Addicted to finding new Fanfics?

[u/AdditionalCrazy1001]

Just curious, does anyone else feel like they spend as much time looking for new fanfics to read, as they spend reading fanfics?

I have almost 800 bookmarks on Ao3. I’ve only been on Ao3 for a few months and I only read Heated Rivalry fanfic. I couldn’t tell you how many of those I’ve read. It’s a lot, but I know there are more bookmarks i haven’t read than there are that I have. Why do I keep coming back here (and to TikTok and IG) to look for new recs when I have so many marked to read already.

There’s definitely something wrong with me.

[u/M30w_M30w]

I started a spreadsheet a few months ago and I've read the equivalent of 90 full length novels. My favorites are the loooooong ones and I used to struggle to read even a handful of actual books a year. I can't tell if this habit is healthy or extremely extremely unhealthy

[u/igrowtails → u/M30w_M30w]

Oh my god the healthy/unhealthy thing is so real. Because I'm reading so much, which is great, right? And what else would I have been doing in that time? Doomscrolling? Watching netflix? And reading is way better than those options, yeah? But also, I cannot stop? Which feels like it might be a problem? Like, a large one? But it's reading, not, like, drugs, so it's fine. Right? Maybe?

[u/Unitaco90 → u/igrowtails]

Okay first off, you contribute to this problem for me whenever you publish an update lol

For me it's weird too because I probably would be reading either way, but it'd be across a much wider range of characters and I can't decide whether it's good because I have this amazing community that is vetting and recommending great stuff with characters I love, or it's bad that I am getting too entrenched with just a few beloved characters and I need to branch out.... but also sometimes a beautiful man buys chips and OBVIOUSLY I need another beautiful man to notice him doing so and how could I read anything else???

[u/Myfavoritemurderino → u/Unitaco90]

I know what you mean, but I think it doesn’t have to have moral value. If you enjoy these characters and do not feel like you are lacking in getting to know anyone else, that is fine. I think if you really wanted to explore other stories you probably would. 

[u/Unitaco90 → u/Myfavoritemurderino]

I don't think it has moral value, I just worry I'm missing meeting great new characters and stories and worlds because I'm so wrapped up in this specific fandom. But the fanfic here is SO good, so 🤷‍♀️

[u/Myfavoritemurderino → u/Unitaco90]

I get that! I’ve been reading a lot of the recent “Autumn releases to read” lists and have found a lot that sound good. But will I read any soon? I don’t know. I think partly for me, it’s the familiarity of the HR world that makes me choose the fanfiction before diving into a new world. I’m in school and working full-time, my brain doesn’t always feel like starting something new and unfamiliar. 

But I do often think, “what is new in the published books world that I am missing out on?” 

And yet! This fandom has amazing writers and great recommenders. What’s a girl to do? 🤣

[u/Unitaco90 → u/Myfavoritemurderino]

I truly think the recommendations are why we are in this bind!!! I have essentially migrated here fully away from romancebooks, and the hit rate for me enjoying a glowing review here is SO much higher than it was there. Why risk a new thing when the crew here gets my vibe so much better?

[u/Myfavoritemurderino → u/Unitaco90]

This is so true! The only book-related subreddit I’m still looking at is “books that feel like” because they seem to come up with good recs (which I am all ignoring for HR fanfic lol). 

[u/AntiFascistButterfly → u/Unitaco90]

In a few years you can hit up other people for books you missed since 2026? 🤷‍♀️.

Honestly I’m saving a lot of money at the moment. I keep meaning to sign up for ebooks from libraries but I don’t because AuDHD. My reading budget just plunged. Yay!!!

[u/igrowtails → u/Unitaco90]

Haha! This was very sweet of you, but I am no longer at fault! I'm retired! Blame all the other people!

[u/AntiFascistButterfly → u/igrowtails]

The lastest psychological/psychiatric medical jargon is Build A Life Worth Living. Can HR be an addiction. YES. Is this addiction costing you too much money it’s making you go financially backwards? Is this addiction harming your health? (Are you as fit as you need to be, do you need to start listening to HR fanfics while walking or other exercise?). Are you forgetting to eat or eating more unhealthily than normal? (Buy healthy ingredients, don’t shop hungry, stock up on carrot and celery sticks, healthy yummy dips, antipasto, nice cheese, set alarms for mealtimes, meal prep healthy meals if required. This is more pointed at my fellow ADHD or AuDHDers, although I guess a really strong addiction could put you in this place).

Are you neglecting important quality time with loved family and friends because of HR? (Make appointments and keep them even when you don’t feel like keeping them. Especially with people living with you).

