Do you ever sit in one of your university lectures, and the professor has an accent so thick you can only understand about 1/3 of what he’s actually saying and it’s the last three weeks of the semester and you have a solid grade in the class and you are at the point in your life where you’ve just stopped caring and the only reason you even show up to the class anymore is because the freakin’ professor takes participation credit and the girl next to you is playing Angry Birds and – for the love of all that is holy – she cannot beat that effing level, so you sit there, and think about how good a nap sounds, so what do you do?
You get on your laptop, dim the brightness as far as it can go, and unabashedly start to read fanfiction.
#noshame
obsessivereads 
lol about angry birds..i like your response, there but not there… 🙂
Oh yes. Mindlessly surfing the internet and furiously ignoring looming finals during the last few weeks of the semester is my specialty. Procrastination at its finest. Any fanfiction recommendations, Hannah?
(Here is where my utter dorkiness really shows it’s head.)
Okay, so I first found Fanfiction many years ago when I first really got into reading. I read a book called The Forbidden Game by L.J. Smith and basically fell in love with it. I loved it so much that even after finishing the third book I wanted another, so I furiously searched the internet for the possibility of another book. And that’s where I found Fanfiction.
So, after finishing EVERY SINGLE STORY ABOUT THE FORBIDDEN GAME, I kind of stopped reading any of it for quite a few years. But since going to college and living in a dorm and having very limited time to read, I needed something short to read. And this is where Fanfiction came in.
Since then, I’ve found some really good Grisha Trilogy Fanfiction (you can find it here: https://www.fanfiction.net/book/Grisha-Trilogy/). The fun thing about Fanfiction is that sometimes you get utter crap and can barely read it, and then other times it’s like reading a normal book (albeit a very short book).
Personally, for the Grisha Trilogy, I recommend the writer ignitesthestars. Their stories can be found here: https://www.fanfiction.net/u/1068675/ignitesthestars
There’s also the Shatter Me series. I highly, highly recommend chlday. Her stories can be found here: https://www.fanfiction.net/u/2871835/chlday
Those are the two main book-wise Fanfiction stories I read, because I’m really picky about the books I’ll read the Fanfiction for. Because some endings are so good I don’t want anything more added on.
Okay, here’s where I get weird. Besides book related Fanfiction, I’ve started reading Naruto Fanfiction. The funny things is I don’t watch the anime or read the manga or anything like that. But Naruto was a huge part of my childhood, and one day I got curious and bored.
Also (I don’t know if you know anything about Naruto, so if not, then please ignore me and skip this part), I have some real issues with how Sakura gets portrayed. Like it’s one of my more major pet peeves. Especially when I heard how Naruto ended and everything and her role. Since my childhood, I’ve come to realize that Naruto portrays all the woman as weak, annoying, fangirls (of boys, not of books – the horror) or as an all out b****. The character development is horrible, and even when one of the women should have a strong role – when everything so far as been leading up to them having a bigger role – she completely gets pushed to the side and stays weak and helpless.
For instance, two of the main females end their friendship over a boy. And, okay, their, like, twelve when this happens, but then it doesn’t get better. Even though the boy treats them both like utter crap. Want to know the most annoying thing though? Even though the boy in question does this and continues to treat everyone like crap and even tries to kill Sakura at one point, she’s alright with it all and they end up together at the end. It’s such bull.
ANYWAYS. Ranting Hannah is done.
But, yeah. So anymore I read Fanfiction about Sakura where she’s stronger and becomes the woman she honestly really should have become. And some are really good to.
I have no idea if you’d be interested in that, but if so, here are some authors that really do the girl justice (with romance included of course, but just not with the a-hole of the guy she ended up with at the end of the anime and manga, because I cannot even read his name without fuming . . . his name was Sasuke, BTW).
https://www.fanfiction.net/u/1171620/VesperChan
https://www.fanfiction.net/u/1223759/ShelbySabaku
https://www.fanfiction.net/u/944857/StormDragon666
Okay, I’m done. I’ll shut up now, Geez, I’m such a nerd.
Also, this is a little off topic, but I might be writing some of my own Fanfiction, just because. I’ve even already written some. They’re Naruto related right now, because I feel too emotionally attached to some of the above mentioned books to feel like I could write about the characters and do them justice. Also, the great thing about writing about Sakura is I can completely change her character without feeling guilty, because she’s better that way. So, yeah.
