So there’s actual discourse going on in the Hetalia fandom over a fanfic author who’s been on hiatus for 4 years? I don’t really know why he was dragged up again but the main argument seems to be that current fans are idolizing him and still supporting his works over currently updating fics?
I get it. The Hetalia fandom /does/ have a serious issue these days when it comes to supporting new creators. It just seems like the same blogs have been circulating forever. There’s /constantly/ new askblogs and fics being made, but they never go anywhere and die out because people skip over them since they’ve come to expect a certain standard. Being a new content creator is hard. You put your heart and soul into something and even though you know it’s not as high quality as some of the “big boy’s” stuff you still post it, offering it up to complete strangers just because you hope to inspire others who share that same interest with you. You just want to generate discussion and buzz and display your ideas in a creative new way and it’s exciting to think about and work on and then you finally post your brand new content and-!…. nothing. You’re met with radio silence. You’re crushed.
‘Okay’, you think. ‘That one didn’t go over so well. Maybe I just posted at a bad time. Maybe I need to work harder on the next one, use different tags’
So you do. You start again, change some things around, post at a popular time, hit some of the most well known tags and-!… nothing. Maybe 1 like if you’re lucky.
You try again and again, they don’t go much better than your first attempt. You know people still participate in this fandom, you follow blogs that post daily and get hundreds of likes. So the problem must lay with you. You’re not cut out for this, you’re not good enough. You just don’t have what it takes, and so you give up.
People don’t follow or interact with these new content creators because they’ve gotten so used to the quality of content they get from blogs that have been doing this for years that they don’t feel like giving time or attention to those just starting out. New content creators need feedback on their work to improve! They need practice, interaction! These new creators will never improve or want to improve if all the work they put in is met with nothing in return!
Content creators can’t force you to look at or enjoy their work. But if you do happen to enjoy someone’s content then for the love of god share it! Interact with it! Leave feedback for them! Likes do nothing. Another post I’ve seen put it best. A like is like slapping a “You tried” sticker on something. It’s saying “I kind of liked this content, but not enough to display it on my blog or share it with others.” Even if it’s just a matter of “aesthetics” and “blog themes”, you can still drop a reply on the post or even send that creator a message explaining what you liked about the piece or suggestions to improve it!
Hetalia’s in a really weird spot. It’s smaller than it used to be but it isn’t really “dying out” like people say. It’s just sort of… stagnating. New content is constantly being churned out but it’s coming from the same group of well-established creators.
We as a fandom need to come together and support new content creators! The feelings they’re presenting in this latest round of discourse are incredibly real and valid.
It’s a serious issue in older fandoms like Hetalia, but it’s also one that can be easily corrected if everyone adjusts their behavior just a little!
Guys guys, please support new content creators!
