#fanfic is valid

[brandileigh2003]

Let's normalize fanfic. Bc mine didn't "count"

[genocidalfetus]

If writing fanfic is wrong, then this bitch don't wanna be right.

[eliotisnthere]

Fanfic is another example of women/young girls boing this better than men ever could, both in writing and in plots for shows

[youmixxx]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Hello everyone! It’s Day 9 of the Four Swords Advent Anthology Event and, ho boy, do I have something interesting for you today! Going a little out of my comfort zone, I decided to try myself on a FS x SS Crossover. So, I took our beloved FS boys and placed them in Skyloft.  There is still a little bit to come until Christmas, but therefore you can check out the first five chapters for now! So please stick around! Huge shoutout to @fsadventanthology for hosting this event. I had a blast writing this fic. Merry Christmas everyone and stay awesome!

[nayeliq1]

What kind of sick fuck writes a Destiel fic about Cas getting raped by Lucifer in Dean’s body? Do you even know what you’re writing about? Do you have any understanding of what rape survivors have to go through? Why do you think something like that is even remotely okay to exploit for cheap Destiel angst? What the fuck is wrong with you?

Hi:) My fanfic warns beforehand about its rape/non-con elements, if you don't wan't to read something like that, you're welcome to turn away. Lots of people seem to think it's totally okay to "exploit" that theme, seeing as to how many fanfics with rape/non-con warning are out there and that this is in fact the most popular fic I've ever written. Oh, as for that word you're using - it's really more an exploration than an exploitation, no I don't know what rape survivors go through, that's precisely the point. No one truly does who hasn't gone through it themselves. If you have I'm deeply sorry, but people who aren't comfortable with the topic for whatever reason can just stay away from fics like that, that's why we authors put the warnings there. We don't want to expose anyone to material that might be mentally harmful to them, but in the end, everyone decides for themself what they click on and read. Apparently you read far enough to understand the general premise of what is going on - I wonder how that happened if the rape/non-con theme is such a taboo to write about.

Or is your problem simply that it's being adressed in "cheap Destiel angst"? Tell me, what exactly makes fanfiction cheap in comparison to other writing. It's just as valid a form of creative writing as, let's say a novel, it's simply a different genre. Which also happens to be free for consumption in most cases, may I point out, even though authors didn't necessarily put any less effort into their writing than a published and paid author might have. Speaking of those - heard of Neil Gaiman? Yeah, great guy, amazing author, might wanna check out what he has to say about fanfic being legitimate writing.

In the end, I really don't care what you think. No one forced you to look at my work, no one forces you to like it either. But it happens far too often that authors are attacked for writing about critical topics, that's the only reason I honoured this with a response at all.

We can write about whatever the fuck we want. What kind of "sick fuck" writes about rape? Hopefully the kind that tries to do so in a respectful way, which I tried to achieve by carefully creating a story that isn't about rape as much as it's about recovery and the overcoming of trauma through care and love - and I'll let you know that I received a comment from an actual rape survivor who kindly and bravely shared that information with me and told me that my handeling of the material in this fic helped them come more to terms with it themselves. Reading that was one of the proudest moments of my life and I'll continue being proud of the work I've done with this fic.

So, random fanfictionphobic person in my asks who thinks they need to hide behind an anon to leave hateful comments - kindly, fuck off:)

[the-citrus-scale]

You Are Not Aspiring: Fanfiction Writers Are Real Writers Too

We know you’ve heard it. Maybe it was someone in your family. Maybe it was a friend. But, inevitably, if someone who doesn’t read or write fanfiction finds out that you do, the question surfaces. Why don’t you write something that could actually make you money? It’s a bit of a blow to hear it, isn’t it? Even if they don’t actually say it, what they mean is why don’t you write something that’s worth your time? And those close to you aren’t the only ones who see fanfiction as essentially worthless. The writing community at large doesn’t see much value in it, and some of them are even actively against it. It’s hard to keep your self-esteem when the atmosphere seems determined to beat you down, so we’re here to tell you that fanfiction is real writing, and if you’ve written it, you are a real writer.

To start with the basics, if you write anything, you’re a writer. A work doesn’t magically turn into some elevated form of writing once it’s been published by Random House or read by ten million people. It’s like that old saying about a tree falling in the forest. If a tree falls in the forest, it does make a sound, whether anyone’s around to hear it or not. So if you write something, even if you never show it to anyone and only keep it for yourself, you’re a writer. You don’t need anyone else to see it in order to be validated.

Another assumption that we’d like to correct here is that every person who writes fanfiction wants to eventually write something original. Yes, there is crossover, and that crossover makes sense. If you like to write fanfiction, you might like to write other things too. But that doesn’t mean that every fanfiction author’s dream is to become a published author making their living off of their books. So, if all you ever want to write is fanfiction, don’t think that that’s not okay. It is totally, 100% okay. Fandoms will always love fanfiction. You will never lack an audience for your work. You don’t have to have dreams bigger than fanfiction to make writing it worthwhile. You also don’t need an audience to make it those things, either. If all you have is a private notebook where you keep records of your fanfiction adventures, and we’ve talked to authors who do, that’s fine too.

That’s not to say there’s anything wrong with wanting to write original fiction eventually. If that’s where your head’s at, though, fanfiction still isn’t a waste of your time. Any writing that you do, first of all, is practice. And, depending on what you’re writing, you might be able to turn some of your fanfiction into original fiction. Even if that doesn’t happen, by the way, fanfiction can still be your fun outlet, the thing you write when you need a break. You don’t have to turn every piece of fanfiction into something original to justify it. What matters is that you enjoy it. That’s the only thing that counts.

The short answer is that there’s nothing wrong with writing fanfiction and only fanfiction. It can be angsty, fluffy, or hella, hella smutty. It doesn’t matter. You reached into your brain and you created something, and that’s amazing. It doesn’t matter that the characters or the setting were already there for you. You still flexed your imagination and added depth and life that the story may not have had before, and that is nothing to be ashamed of. Fanfiction is real writing. Fanfiction authors are real authors. The argument ends there. Full stop.

[plaguechan-cute]

have you ever thought "haha what if this series/movie/game/story but [weird absurd thing that wouldn't belong]"

you're 100% allowed to just do it. write it. draw it. make it. talk about it.

Batman but they're vikings? heck ya

Alien but it's care bears? amazing

Odysseus but they're employees in a cubicle? of course my pal

Brokeback Mtn as an 80s rock ballad musical? I'm gonna scream

The Shining in space? golden

Don't stop yourself from doing something super cool because you're worried about it being labeled as "fanfic" or "cringe" or something else dumb. I wanna see it.

[fivewolvesinatrenchcoat]

So I'm in my psych class today, like a normal human being going to uni, and my prof's talking about like media and literature or whatever and she starts talking about fanfiction and how important it is to psychology...

So anyways, as a Psych Major™ paraphrasing the words of a University Psychology Professor™, fanfic writers need to keep writing FOR SCIENCE