#where it's fun for me but i know it won't hurt anyone's feelings unnecessarily!!

[rollercoasterwords]

hey guys btw there is actually never a good reason to loudly and publicly talk about how much u dislike a fanfic!! Like. let's break this down for a sec:

i don't like it

ok, understandable. i've dnf'd lots of fics because i didn't like them. but the people writing fanfiction are doing it for free and for fun, and you don't know anything about their lives. they could be a young writer just starting out! they could be an older writer getting back into writing after years of being unable to! they could be someone going through a rough patch whose only source of joy right now is writing their silly little stories! talking about how much you dislike a fanfic literally does nothing except hurt the person writing it. that's it. it is not productive, it is not necessary. even strangers on the internet deserve basic human empathy.

ok but i really don't like it

babe, i feel u! i'm a hater too. rant about it privately. shit on it in private messages or group chats with friends. u can dislike something without dragging its creator into the town square to throw tomatoes at them, yknow?

ok but i really don't like it AND it's popular

ok? shouting about that on the internet doesn't make you cool or special or unique. it just makes you kind of mean and, honestly, bitter. like i said before, this is fanfiction. nobody is paying for it. nobody is profiting. there is no standard that these writers are obligated to meet. clearly, other people like the work. why not let them enjoy it in peace?

no u don't understand it doesn't deserve to be popular there are better fics that deserve it more!!!

talk about those fics then!! post about how much u love them!! uplift those writers!! ur tweet or tiktok or tumblr post is not going to suddenly make a popular fic lose all popularity, no matter how undeserving u perceive it to be. if this is actually coming from a place of frustration because you feel like there are other fics that deserve more attention, then just give those fics attention.

no but it's problematic

mmm ok. let's sit with this one for a second. i want you to ask yourself--is it really, really problematic? is it perpetuating harm against a marginalized group? remember, this is fanfic; it is outside the consumer economy, and the stories it tells will almost never make it to a mainstream audience. so is the story actually hurting people, or is the author just exploring something that you're uncomfortable with? because if you're just uncomfortable, then assuming the work is tagged properly, the best course of action is to just click away. as uncomfortable as it may be, people are allowed to write stories that you might find upsetting or gross or weird, and those stories existing is not inherently harmful in and of itself.

it is actively reinforcing harmful stereotypes/rhetoric/etc

okay! ok. if you are deeply concerned because you feel that this fic is genuinely harmful, then go to the writer. leave a comment. send them a message on tumblr or twitter or tiktok or wherever. explain your situation and see what they say! nine times out of ten, i'd bet that an ao3 writer means no harm and would be willing to listen and address your concerns. in fact, they might even be grateful to you for being kind enough to make them aware of a problem and educate them on it. every ao3 writer i've ever spoken to is an incredibly kind and thoughtful person; you don't need to immediately go on the attack

the writer is unreachable/nonresponsive/not willing to address or change the problematic thing

alright. if you truly feel that this fanfiction is actively harmful and can't reach any kind of conclusion with the writer, and you want to warn others who might read the fic, then do that. do that. make a post that says hey guys btw, x thing in this fic is not a good representation/perpetuates a harmful stereotype/whatever the problem is. and leave it at that! you don't need to go further and insult the writing or the person who wrote it. that is helpful to exactly no one, and if your goal is actually to make the world a better place, then you should learn how to draw attention to an issue in a way that encourages actual dialogue instead of dog-piling and personal attacks.

anyway the next time you feel the desire to post about how bad you think a fic is, feel free to use this as a guide before u do! xoxo

