[ SECRET POST #5036 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #5036 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.


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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 02 pages, 34 secrets from Secret Submission Post #721.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

[fscom]

05. https://i.imgur.com/lOGtqpq.jpeg

[(Anonymous)]

As someone who loves fanfic, yeah.

[(Anonymous)]

Ooh, you're going to get some serious backlash for this, but I agree. "But fanfiction has exactly what I waaaaaaaaaaant and I don't have to search for it" is the usual argument. I find that kind of cringe inducing, myself. I also wonder at the people who are so amazing at finding that sweet spot fic every time, apparently.

[(Anonymous)]

So like I think the way this is phrased is really annoying - some stuff written as fanfiction is really great, plenty of published fiction is awful shit, there's no one royal road where consuming a specific kind of content leads automatically to enriching your life or being a better kind of person - but I also think I basically agree with the underlying point. People should seek out weird stuff and there is definitely an attitude some people take on where they're proud of having really narrow limited interests and it seems pretty crappy, especially if they're reading the most cookie cutter iddy fanfics. Be curious!

[(Anonymous)]

I'm not opposed to reading tons of fanfic and I would read more of it than I do, if only I could find fanfiction I actually liked? I don't know. I don't think of myself as a very finicky reader but even when I go looking for fanfic to scratch a specific itch, I seem to have a difficult time. Maybe it's because I don't gravitate to larger, active fandoms and I'm not a very ship-centric reader. I do have ships, but I want to read about them in the context of a longer fic, that has a good plot outside of the romantic/sexual interactions between the characters in that ship. I also want fics rich in setting and with a good grasp of the characterization and oh god, that last one is so hard to find. :(

Maybe it's because I grew up reading more published books than fanfic, but I like the hunt for new books to read and I like not knowing if I'll enjoy them or not. Sure, it means I don't always get exactly what I want, but sometimes it's a nice surprise anyway. Sometimes I find new things to like that I might not have tried before if I was only looking for a certain trope or tag.

[(Anonymous)]

Well,this is the place to post such a secret, lol.

Personally, I'm of the "we don't talk about this IRL" gen of fandom (the one time I tried back in HS the person looked mortified and I got the clue and shut up lol). So...with the exception of certain friends, I don't publicize my love of fic anymore than I do my love of romance lit (cheesy smut and not cheesy smut alike). But I will agree it's terribly limiting to not read other things. I very much fill my plate with other things. Science journal articles, books on anthropology, history (especially of other cultures/places and even my own), sociology, poetry, all kinds of fiction and non fiction. Life's a banquet and most poor suckers are starving (to quote Auntie Mame). I have my moments where all I'll read is fic, but then I get tired and want other things to sate my palate.

I don't look down on people who only read fic and SO MUCH OF IT, because we each like what we like, and people have their reasons, but I do hope they explore other things. There's so much! Who knows what you'll end up liking and learning! Not every book will be the literary classics you might have been forced to read in school.

[(Anonymous)]

Huh. Do people actually brag about reading fanfic? Maybe I'm just out of touch with fandom, idk.

Anyway, saying someone sounds like a loser because they're enthusiastic about their preferences seems rather unkind. First off, not everyone reads even if they have the ability. And if they do, they might read nothing but harlequin novels or magazines or the newspaper or even comic books (note: I'm not judging any of these). I don't think it indicates anything about their education, it's just a preference. Second, I don't think reading fic over books is any worse than, say, watching TV over books. Hell, when you factor in commercials or biased news channels, some fic might actually be better. Yes, I realize you're not talking about TV. The point is, I don't see how the amount of fanfiction a person reads is a good gauge of what they absorbed in school.

You're right and you should say it

[(Anonymous)]

[(Anonymous)]

I don't really have a horse in thisnrace but do you judge people who only ever read one genre/type of fiction as well? Because, just as an example, I find the vast amount of same tired and bland crime novels on the market supremely tedious and the opposite of intellectually stimulating, yet there are plenty of people consuming novel after novel in that genre.

[(Anonymous)]

Hmm, I don't really know how to feel about this. Just gonna pipe in to say that I read quite a bit of fanfic, a good number of nonfiction books, and barely any novels. So I gotta wonder where you would rank me on your scale 😆

[sparklywalls]

Years ago my academic pursuits killed my love of reading to the point I barley managed a book every 2-3 months. However, I found fanfic easy to digest because it involved worlds I already knew with characters I was already familiar with - I just found it an easier way to read when my professional life required me to read not exactly for fun. I mean, I loved and still love history but the act of HAVING to read for research purposes just sucked all the fun out of it.

