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‘FEEDBACK MEANS THE WORLD TO ME’:

CONSTRUCTING PROXIMITY IN CANON-

COMPLIANT FANFICTION

‘FEEDBACK MEANS THE WORLD TO ME’:

LA CONSTRUCCIÓN DE LA PROXIMIDAD

EN LA FANFICCIÓN AJUSTADA AL CANON

https://doi.org/10.26754/ojs_misc/mj.202410256

KATARZYNA MATLAS

University of Silesia in Katowice, Poland

kmatlas@us.edu.pl

<https://orcid.org/0009-0001-8066-5525>

Abstract

This paper examines the linguistic strategies used in English to create proximity

within the online fandom community. The study applies close reading techniques

to analyse three works of fanfiction belonging to a canon-compliant subgenre. It

explores how authors from diverse socio-cultural backgrounds establish a

relationship with their readers by demonstrating their affiliation with fandom

(proximity of membership) and dedication to the source material (proximity of

commitment). To investigate these techniques, the study employs the model of

proximity defined by Hyland (2010), extended by the findings of Suau-Jiménez

(2019, 2020). The analysis includes both the main text and the metatext, revealing

similarities in the techniques used by the authors to establish proximity through

organisation, argument, credibility, stance and engagement.

Keywords: proximity, interpersonality, fanfiction, fan studies, genre.

Resumen

Este artículo examina las estrategias lingüísticas empleadas en inglés para crear

proximidad dentro de la comunidad de fan en línea. El estudio incorpora técnicas

de lectura atenta para analizar tres fanfictions o fanficciones pertenecientes a un

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subgénero que se ajusta al canon. Explora el modo en el que autores de diversos

orígenes socioculturales establecen vínculos con sus lectores demostrando su

afiliación al fandom o comunidad fan (proximidad de pertenencia) y su dedicación

al material original (proximidad de compromiso). Para investigar estas técnicas, el

estudio emplea el modelo de proximidad definido por Hyland (2010), ampliado

por los hallazgos de Suau-Jiménez (2019, 2020). El análisis incluye tanto el texto

principal como el metatexto y revela que hay similitudes en las técnicas empleadas

por los autores para establecer las facetas que constituyen la proximidad:

organización, argumentación, credibilidad, postura y compromiso.

Palabras clave: proximidad, interpersonalidad, fanficciones, estudios sobre

aficionados, género.

1. Introduction

This paper is an attempt to explore how reader interaction is encouraged by the

linguistic strategies used in English by fanfiction writers. The first section of the

article introduces fandom as a community with defined practices, such as the

creation of fanfiction. In the following parts, fanfiction will be described as a form

of communication between writers and readers. Furthermore, I will briefly present

research on fanfiction and introduce the notion of proximity, which may be

constructed within fanfiction to facilitate interaction and engagement among

members of the community, and present the analysis of the study data. In the last

section, I will discuss the results and attempt to determine how fanfiction writers

may construct proximity in canon-compliant fanfiction and how they use language

to present and justify their writing.

1.1. What is a Fandom?

The word “fan” comes from the Latin fanaticus, which describes a devotee

(Jenkins 1992). Fans participate in activities to express their deep affection for a

certain product or person; they form a community and create texts, art and music

based on their common interest. An online group that shares traditions, opinions,

perspectives and social norms is called a fandom (Kobus 2018). Each fandom has

its object of affection such as a video game, book or television series. A fandom is

characterised by their practices of “prosumption”, meaning consumption and

production. “Prosumer”, a term coined by Alvin Toffler (1980), was defined as an

agent who both consumes a product and produces it in remade form. These

practices of “prosumption” include critical reinterpretation (Silberstein-Bamford

2023), appropriation, immersion (Van Steenhuyse 2011) and creative output.

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Fans form groups and function as communities with defined practices, constituting

a participatory culture “inviting many forms of participation and levels of

engagement” (Jenkins 1992: 2). Fanfiction writing is one of the practices used for

initiating interaction and discussion among members of the community.

1.2. What is Fanfiction?

Fanfiction is one of the most popular forms of production within fandom. It allows

the writer to disaggregate and reorganise the source material and create a text

based on another text (Hellekson and Busse 2014). By reusing features from a

well-established universe, such as characters or settings, fanfiction develops a new

narrative which refines the source material and makes it flawless in the eyes of the

author (Oberc 2015). Fanfiction is the result of deep analysis of source material

and expands on certain scenes, plotlines and character personalities. It is a process

of “retelling” carried out in a participatory culture, which allows people to assume

multiple roles simultaneously, that is, author, receiver and critic. Online writing

allows everyone, regardless of their gender, age or social status, to express their

opinions, be creative or engage in discussion with the help of the story (Menise

2020).

Classifying fanfiction can be difficult because each fandom has its own set of terms

and conventions. Fanfiction is not a single uniform category; instead, we can only

identify certain patterns and trends within it. Several taxonomies have been

developed for fanfiction over the years (see Bacon-Smith 1992; Jenkins 1992;

Pugh 2005; Kobus 2018), although there is no official system of categorisation to

date. This study focuses on canon-compliant fanfiction, a type of fanfiction that

does not change the original storyline and whose main purpose is to explain and

elaborate on certain aspects of the plot (Kobus 2018). The story may be set before,

during or after the events of the original work. Writers often interpret the original

events and draw conclusions, which are then incorporated into the new text. In

canon-compliant fanfiction, any additions to the plot must be implemented

convincingly to ensure the reader understands how they improve upon the original.

