Have you ever come across a viral tweet where a K-pop idol speaks fluent Filipino or your favorite local star interacts with a Hollywood celebrity, and you got excited about the “crumbs,” only to realize they’re just part of a story?made through fans?
Surprise! You’ve just won your arrival in the social media fanfiction series: a new multimedia fanfiction where stories are told through social media.
Fanfiction, in general, had existed long before the advent of the Internet age. But given the advent of social media, it’s no wonder that fanfiction has also evolved to meet its growing demand and popularity : the most recent progression is the exchange universes. or AU of social networks.
AU on social media is most commonly reported through fake social media posts and message conversations compiled into an individual thread. It can also come with video clips, still photographs with subtitles, fake news articles, and other audiovisual parts for more realistic and aesthetic storytelling. .
“I find [social media series] an exclusive way to provide the stories and points of view of the characters,” He told Rappler Job, a fanfiction editor for SB19 since April 2020. “It reveals the story in an engaging and undeniable way. “
The exciting thing about fanfiction is that writers can create entirely new exchange universes for existing characters to explore worlds: beloved anime or game characters come to life as genuine human beings; prominent celebrities reinvent themselves as mythical creatures; and you can even pair characters from other traditions.
And with AU’s visual reliance on social networking sites (SNS), readers can now see those stories spread through visual cues of just imagining them the way maximum written fiction is consumed. According to the authors of SNS AU, the writing procedure is quite like the creation of general fanfictions: the main themes of the plot are established, and from there the rest of the story is built. This time, however, they have the help of audiovisual curtains to make the story more coherent.
Given the limited number of characters in a tweet, SNS AU begins with a one-sentence message. For authors, this is one of the most demanding situations when writing AU SNS as this coming will have to be intriguing and informative enough to grab the attention of its target readers.
For Tri, or Twitter user shuahongonlyfans, a K-pop fan who most commonly writes about the SEVENTEEN boy organization, she helps keep her activations “short and sweet. “attention span, but comfortable enough for it to be maintained. Typical swipes and activations scroll through readers, so I make sure to use catchy names and attach attractive images to the name panel,” he told Rappler.
Since most of his readers are in their teens and mid-twenties, Tri makes sure to “reflect the realities of life” through his characters. I think it awakens the good looks of SNS fanfiction: it’s identifiable and reflects our lives,” he said.
For Jem, or Twitter user PCYGnani, the spark sets the tone for her story: “When I write sparks, I have the mindset of ‘making my readers ask for more. ‘If the spark catches the eye and can stimulate the curiosity of your readers, it has captured the attention of your target audience. Their stories occasionally feature K-pop idols from the EXO and SEVENTEEN boy teams.
But having a spark is just the tip of the iceberg. From there, authors will have to develop their stories with limited storytelling. Characters are introduced through various facets of social media platforms; usernames, profile pictures, biographies, and even the use of memes and emojis help identify a character’s distinctive voice; and personal Twitter accounts are used to show the characters’ inner monologue.
“Each character has a different personality that you can separate from the others. From the way they write to the emojis or emoticons they use, it’s fun to challenge myself by giving each character their own brand,” Tri said. “As an Array, it’s a challenge to create another character for each of my characters, but also a compliment when you see your readers appreciate their dynamic at the end. “
For Job, she is encouraged by the genuine celebrity habit she uses as characters. “Paying close attention to the other people I’m looking to shape my characters helps me a lot in characterization. This includes tactics and how to act, communicate, and interact with others.
Ae, or bernardoskath on Twitter, who has been writing social media series with tandem Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla since 2017, recalled that she also had trouble writing about a male character when she was just starting out. “One thing I practiced with my friends: how they wrote, conveyed messages, used emoticons, and how they behaved on a daily basis. “
Now that she has a concept of what she needs her character to be like, Ae starts creating her characters’ profiles on social media: mo, kung anong image ba ‘yung nagsu: follow her nila profile, etc. profiles a character in an hour or two. You want to know their personalities and the images that fit their profiles. )
Even though SNS AU stories can be read in the blink of an eye, it takes much longer. SNS AU writers tend to use apps to locate the discussion and spend several hours scouring the web for a single photo that matches a certain story in their story. Even the memes and jargon they use in an argument are well thought out.
“When it comes to creating profiles, I set aside a day to organize images that I can use. What takes time is the fact that you want to make sure that from the beginning you will already be able to draw in the interest of the readers. For video narrations, it takes me 15 to 30 minutes to edit,” Tri explained.
