Fandom is a little messy. Emotions are high, and so is anonymity; a combination that can go very wrong (see Antis). But it’s a new year, and we can all resolve to be a little better to ourselves, and each other, especially in fandom spaces that provide refuge to so many.
Fandom positivity this week, with meta recs selected by @fangirlangela.
Fandom
Criticizing Fandom is Criticizing Women by @buckyballbearing (original removed) et al, I see a lot of posts going around talking about the need to be critical of fanfic, and how we gotta watch out for the messages we’re sending. Well, here’s one thing I’m gonna need us to be critical about: Every statistic I’ve ever seen says fanfic authors are heavily female (or nb).
Fandom Etiquette by @memorizingthedigitsofpi, I’ve been around for a really long time in various fandoms, and no one ever writes this stuff down. I’ll start. Please add to the list. We can’t expect people to follow “rules” they don’t know exist.
Golden Rules for Fanfiction Readers by @randomishnickname, If the fic already has a thousand comments, comment still. Your comment will still matter and delight the author.
Hey, everyone! Today, we’re going to be talking about feeling shame and guilt in fandom by @razielim, No, actually, you don’t have to hide liking certain ships from your friends. You can if you want, but that feeling of guilt and shame that you feel when someone mocks something you like, or worse, calls it problematic, isn’t something that you have to feel. You don’t have to break things off with your current friends, but please know that you CAN find friends that won’t judge you for liking things they don’t.
On Fanfiction by @shadesofmauve, et al, I was cruising through the net, following the cold trail of one of the periodic “Is or is not Fanfic the Ultimate Literary Evil?” arguments that crop up regularly, and I’m now bursting to make a point that I never see made by fic defenders. We’re all familiar with the normal defenses of fic: it’s done out of love, it’s training, it’s for fun. Those are all good and valid defenses! But they miss something.
PSA by @undadasea, I love every fanfiction author on earth !!! Thank you so much for using your own time to provide us with a free(!) story to read that is 10x better than every book I have read put in one!
What I love is your unique perspective… by @cosleia (original removed), I love ideas, and story tropes, and headcanons. But what I really love is the fanworks that explore these things. The idea, the trope, the headcanon…those alone don’t give the work value, for me. What I love is your unique perspective.
Why Commenting on FanFiction is Important by @boothewriter, Alright kids, Boo here with a hopefully non-arrogant PSA. I’m a writer of FanFiction because I like it and it’s my preferred genre (also a great way to receive feedback on writing that I can use on originals, bref). But like with most artistic work posted online, I have very little feedback.
Tips for Writing Comments by @lvtvr, okay just got done typing up a Long Ass Comment for a fic that i love and bc writers Live™ for comments but a lot of ppl seem to find it difficult/scary to write them, here are some tips from me, who has been on both sides of the fence.
The Year of Loving Things Again by elizabethminkel of @fansplaining, I’ll own up to occasional doubts about fandom and its compatibility with adulthood. For me, it’s a mix: sometimes I wonder whether I’m enjoying the right stuff, and sometimes I wonder if I’m enjoying stuff the right way. It’s always easier to play it cool rather than expose your depth of feeling—and it takes a certain amount of confidence to go on loving the thing anyway. Fandom is full of inherently confident people, even if they don’t realize it.
You don’t need to justify your love of something by @boyonetta, “You can criticize something you love!” Yeah, and you can also get tired of criticizing something you love. You can get completely fed up with it and decide, “You know what? Flaws aside, I love this thing, and I don’t have to waste hours of my life admitting its flaws to strangers on the Internet in order to somehow justify my love of it.”
Great compilation, thank you for this!
(also, followers, go read that article, “The Year of Loving Things Again” – it’s wonderfully written and deeply hopeful)
(@transformativeworks relevant to your interests)
Meta Monday
Published
Question of Smoke 