These additions function in much the same way as arguments.1 An argument is a

new element of the plot which aims to enhance and complement the original

work, increasing the satisfaction of both the author and the readers.

A fandom has an in-group register, which is also a criterion for membership. It is

assumed that several genres of fanfiction coexist within a fandom, and members

employ specific terminology to refer to original material. To be a member of a

fandom, one must possess a satisfactory comprehension of the source material and

the related terminology. Similarly, discourse communities also require “a threshold

of members with a suitable degree of relevant content and discoursal expertise”

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(Swales 1990: 27). A fandom may be considered a discourse community that uses

specialised terminology and tropes to achieve its communicative goals.

1.3. Interactions in Digital Fanfiction Writing

In participatory cultures, shared practices such as writing and reading fanfiction

serve as means of communication. Communicative events happen mostly in the

metatext (e.g. author’s notes, comments, tags) and across multiple websites

(author’s social media), where every fan may participate.

With the emergence of the Web 2.0, most fandom activities shifted to the

internet, and several websites were established to serve as repositories for user-

generated content and to facilitate interaction. In the context of fanfiction,

authors may either post their work all at once or release it in a serialised format,

with new chapters being published on a schedule or whenever they find time.

Some authors may choose to release their work in parts to gather feedback from

readers.

The most popular webpage for posting fanfiction, Archive of Our Own (AO3),

allows users to interact with fanfiction passively and actively through two levels

—textual and metatextual. The textual level concerns the story itself, while the

metatextual level allows for interaction between the author and readers. For

fanfiction to be published on AO3, it needs to have a proper description and

appropriate tagging, as the fans use tags to search for content. Tags are

metatextual markers that inform the reader of the type of content they may

anticipate. The AO3 syntax of tagging is not specifically regulated and may be

seen as a distinctive mode of communication, or a space where the author may

include their informal reflections. At the end of each chapter, readers can post

their comments. The comments section also enables the readers to engage in

conversation between themselves or with the author. When the format of

fanfiction is serialised, AO3 allows the user to subscribe to a particular piece and

be notified of new updates via email. Readers may give ‘kudos’ to a work

(equivalent to a ‘like’ on social media) or bookmark it, that is, save it to a user

account or private collection so they may return to the story without the fear of

forgetting the title or author. A comment section may be used as a means of

communication, but the author of fanfiction may also communicate with readers

using the author’s notes, which appear before the main text. The author’s notes

may give reasons why the story was written or explain certain cultural conventions,

but they are predominantly used to share the author’s thoughts, ask readers for

opinions and show gratitude to readers for reading the story. In the author’s

notes, writers may also provide links to their social media profiles so they can stay

in touch with readers outside AO3.

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Fanfiction may be divided into parts, although the lines separating them are often

blurred. Texts open with an introduction, which informs readers about when and

where in the source material’s timeline the fanfiction takes place, while the main

body presents the arguments (author’s additions) followed by the ending.

The participatory nature of a fandom allows everybody to be a creator. Fanfiction

writers post under pseudonyms and seldom disclose personal information such as

nationality, age or gender. A fandom may be considered a safe space, and fanfiction

writing encourages participants to explore their gender identity or sexual

preferences without revealing their identity to the public (see Dym et al. 2019;

Dym and Fiesler 2020). Fanfiction provides a means for writers to reflect on and

interpret the emotions evoked by the source material, as well as to modify and

enhance the story to make it more engaging and satisfying for both the author and

the reader.

AO3 is a platform for fans to exchange feedback. Public reviews are encouraged

and valued. Readers can choose to interact with the work of other fans by sharing

their opinions on the story or the writing. Feedback can reassure authors and lead

them to improve their writing by offering constructive criticism. As Cheng and

Frens noted, such exchanges improve interpretive skills, allowing for reflection on

both source material and fanfiction from different perspectives. The ability to

improve writing based on feedback applies to creative, professional and academic

writing (2022: 402). Furthermore, more dedicated writers of fanfiction often

collaborate with a ‘beta-reader’, who reviews their work before publication.

Fanfiction is part of an online gifting culture, which determines the amount and type

of interaction expected between members and the assumed reciprocity of

contributions. Metatext is used to perform various fan activities including criticism

and appraisals. Every individual may feel a need to engage with fan creations, whether

directly or indirectly, by liking a work of fanfiction or leaving a comment (Kobus

2018). Individuals give and receive fan products, resulting in the creation of social

relationships centred around a mutual object of affection (Hellekson 2009).

Reciprocity can deepen the bond between individuals and may increase the prestige

of good authors, earning them renown for their selfless creations (Kobus 2018).

To have their work assessed, writers need to establish a certain level of

interaction with the audience. This can be achieved through the use of

metatext, engagement markers and the organisation of the fanfiction itself,

which includes the effective portrayal of characters, a well-constructed narrative

and an emotional resonance with the reader that may prompt them to engage

with the text. It has been observed that fans tend to document their observations

and discuss any rejection or reinterpretation of the established material in the

metatext (Bennett 2014).

