#what I mean is that anytime someone makes a “fanfiction authors to check out/follow” list I'm never on it

[artemistorm]

I wonder if the reason why I tend to get overlooked as an LU writer is because I tend to write for Wild and Hyrule and not the "cool" Links like Legend, Warriors, Time or Four.

[bughead-fic-request]

I would like to thank @leaalda for making these amazing banners.

This is an effort to spread the word about all fan fiction writers in our little fandom. If you would like to be featured or nominate a writer, please contact me. Please reblog this post if you can and check out some of @bettyluvsjuggie work!

1. First things first, if someone wanted to read your stories where can they find them.

http://archiveofourown.org/users/bettyluvsjuggie/works or my taglist on tumblr https://bettyluvsjuggie.tumblr.com/search/bljwrites

2. Tell us a little about yourself.

I’m 18 years old, and I live in England (I don’t have a posh accent and I don’t like tea- sorry for betraying the stereotypes). I’m a pretty artsy person, I love drama and especially dance- I’ve been dancing since I was like 3. You know that leg stretch thing Madelaine does as Cheryl, I can do that. I also love photography- I don’t have a great camera or anything yet, I just like taking pretty pictures.

3. What do you never leave home without?

My phone for sure.

4. Are you an early bird or a night owl?

Night owl definitely, my sleep pattern is so messed up.

5. If you could live in any fictional world which one would you choose and why?

Gosh, that’s a tough one. I’d love to visit Wonderland, as in ‘Alice in…’ because I’ve always loved that story, but I wouldn’t want to live there!

6. Who is the most famous person you’ve ever met.

I’ve met a couple of British Olympic and Paralympic medal winners but I don’t remember their names… clearly they weren’t that famous?

7. What are some of your favorite movies/TV?

I love classic 80s movies like The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller, St. Elmo’s Fire. I’m also a sucker for romantic movies like the first time, The Notebook, Me Before You.

TV shows? Obviously Riverdale, also Teen Wolf, Orphan Black, Brooklyn Nine Nine and Skins.

8. What are some of your favorite bands/musicians?

Varies so much across so many genres but some favourites currently are Oh Wonder, Ed Sheeran, Christine and the Queens, Halsey, All Time Low etc.

9. Favorite Books?

Anything sappy and romantic lol, and it’s a little clichéd tbf but the Fault in our Stars by John Green is one of my favourites I think, not that I’ve read it in ages, but I remember thinking it was really well written. A childhood favourite is Ballet Shoes by Noel Fielding.

10. Favorite Food?

Chicken, a broad category I know, but that’s what’s great about it! I also love spicy food.

11. Biggest pet peeve?

People who are assholes for no reason, it costs nothing to be kind.

12. What did you want to be when you were little? What do you want to be now?

I wanted to be a ballet dancer lol, how clichéd but like I said, I’m into dance. Now I want to work in psychology, probably working with children. Mostly I want to do something that makes me happy and might help make others a little happier too

13. What are your biggest fears? Do you have any strange fears?

I am f’ing terrified of needles- which sucks because I am desperate for a tattoo, but I have a panic attack when I have to get injections? Also, thunderstorms. I don’t understand how people love them because they terrify me!! I fully have to hide under a blanket and try and drown out the thunder and lightning

14. When you are on your deathbed what would be the one you’d regret not doing?

I hope that when I die, I can look back and see a full and happy life. I know that there will inevitably be ups and downs, but I hope that I will let the light outweigh the dark. So if anything, I would regret not allowing myself to be happy.

Okay… lets talk about your writing!

15. Which is your favorite of the fics you've written for the Bughead fandom?

A one-shot I wrote called Lovesick - Betty and Jughead are both sick after Jughead catches a cold from Betty. I really loved writing Jughead because he’s very over the top and whiny and it was just fun to do!

16. Which was the hardest to write, in terms of plot?

Currently my only multi-chapter is called He Was Gone - it’s set in two different timelines, sort of like flashbacks vs present time. I guess I don’t really struggle with the plot, but sometimes the words just won’t happen the way I want them to.

17. How do you come up with the ideas for you fic(s)? Do you people watch? Listen to music? Get inspired by TV/movies?

Sometimes for my one-shots I look at prompts but I never really follow it exactly, that’s why I never credit one. Does that make sense? Like I put my own spin on it. For example: if the prompt is Person A takes care of Person B while they’re sick. I say nah, make them both sick.

