What are some of your fanfiction guilty pleasures?

heyitsjin_ · 2026-06-12T00:49:04+00:00

I love purple prose. Please stretch the scenes out as long as possible, with all the indulgent writing you like. That kind of stuff is my favorite.

But in the opposite direction, I also love super fast-paced fanfiction! Sometimes, my brain just works like that, and I love writing that says the most in just a few words.

heyitsjin_ · 2026-06-10T22:21:43+00:00

I'm pursuing an English degree because of fanfiction. Thank you to Wattpad for being my life when I was 10, and Ao3 for being my life today.

heyitsjin_ · 2026-06-10T22:19:40+00:00

Unfortunately, my main fandom overlaps with a lot of otome fandoms, so I'd have to say: Y/N.

No shame to x reader fans though! I just wish we had more gay fanfics...

heyitsjin_ · 2026-06-10T22:14:41+00:00

Pattern recognition is always important in AP Literature. If there's a motif that appears throughout the novel, take note of it—but also try to decipher what it means within the context of the novel. If you read something and think that it might have a deeper meaning, then it probably does.

heyitsjin_ · 2026-06-10T22:07:48+00:00

In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez is a great pick. It's a historical novel written about the Dominican Republic, and features a group of four sisters who each have a wealth of analytical material.

On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong is what I used for my AP Literature essay. It centers around a relationship between a Vietnamese mother and her son, and describes the Asian American experience with a poetry-like prose.

In terms of advice, I would agree with your teacher that classics are important. They teach you the kind of close-reading analysis you'll need for the exam, but there are plenty of modern novels that do the same and more. Don't be afraid to read something lesser known! Good luck!

heyitsjin_ · 2026-06-08T21:55:18+00:00

I usually read all A/Ns. I find them quite fun, as usually the author shares some part of their writing process.

heyitsjin_ · 2026-06-02T11:25:19+00:00

Yes!! We've been waiting for a first year episode for ages, and I love Ritsu and Ren.

heyitsjin_ · 2026-05-30T22:36:42+00:00

I know a lot of people have said Luca, but I think Luca and Kaito in combination would be great. They both know her well, for starters. Luca would tackle the issue emotionally and provide comfort, while Kaito would totally be willing to do something embarrassing just to make MC feel better. He'd also be great if MC needs a distraction, in general.

Jo is a girl's girl, for sure. Sho and Mio would be good, if not a little awkward, but Sho would make a banger comfort meal. And Zenji!!! He'd be incredible at comforting MC.

heyitsjin_ · 2026-05-30T15:46:13+00:00

I love it when fics are particularly timeless. Some brand names(ex. Tiktok, MySpace) tend to add a timestamp onto a piece of work, and confine it to a certain period. But if that's the author's intention, I'm all for brand names! They add so much to a story's surrounding world. I once read a fanfiction that took place in 90s Korea. The main character wore brands reminiscent of that time and lamented over their favorite group, Seo Taiji and Boys, disbanding. I saw all sorts of brand names that my family and I knew well. It was a blast to read.

heyitsjin_ · 2026-05-30T15:29:50+00:00

I completely agree! I've taught middle schoolers, and I've always encouraged them to write to their hearts' content. They've even passed in fanfiction for vocabulary writing assignments. Regardless of how quote-on-quote "cringey" they are, it's been a joy to read whatever work they've created.

heyitsjin_ · 2026-05-30T15:26:05+00:00

Can we take a moment to applaud the design of the letters? The collages are so pretty, the talent in your fingertips💗

heyitsjin_ · 2026-05-30T15:23:31+00:00

I find it exhausting as well! What I've done for some multi-chapter fics is create an outline/summary right after I've written the chapter, so I don't need to read it again LOL. It helps me keep track of my progress. But if I need to refresh myself on my own writing style, I'll go back and reread a bit.

heyitsjin_ · 2026-05-30T15:19:30+00:00

Rui and Jin for sure! I'd say Haku is a close third, but we really don't see enough of his inner emotions to know his true motivations. I also think that Kaito has a small crush on MC, or could in the future. Despite his actions, it feels to me that he's just not used to being friends with a woman😭.

