Post 2: A Wall in Between

In the world of Fandom, there are some cases that it somehow separates people from the real world. Especially by reading fanfictions, joining groups and talk about their favorites; yet, most of us will not notice the barrier that keeps fans separated from the outside world. According to Aja Romano, these walls are called “The Fourth Wall”. I have experienced the same thing since I’m also searching for a couple of fanfictions before. Fans then continue to create numerous amounts of fan related things; such as fanfictions, fanbases, fan arts, and many more. They usually tend to create these things for the audience—the other fans who will be attracted to their works.

Differentiating reality from imagining or going to the incredible world where anything is possible, The Fourth Wall that Aja Romano points out is something that can truly separate the two, as well as the fans. People tend to judge, because it is something that they are not aware of, something that they are not used to, or sometimes creeps them out. She then stated that:

“The fourth wall is what insulates us, protecting us from their often harsh judgment, and sometimes even from real-life repercussions… Except that it doesn’t. Not even a little bit.”

Most people judge these writers because of what they make, or what they made up. Usually, in fanfiction, writers use OTP (One True Pairing) which is pairing two characters or individuals together in a story that they make. Either they are guys, girls, or the opposite. It’s not common for people to create such massive story about these things but the most number of audiences who reads the fanfiction that they make are those who love anime. Because they put together characters, not according to the real story itself, but they make their own story—their own paired story. This results to the authors being left out, or out of place. That’s the reason why they separate themselves from the real world, to have their own; to avoid what other people might think rude about.

“Part of why the fourth wall is in place is that it helps us feel comfortable and safe to write about whatever we want, knowing that our boss, our relatives, our friends, our students, or our students’ parents, will never Google our names and find all the explicit Superman/Lex Luthor male pregnancy fic we’ve written.”

Like what the author have said in article, the fourth wall is for their security, to protect themselves from amounts of judgments and rude comments. Many people are like that—especially if they don’t even know what you just wrote about. They are not a fan of that certain topic or character, so unfortunately, they might judge you and because of the fourth wall, they have freedom. They can write whatever they want, no matter how long or how far it goes. But, any fanfiction created can be open to public. Some authors might still be receiving harsh judgments or comments about it and they will end up deleting their account, or shutting down the site itself. I’m sure most writers want a freedom wherein they won’t be afraid of what others might think of. They should learn how they to be not ashamed of their own work, because it might turn out the same for those who will see it.

Fanfictions are increasing mostly inside the internet and these are not only about the characters in an anime, some also pertains to celebrities like bands or certain groups and they will write about their favorite members. As for what I think of, speak up. It’s your work, someone appreciates it, and someone don’t. It depends on whoever reads it and finds it interesting. Each of us is different—we all have different likes and dislikes, we have different favoritisms, but fandom is something that unites people who has the same likes as you do.