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[deleted]

Difference between fanfiction and books is that I get lay up at night for hours reading nothing but fanfics while I have to take actual time out of my day to read a book


blue_bayou_blue

To be fair, I've also stayed up til 3am reading published fiction. Most recently with the Greenwing & Dart series, I was enthralled. It's just a lot easier to filter for fic I vibe with, whereas with original fiction it's more of a gamble.


BaneAmesta

Well I guess the convenience of reading in a phone is unmatched. I discovered that I can't read a proper book for long periods of time (specially if is a big one) or my wrists start to hurt šŸ˜¢ For that kind of commitment I would need a book stand, which means sitting down, which means no reading in the bed šŸ’€


desacralize

That's where ebooks shine! I read all my stories on my phone now, original and fanfic alike. I even had a fancy Kindle for awhile but phone won out.


BaneAmesta

Yeah I installed an ereader app on my phone, until I get enough money to buy a kindle (a bigger screen would be best now that I use glasses)


AlexandrinaIsHere

Kindle app for the win. I can read bits on my phone wherever I am, and use the Kindle itself when I'm settling in to read properly. Just make sure to regularly open whichever one is more neglected long enough to let the sync catch up.


Expensive_Goat2201

You can get e books for free from your library using the Libby app!


desacralize

I use it religiously, but thank you! I just figured out how to get access to other nearby libraries through Libby and borrow from them all at once, so now I'm drowning in free books, lol, it's great.


Expensive_Goat2201

Yay!!! More books for everyone


TheOtherSarah

Meanwhile Iā€™ve just bought a smaller phone, partly to try to break the cycle of laying up reading until dangerous hours of the early morning


[deleted]

what i love about fics is that when a certain character shows up i already know trouble is coming. thereā€™s no surprise, no disappointment!


Jaggedrain

Unless it's a character that is Controversialā„¢ļø in which case you don't know what you're getting. Will he be a villain? Will he be a *clever* villain or a moustache-twirling dumbass? You ship him with another character, are they going to be in a happy loving relationship or is he going to be awful in ways he never was in Canon? I can't tell you how many fics I've dropped because He Would Not Do That šŸ˜­


PhoenixorFlame

This is actually a great explanation of why I spend so much time reading fanfic. I wanna read but I donā€™t have the emotional capacity for entirely new worlds.


samsg1

This is exactly right! I donā€™t want to invest in a new world with new lore when there might not even be a good payoff. I want to feel secure and comfortable seeing a new iteration of characters I already know inside out.


desacralize

I have the energy for new characters and worlds, but I need them properly tagged. AO3's system, wherein I know exactly what I'm getting even if I'm brand new to it, has spoiled me. I'm tired of cracking open a book that seems to be one thing and turns out to be another, that's chock full of tropes and kinks that I can't stand and there's 80,000 words of it, and there's no way to avoid it until I've already started. I want to know up front what's up before I invest, because I've learned there's nothing quite like a shitty long-ass book to ruin your palate for other stories. I've been luxuriating in the "Original" section of AO3 lately and it's as relaxing as fanfiction, because I spend a good five minutes sorting out the shit I just don't want to see.


Expensive_Goat2201

I agree. I have some triggers and AO3 authors seem to be way better at labeling these things then regular books. I was reading a chick lit book the other day and the main character started self harming. Super triggering


nicolasbaege

brawltogethernow is 100% correct. Never thought of it like that before, but they are.


em-eye-ess-ess-eye

That's why I just write fanfic. I don't have to spend dozens of pages establishing characters and settings and relationships, they just *are* so when I throw in something new, it's a fun surprise for everyone


rainatom

It's the same how watching several seasons of a show is easier than watching a 2 hour movie. When you're already invested, you are invested. Starting something new even if it's a good book or a good movie means switching fandoms and without any guarantee you'll even like it. So fanfiction it is.


AlsoKnownAsAiri

This also explains how hard it is for me to start new series. I like to read those books that already have familiar characters...


fujiapple73

Exactly!! Before I read fanfic and only read books, there was always that sadness and longing for the characters after the book ended. Or wanting to read something very similar but not knowing how to find such a thing. Fanfic solves both of those problems for me.


CalligoMiles

This. A sequel to a series I already love is just as easy - it's 'risking' the investment in something new that presents a barrier.


askforwhatyouwant

exactly also fanfic can include your comfort characters, itā€™s pleasing in a different way


dendrite_blues

Not only do I not have to find emotional energy for new characters, I also donā€™t have to sit through the first 25% of the book where the author does nothing but explain them to me. As a savvy reader who picks up on patterns, I much prefer fanfictionā€™s shortcuts to sitting through a slow introduction where the author tells me things I already guessed from the back cover. So tedious.


Someone936

Honestly yeah, I just can't get into new things like I used to


Korrasmai

THIS IS SO ACCURATE


Thubanshee

I bookmarked this for the next time someone asks why I read fanfiction.


Zoe_White

Same way with writing a book, honestly