#i think fanfiction published as original work is normally disrespectful to both mediums | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

prettyboykatsuki · 2 years

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hello ari !! hope you’re doing okay! i was just wondering what you thought about this post about fanfiction. i’m half half on agreeing because i love meta about characters and them being developed specifically but i also see the elitist side that fanfiction is fun n let people have fun

hello luna my love!! ive been doing alright just a bit busy bc school!

i have a pretty strong opinion on published fanfiction becoming novels tbh... and i think it's mostly because of what fics end up becoming published as opposed to what fics deserve to be published and also what fanfics' artistic integrity is.

fanfiction is a mostly hobbyist form of creative writing. it has unique characteristics because it's derived from an already existing thing and is a mix of meta-commentary and original story. fanfiction is fun and people can have fun etc. but if fanfiction is something worthy of respect, there has to be some critical balance

let people have fun exists as a way to let people explore whatever they want and to prevent people from giving individuals unnecessary critiques. to me it's an honor code, don't harass people who make stuff you didn't enjoy, and never give people unnecessary criticism. because fanfiction exists on an individual level and everyone's relationship to it is unique. that shouldn't bar fanfic from being critiqued as a whole.

in general tho, good fanfiction takes on the role of both meta and original work. good fanfictions that i would consider worthy of publishing exist as adaptations. they honor the source material through accurate characterization and a subtle callback to original connections and relationships.

and for all of those reasons, i wouldn't want them to be published as og fiction because that's not what it is.

fanfiction is an art. it has a specific set of values that make it good and make it different from literature. to take it away from its source material should feel like stripping it of something very important. it should still be comprehensible, but good fanfic should in some way rely on the source material. that beautiful, mutual and expansive relationship is what makes fanfiction so great. it's why i always defend it and care so much about how it exists.

because of that, personally, i agree with the post completely lol. it's true that some works are so transformative of the source material that they could be published as original fiction and no one would notice. but those fanfiction authors typically don't want to publish their fics because they value their work as fanfiction and fanfiction alone.

the fics published as novels are normally generic fics in the first place. that lack strong writing and artistic integrity in order to fulfill fantasy - that aren't good fanfiction to begin with.

people can and should have fun with fanfiction. i don't think that takes away from any the point of the og post at all. rather, i think encouraging fanfiction writers to honor their work as fanfiction specifically is probably to the benefit of everyone.

fanfiction has an integrity all on its own. it's a medium worthy of respect stand alone. i think if more people recognized that, there would be less debate on trying to compare fanfic to published novels in the first place. apples to oranges yk

#return to sender #x reader meta #i think the concept of let people have fun has degraded in meaning #its become like a bandaid to all worthy discussion and critiques of fandom culture #and has truly ruined the remaining sense of artistic integrity on the fanfiction side of the internet #fanfiction and literature are different. you wouldn't compare an oil painters technique to water colorist #sure they're both art. but they have different principles to be mindful of and different things that display skill #i think fanfiction published as original work is normally disrespectful to both mediums #there's exceptions but that's truly just how i feel #im kind of scared to post this please dont hurt me im just a little guy. just a racoon on my puter

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