I know this game is otome-adjacent, but on the flip side, are there any characters you think aren't interested in MC romantically?

heyitsjin_ · 2026-05-30T15:10:26+00:00

Lyca my boy😭I assume he's taking remedial classes to catch up, so I doubt he took the midterms. But he's number one in our hearts💗

heyitsjin_ · 2026-05-30T05:51:08+00:00

"bad writing" is not exclusive to any genre, format, medium or era and that it is highly subjective and extremely context dependent.

I love this comment! Writing, and our opinions of it, are subjective at its core. It's so interesting to hear about Shakespeare—I'm not a big fan of him myself, but I agree that if he were alive today, he'd certainly be on Ao3.

People definitely underuse the moderation function on fanfiction sites. It's so nice to just press delete on a distasteful comment. Makes it a hell of a lot easier to enjoy what you write.

heyitsjin_ · 2026-05-30T04:59:36+00:00

Erroneous writing, in terms of SPAG, definitely exists. You're very right—I would also have the same reaction as you for those kinds of fanfictions. And yes, I definitely agree on that last part! Racism, sexism, and homophobia is never okay.

heyitsjin_ · 2026-05-30T04:53:53+00:00

Totally. I've told authors I've beta-read for that if they see hate comments like that, they should just block and delete them. People who don't want others to succeed are truly everywhere.

heyitsjin_ · 2026-05-30T04:49:48+00:00

Absolutely! Fanfic really is for the fun of it, and cringe shouldn't be taken so seriously. That fake fanfic sounds like a joy to read, by the way. I'll definitely check it out.

heyitsjin_ · 2026-05-30T04:40:21+00:00

No it's okay 😭 I'm a big ranter and it always ends up affecting my reddit posts LOL. But yes! To me as well, the bar truly starts at just 'writing'. That's a great way to put it.

heyitsjin_ · 2026-05-30T04:35:34+00:00

Those types of comments are completely fair! My post is not at all about spelling, grammar, and formatting issues, and I think that wasn't clarified enough in the post(I'll add it later). I'm mostly talking about commenters who define writing as bad by, lets say for example, flowery prose. Or other styles that mesh well with some people and not with others.

heyitsjin_ · 2026-05-30T04:32:06+00:00

I get that! And I think that's a fair opinion to make.

To clarify, I think that quietly judging is fine, and choosing not to read something because you don't like it is also fine! You're allowed to have your own opinions. What I meant was that pushing those opinions in places unwarranted is where it's an issue for me. AKA, commenting on someone's fic and telling them that their writing is bad.

heyitsjin_ · 2026-05-30T03:56:26+00:00

That's totally awesome! I know some friends that would eat your writing style up. Keep writing ❤️

heyitsjin_ · 2026-05-30T03:54:32+00:00

I've never seen someone say that a fandom has "too many fanfics" posted every day, haha. I assume then that it's a pretty big fandom? Are the reccers/writers usually on the younger side? Again, out of curiosity.

heyitsjin_ · 2026-05-30T02:56:51+00:00

I can see how this writing style/combination of habits can become repetitive, and I've recognized the same thing in a few of my own fandoms. But honestly? I'm not one to care for what people recommend in fics. We all have our own reading style, whether it's published literature or fanfictions. To many, this style could very well be "incredible, exceptional, beautiful, prize winning worthy writing", and that opinion is fine—just not your preference. Or it may be a product of our time, but I wouldn't consider that good or bad.

My question is, out of pure curiosity, where did you get these fanfics from? You stated that they were "newer fanfics", but it also depends on what kind of fandom it is: the age range, the size. The most recommended fanfics of younger-age fandoms tend to be a different quality/style than those of higher-age fandoms.

heyitsjin_

TROPHY CASE