please PLEASE, guys, stop commenting on fics saying things like βsorry but this is wrong, and on top of that thereβs this plot hole that you didnβt fill and did nothing withβ
writing fic is a HOBBY, not something thatβs perfect, and sometimes people just wanna write something, and donβt want to be told what they did wrong:/
what if every car on the grid had the exact same livery and every driver had the exact same suit/helmet and neither the commentators nor the viewers knew who was who and we had to guess based on their ontrack behavior which driver is pulling off which moves and we would only find out who won the race when they park their cars and remove their helmets
Hi :) ! I saw recently that with the massive arrival of new people in fandom spaces, came a lot of disagreement between older users and knew ones. I understand that it comes from a place of accidental disruption, with new people arriving from social-media without being aware that fandoms work differently and have their own set of "tacit agreement" (we call it "Fandom Etiquette"). Of course you guys can not simply guess them, which is why some fandom veterans are making posts to sum them up, so you guys can learn them :D
In this post, I'm trying to share some of my knowledge of fandoms: what is it, how does it works, what you can do here, etc. I love making extensive researchs about things that I'm passionate about, and fandoms happens to be one of them, so why not share what I've learn through the years with you guys, so you can learn it too?
(This is going to be a slightly long post and I'm sorry about that, but I'm sure that you can find a shorter version somewhere here on Tumblr, or really wherever you want. I just really wanted to give an explanation that could be thorough but also digestible because I know I would have loved for things to have been explained like this when I started.)
What is a "fandom"
The abbreviation of "fanatic domain" ;
According to Wikipedia : "A fandom is a subculture composed of fans characterized by a feeling of camaraderie with others who share a common interest. Fans typically are interested in even minor details of the objects of their fandom and spend a significant portion of their time and energy involved with their interest, often as a part of a social network with particular practices, differentiating fandom-affiliated people from those with only a casual interest."
Fandom spaces are not child-friendly (neither is the Internet)
Fandom spaces are adult spaces. This means that you can and probably will encounter NSFW content at least once.
If you're a minor entering a fandom space, nobody here is responsible for what you'll stumble upon. It was not make for you, it is not made to accommodate your needs.
People will block minors if they don't feel comfortable interacting with them.
Existing as a community
I know that especially in the time we live in, people crave to belong somewhere, and want to be apart of a community. But not every community is meant for everyone. Fandoms are intense, and this intensity can feel weird for some people.
The whole point is to interact with others, so try it! Leave Kudos/likes, reblog, or comment; it doesn't need to be some grand conversation, just a little comment saying "I like what you do, have a pleasant evening" or "Your art is amazing" participate in keeping the community alive.
We owe each-others politeness and basic decency, but we don't owe each other to answer people we don't want to talk to or don't feel comfortable around. Blocking people we don't wanna see is not a war crime.
Being apart of the same fandom does not mean we are all friends. You do not know people from the Internet, which means that you don't have to like them but also don't trust them with personal informations.
There is no such things as "leaders" here. I know social-medias created some kind of hierarchy between the content creators, artists, yappers and lurkers, but it does not has its place in fandoms.
We are not meant for social-media
While the fandom is its people, some specific platform are our home (Tumblr, AO3). Social media is not one of them. Exposing ourselves to the general public never ends good for us.
The point is not to become popular, or trending, or get the most kudos and comment possible.
Do not make social-media content about a fic without the author's consent. There's a lot of people, especially fandom veterans, that do not like their content leaving fandom spaces and being posted or references in social media (which gives it visibility outside of the safe space that is the fandom).
Dowloading and reposting someone's art in your account (as if your own) is very rude and ill-mannered. Using it as background/profile picture/inspiration/etc. is perfectly fine but remember to credit the owner correctly: 'credit to the author', is not credit; 'the art owned and made by @' is.
Don't like = don't read/interact
Fandom is a very fragile ecosystem, and there has been a rise of hate and internet "wars" recently. Always leaving negative comments about what we disagree on, what we don't like, is not a sustainable way to keep the fandom alive (as proof, let's think about the last time we encountered headcanons, or an actor!AU).
Since the COVID-19 lock-downs and the exposition of our fandoms into the general publics eyes, we've suffered from a lot of mockery and bullying, justified by how "embarrassing" fandoms are, and calling it cringe instead of embarrassing left them enough room to bully us without getting called out. Yes, you may encounter something that can be embarrassing. But it's a you feeling. Just mind your own business and let other people have their fun.
It also applies for takes you disagree with.
The "Block" button is your bestfriend here.
Value critical thinking and not hate
No name-dropping (or pseudo-dropping), ever. You're allowed to respectfully raise an issue, or something that bothers you in the community; but pointing your finger at someone is not a good idea, it generates drama, people taking sides, sending hate, and we all know that it can escalate quickly and violently.
