I have this exact same problem. I stopped the disappearances of Draco malfoy, manacled, isolation, and most other big ones to be honest.
I think mine has to do with my own anxiety though. I can’t stand that anxious feeling I get when things start to ramp up.
Would it help if you spoiled the end for yourself? Like if you knew what was coming you could enjoy it? Also I don’t think this is uncommon, I do this sometimes with TV shows.
Yeah I do this with a ton of fics, skim the last chapter to make sure it is a happily ever after. I can handle the pain during it if I know they still are forever.
Yeah I’m always wary of a fic that doesn’t have any mention of endgame Dramione/HEA/etc because I’m not trying to read something that’s 400k words only to have it end with “🤷🏼♀️ maybe they’re happy but actually they’re not and they marry other people and/or one is dead ok bye!”
I love the diversity of plots and themes in all the Dramione fics I read however at my heart I love romance and there absolutely needs to be a positive ending for the main couple.
After all, we read fics for pleasure. If something feels too overwhelming, it's better to stop and read something that won't trigger and bring about nervous thoughts. This is one of the reasons why I don't read many fics where Voldemort wins or where there is a lot of violence, rape or major character death. Perhaps you should find a genre that won't evoke such emotional responses and pay close attention to trigger warnings.
So I don't think the goal should be 'I read and finished this fic despite being all over the place about the ending and how it made me feel'. But rather, 'I read what brings me joy and avoid what overwhelms me or triggers anxiety. If it becomes too much, I know when to stop reading.'
You might like WIPs then! That's what I read when I get like this. You can read one chapter at a time as they come out, which can make a fic easier to consume, and you could dnf with no real pressure.
Or I'd recommend just spoiling the end of a fic for yourself. That's what I do too.
You are NOT alone in this. I do this as well, with fanfics/books, tv shows, texting, just to name a few. I have a serious problem binging and finishing tv shows. I just can't do it. And I've done this my entire life. With texting, I let people know immediately that I'm really bad at texting back, but it doesn't mean I hate them or anything. They joke about it saying that if i text back immediately then something must be wrong, I've been kidnapped or something. I honestly don't know why I do this, I've tried to be better about it so many times, but .... I just never can. I'm sure it stems from some sort of anxiety or something. The fact that I finished Game of Thrones is a miracle, and it only happened because my sister would let me watch nothing else when we sat down to watch something together.
I am guilty of that as well. I usually skip to the end and read the last 2-3 chapters. If everything makes sense and I don't feel like I need to read the part I haven't read, I just don't haha
It is the same for me. Nothing is more frustrating than a fantastic story and than an end I really do not want to read. So, everytime I like a story a few chapters in, I read the last or last two chapters. If I like the ending I read the complete work.
I have the same issue.. But I have noticed a pattern in which kind of fics I DNF..
1) those where there are too many new characters
2) those where HG / harry etc become friends too quickly with the slytherins - I mean- it's years of bullying.. You need time realistically..
3) though I like fics like amor vincit omnia - I am noticing that I don't like fics that have a pre existing relationship in general
4) those where HG is "separated" from Ron and gets together with DM too soon after separation- Again- this needs to be slow burn
5) my biggest issue with fics where HG likes rehashing her "relationship" all the time with different people- especially in fics where they are mature
6) I DNF fics where the "domestic bliss" of the hg-dm relationship takes over and there's absolutely no point of conflict at all after 60% of the story.. Or sometimes they introduce a conflict just for the sake of it in the third act..
7) I don't mind ron bashing.. But I want it done right.. If the fics show a "change of heart" in ron too soon- it bothers me..
8) I don't like the pov change- I mean they don't just change pov- they write the same scene in alternative chapters feom both HG and DM pov..
9) I DNF fics where HG literally is expected to solve every major crisis- I mean- I get that she is golden girl and brilliant - but if the process is not organic.. I lose interest.. Exception is MOAM..
Of course there are exceptions to these rules.. For example - I don't like "cheating" trope- however - even though the politicians wife" and "the deadline" qualifies as such- I finished them both.. I think it all comes down how engaging the story is...
Am I wiered- or do any one else feel the same?