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1.4. Previous Studies on Fanfiction

One of the most prominent studies on fan behaviour is Henry Jenkins’s Textual

Poachers: Television Fans & Participatory Culture (1992), which uses De Certeau’s

(1984) notion of poaching to describe fans as meaning-makers while placing them

in a position of resistance to the publishing industry. At first, analyses falsely treated

fans as a homogenous group (Bronwen 2011) and focused heavily on feminist and

gender overtones found in fanfiction. Russ (2014) states that fanfiction is explicitly

feminist pornography, while Lamb and Veith (2014) argue that fanfiction is a

sphere where explicit sexual content must be understood as a woman’s desire for

equality in a relationship, which does not fall under societal hierarchies of gender

roles. Woledge (2006) observes that in fanfiction texts, a woman’s hidden desire

for intercourse is reshaped as the highest form of trust and emotional connection.

In recent years, there has been an increasing amount of literature on power

dynamics within digitally-mediated communities, such as the work by Harris

(1998) and Jancovich (2002), who explored how fans’ migration to the internet

space has impacted their activity and their relationship with social hierarchies,

using theories developed by Foucault and Bourdieu. Furthermore, scholars studied

how fans are attached to media and how they interact with it in relation to fanfiction

(see Gray 2003; van Monsjou and Mar 2019). Fanfiction has been considered a

feminist genre (see Bacon-Smith 1992; Bury 2005; Woledge 2006) and a space for

activism (see Allred and Gray 2021), identity expression (see Dym et al. 2019;

Dym and Fiesler 2020) and communal literacy acquisition (see DeLuca 2018;

Rodriguez Aragon and Davis 2019).

The anthology The Fan Fiction Studies Reader (2014), edited by Karen Hellekson

and Kristine Busse, provides an overview of fan studies and situates this scholarly

work mainly within the realms of media and cultural studies. The book explores

fan creations and the ways they are written and distributed.

However, this existing research has been limited to fanfiction’s psychological,

social and cultural aspects, while its linguistic features have not been sufficiently

explored. Previous linguistic research into the genre has mostly contributed to

second language acquisition (see Black 2005, 2006), self-taught critical literacy

(see Edfeldt et al. 2012) or linguistic practices in mixed-language fanfiction (see

Leppänen 2012). What seems to be lacking is a thorough exploration of the

linguistic facets of fanfiction written in English. This paper aims to explore the

linguistic aspects of discourse within and around fanfiction.

Fanfiction is a reader-oriented type of writing. Fanfiction authors must convince

readers of the validity of their additions to receive a positive reception. This

behaviour is also present in other reader-oriented genres. In research articles,

writers establish proximity to enhance the credibility of their claims. Fanfiction

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authors may also use proximity to persuade readers, as this notion focuses on

positioning the author in relation to their text and community, which ought to

satisfy the reader’s expectations (Hyland 2010). Compared to other subgenres,

proximity may be most prominently visible in canon-compliant fanfiction due

to its purpose of enhancing the original work: authors may make specific

language choices to establish proximity, therefore increasing the validity of their

additions.

Proximity fosters reader-oriented writing, as the recipient needs to recognise the

structure and anticipate the writer’s purposes. Proximity has been applied to

academic writing (see Hyland 2010; Dressen-Hammouda 2014; Zhang and

Cheung 2018; Herrando-Rodrigo 2019) and is assumed to be part of the process

of negotiating authors’ claims in articles. Furthermore, proximity has been applied

to multimodal discourse (see Scotto di Carlo 2014; Tereszkiewicz and Szczyrbak

2022). Different facets of proximity (credibility and stance) portrayed in

promotional genres have been studied (see Suau-Jiménez 2019, 2020), but there

appears to be little or no research on proximity in fanfiction. Proximity may be a

crucial element in understanding the intrinsic reciprocity associated with writing

practices within fandom.

This article will seek to reveal ways in which fanfiction writers construct proximity

in canon-compliant fanfiction and how they use language to present and justify

their argument using Hyland’s (2010) framework of proximity as expanded by the

findings of Suau-Jiménez (2019, 2020).

1.5. Proximity

Proximity is a well-researched notion among academic, popular science and

educational genres (see Hyland 2010; Dressen-Hammouda 2014; Scotto di Carlo

2014; Zhang and Cheung 2018; Herrando-Rodrigo 2019; Luzón Marco 2019;

Hyland and Zou 2021; Tereszkiewicz and Szczyrbak 2022; Bocanegra-Valle 2023,

among others), whereas studies of proximity in other genres seem to be scarce (see

Suau-Jiménez 2016, 2019, 2020). Proximity has been chosen as the theoretical

framework for this research due to its applicability to reader-oriented writing such

as fanfiction. Whereas terms such as metadiscourse, interdiscursivity, interpersonality

and stance may also concern closeness between interactants, they touch upon

different relational aspects. Metadiscourse concerns linguistic resources that

organise the discourse, helping the reader interpret the text as intended by the

author (Hyland 2004). In contrast, proximity focuses on specific strategies within

metadiscourse. Interdiscursivity refers to connections between different texts. One

facet of proximity —credibility— may also draw on shared knowledge from other

texts. Both interpersonality, which concerns the relationship between the writer

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and the reader, and stance, which refers to the writer’s attitude towards the

information, are incorporated into the notion of proximity (Hyland 2010).

