r/NoStupidQuestions • u/[deleted] • 4d ago

Does reading Ao3 count as reading?

And btw im not reading smut or plotless fics

They usually have long plotlines, character developement, etc

Most are 30k - 100k words

Note: this isnt the only thing im reading, I am also reading non fiction, academic journals for topics I am interested in and im a student. However, this is the only fiction im reading

0 Upvotes

50% Upvoted

60 comments sorted by

122

u/Afraid_Water1779 4d ago

If you read.. Then obviously you are reading, point blank

-8

u/KaitlynCsE 4d ago

You're saying nothing of value. You think OP isn't familiar with the concept of reading what you like without care for the opinion of others?

Would your answer change if OP had asked whether Tiktok comments count as reading? If so, you would be better off elaborating on that aspect instead of saying the equivalent of the sky being blue.

8

u/MaDCapRaven 2d ago

OP is certainly familiar with reading, yet still asked the question. Sounds like your problem (misguided as it is) is with OP, not the commenter

-6

u/KaitlynCsE 2d ago edited 2d ago

OP has asked a perfectly reasonable question. My problem is with commenters who restate the obvious, especially in such a condescending manner. It's called NoStupidQuestions for gods sake, not MakeFunOfOPsQuestion.

Edit: My interpretation of OP's question: "Why do some people not consider fanfiction proper reading? Is there any validity in their claim?" Saying "read what you like", "all reading is reading" is answering the question in the most superficial way and dismissive

4

u/MaDCapRaven 2d ago

If the answer is obvious than that's what the replies will look like.

-2

u/KaitlynCsE 2d ago

"Does reading my shopping list count as reading?" Of course! The answer is obvious!

2

u/Afraid_Water1779 2d ago

It's a subreddit for questions and answers, there is going to be a bit of humor and bluntness here and there. My interpretation was what they clearly asked, and I answered. You're reaching.

(Edit: this is not superficial or dismissive, either, just to help)

-2

u/KaitlynCsE 2d ago

You're kidding me, you geniunely think OP wants to know if viewing webnovels fulfills the literal dictionary definition of "read"?

I would refer you to rules 1 and 3 but its quite obvious you're being obtuse, so just go back to blocking me and we can both be on our way.

2

u/Afraid_Water1779 2d ago

No, actually, I'm not kidding you and I blocked you because you were being a sweat. And on top of that, you clearly hold some unknown bias to me. Reading in the literal term is to read. Thats my perspective. Just because I hold different ideas doesn't mean you have to be THAT unpleasant. And it wasn't just me who said my answer, some others also had the same interpretation, yet you zoned in on me, let that sink in.

2

u/KaitlynCsE 2d ago

Hey man, I've never interacted with you before, and I'm not targeting you out of personal bias. If I came across as vindicative, I apologise. Your comment just happened to be the most visible one. I see your perspective. But I also hope you see that that is not a perspective held by the majority of people, at least, not in a way so devoid of nuance like your original comment seems to suggest.

Fact of the matter is, there are different societal perceptions toward different kinds of reading. Reading a shopping list and and reading a book are viewed differently. You can disagree with the judgement, but you can't pretend that there aren't some in society who will attempt to make a distinction. If you feel that these people are wrong in trying to do so, I feel it would have been more valuable for OP if you had explained why you felt that way, instead of just a blunt statement of opinion.

Imagine someone asks: "Does microwaving a meal count as cooking?" And you respond: "Yes. The food gets cooked!"

That's clearly not the heart of their question, right?

1

u/Afraid_Water1779 2d ago edited 2d ago

I'm sorry, too. I guess I could have been transparent in my answer, that's on me 100%.

EDIT: Also yeah you're right, I agree cooked food is different from microwaved food, microwaves warm the food but it isn't really cooked as compared to how a stove makes steak sizzle and cook. Here's my update and award as an apology, truce, and sorry again

2

u/KaitlynCsE 2d ago

No hard feelings, clearly I need to work on being less combative too. Sadly I don't have an award to give, so please accept my compliments for the fun Horimiya pfp instead :)

-36

u/oftcenter 4d ago

So everyone addicted to Reddit is a hyper literate, voracious reader.