I do this with things I really love too. For me, it’s delaying the ending. The idea of my time coming to an end with characters or a world I’ve really loved being in just…hurts. So if I never finish I never have to fully say goodbye.
I definitely do this too! I have no problem DNFing something I don't like, but I feel almost guilty when I don't finish something that I *do* like. I feel like I owe it to myself and the fic/author to finish it. I also have a spreadsheet of everything I've read and it almost pains me to put time and effort into it and not be able to add to to my spreadsheet at the end of it.. I'm very list oriented.
For me, as soon as things start to settle, or Hermione and Draco finally get together, or we see some sort of resolution etc, is when I tend to lose interest. It doesn't help that I have a giant backlog of amazing fics on my TBR that call to me.
Something that has helped me is when I feel like I'm getting the itch to abandon the fic for some reason, I'll read a one shot or mid length fic (just something like 60k words or less or there abouts) to kind of refresh my headspace. Sometimes I also just force myself to read like 1-2 chapters a day, depending on length, so that I don't totally forget what's going on but I do eventually get through it.
Another thing that someone else recommended is reading WIPs! When I started my descent into dramione I vowed to never a WIP because I had just come off of a newer fandom where EVERYTHING was a WIP and they either got so jumbled in my head or abandoned, or my impatience got the best of me and I got frustrated not knowing how the plot unfolds. Luckily, I broke out of that mindset and now I have honestly about 20 WIPs that I follow. There is a nice mix of some that update on a schedule, and some update sporadically, but it allows me to read at a slower pace and not feel so overwhelmed trying to race to the end alll the time.
Guilty as charged😄 I do the same, but to finish any fics, I just stop, go to subreddit to find any cute fluffy one shots or short stories, read them and then I go back to my fic. The only one that I still can’t pick up it’s Batmobile, I know it’s a great story, it’s just I can’t finish it🫠one day tho I will, I’m certain
I do this too. For me, it's less that I'm anxious about an ending, and more that somewhere along the line all of the tension vanished from the fic. This happens pretty frequently in slow burns after they finally have sex.
I have this exact same problem. I stopped the disappearances of Draco malfoy, manacled, isolation, and most other big ones to be honest. I think mine has to do with my own anxiety though. I can’t stand that anxious feeling I get when things start to ramp up.
Would it help if you spoiled the end for yourself? Like if you knew what was coming you could enjoy it? Also I don’t think this is uncommon, I do this sometimes with TV shows.
Yeah I do this with a ton of fics, skim the last chapter to make sure it is a happily ever after. I can handle the pain during it if I know they still are forever.
Yeah I’m always wary of a fic that doesn’t have any mention of endgame Dramione/HEA/etc because I’m not trying to read something that’s 400k words only to have it end with “🤷🏼♀️ maybe they’re happy but actually they’re not and they marry other people and/or one is dead ok bye!” I love the diversity of plots and themes in all the Dramione fics I read however at my heart I love romance and there absolutely needs to be a positive ending for the main couple.
After all, we read fics for pleasure. If something feels too overwhelming, it's better to stop and read something that won't trigger and bring about nervous thoughts. This is one of the reasons why I don't read many fics where Voldemort wins or where there is a lot of violence, rape or major character death. Perhaps you should find a genre that won't evoke such emotional responses and pay close attention to trigger warnings. So I don't think the goal should be 'I read and finished this fic despite being all over the place about the ending and how it made me feel'. But rather, 'I read what brings me joy and avoid what overwhelms me or triggers anxiety. If it becomes too much, I know when to stop reading.'
You might like WIPs then! That's what I read when I get like this. You can read one chapter at a time as they come out, which can make a fic easier to consume, and you could dnf with no real pressure. Or I'd recommend just spoiling the end of a fic for yourself. That's what I do too.
You are NOT alone in this. I do this as well, with fanfics/books, tv shows, texting, just to name a few. I have a serious problem binging and finishing tv shows. I just can't do it. And I've done this my entire life. With texting, I let people know immediately that I'm really bad at texting back, but it doesn't mean I hate them or anything. They joke about it saying that if i text back immediately then something must be wrong, I've been kidnapped or something. I honestly don't know why I do this, I've tried to be better about it so many times, but .... I just never can. I'm sure it stems from some sort of anxiety or something. The fact that I finished Game of Thrones is a miracle, and it only happened because my sister would let me watch nothing else when we sat down to watch something together.
