# Fan fiction and related works: do people aside from their creators really enjoy it? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 28, 2010, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fan-fiction-and-related-works-do-people-aside-from-their-creators-really-enjoy-it/534147 "2010-03-28T22:58:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2010, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fan-fiction-and-related-works-do-people-aside-from-their-creators-really-enjoy-it/534147/41 "2010-03-29T17:12:41Z")
> [@Leiko](#): > > Not disagreeing that Potter fandom isn’t utterly nuts, but I think I’d have used Hogwarts/Giant Squid or “Buckbeak is totally symbolic proof of Harry and Hermione’s TRU WUV!” as my pairings of its craziness. Thing is, Hogwarts/Giant Squid is deliberate humour, and I’ve never seen the Buckbeak thing in the wild (always being thrown out as something silly)…CoS as Ginny’s Womb is serious and something I’ve seen in the wild (as well as recently), so that was my example. > [@](#): > > (What fandom are you writing fluff in? I feel like reading fluff now.) PM me, if you’re interested - I’d rather keep specifics on the quiet. AFAIK, I’ve only got a handful still online, though. It’s usually smallish anime/manga fandoms I end up writing in, since…well, big fandoms have their share of fics, and don’t need me. \>\_\> ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2010, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fan-fiction-and-related-works-do-people-aside-from-their-creators-really-enjoy-it/534147/42 "2010-03-29T17:19:13Z")
I don’t deliberately go looking for it, but I enjoy net.erotica, especially the work on [storiesonline.net](http://storiesonline.net), and sometimes there are highly rated stories that are fanfic and I’ll check them out to see if they work out of context. For instance, I never got into _Star Trek:The Next Generation_ but I saw the movie and am familiar with the characters. I read a very well-written story of a visit to a misogynous planet where the male members of the crew were required to have sex. The writer seemed to have a good handle on the character’s personalities (Picard, Riker, Worf and Data) and how they’d react in this situation. ---
**Author:** ![Lady\_of\_the\_Lake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@Lady\_of\_the\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lady_of_the_Lake)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2010, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fan-fiction-and-related-works-do-people-aside-from-their-creators-really-enjoy-it/534147/43 "2010-03-29T18:01:42Z")
> [@Kyla](#): > > P.S. In case you’re scratching your head: [Real person fiction.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Real_person_fiction) Ha - I had to look it up as it didn’t click. And then I realized I had read a ‘rpf’! It was Stephen Colbert/Jon Stewart and rather funny. But then, if either knew of such a fic, they’d play up to it for their fan base anyway… elmwood, I personally enjoy reading others fan fiction. Some fan fiction is very well done. Some is not necessarily well plotted, but is a short, funny bit of mindless fluff. And then there’s the rest of it…but usually the description warns you away, and barring that, the first paragraph. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2010, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fan-fiction-and-related-works-do-people-aside-from-their-creators-really-enjoy-it/534147/44 "2010-03-29T18:04:58Z")
> [@Lady\_of\_the\_Lake](#): > > Ha - I had to look it up as it didn’t click. And then I realized I had read a ‘rpf’! It was Stephen Colbert/Jon Stewart and rather funny. But then, if either knew of such a fic, they’d play up to it for their fan base anyway… They are aware of it. A friend of mine is into that fandom, and I’ve heard a bit about it from her. As I understand it, Colbert actually read part of a fan fiction about him on his show once. I missed that episode, though, so I can’t give details. I’m sure they do think it’s hilarious. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2010, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fan-fiction-and-related-works-do-people-aside-from-their-creators-really-enjoy-it/534147/45 "2010-03-29T18:15:33Z")
> [@Kyla](#): > > They are aware of it. A friend of mine is into that fandom, and I’ve heard a bit about it from her. As I understand it, Colbert actually read part of a fan fiction about him on his show once. I missed that episode, though, so I can’t give details. I’m sure they do think it’s hilarious. He parodies fanfic with the [_Tek Jansen_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tek_Jansen) cartoons. ---