The rest of the time, it’ll be an idea that has manifested in my brain. Some fluffy situation that I can’t stop thinking about all day and have to put into words as soon as I can.

Sometimes I write while listening to music but it’s not essential.

18. Idea that you always wanted to write but could never make work?

I’m not good at smut but then again I haven’t really tried, maybe I will, maybe it won’t. I’m really enjoying writing fluff right now so it doesn’t bother me too much.

19. Least favorite plot point/chapter/moment you’ve written?

I can't really pinpoint an exact thing but I have definitely posted chapters of my multi-chapter that I wasn't completely satisfied with.

20. Favorite plot point/chapter/moment you’ve written?

From Lovesick again (I really do like it): “You’re very hot Jug.”

“Why thank you, my dear. And I love you very much, but I am in no state to fool around today” he deadpanned. I like sarcastic Jughead

21. Favorite character to write?

Jughead and Betty, can’t separate them sorry. I mostly only write those two anyway in my one-shots. I’m just in love with those characters and their love story.

22. Favorite line or lines of dialogue that you've written?

Jughead waited for Betty’s eyes to flutter open and meet his, meadows of green locked with floods of blue. He sighed quietly, “there is nothing in this world, or the next, that will stop me from kissing you.”

23. Best comment/review you’ve ever received?

Literally every comment I receive makes my heart sing and puts a smile on my face. There are no favourites because they all mean the world to me. Whether it’s three words or thirty, I can guarantee any comment will make me happy.

24. How do you handle bad reviews or comments?

I’ve had none so far thankfully, but I imagine I would try and not let the bad outweigh the good. I understand that’s sometimes easier said than done though.

25. If you could change anything in any of your stories, what would it be?

Sometimes I post a chapter and then when I’m writing the next one and I think of something and I’m like ‘damn that would have been so much better’ but I can’t really pick out something specific.

What is your favorite story you’ve ever written? Any fandom?

Before I entered the bughead fandom I didn’t even read fanfiction of any sort, let alone write it so there are no fics from other fandoms. I’ve already said Lovesick a few times (Really? Hadn’t noticed.) so I’ll pick another one. I am really loving writing He Was Gone to be honest, I don’t think I’ve seen anyone else do the Now/Then thing that I’m doing and I’m just enjoying exploring that.

27. What are you reading right now? Both fan fiction and general fiction?

Not really reading any general fiction at the moment sadly, I need to start reading again for sure. But in terms of fanfiction, I literally am LOVING Serpent and the Swan @jugandbettsdetectiveagency, meet the morning, which has just finished but it’s one of my favourites @sylwrites, OF COURSE The Stacks by @malmo722, a long time favourite (shout out to its brilliant author who also thought of this awesome idea, thanks for letting me be a part of it <3), there’s definitely loads more and literally tons on my need to read list.

28. Do you have an advice for writers that want to get into this fandom but might be scared?

I’ve seen a lot of people talk about comment culture and reaching out to others so I’ll try and write something a little different.

When you put your work out there for the first time, it is super scary and it can make you feel super vulnerable, I can remember the exact feeling because it feels like barely anytime has passed since I posted my first fic. Try not to expect immediate success, unfortunately it doesn’t happen for everyone. I know it can be intimidating to see a much smaller number of notes on your post than the most well-known writers get, but try and not let it affect you. Instead, try and appreciate every note that you get. Every like, kudos, comment or reblog, no matter how few or how many, means that someone read what you wrote and appreciated it, isn’t that awesome?! I think it’s epic.Also, if there isn’t an immediate or huge response to your fic, don’t let it discourage you. Don’t stop writing, keep going, write more.

And finally, don’t write for other people, write for yourself.

[sleepywinchester]

Behind The Story S2 | Pt. 17

Summary: The reader and Jensen fly together back to LA,

Author: sleepywinchester {prev; deanwinchester-af}

Characters: Jensen, Reader, Jared, Gen and Cast Cameos.

Pairings: Single!Jensen x Actress!Reader (Nina Dobrev = Faceclaim)

Words: 1.3k+

Warnings: Angst.

Beta: @waywardlullabies

Disclaimer: NO HATE TOWARDS DANNEEL!

Note: Hope you guys like this one!!!

Title: For Our Daughter’s Sake

MASTERLIST

Instead of having your mother fly to San Diego with JJ, Jensen traveled back to Los Angeles with you. Having JJ around wasn’t the smartest idea with all the media that was in San Diego.