*High fives fellow nerd* 😀
(Get ready for a novel)
I discovered fanfiction after searching for a ninth book in a series of books called The Sisters Grimm, which I absolutely adored and at the time, there were only eight books published. I didn’t even know Fanfiction existed before then, or what it was.
This was years ago, and I found a fanfiction story about TSG that I actually printed out because I liked it so much. It absolutely amazed me that people were able to take what they loved in a book and write more about the characters and plot from the original stories. I had no idea that that was even a thing!
I hadn’t read many YA books, so for the first year or so I just read from a few series’ that were for middle-schoolers. I was scared to review or anything, so I flitted around without an account or anything, and tried to soak of the best parts of my favorite fanfics and figure out what made them great. (I also read a lot of stuff from a cartoon show because cartoons don’t have a true age limit and they rock. xD)
I sort of stopped reading fanfiction (Never real books- the horror) for a few years, but then an idea started cooking in my head that maybe I could /write/ fanfiction. Back to the cartoon. I wanted to write about it, because I knew I could, and it seemed like the safest, most interesting option at the time.
I’d never really written before discovering this site, but I thought I was good enough to try at least. I had to start somewhere! And it’s so much fun. I mostly write original things now which have yet to see the light of day, but I probably wouldn’t have been able to improve my skills without fanfiction.
With college swallowing every second of my time, I haven’t actually written in a while on there, so the work is old, but hey. So, yes, I love it. 🙂 Do you have an account? I’d love to stalk you. *pokes*
It’s intimidating to take something like The Throne of Glass series and try to recreate Celaena, or Rowan, or any of the darlings, so I mostly stick with smaller, less popular series. If I were more confident that I could do him justice, I would totally tackle a Splintered thing, because you can never have enough Morpheus in your life.
But some stories are just amazing as they are, and I couldn’t bear to write/read a bad interpretation of them. *gulps* That’s why I need to hurry up and write my own, eh? Then I can do anything I want to characters/plot. (In theory. The characters usually end up ruling me.)
Oh gosh. Thank you so much! I love new recommendations, and while I’ve never read/watched anything about Naruto, I looked up some of the authors that you linked, and read some of their stories, and they did an amazing job. I like well written stories, no matter what book/anime/movie/cartoon they came from! And the Shatter Me ones. *clutches heart*
Que rant-
I totally agree about the terrible characterization of women in shows/stories. -_- From what you say, I probably won’t watch the show. I’ve never seen it, but hey. xD
I’m sorry, but not all girls are empty headed gigglers or jerks. The show is missing out on whole character arcs and development they could be using. Girls can love books and dream dreams, and be their own people! They have real goals, and fears, and hopes, and ambitions that generally aren’t to be with the guy who treats them like crap and tried to kill them. Big turn off, there. -.-
Arguably sometimes, it can work as a story element- but not unless it is /very/ well done, and there is another plot going on where the girl is prominent and important. Even then, very few can pull that off and make me think that it’s somehow a good idea to be with the guy who tried to kill you. I mean. Really.
-End rant
Sometimes, though, shows aren’t meant to have huge character arcs/stellar plots. They’re something you watch because you’re feeling nostalgic, or because dang, the heartthrob has fantastic hair. Or you just really like them, despite all that. Plus, any flaws in shows/books can be ironed out in your fanfiction. It is just as helpful to know what you dislike in books, as it is to know what you enjoy. You can apply both of these to writing, and rid the world of Mary-Sues and bad boys with -abusive, a-hole tendencies- ‘issues’. 😀
Ah, so I take it you’ve looked at some of the links I posted, huh? Especially the Shatter Me ones, because those are seriously swoon worthy. I swear, those Fanfiction posts were what kept me sane post-Ignite Me. They kept Warner alive and kickin’.
What was this cartoon that you read so much about? I’m curious. Also, do you have a fanfic account that I can unabashedly stalk? Are your stories still on it?
So my Fanfiction account is here: https://www.fanfiction.net/~ofpaintandoil
But I haven’t posted any stories or anything. However, I’ve favorited and liked a looootttt of stories and authors, and some of them are YA related, so those are what I’d typically recommend anyways. Most of them are Naruto related, because that’s what I’ve been feeling lately, but I’m always hunting for YA related Fanfiction.