**Author:** ![Lady\_of\_the\_Lake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@Lady\_of\_the\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lady_of_the_Lake)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2010, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fan-fiction-and-related-works-do-people-aside-from-their-creators-really-enjoy-it/534147/46 "2010-03-29T18:20:20Z")
> [@Kyla](#): > > They are aware of it. A friend of mine is into that fandom, and I’ve heard a bit about it from her. As I understand it, Colbert actually read part of a fan fiction about him on his show once. I missed that episode, though, so I can’t give details. I’m sure they do think it’s hilarious. That…sounds like something I need to watch. I’ll have to see if I can find that on you tube tonight. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2010, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fan-fiction-and-related-works-do-people-aside-from-their-creators-really-enjoy-it/534147/47 "2010-03-29T18:22:20Z")
> [@Kyla](#): > > They are aware of it. A friend of mine is into that fandom, and I’ve heard a bit about it from her. As I understand it, Colbert actually read part of a fan fiction about him on his show once. I missed that episode, though, so I can’t give details. I’m sure they do think it’s hilarious. They’re absolutely aware of it, which is the main thing keeping me out of that fandom. Though I do secretly slash Jon Stewart/Brian Williams. I really don’t like the creators of fandom to be remotely involved with said fandom. It makes me feel awkward. Edgar Wright (director of Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz) found the Hot Fuzz fic archive, and he started sharing bits and piece of it on his twitter, which got Simon Pegg and Nick Frost involved. They were actually pretty cool about it (more amused and happy to have fans and they totally supported the smut), but I was happy when something else distracted their attention. P.S. I totally think James May calls Richard “Hamster” in bed. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2010, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fan-fiction-and-related-works-do-people-aside-from-their-creators-really-enjoy-it/534147/48 "2010-03-29T18:26:52Z")
I’ve read fan fiction that was excellent for a couple series. The sites did require submissions to be added to the page by the site owner so not any old crap was posted. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2010, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fan-fiction-and-related-works-do-people-aside-from-their-creators-really-enjoy-it/534147/49 "2010-03-30T11:02:58Z")
> [@Tengu](#): > > RPF is one of the few things that does creep me out.. Do other fandoms than the X-Files ban it on their archives? The biggest XF specific fic archive won’t accept it, end of story. Not only that several message boards actively delete any topics/requests for it. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2010, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fan-fiction-and-related-works-do-people-aside-from-their-creators-really-enjoy-it/534147/50 "2010-03-30T13:37:26Z")
I generally can’t let a fanfic thread go by without mentioning Ratliff, even though he’s incredibly old-school by now. While he wasn’t as straight-up crazy as the Harry Potter and Twilight fans, and he didn’t include much sex in his stories, he was…creepier, in a way, primarily due to his fixation on a young girl who had a speaking role in _one single_ Star Trek: TNG episode, eventually creating her into the biggest Mary Sue that ever walked the internet. And yet people loved him. Why? [The MSTings are gold](http://home.netcom.com/~mblackwl/mst.html). In the 15 years since I first read them, I have never found anything that even begins to approach the sheer amount of pure, undistilled _funny_ that the MSTed fics contain. It’s been pointed out that some fic writers can beat out 99% of the published material out there, and that’s true; similarly, the MST writers are way, way, way better than Joel Hodgson and Mike Nelson. To Ratliff’s credit, despite his stories being ragged on so mercilessly, he took it in about as good a grace as you could expect. Edit: After rereading a bit…well, maybe they were funnier when I was 15. Hm. ---
**Author:** ![Icerigger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icerigger/32/432_2.png) [@Icerigger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icerigger)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2010, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fan-fiction-and-related-works-do-people-aside-from-their-creators-really-enjoy-it/534147/51 "2010-03-30T14:23:54Z")
Did not the original Trek spawn a lot of this with their Fan-Zines in the early 70s? When the series ended in 1969 dedicated fans created their own stories, manuals, blueprints and the like. ---