It felt weird being next to him for the short flight. There was so much history between the two of you, yet neither could form a non-awkward sentence.

“Do you think we can make this co-parenting work?” Jensen broke the silence.

You looked at him, “I mean… We have to. For JJ.”

Jensen’s eyes lit up at the sound of her name. “Yeah,” he smiled slightly. “I miss her.”

“She really misses you,” you said. “She always says da-da all around.”

He smiled, glad his daughter haven’t forget about him. You guys didn’t talked much the rest of the flight. Once in LA, you two drove straight back to your place.

“Hey sweetheart,” Jensen greeted your daughter with a bright smile.

She smiled and giggled, extending her small hands to the air towards him. “Da-da,” she said.

Jensen lifted her up, kissing her rosy cheeks and hugging her. You took the moment in for another second before walking out of JJ’s room and into the living room. You met with Shay, who was checking up your agenda. She looked up to you with worriness in her eyes.

“I’m okay,” you gave her a weak smile, taking a seat next to her.

Only a few people knew the real reason behind yours and Jensen’s separation, Shay being one of them. She was hesitant when you asked her to go home and take care of JJ until you got there. You didn’t want to your mother to face Jensen. It was a drama that you weren’t ready to face.

“He just wanted to spend time with her… I-I couldn’t say no.” You sighed.

Shay nodded once and turned to her computer. “Do you want to go get lunch?”

You looked at her, “Yeah. Kill some time while he’s with her.”

“My point,” she smiled.

You walked upstairs to see Jensen sitting in the floor playing with JJ. You couldn’t help but smile at the scene happening in front of your eyes. He looked up and smiled as well.

“Um,” you put a lock of hair behind your ear, “I’m going to grab lunch with Shay…”

“Oh,” Jensen held onto JJ, “do you want me to leave?”

“No,” you quickly said. “You can stay here while I go out…”

Jensen cracked a smile, “Okay. See you later.”

“There’s some of her food in the fridge if she gets hungry and all her supplies are in that closet,” You pointed at the set of doors next to him. “Call me if you need anything.”

He nodded once before turning his attention back to JJ.

You and Shay decided to have lunch in a nice restaurant in Downtown, Los Angeles. When you hired her, it was because of her good skills and personality. But you never thought that you’d also find a great friend.

“Welcome,” the waitress greeted.

You smiled to her, “Hi.”

Without wasting anytime you and Shay ordered and were waiting on the food.

“So…” Shay put her glass of water on top of the table, “Are you accepting the role on Arrow?”

“I already did,” you flashed a grin, “it’ll probably going to kill me but it’s only like two episodes.”

Shay instantly smiled, “I’m so excited! You’re going to be cat-woman!”

“Shhh,” you glanced around, “it’s a surprise.”

She huffed a laugh, “Alright. I’ll calm myself.”

The food finally came and you both began to eat. It was in that moment that the table behind you was occupied by two new customers. They were talking and laughing at something one of them said.

“I’m telling you,” the woman said, “it was like low hanging fruit.”

Her friend giggled, “I can’t believe you did that... went into his bedroom, made him drunker and pretended he slept with you? Kudos to you, bitch.”

Your eyes shot to Shay, who was listening to their conversation.

The woman laughed with a disgusting pride regarding her action. “I’m telling you,” she paused, “I’m just waiting on filming to start, to start on phase two of my plan.”

“Which is…?” The friend asked.

“Get myself pregnant by someone else and say it’s his.” She said proudly.

“That’s very low, Claudia.”

When you heard that name came out of the other woman your blood pressure increased. You wanted to stand up and confront her but something inside you knew it wasn’t the right time.

“I don’t care,” Claudia spat, “they already called off the wedding. Jensen Ackles is going to be mine,” she said, “I guarantee you that.”

“That’s it,” you growled and stood up. Shay quickly followed your lead.

You turned and stood in front of Claudia’s table, glaring straight into her face. If you could take a picture of her face in this moment, you’d do it. She looked back at you with wide eyes. Claudia wasn’t apologetic but she was surprised of your presence. You scoffed feeling stupid for ever thinking Jensen cheated.

“Of course it was all a fucking lie,” you growled at her.

Claudia took a deep breath, “It wasn’t-.”

“Shut the hell up!” You shouted, pointing at her. “I can’t believe you planned everything!” Your voice was getting louder and with it having everyone’s attention. “I can’t believe you making believe that!” She was about to speak when you grabbed her red wine and threw it over her white dress. The splash covering half of her face and chest.

