#fanfiction literacy

[marmalade-and-daisies]

if anyone reads fanfic and wants to contribute to a literacy studies project, please do this survey!! https://forms.gle/SPCtMmSe3NThwfBs6

[myfandomrealitea]

I really wanted to ask you about this:

Do you have any advice of how to develop critical thinking and media literacy?

There are many, many ways you can practice critical thinking, evaluation and media literacy. At its most basic, you can access student resources for lower levels of education like earlier high school years and look at the examples and guidance given there. Rehashing this will often give you a good foundation to build off of and apply.

One of the main aspects of critical thinking involves discerning what is fact and what is opinion. A good portion of media analytics is opinion. What is 'bad' by one person's standards is 'sub-par' or even 'great' by another's. Similarly, the majority of fandom space is opinion-based. The main pitfall of fandom spaces is that everyone wants their opinion to be taken as fact, which is where critical thinking and even basic communication begin to fall away.

"I'm right and you're wrong" and "this is the way it should be, if you do it or think differently, you're wrong" are common roadblocks people run into when engaging with things like media analysis and even basic fandom activities like fanfiction.

'Mischaracterisation' is fanfiction is one popular topic, especially here on Tumblr. What people often fail to recognize is the true creative depth of fanfiction and using someone else's pre-existing characters. Characters as they are in the source material may not make the choices or behave in the ways necessary to activate or validate certain plot material or author intentions in fanfiction. Which is, inherently, one of the main points of fanfiction. Exploring the alternate.

While you might immediately recoil and say "he'd never do that!" you then have to sit back and recognise that that's exactly the point. That this iteration of that character is not meant to directly reflect the source material. Its a re-imagining, a re-interpretation. That doesn't mean its bad. Its simply different.

'Mischaracterisation' is only actually applicable in fandom spaces when someone is trying to insist as a blanket fact that a character would do something or behave in a way that blatantly contradicts their canon behavior, opinions, morals and perspective or deliberately interpreting an action in biased bad faith. It is not actually applicable to fanfiction where creative liberty dictates you can do whatever the fuck you want with a character because you're not trying to claim it as part of the source content.

Questions To Ask Yourself

Am I reacting to [media] emotionally instead of rationally? Is my emotional response to [media] blinding me to the rational or critical approach(es)?

Am I allowing my expectations to get in the way of me understanding [media] fully? Am I forming a biased negative opinion of [media] because it isn't meeting my expectations?

Even if I disagree with [media], do I actually understand it? Can I recognise the reasoning behind choices made or actions even if I don't agree with them?

Am I searching too hard to hidden meaning or purpose in absolutely everything? Can I recognise what is simply passive information/detail and what is active information/detail? (E.g; English tutors saying a character's curtains are blue because they're depressed when throughout the literature its passively reinforced that blue is the character's favorite color.)

Even though I disagree with the statement or opinion shown, is it necessary to argue against it? Is there any benefit to making my counter-opinion known or is it simply a no-end argument? Am I just using arguing as a means of release/fulfilment? Am I treating this person poorly because of their opinion/statement?

Resources

Critical Thinking Exercises & Explanations #1 The Critical Thinking Activity Workbook Early Stage Critical Thinking Games Five Media Literacy Activities Six Media Literacy Ideas

[dogtooth-sunday]

If you're new to fanfiction, or perhaps simply have difficulty understanding the appropriate etiquette for commenting, here's a tip!

The comments of a fanfiction are not the place to gripe about things you don't like about the fandom. Or even the story you're reading. The author is a chef making free chocolate cake for whoever wants it and you are standing in the kitchen loudly announcing how much you hate when chefs make chocolate cake with their recipe instead of yours.

[gavinreach]

The way I’m seeing actual extremely online gays froth at the mouth because Agatha died and claiming it’s bury your gays and how it’s homophobic…

sometimes I think people don’t understand how stories work because of course she was gonna die. Sometimes gays die!

[d-llahanspade]

Question,

Should I watch Wednesday?

I would say yes, absolutely, however you should be aware of some stuff going into it

Basically, because it’s a live action Netflix show aimed towards teens and young adults you should expect a little bit(who am I kidding, it’s a LOT imo) of cringe, especially when it comes to some of Wednesday’s dialogue and the occasional weird choice made for the supporting cast, but that’s basically expected.

Also, I should say that as much as I am a huge fan of the show and the Addams family in general, I don’t think it’s the best characterisation of Wednesday and her relationship with her family.

Gonna stop before I go full film critic rant lmao

Yes you should definitely watch it, if at least so you can engage in the fandom and get all the jokes (and why people use the word indelible so god damn much)

[eddieheart]

I had to write an article for my literacy test equivalent and... this is what I came up with.