**Author:** ![Small\_Hen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ad7895/32.png) [@Small\_Hen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Hen)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2010, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fan-fiction-and-related-works-do-people-aside-from-their-creators-really-enjoy-it/534147/52 "2010-03-30T17:36:25Z")
I love bad fanfiction. I used to MST3K for House, back in 2006, and it was some of the most fun I ever had. I don’t do that anymore, partially because I was never able to get fully past my discomfort about bashing someone else’s work, but I still somestimes read the awful stuff. Some actors/creators do know about fanfic. The Supernatural actors and writers read it, and some of the cast of Lost sat around a table and took turns reading it in character. Quentin Tarantino apparently found the “Inglorious Basterds” kink meme. A kink meme is a big, anonymous thread on LJ where people post exactly what they want to see, and between which characters, and if they’re lucky, someone writes it for them. It gets pretty nasty. Anyway, Tarantino emailed a link around to the actors. There’s a photo of the look on Christopher Waltz’s face as he reads it. I’ve also heard that Robert Downey Jr knows about his kink memes (his movies have inspired more than one, including plenty of RPS), but I don’t know where he said anything about it. I actually hope it’s just a rumor, because some of the fics involve his son, which crosses a major line, IMO. And I’ve written RPS before. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2010, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fan-fiction-and-related-works-do-people-aside-from-their-creators-really-enjoy-it/534147/53 "2010-03-30T17:50:29Z")
> [@Small\_Hen](#): > > I love bad fanfiction. I used to MST3K for House, back in 2006, and it was some of the most fun I ever had. I don’t do that anymore, partially because I was never able to get fully past my discomfort about bashing someone else’s work, but I still somestimes read the awful stuff. > > Some actors/creators do know about fanfic. The Supernatural actors and writers read it, and some of the cast of Lost sat around a table and took turns reading it in character. Quentin Tarantino apparently found the “Inglorious Basterds” kink meme. A kink meme is a big, anonymous thread on LJ where people post exactly what they want to see, and between which characters, and if they’re lucky, someone writes it for them. It gets pretty nasty. Anyway, Tarantino emailed a link around to the actors. There’s a photo of the look on Christopher Waltz’s face as he reads it. > > I’ve also heard that Robert Downey Jr knows about his kink memes (his movies have inspired more than one, including plenty of RPS), but I don’t know where he said anything about it. I actually hope it’s just a rumor, because some of the fics involve his son, which crosses a major line, IMO. And I’ve written RPS before. Heh, I’d love to see that photo. Got a link? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Small\_Hen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ad7895/32.png) [@Small\_Hen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Hen)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2010, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fan-fiction-and-related-works-do-people-aside-from-their-creators-really-enjoy-it/534147/54 "2010-03-30T17:58:47Z")
> [@Malthus](#): > > Heh, I’d love to see that photo. Got a link? 😃 Uh huh. Oh, and it turns out,it’s Eli Roth and Chris Waltz. [http://s3.amazonaws.com/data.tumblr.com/tumblr\_kqkakb7Mjp1qa3bzvo1\_1280.png?AWSAccessKeyId=0RYTHV9YYQ4W5Q3HQMG2&Expires=1270058275&Signature=ucZZo%2B0Em%2BmvJHxIfZXjnQeDoIw%3D](http://s3.amazonaws.com/data.tumblr.com/tumblr_kqkakb7Mjp1qa3bzvo1_1280.png?AWSAccessKeyId=0RYTHV9YYQ4W5Q3HQMG2&Expires=1270058275&Signature=ucZZo%2B0Em%2BmvJHxIfZXjnQeDoIw%3D) The Jew Bear always tops. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2010, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fan-fiction-and-related-works-do-people-aside-from-their-creators-really-enjoy-it/534147/55 "2010-03-30T18:20:16Z")
See, I’ve never even enjoyed fanfic on live action shows - I definitely don’t see the appeal of writing or reading about real people. What’s the draw? ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2010, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fan-fiction-and-related-works-do-people-aside-from-their-creators-really-enjoy-it/534147/56 "2010-03-30T19:14:28Z")
