What will the next big webfiction trend be?

[BearlyAlive]

Porn. Always has been, always will be

 

[Anonjohn20]

The trends in novels have always been whatever you can insert romance into. Neither Sherlock Holmes or Dracula (two very different novels with very different themes) would have been as successful as they were if the authors hadn't added the love subplot.

 

[GlassRose]

Dunno about what's next, but I don't think litrpgs are dying out. Quite the contrary, I think they're starting eke their way out into becoming mainstream. Booktubers are starting to talk about and review them, they're starting to get print books, I think I heard about one that's getting a screen adaptation.

I think they're going to slowly transition from being a small but popular niche to something more well known and integrated with the fantasy genre as a whole. There's a lot that's carnally appealing about litrpgs, and everyone is familiar with videogames these days so it's not going to feel too out-there to readers. I don't expect them to ever die. Not unless videogames die, or rather, rpgs and leveling and skill systems, because unless that happens the genre will always have relevance to the reader.

Of course, there will be rises and falls in popularity, so the trend will eventually be broken, but I don't think it will be soon.

 

[NotaNuffian]

Personally I think dual reality escapism will be the next thing. 1 reality is a utopian slice of life world where the other is a dystopia nightmare. People exist in both simultaneously but are constantly and randomly switching between each reality mentally. Sometime people conscious in one can affect the other but it's special. Kind of an evolution on the litrpg and vrlitrpg genres.

Though whatever genre emerges will likely be a result of real world escapism and the issues that encourages that desire for escapism (war, famine, hate, etc.). Fear has effected fantasy for years. Vampires were born of a fear of various diseases being denied entry into their respective religions heaven. Litrpg was born of the desire to escape into a videogame-esque world that many of this generation have. The old world had distant lands and fairy kingdoms to escape to. We have the digital escape. I think next will be a desire to escape the digital or escape the mind.

Personally, in the chinese market, the dual world thing is flooded but unlike what you had commented to be 1 world being slice of life while the other is action packed, they are both dystopias for the initially powerless MC, just that their tech trees are either kinked or completely opposite one another in order to give MC advantage and growth from his OG world.

So it is like infinity flow but not really. Also, eventually the two worlds are just blended together even in power progression.

 

[CharlesEBrown]

I know what will be popular next! Evil female vampire MCs with a sexy waifu. Y'all better start hopping on the bandwagon if you want to succeed.

I think that has always been a moderately successful niche, ever since Sheridan LeFanu (sp.?) wrote "Camilla" but don't know if it will ever be more than that. Maybe.

Maybe it's time for Westerns to come back - they keep trying about every five or six years, and some series - usually TV - gets a bit of traction, and then they go away.

 

[Anonjohn20]

Maybe it's time for Westerns to come back

That would be great

 

[GlassRose]

So we're going to be seeing lots of "I fell into a romance RPG with a maxed out Charm stat and now I'm in a love triangle with a wholesome boy and a bad boy" stories pretty soon?

Not quite, but there's a lot of, 'Reincarnated into an Otome Game' stuff, sometimes with an Otome-Game style system too. In those, having prior knowledge about the game, the 'routes', and key events is the important factor, either to progress through the normal way, or (more often from what I've seen) to shift the direction the plot takes to be more beneficial for the protagonist's desires/goal. Often regarding changing the fates of certain characters.

 

[JayMark]

Yandere harem gacha game. Everything is going to be yandere harem from gacha game. Write a novel about a character who has a harem full of yandere characters that come from gacha capsules that generate yanderes and you will be famous. The longer MC survives the harem the bigger it gets so long as they don't kill each other.

 

[Aijikan]

Right now, litrpgs are the big trend. I know it's impossible to say with 100% certainty, but once the litrpg trend dies out, what do you think is most likely to take it's place?

I have no earthly idea, so I'm just going to say...branching monster transformation CYOA stories. Because why not?

The porn industry obviously :)

 

[ArlindoFrancisco]

Litrpgs are becoming mainstream so I bet we will get live action movies with it before the trend dies out. We didn't get isekai to this day and the trend is the same as litrpgs. If it is not mainstream, it will never die.

 

[Jocelyn_Uasal]

As much as I wanna cope and say it'll be back to basics, it'll probably be something like "Life as a cat" or some other type of animal. The furries always win

 

[ConansWitchBaby]

I'm a cat girl and I got cursed to live in the modern world as something called a "programmer"

 

[CharlesEBrown]

I'm a cat girl and I got cursed to live in the modern world as something called a "programmer"

Wait - is this a prediction or a complaint? :)

 

[BearlyAlive]

Wait - is this a prediction or a complaint? :)

She's a cat. Everything a cat says or does is a complaint.

 

[QuercusMalus]

Right now, litrpgs are the big trend. I know it's impossible to say with 100% certainty, but once the litrpg trend dies out, what do you think is most likely to take it's place?

Well written, insightful pieces, masterfully crafted by dedicated, happy and mentally stable authors, featuring a rich tapestry of deep yet approachable lessons on morals, ethics and the human condition. All well offering the reader an escape into vivid mental mindscapes full of whimsical beings and fantastic adventures.

...nah. Who am I kidding? It will be whatever half-baked TikTok trend that they can find trained monkeys to pound away on a typewriter to produce.

 

[ThisAdamGuy]

Well written, insightful pieces, masterfully crafted by dedicated, happy and mentally stable authors, featuring a rich tapestry of deep yet approachable lessons on morals, ethics and the human condition. All well offering the reader an escape into vivid mental mindscapes full of whimsical beings and fantastic adventures.

...nah. Who am I kidding? It will be whatever half-baked TikTok trend that they can find trained monkeys to pound away on a typewriter to produce.

You scared me for a second there. I thought I was going to be out of a non-paying job.

 

[Gray_Mann]

I actually think there is a much higher chance of a backlash, super manly, 1950's style masculinity being the next trend over effeminated males being the next trend.

Gods I hope so.

 

[CharlesEBrown]

I actually think there is a much higher chance of a backlash, super manly, 1950's style masculinity being the next trend over effeminated males being the next trend.

Lee Childs cited the 80s but gave that as the reason why he created Jack Reacher. If his show is getting another season, that may be the kick needed for this to happen.

Edit: Actually, I would like to throw in Crime and Detective novels as a potential as well. The last 5 years have shown how popular true-crime can be, and it might be the next trend.

That may be the most likely trend, come to think of it, and exactly for that reason. May even merge with the "alpha male" trope from above.

 

[Jocelyn_Uasal]

mentally stable authors

I've only heard stories and myths of these legendary beings

 

[HungrySheep]

Probably modern fantasy/regression or even a combination of such.