When I was ten years old I had my first contact with the internet in the form of an iPad Mini. As an introverted child whose favorite hobby was reading, I did the only logical thing I could think of with my newfound freedom: I joined online communities. It was here that I discovered fanfiction.
I hadn’t yet stumbled across any major fanfiction platforms like the infamous Wattpad or AO3, so at first most of my reading was done on fandom-specific, fan-made websites with graphics bad enough to give anyone a headache. Soon, I was writing my own characters into my favorite books’ universes, either typing on my iPad Mini or scribbling in my Disney Princess notebook. I didn’t notice at the time, but I had already stumbled across the two elements that make fanfiction stand apart from any other form of media.
- The possibilities of fanfiction are endless
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Despite fanfiction having a reputation of being primarily composed of sexually explicit writings, ten-year-old me somehow never stumbled across anything I shouldn’t have seen. Remaining on fandom-specific sites ensured that my fellow authors were also minors and therefore there simply wasn’t much of that content published. Now, in an era of the internet primarily controlled by social media monopolies, most of these small websites are gone in favor of larger platforms. Still, many of these sites have their own filtration systems so users aren’t forced to be exposed to anything they don’t want to see. One key feature of the popular site AO3 is the tags, with each story being prefaced with markers indicating key elements of the writing. The famed absurdity of some of these tags even inspired an Instagram account.
All humor aside, these tags are invaluable for people looking to avoid triggers or any other content that may make them uncomfortable. It’s because of these features that fanfiction can offer a safe haven to so many. During the 2020 lockdown, one of my friends spoke to me about their love for “fic.” Identifying as asexual, they explained that fanfiction has all the same benefits as traditional, published romance stories, but without running the risk of accidentally stumbling into an uncomfortable scene. Additionally, LGBTQ+ positive content is very popular in the world of fanfiction, a genre that has historically been underrepresented.
- Anyone Can Read (or write) Fanfiction
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Fanfiction offers a space for marginalized writers to share their stories. With the publishing industry catering towards straight, white, cisgender men, fanfiction provides the opportunity for anyone to be an author. Additionally, many traditional authors have their roots in fanfiction. It’s a favorite fun fact for any Twilight fan that the popular series Fifty Shades of Grey was based on the franchise.
The reason fanfiction was recently brought to my attention again was an Instagram post by romance novelist Taila Hibbert, in which she shared that she broke a major writer’s block by writing what essentially was a “self-insert” Captain America fanfic. The resulting story became the first novel in her Ravenswood series and although the love interest no longer resembles a certain Marvel superhero, the story still has trademark fanfic elements such as long, emotionally intelligent conversations between characters, accurate representation, and yes, erotica.
One of the most obvious points about fanfiction’s accessibility is that it’s practically free. Instead of having to purchase individual books, anyone with an internet connection has access to pretty much an infinite number of fanfiction stories. And although there are plenty of valid criticisms of the practice, such as the discourse around the issue of sexualizing celebrities, it can also be a platform for immense good.
Although fanfiction may still be considered an untraditional reading route, the comfort of reading about familiar characters or stories far overweighs the stigma, in my opinion. If you’re stumped looking for a good book to read, consider turning to fanfiction — you may just discover a new passion.