Exploring The Power Of Fanfiction

The last time I visited my birthplace, Zimbabwe, was on a family holiday in 2014.

This coincidentally happened to be when my fanfiction consumption was at an all-time high. At its peak, I was reading three 35,000 word stories a week.

This might not sound like much but when coupled with attending university full-time, working and trying to maintain a social life, it was a balancing act I’m a little proud to have pulled off.

I was only going to be there for several days but my parents insisted that I bring a book or two as most of my days would be spent on the family farm where internet connection and social interactions with anyone outside of my family would be rare. I had something even better.

To prepare for my trip I had downloaded several One Direction fanfics on my phone and had it not been for an issue with my phone’s web browser, I would’ve had access to all of them instead of having to read the same five stories for the duration of my stay. Enjoying fanfiction is complicated.

I shared a room with my cousin while in Zimbabwe and I remember being hyper-vigilant about hiding my phone screen so she couldn’t see what I was reading.

This wasn’t because I was reading something particularly wild or problematic but because I didn’t have the words to explain what fanfiction is and to sell it as something that was cooler and more cultured than it really is.

If I had to explain it to her today I’d describe it as a fictional story with real people, usually celebrities, as the characters. Occasionally the plot and characterisations are inspired by real events but the stories are mostly fictitious imaginings and projections. That’s where the complexity lies.

Fanfiction is a genre of literature – although some would argue that it’s not really literature – that doesn’t get the credit it deserves.

Like most things enjoyed by young womxn, people are quick to dismiss fanfiction’s contribution to society.

Don’t get me wrong, there’s a lot of trash fanfiction out there. I’ve read, skimmed, and even edited some of it when I used to engage with it semi- religiously as a teenager.

I could provide a list a lot of poorly written fanfiction but let’s look at Anna Todd’s After as an example. Even as a teenager I experienced a lot of second-hand embarrassment because some of the chapters were completely awful but her story created a new wave of fanfiction that revolved around a projection of Harry Styles as a disconnected, abusive, but somehow loveable dickhead.

There’s a lot to critique and be concerned over about After, from its conflation of jealously and possessiveness as romance, its dismissal of healthy relationships as boring, etc. but these problematic ideas aren’t specific to fanfiction, they’re present in shows like Gossip Girl, Pretty Little Liars, and You.

It’s dangerous to pretend that fanfiction is created in a vacuum and the societal context doesn’t have a role in shaping these stories.

I like to imagine how I’d feel if someone I didn’t know wrote a story about me and projected how they feel about me and the people in my life. It’s a very uncomfortable thought.

Fanfiction can also can lead to some really problematic behavior à la the creation of the myth of Larry Stylinson. For those of you not in-the-know, Larry Stylinson is the ship name (ship = romantic pairing) of former bandmates Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson.

What started out as playful banter between bros led to the creation of the biggest conspiracy theories of our time with some people genuinely believing and dedicating social media accounts to prove that Harry and Louis are together.

Celebrities being pressured to stay closeted isn’t something that’s hard to believe but both Harry and Louis have spoken extensively about their discomfort at their interactions being analysed and interpreted as something they’re not. Part of the reason why the Larry Stylinson theory lives on is because of fanfiction.

In the world of fanfiction, Harry and Louis can live and behave the way Larries (Larries = someone who genuinely believes Harry and Louis are/were in a real romantic relationship) think they would.

Readers and writers have even crossed the invisible line and sent Harry and Louis their stories, much to the boys’ frustration. This leads to the inevitable question: what is and isn’t okay when it comes to fanfiction?

There are clear lines when it comes to content but in some circles other things like circulation aren’t as clear.

If you write or read about a healthy, fictitious story based on a celebrity is that inherently problematic? What ideas does what you’re reading reinforce? How can we engage with fanfiction that is healthy and respectful to the muses that inspire it?

My days of reading fanfiction are over but here’s a handy checklist to refer to.

1. Don’t send fanfiction, especially explicit fanfiction, to the celebrity it’s written about unless they’ve mentioned that they’re open to that.

2. Check your writers. Are they writing things that are problematic and harmful? Question them on it. Don’t support people who perpetuate shitty behaviour.

3. Pay attention to what you read. If you’re a fanfiction writer, question what you’re writing and be open to feedback and critique. Also, don’t be a shitty person and write horrible things about people. Remember, how you view a celeb may not be how they actually are. These are real people (that you DON’T know) you’re writing about.

4. Don’t be an asshole.

a-zineSeptember 22, 2020