[kryptonbabe]

It's baffling to me how some people really believe that someone's taste in fiction is an accurate portrayal of their personalities... "I don't trust people who like X", "I'm suspicious of people who ship Y", like our lives truly revolved around this specific topic, like we are all reduced to a handful of comic books, movies, fanfics, blog posts, headcanons. It's surprising to witness people being judged by what I perceive as such a small aspect of their inner lives. I get we sometimes get so attached to these characters and their fictions that we might think they are defining parts of who we are, but they're really not, we are complex and ever changing, made of experiences as well as our interpretations of the world. Fiction is merely our playground, our laboratory, a safe space to explore concepts, experiences, sensations; a place to express feelings and learn about how others feel, and the human experience is diverse, as such the art and fiction created based on it won't always be pleasant or appeal the same way to everyone. You can enjoy multiple things for multiple reasons and this won't say anything about your actions necessarily, bad people can enjoy wholesome media, good people can enjoy transgressive and what is perceived as toxic and problematic and bad and bizarre media. We are not products to be so easily classified and comprehended, the study of human psychology would be way more simple and brief if we were

[solazu1]

I’ve seen so much shitty ship content in the marble hornets fandom since I’ve joined that I’m starting to get sick of shipping as a whole, ngl. I’m staring hard at the main contenders here, Jaylex, Brim, and Jam. Brilex is another ship I see frequently fucked up a lot too, but yea whatever. I’m not condemning people who get it wrong because I’m not the goddamn messiah of characterization either but there’s gotta be a line to be drawn, right? like with all the absurd vaguely uncensored abused x abuser content associated with jaylex, the uncomfortable brim content where every instance of hoody fucking up Tim's life on **PURPOSE** is ignored for the sake of a cuddle or for the sake of sexualization, THE HEAVY OVER-SEXUALIZATION OF BRILEX, and the fully fleshed out personalities of Tim and Jay being washed away and sacrificed for mischaracterized, stereotypical, romantic interactions that really isn’t something the character would ever do but rather something the author wants them to act out. <- honestly the last bit can be applied to all other ships too! And it isn’t my only gripe with Jam specifically but I feel like my specific criticism on it deserves another post that will probably never come haha.

[wolf-tail]

No Patrick, the fact that you disagree with popular headcanons does not mean that everyone is losing the ability to critically think except you

[novelist-becca]

An exchange between me and an ao3 commenter on my (very old at this point) Post-Yesterday’s Lie fanfic

Comment: You sure this isn’t anti-Camila?

Me: No, but im sorry you feel that way? Luz’s fear of her mom hating the Isles has been established many times.

Comment: Luz reacted way too strongly in your fic, and kids who react that way usually have something bad going on at home. Obviously anti-Camila.

Me: Ok…? Kids who react that way ALSO can be neurodivergent, and react more sensitively to situations. This is just my interpretation.

[skippydiesposting]

ughhh okay hot take incoming but it's so annoying to me that every single time there's a post that's like "read more books reading books is good for you" there has to be that person in the notes like "but fanfiction counts too right????"

no!!!! that's exactly the opposite of the point! like there's no problem with reading fanfiction but reading exclusively fanfiction is not something you should be proud of. by reading only fanfiction you are excluding yourself from so many of the best parts of literature: character development, structured plots with an end goal, foreshadowing, the connection to the author's life...not even to mention, like, cultural relevance and the value of reading something that has been professionally edited. it's not especially clear to me that someone who reads only fanfiction can be said to actually enjoy reading since so many of the elements that make literature what it is have been stripped out of it. like if you're so entrenched in the emotional gratification of fanfiction that you can't bear to read a real, published novel, then I don't think you have very good chance of being someone who knows how to critically analyze and understand media.

like fanfiction is not morally wrong or anything like that but it's a fundamentally different thing than reading an edited, published book. they have such different goals that they are not equivalent to compare.

[touchoffleece]

Reflecting back over the last few years of AO3 and why it was made in the first place (to archive fan works) and older fanfic enjoyers trying to warn about purges of days gone by

