- GeekGirls in Finland hosted a post called Fanfiction goes Korea. “Korean fanfiction comes in two distinguishable types, if I may. There is type A, which (sort of sadly) dominates the whole genre by featuring the readers, themselves, as the main character. The stories are told from the point of view of the reader: these are called “you fanfiction” or “self-insert fanfiction”, and feature the reader’s “character” somehow ending up meeting (and falling for) the idol character. The storyline tends to be the same: you are a young woman who meets the idol character, and through telenovela-like events you fall in love with them…The Asian fanfiction site has, in fact, developed a code to use for these stories, where a certain word (for example, “you”) will change to the reader’s username when viewed.”
- Many media outlets reported on another One Direction fanfic going pro, only this one was going to the movies. “Agencies usually rep works from traditional publishers, but the priority in Hollywood is to find rabid followings that warrant screen adaptations. For Wattpad, After is the closest thing the site has experienced to Fifty Shades Of Grey…Writers don’t get paid by Wattpad, but they retain copyright ownership of the chapters they publish…It’s the first time Wattpad has become involved in the attempt to set one of its contributors in a deal like this. It is likely UTA will steer future Wattpad titles into the marketplace.”
- Some Harry Potter fans, meanwhile, are headed to Hogwarts. “Hogwarts Is Here is a free, nine-week course available to “all aspiring witches and wizards.” Users can receive that long-awaited acceptance letter, download textbooks and start working through all seven years of schooling, replete with professors, homework and quizzes…Incredibly, the online Hogwarts is entirely managed by volunteers. The site’s editorial content, the design; all of it. ‘Our goal is to create the magical experience that we as fans have all been looking for since we finished the last book,’ the site’s disclaimer reads.'”
- Author Claire Simpson discussed fanfic’s preoccupation with perfect sex. “There was a big push a couple of years ago in fanfic communities for writers to start including contraception in their sex scenes. This was not only to encourage a more sensible attitude towards sex in fanfic readers – many of whom are younger females – but also to show a more realistic side of sex rather than present and unattainable ideal…But there was still the other issues around sex that weren’t being addressed – when sex isn’t nice, when it’s not slow and loving, when it’s awkward, inexperienced, sore or when the characters just don’t know what to say to each other before or after. When the sex seems to make everything worse.”
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