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If you spend a lot of time on the fandom side of social media, think TikTok or Twitter, you might see a lot of content about fanfiction popping up. While much of it might be funny or positive comments about fanfic culture, it’s becoming more clear that many of the conversations surrounding fanfiction are often framed within feelings of shame or disgust. (( Richards, Jared. “This TikTok User Is Recreating Your Terrible ‘One Direction’ FanFics With Painful Accuracy.” Junkee. Nov. 6, 2019. ))
It is not intended to disparage or delegitimize fanfiction. Instead, we might fall back into a culture that considers fan fiction obscene or intense for public viewing — making one’s interests a guilty pleasure rather than an exploration of narrative storytelling and relationships. Trends such as “Give us a million dollars or we’ll leak your AO3 history” (( Kirby, Abby. “The Fandom Teacher.” TikTok. 2022. )) have fans torn between openly admitting to what they like or feeling shame for being so open about their tastes.
Both of these responses are rooted in the “fanfic is cringe” culture from decades ago — either succumbing to the fear or trying to own it. Even readers who openly talk about their love of fanfiction can unintentionally shame it and its writers. Upon scrolling through TikTok, one may frequently view videos putting down authors who use Wattpad or Fanfiction.net, because those sites are platforms for “bad” writers. Other TikToks tend to list off tropes or point out flaws within the fanfiction that make audiences want to stop reading.
Of course, these creators also discuss other topics, such as fic’s status as literature or the beauty it can contain, but those posts are not as often popular as their fic-shaming posts. The same is true within all veins of content about fanfiction on all social media sites. Somehow, fanfiction is still a punching bag for fandom — even for fans who love it.
(Every time I engage with fandom content online, I find myself asking the same questions: I thought we moved on from this? And why is it still okay to treat some parts of fanfiction as shameful?)
Getting A Bad Reputation
In its earlier years online, fanfiction had a reputation for being bad (( Grady, Constance. “Why We’re Terrified of Fanfiction”. Vox. June 2, 2016. )) . This reputation comes from the idea that fic writers are predominately amateurs. Young writers in particular, or really anyone who’s putting pen to paper for the first time, tend to struggle with skills that we tend to think of as “basic skills.” It is common for fanfic to have several misspellings and punctuation errors, and can be a deal breaker for many readers.
(As an English and professional fanfiction teacher, this mindset irks me. While correcting someone’s grammar in your mind can get a little tedious and take you out of a story, I don’t see it as a worthwhile reason to disregard the writer entirely. Maybe it is just my perspective, but when I work with young fic writers, I tend to look toward their potential and the ideas they are demonstrating rather than their current skill level. Proper writing can be taught or corrected by a beta reader, but in order to make it there, writers need to be nurtured.)
How Do You Spell That?
The behavior of shaming writers for their technical skills can also come with unintended consequences. Just as new writers are learning new skills, so are writers who are learning a second language and using fanfic as a tool to learn (( Black, Rebecca W. “Language, Culture, and Identity in Online Fanfiction.” E-Learning and Digital Media, 3(2), 170–184. )).
The enforcement of proper spelling and grammar can lean towards racism or prejudice, as different dialects and vernaculars such as AAVE are still seen as improper language (( Black Youth Project. “I’m is talking right”: How the stigma around Black language holds us back from liberation.” January 16, 2018. )) Not to mention writers who have a disability that impacts their reading and writing skills can feel excluded from or unwanted in the fanfiction community. By emphasizing “proper writing,” fans can unintentionally place a higher value on white, abled, native-English speakers over other demographics.
Seems A Little Cliche…
There is also the idea of shaming writers who use common tropes or cliches in their writing. (Does anyone remember the trend of describing a character’s eyes as colored orbs?) The irony is not lost on me that we cast aside fic writers who use cliches, despite the fact that they are intentionally copying from another media text. And these tropes are just another tool that young writers rely on while discovering their own voice and passions.