“Bitch!” She stood up.

You felt the flashing cameras around you but there was no care in the world.

“You’re the only heartless bitch in this place,” Shay shouted behind you. “Let’s go, Y/N.”

“I can’t believe this,” you said glaring at the road while Shay drove back to your apartment. “She made everything up,” you scoffed with unbelief, “she-,” a tear fell down your face and looked back to Shay, “Jensen didn’t cheat.”

Shay nodded holding onto the steering wheel. “This is crazy.”

You shook your head, feeling utterly stupid. “How am I supposed to look at Jensen? I broke up the relationship, I called off the wedding!” You said. “Things are never going back to the way they were… It’s-,” you covered your face with both hands.

“Hey,” Shay said and you looked up. “You guys love each other, yes it will take time but you can make it work.” You shook your head. “Yes you can, Y/N, but first you have to sit down with him and tell him the truth.”

You took a deep breath when Shay pulled over by your complex parking lot. You looked for the right words to say as you walked towards the elevator.  Your eyes met with Shay who is equally nervous as you are in this moment.

“You ready?” Shay said.

Taking another deep breath in, you nodded and walked out of the elevator.

“Home so soon?” Jensen stood up from the living room floor. He’s holding JJ on his arms, softly swinging her around.

“Yeah,” you said, “I-,” you swallowed, “We have to talk, Jay.”

His eyebrows furrowed at your words and sudden serious tone. “What’s wrong?”

“Um,” you turned to Shay, “can you hold JJ for a minute?”

“Sure,” Shay quickly said and took JJ from Jensen’s arms.

He clenched his jaw, “You’re scaring me, Y/N. What’s wrong?”

“I ran into Claudia,” you said sitting down at the diner table.

Jensen’s expression quickly changed into a more serious and angered one.

“What did that bitch say to you?” He growled.

“She said the truth,” you said. “She was bragging with her friend about how she tricked you into thinking you two had sex…”

In that moment Jensen’s eyes widened, filling with relief and hope. “What?” He mumbled.

You nodded, cracking a small smile. “She confessed… You-,” a tear ran down your cheek, “you never cheated.”

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[shybunnystudios]

a lot like love | original

So, this used to be a very very very VERY angsty Hiro Hamada (Big Hero 6) one shot based on the song by Cimorelli with the same title, but I adapted it in a way everyone can fit in. I recommend you to listen to the song by the way. Even though the song is in a female to male, I tried to keep my writing as neutral as possible.

It’s about how it feels to be in love with someone untouchable, that being a fictional character or a famous idol. I’m one that lives this reality and I’ve put my heart and soul in here because it’s based on actual crisis I have sometimes, so I really hope you guys like and are able to relate to it.

I’m sorry if you cry, I remember crying when I first wrote it and I cried again while editing it... *hug* But anyway... Enjoy!

~ beautiful gif is not mine ~

You | angst | word count: +1.5k

There you are, sitting on the floor at the corner of your room crying because of the wave of realization that just suddenly hit you right in the heart.

Driving home, replaying all the things he said

You had just read an imagine of (*your favorite idol/character*), your phone's screen still shining beside you on the floor as you remember every single detail that happened in your imagination. You've been feeling like this since you saw them for the first time, but you just realized it when the feeling begun growing like there's no tomorrow a few months ago after you got really into the fandom.

I thought I'd feel different than this

It doesn't make any sense. You had a lot of fluff cute moments with them on the fanfiction. You smiled, your heart beated faster and the butterflies on your stomach went nuts, you're supposed to be happy. But when you scrolled down and liked the post you just broke down and all you could feel was loneliness.

I can't explain or ignore this emptiness

But it felt right in the moment

The words you read formed the whole scene in your mind: you were crying because of something and you could almost feel their touch when they turned you to them looking right in your eyes with their warm ones. You also could almost hear their voice in your head. "Everything's gonna be alright." And again could almost feel their arms around you in a tight yet comforting embrace, but just almost.

When he looked in my eyes, it almost felt like someone cared

And when he held me tight, it felt like someone was there for me

Your eyes tried to blink tears back bringing you back to reality and making you realize you were staring at the floor. You were crying for real right now and they’re not there to comfort you, the irony... That's exactly the reason why you're crying.