#like i genuinely don't understand u guys sometimes #why do i keep seeing posts w hundreds or sometimes even thousands of likes #that are literally saying nothing except #i think this fic is bad and i don't like it #if someone was making cookies and handing them out for free and u didn't like them #would u go stand next to that person and shout about how shitty their baking skills are?? #or would u just move tf on!! #bc they are doing something nice for free!! #and if u don't want to eat it u don't have to!! #like if u post abt disliking fics u are literally just mean #im sorry but u are just mean #and not even in a fun way #i love talking shit i love hating on things!! #i do it in PRIVATE #in PRIVATE!!! #where it's fun for me but i know it won't hurt anyone's feelings unnecessarily!! #some of u guys treat fanfiction like a product to consume and it's NOT #it's a gift! #it's a piece of art that someone is giving u! #so for the love of god stop thinking like a fucking little capitalist consumer for a moment and think like a human being w empathy!! #ranting and raving #txt

[angstashes]

Whumptober (Day Three) - Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones But….

Trigger Warning: Implied kidnapping. Characters: Actor and Wilford Summary: Good old fashion Actor torturing Wilford. Word Count: 649 Was supposed to be posted on 03/10/21 but is it posted on 02/07/22 (aka I am slowly posting my Egotober and Whumptober stuff that's resting in my Google Docs). It starts off with the implied kidnapping, so putting keep reading early! __

"How did the saying go? 'Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words hurt the most'," Actor mocked as he walked around the tied-up male. He hoped that he could make Wilford cry with just words. "Oh there's so much I can do to you.. .. I can't wait until you're sobbing and crying, and you are begging me not to go near you," The red-suited man spoke with such hopefulness, and it was sickening.

Wilford looked at the man he once considered his friend, fear oddly not present in his looks yet. "Actor? What's going on? Who tied me up? Can you untie me," The mustached-man begged the man who currently had more power over his fate than himself. "Also, what time is it? I have an interview at 5:30pm today, and I would rather not be late."

Actor just chuckled at Wilford's response to being kidnapped, the pink-themed man had not a clue that the red-suited ego was behind all of this. "Who do you think put you there? Why would I help you get free?"

Wilford, clearly only having one and half brain cells, answered the other's questions, "I don't know who, but I do know that we are buddy pals, and that you should help me get free." He was being serious despite how much it seemed like Actor was going to hurt him, but of course, who could blame the slightly autustic male for getting it all wrong?

Actor rolled his eyes, laughing at the other's misunderstanding. Maybe he could have fun with this after all. "You know, we never were friends, right? You took my lovely wife away from me, and now I'll take whatever pride you have left away." The slightly insane male stopped and a knife appeared in his hand. "Oh, don't worry, I won't use this.... Yet." He chuckled at the thought of using it on Wilford, but he needed to conceal his joyest yet murderous ideas for now.

Wilford felt fear consume him as he tried desperately to escape from the chair. "Actor, please, we're fri-" The words died in his throat as soon as Actor glared at him. It was as if the stare alone stopped him from finishing his words; Such a terrifying ability.

"Oh do you really think we're still friends? How sad and pathetic of you," The red-suited man told the other with sickening honesty. He was going to make sure that Wilford was going to pay for any and all of what he had done, much more than just taking his wife. "Do you really think anyone is your friend? Dark only puts up with you because he pities you, and as for Damien and Celine, where are they exactly? Oh, that's right, they abandoned you."

Wilford went to say something but stopped. Afterall, what could he say? It was all true to him at least. He soon settled down and leaned back, looking down as some parts of that ignorant attitude vanished.

Actor chuckled, seeing the one he wanted to hurt feeling such despair filled him with joy. "Oh and don't get me started on Damien before Celine had an affair; He absolutely hated you, especially when you had one of your many childish tantrums over such small things." He smiled due to the emotional pain he saw on the other's face; It filled him with such happiness, and how much happiness he felt was honestly disturbing.

The mustache-man only let out a broken cry as what we heard upset him. He couldn't really say anything that would make Actor stop his unnecessarily rude lies. "Who did this to you?.... Oh that's right, I did," The red-suited man mocked with a chuckle. "Time to go now, I have an audition to get to, and I don't want to be late," He told the other as he left, hearing only cries coming from the room.

#whumptober2021 #markiplier egos #tw kidnapping #actor mark #wilford warfstache