#fandom etiquette

[darksisterk]

Hotd's Fandom Interpretation/Cognitive Dissonance

The fact that the Dance in Fire & Blood was recounted by biased maesters and yet even they couldn't resist praising the character of Rhaenyra's elder sons. Everyone knows them. The Velaryon boys—which are, arguably, some of the most controversial characters of the Dance in both canon and fandom.

Let's talk about them.

These so-called prejudiced maesters did not have to state themselves, that Jacaerys had proven himself worthy of the Iron Throne at only fourteen years of age.

They did not have to favor the Velaryon sons by acknowledging the fact that they were simultaneously, bold, savvy, and fiercely loyal...

That the lords of Westeros were practically vying to wed their daughters to one of them.

Or the fact that Rhaenyra and Daemon's eldest son, Aegon iii worshipped his three elder brothers, even after they were nothing but ash and memory to him.

No, it didn't say he worshipped his mother, the Black Queen. Nor his father, the Rogue Prince. He revered his elder brothers like no other, regardless of the matter of their birth.

They didn't have to include Daemon—the infamous Rogue Prince's "An eye for an eye, a son for a son, Lucerys shall be avenged." Lucerys' death that Daemon avenged by stabbing Aemond through the same eye Luke had taken, years prior. A poetic cycle come to fruition.

In spite of how these young men were confronted with much bigotry and prejudice on the account of their blood, they remained true to their design. Strong..as it were. Not only did they face familial dogmatism in canon events...in fiction. But they are faced with it on an ongoing basis. In fandom. In reality. As characters in a story. As an idea, a thought, a distortion in belief.

All of this goes to say that once again, fiction reflects people's tendency toward cognitive dissonance. That it is a struggle for us to hold two thoughts, conflicting or not, at once. George R.R. Martin's carefully crafted world of gray characters is too much for some to handle.

The truth of the matter is something that causes disparity in this fandom to a severe degree. That these characters were many things.

That they were collectively Velaryon, Targaryen, and yes...Strong. They were bastards, and yet they were still legitimate heirs. That they had "dirty blood" to some and were loved, admired, and revered by others. That they had grown to be something that many in their lifetime never actualize, and yet they died young.

The reality is that the Dance was tragic and many of its victims— Green and Black, died young. So who knows what would have become of these characters had they been able to develop into adulthood. But isn't that what fandom is for? We thrive in the unknown as much as the known. That's what imagination is for.

In essence, the argument of which side/characters of the Dance are more "interesting" falls short. Each side is equally fascinating in their own right. So don't let fandom's echo chamber of confirmation bias let you miss out on some pretty damn captivating characters and themes. Come exist in the world of shades of gray and complexities, it is much more satisfying.

[deiim]

the reason why your fandom has no more long, elaborate fics that read like a publish bestseller and less and less fics in general is bc people just do NOT interact with fics anymore in a meaningful context. like, comment people! even if just to comment a heart! all the fic authors will give up bc why would they write for n O ONE WHICH IS THE WAY IT SEEMS WHEN NO ONE COMMENTS

[fandom-hoarder]

Ok, but whose art is it, please? And are they on tumblr to reblog directly?

Samruby art ! always love it

[bunnis-monsters]

“You’re romanticizing it!”

No, actually, I’m sexualizing it. Thanks.

[bamsara]

hey so just a reminder that this is not Instagram, there is no algorithm, and using a lot of tags on a post that don't really have anything to do with it just for more reach is considered spam and is reportable (and frowned upon) since it clogs up the tags

this includes tagging a fandom related post with a ship or characters from that same media that don't actually show up in the post. you do not need to tag every single character from the media in the post when they aren't actually included within it

[the-bar-sinister]

Look, I'm going to be honest, I don't care whether people feeding other fans' fanfiction into AI is "legal" or "illegal".

What it is, is rude, entitled, and disrespectful of your fellow fans.

[my-castles-crumbling]

Guys PLEAAAASSSSEEEEEEEE stop using AI for fanart. I know so many amazing people who literally spend HOURS creating art. HOURS. And they do it for free, or for very little. To use AI for fanart so incredibly insulting to them.

Want art? Find something that's created and boost their work by reblogging!

Better yet, commission an artist! So many of these people are using commissions to pay for rent, or other bills, or fucking top surgery. Don't take that from them.

Stop using fucking AI.

[dorlilymylovesss]

basic fandom etiquette rules if some of y'all forgot

1. don't put ship tags in your hate/anti posts

2. if u hate someone opinion/hc just block or mute them and move on

3. never leave a criticue under people's work, it's not a published book, juts close the fic and find something for your taste

4. always ask artist for permission to repost their art and always use credits

5. if u don't like something click the button mute

6. if u like a art or fic please leave something nice in comments, it will inspire creators and keeps them motivated

[asexual-fandom-queen]

not to be That Person but when people are like “why isn’t there a big fandom culture anymore?” umm…

maybe this is why???? That an author can spend hours (if not days or weeks or months) on something, have 1,800 people read it, and only have THREE people willing to take a few extra seconds out of their day to comment. Not even something as simple as “thanks for sharing” or “second kudos” or “❤️”

I’m not the internet police. You decide what you do with your time. Just don’t be surprised if the result is that creators leave your fandoms. I’m not writing to scream into the void. If that’s what I wanted, I wouldn’t bother posting. Fandom is a community. It’s an exchange of enthusiasm over this thing we all love. And who’s gonna keep showing up at your house with a goodie basket if all you do is take the basket, slam the door, and leave them outside to watch through the window while you eat?

