Yall...I don't know who missed out on hearing this while they grew up, but obviously some people need to hear this shit and apply it in whatever Fandom they are in: If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all.
So if you just saw a fanart or just read a fic and there was something you didn't like or maybe you just hated it, just don't say shit, okay. Don't say shit to the artist or author when the only thing you want to say is some mean shit or some critique (that they DID NOT ask for).
Like, what even is the point? Yeah, you don't like it. Yeah, you're entitled to your opinion. But you don't have to be a dick about it. Go complain to your friends about it. Don't go out of your way to write someone a fucking essay about how you didn't like XYZ they did in a work that they did for free and for fun for others.
That's like someone taking a slice of your pie and then saying it was too sweet or it had too much crust while they stand in front of sign infront of that pie that fucking says: Free Extra sweet pie with a thick crust :) Hope you enjoy!
Come on people, you didn't pay for this. It's being shared for free and you don't even know the person who made the thing and yet you're being a dick about it? Like do people think that's actually okay? What's wrong with you?
And again, YES you're entitled to your opinion. No one is denying that. But this isn't a fucking restaurant where you paid for 5 star service and should have a specific experience at, with delicious food that been meticulously planned out and cooked by professionals and so on. Fandom is (and yes we are going with the food metaphor cause don't yall remember 'holy shit two cakes') a potluck with all sorts of things with all sorts of people making them. Some for years and some who just started an hour ago.
You don't even know the person who made this art/fic and yet you're comfortable enough to tear it down or nitpick all these details? Have you no decency? Have you no respect? Have you no kindness?
There is so much out there for free that you can find and enjoy there's no need for you to essentially shit on the thing you found and didn't like. Curate your own experience and just press the back button and leave it be. Don't be an asshole.
Don't leave unsolicited advice. Don't ignore tags and ask 'why is [tag] in here, it's so stupid/annoying/weird'. Just don't. There's no reason.
On that note. Work on your reading comprehension. I feel some have forgotten what they learned about reading from class.
For real, some people have seem to have forgotten the different ways stories can be told. Not every story will or should be the same. Not everything will be clear-cut and spoon-fed to the reader. Not everything will be this grand epic with meticulous world building.
A story can be told in hundreds and thousands of words, and a story can be told in just a few paragraphs. Not everyone writes the same and should not be expected to.
Don't demand more. Don't always expect it. Especially when what the person has shared with you was stated to be something else you're demanding.
If you enjoy it, let them know if you'd like. Be kind. And if you're curious, maybe ask them questions about what inspired them. And yes. Maybe you can politely ask if they have any plans to expand on it and so on. But if it has been stated that this is it, stop pushing.
And reminder: there is someone behind the piece of art or writing that you enjoyed.
That is a real-life human being with feelings and thoughts and a whole life you know nothing about. Someone just like you yet completely different.
Why the fuck would you go out of your way to be an asshole to them? Why would you treat another person like that when they have been kind enough to share something they have made?
You don't fucking know them.
You don't know what is going on in their head. You don't know their health. You don't know their family or home life. You don't know about the things that cause them pain or stress and anxiety in life. You don't fucking know. So why the fuck are you gonna say shit to them when all they were doing was being kind to share something with you?
And maybe you could become friends with then and learn stuff about them. But being a dick sure as hell isn't the way to do that.
So try to remember being little and being told that 'if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all.' And if you're hearing it for the first time, well now you know.
