you’re right, it’s what wood man would do
nothing scarier than being a fan of a fic and then becoming mutuals with the author. like hi shakespeare. big fan of your fake dating au
the skeksis x gelfling landscape isn’t ready for what I’m gonna do in here 😈
dark crystal au where the skeksis decide (it was the chamberlain’s idea) the urru are too much of a liability, wandering about in the valley when their souls and lives are intertwined, so they go on an excursion to the valley to wrangle them all up and drag them back to the castle in chains to be their little petslaves so no harm can come to them <3 (the chamberlain is the only one ballsy enough to kill another skeksis so having a pacifist mystic conveniently available n everyone’s rooms is terribly advantageous for him <3)
Apologies in advance but I have to get serious here for a minute about the subject of "being intimidated by fanfic authors." This is more con-oriented than Tumblr-oriented but the sentiments are applicable to both.
It makes me so upset whenever I think of all the times I went to a con and couldn't seem to find anyone to talk to. After being on a few panels where I made jokes about the joys of writing about dicks and butts, I would walk around, and it just seemed like folks were all doing their own thing, not inviting me to join them. I would always think, Oh, story checks out, everyone is put off because I'm a weird freak, it's just like in high school. Then I'd go back to my hotel room and wonder what I spent all this money for, coming here to be lonely.
Then, in the days after the con, I would see posts from other con-goers, or receive messages: "omg berlynn i was too shy to say hello at the con but i just want you to know that your fics mean everything to me and you're so amazing."
I really do appreciate those kind words, but...it would have been cool to actually hang out with you, you know?
One time I had the opportunity to chat with with a trio of folks who were the guests of honor at this con because they were screening their gorgeous and charming fan film, and they confessed to me that the day before, they had walked into a room, seen that I was there, and walked out because they were too intimidated at the very idea of being in the room with me. (So I sat alone and silent in that room for 20 more minutes.)
The thing is, even if I was the most popular fanfic writer in the history of the world, connecting with other fans and forming friendships is the only compensation I get. I don't eat better because you liked my fic. I don't get a swag bag worth $5,000 when I check into my hotel room at a con because I wrote that one omegaverse fic that everyone read. I do what I do and I write what I write because I want to be part of a community of fans.
But I should note that all is not loneliness and misery for Berlynn. I have had some of the greatest moments of my life making connections with people who actually did speak to me at cons. Sometimes it was just a hug and a few happy tears, sometimes it was deep philosophical discussions about writing dicks and butts while sitting on the floor of a party suite at two in the morning...but several of my IRL friends are people who were not afraid to just reach out to me after a panel, or say hello at the bar.
Here's how it might go when you connect with your favorite fanfic author: One of my closest friends is someone who was a big fan of my work, introduced to me by a mutual friend. Sitting across from me at a restaurant not too long after our introduction, this person had to point out to me that, whilst gesticulating exuberantly over my meal, I had gotten some macaroni and cheese on my sleeve. After that, they were not so starstruck anymore, and now we live in the same building, which makes it easy for us to hang out and giggle over old TV shows together a couple times a week.
Probably there are fanfic writers who don't want to be bothered, who don't want to be messaged, who aren't in it for the social connection...but they are not the ones following you on social media. They're not the ones with their inboxes open, anonymous messages on. And they're not the ones strolling through the common areas at cons looking for an empty seat at a table.
The reblog is great too but. I am so intimidated by how so damn good all you fanfic authors are. Like genuinely.
I send messages out into the ether (ao3 comments or here) but I never expect to get replies and when I do I'm like !!!!!!! for days. Even if we've messaged before.
befriend your authors: it doesn't have to be weird.
at dublin worldcon, i was flinging compliments left and right. "i love your hair!" i said to a person with gorgeous purple hair. i glanced at her con badge: it was martha wells. my eyes lit up. "*and* your work!" it was just a little moment, but it didn't make either of us feel worse.
recognize joy when you meet it in the wild. delight in the wealth of talent we are swimming in. in this life, much sucks. this bit, with the authors and the admirers: it absolutely does not.
The rest of the thread is here.
tl;dr: Don’t monetize AO3, kids. You won’t like what happens next.
read this thread. this is by far the most concise explanation of a lot of different issues that i’ve seen in fandom spaces in a while. cosigning both the linked thread and the thread about aus/uk/can law that’s linked in-thread.
AHDHXHEBSG TWITTER WRITERS DID WHAT NOW???? AND PEOPLE PAID THEM????
If someone has never taken a class that includes copyright law, they may not know this stuff, so I don’t necessarily blame random people for not knowing what copyright is, but like… maybe just maybe it’s something that should be taught????
Just another reminder, because this always drives me crazy, but even if monetizing your fic was 100% unambiguously legal and protected, AO3 would still not let you do it because AO3 was founded and is supported by people like me who want a fandom community that is completely divested from making money off of fic.
Yes, this. Lots of fanworks on AO3 are unambiguously legal. Fics based on Shakespeare plays and fairy tales and Greek mythology and The Great Gatsby and your original character from your D&D game are not violations of copyright, because no copyright applies to those things.
AO3 still doesn’t let you monetize those things on the site, because we don’t want the site to be commercial! Because that’s not what it’s for!
It’s not there for you (generic you) to make money off the efforts of the people who build and maintain the site for free! We aren’t getting paid for the work we do to give you a nice site to use, just like you aren’t getting paid for the work you do to create whatever art you share there. Because fandom is supposed to be a community where we share with each other, and therefore we all benefit.
The deal is, we give you a free, stable, safe platform to host your works. In exchange, you get a site that isn’t covered in ads and tip jars and links to gofundme and “read the next chapter at my patreon”. You get one goddamn place on the internet that isn’t trying to make money off you. And we will defend that space and keep it non-commercial.
My favorite part of Adventure Time is just how well it captures the passage of time on a large scale. Finn and Jake go on crazy adventures and are well loved and celebrated in their time. They’re fucking celebrities in Ooo! But in episodes set hundreds of years in the future, no one remembers their names. Even immortal characters like PB or BMO eventually forget them. These characters we followed and grew to love are reduced to legends and I think that’s beautiful
were I to create an original piece of media I would create bait so queer in order to create a fanfic environment I like. I find you guys do your best work under duress.
I’d say “jeez can two people not be friends anymore?” and then I’d give one of them amnesia in which they only recognize the other above anyone else
lol this is so true. and also really cool in a way i could never explain to anyone who isn't Like This
Hate when moral panic shows up in fandom spaces like girl stop disrupting the freakosystem we are fine
im sure this is just a very effective marketing tactic to reel in thirsty goblinfuckers, but on GOD i am only being normal about the official styx twitter by the skin of my TEETH.
why is he acting like a hard-to-please tumblr daddy dom like this is so embarrassing. for me. I'm into this unfortunately.
like ok great now i have to queue up more styx fanfiction to get this out of my system because i KNOW, i KNOW the official styx twitter is not gonna fuck me 🙄