Why Do Fans Quote I Contain Multitudes In Fanfiction?

2025-10-24 12:41:01 205

9 Answers

Uma
Uma
2025-10-25 01:33:06
I get a kick out of how often 'i contain multitudes' shows up when authors want to say so much with so few words. On a practical level, it signals complexity: morally gray choices, characters who surprise themselves, and stories that refuse tidy resolutions. Fans latch onto it because it normalizes inconsistency — not as a flaw but as texture. It’s also a soft queer-affirming tag in many communities; people use it to hint that a character holds conflicting attractions or identities.

Another reason is aesthetics. The phrase is poetic and portable, so it works as a title, a chapter epigraph, or a tag that makes a fic discoverable for readers craving depth. I use it sometimes when I write because it lets me explore both tender and monstrous parts of a character without having to explain every nuance in the summary. It’s shorthand, mood, and invitation all at once, and that’s why it keeps popping up in fic spaces.
Jocelyn
Jocelyn
2025-10-25 07:20:32
'i contain multitudes' works as a tag, a preface, or an epigraph, and I use it because it gives me narrative leeway. If I’m writing a fic that jumps between canon-compliant scenes and radical AUs — or if a beloved character behaves inconsistently because of trauma, growth, or secret agendas — that phrase tells readers I’m doing it on purpose. It reduces gatekeeping: people are less likely to demand strict fidelity to one interpretation when you foreground multiplicity.

It also helps organize expectations in longfics. You can map a character’s contradictions across chapters and let readers enjoy the tension without chastising the author. Personally, I’ve found it liberating to quote the line at the top of a chapter where a character acts out of type; it softens the transition and invites a more empathetic reading, which I appreciate.
Xavier
Xavier
2025-10-25 16:40:11
I get a lot of giddy satisfaction when I see 'i contain multitudes' slapped on a fic because it promises breadth. To me it says the author is intentionally embracing contradictions — maybe a stoic hero gets goofy, or a villain shows a tender private life. Fans love complexity; we relish watching people who are not single-stat characters. That line also works as shorthand for queer or fluid identities in fanworks, where a character might flirt with multiple orientations or relationship dynamics across different chapters.

Beyond identity, it’s practical: it tells readers not to freak out if the character is written differently in different scenes or timelines. It can also be playful, like a wink between fandom members who enjoy headcanon variations. I often tag my own stories with it when I plan to hop between AUs or ships, because it gently warns that variety is intentional and fun.
Tabitha
Tabitha
2025-10-26 07:49:49
That phrase hits like a little flag in a fic header: when I see 'i contain multitudes' tucked into a summary or chapter title, I instantly expect complexity. For me, it's shorthand — a promise that the character won't be boxed into a single trait. It's useful when writers want to justify contradictions: a soft-hearted villain, a darkly funny protagonist, someone who loves fiercely but hurts people. It gives permission to explore messy humanity without apologizing.

Beyond character shorthand, it's a community signal. Folks use 'i contain multitudes' to wink at themes of identity, queer nuance, and multiplicity of self. In the fandoms I hang out in, it often preludes fics that splice canon with alternate choices, diaries, or unreliable narrators. That tiny quote sets the mood and pulls readers who like layered emotional narratives. I love seeing it because it promises a ride through contradictions, and honestly, that's the kind of fic I bookmark and reread late at night.
Blake
Blake
2025-10-27 09:40:28
A single line keeps showing up in fic headers and tags for me: 'i contain multitudes'. I think people latch onto it because it’s short, poetic, and flexible. For a lot of readers and writers it functions like a tiny flag that says, “this character isn’t one-note.” It reassures the reader that contradictions, messy growth, and morally grey choices are allowed here.

On a deeper level, that phrase gives permission. When a canon character does something that feels out of character, quoting 'i contain multitudes' is a soft way to say that the contradiction is part of the character’s depth, not lazy writing. It’s also useful for multi-verse or multi-POV stories: the quote signals plurality — multiple selves, multiple interpretations, multiple ships — and that the fic will make room for complexity. I tend to use it when I want readers to accept a bold AU or an emotional pivot without immediately policing the character, and it usually helps set a tone that’s forgiving and exploratory.
Grace
Grace
2025-10-29 19:38:01
I'm drawn to the phrase because it’s honest and slightly rebellious. 'i contain multitudes' captures how fandom itself loves many possibilities: multiple ships, timelines, and internal contradictions. Fans quote it to celebrate that very multiplicity — to say characters can be many things at once, and that’s okay.

It’s also a bridge between literary tradition and fandom play; pulling a Whitman-esque line into a fanfic is a sly way of saying, “We’re doing emotional or identity experiments here,” and it legitimizes the exploration for both writer and reader. I find that comforting.
Yosef
Yosef
2025-10-30 00:01:33
I like the simplicity and the room 'i contain multitudes' creates. Fans quote it because it’s a compact way to bless contradictions — whether those contradictions are romantic (switching ships), ethical (a hero who does a bad thing), or stylistic (mixing AU tones). It’s also a very poetic form of headcanon protection: you can hold opposing traits in your head and not feel wrong about it.

There’s a social element, too. Dropping that phrase into a summary signals fellow readers who enjoy layered, messy characters; it’s like a quiet handshake. For me, it nudges me to read without immediately policing choices, and that makes the whole experience more adventurous and chill.
Carly
Carly
2025-10-30 02:03:45
Seeing 'i contain multitudes' in fanfiction almost always primes me for introspection. When I scroll through archives, that line tends to mark pieces that are inward-facing: letters, confessions, slow-burn rediscovery, or scenes where a character confronts their own contradictions. I think fans quote it because it carries literary weight — Whitman’s ethos and, for many, Taylor Swift’s wink — while remaining flexible enough to fit superhero angst, slice-of-life hurt/comfort, or grimdark character studies.

From a craft perspective, it’s brilliant micro-signaling. A writer can use it to frame POV experiments (multiple unreliable perspectives), to justify canon divergence, or to hint at hidden backstory without spoiling anything. As a reader I love the implicit promise: this won't be a surface-level read. The phrase helps create empathy, because it admits that people (and characters) can hold opposing truths at once. It encourages exploration rather than tidy resolution, which is why I tend to click those fics first and lose entire afternoons reading them — they feel alive and dangerously human.
Delilah
Delilah
2025-10-30 14:21:04
I often use 'i contain multitudes' as a gentle excuse to write characters who are gloriously inconsistent. It’s like granting them the right to be contradictory: brave and cowardly, loving and distant, cruel and forgiving. Fans quote it because it communicates permission to exist in shades instead of blocks. In short pieces or sidefics, it works as a thesis statement: expect inner conflict and surprising choices.

On a personal level, the line comforts me; it mirrors how I actually feel about people I love in fandom — imperfect, layered, and endlessly interesting. When a fic wears that tag, I’m ready to feel complicated emotions, which is exactly why I keep writing and reading those stories.
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