#this is even true for fic converted into published lit. like the fact that it’s low effort shit with the serial numbers filed off

[communistkenobi]

I’m not a fanfiction rights warrior or anything but the discourse about how it’s actively making published literature worse is so stupid. if fanfiction is having a negative effect on the quality of published fiction, that impact is vastly outpaced by the economic reasons for why mass amounts of low quality garbage is being pumped into the fiction market. certain conventions of fanfiction (namely the use of trope and character tags) are being adopted by the industry not because fanfiction has some hegemonic influence on said industry but because those things are easily adaptable for search engine optimisation and marketing purposes. like what explanation sounds more plausible: fiction is being increasingly tailored to fit into various narrow category tags (“gay enemies to lovers slowburn coffee shop romance,” etc) because the consumer market has seen a rapid sea change in the past 5-10 years and now audiences all want to read what is essentially OC fanfiction that they also pay for, or because formulating books in that way makes keyword search optimisation on google and amazon way easier to market low-effort schlock to people? this is not a new phenomenon and blaming end-users for the state of the industry is basic cart-before-horse reasoning. you can dislike fanfiction and find the people obsessed with it annoying, but the relatively niche space those people occupy online is not structurally responsible for books being more shitty than usual lately

#marvel fans are not the reason the MCU is dogshit. etc #consumers can be stupid and the industry can be predatory and low effort. both those things can be true #this is even true for fic converted into published lit. like the fact that it’s low effort shit with the serial numbers filed off #is a result of the market encouraging that behaviour. not people collectively getting stupider #like come on man. this is bad analysis #if a single person is annoying on this post I’m turning off reblogs #note hell

[unexpectedreylo]

My Review Of “The Love Hypothesis”

Sorry about the tiny jpeg.  Spoilers ahoy.

As you know, “The Love Hypothesis” is the first big breakaway Reylo-fanfic-turned-published-novel hit, a tale that began life as “Head Over Feet” by EverSoReylo on AO3.  I have not read the original story but I have it downloaded; at some point I’d like to read it just to see what changed between the original fanfic and the novel.

That a popular fanfic became a popular novel, catapulting Reylo into the mainstream, has been quite exciting.  Now at least two other fan fics, “Landscape With A Blur Of Conquerors” and “True Colors,” are on their way to converting to novels for major publishers, while there are a few more kicking around that are original stories undoubtedly inspired by the ship to end all ships, all by Reylo fans/fanfic authors.

I am not a “chick lit” fan.  Had this had no connection to Reylo, I don’t think I’d ever read this book.  That said, it is very entertaining and deftly-written, and it accomplishes the most important thing you have to do in a romantic story and that is to get you the reader to invest in the couple.  Yes, “Olive” and “Adam” carry over a lot of the charm and chemistry from their Star Wars counterparts.  In fact, you really can’t help but see Daisy Ridley and Adam Driver play out their roles as you’re reading it.  It’s hilarious to see readers who had no idea of TLH’s origins post that they’re totally fan casting Adam as Adam Carlsen.  Well, yeah, of course.  

In case you’re unfamiliar with TLH or “Head Over Feet,” this contemporary tale stars PhD candidate Olive Smith who enters into a “fake dating” arrangement with Dr. Adam Carlsen, who’s faculty at Stanford University’s science department, after she grabs him and kisses him in view of her friend.  He’s trying to get grant funding released, she’s trying to convince her bestie Rose, er, Anh that she is over “Jeremy,” a man she dated very briefly so that Anh could date him with a clear conscience.  At the same time, Olive is trying to score a position researching pancreatic cancer at Harvard.  It turns out the man who can help make that happen is a close friend of Dr. Carlsen’s.  Olive and Adam make a show of their relationship, which includes putting on sunscreen, weekly Starbucks dates, cuddling, and so forth.  Both hide their “true feelings” from each other and lots of embarrassing things happen before the inevitable HEA.

I understand why this was quickly scooped up for publication.  Not only is it well-written, its heroine is in the prized STEM field and the author can write about science and academia from a position of expertise.  There aren’t a lot of books around like that, especially not romantic novels.  Plus I’m sure the publishers really liked the ready-made diverse cast; it’s pretty easy with the sequel trilogy crew and throwing in Stormpilot for good measure.

There are two things I’m going to be critical about.  One is the narrative eagerly checking off woke boxes and using woke terminology as though it gets extra credit points for them.  That annoyed me.  The other thing is the sex in Ch. 16-17.  Yes, I even read the bonus from Adam’s POV chapter.  I get it; we all think Reylo is hot and many fans are eager to see space wizards have hot erotic dyad sex in whatever universe.  It’s obvious these idiots Olive and Adam are in love.  However, I didn’t think the tone of those scenes really went with the overall lighthearted tone of the story.  It’s like watching a sweet rom-com with an NC-17 sex scene that gets the film banned in 27 countries.  I can see readers getting totally blindsided by those parts.  Personally, I would’ve used different language and toned down its explicitness a tad.  

But what do I know?  I haven’t written a NYT bestseller.  My stories don’t get 200,000 hits.  Agents don’t DM me.  No, I’m not bitter or jealous or anything.  *Drinks Mad Dog from bottle, cursing my lot in life.*

#reylo #the love hypothesis #review #i'm being honest #why can't it be me