Focus on what you stand for and not what you're against
You're here to have fun ffs, so go and do that (I'm saying this as a genuine encouragement) ;
Engage with what you like, interact with people you share interest with.
Inspired content
Not every fic author is comfortable with Podfics and recommendations on TikTok, not every artist is okay with their arts being reposted. Ask for permission first, and respect their boundaries.
CREDIT CREDIT CREDIT!! You got inspired by someone else's work, even a little? CREDIT! You draw something directly inspired by a fic? CREDIT! While no one owns an idea, it's always gratifying to see that your work inspired others', and transparency is admirable.
The meaning and value of "canon" in fandom spaces
Basically, if it's not an analysis of the original medium, or a theory about it, it doesn't matter.
You're allowed to stay as close to canon as you like, but it doesn't make you a "better fan" or grant you the right to correct people for OOC headcanons (because 1. it's rude; 2. people probably don't care and just want to have fun; 3. you can be wrong, and that would be super embarrassing for you to start a fight over it).
There are a lot of people here that perfectly understand the canon!characters, and genuinely don't give a single fuck, because they simply want to have fic with what they create. You will see people writing the most out of character fic possible and when someone will complain about it, they'll say "I know, and I don't care". Take notes.
Headcanons can be OOC for you and make perfect sense for someone else. They are PERSONAL interpretations, not universal truth.
This is more of a life advice, but two things can be true at once: A pairing can make no sense in the canon material (even sometimes bring discomfort) and that same pairing can also have a really fucking cool fic that makes it work.
Shipping
No one is obligated to justify why they ship two fictional characters.
Don't engage in ship wars. It's genuinely not worth it; you're wasting time attacking people for a ship you don't like when you could spend this time having fun doing what you like, and there's never a winner anyway, you're just fighting for the sake of it.
My personal advice is to try it first. You don't have to try every single ship, especially if they're uncomfortable or triggering for you, but when you simply "don't see it", I believe that you can try it, at least once. It wouldn't hurt to be wrong and who knows, maybe you'll find something that you like! And if you still don't like it? Well at least you tried, now you can go on your merry way and have fun elsewhere!
AND AND AND!! While all of this is true, most of it will be thrown out of the window if you're being racist, xenophobic, homophobic, sexist, ableist, or romanticizing rape-culture. There is nothing safe in sharing hate and violent speech on the Internet, so don't act surprised if you get called out.
While I was refreshing my knowledge on Fandom Etiquette, I found a post that encouraged people to watch some videos at the end and I thought it was a good idea (the post was made by @). I also have a few recommendations that I think are interesting to watch, for people starting their fandom journey but also for olders and veterans:
i figured i should do something more pretty than announce i've been writing lmao, so:
Pairing: Stray Kids Ensemble/OC (named Emmeline)
Wordcount (not finished): 7k
Rating: Teen and up (might go up to M or E later)
Tags: Polyamory, Polyamorous Stray Kids Ensemble, Idols, Falling In Love, Lee Felix's Brownies, Flirting, Tsundere Kim Seungmin, Yang Jeongin | I.N is Whipped, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Summary:
Emmeline has been working as a tutor for CSAT students, and every week, she ends up with a student crying in the bathroom. Not that she's the one making them cry, mind you.
She's been a tutor for three years now, and still haven't made more than acquaintances in the form of colleagues and the old lady who lives in the apartment under hers.
When she meets someone on the street one night after work, it is only the beginning of a love story bigger than themselves.
AO3 LINK
And the first few lines of the fic:
Emmeline has been working as a tutor for CSAT students for three years now, and every week, she ends up with a student crying in the bathroom. Not that she's the one making them cry, mind you.
But this means that she always has a stack of tissues in her bag when she teaches. This week, they're peach-scented tissues (Korea is truly a strange place).
So when she sees someone crying, huddled up in a small nook on her way home from work, the logical course of action is to 1) give him a peach-scented tissue (to add to the strangeness of Korea, butt-looking peaches are printed on the tissues), which he accepts with a grateful 'thank you' or at least that's what she understands; and 2) lower herself until she is crouching next to him, the hem of her skirt bundled into one of her fist.
This particular street is full of nooks and crannies, but if she thinks about it, it must be the first time that she sees someone crying in here when she goes up the street.
When he has finished drying his tears and blowing his nose, he mechanically gives the tissue back to her. At least she hopes it's mechanical. She pushes back his hand with the tissue with her free one.
She doesn't want to get other people germs on her. No thank you.
Once he realises what he'd been doing, he quickly brings back his arm towards him and puts the dirty tissue in his pocket. He's already put his mask back on, but Emmeline can see his ears and neck turning a pretty rosy colour. She would wager that underneath the mask, his cheeks are the same.