But the year I got married I bought a Kindle as I knew I'd probably want to relax and read at some point on our Honeymoon. After I got back from that, suddenly I was reading a lot and quickly again.

I now read more original stuff than I do fanfic but both have their place in my life. I think a balance is good but at the same time understand there may be reasons why some people are heavy into fic. Idk.

And in general I find ending up reading something crap is easier with fic but I've fallen victim to that with original works a lot over the last couple of years thanks to Amazon First Reads. Having said that, with fic I'm more likely to require recs whereas with original I'm more willing to take the risk. Don't know if that's a good strategy or not!

[(Anonymous)]

Nah. Don't care. Fanfic is reading, books are reading, comics are reading, graphic novels/manga are reading, newspapers are reading.

As long as people are reading, carry on. Not going to judge you for your genre or medium preferences.

[(Anonymous)]

I definitely don't brag about it, but I do read more fic.

I can read classics for free on the project gutenberg page, but for anything more recent I have to hope my local library will hear my prayers/read my emails.

They often don't, and I really don't have the money to purchase all the books I'd like to read.

If I do spend money it's usually for a book I've already read or by an author I really like.

I wanted a big home library and endless supply of money to keep adding to it but reality shat on that dream.

[(Anonymous)]

I agree with the Poptart metaphor--fic is satisfying in the way comfort or junk food is satisfying: it gives me exactly what I want when I want it, without having to think too hard or worry if I'm going to like it. However, if it was all I consumed, I'd be really fucking unhealthy.

Original stuff isn't always better, but it does engage a different part of my mind and sets off new brain cells (whether I end up enjoying it or not!), and how else would I find great new fandoms if I never tried anything new?

[(Anonymous)]

Agreed.

(Also, I sometimes feel uncomfortable admitting that although I write quite a lot of fanfic, I barely ever read any.)

[(Anonymous)]

Well someone's an entitled prick.

[(Anonymous)]

This community sure loves secrets talking mad shit about fic writers and fan artists.

[(Anonymous)]

I enjoy reading, and writing, fanfic: but I agree with you completely OP.

Fanfic is fun but if that's all I consumed my brain would fucking rot tbh, and I personally get a lot of enjoyment out of trying new books and discovering new settings/characters. Not all published stuff is a hit sure, but that's the same with fanfic as well.

[(Anonymous)]

You are the literary version of the 'i studied the blade' meme.

Book weeb.

[(Anonymous)]

Feeling superior to others about something as incredibly harmless as reading says more about you than it does them.

[(Anonymous)]

"Teehee look at how SMART I am, worship me you ignoramuses! I am sooooo above your level you just need to READ MORE BOOKS! Yes I am so very clever and smart, teehee"

That's how you sound

[(Anonymous)]

I've read some fantastic fan fic and some horrible books, but IA specifically because every single person i have ever encountered who said this was a near-exclusive reader of really garbage quality fic, so I associate this mindset with people who have shit taste and are too intellectually lazy to realize it

[(Anonymous)]

People got as defensive as I knew they'd get. A+ secret, op.

[(Anonymous)]

So, fun fact: I majored in literature and minored in creative writing, and was the top student in my field. I worked at a publishing company. I read news articles, opinion pieces, essays.

But the bulk of what I read is fanfiction. I don't read everything--I stick to stories that I think are well-written and interesting. And it's fun! I enjoy them! Reading is not the chore it was when I was studying literature or working with it. I get to see more diversity, and read stories that aren't toned down to make them more palatable to broader markets. As long as a story makes me feel something: happy, sad, excited, whatever, it did it's job. And it doesn't really matter to me who wrote it, or whether it's an official published book or a fanfic published on a website. That might be an important distinction to Literature, but it's certainly not to storytelling. And what I enjoy is storytelling.

There is a problem with someone basing all of their leisure time and interests around the internet/fandom circles. But it's also worth noting that fanfiction is free and instantly available. Published books cost money, and if you don't have easy access to a library (or even a library that makes it easy to borrow eBooks) "real" books aren't as accessible as you might think.

[(Anonymous)]

Tbh I feel like part of the reason I read more fanfic than novels nowadays is that I've become really picky with novels? Like I'll read even meh fic sometimes because I love the characters and just want to read something about them, but there's quite a few novels that I've started, gotten a few chapters into and decided that the writing style wasn't grabbing me or the characters weren't working for me and then never picked up the book again. And it makes me a bit sad because I miss reading books and wish I could find more good new ones, re-reading old favorites is nice but I'd like to make some new favorites too.