Logging on today to see that zero cycle was taken down (for good reason) was so so heartbreaking but unfortunately not at all surprising. I’m not usually an RPF fan, and this problem seems to be much more prevalent in RPF spaces, where the subjects of fics can quite literally be contacted, but I’ve been noticing a trend that extends outside those spaces as well.
I’ll never claim to be an expert, but fandom spaces (tumblr, ao3) have been so incredibly important to me for the majority of my life now. I have loved finding such wonderful communities of ppl to obsess about Merlin, Sherlock, Marvel, or whatever else with on these sites. For a long time (and honestly even now) I was never comfortable sharing w others in my real life that I read fanfic and engage in fandom, and I think that was a common experience, but that’s no longer the case.
I can’t pinpoint exactly when I started to see a change, but over the past few years, and then especially with the incredible popularity of Heated Rivalry, many people who would usually look down on fandom spaces started to engage with them more, coming to tumblr from X, TikTok, insta, etc. without a real understanding of how these communities work and stay respectful. It should absolutely be a good thing that reading fanfic, engaging in fandom is no longer something people are ashamed of, but there is a flippancy and casual disrespect associated with this culture that is harmful to people who have been engaging in these spaces for years, especially authors.
It is not ok to treat fics, fanart, and other fandom works the same way you would other forms of media. It is not ok to enjoy these works and then, in the same breath, disrespect their creators by ignoring their express wishes. As @callsignrex put it, fic authors did not sign up to be celebrities. Taking their works out of fandom spaces leaves them open to harassment and worse from non-fandom communities online that they did not sign up for!
Fandom was never meant to be exclusive, but it is something that can be so inherently personal. Treating tumblr and ao3 like other social media platforms is harmful because it assumes that authors are churning out content for another algorithm, instead of (often) deeply personal writing that they wrote first and foremost for themselves, as well as to be discussed with kindred spirits around the world. Fandom communities stay special and safe and sacred as long as the people within them respect others’ wishes and treat others as human beings, not just faceless usernames behind a screen. I would not be able to bear seeing fandom spaces be stomped out by the same insensitivity that plagues social media.
If you are entering a fandom community for the first time, please. just don’t be horrible. Don’t let your enthusiasm stop others from being able to safely engage with fandom as well. Fandom is beautiful and supportive and creative and incredible; be respectful, you’ll thank yourself later.
