There& #39;s plenty of difference btwn fanfic and published work but "fanfic is reliant upon original work & original work stands on its own w/o influence" is one I am v bored of

like imo the difference of note btwn fic and original stuff is "which one is uncompensated labour" lol

like the dichotomy simply isn& #39;t true

how do you account for rpf where the "original content" is the existence of people & fic writers create sprawling fantasy epics? (let& #39;s not debate whether rpf is good or bad; it exists! so we gotta acknowledge it)

what about collaborative narrative efforts where the story/content is made better through beta-releases and fan engagement? what about IP work that& #39;s paid for and then absorbed into "canon"?

go find any writer interview & make a list of the influences that went into their work

there is no such thing in this world as art and fiction that is wholly unsustained by something else. nothing! we are all influenced by each other, and we are all reliant upon existing narratives that we riff off and adapt and remix and make our own

so then where do the difference between fic and publisher work come from? imo the key one is that *fic is unpaid*

let& #39;s NOT talk about how "original fiction" can benefit/learn from fic authors& #39; work without addressing the fact that said work is literally uncompensated labour