> [@Small\_Hen](#): > > Uh huh. Oh, and it turns out,it’s Eli Roth and Chris Waltz. > > [http://s3.amazonaws.com/data.tumblr.com/tumblr\_kqkakb7Mjp1qa3bzvo1\_1280.png?AWSAccessKeyId=0RYTHV9YYQ4W5Q3HQMG2&Expires=1270058275&Signature=ucZZo%2B0Em%2BmvJHxIfZXjnQeDoIw%3D](http://s3.amazonaws.com/data.tumblr.com/tumblr_kqkakb7Mjp1qa3bzvo1_1280.png?AWSAccessKeyId=0RYTHV9YYQ4W5Q3HQMG2&Expires=1270058275&Signature=ucZZo%2B0Em%2BmvJHxIfZXjnQeDoIw%3D) > > The Jew Bear always tops. 😃 Oh my! :eek: 😃 Do you know what it was they were reading at the time? ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2010, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fan-fiction-and-related-works-do-people-aside-from-their-creators-really-enjoy-it/534147/57 "2010-03-30T19:28:58Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > I definitely don’t see the appeal of writing or reading about real people. What’s the draw? Well, this is my experience. People in other fandoms may have a different perspective. Basically, you get two good-looking people who are on the same show or in the same movie, you’re going to get RPF. Dirty-minded fangirls like to imagine what’s going on behind the scenes. If said people show any kind of chemistry or genuine friendship, the RPF will explode. Probably the worst RPF fandom of all time was the Lord of the Rings RPF fandom. The actors all lived together for three years, making the movies. They all have matching tattoos and seem to be best friends. They seem perfectly willing to engage in fanservice by kissing each other in front of cameras. It is really easy to imagine that there were sexy shenanigans going off set. The fandom is famous for its total insanity because a certain loud minority were tinhats - ie, they genuinely believed that these actors were in relationships that they were being forced by studios to conceal. My own fandom, SPN, has a huge RPF section for a few reasons. First of all, the boys are pretty. Second, their characters are brothers, and - although trust me, it does not stop a LOT of people - many people are creeped out by incest shipping. Third, and most importantly, they’re best friends and seem to be practically inseparable. _They live together._ That’s just like, _asking_ the fangirls to write smut about you. ---
**Author:** ![kushiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kushiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kushiel)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2010, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fan-fiction-and-related-works-do-people-aside-from-their-creators-really-enjoy-it/534147/58 "2010-03-30T21:02:46Z")
Back in the LotR movie days, some chick showed one of ThebanBand’s photo manips to Dom and Billy at an event and it was caught on TV - the disgusted looks on their faces were hilarious. I lay low nowadays, I’m mostly just a reader. And yeah, on art sites there aren’t a lot of bad reviews, you have to find that one good artist and branch out from there looking at their favs, their followers, etc. I used to seek out stuff all on my own, but since fandom’s mass exodus onto LJ and its clones I just find the handful of awesome people in a fandom and follow what they like, which leads me to more stuff I like, and so on. ---
**Author:** ![tumbleddown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tumbleddown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tumbleddown)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2010, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fan-fiction-and-related-works-do-people-aside-from-their-creators-really-enjoy-it/534147/59 "2010-03-30T23:13:18Z")
> [@Kyla](#): > > I also enjoy me some RPF. You can probably feel my shame through the internet. Do you even KNOW what people in SPN RPF fandom get up to? It’s bad. It’s REALLY bad. It’s…interfering-with-the-actors’-lives bad. Did you know about the loonballs who printed out a selection of the “best” Dean/Castiel **and** Jensen/Misha, put it in a three-ring binder and were going to give it to Misha?! Seriously scary people exist in SPN fandom. I can cast aspersions because no one in my fandoms (Trek, NCIS, Pundits) is that loony. Yet. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![GythaOgg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/49beb7/32.png) [@GythaOgg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GythaOgg)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2010, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fan-fiction-and-related-works-do-people-aside-from-their-creators-really-enjoy-it/534147/60 "2010-03-31T00:57:59Z")
My secret pleasure are the communities (mostly on LJ and the various LJ clones such as JournalFen, Dreamwidth, etc) established for either mocking or critiquing or complaining about bad fic. There are also communities for mocking/documenting bad fan behavior (if you know the terms ‘supernanny’, ‘Hiz hed is pasted on yay’ and know who ‘Jordan Wood’ are, you know what I mean), and these can be interesting too…all the crazy gathered up to read about. There are tons of fic communities out there. Fans don’t just read the good stuff, they also comment on the bad. Fans who like to read and/or write good fanfic also hate the bad as much as everyone else - and many aren’t shy about saying exactly what they don’t like. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fan-fiction-and-related-works-do-people-aside-from-their-creators-really-enjoy-it/534147.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fan-fiction-and-related-works-do-people-aside-from-their-creators-really-enjoy-it/534147.md?page=4)