so the other day I saw an ao3 fic with the pairing tagged as “(some character)/Reader” (I didn’t recognize the character, I just read it because it was bookmarked by someone who also liked something else I was interested in)

it was a good story! I liked it! I mean, I don’t actively seek out x-reader fics, because the trope doesn’t appeal to me in itself, but I’ll read one if it has a tag that I like. And this one did have some, and I enjoyed it

but… it was entirely in third person?

the “reader” was referred to by a nickname the whole time.

there was not a single “you” outside of character dialogue

that… is not character/reader. That is character/original character

are people rebranding the audience-insert, anyone-can-identify-with-this-generic-character-and-live-out-the-power-fantasy style of writing as “x-reader” all of a sudden? Is Twilight now considered x-reader? What is happening. what is this

…