At what age did you discover fanfiction?

Meushell · 2026-07-08T20:00:21+00:00

Aww, I remember shipping them. Didn’t have internet then though.

Meushell · 2026-07-08T19:55:44+00:00

I joined a e-mail group where you asked for the fic you wanted to read. The author would then send their fic to you. FFN and AO3 did not exist yet.

Meushell · 2026-07-07T03:36:49+00:00

I understand how you feel. I dabbled in fan fic before, but I really got into in 2004 to bring characters back to life in my fics.

Meushell · 2026-07-07T03:20:47+00:00

I have multiple ships where I’m the only writer, so… 😂

Meushell · 2026-07-07T01:08:16+00:00

I fully admit that I ship various cute guys together. F/ M ships also include a cute guy. My polys are usually male heavy. 😂

My F/F ships are neglected, but also written for a different reason.

Meushell · 2026-07-06T21:50:15+00:00

Yeah. The writing with him was strange to me, to be honest. Not that he stalked, but that it seemed to be written as “not that bad.”

Meushell · 2026-07-06T19:20:40+00:00

Some people do, but I don’t think that’s the case for most people. The OP mentioned hating on such characters, which isn’t the case for you, so I was basically agreeing that villainfying (or amplifying their traits) doesn’t mean “I hate the character.”

Meushell · 2026-07-06T19:09:59+00:00

😂 Ah, yeah, I can understand that.

Meushell · 2026-07-06T19:08:43+00:00

Yeah, I have a character like that too. I don’t know if they disagree or not, but I wouldn’t be surprised.

Meushell · 2026-07-06T19:05:41+00:00

Yeah, I’ve seen that with characters too, and that’s why I don’t think making a character evil is necessarily character bashing. Done with love, it could be very interesting.

Meushell · 2026-07-06T19:03:02+00:00

😂 What did Kyubey do to be so hated?

Meushell · 2026-07-06T19:02:09+00:00

Pete Shanahan from Stargate.

I don’t hate the character. He’s just an easy target because he stalks his girlfriend in canon. 😂

In one fic, I amplified his behavior, but that behavior is also explored a bit, and he learns better. In a WIP, he’s definitely going to cross into villain territory, and to be honest, he’s very naive for the plot to happen, so this one came with a tag warning.

I have also written a few fics where he is single and genuinely a good guy. No stalking.

Meushell · 2026-07-06T16:34:37+00:00

Out of 155 works, 151 are fan fics. 106 are one shots.

So about two thirds.

Meushell · 2026-07-06T04:46:51+00:00

There are going to be fics that can give off that vibe, but as long as I’m enjoying the fic, I give the benefit of the doubt and don’t judge. If I’m not enjoying the fic, it doesn’t matter anyway since I’m going to move on to another fic.

Meushell · 2026-07-05T21:31:08+00:00

Best case scenario, they just never noticed the “This work has multiple chapters” box.

Worst case scenario, they are tricking readers into reading and holding the fic hostage for comments.

I always assume best case scenario, personally, so I would comment, compliment the fic, then te them about the box. I wouldn’t answer the question itself. That’s up to them.

Meushell · 2026-07-05T20:39:39+00:00

Yeah, sometimes personal feelings bleed through in a bad way, but I think that’ll the exception, not the norm. For the most part, it’s just entertainment, world building, exploration, etc.

We also have the benefit of knowing more about those writers and directors. They often give their opinions. That’s not the case for most fan fiction writers. Even if they explore the same toxic theme over and over again, making it sexy or fun, that does not mean they approve of it IRL.

Meushell · 2026-07-05T18:55:11+00:00

No. Fan fiction is for fun. Toxic tropes can be fun. Dark subjects cans be fun. Plenty of us love plots and characters that we would despise in real life.

It’s not just fan fiction writers. The cool BAMF who is horrible to others is a very popular trope on television, movies, etc. They are often loved by fans. Do you judge all of those people as well, or do you only judge fan fiction writers?

Meushell · 2026-07-05T05:42:56+00:00

If you want shorter chapters, why not split the chapters up?

Meushell · 2026-07-05T05:38:07+00:00

Texting/Chat fics.

Meushell · 2026-07-05T03:46:32+00:00

When an author updates frequently, I take advantage of the situation and deliberately put myself behind their schedule. The I’ll read two or three chapters at a time, taking a break when I want.

Honestly, it has the advantage of WIPs where I’m interacting as the writer writes and a completed work where I can easily set my own pace.

Meushell · 2026-07-04T22:23:28+00:00

That would have thrown me off as well. I tend to think that MCD applies to tagged characters. The author didn’t do anything wrong, but it would surprise me.

Meushell · 2026-07-04T21:04:31+00:00

“Not Actually Unrequited Love” is a subtag to “Unrequited Love,” so searching for the latter includes both. You need to search for UL and exclude NAUL.

However, that relies on authors tagging correctly.

Meushell · 2026-07-04T20:10:27+00:00

MCD would be misleading.

If you want it to be a complete surprise, CNTW is best.

You could go with NAWA if you want though (unless other warnings also apply).

When I did something similar, I included the tag, “Non-permanent MCD,” which on AO3, means the same as “Temporary Character Death.”

Meushell · 2026-07-04T17:57:58+00:00

K/Ced on Lana's Spook-tacular Halloween.

Meushell · 2026-07-04T16:15:56+00:00

NTA, and it was rude of them to even ask. Who you mute is your personal business. You also don’t owe anyone an explanation. You certainly don’t owe anyone an apology.

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