Fanfiction Can Cause Friction

By: Ashley Andre

Tumblr. Twitter. Wattpad. ao3. You know what these sites have in common? The art of fanfiction. Fanfiction is some of the most entertaining stuff on the internet. It is unhinged, hilarious, depressing, cringy, thrilling, and everything in between. Fanfiction fulfills your need to see those two characters finally bang it out or a reimagining of those two characters who already banged it out bang it out again. Really anything your heart desires. Have you ever wondered what it would be like if Harry Potter witnessed 9/11 or if Bigfoot and the Loch ness monster kissed? It is all possible with the power of fanfiction. It is an integral part of any fandom and helps build that community. Fanfic writers are real troupers; they are always dying or getting into car crashes but still manage to churn out the most toe curling literature you have ever read each week. They write their little author notes like “Sorry for this week’s chapter being late. My heart stopped for 5 minutes and I was in the hospital for 3 days.”, but the chapter would have made Shakespere cream his jeans. Then your fellow readers make comments at the end that will have you pissing yourself with laughter at 2am, which builds this real sense of belonging in a fandom.

As someone who has been a reader of fanfiction since the 7th grade, I’ve always felt a fondness towards the craft. Most people will measure success in their career by awards, money, or promotions. But personally, I’ll know that I've made it when people start writing fanfiction about me. When I’m famous, I will read all the fanfiction about me (because I need to know how people perceive me). Like what trope would I fall under? What would I be like in omegaverse? Would I be shipped with someone or will I be part of a y/n story? The possibilities are endless! I’m kicking my little feet and giggling just thinking about it. But, I don’t want any pregnancy plot lines. I hate those. I repeat DO NOT write about me getting pregnant or I’ll literally scream, throw up, and die (in. that. order.). I normally think writing fanfiction about real people is weird and crosses a line, but I will give consent for people to write silly little stories about me. To reiterate/make myself clear, I DO NOT condone the writing of smut or other unholy writings about real people who don’t consent to that kind of discourse about them. They are real people with real feelings, don’t be weird. You CAN write about me, but it needs to be that good shit; that high quality, plot heavy, kinda smut or I’ll be fucking pissed.

One of my favorite pastimes is reading terrible, cringy fanfiction with friends at sleepovers. Some disturbing and insane stuff was read for laughs at 3am with my closest friends. During my senior year of high school, my friend was going to Air Force boot camp and they aren’t allowed to have their cell phones for like 6 weeks. Before he left, I asked him if I could send him fanfiction while he was there (as a joke). His mistake was taking me up on my offer because now it is no longer a joke. I felt it was the least I could do, with him volunteering to like serve our country and all. So, I sent him a 3 page fanfic. It was a cringy little joke of a story, but I placed it, and a letter and some stickers in an envelope. Then when he got back from training camp, our friend group was hanging out and that's when he told me about my care package. He said since the envelope was a little stuffed, his commander thought my fanfic envelope was a bomb. They had him open the envelope because it was addressed to him and there was all this build up of tension of a potential bomb to just reveal a folded up fanfiction and some Shrek stickers. I don’t know what that says about the U.S. Military, but you can come to that conclusion yourself.

Fanfiction offers the opportunity for people to show their appreciation for work they are already a fan of. Creating and consuming more content of something they enjoy. Sometimes people take their passion and obsession for a fandom too far and make it just weird and not in a good way. But, I think as long as people stay respectful to a degree no harm no foul in some deprived literature. So read that Pennywise x Y/N, Deadpool x Spiderman, or Santana and Quinn from Glee fics, you nasty little freak you. This article will probably make me want to die of embarrassment but that is ok because at least every girl I know has read or still reads fanfictions. Why should I be ashamed of reading fanfics when older women read those horny books from the library with the poorly photoshopped cover of a half naked man? Men talk about jerking their shriveled up fire hoes to whatever they get their hands on every 2 seconds with no shame. Why should I be shamed for liking something? Because being young and a woman is cringy? Well I will not stand for it any longer my sisters, my brothers, and my non-binary pals, we must stand together and be proud to be fanfic readers or writers. Some normal boring bitches will judge you and think you're mentally deranged, cringy, lame, and disgusting. But I think that builds character and makes you pretty interesting and cool.