#welp guess we've found a new fandom

[alabaster-moon]

genuinely the only and easiest way to make me consume new media is by physically sitting me down and watching it with me. or streaming it with me. like you have to be present or it's just not going to happen.

if you want me to consume a new media you MUST catch me at the exact moment when the stars are aligned and the air pressure is equal to the current degree of the sun’s peak against the horizon and all the cosmic energies are perfectly unified (aka my old interest is fading out) or i will nod and say “im adding that to my list!” Knowing theres no chance i will check it out

[tehkusogaki]

It really does baffle me, this current attitude against intergenerational interaction you see in fanish spaces. (and, hell, even across the Internet and in real life)

I guess it's bound to happen since most people want to keep minors safe but there are conflicting thoughts on the best way to that. Do we shelter children? Or do we educate them? And who carries the responsibility for doing so? Solely the parents/guardians? Or do we as a society have an obligation to look out for young people? How do we balance the right of people to express themselves freely against the right of children's safety? And when should minors start to become independent and responsible for their own actions?

It's an awful big leap if we keep them entirely sheltered until adulthood and then cast them out into the world saying "Welp, you're in charge of you now."

But!!!

I do think this age divide we've created is harmful.

Because outside of school, it is incredibly difficult to even meet people your own age. You are going to have to interact with people outside your age group! You will have co-workers of varying ages. You won't know the ages of most the people you interact with over the internet. If you pick up a new hobby, chances are there will be all kinds of people who also enjoy it. From elders whom you will probably learn a lot from, to younger children you will get to share your enthusiasm and experiences with.

I don't have an easy solution for you Anon, unfortunately your interaction with your fandom is the result of today's internet culture. It's entirely possible the fans you've interacted with decided they didn't want to be accused of impropriety for interacting with you the way they had in the past... Or maybe they feel they can no longer speak freely without you trying to steer the conversation (you would not be the first young person to want a seat at the adult table only to become frustrated that the people there want to talk about adult things). Or maybe they did lose some respect for you when they found out you are a wee cherub.

ao3commentoftheday is correct in saying that this ageism runs both ways in fandom.

The solutions for it are not easy fixes as it involves shifting the prevailing culture.

In my own fandom circles and in life I have had the great fortuity to make all kinds of different friends and aquaintences and they ran the gamut from women and men much older than myself, to young children whom I often had responsibility over. And I feel that each of us had our lives enriched through meeting others with widely differing life experiences.

Anon, I wish you the same. And I hope you can find older fandom friends who can respect both your boundaries and you as a writer and, more importantly, a person.

hi! i'm a younger writer (15) for an old fandom full of older writers (late 20s & early 30s). i have a lot of completed works (several completed fics greater than 70k). i normally don't admit my age online, but i had to in several communities i was in for nsfw/safety reasons, and i feel that after i admitted that i was young everyone stopped taking me and my writing seriously, and started delegitimizing my opinions as a writer. i don't think i'm the best, but i think i'm decently accomplished as a writer in fandom, and the way that everyone is suddenly treating me differently is grating on me.

love your blog ❣️

hey, 15 year old again! i feel like my last ask didn't really explain what i wanted to say, but additionally... these adults used to comment on my work and rec and talk about it, but they've stopped ever since they learned i was younger. the decrease in discussion since they've learned my age is laughable, and every nice comment seems to be punctuated with "oh you're cute" or something like that - it's really as though they've stopped taking me seriously.

---

First of all, I’m very sorry you felt the need to reveal personal information about yourself in order to participate in the communities you’re a part of online. That’s really unfortunate. Even more unfortunate is that you regret doing so. 

Ageism is alive and well in fandom, and it runs in both directions. There are people who deride older fans and think they don’t belong in fandom. There are people who patronize younger fans and think they don’t belong in fandom. I think both sides are full of BS. If you’re a fan, you belong in fandom. All the rest is just about trying to find the people you get along with and who make you happy. 

From the sounds of it, your options aren’t great. You can either leave that sector of the fandom, put up with patronizing comments, or create a new account to post your writing on for that fandom - and no reveal that it’s you.

If I give them the benefit of the doubt, the decrease in discussing things with you might be a result of the current trend in fandom where a very vocal minority of people accuse adults of some pretty heinous things if they talk to younger fans. They might be treating you this way as a way of signaling that they are aware that you’re a teen and that they’re an adult. They’re trying to protect themselves from the potential of harmful rumours being started about them.

I don’t really have any great advice, I’m afraid. Like I said, the options that I can see are all pretty crappy in different ways. I can offer you a hug and some sympathy, though. I’d be pretty pissed off if I were you, and I don’t blame you at all for your frustration. ❤

Blog? Can any of you see another option?