What do you think about historical fanfiction?

Lately I've noticed that there aren't really many historical fanfics on AFF (in fact, a total of only 851 atm) compared to other genres. I get that it definitely isn't going to get as big as fantasy/romance/whatnot, but is there a reason why there's so little? This isn't limited to just ancient China/Korea kind of historical stories-- so other periods of time such as medieval, world wars, etc. are also included. 

I'm not really sure if it's because it's not very welcome on AFF (I mean, some extremely popular fics have historcial as a main genre)... do people just not want to do the reasearch needed to execute a good historical fic? Is it just too far away from the typical comfort zone of authors on here? I personally love historical fiction-- I'm literally desperate for more good ones, so if you do know any good historical fics, please suggest me some in the comments. ;;;u;;b 
 

I've also noticed that a lot of historical fics are . Out of the first 19 historical fics in the 'most voted' order, ten are marked mature. Is it because of the entire concubine/consort/imperial harem system that's featured in historical fics that so many of them are stories? I don't have anything against ; I just don't read it. I'm just wondering why there's so many of them in the historical genre. (Or maybe there's just a lot of on this site in general so every genre is flooded with it? I'm not sure, tbh)

So, what do you think? Do you read/write historical fics? And if not, why not? 

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Lidashen #1
I think it's just harder to write them due to language usage and researching or creating your own world. I'm writing like three (two published, one is finished and in editing, one is WIP, and the last one is drafted because it's the main, a huge one!) They're all in the same world that I'm creating. But mine is going to be confusing for readers because I used a sh*t ton of aliases for my characters, so I'm not expecting much. That aliases thing + the genre that I'm writing is more action and would take a long while to get to the romance stuff that readers love.

I think people just have a lot of s that they want to release and they do it through . But historical isn't any different from modern , so idk why there is a need for it. Although along the way of writing, I do find myself wanting to write for my two characters ( the tension lol). But do get you a lot of readers on this site, or other fanfic site. People just love when it comes to fanfics ^^.
berriechan #2
I'm actually super interested in historical ones, indeed there are few out there but the ones I've come across are usually stunning in terms of attention to detail, grammar, vocabulary, etc. which makes them a pleasure to read for me personally as a highly visual reader.

I guess it's a more underrated genre because most people don't think to it when they think about fanfics. The more commonly associated genres, like rom-com, angst love, , etc. also have more publications~ I think the historical genre is kinda like the post-apocalyptic genre. I've read some post-ap fics that have TRUMPED in terms of plot, characterization, pacing, etc. that are such great hidden gems I'm screaming WHY DO PEOPLE NOT KNOW ABOUT THIS, but I guess it's just a matter of relevance :/ There's nothing inherently wrong in the genres, just usually overlooked by more mainstream ones. ^^

My grain of salt though~
rosypeaches #3
Actually I'm planning to write one. But still in the process of planning.
-thesunandmoon- #4
I would love to write about one but the research would be extensive so that the backdrop will be solid.
Dyed_Memoirs #5
I wrote one angsty romance fic set during the Korean War, but it's actually so complicated and I realized there were so many plot holes after doing extensive research so I took it down from the site (coz I wasn't happy with it although my subbers begged me to bring it back). I'm still trying to fine-tune the plot, and maybe when I finally get my crap together, I might reupload the story.

But yeah, for people to write a decent historical fic, there's a lot of research involved. It's not as easy as writing a highschool au or some fluffy romance . I'm not into too, but I guess that's what's popular, and adding to an otherwise boring history fic gets them views, probably.
nyamnyamnyam #6
I love reading and writing historical romances! I definitely agree there aren't as many fics OF that genre as I'd like on AFF; I think part of it probably is due to the enormous amount of research necessary, and also because dialogue and characterization can be harder when the setting is a real but distant one. A lot of fanfic on this site revolves around high school AU or chaebol AU, because that's what is seen in K-dramas featuring idols a lot of the time and therefore feels more familiar for authors, so that could be part of it as well.

I wrote a Kyungsoo x OC historical romance oneshot called "Two Wallflowers" (Regency/Victorian Era) recently, but the only reason I didn't expand it into a full fic was that I've got my hands full with another Kyungsoo story. My oneshot has no involved, but a LOT of non-fanfic Regency romance books have steamy scenes. That I'd chalk up to the popularity of historical romance in the bodice ripper romance days. The relative tiness from those times probably engrained itself into the legacy of historical romances, I think. But yeah, I wish there were more historical fics on AFF :/
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