Fanfiction is Fun

Now I know lots of people consider those who write/read fanfiction as nerdy freaks (which yeah, that's kind of true), but let me explain. Like most things in the world, fanfiction is stereotyped. You usually only hear about it in movies from the completely obsessed weirdo "Ooh! I'm going to go write a fanfiction about Spock and Captain Kirk's lovechild" and you're just like "...what?". And although there is a LOAD of stuff like that (there probably is at least one story about Spock and Captain Kirk's lovechild out there somewhere), there's also some really interesting and creative stuff too.

Fanfiction is what people do when they think "Hmm, I wonder what happened in between those two scenes in that movie" or "What would happen if these characters never met? How differently would the story play out?" or "What would these character's kids be like?" or "How would this character react in this situation?" or "What was this character thinking in this scene?" or "What if this took place in modern times?" or "How did this character get to be the way they are? What's their story?" or something! And they take those questions/musings into their own hands and write it down.

Some terminology:
Fluff: cuteness
One-shot: one chapter
Crossover: mixes one or more fandoms into one story
AU: alternate universe
Smut: porn/dirty stuff
Filler: not very important plot-wise
Drabble: not plot-heavy
OOC- out of character
OC- own character
Slash- pairing of siblings (I know right? :/)
POV- point of view

Sometimes it's just little drabbles like if we really liked a certain couple in a movie, we want to see more of that couple being all cute and couple-y, you know? So there's not really any plot, it's just them being cutesy. That's called fluff, when it's just cuteness.

Sometimes if something takes place in a different time period, someone will want to put them into modern times and see how the characters cope in modern times. This is called a modern AU.

There's all sorts of AU's. Just putting the characters and/or plot in different time periods, settings, etc. But the most popular one is the modern AU. College AU's are especially popular as a sub-category in the modern setting.

Fanfiction isn't just stories, although that's what it predominately is. Sometimes you'll find poems, song lyrics, and essays. (Although those aren't really as popular, people mostly come for the stories).

Yes, I read fanfiction. It all started back when Tangled came out. (You know Tangled got me into a lot of things. It also got me into Tumblr.) I don't read it like a maniac. Mostly I read it if something is recommended and it sounds interesting. Also, there's a search you can do. I might be bored and decide that I want to find a specific type of fic. Like a modern AU of Pride and Prejudice for example. I just punch in the information and it pulls up all the fics in that category. I don't read the really weird or graphic stuff. The website has a rating system like movies, so I can properly avoid any smut (that's pornographic, dirty, rated R-type stuff). And there's always a short summary, so I can see if something is going to be really weird or not. I haven't branched out very far. I've mostly stuck to a few choice Disney films, Doctor Who, Sherlock, and even Pride and Prejudice, but I mostly stick to Disney. Those authors for those are the best.

Yes, I have actually written some of my own fanfiction. Hey, it expands my creative aura and helps me practice my skill as a writer. Besides, it's kind of fun. I've written a total of ten stories so far (actually, I kind of abandoned one of them, but it wasn't that popular anyway).

A couple of my favorite fanfictions are:

ALL THAT REALLY MATTERED- A Tangled fanfic
It's really, really long, but oh my is it worth the read. Rapunzel is in an arranged marriage that she can't get out of with this complete jerk-wad. "Jerk-wad" doesn't even begin to describe it. Like holy cow, you just want him to BURN!!! (Reading the reviews from other people about how they would eliminate the fiancee just make it even better).

CHASING DAYDREAMS- A Tangled fanfic
Also kind of long. It's Tangled told from Flynn/Eugene's point of view. Oh my gosh, this author captures his character like so spot on, it is hilarious! And it adds in some missing scenes and a little extra backstory and stuff. (There's also a companion piece from Rapunzel's point of view, but I don't like it as much. It get referenced to in this story though sometimes)

CONTRACTIONS AND SPLIT INFINITIVES- A Tangled fanfic
This is probably one of my favorite fanfics of all time. A one-shot that shows Rapunzel struggling with her duties as a princess. It is the funniest, wittiest, cutest thing I have ever read. This author is one of my favorites!

