#okay off my soap box

[the-fab-fox]

Okay. So Imma just come out and say it.

Y'all who read fanfic. You. Need. To. Start. Commenting. On. Fics.

I have been told I'm a great writer. I've been told I'm spot-on with characterization. I've been told I'm great at making readers feel and experience what the characters are feeling and experiencing. Been told it's like the reader is in the room as everything plays out.

However, when I see that my fics have upwards of 1K hits and maybe 100-300 comments and maybe 40-100 kudos and not even hitting triple digits in the bookmarks/subscriptions to a fic... Well, what would you think in my shoes?

Most likely, if you're like me, you're thinking all kinds of negative things (especially if you have mental illness/ADHD/neurodivergency of some kind). Stuff like... Oh, those other people are just being nice (not fair to them so I try not to think this way but negative self talk doesn't play nice with me).

Or I think... Okay so they checked it out. They had to click on the fic for it to even register the hit, right? So why don't I at the very least have more kudos? That's the easiest option on there (though it's like a like on here; if you are gonna leave kudos please also leave a comment), right? So what was wrong with my fic that I don't have more kudos at least.

But then I get on here and see so many comments and reblogs on FANART (still not enough for them either though lbr). THE POINT IS... If you read a fic. If you read it and liked it, you all really need to start commenting.

It doesn't even have to be long paragraphs or quoting or any of the ✨ big comments ✨ stuff. You could leave an emoji that be showing me what my fic or update got you feeling. You can do keyboard smash. If the author asks for it, you can leave constructive criticism (but only if the author has actively asked for it; if they haven't or given you permission, then don't). You can absolutely do big comment things too.

One of my favorite type of comments to get are the quoting ones. You just copy/paste and then say what you liked about it or what it made you feel or your reaction to it. Things like that. I love when my readers tell me their fave parts in an update. Or quote a line and tell me their thoughts and feels. Just yes.

We are far too advanced in this day and age and fanfiction and fandom are wholly more accepting than it used to be but for some reason, comments and reactions have become almost non-existent compared to when I was 15. And I was... Pretty cringy in my writing back then but I can admit that. But every chapter I'd get at least 8-10 comments. A chapter!

Even earlier in my Twst series I was getting A LOT more comments and with every fic it seems to have dropped significantly.

To me, to my brain, that tells me that my writing is suddenly sucky or I lost my talent or I'm not actually as great a writer as I was told because then why aren't more people commenting.

You might try to argue and say you're shy. Do you comment on order things? Do you tack onto a reblog to put out some addition to the original post? Do you chat with people in the fandom? Do you comment on fanart?

Then what makes a fanfic any different? (This is not including smut fics because I get but necessarily wanting it tied back to you. But if you open ao3 in a browser you aren't logged into ao3 on, you can (as long as the author has allowed it) post a comment anonymously. Yeah!)

You might say oh well I don't have time to comment right now. But you had time to read the fic? You had time to reblog that shit post? You had time to comment on the tags on a fanart you really loved? Thing is, unless you want to write a long one, comments do not take that long to leave. They really don't.

If you're worried the author doesn't want to hear from you—I'll stop you right there. The author ABSOLUTELY wants to hear from you.

So now is the time to stop making excuses to be lazy. You are reading really great fan literature for free. The least you can do as a thank you and to show support is to COMMENT. ON. THE. FIC.

And if you wanna really make an author's day and help support them and their work, REC the fic. REC the Author's work list. You can do that to friends you know would like it or even better, make a post about the fics and link your recs.

It's really not that hard and we should not have to beg. Realize the blessing you have that fics you would enjoy exist for free and do your part. COMMENT.

[thewingedwolf]

i’m on teeny’s big speech here. and okay the reason i keep taking the teeny stuff so personal is because a lot of their biggest haterism moments wrt sam & genevieve are clearly gender identity related, the show is really explicit in this & in depicting teeny favorably as a person simply finding their way while playing a difficult game. and i’ve really related to this journey and how teeny is not always pleasant or confident because of how much he’s been really grappling with his identity & how they relate socially to others and it’s so remarkable to me that this story has been portrayed with such nuance and empathy and to see it so often reduced to “teeny is annoying & can’t do anything” has been such a bummer for me.

anyways i hate fire making so bad oh my god but i love teeny forever and always that’s my son

[sad-leon]

I think some people need the reminder that you can just not like things. For whatever reason. You don't need to justify things you don't like to anyone, as long as you're not making people feel bad for liking it.

You're able to not like something, but that doesn't make it weird.

You're able to not like that people like something, but that doesn't necessarily mean they're bad people (within reason of course)

And it's also important to remember that you may like something that other people don't like. That doesn't mean they have a personal vendatta against you for liking it.

That doesn't mean you're wrong, nor are they wrong.

People have preferences for everything. Just because you prefer something, that doesn't mean you're "right". This is fandom, there are very few things that even have a "right" and "wrong" side.