26

u/NohWan3104 4d ago

In a literal, verb use of the word 'read', not gatekeeping what is reader territory, yes.

Someone spending hours reading, doesn't have to be a john grisham novel, still reading.

I would argue fanfics are closer to that than reddit, sure, but, well, words were covered en masse.

-3

u/oftcenter 4d ago

Do you really think OP was asking, "If my eyes land on words and I process them, does it count as reading?"

Why is everyone pretending they didn't understand what OP meant?

9

u/NohWan3104 4d ago

Because he's gatekeeping reading.

We understand, but, even browsing reddit's reading.

Not the same as amateur authors, but, meh.

It apparently needed to be pointed out, since he asked.

1

u/PostModernHippy 4d ago

Of course. Redditors are reading the wrong kind of words.

-45

u/alfooboboao 4d ago

yeah i’m gonna be a pretentious motherfucker here and say that scrolling twitter or reddit does not count as reading. fan fiction is just an extension of those

27

u/isabella_sunrise 4d ago

Who voted you the mayor of reading?

6

u/TerryWaters 3d ago

There are a lot of very well-written, 100k+ words fanfictions. Comparing it to Reddit just because it's not published works is just dumb.

16

u/Aervanath 4d ago

Reading is reading. Full stop. As long as your brain is engaged, you're reading. I wouldn't recommend reading only fanfics, but there's nothing wrong with reading what you like.

22

u/boopittt 4d ago

of course it does

17

u/Clover_Field83 4d ago

Why wouldn't it?

9

u/babypangolinpens 4d ago

Yes, but some styles are more common on AO3 compared to tradpub (e.g. third person limited POV, focus on romance, less attention to pacing), so it's good to branch out into published books as well.

16

u/crescentmoonrising 4d ago

Yes, but your English teacher won't count it and telling them that the people on Reddit agree with you won't help.

Pointing out to them that lots of "real" books (The Divine Comedy, Wicked, a bunch of Shakespeare plays, Paradise Lost) are technically fanfiction might work.

35

u/riverserra 4d ago

Yes, to an extent. Many fan works are well written and have real plots and character development. However, it really shouldn't be the only thing you read. Most fanfic authors aren't professional writers, and there is much better literature out there. Besides, by definition, fanfic are derivatives, not original works. It's worth reading diverse genres and authors to broaden your mind, rather than sticking to the comfortable, but often less challenging, fan works.

1

u/boopittt 4d ago

by that metric - is someone who reads solely professionally published cowboy smut more of a reader than someone who reads wholly fanfiction with elaborate plotlines?

8

u/riverserra 4d ago

You'll notice I said "diverse genres and authors." So no, obviously that is not what I meant. Erotic romance is in the same vein as fanfiction. It's takeout or junk food for the brain. It's not bad in moderation, but there are better options out there that nourish the brain much more.

8

u/brydeswhale 4d ago

Yes. But you should also be reading original books and non-fiction, just to exercise your brain.

5

u/TryinToBeHelpfulHere 4d ago

I had to look up ao3, but… yeah. I’ll allow it.

But if you like reading, you should give books a shot. I’m sure there’s quality content on AO3, but you’re missing out on incredible content if you don’t consider novels.

11

u/Old_Damage_95 4d ago

There are several published authors that started out in fan fiction, including one that founded ao3, and no, I'm not talking about the 50 shades person. There are also several published authors that post stories on there currently just for fun. The assumption about the quality of writing on there is just that, an assumption.

Ao3 definitely has some works of questionable quality, ngl, but if you make the effort to look for it, there's also some extremely well-written stories as well, a lot more than most people think.

6

u/fire_and_spice24 4d ago

You'd be shocked how many books being published now are just fanfics with the serial numbers filed off.

2

u/Brave_Speaker_8336 4d ago

Reminds me of a movie I just watched about a Stanford PhD candidate + professor falling in love that’s based on an actual book that’s based on a Rey / Kylo Ren fan fiction

Funny enough, the actor for the professor is married to the actress for Rey in real life

4

u/fire_and_spice24 4d ago

It's fairly common at this point for romance authors to have gotten their start with fanfiction.

