Fanfiction - Fi or Fe?

[Chae]

Fanfics certainly are an ethical (type) topic since they deal with people's sentiments and emotions. But what would you say is more pronounced, or ? Of course, both are intertwined, Alice in Wonderland style where we discussed whether it's or .

But I suspect that is predominant. is the collective fandom spirit and wanting to express oneself freely before others making them experience the same. Penning your inner turmoil so your readers can get on the same level. You know you bawl your eyes out when the author knows what impacts the fandom emotionally, when they cause you to express what the characters do. But! What fanfiction is famous for - or infamous, you certainly know all the prejudice and I'm sure it will show in the comments here - is the self-insert, most annoyingly but understandably personified by the Mary Sue. That is true for all other stories in general but here it's really polarizing.

You read fanfiction because of how you like or love the character, or how two/more characters like and love each other. Or the other way around, how they detest one another, or how it goes up and down, you get the concept. Most fanfics use couple or friendship plots. It's relationship ethics. You individually identify with some person(s) in there. And then you can relate to the figures you could never truly relate to in reality since fanfics deal with fictional people or celebs. Alternative realities. That's their appeal, to have someone you can't reach close to you because you love them so damn much. Or you have people in there loving or liking one another how you want to be loved or liked. Or someone is hated, that can also pick up the reader's personal experience cathartically. From that perspective, it can't get any more introverted ethics here.

Since I'm from the love x hate tribe my private take on it could help. I find that I can lose myself in these stories with ease since I adore the characters and how the authors put their lifeblood in it, and how they indirectly position themselves toward the characters. It feels like I and they can close the distance, it's intimate. I'm SX first, I love nothing more than deeply felt intimacy. That's why I think fanfics are so popular and beloved, they're extremely personal. There's much more first-hand involvement and investment on the reader and writer side. I feel that when reading, this stuff can consume my heart like in genres of hurt/comfort or breakups. I'm sensitive already and that often gets to me because I relate, or put myself in a character's shoes when I feel like I compare/match/vibe with them. I always pick a favorite. Always, always, always. I don't think I look up fanfiction because I wanna get emotional or see how the fandom does. I tend to be conservative sticking to authors I like and characters I like and it's hard to change that unless I get disappointed/butthurt or discover something really striking, which again I have high expectations and right-wrong measurements for which are personal and not objective, and usually hard to understand for someone else which is why I said "private" in the first place.


Now what would you say, > when it comes to these stories? Are these good arguments already, or am I going into the wrong direction, is way more important here? If you like please give accounts of your experiences, too, I'm very curious of how you understand the topic.

[Olimpia]

I think it boils down to So/Sx.

The vast majority of fan fiction writers is So/Sx.
(Side note, I used to write fan fiction myself, ha.)

The (very) smutty fan fiction is rather SX first domain.

Either way, I think this is more a matter of instincts than socionics type, though of course it is mostly Ethicals who tend to write fanfiction. (And most So/Sx people are Ethicals, so I guess there's also that connection). I don't see much of a Fi vs Fe divide amongst fan fiction writers. All in all, they are usually synflow and not SX last.

[Shazaam]

Well my fan fiction is definitely Fe. It just depends on the author.

I read a bit of the Twilight Books (while not really fan fiction per se it could very well be that way) and it came off as very Fi. A lot of mainstream American books that get published are incredibly Te/Fi valuing which is why I don't like them. (well there are some Fi-ish stuff that I can find interesting but of course something being Fe I will like better usually.)

I love the book 'I am America...and so can you' that parodies right-wing views, it's very Fe. Not really fan fiction either though but I kinda like typing all literature.

[Chae]

I think it boils down to So/Sx.

The vast majority of fan fiction writers is So/Sx.
(Side note, I used to write fan fiction myself, ha.)

The very smutty fan fiction is rather SX first domain.

Either way, I think this is more a matter of instincts than socionics type, though of course it is mostly Ethicals who tend to write fanfiction. (And most So/Sx people are Ethicals, so I guess there's also that connection). I don't see much of a Fi vs Fe divide.

True enough, most fanfiction readers themselves are heavy on the SP last. "Oops it's 4AM and I still have 10 chapters to go, and tomorrow's an exam!!"

Now it gets interesting: who writes better smut, SX/SP or SX/SO?

Could be, I'm not sure yet. SO/SX does it for the community which is often once again.

[Chae]

@Bullets yeah Twilight is the most ESI stuff ever

[Olimpia]

@Bullets yeah Twilight is the most ESI stuff ever

Yeah, I think Bella is ESI-Fi and Edward is IEI actually, haha...

Confession: I actually wrote Twilight fan fiction with a fellow So/Sx friend back in the day. ^-^'

P.S: She was IEE-Fi. Her best friend was her Dual, a female SLI. I thought they were way too different to be friends, but somehow it worked well for them. (Now I know why.) Coincidentally, I dreamt of that SLI friend the last night...

[Chae]

Yeah, I think Bella is ESI-Fi and Edward is IEI actually, haha...

Confession: I actually wrote Twilight fan fiction with a fellow So/Sx friend back in the day. ^-^'

No need to be ashamed, the things writers do when something's popular... It's interesting that you did that in a tandem there.

[Olimpia]

This is pretty embarrassing, but oh well...
I just found some of my old fan fiction, haha.

Here is some Tim Burton stuff. (Bear with me, I was a young teen and not as good at speaking/writing in English as I am now, haha.)
Here is some Catwoman stuff.
Here is a Joker/Sweeney Todd crossover in German.
Here is a Robert Pattinson thing in German... haha.

[ashlesha]

I went through a period of devouring twilight fanfiction...probably the guiltiest pleasure I've ever had. That, and true blood. I would seek out stories involving Godric.

I have no idea if it's more Fe or Fi. I'm not sure how it would be different than other writing. I suppose the process of getting attached to certain characters and wanting to develop more of a "relationship" to them is Fi-ish, but there are probably other motivations I'm missing.

[Chae]

This is pretty embarrassing, but oh well...
I just found some of my old fan fiction, haha.

Here is some Tim Burton stuff. (Bear with me, I was a young teen and not as good at speaking/writing in English as I am now, haha.)
Here is some Catwoman stuff.
Here is a Joker/Sweeney Todd crossover in German.
Here is a Robert Pattinson thing in German... haha.

Wowie someone worked hard there, I'll read these asap *^* In German hnnngggh great

[Olimpia]

Wowie someone worked hard there, I'll read these asap *^* In German hnnngggh great

Yeah, I used to write a lot...
But I never finished anything.

[Exodus]

I see this as part of a larger archetype of young girls who are unhealthily obsessed with some famous person (usually a musical artist or an actor), buys all the merchandise, goes to all the concerts etc. This seems very much typical of Se/Ni valuing ethical types - there is a big element of glamour and imagination to it since this person is by definition someone you don't know and probably will never know. When it comes to fan fiction there is even more Ni so arguably it's more on the Beta NF side.

[Bertrand]

I've always thought fandom and fanfiction were really lame