It feels ironic that we're now experiencing a new fanfic purge in some sense. Either authors are trying to hide their works for a sense of control over unwanted AI Scalping in AO3 because of it's success as the best place for fanfiction hosting. Meaning unregistered or people not logged in won't be able to find fanfictions because they are behind a curtain now essentially "purging fics" from the public. Not that I blame any author who chooses to do this, I actually am pro authors doing what they feel they need to. I've decided to private fics because I really don't even like the idea of it possibly happening to my shoddy drabbles if it hasn't already and feeding into the misuse of AI by people looking for easy money. Or we see this other type of 'fanfiction purge'. New generation of fic readers being more demanding of free passion projects to the point of being rude, and driving the authors to stop writing, or even have authors publicly state the increase in considering just deleting their works because of the shift in attitude in what fic readers decide to comment under works. This observation made from looking at comments of newer fandoms (be it ao3 comments or social medias) and seeing more and more comments just be "update soon!" (and those comments only ask for more) or some veiled demand for more content under the guise of 'a joke demand for more'. And while there is nothing wrong with letting a author know you like the story and would like to read more, when it's just constant "more" comments with no acknowledgement of anything that goes on in the story/update it comes off as dismissive of the work someone put into an update. It sucks to see people act entitled to demand more from fanfic authors who are generally associated with distress but willing to put updating a fanfiction above irl commitments because of the love they hold for their fanwork, only to get asked for more and more. We have seen and know of the memes, but hey: fanfiction writers are humans, humans with emotional limits regardless of outlandish sounding some author's notes come off of to people without context. Entitled comments more likely then not lead to burn out, or authors just deciding to stop writing or decide to take their works down to not feel harassed by people asking for more. I really don't know many creative oriented people who take constant demands for more and more work without some type of reward well; and while some might try and ask "Aren't comments in themselves a feel good reward for the authors? Isn't that enough?" It probably depends on the author, but when the comments are just constant "more!" "I need the next update now!" ect, it doesn't give much feel good vibes after the initial "oh someone liked what I wrote" because more often then not they will wonder "I wonder what they liked about it" only to see the comments are just people rushing to order more free fanwork to be devoured as fast as possible without appreciation to what was already shared to the public for free. This has turned into a venting rant from what I originally had thought when I got the thought in my head late at night, but I do want to include that this probably can be linked back to people underappreciating or being apathetic about comparative literature, media literacy, or just appreciate taking art and doing some deep thinking on it, and it's a damn shame it seems it has lead to what feels like a new fanfiction purge in a place meant to be a safe space for fanfictions. Another example of history repeating itself because of complacency and forgetting or choosing to ignore our past mistakes.

[g1rl-int3rupted]

Just found out that the book that’s taken me three months to finish for school has less words then the fanfic I finished in less then a day…..

Priorities I guess ✨🤭

[onlyonekenobi]

..

[hometownrockstar]

if you start pointing to certain "social ills" as being specifically unique to the current times and being the result of the failure of individuals then you need to stop that reactionary garbage right away. I mean like pointing to widespread "media illiteracy lack of critical thinking" or "people are all fat and unhealthy because fast food" like if you want to point to a problem you see happening now (honestly its not always that the problem is only specific to current times either) like idk, babies being raised on ipads and it hurting their motor skill functions, then the answer is never in the individual (i.e. parents these days are bad) its societal (little social service support for parents, long work hours leave little time and energy to devote to kids, rising prices)

[thebellekeys]

what do you think about all those who whine about how they miss the old fandom culture of interacting with fanfic writers and fanfic artists as members of the fandom community who enjoyed engagement and discussion and feedback because now content creators are on a pedestal and don't need positive feedback but do need to churn out constant content to feed the a03 machine? like 8 years ago i was in harry potter fandom and people weren't so sensitive when dealing with constructive criticism. now every message that isn't praise to the sky is hate message lol sorry but now content creators are like anti democratic leaders. they want only approval, want readers to be brainwashed into total devotion to the point of obsession and act mad that their egos aren't petted with constant praise? if they need to be cuddled better do it irl peple no longer worship writers like gods lol or go to therapy, maybe it's not too late

I’m gonna selectively disagree based on what we’re talking about… Writers of original written content should man up and respect criticism, and moreover, stay out of reader spaces. People, even hardcore fans, are allowed to read works critically amd have negative opinions. That’s the whole point of literary criticism and media literacy. I don’t believe in unwarranted praise just because someone is a writer.

However, this should not apply to fanfiction writers from my point-of-view. No fanfiction is not worthy of overwhelming negative criticism – the characters do not even belong to the fic writers and were not created by them. Fanfiction is an exercise in indulgence, in comfort, in imaginativeness. But it’s not original content. No single person is truly qualified to tell a fanfiction writer how to write their fanfiction i.e. their borrowed creative property that exists purely for giggles and creative exercises at the end of the day. That’s as hilarious as “homeless man calls other homeless man a brokeass”. How the hell can “you characterized Draco as too much of a bully in this fic when he wasn’t even that mean in the canon and his relationship with Harry is abusive and toxic here” remotely qualify as constructive criticism? The whole point of fics is that there are no rules. Like, fanfiction is an exercise in emotional fantasy, not skill. I don’t believe in providing “constructive criticism” on unoriginal written content that exists for neither literary study not commercialization purposes. Keep your negative fanfiction opinions to yourself – fanfiction, unlike literature, doesn’t exist for the purpose of critique.

You can critique the genre of fanfiction on a holistic meta-level, absolutely, there are dissertations dedicated to that. But to go on an author’s fic and be like “your worldbuilding in this ABO Destiel fic is so bad here” is ridiculous. I’d lose respect for people doing that in online fanspaces. Ignore and move on and go read something else if you have nothing good to say.