One example of these cliches is the Mary Sue. Mary Sues have been a common trope to find itself on the chopping block. This term is more often than not used as a way to discourage and disparage young female writers or writers of color from telling stories that center themselves. And while the term itself is becoming a less common insult, it still rears its ugly head every now and again.
Fanfiction is often regarded as a place for new writers to find their footing and grow. Fanfiction communities can be amazing places to give and receive feedback and feel supported by like-minded fans. So why is bad writing such a deal-breaker if we consider our craft to be the ideal way for new writers to learn?
It’s Not About What You Write, But Where You Write
Another significant trend shames writers and readers for using Wattpad, a fanfiction website that is often pitted against Archive of Our Own. Wattpad is the most popular among younger writers for many reasons. The website’s publication process is more accessible, allowing writers to work in online drafts that can be saved — users can upload images add external source and covers easily within their story. (Don’t underestimate this part, kids love it.)
It is even the website I have chosen to use for my class because it allows students to make a profile and follow each other, meaning they have a way to stay connected after the class ends, something that AO3 doesn’t offer. While AO3 does allow you to follow a creator, it does not allow for private messages between users, meaning that fans needs to connect on a separate platform.
Berating Wattpad for hosting “bad” writing and young writers is firstly unnecessary. Any comment that makes young people feel as if they are untalented and unwelcome in a community is not needed. This train of thought ignores the major differences between both websites: Wattpad was designed to host original fiction, while Archive of Our Own was intended for fanfiction. The websites’s cultures are intentionally different for this purpose, and isn’t worth shaming writers who use one over the other. Their designs and cultures are intentionally different for this purpose — but it isn’t a purpose worth shaming writers for.
Fanfiction Is For Sinners
Shipping culture is the backbone of all fanfiction, and a major part of fandom as well. However, shipping (as well as smut) are often the primary targets for fic shaming. Fandom is often considered to be “a group of oversexed teenaged girls writing porny and borderline illiterate fanfiction.” (( Grady, Constance. “Why We’re Terrified of Fanfiction.” Vox. June 2, 2016. )) The fans themselves play into this notion by making comments about how their reading interests tend to be embarrassing, hyper-sexual, or just plain amoral. Fanfiction has practically become synonymous with erotica due to these stereotypes.
That’s not to downplay the significance of shipping and romance in fanfiction. Fic gets its start from Star Trek Fanzines, particularly Spock and Kirk ships. In fact, the first known slash fanfiction is a Spock/Kirk story titled “A Fragment Out of Time” by Marchant ((Hale-Stern, Kaila. “I Can’t Stop Thinking About the First Published Kirk/Spock Slash Fanfiction.” The Mary Sue. 2018. )) . It is worth noting the vitality that both queer and interracial ships were an important part of Star Trek fandom and later on, fandom as a whole.
Yet, as online archives for fanfic became more popular (and the romance a little spicier), it became trendy to refer to one’s ships or taste in fic as “sinful.” If you were on Tumblr in the early 2010s, this might sound familiar to you: The phrases “I’m sinning” or “this is such a sinful fic.” While this sentiment is an equal part joke and equal part backlash towards the then highly homophobic culture, it still puts fanfiction (and queer people) in a position of shame.
This attitude towards fanfiction as a genre for people who consider themselves disgusting or morally adverse did not help with the normalization of fandom culture. Nor did it help remove stereotypes of gay men, in particular, as overtly sexual and predatory.
Lashing Out Again
While there were successful movements in fandom culture to end this trend for the reasons listed above, phantoms of these statements are starting to make returns. Omegaverse is one genre that’s getting a lot of heat — pun intended. The genre, known for its spicy scenes, emphasis on queer relationships and an abundance of m-preg, already stands out as being somewhat decisive, and that does not include the publicity it received from a lawsuit in 2020. (( Alter, Alexandra. “A Feud in Wolf-Kink Erotica Raises a Deep Legal Question.”The New York Times. May 23, 2020.)) In fact, TikTok has even made “omegaverse” an unsearchable term because its content violates community guidelines. (( @PeachieRad. “THEY BANNED OMEGAVERSE FROM TIKTOK.” Aug 4, 2022. ))
It has become popular for fans to make fun of it or pretend to be grossed out or ashamed of its content, primarily on TikTok. And while it’s all well and good for fans to make fun of themselves sometimes, it portrays fanfic as always being full of shamelessly sexual stories and doesn’t explain why fans are drawn to this type of content anyway. Yes, genre can be a specific taste. You don’t have to like everything you read.