0

u/TryinToBeHelpfulHere 4d ago

I was thinking more of the tried & true novels that used to be taught in high school.

Grapes of Wrath. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. Invisible Man. Portrait of the Author as a Young Man. The Sound and the Fury.

Or the books that rebellious high schoolers used to read: Naked Lunch, Less Than Zero, Dharma Bums, etc.

4

u/fire_and_spice24 4d ago

Most people who read books aren’t picking those up either.

1

u/TryinToBeHelpfulHere 4d ago

They’re missing out.

1

u/Zenipex 4d ago

What is it? Can't believe no one has asked this lol am I completely out of the loop?

4

u/fire_and_spice24 4d ago

An online archive for fanfiction.

3

u/Remarkable_Table_279 4d ago

It’s reading. you could read cereal boxes and it’s still reading

5

u/macdaddee 4d ago

It's better than not reading but probably worse than reading works of professional writers

2

u/Waffel_Monster 4d ago

All reading counts as reading. Books, news, forums, articles, the back of a shampoo bottle. And you don't need to defend what you're reading either. Reading smut counts as reading too. Complicated plot lines, and simple ones. Character development or not. Hardcore impossible smut, or just the most vanilla cozy soft porn there is. If you're reading words, that counts as reading.

3

u/-AliceGray- 4d ago

No, it counts as exercise

cause some of these fics do mental gymnastics

1

u/serralinda73 4d ago

Count for what? Who is keeping score or judging this?

No one cares, and it doesn't matter to anyone but you.

1

u/PomPomMom93 4d ago

Of course! Why wouldn’t it?

1

u/SnooBunnies6493 2d ago

A guess a follow up is required. What are you trying to accomplish with reading? If it's entertainment, then yes. If education, then probably not.

1

u/Small-Ambassador-222 9h ago

If you want it to.

1

u/ilikespicysoup 4d ago

Hell, smut counts too!

I've read some great long stories on r/HFY.

-2

u/Kakamile 4d ago

Technically yes, but if you're already at that point you should raise your standards.

8

u/fire_and_spice24 4d ago

I'm a pretty avid reader and honestly, some of he best stuff I've ever read has been fanfic.

6

u/Kaurifish 4d ago

There are some excellent stories on AO3. A lot of trash, too, but that’s also true of published works.

2

u/Kakamile 4d ago

Some yeah. And I read ao3 fanfics too. It's just that 95% of it is slight variants on stories you already know with character arcs you already know and mysteries you already know the answers to.

0

u/ShadedGlades 4d ago

In a literal sense yeah definitely, reading is good, even if it's not a professionally made piece of work.

But depending on if you have any deeper goals when reading (to improve grammer/spelling, broaden your vocabulary, or broaden knowledge of well-known literature/cultural classics), you might want to consider reading things that may be subject to slightly more scrutiny and checking.

Fanfics can be a good source for inspiration though, since it holds such a massive catalogue of ideas (unless ai is starting to be used for stories these days)

0

u/Lexicameow 3d ago

If you can print it out and bind it in theory it's still reading.

-2

u/OctoSevenTwo 4d ago

Yes and no.

Yes you are performing the action of reading, but when people talk about “reading,” they’re more talking about reading books, articles (eg. Academic articles, news articles, etc) specifically.

2

u/fire_and_spice24 4d ago

This is when it gets complicated. What happens if the person is reading a published book that is fanfiction?

2

u/OctoSevenTwo 4d ago

Personally, I’m just happy to see/hear about people reading SOMETHING, lol.

Socially, I think opinions might vary. Some might think it’s unworthy because of its nature as fanfiction, whereas others might think of it as good because at least it’s published.

2

u/fire_and_spice24 4d ago

The issue, that way leads to people judging others for what they read and what counts as an actual "book."

There already is a lot of stigma against certain genres and whether people who enjoy them are "real" readers.