And I, I wish I could say that he stayed

But he runs every time like that he's gone

You chuckled lightly and cursed yourself, such a fool. It was just a fanfiction. Just your imagination. Not real life. And you now found yourself sobbing.

I know it wasn't much

And I knew it from his touch

All you wanted now was your idol/character there beside you, more than how bad you wish not to have fallen in love with them in the first place. They're all you wish you had right now.

There's no truth in his eyes but I want this to be real so bad

Only if wishing hard could make things just pop in front of you, but who are you to say they'd feel for you the same things they feel for you in fanfiction, right?

And I know that's not enough

And I held on for too long

You can't hold back anymore, you don't want but you need to accept the truth. What Romeo and Juliet had been through is a piece of cake comparing with how far you realized you've got. You're in love with someone untouchable, there’s no way you can be together. How bad is that? The moments you've been through together never happened and never will, but everything felt so real. You just wonder what's wrong with you.

It was broken and wrong

It was nothing all all

But it felt a lot like love

You glanced at your phone beside you, you took it in your hands and now the light of the screen is reflecting on your face. There below the ending was the notes.

"1,273."

Your voice cracked as you read out loud the number, you went to the author's profile and checked their followers. You scroll down on that never ending list of what? Yeah, fans. Just like you.

And I can feel him add my name to his list

Looking at all those usernames you realized there's more fanfictions, more authors and more users, so every moment you ‘had’ with your idol/character had been ‘lived’ by other fans too. They said "everything's gonna be alright," ate candies while watching movies, went to the park and even had a secret relationship with all those fans, not just you. You didn't feel jealous but somehow this hits you like a train.

I'm nothing more than a number

There are so many fans out there and you couldn't avoid the thought of having so many of them who were obviously prettier than you, so what if they weren't that unreachable? What if they were normal? That horrible sinking feeling started because there's no one who can say you'd have a chance with them. You know you need to stop with this, you just don't know how. But if you did know you don't know if you would do it.

But I'll admit I'd still do anything

Just to feel that feeling once more

You remembered when you first found them out, seeing their human sensitive side was what started everything. You didn’t see the machine like figure everyone sees, you could see the humanity in them. You saw something different in those orbs of theirs, you saw innocence and enchantment. Something you can't see often on people's eyes lately so that simply made your heart melt. Same with their hair bouncing as they move and their gorgeous smile that makes the butterflies on your stomach want to cut your belly open and fly away. And when the froth wall was broken and they looked right at you, getting closer to the screen you felt your head involuntarily back away a little and your cheeks burned red. Thank God you were alone.

When he looked in my eyes

I swear he sat my world on fire

And all of this feelings come back when you read fanfiction, you turn the world around you off and totally forget about it because everything that matters in that moment is that you, (Y/F/N), live there with them and they’re hugging you because they care about you and love you back. Only you.

And when he held me tight

It felt like I was the only one

You closed the app and opened your gallery, when you say you have a lot of pictures of them on your phone, you're not kidding at all. You stopped sobbing when you opened the folder with ‘over nine thousand’ pictures of your beloved idol/character, you looked at every single picture quietly as warm tears roll down your cheeks. They could not be there with you for real, but only by looking at them made you feel safe. However, your heart feels like it's being crushed.

And I, I wish I could say that he stayed

But he runs every time like that he's gone

I know it wasn't much

And I knew it from his touch

There's no truth in his eyes but I want this to be real so bad

And I know that's not enough

And I held on for too long

It was broken and wrong

It was nothing at all

But it felt a lot like love

Was what you feel for them love? You don't even know what love means anymore, they came to your life shaking up your world and making you doubt everything you knew about this stupid word which ‘there's no right answer’ for the meaning of it, but some things you were sure of:

"If it was love he wouldn't left me lonely

If it was love he would've cared that he hurted me"

Because they would be there with you! That's it! The anger and the sadness consumed you at the same time, because:

"They say love is patient, love is kind

But in this love I'm slowly losing my mind!"

You sightly threw your phone away from you, your face grew hot as you tried to hate yourself and the idol/character your stupid heart fell in love with. Your heart could only be masochist, it's the only explanation.

I lose my mind!

That's when you looked up to your wall where your poster was and there they are, looking at you, but not really remember? They don't know who you are just because there's no how, so how did they have this power against you? The look in their eyes really made you feel like they were there.

When he looked in my eyes, it almost felt like someone cared

But they weren’t.