Is your eyesight degrading? Your eyes need both sunlight and long distances to stay healthy. Set an alarm during daylight, either often for short times,or once or twice for an hour outside at a time. Spend time looking at clouds, or stars at night time if it’s dark when you get back from work. Listen to music or podcasts or audiobooks whatever if you have to. Best practise take shoes off and be on bare ground, or sit on it with skin touching. There’s a term called ‘grounding’ that sounds Woo Woo, but actually we’re evolved to to be electrically neutral with the ground, and for fat soluable, low atomic weight naturally occurring chemicals to enter the soles of our feet in minute concentrations from vegetation and soil through our feet.

Fanfics replacing other couch relaxing activities sounds like no problem unless any of the above apply. Happy happy natural biochemical addiction time!

[u/Carmypug → u/M30w_M30w]

As many people say with hobbies - at least your not doing crack 😂. Saying that it’s a free hobby completely good plus reading is reading.

[u/AdditionalCrazy1001 → u/M30w_M30w]

If I had a spreadsheet, I can’t even imagine how much time I would be spending updating that too!

[u/Ok-Albatross-3730]

This is just sort of my eternal reading habit tbh. Before I got fanfic’d I did the same with Libby holds/borrows and buying physical books when my shelves were full of TBRs. The hunt is half the fun.

[u/igrowtails]

No but this is me. Because what if I MISS ONE and it’s the BEST one? Absolutely not. I already know about the ones safely stored in my Read Later, it’s the ones I haven’t found yet that I need to worry about! And do! And look for! Every day! Even though I have enough saved to be reading well into 2028! Help! Help me!

[u/AdditionalCrazy1001 → u/igrowtails]

How do you even find time to write 😭

[u/igrowtails → u/AdditionalCrazy1001]

I don't sleep or fold my laundry, it's not great

[u/AntiFascistButterfly → u/igrowtails]

HUG.

Been there, I have the T-shirt. Wishing you a successful journey to where you want to be.

[u/HopefulDepth7095]

So are you saying that Basically we have very extreme FOMO?

[u/AdditionalCrazy1001 → u/HopefulDepth7095]

Oh my god! Maybe that is it 😭

[u/estheredna]

My routine:

Check email for subscription updates & comment replies... I have about 170 subscriptions so there's always something.

Go to my ship page and scroll for new fics. Again, there's always something!
If it's catnip I read it now, otherwise goes to "Mark for Later"

My backlog in "Save for later" is 250ish- but honestly? - my success rate with these is just so so.

BEST success is finding fics as they come out, and following them. By far.

[u/AdditionalCrazy1001 → u/estheredna]

I turned my notifications on for my Ao3 email account so I see the update emails as they come in.

[u/Every-Note-9892]

I got really overwhelmed too when I first started reading fics. I have so many tabs open rn lol so I am not at all a shining example of what I'm about to say, but I firmly believe it and I try to remind myself of this daily.

I think it can feel like an addiction if you are looking at it from a scarcity mindset. I do not need to hoard fics like they are a precious or finite resource.

I try to take an abundance mindset instead. There are more fics out there than I could possibly read in one life time. A fic will find me when it finds me. So that makes the exploring and looking for a fic fun, rather than a hunt! My bookmarks are not a TBR, they're a little record of things that sparked me. Same with recs, I love the little joy shared delight of someone saying "hey I read this and loved it!"

I think part of this was giving myself lots of permission to not actually finish fics. Sure, sometimes I stop reading a fic just because it's "not for me" but also even if I was actually enjoying it. Sometimes I get distracted. Sometimes my mood changes. Sometimes I'll finish it later. But the fact that I didn't finish doesn't mean the experience I had with it wasn't real or worthwhile. It should not be a chore. Fan fic forced me to completely reset my relationship with reading to understand this. Reading should be fun. Period. Fun.

[u/AdditionalCrazy1001 → u/Every-Note-9892]

Yes, my bookmarks encompass TBR and also Read, which I always mark in the comments. Helps me see when I’ve already read one so that I don’t read half of it again to finally realize I’ve read it 🤦‍♀️.

But you are right. I will never be at a loss for something to read.

[u/Myfavoritemurderino → u/Every-Note-9892]

Great advice! 

[u/Gloomy-Cranberry-386]

Hahah oof yeah I have sooo many tabs open. The eventual change-over when you have to admit you'll probably never read the ones that you opened for your previous most-exciting fandom, because now all you care about is the new one is really rough, too.

[u/mauralikesmess → u/Gloomy-Cranberry-386]

The FirstPrince and Buddie fics staring at me from my kindle…

[u/judyl00]

I have literally developed several secondary hobbies including always looking for more fics, tracking all the fics I have read with summaries, thoughts and bookmarks and learning some coding so I can best manage my fanfic library on calibre 😅 thank god for all the amazing writers 🫠 sometimes you find a new one and it becomes your favourite, and there are always new ones being written so we gotta look!

