If 3 years ago someone told me that predictability would be one of my top requirement for a relaxing entertainment, I would laugh at their face. Being a k-drama watcher for more than a decade, and a voracious reader for even longer made unpredictability something I highly appreciated in the stories I devoured.

But that was in the world before pandemic.

Once the pandemic struck, surprises that used to delight me in all those fictions suddenly made me anxious. Real life surprises contained too much unpleasantness that I ceased to enjoy my inability to predict how a story would go. And that’s when I fell into a rabbit hole called fan fiction, something that never even excited me all these years.

It was… a relief to go through countless adventure with all these characters that I already knew well. It felt safe no matter how many what-ifs started these re-imaginings because after 200 titles, even my range of prediction has became 99% foolproof. The fact that it has reignited my childhood excitement for all things Harry Potter is definitely a nice bonus.

This is actually the biggest reason I was in a drama and DB slump during the majority of 2020 and 2021. It took me some time, but I did started to enjoy a sprinkle of unpredictability in my stories again. But even then, I don’t think this newfound love for fan fiction is going to fade anytime soon.

Love,
February

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    There’s something so comforting about a predictable story. It’s one of the reason’s I’ve embraced reading romance a lot more during these pandemic times.

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    I’ve been watching some dramas that I don’t objectively find good and I couldn’t really tell why, besides the fact that they remind me of the soaps I watched as a kid. But you explain it so nicely: predictability is comforting ☺️

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    I call these my comfort stories ~ it’s why I rewatch so many movies multiple times. I want rhe comfort of knowing the ending.

    Also, fanfiction can honestly be so delightful at reminding you of all the little things you loved about a story. A good one makes me feel like I’m fangirling with the author. 🤗

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      I call rewatches my comfort watches as well (also, I call them Macaroni and Cheese watches because I get the same feeling I get from that most comfort of comfort foods). I love rewatches (and re-reads) because it feels like I am spending time with old friends.

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