[wellijustfinnihedoneofthebooks]

Something i love about when anne rice decides to go out of her comfort zone and write a female character, is that woman is 100% guarenteed to be a badass mommy dom with more balls than any of her stupid twinks could ever dream of having

[totopopopo]

stands up on my soap box. so i think that dana skully and fox mulder ARE both lesbians and that they have a weird codependent platonic situationship going on the likes of which no one on earth can comprehend. taps the mic a few times. hello hello can anyone hear me. i said fox mulder is a butch lesbian who is madly in love with his best friend in the world. who is also a lesbian.

[scavengerssuccotash]

I’m gonna need climate activists to start being a bit more intentional with their messaging because spray painting Stonehenge isn’t doing shit for the environment.

Because it seems to me that the people who “don’t know” about climate change—the ones that they hope to “make aware” by pulling these stupid stunts—are steadfast in their beliefs and unreachable.

They have fully committed to drinking the Big Oil Kool Aid, you will not reach them!

I’d argue most everyone who has a modicum of intelligence are already WELL aware that climate change is happening, that it will continue to happen, and exactly who is responsible.

So, whenever I see yet another story of some “climate” activists throwing soup at a fucking Picasso, I get real fucking annoyed.

How much you wanna bet that if I dug deep enough I would find a link between Big Oil and the groups that pull these stunts?

We don’t need more awareness, we need fucking action!

But it’s easier to scream about a problem than to actually fix it….

[hakugreenfinch]

btw uhh with regards to recent events that i found out about yesterday im saying this in the kindest most understanding way but your life will improve if you learn to take a step back from online fandom stuff every now and then and ask yourself if what youre currently doing is good for you. do literally anything productive offline sometimes, think about how serious the thing youre upset about really is and act accordingly. please

[ghost-proofbaby]

so... i just got off work, and can see i've missed a few things.

gonna spend the rest of my waking hours getting caught up, but just want to say a few things.

one, thank you to all the love and support. publicly and privately. it's seen and appreciated, even if i don't individually respond.

two, i hope going forward, we all carry the lesson learned from what's been happening in the fandom. i wasn't the only one who has received nasty reactions or felt exclusion to any degree, and that's really important to remember. i'm privileged to have any sort of platform to any degree on this hellsite, and i can guarantee you anything that's thrown at an account with reach like my own (no matter if sometimes i misconceive just how far that reach can be, given i didn't expect the response garnered), can be thrown just as easily if not ten times worse at smaller creators/those whose voices are getting lost in it all. i'm also privileged that thus far in my online presence, my queer experience has been entirely different from my actual life, and that's largely due to having my shit figured out, and for being a white cis woman who can wholeheartedly say she identifies as bisexual.

fandom spaces have always experienced these issues. they don't get better unless we speak up, and especially unless we listen.

uplift each other. be kind to each other. life is hard enough without this kind of stuff - if we want to see a better online space to feel safe in, we've gotta make it. there'll always be people like that anon. it's sad and shitty, but it's the human experience. the way to change it? keep the energy i saw today.

it's not just a today thing, and it's not just a "it happened to ghost so it matters" thing. it always happens, and it always matters.

keep. that. energy.

and, again just for shits and giggles and to drill it into all our brains, be kind to one another. <3

[anxioustential]

For the ask meme: also requesting a vent/ rant of your choosing !

@tartquez 💞

So the thing that has been mildly plaguing my thoughts as preseason hype builds and the season teeters on the precipice of starting is how I hate the frequent correlation between adulation building and humor and perspective decaying. For context my thesis towards sports fandoms is very 'if you can't make fun of your little guy, especially when he's a melodramatic drama queen, flop, and/or reckless idiot then what's the point???'

And in all honesty….seeing how some talk about Marc in the lead up to this season has me a bit hrmm just because I’ve been through a sports fandom where the fandom turned very reactive and vindictive because of defensiveness over their fave/the modern goat of the sport. And I was a fan of him since the start of his career so it was extremely sad to watch how culturally the fandom warped and the rot set in. I think when people reach a point where they tie a lot of their identity to someone’s else’s accomplishments there can become a culture of being unreasonably defensive over any perceived slight to their favorite. In this way a lot of personal insecurities pop up/are projected and it’s just very…1) please have some faith in your guy and ignore the noise and 2) if they're really as incredible as you believe you don’t need to lower the others around them for their genius to be appreciated! Multiple people can be talented and appreciated! It’s okay!! Anyway I just loathe the ‘discredit everyone else to prop your fave up more than they even need when their results and legacy already speak for themselves!! ‘ approach. Not everyone needs to ride your fave's dick and sometimes their reasons for not caring to are very valid!

This is not to say we can't be haters in sport because hello where is the fun in that!! but mostly just I have a wariness about how easily being a hater and fan tips into taking everything in sports too seriously! Like you’re not actually on these people’s PR payrolls to defend them and go after people!!

