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Terrible, Horrible, Motherfucking Amazing Stories I Have Loved
So the recent kerfuffle about owning your awesome got me to thinking about the disclaimers we put forth on a daily basis, and particularly the disclaimers I put forth when I talk about some fanfiction.
Look, I don't like badfic; almost no one does. But there's a whole range between badfic and "goodfic" that gets tangled up in embarrassment and "I know it's terrible, but...", and that's idfic/drawerfic. Winged hermaphroditic super-abused superpowered Harry falls in love with his middle-aged professor (who likes to call him "little one" in a vaguely fetish-y way), is forced by Voldemort to have sex with that professor, erases the guy's memory of his "shame", and then turns up pregnant. And there's angst and misunderstanding and then they inevitably have the baby and the happy-ever-after. That is not a story with scads of literary merit. It's not the story I'm going to rec to all my friends, or use to pimp someone into the fandom/pairing. It's not the best thing I've ever read. But guys, I MOTHERFUCKING LOVE that story (and yes, it is totally an actual story). It is DELICIOUS. And so is the Xander-centric time travel gangrape mpreg fivesome story I've read 30 times and can quote from memory. So is the Hermione pwns everyone and takes over the country and has a harem fic that I've never read, yet would dearly like to.
Because "good" stories often have to temporize, to maintain reality and your suspension of disbelief and the dynamics of the canon. But idfic says fuck that, let's turn this shit up to ELEVEN and SEE WHERE IT GOES. That's amazing! I love that! Fanfic is, at its purest, an expression of love, and just because it's usually held to some standard of objective good doesn't mean it always should be.
So, you know, dear writers of idfic: Don't be ashamed. Take them out of the drawers and set them free. I guarantee someone out there is going to MOTHERFUCKING LOVE them.
Look, I don't like badfic; almost no one does. But there's a whole range between badfic and "goodfic" that gets tangled up in embarrassment and "I know it's terrible, but...", and that's idfic/drawerfic. Winged hermaphroditic super-abused superpowered Harry falls in love with his middle-aged professor (who likes to call him "little one" in a vaguely fetish-y way), is forced by Voldemort to have sex with that professor, erases the guy's memory of his "shame", and then turns up pregnant. And there's angst and misunderstanding and then they inevitably have the baby and the happy-ever-after. That is not a story with scads of literary merit. It's not the story I'm going to rec to all my friends, or use to pimp someone into the fandom/pairing. It's not the best thing I've ever read. But guys, I MOTHERFUCKING LOVE that story (and yes, it is totally an actual story). It is DELICIOUS. And so is the Xander-centric time travel gangrape mpreg fivesome story I've read 30 times and can quote from memory. So is the Hermione pwns everyone and takes over the country and has a harem fic that I've never read, yet would dearly like to.
Because "good" stories often have to temporize, to maintain reality and your suspension of disbelief and the dynamics of the canon. But idfic says fuck that, let's turn this shit up to ELEVEN and SEE WHERE IT GOES. That's amazing! I love that! Fanfic is, at its purest, an expression of love, and just because it's usually held to some standard of objective good doesn't mean it always should be.
So, you know, dear writers of idfic: Don't be ashamed. Take them out of the drawers and set them free. I guarantee someone out there is going to MOTHERFUCKING LOVE them.
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