- At Destructoid, Laura Kate Dale discussed how the fandom’s version of Sonic the Hedgehog prevailed over various canon changes. “[A]n element of consistency to the image of Sonic did remain among the core gaming audience, fueled largely by the actions of a very small section of the fan community. Sonic remained his consistent edgy aspiration figure online for years in very devoted parts of the Internet, oft mocked by those in the wider gaming scene who came across them. DeviantArt original Sonic characters whose names alluded to preteen angst and rebellion, very visible fan-fiction communities and heavy romanticizing of anthropomorphic characters remained a consistent aspect of the mascot’s visible face, only becoming more visible with the increased prevalence of the Internet.”
- Tech Insider posted an article pointing out how valuable fanworks can be beyond the texts themselves. “Since Todd’s work started gaining popularity, a Wattpad representative says they’ve seen reads of these stories increase on the platform. Thanks largely to Todd, Pride and Prejudice currently has over 3.5 million reads on Wattpad and Wuthering Heights has just over 1 million. Staggering numbers, when you consider this is a platform best known for fanfiction stories about Disney princesses and Justin Bieber.”
- Writing at The Guardian, author AL Kennedy discussed writing a Dr. Who tie-in novel and perfectly described the exhilaration of fanworks. “It’s sad that so much of the air has gone from literary endeavour, that academic theorising and categorising have come to decide which novels are acceptable and reviewed, that literary publishing has squashed itself into more and more predictable boxes more and more often. Storytelling, company, human solidarity – they never go away, but they do seem to be moving away from the mainstream. It will be the mainstream’s loss. Readers will always go where they can find the joy they knew in childhood, the joy they deserve.”
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