Threadfic
| Synonyms: | twitter threadfic, thread-fic |
| See also: | Commentfic, not!fic, Social Media AU |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Threadfic is fanfic that is posted on Twitter as a "thread" or sequence of tweets posted as replies to the first tweet in the chain. Threadfic is usually written by one author, but the nature of twitter allows for branching replies, brainstorming, and riffing on the theme by multiple users.
Threadfic is often written in a more colloquial style than fanfic posted to archives, with more abbreviations due to Twitter's character limit on tweets. Sometimes it can originate as a headcanon or what-if scenario that the author expands into a threadfic.
Threadfic became popular in a number of fandoms in the late 2010s.
Some threadfic is then reposted to other platforms, but the majority is not.
Advantages and constraints of the format
Threadfic is popular with many fans whose fandom activity centres around Twitter, since it means that their ideas and writing can reach the community directly without readers needing to be directed towards an external site. It also allows for ease of back-and-forth interaction and ideas or commentary from readers.
Threadfics get tons of interactions, but quote-rts and comments are where authors and readers would continue expanding on the piece. Authors can also use the Twitter poll option to help lead the narrative where the voters (readers) want! Threadfics thrive on the fast consumption of content people in fandom really like these days: they're short, concise and very rarely complex in narrative. Mostly they're just expanded headcanons or porn, although the quality really varies from author to author.Seanide [1]
Threadfics tend to be ephemeral by nature, since Twitter's search engine is not very comprehensive, and accounts or threads can be removed if the original account is reported for abuse. Some fans also find threadfics difficult to follow, preferring a format more designed for long-form writing.
In-progress or unfinished threadfics can also present a challenge to readers who want to follow them, since they need to remember to check back for further instalments. This is not necessarily different to any fanfic in progress, except that Twitter does not have a notification system that will alert readers to further developments. Following the author's Twitter account is the closest alternative to this, but may not be helpful to readers who only wish to follow a single thread and not the author's other tweets. Some frequent authors of threadfic may create pinned tweets or threads that collect together all of their threadfic, for ease of browsing.
Fannish comments
(*lays down beside pool and gently touches the water*
Do you ever accidentally start a new threadfic even when you promised yourself you wouldn't?
Do you ever tweet a random brainworm and then several thousands words tumble out?)[2]
Thread-fic authors have too much power. I could only ever write the complete thing in a diff doc and copy-pasta.[3]
Examples
- Word of Honor RPF: starting premise: zzh is a fucking idiot bisexual, gj is the most long-suffering gay who doesn't fuck his coworkers, and the pr strategy encouraging cp fans is basically fake dating, aka pure pining agony, Archived version by isozyme (June 25, 2021), podficced by opalsong (2021-07-12)
- Haikyuu, Kuroo/Tsukishima: krtsk + surprise xmas eve visit, a festive thread, Archived version by @HeyMellieJellie (Dec 22, 2021)
References
- ^ Fanlore talk page. Published 5 October 2022.
- ^ Tweet by @cicerfics, July 22, 2021 (Accessed December 26, 2021). (Archived version)
- ^ Tweet by @DuendePika, September 10, 2021 (Accessed December 26, 2021). (Archived version)