I want to thank you for sharing your gift. It has to be very difficult to share a piece of yourself like you do without knowing how it will be received. Please know that you and your work are appreciated.
I think fanfiction is really special because it’s so multipurpose. You want an outlet to vent? Write it out! (You’re trans and you want your faves to be, too? Do it! Having friendship troubles? Write it!) You want to explore something you normally can’t? Do it! (Confused about your sexuality? Explore through fiction! Got a kink you’re not sure about? Write about it!) You want to change something about canon because canon is dumb? Do it! (You favorite character died? Not anymore, bitch! Two characters never talked about something they really should have? Write them some good communication!) And there a thousand other things you can do with fanfiction, and a thousand other reasons to write it (including just “i wanted to because it’s fun and i like it”) and I think that’s amazing. Plus, there’s so much more freedom then what you get in published media. Like, diversity? Hell yeah! Stories about minority people written by minority people with no censorship and shit? Fuck yes! Not to mention, on a way less serious note, WAY better sex scenes. Actually, a lot of fanfiction I’ve read is just generally better than most published books. Fanfiction is just truly amazing.
Ezra / thesorrowoflizards (AO3)
For more Author Appreciation Day posts, visit the tag here.
Did You Miss Sign-Ups for Author Appreciation Day? Do You Still Want to Participate?
This blog is spending National Author’s Day by celebrating Shadowhunters fanfiction and fic writers. Throughout the day today, thirty-eight positive messages submitted by authors and readers will also be posted both here and on our affiliated Twitter account.
If you missed the sign-ups for the event but would still like to participate, please feel free to blog or tweet about your own experiences with Shadowhunters fanfiction. Tag me in your post and I’ll reblog or retweet them throughout the day. Feel free to add #SaveShadowhunters and #SHAuthorAppreciationDay too!
To view last year’s installment of the event, please click here.
For more information concerning this year’s event, please click here.
Writing for this fandom is amazing. When I started I thought I was terrible and didn’t want to continue. Then people really enjoyed it and encouraged me. I only started recently but I love sharing the ideas I have. Thanks to every reader I’m still writing and will never stop no matter the outcome of our show. This experience so far has shown me what I can do and what I can improve on. Now I’m starting to consider a career in writing and it all started from one person pushing me to post my fan fiction. Thank you parabatai, love ya! #SaveShadowhunters.
Before I fell into the Shadowhunters fandom, I’d stopped writing almost entirely. I no longer had characters–original or otherwise–talking to me. So thank you, Shadowhunters fandom, for helping me find my storytelling voice again.
Amelia / MalecCrazedAuthor (AO3)
For more Author Appreciation Day posts, visit the tag here.
Growing up, I always liked to read. But as I grew older and discovered the internet, reading became less of a priority for me. Reading fan fiction is like reading a book but knowing it’s going to have a happy ending, and already having familiarity with the characters. It’s seeing two characters who I love fall in love over and over and it’s just like reading a book but better sometimes. There are authors out there who write fics that are longer than a novel but people don’t realize that as it’s tracked by words and not pages. I love reading high quality fix because like a novel it’s easy to just sink into and lose yourself in this universe, whether it’s exploring different parts of canon more or putting these 2 characters in a completely different universe and watching them fall in love.
Anonymous
For more Author Appreciation Day posts, visit the tag here.
I started writing Shadowhunters fan fic 3 months ago, discovering a passion I never thought would exist for me. I’ve literally never loved doing anything more! I have had the opportunity to interact with some amazing people, this fandom is like one big family, we fight and bicker like siblings but there is always somebody out there willing to listen and we always come together for the important things. My favourite thing about writing Malec ff is getting to create new scenarios for them to fall in love all over again, in as many different possible ways as my mind can come up with. (which is also the reason I love reading other writers works) I have made some true friends through my writing and am absolutely blown away by the response and kind messages my work receives. So thank you, not only to those who support people like me, people who were sitting on the sidelines doing nothing, but to the entire fandom for welcoming me in and embracing what I do. I seriously love you all xx
Fan fiction is so valuable because it gives authors a space to explore and hone their craft.
Leesh / hourglassmermaid (AO3)
For more Author Appreciation Day posts, visit the tag here.
I discovered Shadowhunters (then known as Mortal Instruments, yes, I’m that ancient in the fandom) when I watched the movie of the same name back. It was back in 2013. As someone who started out finishing the books before the series came out, it was a great excitement for me to see my favorite two characters (Alec and Magnus, obviously) struggle with the difficulties of a hetero-normal, racist, classist, and very ‘real’ society. I mean, let’s face it, those same biases are still somewhat present even if we’re been fighting against it for years. What particularly intrigued me was their dynamics–a shy, closeted boy who was portrayed as the ‘protective big brother who protected everyone but himself’ and Magnus, whose mysterious past pulled me further into their universe. They felt very real to me, at the time, and inspired me to write again. (I’d stopped writing back in 2009, and back again in 2014 for Malec.) I loved writing them because CC didn’t write much in her books. So, there was this immense void in their story which writers could explore.
Aruella Myuca / Astoria Gracewell (AO3)
For more Author Appreciation Day posts, visit the tag here.
Having read quite a few fanfictions, that were not part of the Shadowhunters universe, I’ve been noticing some subtle differences between the fanfictions from different fandoms in itself. Taking into example Malec, the thing that astounds me the most is how the entire fandom seems to, no matter the experience in writing, write the exact same kind of love. True love. The real depiction of their feelings is so true, so soft, and pure, it cannot be found in any other type of fanfiction work. It is as though every fanfic writer has experienced this type of love themselves. And while it is simply because we have observed their love unravel on our screens, every type of Malec love in fanfictions comes to the same conclusion. It is, in fact, true love and they are, in fact, soulmates. The way each and every writer writes and continues their love on blogs, it is as though I’m reading fanfics from the same author. With respect to every other fandom, fanfiction and ship, comparing the Malec love to every other, the latter simply falls short to any kind of true love, in terms of writing in a way that resonates with the reader. The ability of our fandom to connect and write these two characters on such an intimate level, despite all of us being completely different, is one of my favorite things in this fandom.
sh_wanderlust
For more Author Appreciation Day posts, visit the tag here.
Malec Fic Library 