Therefore, proximity seems to be the most comprehensive notion with which to

analyse linguistic strategies used to model the relation between the author, the

reader and the presented content in the fanfiction genre.

In the context of academic discourse, Hyland argues that authors use a variety of

linguistic resources to represent themselves and their material while fulfilling the

audience’s expectations. Authors were observed to use meticulously chosen lexis

to establish readers as “interactants” (2010: 116) with whom they discuss

arguments within the norms of the community. Similar observations have also

been made outside strictly academic contexts. Both Wang and Csomay (2024) and

Scotto di Carlo (2014), using Hyland’s concept of proximity, studied how speakers

in TED talks pass their knowledge on to non-expert listeners through linguistic

strategies of engagement and persuasion. Various facets of proximity in promotional

discourse, such as stance and credibility, have been researched by Suau-Jiménez

(2016, 2019, 2020), who suggested that travel agencies and hotels construct

proximity to encourage customers to choose their services.

Proximity may be divided into proximity of membership and proximity of

commitment (Hyland 2010). Proximity of membership refers to the author’s use

of linguistic conventions to present themselves as knowledgeable members of the

community. In fandom, this is achieved through a deep comprehension of the

source material and a proficiency in the use of vocabulary and register that mirrors

the original. Proximity of commitment reveals the author’s attitude towards the

original text, that is, which elements they appreciate, which parts of the material

are in their opinion underdeveloped, and which elements should be elaborated

upon to derive more satisfaction from the reading. These two facets of proximity

are used to emphasise the “recipient design” of the text, which refers to the various

ways in which a writer may express respect and sensitivity towards other readers

through a carefully chosen lexicon and range of topics (Sacks et al. 1974: 727).

Fanfiction writers may need to establish proximity as an invitation to the reader to

enter the discourse and analyse the validity of their contributions.

Proximity is created through aspects such as organisation, argument, credibility,

stance and engagement (Hyland 2010). Here, it is worth noting that Hyland’s

model was originally proposed as applicable to English-language academic and

popular science genres. Suau-Jiménez (2016) argues that proximity is achieved

differently according to the genre in which it is constructed and is a result of at

least three variables: language, genre and discipline. These variables render specific

patterns of genre-related rhetorical functions. In later research, Suau-Jiménez et

al. (2021) proposed a new concept called discursive interpersonality. The notion of

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discursive interpersonality focuses on each text and its discourse as the starting

point for analysis. It encompasses a broader variety of strategies according to each

genre’s features, which include verbal, visual and lexical-grammatical markers (self-

nomination, evaluative adjectives, imperative verbs) not included in Hyland’s

previous model.

Organisation refers to the form of the presented argument (Tereszkiewicz and

Szczyrbak 2022), such as the structure of the text and the location of the main

argument. The argument adheres to the readers’ expectations, and it attempts to

show the author’s respect and engagement with the field of research. In fanfiction,

an author’s reinterpretation of elements from the original material can be

considered an argument. Arguments may include added scenes that seek to further

explore certain events not present in the source material, or they may elaborate on

abandoned or unresolved themes from the original text. Proper organisation

impacts the reader’s experience, as the reader may anticipate the parts in the

fanfiction where additions have been integrated to enrich the original narrative.

Organisation may also portray modifications as convincing and plausible for the

audience.

In research articles, credibility is established by demonstrating expertise in research

methods and meticulous work while maintaining objectivity. In popularisation,

credibility is maintained by using direct quotes and reporting verbs to attribute

statements to the scientist (Tereszkiewicz and Szczyrbak 2022). Suau-Jiménez

(2016) and Suau-Jiménez et al. (2021) highlight that in promotional genres, the

involvement of the reader is more marked. Writers may try to attain credibility

through direct allusions (you/the readers) or imperative verbs or personalised

agentive self-mentions (I, me, my, our) as they try to persuade the reader in a

friendly, trustworthy way. The same may be said for fanfiction: credibility may be

achieved through references to the source material and the author’s self-mentions

in the metatext.

Stance linguistically portrays the author’s perspective. Stance represents the

“attitudinal dimension” (Hyland 2005: 176), that is, how writers present

themselves and convey their opinions. In scientific writing, authors often use

modals (should, can) and hedging (seems, appear) to qualify their commitment and

present their arguments as plausible, opening up space for discussion, whereas in

popular science articles, this tentativeness is often removed, and the scientists are

presented as expert contributors through the use of boosters. Popularisations tend

to emphasise the ingenuity of research findings through evaluative adjectives like

great or crazy (Scotto di Carlo 2014: 600). In some genres, stance and engagement

markers (inclusive we) may overlap (Suau-Jiménez 2016), although they have

different functions. The authors may appear more persuasive if they personalise the

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text (through self-nomination), demonstrate membership (plural we) or use

attitudinal markers such as imposing or magnificent (Suau-Jiménez et al. 2021:

128). The research paper’s author responds to an ongoing discourse and anticipates

the reader’s response, who may only find particular arguments valid. Writers of

fanfiction also have to situate themselves within the existing discourse and

persuasively present their interpretation. As will be shown in the findings and

discussion sections, fanfiction is a highly affective and interaction-driven channel

of communication, full of evaluative adjectives and pronouns used to express the

author’s position and persuade readers.

