“Fanfiction,” you begin, a slowly growing smirk on your face, and I feel embarrassment creep up on me. I know what’s coming. “Isn’t that all just weird gay dude porn?”
I know it’s coming, and every time, I am unprepared. I stutter out a few ashamed sentences, things that sound unbelievable to you, an outsider, but I know for truth. “It’s not all like that,” I say, “Some is really good,” I say.
You laugh, and continue with a different line of conversation.
But despite the hot embarrassment, and shame, and resolve to hide it deeper, I still feel… pity for you. For what you’ve missed.
Because…
Yeah, I have written gay romances. I’ve explored the first meeting of a lesbian couples. I’ve pieced together sweet little anecdotes of different gender couples. I’ve looked at the slice of life of friends, of siblings. The comforts of queerplatonic partners. The dynamics of polyamory.
That’s just what I’ve written. And I haven’t written much.
But I have seen.
Different points of view, emphasis of different characters, rewrites of canon because damn it they deserved better. Alternative-universes of every colour, from the most mundane of coffee shops to crossovers to complicated and intricate high fantasy and science fiction scenarios.
And I have felt.
I have giggled at the realistic and hilarious banter of close friends. I have gasped in horror as an antagonist throws down my hero, putting them in their final, most desperate hour. I have cried tears upon tears as my favorite has lost all they hold dear. Sometimes I’ve felt more strongly with fanfiction than when reading published novels.
And it’s. All. Free.
Drabbles 100 words all the way to novels and series of two hundred thousand, three hundred thousand, half a goddamn million words and more. Emotionally moving, distress inducing, tear jerking, joy bringing, take your pick and flavor and go for it, free of charge.
So… yes.
I pity you.
You don’t know just what you’re missing out on.
This is important ❤️
Thank you to all you amazing fanfiction writers! You’ve provided me with hours of entertainment (and feels)
Fanfiction today actually gets treated the exact same way sentimemtal poetry and proza got treated by the modernists
Like, the main problems writers like Hemmingway had with this kind of literature was that it was
Not cool, not focussed on action instead of emotions, too long, often female authors, too much focussed on social issues…
Sound familiar?
QueerGalaxies 