Beware the Tentacle LSAT

"Readerfic sucks because it's always OOC" yes, so is a huge percentage of all fanfiction

"Readerfic sucks because it's embarrassing wish fulfillment" yes, so is a huge percentage of all fanfiction

"Readerfic sucks because it's just projecting" yes, so is a huge percentage of all fanfiction

"Readerfic sucks because I don't want to ship myself with a character" this does not mean readerfic sucks, it means you don't want to ship yourself with a character

Like as someone who's been in fandom for 20+ years, this is a cyclical thing. Every few years we reinvent the "bottom category" of the Most Loserish, Cringe, Embarrassing thing you can do as a fic writer. It used to be OCs and Mary Sues and overuse of epithets and sticking random Japanese phrases where they didn't belong. Now it's readerfic and crackships and what the hell ever the fanfiction quality patrol is on about these days.

So some fanartist drew a “sexy” (read: booby) version of a (cartoon) character who is traditionally very non-sexualised. Fans of the character got mad about it because it’s kind of groundbreaking how that character is written and portrayed and this art totally ignores the entire point of the character. They demanded the art be deleted. In response to that other people said, well what the fanartist did may be distateful but they have every right to draw what they’re into. The two sides fight for days and each starts a harassment campaign and even report their “opponents’” accounts.

So far so typical. But things eventually come to a head and they decide that this will be settled by votes - not through a poll. Through donations to a children’s education charity via each side’s portal. Whoever can get the highest amount of donation wins.