I totally agree with you about reading about characters that you completely love in YA books (*coughWarnercoughMorpheuscoughRowancough*) and how upsetting it is to sometimes read a fanfic and see that character get completely butchered. Or just not live up to the books (which is already mostly impossible).
As for Naruto and my little (read: huge) rant, I think that above reasons are exactly why I love reading about Sakura. It’s because her character on the show sucks, so fanfics typically make her so much better. (And I just dork out over a lot of the guys in the series and how they’re portrayed, so it’s funny to read these fanfics where Sakura gets paired with many of them and she kicks their butts. Ah, women.)
I don’t mind if a female character is portrayed meanly or chatty so long as she grows throughout the show/book or whatever. But the thing about Sakura in the show that always pissed me off was that at one point she made a huge deal how she wanted to be stronger and grow as a person, and there were even some epiphany moments for her, but then five seconds later she was back to how she originally was. It was very back and forth. Or she’d come into a fight and be all bada**, but then ten minutes before it’s over she’s weak all of a sudden and crying all over the place and someone has to come and save her.
And when I was younger, I didn’t really get why that was, but now (since the series started quite a few years ago has only now ended and we got to see all the characters grow from being, like, twelve to their twenties) I really think that the writer just doesn’t think women can be emotionally strong. I don’t mind a emotional character, but Sakura and a lot of the other females were just ridiculous and never had any character development. Also, the amount of Sakura haters is really ridiculous. If you Google her, the first things that comes up is Sakura bashing. She’s simply there is be the annoying character people love to hate.
As for the show in general, I will say that it’s pretty good (at least the beginning that I watched as a kid) and throughout the years when I’d hear more about it, I’d watch an episode or two, and I have to say the feels are very, very real and the choices the characters make are worthy of a YA novel. But no strong females, which is such a pity.
Ha! You have a story now. Thank you very much. I shall happily stalk. ❤ 😀
My account is the same as my name on here. I'm not sure if I know how to do the link correctly, but here you are: https://www.fanfiction.net/u/4439607/A-Pencil-in-her-hand (Hopefully that link works?)
Although my things are old. Emphasis on old. /Ancient/. Or at least, they feel that way. I've grown in my writing abilities since them, and cringe a bit when I read them. But they're my first darlings.
Do you use Fiction Press?
Sarah J. Maas started writing Throne of Glass on FP when she was sixteen, I believe, and I figure that it's a good place to start exploring and submitting works. I want to be her. /Teach me your ways, Sarah./
Yes! Anything with Warner is going to be good, as long as he's done properly, which from what I saw in your links, he was. ❤ Excuse me while I drool all over my keyboard.
Ah yes, the cartoon. It's a show called Word Girl, which is geared toward little kids, but hey, it was funny, and had a superheroine that kicked butt and loved teaching people new words. I never had cable, and so other cartoons weren't really an option. I never grew up with superheroes, either, (I'm not sure why), and so when I found one that loved books and words, I just thought that was the coolest concept ever.
I mostly started writing because I read other stories on that fandom, and knew I could do better. I created little plots in my head to go along with the show before I'd ever heard of Fanfiction, and then I just decided to go for it. 🙂
Yeah, character growth is still something I've yet to master. Because in real life, we grow very slowly, and often fall back onto our old ways after making resolutions. ( New Year's resolutions usually seem forgotten by February.) It's not a quick or painless process to change. It can take years, and yet somehow, this growth must be conveyed to readers/viewers fairly quickly. We want to see an arc where the character starts out one way, and grows as a person, albeit with some major stumbling moments that they embrace/overcome. And that's difficult to portray.
I'm always amazed by the people who truly can weave a story with amazing characterization that grows and evolves throughout a story, and stretches the character's growth. They just rock! But it's tough, man.
Yes, your link works. ;p Thank you!
Yeah I finally posted a story. It was already written, and I was just like, “What the heck?” after talking about it with you, so I went ahead and posted it. It’s not my favorite thing I’ve written – not by a long shot – but that’s mostly because it’s not something I originally created.
I have heard of Fiction Press through Sarah J. Mass, but submitting anything online like that scares me. I’m sticking to writing query letters and submitting them to agents right now, but maybe down the line I’ll do something like that.
I haven’t ever heard of that cartoon, actually.
I have to agree about character growth, but I find when I’m writing that I can’t let myself think about it too much, because it’s not something I feel I can really plan to happen besides the initial going from weak to strong. It just kind of has to happens on it’s own.