As an Autist, I know unwritten rules are not obvious to everyone. Particularly if things work a little differently in that space than they do in others. It can be hard to realize I'm misstepping in new territory, if no one tells me the rules directly. Here's a few things I've learned about fan fic etiquette.
1. Yelling for more of something you're already getting for free is rude.
2. Downloading someone else's fic and reposting it to another site is stealing.
3. Downloading and feeding someone's fic to AI is STEALING.
4. Comments on the fic are for the author, not other readers.
5. Unlike social media, commenting on other people's comments is generally not done.
6. Demanding updates or sequels is not a compliment, it's considered harassment and it spoils the author's sense of play and joy about the fic. That they are giving us for free. Out of love.
7. Rating or critiquing fanfic in the comment section is not okay. Not unless the author explicitly says they are open to it.
8. Same goes for telling the author what you want them to write next or what you think should happen in the next chapter. (That's a sign you're inspired and need to write your own fic.) Don't do it unless the writer specifically asks for prompts.
9. Don't like? Don't read it. Don't comment on it.
10. Writers live on kind comments. It's their only payment. If you bookmark a story, it's customary to pop in to say thank you and tell them what you love enough about the story to save.
I'm sure I've missed many "rules" myself, and I am grateful for the fandom monarchs who've directly explained these things to me. Can you think of any other unwritten etiquette guidelines I should've included?
