#btw this goes for art too so fucking tired of ~they wouldnt look like that~ takes

[unforth]

Imo this also applies to the people going on about OOC. You're not improving literally anyone's fandom experience, you're just making people who don't have much self-confidence terrified that they'll do it "wrong" and be subject to derision.

Like. Yes great the posts I've seen on this topic usually make it clear they implemented "don't like don't read." Congrats that's the bare minimum.

But how do you not see that coming on tumblr and vague-blogging about it as absolutely rancid behavior? This is the fucking neurodivergence website. So many people, if they don't know who it's about, will think it's, if not literally about them, at least still applicable to them. The fear of being The Kind Of Person Those Posts Are About is absolutely crushing to many types of writers: those who are new, inexperienced, not writing in their native language, suffer from anxiety, using their fic to explore personal topics with the characters as proxies, and so so much more.

You don't actually have to come on tumblr for head pats ~I read something SO OOC/SO badly written/SO garbage and I didn't say anything mean to the author~ just. Just shut up! Find a friend to DM with about it privately, or make a private bookmark and whine there, or keep a personal journal, but for fuck's sake stop making generalizable posts about what kinds of fic are shit, and everyone else, stop fucking reblogging them.

It's actually so damn easy to not do this, and I feel like seeing it's proliferation is another symptom of a lot of old norms in fandom wearing down.

TL:DR, if you read something you hate

✅️ don't like, don't read

❌️ vagueblog about it on tumblr

✅️ shit or get off the pot (read something else or make your fucking own if you think you can do better)

Signed, an author who likes writing out-there AUs where I deep dive into one specific aspect of a character's personality and amplify it, who is extremely tired of bookmarks like this:

[Id: screen capture of a bookmark comment from AO3. Text reads: I disagree with most of the characterization, but separating it from SPN this is an excellent story about being queer.]

Like. Thanks I guess.

Anyway, sorry to go off on your post, OP, I've just been pissed about this for a while and I guess this is the moment I'm opening my mouth.

I think it's mean how some people talk about fics on AO3.

'Oh you gotta wade through literal trash to find the good stuff'.

Were you not a beginner once? Did you not write crack fic or self indulgent things for your own entertainment?

Maybe don't speak that way about your fellow fic writers? Just because some fics aren't as polished as others, or involve fetishes and tropes you don't enjoy, or are not the style you want your fics to be doesn't mean they're trash.

It's a horrible thing to say and beginners are going to be discouraged from writing knowing that their fics might be considered trash because they're just starting out.