07. Write the Ending You Deserve | Take
Fanfiction reading is a hobby of mine. I’ve always been an avid reader. The first books I remember reading are Judy Blume and the American Girl tales. And may we not forget the gold spine Disney books. Those were a staple piece in the home. Fanfiction, however, is something I discovered later in life, in my late teens to be exact. I was reading a series I loved and found it…lacking. Loved the plot, the characters, the setting and the dialogue. But the ending…trash.
Why did my favorite character have to die? Why did you queerbait me for an entire series just for some heteronormative slop of a relationship that didn’t even make sense? Seriously, the two characters who got together maybe had three interactions that were mentioned. Was I supposed to imagine all this background romance? I was just ugh! So teenage me scoured the internet for like-minded individuals who were equally disappointed. Chat rooms, LiveJournal, Tumblr — you know the sites. Then I stumbled onto fanfiction and I was hooked. Not only did the fan writers agree with me about the ending I hated, they did something about it. They fixed it. They gave me the queer love story I saw from a mile away. They saved my character who had no business dying. They saw the plot holes the original author left behind and brought them to life in a way that made sense.
Now don’t get me wrong, fanfiction is never meant to replace original works. It’s meant to right the wrongs the original author bestowed upon us. And it enhances the original in a way I never expected. I have never read a fanfic without consuming the original first. It doesn’t make sense to. How can you notice any difference if you don’t know the original plot or character development?
But fanfiction does have its drawbacks. These are often amateur writers, and the work is not always polished. A whole host of issues will make me stop reading a fic. Horrendous formatting. Writing that’s too new. No paragraph breaks, no beta reader, characters talking like nobody I recognize. I hate that sometimes, because it would be just the kind of story I’m looking for, only for the writing to turn me off. Harry Potter, for instance, is a big fandom for me. One fic I read had Harry as a meek, downtrodden child. While that is definitely an understandable mindset for abused and neglected children like Harry, it took away from his strength and resilience that we have come to know and love. Having Harry not stick up for his friends or for what is right does not capture his essence. But even though I am not a fan of such changes, that is the beauty of fanfiction. You can go any direction you want, using the characters, world and disposition as a base to expand or enlighten you.
There are probably millions of fics out there of your favorite work. I’m talking novels, films, TV series, manga, anime. You name it, it might be there. If not, write your own ending! Be the first to write in your genre and pioneer some shit. Don’t be scared! I’ve even taken a dabble at fanfiction. But I’ll never tell you my handle lol. Take a chance at a new ending. Reignite your love for your favorite character, book or series. The original gave you the world. Fanfiction lets you stay in it.
End of Take 07.
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