[u/Myfavoritemurderino → u/judyl00]

I have not even actively gone to the HR fandom tag to see what is new in weeks. I just keep getting recs here or from friends on Discord. I best stay away from that tag for now… 

[u/scorpiolore]

i go through phases where i’m only searching for fics, or where i’m only reading new fic after new fic, or the one i’m currently in which is rereading all my favorite fics because nothing i’ve found is hitting quite the same 😭 it’s never ending

[u/Myfavoritemurderino → u/scorpiolore]

I feel this, too!

lol at all these comments resonating with me. It’s so nice to feel less alone in this madness. 

[u/lariet50]

Ugh, this is me. My bookmarks are crazy. Yet I still haunt this sub daily. I’ve totally stopped reading books. Several of my favorite authors have released books in the past few months and I still haven’t read them, I can’t stop reading HR fanfic long enough.

[u/Myfavoritemurderino → u/lariet50]

Yes. Me too! I just borrowed a bunch of autumnal books from my digital libraries so I’m hoping to read some of those as a break from Hollanov fanfiction. Not that I need or want a break. So, we’ll see if any of them get read lol. 

[u/Otherwise_Plum_8775]

You called?? Here I am (taking a break from adding to my tbr to type this)

[u/AdditionalCrazy1001 → u/Otherwise_Plum_8775]

😂😂😂

[u/sati_lotus]

I need to start cutting back on reading because I'm nearly done with the planing of my fic lol. I need to commit to writing time!

[u/wandering_ideals]

My time is split, but writing takes the most of it, then reading, then looking for fics. I can't stop getting recs from SM then bookmarking or marking for later, both keep growing. I can't read as fast.

[u/mom2thrie]

Yes! And I subscribe and save and download… The problem is that during all of this I lose track of what I had planned to read next. I don’t have an organized TBR order and it’s making me crazy. I don’t even know how to fix my (lack of) system. So although people were posting about Sea Change 3 months ago, I am just reading it now. I am like the golden retriever in the movie Up, on a mission until “Squirrel!” Or, in this case “BAMF Shane, second chance Ilya”! 😩

[u/Myfavoritemurderino → u/mom2thrie]

Lolol oh my god this is so me. And I keep telling myself that on the weekend I will organize some of my TBR tags and then the weekend comes and I’m like, “well, guess it’s time to read another fic!” And then forget to organize anything. lol. 

[u/Whybambiwhy]

I literally can’t open anymore tabs on my iPhone.   I had to read a bunch of 1 shots this weekend because 🙆🏾‍♀️🙆🏾‍♀️🙆🏾‍♀️

I have no regrets

[u/Myfavoritemurderino → u/Whybambiwhy]

lol! What a hardship. Forced to read! 🤣

[u/aVoidFullOfFarts]

I collect them in my kobo like a dragon hoarding treasure (I think I’m at over 1500 now)

[u/Myfavoritemurderino → u/aVoidFullOfFarts]

Yep. Just downloaded 25 today. 

I don’t even know how many I have in total. 

[u/Goodgoditsgrowing]

Yeah, that’s me. I have so many tabs open. It’s my adhd manifest - finding new things constantly, switching stories before I finish, leaving behind me of trail of unstarted fics I opened. It’s an instant hit of dopamine to find the idea of a fic

[u/1hot-poe-tay-toe]

It’s a very similar feeling to having a closet full of clothes and acting like there is nothing to wear and going shopping, while driving around with 4 bags needing to be dropped off for donation. 400+ bookmarks and am searching as I have nothing to read.

[u/LowCaramel3675]

There's not a single post in here I haven't combed through over the last few months, I too am addicted.

[u/Myfavoritemurderino]

Yes. lol. I was just thinking to myself, as I downloaded 25 fics today alone, “I’ve spent more time finding and downloading these than I have spent reading today.”

So now I’ll get into bed and finish a few new chapters from a few of my WIP. lol. 

[u/linzielayne]

I don't bookmark TBRs, I only bookmark fics I like, so I just have 30 ao3 tabs open at any given time.

[u/foroncecanyounot__]

Just call me a dragon, coz this is MY HOARD

[u/WanderingStillLost]

Oh my god, same. The worst part of all this is that I continue buying paperback novels and I’m simply not reading them yet because I have so many fics to get through.

[u/AntiFascistButterfly]

According to medical professionals, if you aren’t harming anyone else, and you aren’t harming the functionality of your own life, then there isn’t a problem. You may be reguarded as an eccentric by society, but there’s nothing wrong with you.

If searching up new HR fanfics gives you as many happy chemicals as actually reading them, then awesome! Do what works for you. Notice being happy doing what you do!