“It’s a hobby that takes time and infrequently readers are too impatient or excited even because in addition to being writers, we were enthusiasts of those bands in the first position and we’re on Twitter to help those bands. Sometimes it becomes overwhelming, especially when the number of readers increases, the call for updates becomes repetitive,” he added.
While it takes time and a lot of effort on the part of SNS AU authors, they say the hard paintings will be worth it when readers have fully immersed themselves in their stories.
Since their characters are about real human beings and some of their plots unfold through real events and dynamics, these authors are aware that their fictional paintings can easily be misinterpreted as factual.
“I have OA motivated by the genuine interactions of my ship. So when I post them, I go through the position notes that explain that history is natural fiction,” Job explained.
For Tri, she tends to limit herself to incorporating only the genuine names and birthdays of celebrities into her stories, and only random data for more details. “As much as possible, I prefer to avoid their non-public identities. so that my readers can still have that sense of truth that we use the faces and names of those celebrities as actors in our made-up stories,” he said.
“Tao pa rin naman sila, kaya lagi kong pinapaalala sa sarili ko na hindi dapat ako lumagpas sa kung ano yung maka-tao basahin”. I myself write something inhuman. )
Meanwhile, other writers like Jem and Ae try not to incorporate real data about their selected celebrities into their stories. “I remind myself that this is just fanfiction; it is another of the idols of genuine life. I also don’t need to confuse my readers and I need them to separate fanfiction and authenticity,” Jem said.
Although these are fictional paintings, SNS AU authors are also wary of creating sensitive content, especially since they use characters from genuine human beings and Twitter is known for its virality. They can never know when their paintings will succeed. members outside the doors of their fandom. That is why most authors put disclaimers and warnings of delicate and mature content. Some even go so far as to block genuine social media profiles of celebrities only so they don’t have the chance to stumble upon their written paintings.
“Beacons and cause warnings are also very important when writing, as we’ll never know who might come across those stories,” Tri said. “As a writer, there will have to be an innate sense of duty in each and every story we publish. As long as we use the names of those famous people and one single misstep could tarnish their name.
As a general rule, Tri constantly reminds himself that: “Fiction is still fiction at the end of the day. Sometimes there are cases where readers, or myself, have the feeling that those characters are just a part of my imagination. So one rule I impose on myself not only myself but also my readers is that we deserve to be able to draw a dividing line between AU and real life. . . I always keep in mind that those characters come from real people, so I want to know how to restrict my storytelling.
“Despite the quality of a story, some enthusiasts continue to look down on us and find it strange that [we believe] fictional lives for those idols. However, I tell myself that fiction is fiction. And in the end, those stories produced more intelligence than harm (if any),” he continued.
If there’s one thing fan communities are known for, it’s their enthusiasm. And it’s no longer a surprise that even fan-created content can also, in general, earn well through the community.
“Writing and sharing stories in the fandom also allowed me to meet other followers who have become valued friends and trusted confidants,” Job said. fandom community. Stories also motivate discourse and writers even house spaces to interact with readers about their stories.
Readers can react seamlessly to scenes through comments and quote-retweets. This interactive feature is also used through some authors as they provide surveys in their stories. The effects of those engagement surveys dictate how stories unfold.
But while fanfiction is mostly fun, there’s no denying that it also has its downsides.
In Job’s case, she admits to feeling worried every time she thinks about the small chance that the celebrities who encouraged her to do those stories will become aware of her works. “But knowing how vocal the members of SB19 are, I think they would say anything if they felt uncomfortable being the inspirations of those AU. And if one day they express their discomfort over those fanfictions, I will respect and heed their words,” he said.
Tri, meanwhile, pointed out how SNS AU authors are stigmatized and not considered “real” writers. With our progressive virtual era, everything is gradually becoming virtual. Not just because AU is posted on a social media platform, that doesn’t mean they’re any less literary and creative. Some AU is used to create a voice for the masses, communicate on real-life issues, but are only reflected in social media posts so everyone can identify themselves,” he explained.
Jem, a prominent Filipino schoolteacher, added that “we can never make a judgment about what is ‘true’ literature or not, because literature is and can be anything. “see in the academy. We deserve to give fanfiction the chance to be part of literature because honestly, there are a lot of hidden gems in the fanfiction world.
Despite this, the authors of SNS AU perceive that they cannot please everyone. “It’s not to everyone’s liking,” Tri said. Ultimately, it remains a matter of preference. “
Jem summed it up well: “If other people still read [our] works and are disappointed even though [we] have already [fulfilled] our daily work as writers, it is no longer [our] fault. People can scroll or block [our] accounts if they don’t need our content.
“Consume what makes you happy. This is the golden rule of fangirling. . . and EU, of course,” he said. – Rappler. com