And I know it wasn't much

And I knew it from his touch

There's no truth in his eyes but I want this to be real so bad

And I know that's not enough

And I held on for too long

It was broken and wrong

It was nothing at all

But it felt a lot like love

You don't know if you'll ever get through this or if you'll ever be able to move on, if you'll ever fall in love again for a real normal person then get married and have kids. Actually you never really had sure about any of this things, you just knew that you're not gonna be sure about them anytime soon.

Because after all, your angry mind screams:

"It was nothing at all"

And all your aching and sobbing heart answer is:

"But it felt a lot like love"

And it does every time.

Masterlist

[aceofhearts6886-blog]

5 Reasons Fan-Fiction Is Better Than Actual TV Shows

5 Reasons Fan-Fiction Is Better Than Actual TV Shows

5.Sex 4.Sex 3.Sex 2.Sex and 1.Sex, end of list…

     Kidding, that’s just what most people think of when they hear of fanfiction. Fanfic is NOT just about people boning! I know that’s what most people think when they hear about it, but it’s really not. Yes, there is a lot of sex in fanfic, of course there is. Sex is EVERYWHERE; in every show, book, movie, commercial, everything. It is absolutely permeated into our culture. That is just the world we live in, there is no avoiding it (believe me, I've tried). Saying all fanfic is just sex is like saying all scifi is Star Wars: is it a part of it? Yes; is it a pretty significant part? For many, yes, absolutely; are there people who take it too far? Oh my god, yes. But, at the end of the day, it’s just one element of a huge, expansive universe of possibilities.

It seems like anytime you see anything written about fanfic it’s always about the most cringe-worthy things that they can find. It’s usually about how bad the writing can be, how explicit many scenes can get, or how mindbogglingly insane a story can go.  Those exist, no question and there is a reason for that; fanfic is written by the author, and only the author. For many, it’s a look into their minds, a glimpse into their inner-most (darkest, craziest, and yes, sometimes dirtiest,) thoughts. It is a way to express your most private thoughts and fantasies. For some, it's a kind of catharsis; a way to work through some of the confusing, depressing, at times even disturbing, things you're facing in your real life. For others it’s an escape from all that. It’s a way for someone who may, in person, be shy, awkward or somewhat introverted, to express themselves in a way that they simply can’t in real life.  Then there are those who simply do it because they are intelligent, kinda quirky, and creative and came up with a unique, interesting story that they wanted to share; that, or they were drunk and it seemed like a good idea at the time.

            Okay, rant done, onto my original topic. There are many reasons why some people may prefer fan-fiction to its source material, things like….  

5.Hate the way a story went? There is a story to fix that:

Fanfics are kinda like apps; there is one for everything.Ever read a book, watched a movie, or finally made it to the end of a series, only to be left underwhelmed, confused or simply with a mental loop of “Seriously!?!” This is why fan fiction exists. So much of fanfics are ‘Fix-it’ fics. Anytime I watch an episode of one of my favorites, only to be disappointed with how it went, I wait about an hour and go to archiveofourown.org. It is almost a certainty that someone (much more creative than me) was also disappointed and wrote something to fix it. Or, when they have the quick stinger for the next episode and you have to wait a week, or month or whole season, and you just don’t have the patience, damnit; there’s a fic for that. Killed off your favorite character?  There’s a fic for that. Somewhere, online, they’re still around, even years later, they're still showing up; having adventures and storylines, all happy and healthy and totally not dead (unless they’re like a ghost or vampire or something, fanfic really can go anywhere).

4.Find a narrative that speaks to you:

