truxi-twice:

katzedecimal:

cary-onmywaywardson:

I’m gonna go ahead and rant real quick. I’m a fanfiction author, and I’m constantly looking for ideas I like. A lot of those ideas come from prompts, or tumblr posts, or other fandoms, or existing tropes.

Sometimes, fics already exist in those tropes.

So here’s my apparently “unpopular” opinion: I like reading fics of the same trope. If there’s a fic where they’re famous actors and they fall in love that I enjoy, I want four more slightly different ones. If I’m writing a fic where one is catfishing, I want to read the trope in at least four other fics like???

I like to see other authors’ take and style on common tropes. Just because one fic in a trope exists doesn’t mean the trope is off limits for the fandom. Far from it – take a chance with that trope. If you’re worried you’re too similar, mark it inspired by. You’re not going to copy someone exactly, and you could have an interesting spin on it. I want that spin to exist.

If two fics of the same trope can’t exist, I might as well delete over half my fics, including some of my most popular. It’s discouraging to hear people drop ideas because something like it exists – or even maybe exists.

tldr; more than one fic can exist within a trope or prompt in a fandom and be good fics. Please write whatever you want, even if something similar exists. Someone (like me) will read them all and enjoy them all.

We literally used to do these as challenges!  Throw out a trope as a prompt, a bunch of people would write around the trope.  It was wonderful!  Even though the basic concept was the same, every single story was different and they were all delightful!  Never think “someone’s already written this, no point in me doing it.”  WRITE YOUR STORY.

I’m on a new ship kick right now, and I have lost count of how many “character A can’t sleep because they have anxiety and insomnia, character B shows up and showers them with compassion and coziness despite all their protests, then they kiss/bone/pine” fics in this ship that I’ve read in the past week. They’re all delightful.

If a trope is good, then honestly? I will happily read multiple fics of the same trope. Put them in a fake relationship, give them coffee shops, oh no there’s only one bed, and someone has panic attacks and needs comfort for their hurt. Give it all to me.