Fanfiction Broke My Brain (& I Keep Coming Back for More)
Why we read 300k words about two idiots who just need to KISS already
It always starts off innocent.
You’re not looking to emotionally unravel. You just want something comforting. A little tropey indulgence to make the world suck less.
then you come across a fic where the author came with full angst, full fluff, full mess, and you EAT IT UP. it’s 3 a.m. you’re sobbing, five chapters deep into a Yu-Gi-Oh! crossover AU where a side character is dealing with the psychological fallout of betrayal, war, and identity loss.
None of those words make sense to mere mortals. But they do to you.
You’ve officially been fanfiction’d ™
🕮 This Week’s Bookish Mood
Me: I’ll read one chapter before bed.
Also me, five hours later: *crying over a 120k slow-burn AU where the two love interests barely made eye contact for 20 chapters*
Let’s just say it:
Fanfiction isn’t a lesser form of storytelling. It’s storytelling with its shirt off. Raw, honest, shamelessly cliché. And utterly, irredeemably human.
It’s the most emotionally deranged art form, and I say that with my whole chest.
It doesn’t care if the pacing is marketable or the banter is “realistic”
(yes, i’m still salty at this review, let a girl live)
Fanfiction is not here to gently ease you into a journey. It is here to rip your heart out and whisper “you asked for this” while you sob.
And yet… we keep on coming back.
Because fanfic doesn’t have to explain itself. It’s written for the love of the thing. catharsis. chaos. fun. It exists in the wild west of feelings and angst and hyper-specific niche content that traditional publishing would never greenlight, and that’s what makes it glorious!!
Not to mention it’s often written for free, by people who are juggling life, work, school, grief, love, and the constant need to rewrite one emotionally devastating AU for the fifth time just to get it right. now that’s commitment.
So let’s stop pretending ao3 and wattpad fics are “less than”
You know what’s less than? A 300-page novel about nothing, where everyone is emotionally repressed and no one makes out.
And You All?? WENT THROUGH IT
I recently asked you gremlins in Fanfiction Anonymous to share the last fic that emotionally obliterated you. The responses?
Unhinged. Stunning. I am deeply concerned and so so proud.
Here are just a few of the masterpieces you tossed my way:
“Artificial Hope” – A Sonic the Hedgehog fic. EMOTIONS. EXISTENTIALISM. why does this slap??
Read it“Dripping Fingers” by May_May_o_o – Every word is a stab wound and I say that as the highest compliment
Read it“Spitfire” by Windschild8178 – Ron Weasley AU. Unfinished. Devastating. The emotional equivalent of biting tinfoil.
Read it“Spring Day” by DreamyUnicorn-25 – I won’t lie, the wattpad link alone transported me back to 2012
Read it“In Every Possible Universe” by writergirl8 – Romione excellence. I’m crying in parallel timelines.
Read it
...and so many more, you beautiful disaster angels.
Here’s the truth: fanfiction is not just valid. It’s vital. It’s joy in a world that often asks us to suppress it.
And when a fanfic ruins me? breaks me down like a soggy paper towel? I call that a good Tuesday.
📢 Hot Take of the Week
Until next time, may your comfort fic come with a trigger warning for feels obliteration
𓂃🖊 Rachel