#a message’s objective truth does not make its delivery invulnerable yo

[ten-cent-sleuth]

Get a beta reader who knows the sitch and get them to point out all those linguistic flourishes of yours. Then you can decide whether/how to change them to be less identifiable.

Also, you could start another fic idea in this small fandom and talk very overtly to your friends about it, hype it up, make sure each of them knows about it, all that, and then post it around the same time you anonymously post your Secret Fic. To throw ’em off your scent ’cause you were clearly working on something Else™ at the time.

Since you think it’s inevitable that they’ll find the fic, then get ahead of the curve. Be the first person to “find” it—or one of the first if that’d be less suspicious. Comment on the fic through your usual AO3 account. Rec it to your friends if you dare. This might seem weird so you don’t have to do this step, but it can honestly be helpful: I mean, what better way to trick your brain to doubt yourself less than to comment on your own fic, “Sure, some people might think this is cringy because of [something you are genuinely insecure about], but I really liked the [something you are genuinely proud of]. I’m glad you posted this!”?

Ideally of course, you would spend this energy on combatting the source of the issue (your self-consciousness around your friends), rather than a symptom of it, but I know that’s easier said than done so if getting it posted in secret is a baby step to getting it posted no matter what your friends think, then I wish you success nonny.

question for the mods and/or other readers of this blog: let's say, hypothetically, you wrote a *really* embarrassing fic (perhaps shamelessly horny, perhaps just terrible) for a really small fandom and you know your fandom friends will find it at some point (probably as soon as it's posted) AND you know they recognize your signature linguistic flourishes and favorite AUs! if simply not posting the fic isn't an option (because you'll wither and die if you don't recieve validation from internet strangers), what would you hypothetically do to keep your friends from finding out about it?

speaking from absolute experience, either post it anonymously or make a whole separate ao3 account for it.