Engagement is the direct address to readers to make them feel involved and inspire

interaction (Tereszkiewicz and Szczyrbak 2022). Engagement is reader-oriented,

as it uses inclusive pronouns, direct questions, personal anecdotes and references

to shared knowledge. In research articles, engagement is maintained by inclusive

we to indicate that the author is part of the same community and shares the same

area of interest, whereas in popular texts, inclusive we assumes solidarity. Xia and

Hafner (2021) observed that in the online popularisation process assisted by

audio-visuals, the speaker creates a participatory relationship between the speaker

and the audience through the use of the first person plural and its possessive

adjective. Furthermore, engagement can be increased by combining gestures,

humour, informality (lack of punctuation, slang, emoji) and visuals. In fanfiction,

these behaviours function on both the metatextual level (where authors may make

humorous remarks or directly ask readers for feedback) and the textual level (where

they may incorporate visuals) of fanfiction writing.

2. Methodology and Material

To conduct this study, a case study approach was adopted, and a corpus consisting

of three fanfictions was gathered from the Archive of Our Own website, the site of

choice for authors who write in English. Each is part of the subgenre known as

canon-compliant fanfiction and is based on different source material. AO3 allows

the writer to publish under a pseudonym; however, authors may refer readers to

their social media accounts in the metatext. In the present case, two of the three

authors studied have shared personal information on social media outlets (see

Table 1). Canon-compliant was selected as the subgenre studied due to its

restrictive form. Arguments or contributions have to be carefully crafted so they fit

the original narrative while being a valuable addition. Texts were selected based on

their tags (canon-compliant) or clearly established timeframe within source

material in the work’s description. To provide variety in the study, chosen texts are

based on different source materials and have been written by different authors. As

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the writer must assure the audience that they are a member of the community and

are knowledgeable of the original text through specific language cues, the texts

were analysed in search of proximity-creating linguistic techniques, which position

authors as competent colleagues who bring innovative contributions to the

community.

Title Author (gender, age,

nationality)

Type

of source

material

Number

of words

Date of

publication

online

Serialisation

“Whoops, I

Almost Killed

You Again 天

官赐苦，鬼拂

忌”

(WIAKYA)

TentativeWanderer

(unknown, 20+,

unknown)

Book 5,664 2020-12-11 Published

weekly over

a month

“hey son, i

killed your

daddy”

(HSIKYD)

MissingNoo

(nonbinary, 26,

American)

Manga 8,942 2021-06-07 Published

fully

“I Love You

the Same”

(ILYTS)

Yllirya (female, 26,

unknown) Video

Game 3,901 2023-11-10 Published

fully

This study adopts the concept of proximity (Hyland 2010) broadened by Suau-

Jiménez’s (2019, 2020) findings to demonstrate how different authors construct

proximity through organisation, argument, credibility, stance and engagement.

Using close reading techniques, linguistic features are identified for each of the five

facets that help the writer establish a connection with their readers, both in the

main text and in the metatext.

3. Findings

3.1. Organisation

In the context of fanfiction, organisation may refer to both the textual and

metatextual levels. On the textual level, each text starts with the introduction of

the time and space, locating the novel event on the canon2 timeline. Locating the

action within a timeframe requires knowledge about the chronology of the events

and specific nomenclature which situates the author as an expert with proper

qualifications, thus expressing membership in the fandom (Examples 1 and 2):

Table 1. Corpus presentation

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(1) When had it started? He wasn’t sure. The change seemed gradual. What

had changed over the past few months? Most notably, his acquisition of an

interesting new housemate in Puji Shrine, roughly five months ago.

(WIAKYA, 2021)

(2) It starts out as a deceptively nice day for this. […] The Kyoto exchange

event is over and a collective sigh has passed through the school, a deep

breath none of them even realized they were holding.

(HSIKYD, 2021)

Mentioning the important events from the source material (Example 1:

“housemate”; Example 2: “Kyoto exchange event”) confirms the author’s

expertise and belonging to the target community. Example 1 also uses rhetorical

questions to initiate interaction with the reader and represents the train of thought

of the main character, who in the original book often speaks to himself. Both

examples establish approximate location and time, shaping the spatio-temporal

characteristics of the argument in the context of important original situations.

Both examples use lexicon associated with the passing of time and motion

(“started”, “gradual”, “changed”, “over” in Example 1; “passed” in Example 2)

to enrich the dynamics of the narrative before the introduction of the argument

(additional scenes).

In the third fanfiction, which is based on a game, the introduction is placed in the

metatext. In the description and tags (Example 3: “Tag: After 4.2 AQ”), the author

specifies that this new scene takes place directly after an important plot line (called

AQ —archon quest). In the notes, the writer states that they attempt to explore the

emotional trauma that the characters endured during the events (Example 3: “fic

is the result of these. I couldn’t go by how Neuvi can feel in his old position”.)

