There are a bunch of stories in this world.

This “call out” culture that’s becoming more prominent in fandom spaces quite literally goes against the entire purpose of fan fiction. Fandoms are supposed to be safe spaces for people to express their ideas and if you don’t like a certain blog/type of writing, you simply block them and move on.

By “calling out” or demanding certain changes be made to how a person writes, you are stripping away the concept of fandom being a creative, judgment free space. Fan fiction censorship is as dangerous as book censorship; it’s the act of silencing those you don’t agree with.

I had to learn this the hard way when I made this mistake in the past, realizing the topic I was “calling out” was simply me trying to censor something I didn’t like. The reason this action becomes dangerous is that there is no stopping point to what can be called out and therefore censored, and it opens up the potential for hatred, bullying, and other harmful behavior towards those engaging in the “controversial” topics.

If you see something you don’t like, then don’t interact. It’s simple and doesn’t cost a thing to you. Stop promoting these forms of isolation and harassment.

***side note, just because you’re not “calling out” or openly condemning a certain topic does not mean you are agreeing with or condoning it, either. It simply means you respect the principle of writing what you want and disengaging with those that write what you don’t like.

fandom spaces have started to confuse discomfort with danger, personal dislike with moral emergency, and curation with public punishment.

fandom should be strange, excessive, embarrassing, tender, horny, indulgent, experimental, full of things you personally would never touch and things that feel like they were written with a knife pressed directly into your ribs. that is the point. it is a library with too many locked doors, and you are allowed to choose which ones you open.

you are allowed to dislike things. you are allowed to block, mute, scroll past, close the tab, protect your own peace.

genuinely, please do.

curation is healthy.

what scares me is when “i don’t want to see this” becomes “no one should be allowed to write this.” and no, refusing to join a public stoning does not mean you secretly endorse everything ever written. it means you understand that fiction is fiction, your discomfort is yours to manage, and someone else’s imagination is not automatically a crime scene.

::sigh::

I am a PASSIONATE commenter on fanfiction, but sometimes it slows down my reading because I don't want to read if I don't have the mental energy to leave the long comments I want to

Still, as an author, I know even a short note can mean the world.

So, I put together a little guide with different “levels” of comments, so it’s easier to leave something without overthinking!