[m00neroni]

unpopular opinion but no fan artist or fan writer should have to "apologise" for their absence or "delay" in updates; and nobody should ask them for explanations if they simply stop publishing their content one random morning. for whatever reason

[rweoutofthewoods]

Fanfic doesn't have to be "good"

Since going through another Goodreads debacle and thinking about reviewing fics, and the amount of criticism of fics I've seen on tiktok recently... I have a few other things I need to say on this topic and entitlement in fandom:

I'm going to say this for the people in the back, and maybe I'm talking to a brick wall, but it is not ever okay to speak negatively about fics in public spaces. It doesn't matter how big or untouchable the author or fic might seem, or alternatively, how small, or how old the work is. That was written by a normal person for fun, with no monetary gain and zero compensation. You have no right to speak on it negatively.

Firstly, everyone has personal opinions and likes, and SECONDLY FANFIC DOESN'T HAVE TO BE GOOD. This might sound controversial, and yes so many fics are actual works of art. I've seen so much talent and labor of love in fandom I'm in awe, but there's no standard fanfic is required to meet. There's no quality threshold, there's no amount of effort you're required to put into it.

If you keep shitting on fics, you're going to scare people away from writing for fear that they're going to write something "bad" or that falls under your criticisms. A lot of fic authors have no formal or professional writing experience or education. And they don't need to! Because this is fanfic, and if it was all professional they'd be in publishing.

So stop shitting on fics, not only is it rude, but you're not owed anything!! You're not owed well-edited, typo-less fics, you're not owed hundreds of thousands of words, you're not owed the characterizations and headcanons you like, you're not owed regular updates or completed works. You have no entitlement or right to any of those things.

You are not owed anything, and you're scaring people away from fanfic and fandom with your negativity and hatefulness. We do this for fun, and it stops being fun when you have to deal with people being cruel, disrespecting you and your work, posting it places you explicitly request they not, pestering you, being rude or entitled, etc, etc. I've had to file an actual copyright claim before over fucking fanfic, and it's moments like that where you have to wonder wtf is happening and why you're doing all this. The climate in fandom has become so entitled and if we keep conducting ourselves this way, we're going to scare people away, and you'll have even less content.

So just remember fic is free and a hobby, and you have no right to demand anything of it.

[preciousprongs]

why is half of fandom culture rn just hate. like everyone’s either talking shit about each other or posting content promoting hate for hc. i’m so sick of the only marauders content im seeing be “what ur least favorite ship” or “what a hc you really hate” or the worst one of all “what a popular fic you really hate”. i’m actually so lost on when we started to allow this to be acceptable fandom etiquette. you guys do realize fanfic is free right? meaning none of these authors owe you anything. the best way i’ve seen it put is “this is content that is shared with you not made for you” by messrsrobyn on tiktok. meaning take a step back remember that this is supposed to be for fun, and sharing opinions and promoting hate are 2 very different things.

[frownyalfred]

fandom etiquette

my hot take of the week (that absolutely no one asked for) is that there’s a crap ton of ao3 “etiquette” touted on here that’s actually 100% optional.

really. if it’s not in the TOS and it’s not required by the tagging system, there is no right or wrong “etiquette.”

yes, people sometimes use that flexibility to be dicks, but most of the time I see “etiquette” being enforced on authors who 1) used the tagging system correctly and 2) have inadvertently done something that readers don’t “like.”

examples of this I’ve seen: using the “creator chose not to warn” tag and then not tagging MCD, underage, etc. i.e., things that are absolutely allowed to not be tagged under that broader tag.

another example: writing a fic with a sad ending and not tagging the sad ending ahead of time. absolutely permissible, but if you do this people get pissed.

and another example: using archive warnings and zero additional tags.

all of these are examples of 100% valid and compliant usage of the ao3 tag system. and yet, we tend to penalize fics that follow this tagging style. I’ve seen people rate them, rec them with poorly concealed disgust, or even suggest that they should be reported.

“etiquette” is highly subjective and fandom-dependent. if you ask 10 different ao3 users, you’ll get different answers. pressuring newbie writers to follow your etiquette can make the whole process overwhelming when it doesn’t need to be.

now. there’s complying with ao3 TOS, there’s “etiquette,” and there’s marketing. the reason fics that follow general “etiquette” tend to do better is because they’re easier to find, easier to predict, and easier to filter in/out depending on certain tags and events. easier to sell, essentially.

users who choose not to warn, or use auxiliary tags, tend to see a hit in readership. it’s a known risk. but if the author is making that choice knowingly, that’s the end of the discussion.

etiquette is expected or implied conduct, but it is not required. as a writer, you get to weigh the pros and cons of following fandom “etiquette.” some find it beneficial, others stifling. sometimes it changes fic to fic.

I am wary of a lot of anti-shipping and fandom purity that is starting to masquerade as “etiquette” on here. we need to check ourselves, and remember how highly subjective our wants and desires for content can be sometimes.

[bunnis-monsters]

People who hate on reader inserts will not survive the winter.

Fanfiction writers keep your fandoms alive, and that includes reader inserts writers.

[kiwiana-writes]

Not kudosing fics you enjoy: why?

Inspired by a discussion I had earlier today and my own rampant curiosity. If you are someone who regularly doesn’t leave kudos for fics you read and enjoyed, why not? I totally get why people read without commenting (even if I love and treasure all comments, as a writer) but as someone who leaves kudos on pretty much everything I make it to the end of AND hits the kudos button on rereads just in case I accidentally missed it the first time, the idea of not kudosing fics I liked is one I’m struggling to get my head around. Help me understand!

Y’all know the drill: reblog for reach, don’t be an asshole in the replies, etc.