Locating the event within the timeframe is done outside the text itself:

(3) Tag: After 4.2 AQ

Notes: 4.2 AQ left me with a lot of feelings and this fic is the result of

these. I couldn’t go by how Neuvi can feel in his old position —even

before the AQ— but especially now in the light of the new events and

truth. Knowing what is in his future. (ILYTS, 2023)

Considering the metatextual level of fanfiction, some visual tools may be used at

the beginning or end of a chapter to provide context and strike a less formal tone.

In the present case, visuals are only used in the first fanfiction, which is based on a

popular Chinese novel. They segment the text and provide humorous commentary

on the previous chapter, at the same time engaging the reader. As demonstrated in

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Example 4, the author uses intertextuality to reference both the internet-specific

mode of communication known as memes and the original source by creating a

comic image (as indicated by the watermark of the site where the original meme

was modified with text boxes —Kapwing). The author establishes a connection

between their work and the audience’s common knowledge by referencing the

important event from the source material (giving the ashes), which was originally

not fully developed. This also sets a humorous tone for the fanfiction.

(4)

(WIAKYA 2021)

In two fanfictions, the main addition is foregrounded on the metatextual level in

the tags. As tags appear before the main text, the reader may anticipate the

contributions and their purpose (“reasoning” in Example 3a; “Filling in the plot

hole of how Hua Cheng managed to ‘survive’ Xie Lian’s curse” in Example 4a).

3.2. Argument Presentation

Not all arguments are well-received. To conduct a proper discussion, arguments

must be negotiated as credible contributions to existing knowledge. In fanfiction,

an argument is a new addition that satisfies the audience’s needs and is relevant to

the established universe. If the source material is an ongoing series, the authors

often argue for innovations in the most topical fragments:

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(5) Renovations, that’s new. Wriothesley only nods, not seeing the need to ask

for more as he’s sure this will be explained soon. He trails along Neuvillette

as he leads them to the audience’s area —and it’s a smaller disaster. [...] To

sit in the empty Opera Epiclese’s partially ruined interior and [...] To look

at the stage that hosted their sufferings.

(ILYTS, 2023)

Example 5 is an excerpt from a fanfiction of a regularly updated video game and

refers to the newest events from the game’s story. The destruction of the theatre’s

interior is a significant event in the game’s story. However, the source material

does not mention the main characters’ reaction to the loss of the building. The

author presents their interpretation of possible reactions and links it to the original

event. This addition (argument) addresses the needs of the gamers who were

unsatisfied with the lack of continuity or coherence within the game itself.

Entextualisation may take different forms to meet the audience’s needs. As shown

by Examples 6 and 7, it may take the form of quotations from the source and

character-focused narrative (“‘In two or three years, my kid will get sold to the

Zen’in clan. Do whatever you want’” in Example 6 is a quote from the source

material) or references to the cultural aspects of the original material (in Example

7, “zhang” is a Chinese unit of length, varying depending on dynasty). Proximity

is also constructed by specific language choices, including terminology or

references to characters and objects from the original source, which establish a link

between the new text and the canon (“gege” and “san lang” in Example 8 are

official nicknames for the characters in the book). Shared knowledge also adds to

the readers’ engagement.

(6) Something flashes across Megumi’s expression. Whether it’s hatred or

hope, Gojo can’t quite tell. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

‘In two or three years, my kid will get sold to the Zen’in clan. Do whatever

you want.’

“Before he died, he told me he’d planned to sell you to the Zen’in clan”,

(HSIKYD, 2021)

(7) In the past, whenever he went fishing, there would hardly be any fish fit

for human consumption within a one-zhang radius of him.

(WIAKYA, 2021)

(8) Xie Lian confessed, “San Lang, I…I lost the ring you gave me”.

Hua Cheng said, “I know”. Before Xie Lian could feel properly mortified,

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Hua Cheng added, “Don’t worry, gege, nothing bad will happen to it, I

promise”.

(WIAKYA, 2021)

3.3. Credibility

Authors establish credibility in fanfiction by demonstrating knowledge of cultural

norms followed in the original story setting (Example 9: “hebao”) or by the proper

use of honorifics (Example 10: “Okkotsu-senpai”).

(9) Notes:

Drawstring pouch: hebao 荷包, for storing small objects, hung at the

waist. For pics, see https://ziseviolet.tumblr.com/tagged/hebao

(WIAKYA, 2021)

(10) Megumi cuts in, “[...] and tried to kill Okkotsu-senpai?”

(HSIKYD, 2021)

Credibility is also maintained when an author portrays commitment and deep

knowledge of the material. ILYTS is a fanfiction of a video game, with characters

inspired by particular nations and their cultures. The source material implies that,

in addition to the global language, constructed for the game, different nations

within the game use real-life languages, based on the culture they are inspired by.

This information is less known by casual fans, so the author may use this fact to

develop the characters further and portray them switching between the native and

the second language when under emotional turmoil (Example 11). The author

may also reference more obscure or hidden elements of the plotline, demonstrating

their expertise on the subject matter (Example 12: “usurper of his predecessor” or

“Mekas are still working”). Code-switching and recontextualisation of specific

terminology can signal to the reader that the writer is knowledgeable about the

source material and is not just a casual fan.

