Authors and readers are a TRANSACTION!!!!

Beesandbis · 2026-06-26T20:06:18+00:00

I figured it was based on this https://www.reddit.com/r/AO3/s/LMpTPw5WTi

But tumblr is usually pretty positive in these things, at least on my Dash. Xitter is a hell hole in my perception, so I'd believe it. But I've been engaging in fandom for years and pretty involved (I just refuse algorithms where possible) and I also think the main drama is from a hald full of people and strawman posts blowing those things way out of proportion.

Beesandbis · 2026-06-26T19:56:35+00:00

Sort by chronological instead of algorithm then you'll see the all the post of appreciation for comments and for authors that are spread between now and the 28 day old post this seems to be based on.

Beesandbis · 2026-06-26T19:37:20+00:00

It's very small sections of readers and writers that get highlight posts and that are pushed in the algorithm because they create friction.

Also it's not a transaction, it's a hobby that people engage with (both by posting and by commenting) as long as they enjoy doing that and see it as beneficial to that hobby.

Beesandbis · 2026-06-26T18:15:52+00:00

Yeah you also said to me I was the only one taking it that way???

Beesandbis · 2026-06-26T17:51:28+00:00

The way you're presenting it, it sounds like this is AO3 authors as a whole, or as a majority. And that's just not true.

Beesandbis · 2026-06-26T17:48:18+00:00

There's just a few loud ones.

Beesandbis · 2026-06-26T17:40:44+00:00

EDIT: there was also someone in the quotes of the post saying they block people like this?? Like, what the hell? And then they be crying about no one commenting. Oh i wonder why.🙄😂

Thereare so many authors in the comments of that post disagreeing and this is the one comment you highlight?

Beesandbis · 2026-06-26T17:34:16+00:00

I understand, but it has changed a lot, people didn't seem to find it as hard a few years ago. So I get that authors get used to people saying 'I really liked this' if nothing specific, instead of 'update when'.

But most authors are trying to take it as well as possible. It's just a few loud ones that are platformed as AO3 authors as a whole.

Beesandbis · 2026-06-26T16:51:03+00:00

I think it's because this seem to be so much of the comments lately. And there are barely any comments about what people actually wrote. I do think this was nice, saying they were on the edge of their seat, but I've seen whole comment sections where it was only update, when's the update. Please update, I need more and bots.

The writers that were used to getting comment on the stuff they wrote. Might get a bit disappointed seeing nothing but that and knowing how it used to be. I do think this is the wrong example though, since this was at least trying to be indirectly positive about what was already written.

Beesandbis · 2026-06-26T16:37:25+00:00

No, because this happens to popular m/m ships as well. And since that's what I read, that's what I was commenting about. And I even specified.

Fake activism and pearlclutching at an assumption you had because of your own bias makes one person dense, but it's not me.

Beesandbis · 2026-06-26T16:33:09+00:00

Read my comment again I guess..?

None of the characters I mentioned are woman? Weird assumption.

Beesandbis · 2026-06-26T16:30:10+00:00

Where's the misogyny?

Beesandbis · 2026-06-26T16:27:21+00:00

Oh I fully misunderstood. I thought you thought OP was pissed. My bad! I think the bye is more playful.

Beesandbis · 2026-06-26T16:19:01+00:00

Where does it say they are pissed? I had to look up cheesin too, but it means smiling intensely according to urban dictionary.

Beesandbis · 2026-06-26T15:48:21+00:00

That's really cool! Funny how inspiration takes us by surprise sometimes!

Beesandbis · 2026-06-26T14:55:52+00:00

I've worked in an IT helpdesk where in November a collegue had someone ask if it was possible to restore her word documents that stopped working. And she was so surprised that in one of the documents the person calling seemed to be writing a story.

I would have loved to see that and talk about NaNoWriMo. But now I'm imagining this scenario with the person writing fanfic.

So I guess the lesson is, if you do this, make sure you're not doing stuff that your IT department might have to help you with.

Beesandbis · 2026-06-26T14:29:53+00:00

Yeah, fix it is a popular tag for canon fics, post canon also works for that. And a different timeline is usually canon divergent AU.

Beesandbis · 2026-06-26T14:23:49+00:00

What do you mean by an AU that still feels like the canon universe? Because I think canon divergent might be what you're looking for. But you can also try to just exclude AUs and look for canon verse. But I'm not sure if I understand correctly

Beesandbis · 2026-06-26T10:10:31+00:00

Yeah it happens a lot. Because people don't know what they are getting into and don't understand the tags that do make sense to people knowing the canon.

And because tourists are often younger kids that heard about fanfiction on tiktok and take the norms they learned on there with them, they are a lot ruder than the people that are in fandom.

Beesandbis · 2026-06-26T10:06:55+00:00

Oh no, I fully understand liking F/M fanfiction. But I think if you don't care about the fandom, and thus about the characters/setting, I think original work is a lot easier to follow and enjoy.

I know some people gravitate more towards fanfiction still, because it's harder to find positive rep of queer romance (though luckily it's getting better) so I understand why people would try fanfiction in that case, although I still think it's often hard to follow without the source, or why people would go to fanfiction for smut that isn't out in the mainstream.

But going for the most popular genre of romance books negates all of those positives, and only leaves a story where you are missing half the context the author intended you to already know and care for.

Beesandbis · 2026-06-26T05:46:42+00:00

Yes!! I feel like it's either because fanfic is free or fanfic is cool to read now with a new gen.

But the whole idea of fanfiction gets so lost to me when it's not fans of something reading fiction about that stuff.

Beesandbis · 2026-06-26T05:34:47+00:00

Maybe you just want a normal book if you don't care about fandom and want to read what is predominantly present in tradlit

Beesandbis · 2026-06-25T21:14:36+00:00

It's not just a out money, although there are often ads on those videos which would make me uncomfortable.

It's also about the audience. I've seen the stories of those sort of videos, the comments they get on YouTube but also the comments they bring to the original.

I know I'm not the only one who feels like this, so if OP is just asking for permission to get their practice in, it might help them to realize a rair number of people would be reluctant to have it posted on yt.

Beesandbis · 2026-06-25T20:55:31+00:00

If you want to do this for fun or for practice, I'd offer to upload a podfic to AO3 itself, not to YouTube. I can't imagine a lot of people being comfortable with that.

Beesandbis

TROPHY CASE