Yet, so many fans and non-fans alike only seem to approach Omegaverse with a level of disgust that is not entirely warranted. By placing so much emphasis on fanfic as disturbingly sexual, it draws away from the work done to present fanfiction as multifaceted — filled with many genres and concepts that reach beyond romance. While romantic and sometimes graphic elements are unique and meaningful to fanfiction, they do not make up the culture as a whole.
Laughing At Yourself
Of course, another significant part of fan culture is learning to laugh at yourself. An under-discussed and researched aspect of fandom is the self-deprecating humor. In many cases, the ability to laugh at yourself and your community can be a vital tool. It reminds us not to take ourselves too seriously and forge bonds with our communities.
Laughing at your fandom can also be a display of authenticity –- “an ‘authentic’ fan self-narrative in terms of having been there’ at times of broadcast, and performs a ‘good’ fan identity premised on taking paratexts seriously” (( Hills, Matt. & Garde-Hansen, Joanne. Fandom’s paratextual memory: Remembering, reconstructing, and repatriating “Lost.” Critical Studies in Media Communication, 2017. 34:2, 158-167, DOI: 10.1080/15295036.2017.1293276 )). Authenticity is valuable to us, as fandom is constantly growing and changing. It solidifies a significant part of our identity as fans.
Laughing Makes It Hurt Less
Being able to make fun of specific fanfic tropes or events can be a way of showing off your knowledge as a fan. Mentioning that your mom sold you off to One Direction is a quick and easy way to demonstrate that you know your stuff to other fans while creating stronger bonds and a sense of sentimentality. But this self-deprecating humor can be a way of distancing yourself from that same community. We all feel a little embarrassed about our hobbies and it’s okay to laugh at ourselves. But sometimes our humor can inadvertently create an “us vs them” mentality; there are the fans who can make jokes and the fans who are cringey.
On a much larger scale, deprecating humor can be a mechanism to separate yourself from the more difficult aspects of fandom (( Anonymous. “Anime Fandom and Self-Deprecating Humour.” Frog-kun’s Blog. May 7, 2015. )); such as the sexism and racism prevalent in media and in fanworks alike. Humor can give a sense of false awareness — that you know there’s a problem but won’t do anything but point it out. Laughing at yourself (and your fandom) is a hard line to walk between. It can be challenging to determine whether your humor is all in good fun or if you might be teetering towards hurtful commentary.
It Would Be A Real Shame…
(Maybe these defensive feelings are an overreaction, but this is an issue I find myself addressing often. Students and peers often mention feeling embarrassed of their writing or afraid of the response if they share it online. So much of their hesitation comes from these comments online. In my classes, students will make jokes about what they saw online or express concern for having published something that may not be up to the standards of others. It’s disheartening.)
Regardless, it is important to remember that fanfiction has a rich history with many elements worth celebrating. There is so much more to it than spicy scenes where there is only one bed or the occasional fic that hasn’t been spell checked (I’m guilty of that one).
What makes fanfic a distinctive cultural phenomenon is that it is simultaneously polished and unpolished at the same time. Many writers hone their craft until it reaches their standard of perfection and other writers are still playing in the sandbox, figuring out what works for them and what doesn’t.
Are we still treating fanfiction as cringey because it’s part of our culture as fans to make fun of ourselves? Or are we still falling into the trap of seeing fanfic as shameful? It is a little bit of both. It is important to remind ourselves to be aware of the context and with what intention we are speaking. No matter what your opinion is of fanfiction, take a moment to be supportive.
A kind comment can go a long way.