(11) “I am yours, Mon Chéri. I love you now and I will love you forever. You

have my word”.

(ILYTS, 2023)

(12) […] the byproducts of the usurper of his predecessor and him, the ones he

could, he should hate —that freed all of them. He, somehow, even made it

happen that the Mekas are still working in the city […]

(ILYTS, 2023, emphasis in original)

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In some genres, credibility may be increased if the reader is more directly

acknowledged (Suau-Jiménez 2020). This may be achieved by direct allusions

(Example 13: “few readers”), self-mentions (Example 14: “went straight to my

heart”; Example 15: “means the world to me”) or imperative verbs (Example 13:

“Talk to me”; Example 14: “happy reading!”; Example 15: “find me”), as in the

following passages:

(13) Talk to me [...] The first few readers might not have seen it ’cause I added

it later.

(WIAKYA, 2021)

(14) went straight to my heart [...] happy reading!

(HSIKYD, 2021)

(15) Feedback means the world to me [...] find me also on twt :)

(ILYTS, 2023)

3.4. Stance

Stance in fanfiction is almost unidentifiable on the textual level, but tags and

author’s notes are abundant in stance-taking expressions. Stance is mostly indicated

by attitude markers (Example 16: “I just love them” and “so much”; Example 17:

“IMPORTANT”; Example 18: “joyful enough”), self-nomination (Example 18:

“talk to me”; Example 20: “means the world to me”) and opening a space for

discussion (Example 20: “I’d love to read your thoughts”). Stance may also be

represented by a visual resource such as emojis (Example 22).

(16) Additional Tags: god. I just love them both so much.

(HSIKYD, 2021)

(17) IMPORTANT!!: AO3 is screwing with my upload time. [...] I’m writing

this to manage your expectations.

(WIAKYA, 2021)

(18) Dear people who were/are joyful enough to talk to me.

(WIAKYA, 2021)

(19) hey, i hope you enjoyed this! thank you so much for reading.

(HSIKYD, 2021)

(20) Feedback means the world to me, I’d love to read your thoughts, let it be

even just a few words or a bunch of emotes. I’m immensely grateful for all!♥

(ILYTS, 2023)

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(21) I think it’s so impractical of Hua Cheng to give Xie Lian his ashes. Probably

wouldn’t do it myself, because it looks like the set-up for a tragic Romeo-

and-Juliet death situation [...].

(WIAKYA, 2021)

(22) a Ghost King does not do take-backsies. 💍🔪💍💍💍💍🎭💍

(WIAKYA, 2021)

Example 17 directly acknowledges a framing of the argument to meet the

audience’s needs (“I’m writing this to manage your expectations”), representing

the author’s intent to avoid disappointing readers while contributing to the

fandom. Example 19’s lack of proper capitalisation indicates an informal tone,

highlighting the proximity of membership as a fellow fan. The author’s notes

may explain what was the motivation behind writing this work. As shown in

Example 21, the author wanted to explore the consequences of giving a

valuable possession (ashes) to another person (“it’s so impractical”, “set-up for

a tragic”).

3.5. Engagement

Engagement is essential to the reciprocal nature of fanfiction, as it directly

acknowledges readers and attempts to connect to them. In fanfiction, engagement

may only be seen in the metatext. While the second person pronoun you is the

most explicit way to bring the reader into the discussion, authors may use inclusive

we to introduce themselves as a member of a community with shared experience

(as in Example 23: “we saw some dust”):

(23) about the Opera: we saw some dust flying around when the Narwhal came

[…].

(ILYTS, 2023)

The second person pronoun you is also used in fanfiction as the preferred way of

engaging the community (Example 24: “If you want to, you can share”).

Engagement is also possible through directives (Example 25: “please go along”)

and questions (Example 26: “Attack until when/until what happens?”).

(24) If you want to, you can share the fic memes and info posted on my

accounts here!

(WIAKYA, 2021)

(25) […] please go along with my HC that it suffered some harm in the process.

(ILYTS, 2023)

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(26) [...] the way she phrased her order [...] “Attack Hua Cheng”? Attack until

when/until what happens?

(WIAKYA, 2021)

In the author’s notes, a number of engagement markers have been included. In

these fanfictions, the author’s notes appear to be structured similarly. First, the

writer may thank the reader for choosing their text to read (Example 28: “thank

you so much for reading”; Example 29: “Thank you for reading!”); then they try

to further establish a bond with the audience by sharing their social media accounts

(Example 27: “My Twitter:@TTTVWanderer”; Example 28: “you can also find me

on tumblr!”; Example 29: “find me also on twt”) while encouraging the audience

to leave comments regarding the accuracy of the fanfiction in relation to the canon

material (Example 27: “I welcome constructive criticism!”; Example 28:

“comments and kudos always make my day!”; Example 29: “Feedback means the

world to me”).

(27) Notes:

I welcome constructive criticism! Even stuff that’s not exactly criticism,

but suggestions or preferences. I like seeing different points of view, and

I’m not going to let them affect me unduly, so do me a favour and tell

me if you felt something was off.