          I’ll be honest; all my favorite stories are slash. Slash, to those who don’t know (hi, welcome to the internet, you must be new) is when canon-ly straight characters are written as Gay/Lesbian/Bi (generally Slash is used for male characters, femslash is women, obviously). why is this so common? I don't know, It could be that there are a larger number of well written, interesting male characters. It could be because most shows just have more men on them. Or, as most fanfic writers are female, maybe they think the guys are hot and/or they are just sick of everything revolving around boobs; whatever the reason, there is a LOT of slash out there.  My favorite thing about slash is that you get actual story-lines with gay characters as opposed to just ‘gay story-lines.’ Let’s face it, most stories involving gay characters can be summed up as: denial, acceptances, depressing homophobic drama, come out, fade away ( or apparently, in lesbian stories:  all that, end up hooking up with random guy, THEN die). Look, I’m fine with coming out stories, I’m good with drama and self-acceptance and all that, really I am.  When I’m in the right mood, I may even actively seek them out. But, honestly, most of the time I’d take action, fantasy, scifi, lots of humor, sarcasm, and explosions over all that emotional stuff any day.  I don’t watch shows or read to be pulled into serious ethical dilemmas or to be depressed, angered or annoyed, I’m watching/reading to escape all that crap for an hour or so! I like cheesy quotes, ridiculous action, and completely off the wall scifi craziness. With slash, I can get all that, only with a little gay twist. See, LGBT characters in stories, to me, are kinda like the romantic subplot. I like it, it makes it interesting and adds depth, sometimes it may even be one of the main draws, but if that’s all it’s about, I’m out. I need more than just that to keep my interest. Again, that is what I look for in a story; you may actually like romance stories, you may only like stories with straight characters, you may like stories that are dark and depressing and make you dissolve into tears. Heck, for all I know you may only like stories where all the characters are anthropomorphic Tetris blocks, I don’t know. And that’s fine; that is one of the best things about fanfic, no matter where your interest lie, no matter how traditional, quirky, or even downright bizarre, you can find something that will appeal to you.

I got a bit sidetracked again (fair warning, if you can’t already tell, I do that a lot). anyways; most fanfic won’t follow cannon. The characters might not be dealing with all the same things as the show, they may not be in the same relationship as the show, they may not even be in the same universe as the show; but who cares? Despite how obsessive some of us can get, none of these shows/characters are real, they’re all just fiction, and, I figure, if it’s all fiction anyway, you may as well follow the one that is most interesting to you.

3. Expansive, immersive, unique worlds:

     Speaking of different universes, one of my absolute favorite things about fanfic are Alternate Universes. I love these because you can have your favorite characters in completely different worlds, different genres, different everything. The authors of some of these can build an entire, unique world with their words and imagery. These can go anywhere from a slight detour from cannon, to a train, plane, possibly a freaking spaceship trip from where you started, which is why it is so appealing. You can have a character that you love in a type of story that would never get to see otherwise. These can be so creative, unique and expansive, that you almost forget what it’s based on. I have read a Hawaii five-0 story where one of the main characters was a werewolf; there’s a Teen Wolf ( shut up, you can’t look up slash without running into this one, a while ago they were  actively encouraging slash) one that is set in a scifi/space type universe , complete with aliens, space battles and a collective of assassins. There’s actually a few Supernatural ones where angels and demons are similar to the show, but they’re aliens or something else instead (like I said, I like scifi). I love it when I find a really well-written AU, where you can get completely absorbed in the story. To me, these kind of stories are kinda like seeing a favorite actors that, no matter what they’re in, they still come off as the same person; Tom Cruise, Steven Seagal, Pierce Brosnan, Charlie Sheen (Wait, bad example, let’s just stick with the firsts three, okay?).

2. Stories that are exactly what the author intended:

          Okay, cards on the table? This one is a bit of a mixed bag. On the one hand; you get the story exactly how it was intended, not deluded, edited or censored; on the other hand you, well, get the story exactly how it was intended, not deluded, edited or censored. These works are all based on the authors’ preference; on their tastes, views and peculiarities. It can be whatever that one particular person thinks up, and, let’s face it, there are some pretty peculiar people out there ( once again, you are on the internet right now, you know this) with some pretty twisted minds, hey, for all I know, you might be one of them. Their view may not appeal to you, it may creep you out, it may disturb you, it may even offend you; but the thing is, you can always stop reading and move onto something else, not every story is written for every audience. It’s not that hard to figure out, read what you want, ignore what you don’t. It really annoys me when I read comments on a fic and someone is complaining about something that was clearly explained in the tags/notes/ex.

           This also means that most of the writing is subject to the authors level of skill; I can’t tell you how many times I’ve went to check out a story with a plot that really interested me, only to have it have so many spelling/grammar errors that I couldn’t continue, was a bit too convoluted even for me to follow  (which, with me, is saying something) or, simply, veered into a direction that I just didn’t want to follow. I’m not gonna lie, there is a lot of bad writing out there, but, the same can be said about any form of media; you can’t tell me you’ve never read a book or watched a show, got part way through  and thought “what the hell is this?”.

