meanao3thoughts

[meanao3thoughts]

once i figure out how to block demanding “more now” commenters from being able to read that specific fic ever again it’s over for you hoes

[meanao3thoughts]

i've had so many conversations with people in fandom/creators' circles who are genuinely afraid to make the stories or art they want because they fear (often with good reason!) that their friends might kick them out of their circles, or worse, launch a public harassment campaign against them.

as someone recovering from this fear-based mindset, i want to affirm:

- friends who use implicit or explicit threats to maintain social control are not your friends

- communities that monitor your social media and ao3 to surveil you for perceived transgressive content are not safe communities

- the vast majority of people are NOT going to hate you if you make the art you want

- if you find yourself in a friend group that makes you feel afraid to speak your mind, it's in your interest to disentangle yourself from that group as quickly as possible

- real, honest disagreements between friends can be solved respectfully without the use of public shaming

- if you're feeling afraid in a community, it's likely that others are feeling afraid too. support your friends who may be struggling to leave an abusive fan or creative community, and let them know you're a safe person to voice doubts and disagreement to.

- if you're feeling like you'll never find a safer community of people, i promise there are others who feel that way too. it may take some time, but you'll find people who treat you and your ideas with respect. a good place to start is the people who make the type of art that you admire but that you're too afraid to make yourself.

ok that's all, take care of each other and be nice 💜

[meanao3thoughts]

seeing a lot of the comments on those posts that have started circulating has been really reassuring but it’s also made me realize how widespread the problem has become and i think for my own peace of mind (and all the other shit in my life i gotta take of) i’ll probably just stop posting fic for an indefinite amount of time. just doesn’t really feel worth the effort anymore.

[meanao3thoughts]

the current state of fandom needs to be old yellered immediately. im loading up the shotgun as we speak

[meanao3thoughts]

are people getting worse at commenting/sharing or have i just been spoiled by really engaged fandoms in the past

[meanao3thoughts]

oh no this blog has followers now i should probably stop being such a whiny bitch

[meanao3thoughts]

[meanao3thoughts]

i made this account so i COULD be the world’s biggest cunt but like. you understand that if you don’t like or comment on a fic that you have SUBSCRIBED TO then that author isn’t going to be motivated to update, right? like you understand that if you want more from a writer (or artist or gif maker or meta poster or any other kind of creator in fandom spaces) you have to interact with them. and i know not every creator wants concrit but i would literally love getting that than getting subscriptions with no indication of if the reader even likes the fic or not. subscriptions counts that don’t align with kudos or comments just make me think they’re bots and if that means no real people are interested then im not gonna keep posting. that story lives in my head i don’t need to write it down for me. i do it to share with others as part of a fan community.

[meanao3thoughts]

a feel like the new generation of fanfic readers NEED to understand that clicking on a fic (interaction) does nothing. ao3 has no algorithm. your private discord discussions of fic do not reach the authors. if you do not actively engage with writers they will stop posting. this isn’t social media this is community.

[meanao3thoughts]

are people getting worse at commenting/sharing or have i just been spoiled by really engaged fandoms in the past

[meanao3thoughts]

literally why would you sub to a fic without interacting in any other way are you just waiting to see how bad it can get??

[meanao3thoughts]

1 kudos but 7 subscriptions? if i could block six of you i would

[meanao3thoughts]

the problem with fandom is that some of yall suck

[meanao3thoughts]

i just don’t understand why people expect so much from me when they give so little in return

[meanao3thoughts]

so it’s ok for me to mask and curb my emotions and shit but you get to say whatever alright

[meanao3thoughts]

publishing fic in a big fandom is like oh 100 of y’all have nothing to say? sure