🍜 Click kudos to feed me. Click comment to bless me. 󰁧Share this

fic to PURIFY. MY. SOUL! […]

My Twitter: @TTTVWanderer

My Tumblr: @tentative-wanderer

(WIAKYA, 2021)

(28) Notes:

hey, i hope you enjoyed this! thank you so much for reading. i think toji’s

such an interesting character [...]

in the meantime, i don’t really use twitter, but i’ve got an instagram

meme/shitpost page that’s mostly jjk right now. you can also find me on

tumblr!

comments and kudos always make my day! thanks again!

(HSIKYD, 2021)

(29) Notes:

Thank you for reading! Feedback means the world to me, I’d love to read

your thoughts, let it be even just a few words or a bunch of emotes. I’m

immensely grateful for all!♥

find me also on twt 😊

(ILYTS, 2023)

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The reader’s attention is attracted by the author’s notes which directly address them

and encourage them to interact through discourse markers (“in the meantime” in

Example 28), personal thoughts (“i think toji’s such an interesting character” in

Example 28) and non-verbal communication (emoji in Example 27; Example 29).

Additionally, engagement can be enhanced by referencing real-life events. In

fanfiction, the author’s notes may refer to personal or real-life events to facilitate

discussion (Example 30: “Happy Winter Solstice! [...] I bet many people are

celebrating it this weekend”). The use of appropriate register and slang can increase

the accessibility of the material, promoting open interaction (Example 31: “lonely

dawg. No-pressure”).

(30) Happy Winter Solstice! Technically it’s not here yet but I bet many people

are celebrating it this weekend

(WIAKYA, 2021)

(31) Or just come chat with this lonely dawg. No-pressure chats in which it’s

okay if you or I reply super late.

(WIAKYA, 2021)

In fanfiction metatext, there are numerous examples of informality, indicated by

colloquialisms, slang, emoticons and emojis. These elements may provide a sense of

genuineness and entertainment, which encourages author-reader communication.

4. Discussion and Concluding Remarks

The objective of this study was to determine ways in which fanfiction writers may

construct proximity in canon-compliant fanfiction and how they use language to

present and justify their argument. Interpersonality within the discourse community

is crucial; in the fanfiction genre, the relation between the writer and their audience

is reciprocal, as the author provides the fan with content, and the reader offers

their commentary or critique.

The study demonstrates that proximity may play a crucial role in facilitating

interaction and discussion among participants. Writers establish proximity of

membership by displaying their expertise within the area of shared interest, using

specific terminology, informality and proper organisation. Authors achieve

credibility in fanfiction through self-mentions, referencing obscure elements of the

original storyline, incorporating quotations and providing additional explanations

in metatext. The argument should be framed through cultural references, specific

language choices and overall recognisability to link the text with the original

material. Proximity of commitment is formed through stance and by displaying

personal attitudes. Addressing the audience directly and informally may increase

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their engagement by reducing the tension of the interaction. Proximity is a means

for the author to encourage the reader to engage in discussion about the validity

of a particular addition.

Established proximity may result in interaction in the comment section, as fans,

encouraged by the authors’ direct address and requests for feedback, provide

commentary in the form of praise (as shown in Example 32: “this was beautiful”),

critique (as shown in Example 33: “you should add”) and discussions about

elements in the fanfiction (as shown in Example 34).

(32)

(HSIKYD, 2021)

(33)

(HSIKYD, 2021)

(34)

(ILYTS, 2023)

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The analysis of the collected data indicates that proximity seems to be present in

fanfiction text and metatext. Establishing proximity in canon-compliant fanfiction

may facilitate discussion through various tools, such as the comment section or

authors’ social media (only two of three writers shared their social media profiles

in author’s notes):

(35)

(X account of ILYTS author – yllirya)

(36)

(Tumblr account of HSIKYD author – MissingNooo)

However, it is important to acknowledge the limitations of this study. The corpus

analysed is relatively small, consisting of only three fanfictions, totalling 18,507

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words and representing only one subgenre. Furthermore, full information about

the authors’ background was inaccessible.

Nevertheless, the texts were written by different authors and were based on

different materials, each representing a different medium, that is, a book, a manga,

and a video game. It is worth noting that these fanfictions were published in

different years and reflect different stages of the source material. While the book is

complete, the manga and video game are ongoing franchises that are constantly

evolving. Despite these differences, proximity was achieved through similar means,

facilitating further discussion and engagement.

Further research is needed to investigate the creation of proximity in different

subgenres of fanfiction and textual contexts. Additionally, methods for creating

proximity in fanfictions about real-life people or historical figures should be

explored. As fanfiction is a hybrid genre, proximity may be achieved differently

according to the tags and subgenres, which may also be taken into consideration.

Notes

1. Arguments in academic writing

are additions to the existing knowledge that

the author wants the readers to accept. They

need to adhere to readers’ expectation and to

be adequately justified (Hyland 2005).

2. Source material which serves

as the foundation for fan creations and is a

unifying force within the fandom community.

May be used as an adjective to mean “original”.

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Received: 15/02/2024

Accepted: 07/05/2024

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