[ SECRET POST #5346 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #5346 ⌋

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


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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 01 pages, 12 secrets from Secret Submission Post #765.
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]

06. https://i.imgur.com/4J1EWRI.jpg

[(Anonymous)]

Heh. Well, at least they were honest. I'm sure there are plenty of fanfic writers who toy with the idea of trying to file off the serial numbers and publish their fic as original, and a lot of them underestimate how easy that'd be or how much of an audience would even be interested if it's not attached to the fandom.

[(Anonymous)]

I've known a few...

[(Anonymous)]

It honestly depends on the story- more to the point, how reliant the story is on that particular source setting, and how unique the core story of the original is.

[(Anonymous)]

I'm really digging this petty ass Bugs image lol

[(Anonymous)]

Same lol. It's perfect.

[(Anonymous)]

(Cozy Werewolf Anon)

As an author with like 4 projects I'm basing off of worldbuilding I did for fanfic and as a reader of fanfic... I mean, I see both sides? It can be amsuing. The writer of the fic might be amused too? (who knows.)

I guess people see 50 Shades and those like it and think "oh it's easy." And they miss or don't know 50 Shades was a fanfic of a fanfic of a fanfic.

Like, even though I do weird elaborate cultural worldbuilding and maybe try to keep character dynamics, it doesn't mean this idea based off a fanfic comes with a PLOT/CONFLICT baked into it if I strip the 'fanfic elements' out or even if it DOES have an overarching plot, it might not have the smaller STEPS or the personal smaller plots for me to go "Yes, I can write this easily!" (Sometimes it is a lack of focus, yes. I know. ADHD blues here.)

But I err, have the sense not to post those fanfics anymore. Mostly b/c I refuse to post fanfics unless they're done and if I notice I can I dunno use it for an original story, I probably won't post it. B/C I know even if I did and said "I have similar original work Y," people still wouldn't go and read original work Y. It's just the way it is. Sigh.

If they want the social audience, then I understand them thinking about editing it and re-posting it. I mean I posted a fanfic in an old fandom for me a few years ago I'd finished and got a pretty snide "you would have gotten more comments if you'd posted this once a week" and I was like "I don't care... anymore? Enjoy the story?" But err, I'm pretty blase about it. It is what it is.

[(Anonymous)]

*wiggles hands back and forth*

I do think that people underestimate how much effort it takes to file off the serial codes of fanfic. Like, reading 50 shades, I can still see Bella and Edward there.

That being said, I do use fanfic as sort of a 'training wheels' sort of idea for certain things. If I want to explore the logistics of an idea, I generally toss it through a fic first to see how it flows there before I try it in an original setting. But that just means that one day, maybe, someone's going to read a fic of mine and then a book of mine and go '...wait a second'

[(Anonymous)]

For the most part, I wish those that cross over and file off their fanfic for publishing well, but to the two that used several of us on their journey and then dropped us, fuck off, and I'm glad the romance book world has basically ignored you.

[(Anonymous)]

Honestly I sort of feel this way in general when an author takes down a fic to turn it into a "real book." It's one thing if they get a book deal and take all their fic down as a consequence, but taking a popular complete (or even worse, incomplete) fic down to make into an original feels like the author is using all the fandom readers who loved it to give themselves clout and then dropping them because the author is now 'too good' for fandom. I feel like most authors only suddenly decide their fic would be better as an original once fandom has given them validation, like if it was the exact same fic but never got popular they would never have considered changing it into an original story. And now all those people who gave kudos and comments and bookmarks lose access to a fic they loved or never get to see the end of the story because the author decided fandom was beneath their talents.

[(Anonymous)]

Even leaving aside the difficulty of turning a fic into an original I think a lot of people way underestimate the difference between popularity with a fannish audience and popularity with a wider audience. Yes, 50 Shades, but I think sometimes people forget that just because your fanfic for super popular slash ship of the moment gets a ton of kudos and reviews that doesn't mean that the random general audience out there is also going to be all over it without the fandom angle to lean on. For example, lots of people like Marvel movies but in comparison to all the people who watch those films the percentage of people who also like even bigger pairings like Stucky is probably not nearly as large as someone inside fandom thinks, and when you then take away the fandom angle is this really that appealing to anyone else.

Also arguably being a Twilight fic probably helped 50 Shades in this regard, Twilight itself is sorta wish-fulfillment 'imagine yourself as the bland lead' as a story so it's way easier to sand the numbers off because the fans aren't so much attached to Edward and Bella as they are Hot Vaguely Dangerous Lead and Imagine The Female Lead Is You. I think it's easier to sell Edward Expy and Bella Expy to general audiences because they don't have much character to begin with in the original canon and you're going for the audience who likes that, whereas a fic about two very specific leads with more complex canon characterization is going to be much harder to sell to audiences who don't already know these characters.

[(Anonymous)]

I have written some fic in an elaborate crossover AU and every so often someone who likes it suggests I should file off the serial numbers and publish it as an original fic. And, granted, it is so AU that it's practically original in some ways... but it's still fic, and it just doesn't work unless you already know the main fandom it's in. It just would not work as an original story-- I actually think it's pretty good and I am proud of it, but I have read enough to be sure it would not be publishable as original fic.

I appreciate the compliment when people have said that, but sometimes readers and authors do underestimate how much context and attachment to the characters from canon etc affect your view of a fic. Like, bless you if you can do it but it seems like it would be pretty rare for it to work

[(Anonymous)]

My main takeaway from this is you're a dick. Why shouldn't they try and make money out of it? Things are pretty tough right now. And the author was even honest when they came back.

[(Anonymous)]

Erm, okay!

[(Anonymous)]

Lol guess I am a dick :) I don't care what other peoples motivations are for fandom - I'm in fandoms for the fun of it. If other people are more concerned about profiting from fandom and fail in doing so, then that's their problem - and yes I will get petty and laugh about it.

[(Anonymous)]

They're not trying to profit from fandom. They're trying to profit from their own creativity. Some people need to find extra streams of income just to keep food and medication coming in. Laugh away.

[(Anonymous)]

Except that's not what they're doing right now. Now they're trying to get back fandom popularity after being away for so long - which they can't charge a penny for unless they want to be sued by the original creators of the thing she based her fanfiction on.

So get off your high horse and eat it.

[(Anonymous)]

I wouldn't call them a dick but it did seem kinda spiteful for not a lot of reason. Readers are pretty envious and entitled.

[(Anonymous)]

Just use Wayback Machine/ Internet Archive to get a snapshot of the fic in question. Even if they've deleted something, from ao3, for example, it should be accessible with minimal fuss. This includes multi-chaptered entries and sometimes deleted usernames. If all else fails, ask around to see if anyone saved the original fic. That's how a lot of work got passed on after some fans decided to go pro, back in the day.

[(Anonymous)]

Thank you for suggesting this! To be honest I'm kind of put off by this author to do this - but it sounds like it'll be useful if it happens again with another fic.