#(i know if i got a comment like this - however well-intentioned - i'd probably have deleted the entire work & also cried

[theoestofocs]

reading a truly excellent fic from a small fandom, that hasn't been updated in ages despite the author promising an epilogue: ah fair enough, hope everything's okay, I'll hit "subscribe" just in case bc i loved what they wrote so i'll comment that i liked it

scrolling absently up through the other 5+ comments and abruptly stumbling on a breathtakingly bad faith criticism of -problematic- elements that weren't even present in the fic:

#id in alt text #linden's originals #seriously y'all never comment ur negative analyses of an author's thematic choices #especially if they're all stuff that's clearly tagged & in the content summary?? this is free entertainment & fully informed consumption #even if u have something to criticize about their word choice or sth - like if the author uses an outdated term or sth #& u genuinely have reason to think they'll appreciate being informed of their mistake. like. you still also tell them the stuff u liked. #u don't leave a comment just to tell an author whose personal stories (stories they chose to *archive* which u may read #but which are written first and foremost for the author's enjoyment! that's what the ''archive'' part means! it's someone else's journal!) #to tell them they Messed Up! #tell them what turns of phrase u liked! tell them why ur glad u got the chance to read the work! they do not owe u a story u like! #and leaving a negative comment (even a well-intentioned one) can wreck an artist's motivation to continue creating a work #(i know if i got a comment like this - however well-intentioned - i'd probably have deleted the entire work & also cried #not bc it was particularly unkind it's just. unsolicited yk? & criticism of something so intensely personal. art created by & for you.) #like. a lot of fic is written by neurodivergents too. it's more relevant than the average situation to remember that an author might be #''disproportionately'' harmed by negative feedback. RSD; emotional dysregulation; stuff that makes emotions so much stronger #& more capable of lasting harm #anyway. i guess this is a #vent post #i know ''flames'' were a common issue in fandom before my time but i get the feeling a lot of that was bc #online fandom had a much higher proportion of teenagers shaping the culture. as we get older i think we get a better sense of ourselves #& better at understanding & respecting each other's boundaries. & rights #kids in fandom learn from adults just like everywhere else. be kind is i guess what i'm saying #never cause more harm than you need to. not when you can just walk away and leave no one the worse. just - be kind #and for the love of tillie mayard don't tell people what u think is Problematic about their literal fanfics #even if ur right & not fantastically misreading something to the point of seeming intentional. like. just don't #anyway. this has been #linden in the tags