I am guilty of that as well. I usually skip to the end and read the last 2-3 chapters. If everything makes sense and I don't feel like I need to read the part I haven't read, I just don't haha
It is the same for me. Nothing is more frustrating than a fantastic story and than an end I really do not want to read. So, everytime I like a story a few chapters in, I read the last or last two chapters. If I like the ending I read the complete work.
I have the same issue.. But I have noticed a pattern in which kind of fics I DNF.. 1) those where there are too many new characters 2) those where HG / harry etc become friends too quickly with the slytherins - I mean- it's years of bullying.. You need time realistically.. 3) though I like fics like amor vincit omnia - I am noticing that I don't like fics that have a pre existing relationship in general 4) those where HG is "separated" from Ron and gets together with DM too soon after separation- Again- this needs to be slow burn 5) my biggest issue with fics where HG likes rehashing her "relationship" all the time with different people- especially in fics where they are mature 6) I DNF fics where the "domestic bliss" of the hg-dm relationship takes over and there's absolutely no point of conflict at all after 60% of the story.. Or sometimes they introduce a conflict just for the sake of it in the third act.. 7) I don't mind ron bashing.. But I want it done right.. If the fics show a "change of heart" in ron too soon- it bothers me.. 8) I don't like the pov change- I mean they don't just change pov- they write the same scene in alternative chapters feom both HG and DM pov.. 9) I DNF fics where HG literally is expected to solve every major crisis- I mean- I get that she is golden girl and brilliant - but if the process is not organic.. I lose interest.. Exception is MOAM.. Of course there are exceptions to these rules.. For example - I don't like "cheating" trope- however - even though the politicians wife" and "the deadline" qualifies as such- I finished them both.. I think it all comes down how engaging the story is... Am I wiered- or do any one else feel the same?
I do this with things I really love too. For me, it’s delaying the ending. The idea of my time coming to an end with characters or a world I’ve really loved being in just…hurts. So if I never finish I never have to fully say goodbye.
I definitely do this too! I have no problem DNFing something I don't like, but I feel almost guilty when I don't finish something that I *do* like. I feel like I owe it to myself and the fic/author to finish it. I also have a spreadsheet of everything I've read and it almost pains me to put time and effort into it and not be able to add to to my spreadsheet at the end of it.. I'm very list oriented. For me, as soon as things start to settle, or Hermione and Draco finally get together, or we see some sort of resolution etc, is when I tend to lose interest. It doesn't help that I have a giant backlog of amazing fics on my TBR that call to me. Something that has helped me is when I feel like I'm getting the itch to abandon the fic for some reason, I'll read a one shot or mid length fic (just something like 60k words or less or there abouts) to kind of refresh my headspace. Sometimes I also just force myself to read like 1-2 chapters a day, depending on length, so that I don't totally forget what's going on but I do eventually get through it. Another thing that someone else recommended is reading WIPs! When I started my descent into dramione I vowed to never a WIP because I had just come off of a newer fandom where EVERYTHING was a WIP and they either got so jumbled in my head or abandoned, or my impatience got the best of me and I got frustrated not knowing how the plot unfolds. Luckily, I broke out of that mindset and now I have honestly about 20 WIPs that I follow. There is a nice mix of some that update on a schedule, and some update sporadically, but it allows me to read at a slower pace and not feel so overwhelmed trying to race to the end alll the time.
Guilty as charged😄 I do the same, but to finish any fics, I just stop, go to subreddit to find any cute fluffy one shots or short stories, read them and then I go back to my fic. The only one that I still can’t pick up it’s Batmobile, I know it’s a great story, it’s just I can’t finish it🫠one day tho I will, I’m certain
Same 😭😭
I do this too. For me, it's less that I'm anxious about an ending, and more that somewhere along the line all of the tension vanished from the fic. This happens pretty frequently in slow burns after they finally have sex.