LOCKED IN WITH SHERLOCK- A Sherlock fanfic
A funny little drabble where Sherlock and John get locked in their flat on a rainy night and Sherlock is bored... which is never a good thing.

PLAYING FLYNN RIDER- A Tangled fanfic
The same author as 'Contractions and Split Infinitives'. This one is just as hilariously brilliant as that one, as newly-wed Eugene tries to figure out how to be alone with Rapunzel.

SONGS OF ICE AND SNOW- A Frozen fanfic
It's not even finished yet, but holy cow has it sucked me in! It's pretty long so far (and like I said, it's not even finished, but it seems like it's pretty close. I think it's nearing the climax). It has one of the most brilliantly written OCs I have ever seen in a fanfic (and normally, I am not a huge fan of OCs, but this one is so adorable). Actually he's the reason I started reading it in the first place. Someone made fanart of him on Tumblr and I thought it was so good, I had to look up the story connected to it. Basically it's just continuing the Frozen story: developing Anna and Kristoff's relationship, what happened to Hans, there was actually another Southern Isles brother who was supposed to accompany Hans to the coronation but got lost and arrives late, Elsa adjusting to normal life once more, etc. But it gets pretty intense as all these things start tying together.

THE CARRIAGE RIDE- A Tangled fanfic
Also the same author as 'Contractions and Split Infinitives' and 'Playing Flynn Rider'. Super adorably funny one-shot where Eugene is trying to figure out why Rapunzel is mad at him.

THE STUDY- A Pride and Prejudice fanfic
Now if you are a fan of Mr. Bennet, you'll love this. I haven't read a whole lot of P&P fanfics, there's just some fanfic categories that are just... no. But this one's little twist there at the end had me in stitches.


Alright, I suppose you're wondering about the ones that I have written, right? Well, I'd say that most of them are average on the popular scale with readers. It also kind of depends on the category. I know that if you write a story for Frozen right now, you'll get a boat-load of readers, even if your story's not very good. Now, getting readers and then getting favorited, followers, and reviews are entirely different things. That's how I rate popularity. If you've got a lot of followers, a lot of favorites, and a lot of reviews on a story, I say your story is very popular (and if a lot of people are following you as an author then good on that too).

So, a couple of my stories:

A STRANGE PHENOMENON- A Tangled fanfic
This is the first fanfic I ever wrote, just a couple chapters long. Please ignore all the stupid author's notes, because I cannot even stand myself. Authors who ask for reviews just turn me off. I have since learned my lesson. The story itself, I think is actually kind of cute (if I do say so myself). It's about Eugene's beard.

THE PARANORMAL- A Tangled fanfic
One of my most popular ones. An AU where Rapunzel didn't cry on Eugene at the end, but he comes back as a sort of ghost. It's not quite as weird as it sounds (only a little bit). It actually got recommended on the official Tangled Fics Tumblr.

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF SHIRLEY HOLMES AND JEN WATSON- A Sherlock fanfic
A gender-bend of Sherlock. It's just a one-shot exploring what would life be like if Sherlock and John were girls.

THEY SEEK HIM THERE- A Scarlet Pimpernel fanfic
This one took forever to finish. I had a load of writer's block while writing it. It's a modern college AU.

WORTH MINING- A Frozen fanfic
My most popular one. And all it is, is Frozen from Kristoff's point of view.

FACE DOWN- A Frozen fanfic
My most recent one. It's actually not even completely done, I still have like two more chapters to go. It's a modern AU about an abusive relationship based on a song of the same name by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. It's very PG-13ish in the later chapters just as a warning.
EDIT: Now, it's finished. Whoo!

(Yes, I actually made all those icons on the stories.)

Think what you will. Fanfiction is a fun way to pass the time.