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I 10000000% believe authors brought it into the world and are entitled to turn this car around, but if I had a dollar for every time I saw a desperate "I can't find this fic that I love anymore!" online… 
Your least favorite work has a bigger impact than you realize! 
https://twitter.com/avidbeader/status/1332275938621612032
Your least favorite work has a bigger impact than you realize! https://twitter.com/avidbeader/status/1332275938621612032
COMIN' BACK because right after I posted this, I saw some criticisms of it that I agree with, so adding some nuance.
My personal philosophy has always been that fics are balloons, and when I post something, I'm setting it loose into the sky. IT'S GONE NOW. No pulling it back!
My personal philosophy has always been that fics are balloons, and when I post something, I'm setting it loose into the sky. IT'S GONE NOW. No pulling it back!
That's why there are fics I wrote when I was 17 still lurking around the corners of the internet. I contemplate taking them down all the time, because PLEASE DON'T MAKE ME THINK ABOUT THEM????? JESUS.
I won't. But that's me. And that's a different era of the internet talking.
I won't. But that's me. And that's a different era of the internet talking.
If you've been online for more than a couple years, you've seen things change. We are all so surrounded by offerings of immensely skillful fanwork that we take it for granted more than we used to, I think. Fan culture has gotten more entitled, or at least more shameless about it.
We've always had our problems. (So, so many problems.) We've always been horrible to each other sometimes. But it's different these days, and more direct.
Every writer whose fic you've ever loved has gotten comments that made them want to quit.
Every writer whose fic you've ever loved has gotten comments that made them want to quit.
Every writer has had their lovingly-crafted gift thrown back in their face. They have said "What's the point?", because holding your baby out to a faceless sea of strangers and having someone spit at you fucking hurts. Every single time.
Sometimes it's an accident. Still hurts.
Sometimes it's an accident. Still hurts.
Some people have the whole fandom ruined for them and need to take a fic down to get closure and move on. Some people want to rework it into o-fic so that they can get paid for the endless hours of toiling over it. Every reason is reasonable; so is no reason at all.
So here's the thing: if you /want/ a writer to keep their fics available for the rest of time? TELL THEM. Make them feel appreciated. Help them understand what their work means to you. Bookmark, comment, kudos, share. They won't ever know otherwise.
I have experienced the sheer terror of the blinking cursor in the comment box – trust me, it makes me appreciate every single one of you who braves it all the more. But the reason that I feel the way I do about fic is because I'm lucky. I've been treated so, so well.
Spread that. We all know in our hearts that fanfic gets taken for granted a lot of the time. Just a "This is one of my favorite fics ever! I reread it a lot, and it always makes me so happy" gets us a lot closer to not having to beg for the orphan-work option in the first place.
And, y'know, bottom line… if you love that fic enough that you want to keep it forever, download it. Download it today.
Fan creators don't OWE you anything. They're doing the best they can, and they're doing it out of love, and joy, and sometimes spite. Help them.
Fan creators don't OWE you anything. They're doing the best they can, and they're doing it out of love, and joy, and sometimes spite. Help them.
Help them to KNOW that what they do matters to you. We're all in fandom because we saw an opportunity to be something more and different than what we are in our ordinary lives. Let that author know that you CARE – about their fics, yes, but also about them as a human being.
…most of my rants boil down to "be nice online", but hell, I stand by it. 
Are there bad actors out there? BOY HOWDY, are there. Don't be one. Counterbalance those people. Be kind, be kind, be kind.
Download your faves! Say thank you! AO3 gave us these buttons for a reason
Are there bad actors out there? BOY HOWDY, are there. Don't be one. Counterbalance those people. Be kind, be kind, be kind.Download your faves! Say thank you! AO3 gave us these buttons for a reason