   See, the thing I most love about fanfiction, is that you do get to see just that one individual’s story. It isn’t a hodgepodge of ideas assembled from a group of writers like most media. It isn’t a story tossed together by focus groups, designed to appeal to the widest audience possible. It’s not about marketing, merchandising and monetary value. It’s just a story that someone came up with and felt that they wanted to share with the world, simply because they could; to me, there is something so absolutly fantastic about that (yeah, yeah that went weirdly sappy for me, but I don’t care.)

Honestly, I usually cheat when I read a story; I’ll read the last line to make sure it doesn’t end somewhere I don’t want to be; though, to be fair, I usually prefer longer stories, and if I’m gonna read +20k words, it needs to be worth it. For all of that; for all the typos, quirky spirals, and bizarre porn (I said it wasn’t all of it, never said that isn’t where a lot ends up) that exist in fanfic, there really are some amazing writers in fanfiction that totally make all the rest worth it. Which brings me to…

1.Sometimes the writing is actually better than in the actual show:

          I don’t know about you, but when I get a new favorite show, I like it right off the bat; love the characters, premise, story-lines, everything. Then it goes on for a bit and networks just. Can’t. Leave. Well. Enough. Alone. They add more characters, add more twists, kill off your favorites ( to be fair, this isn’t all on the show, sometimes the actors want to leave for whatever reason) or they add in unnecessary romances/ love triangles in an attempt to keep a show ‘fresh’. Note to TV writers  STOP DOING THAT. If it works, leave it alone; give me more of the cases, action, bantering, humor and quirkiness that attracted me in the first place because that is why I am watching this show and not some sappy/overdramatic movie on lifetime. Don’t add a random girl just so the main guys have someone to flirt with/sleep with/compete over. Not only is that sexist, but this is not the narrative most of the audience is looking for; I don’t want to see them trying to hook up with or competing over some random woman, I just want to see them; solve cases, fight, make snarky comments and occasionally blow stuff up. Is that really too much to ask?

          Sorry, this concludes the TV rant, I'm back. So, have you noticed how, after a show has been on the air a while it just kinda goes downhill? They lean too heavily on random tropes, they do a lot of ‘special’ or ‘themed’ episodes. Yeah, that bugs me too. There are some shows that changed so much that I stopped watching altogether and have switched to just reading fanfic. The reason; some of these writers are absolutely amazing at writing stories that feel like an actual episode, or an entire Season , of a show, sometimes even better than most of the actual shows writers.

An example; Psych was one of my favorite shows for quite a while. I loved the first couple of seasons, but as it drug out the stories got more convoluted and random. The premise was fantastic, but it seemed like many of the stories just kinda missed the mark. I get that it was mainly a comedy show, but it was also heavily driven by cases; for me, most of these just kinda fell flat and were forgotten in favor of slapstick comedy and the will they/won’t they relationship between the fake psychic and the junior detective he was usually working with (It’s a guy and a girl, you know they will). There are some amazing stories that are exactly like an actual episode, complete with the flashbacks and everything, only with more adventure and more compelling cases. These writers can draw you in with the first few words and keep your attention all the way through. Another of my favorites was Eureka. I actually liked this entire series, but at the end of the 3rd season they killed off one of my favorite characters. I loved the quirkiness of the show, it was funny and interesting with a good mix of scifi, humor and action. There simply wasn’t enough of this show; with fanfic you can get a lot more ‘episodes’, This has also inspired some really great AU’s. they are just as fun, interesting and quirky , as the actual show  just, you know, without the commercials.

Look, I know that many people look down on fanfiction; they see it as anything from badly written porn, the ranting of a lunatic, or basic copy write infringement.  Those stories are out there, no question, but that is just a part of it. A lot of it is well written, creative narratives that just take an existing idea and run with it; and honestly, how is that much different from any other media? Most of the characters from Star Wars are pretty much lifted from old westerns and samurai films. Every other movie or TV show that seems to be coming out is an homage to, spin-off or gritty reboot of something else. Nearly every story is going to borrow some things from others. Most characters are gonna be inspired by others, wither it’s just a bit or in everything but the name; at least fanfiction writers are honest about where they are borrowing from. Bottom line, a lot of these writers have an amazing ability to weave interesting, creative, imaginative stories better than many who get paid for it; and they’re not doing it for money, fame or other forms of personal success. They just want to tell you a creative, interesting story. They want to entertain, to express themselves, and to give people interesting narratives that they can identify with that they may not be able to find too many other places; or like I said, maybe they were just drunk. Either way, it usually leads to something pretty entertaining.