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.
I often hear the argument that having major characters die is more
realistic than having them always come through unscathed. Of course it
is. But I personally don’t want my fiction to necessarily be “realistic”
– I want my fiction to be entertaining. For me, that means watching
engaging characters I care about get into and out of dangerous
predicaments, working and thinking together in order to defeat the bad
guys. While some authors (and readers) like the tension of wondering who
will live and who will die, I prefer the tension of seeing how the
heroes are going to think or work their ways out of each difficult or
impossible situation they find themselves in. If I want realism and the
deaths of people I care about, I can turn on the news.
–Timothy Zahn, interviewed by TheForce.Net, 2008
Tim Zahn just summed up my entire issue with adult movies and fiction
I do not want to get invested in a character just to have them die or be violated or whatever, I don’t care that it’s dramatic. It’s not fun, it just leaves me angry and frustrated that I wasted my time on this media.
honestly 👏🏼👏🏼 and, truth be told, the idea of a character going through various trials and making it through them isn’t entirely unrealistic in itself. No, in real life we may not be battling absolute monstrosities and barely escaping, but how often do we face trials and end up making it out and growing?
i LOVE seeing characters grow because I myself love to watch myself and others grow in general (and it’s a love many of us possess).
so it’s kinda hard to have that appreciation and entertainment in a fictional context when everyone’s dying the hecc off
ive been sitting on the toilet for 20 minutes trying to piss but the pee keeps getting lost in my confusing Woman Body
Ive had to explain that usually when ladies vanish into the bathroom it is because they must slay the internal minotaur in their piss labrynth SO MANY TIMES NOW.
did the maknae-line (finally)! they somehow all ended up facing sideways, this wasn’t intentional :(( could’ve done more interesting poses but oh well, maybe next time when i have more energy
That last one is DANGEROUS. I do not need this much power.
^This
Ok, sorry, but I have to reblog this! Definitely trying out the cake mix one!
I’ve been doing the cake mix one for a while ( this post opened my eyes) they taste home made ! My husband is amazed ! I haven’t told him anything, just take the praise 😂
adults, while forcing all children above the age of 5 to sit still, be silent, and obey orders for 7-8 hours a day with minimal breaks, reducing their exposure to fresh air and sunlight to almost nothing, forcing them to alter their natural sleeping patterns to increase productivity, and repeatedly telling them their self worth depends on their being able to follow these instructions perfectly for 13 or more years: kids these days are so lazy! they never go outside! they never want to do anything! clearly it’s not because of us!
The way we treat children is extremely inhumane, but so many adults want to dismiss it because it’s so normalized
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