I follow someone here on tumblr not for their fic or fandom takes or ships, but because this person just posts the most clueless bitching about their fandom popularity right on main.
They're constantly, constantly whining about lack of engagement and how they want comments and interaction. Then a few posts later they'll put a commenter on blast for the comment only being one sentence long.
They'll complain about their kudos to comment ratio, and the kudos to hit ratio, and then complain that they hate receiving kudos emails because they're meaningless.
They'll cry about how nobody reblogs or responds to their original posts, but people will reblog things they've reblogged from others.
It's like having my own personal zoo exhibit. The least self aware person on the planet is thrashing against the walls of their enclosure.
I know that I could, should, take them gently by the hand and explain to them that this behavior is putting everybody off interacting with them. Nobody comments on their fics because they don't want to be excoriated if the comment isn't good enough. Nobody reblogs because nobody wants to be the person to tell them how this behavior looks and bear the brunt of the reaction. Pretty soon nobody is going to kudos their work either.
I understand the frustration, I really do! I know how disheartening it is to pour hundreds of hours of your free time into a passion project and have two people respond. I know that feeling of screaming into the void. We all do! And yes, it's gotten worse in the last few years, and the rise of bots isn't helping.
But how about, instead of hurling yourself against the walls and screaming for people to pay attention to you, you go and read other people's fics, and leave them nice long comments? Make a rec list. Uplift the other writers and artists in your fandom, and be genuine about it. I promise that will get you more of the positive interaction and community that you're looking for than... this.
Because this is a car wreck, and I can't stop watching.
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