I also realize I do this to myself by continually getting into fandoms with real people involved but! it just makes me sad when people get so swept up in idolization and put people on such high pedestals that the whole thing turns utterly dehumanizing and extra weird!

[takemebacktowheremyheartbelongs]

TakingCharge!Danny in "The Bomber and Mrs Moroney" Season 3 Episode 22

Let me just say this...

I love the scene...

Danny proves what he's capable of (again, but who doesn't love a reminder) He's a good cop, able to handle bad situations. But he also proves that he still follows what Steve told him in Season 1, "...And They Painted Daisies On His Coffin"...he still hates it when someone has to be shot...or might be...the look on his face when the sniper gets Marty (I missed catching that)...he didn't want it to end like that...just like he didn't want Joey's story to end like that either. And you can tell how each and every word he says hurts him when he's trying to get Marty in position.

Sure you can criticize any character and any actor...

But I still say that Danny was a damn good man... And that James portrayed the character and emotion perfectly

These are things you can't replace

[lavander-gooms]

you better believe it smells like cat piss in Felicia's room

[whatever-vi-is-thinking]

im gonna say something really controversial…. i don’t necessarily care for crossover fics. THERE I SAID IT ARREST ME!! This never ever applies to jackson wang tho. Every time he shows up it brings a smile to my face. Thats one thing that needs to have a come back. idc what fandom ur in, who u write for or about, we have to make jackson wang parties relevant again in fics. I remember i used to be able to open like 5 fics in a row from wildly different fandoms and he would just be there. Like yes obviously Jackson Wang was invited to billionaire playboy philanthropist Tony Starks Christmas party. Yes he’s childhood friends with mafia!harry styles and is throwijg the party that you happen to meet him at. YES JACKSON WANG IS THROWING A PARTY ITS WHAT HES HERE FOR GUYS CMON NOW.

[saturnsuv]

“cuffing your jeans is bisexual” “all bisexuals have clear phone cases” “this is the bisexual hairstyle” i am going to kill you with hammers. violently

[starchanged]

"The only internet celebrity who matters is Shaye Saint John. All other internet celebs are fakers." After having met Iono now, they're disillusioned.

[absolutely-xantastic]

I work in an academic library and sometimes the university stance (you must buy your textbooks) and the library stance (don’t pay for anything ever) are not in communication with each other, which can be very confusing. If you are in college PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE go to your library!

Library staff (reference in particular) are literally there to help you find resources! Academic databases and websites do not function like google - there is not an underlying learning algorithm that can guess what you want. Academic research is not intuitive - it’s a SKILL that you can learn and library reference staff already have those skills and we WANT to help you get the resources and info you need. Many libraries offer some sort of an ask a librarian service - email and/or live chat (with a real person!) that you CAN and SHOULD use if you are having trouble accessing or finding resources. I PROMISE YOU - no one will laugh or shame you for not knowing how to navigate archaic academic resources. Library database and article access is a complicated beast and you’d be amazed at how many FACULTY don’t know how to properly use the library or are fully aware of what the library can get if you just ask. And the faculty often assume that students have a MUCH HIGHER baseline of what students know how to do with regards to research, and that knowledge gap is only getting bigger (looking at you AI) so PLEASE do not feel bad if you are struggling at research and do not be afraid to ASK FOR HELP.

Even if you think you checked the library website and can’t find access, ask someone. Milage will vary depending on the size of your school but there may be multiple ways to access a single article and odds are you aren’t going to know to check all of them but staff will. And if you truly don’t have access, ask about interlibrary loan. You can request articles as well as physical materials and often those request get filled quickly and at no extra cost to you.

Also - if your professor is requesting specific books for class, ask them about putting a copy on course reserve. A lot of folks don’t know about reserves (faculty included) but academic libraries will put copies of course texts on course reserve, meaning that those books are specifically on hold for use by a class at the instructors request. Reserves often cannot be checked out for very long (ie a few hours) but that is by design - so that if folks for whatever reason cannot get access to a book on their own, there is a library copy that should be more available to them. It’s not a perfect system, and there may be a fight to get the one copy but it’s an attempt to make course materials more equitably accessible (rather than having one library copy of a required text that someone checks out and hogs for the whole semester).

TL;DR - I work in an academic library and staff WANT TO HELP YOU FIND RESOURCES. People don’t know the true extent of how libraries (particularly academic ones) will go above and beyond to ensure you have access to things you need. Dont get discouraged if you can’t access things, no one expects you to know how to do it so ALWAYS ALWAYS ask library staff. I promise we want to help you. It’s literally what we’re here for.

(Not to mention that using library services is the most effective way to ensure that the library can keep providing access and services - we rely a lot on usage statistics so the more you ask for help, the better we can be at actually helping)

Beware!

[atopvisenyashill]

one day i will lay out all the typical parts of batb stories INCLUDING east of the sun west of the moon variants and how it relates to brienne and jaime so people stop trying to act like that isn’t exactly what they are