nearly 5 million words. (probably way more than that since I only calculated the stories Iāve reblogged on my BTS fic recs sideblog. and yes⦠yes. i did actually count it all. well. almost. i got lazy with, like, the last 20 hahaha) That would equate to reading the entire Harry Potter series 5 times. Itās roughly a 20,000 page book.
You, dear writers, did that.
Too often fan fic writers are given a huge ass plate ofĀ āhurry up, when are you gonna update?ā and a side dish ofĀ āthis isnāt going the way IĀ (the reader) want it to go so iām leavingā and an appetizer ofĀ āshame on you for writing fics of the boys!1!! theyāre real people you know!!!!11ā and a delicious drink ofĀ ā[insert ungrateful anons/harassment here].ā Writers are just given a lot of shit in general for something they enjoy doing and give away for other fans to consume FOR FREE.Ā Too often fan fic writers are given the short end of the stick on the content creators spectrum. I assume it is because viewers donāt get an instant gratification from the art that writers present. Itās something people have to work a little bit extra for to find. Fic writers are sometimes dismissed as the āweird, perverted, delusional fansāā¦
But I know the truth. I know it all because Iāve witnessed the love you pour out into your writing, the love you have for the idols you write for, and the love you give to your readers. The beautiful worlds you paint as your fingers move around on the keyboard and weave intricate stories and complex characters and relationships. The numerous universes Iāve visited have been nothing short of wondrous, from the rip-my-heart-out-and-stomp-on-it-5-times-for-good-measure AUs to the so-fluffy-my-teeth-may-be-rotting-but-i-donāt-care-ācause-itās-way-too-cute AUs to the please-gouge-my-eyes-out-but-also-donāt-cause-i-need-to-finish-this-sinful-beast AUsā¦. I have had so, so much fun venturing into all the different worlds youāve created and shared that I often find myself poking my head back into those worlds and reminiscing~
Iām ballinā in fan fic galore. and I have well over 1k fics on my to-read list that I cannot wait to dive into. and itās all thanks to you. ⤠Iām writing all of this to let you know that youāre appreciated. even though itās just from one person, i hope itās enough. i donāt even know how to express how much your stories have touched me. thank you for the laughter, the feels, the tears, the anger, the ahemĀ spice. from the 100 word drabbles to the 50k+ series on hiatusā¦. I have enjoyed them all.
So thank you, dear writer. for sharing with me and many, many other readers a part of yourself. I appreciate you and your works. even if youāre no longer writing for a certain fan base, even if youāre on an indefinite hiatus, even if youāve stopped entirely.. it does not in any way undermine the amount of work youāve put into your works and the many wips stored away. I still thank you. and i thank those of you who write outside of your main fandom. i know sometimes you get crap for that and i think itās incredibly awesome of you that you donāt let that negativity thwart you from growth. Keep doing you! Itās because of you that Iāve come to learn that great storytelling doesnāt stem from the fandom someone writes for. It comes from the one who is making the story come to life. You. and Iām sending you lots and lots and lots of joy and inspiration and encouragement and money and love your way for 2019 and many years following.
Under the cut I will be tagging every fan fic writer (whom I am able to tag, at least) who has touched my heart in one way or another, whether Iāve read only one story of yours so far or if Iāve gone through your entire master list, I want to acknowledge you and thank you because you deserve it. This message is meant for you.