#99 fandom problems

Hi, Nonnie!

That can happen with fandoms if there hasn't been canon updates in a while. Fandoms go through lull periods, it's natural. Even fandoms that have had constant canon fodder for a number of years can experience a lull or a change in fandom engagement. It's simply one of those things that happens in life, change happens to everything eventually.

The great thing about fandom is that you can revisit your favourite parts of it! Revisit your favorite era by rereading old fics, reblogging your favourite posts, leave another comment thanking the creators for their work (I can guarantee they'll appreciate it when they see it).

Fandom will always be there for you to enjoy in any capacity you need it. You can rewatch your faves, then open fandom and search for your faves too. Nothing is stopping you from doing that any time you want.

A lull in new fandon content doesn't mean you have to cease in fandom activity or stop engaging with it. I'm sure the creators still making content would love to hear from you.

Perhaps you'd like to make some new content too? Maybe it will inspire other creators as well!

I've seen fandoms of Rarepair ships consist of 1 writer and 1 eager reader. Sometimes that's all you need to enjoy yourselves in fandom!

And older fandoms who haven't had canon content in years or decades still thrive and create, despite slowing down or having lull periods. I've seen them receive a boost again with any new reboot of canon, so there's always that too.

Hi, Nonnie!

I'm a little sad you feel this way, because fandom is all about the word you've already said:

Sharing

Of course your writing is worth sharing!

This is what fandom is for, sharing. You never know who out there is dying to read exactly the sort of fic you've written, and you won't know until you share!

If you're shy about sharing fan content, consider using pseuds and Anon features, give yourself some creative freedom! Using a pseud can be so freeing for writers and artists. Space and freedom to create and post what you desire.

Hi Nonnie! 

I understand your concern! I'm sure a gift fic will be fine, but let's cover some tips to set your mind at ease! I go through these reminders myself whenever I want to gift a story to anyone.

First things first: if the fic gifting is on ao3, users have to turn on the setting for allowing anyone to gift a fic. So if they have this turned on, then they're good with receiving gift fics!

Note, some users don't realise you have to turn this setting ON in your ao3 preferences. So if it isn't on, it could still be worth sending the writer a message to ask if they want a fic gifted on ao3. Just to check! They may well say yes!

(If you're gifting on another platform, say, Tumblr for example, it's fairly common for users to tag other users in gift posts. It wouldn't be uncommon, so I'm sure you're okay to do so!) 

The following tips are basic common sense about giving a gift to someone, and I'm sure you've already had these in mind, Nonnie! 

Gift giving can be great fun!

If you know the person well, you probably have a good idea about their likes and dislikes, and could even try out new concepts or themes with this person.

If you don't know the person that well, then a surprise gift is probably not the best time to go off the beaten track! For example, gifting an extreme or niche trope may be hit or miss!

So it would probably be wise to exercise a bit of caution, and stick to what you know they like. 

Use the same tropes, ships, and story themes you know they already like (browse their own fics and bookmarks, or their social media account) and use that as the inspiration. 

It's a wise move, especially for a first time gift giving.

Perhaps later on down the line, you could see how they'd feel about different themes! 

I really wanna interact with other people in my fandoms but I've seen so many things get blown out of proportion and people getting dogpiled on for petty reasons that it makes me super anxious.

Hi, Nonnie!

I understand where you're coming from, many of us feel this way sometimes.

I've answered similar asks like this about joining in more with fandom, and I'll list them at the end of this post so you can see you certainly aren't alone.

I have some tips for coming out of lurking that I hope can help you out! Most of these tips will be for Tumblr but can be applied to any platform, including ao3, or other social media sites besides Tumblr.

If you have a lurking/anonymous blog for fandom that brings you joy to use, I strongly recommend keeping it just as it is! Meanwhile, you can open a new blog/account for interacting with the fandom. (Alternatively, if you're happy for your Main to be interacted with, stick with that blog! You have to pick which suits you best, Nonnie.)

So once you have your chosen blog to interact with, the best way to start interacting with the fandom is:

-Follow some blogs

-Like, reblog, and comment on other blogs' posts 

-Send asks, or start a tag game, or join in ongoing creative tag games (writblr, artists on tumblr, wip shares, etc.) or events. Even if you aren't a writer/artist yourself, you can comment on and follow what creators in the fandom are doing.

-comment on writer's ao3 works, follow them on Tumblr if they list their blog, send them nice asks about their fics (writers will love you for that!)

This is all a good start! I wouldn't worry too much about the quantity of your interactions at first. You don't want to overwhelm yourself! Focus on quality; try to be thoughtful in your comments, and this will come through in the text. One thoughtful and positive comment can really make someone's day! Putting something nice into your fandom by making a kind comment is an achievement in itself.

Little by little, do these interactions more and more, and you should soon start to see people interact with you in kind. Blogs will reply back or follow you, and you'll start to notice certain blogs in your notifications. 

Not every blog/user will want to be friends or follow your blog, and it's worth remembering that. Some people want new friends, some don't. That's okay, don't take it personally if one blog in particular isn't available. Be aware of who seems happy to interact and chat, and focus your replies to them. Try not to focus on those who don't or can't reply (perhaps they have a hectic home life and can't interact online right now; we just don't know! Give them the benefit of doubt).

The more people/blogs you chat to, the more chances you give yourself. For example if I went to a party and only said hi to one person, I'm only giving myself one chance at finding a new acquaintance. But if I chatted to a few more people (not necessarily at the same party, but in time!) I'm giving myself more chances at finding my people.

I understand that putting yourself out there socially is intimidating. It is online just as much in real life situations. At least with online we can have a pseud or nickname, and a profile picture that isn't a selfie. It gives you protection and anonymity. This is why I suggest using a side blog for your fandom interactions; you could create a brand new pseud if that suits you more and eases the pressure. Try it out? 

With any new social interaction, try to look at things with a glass half full outlook. Say to yourself, if I say good morning to this person or pay them a compliment, I will have done a nice thing, and if they say hi back or reciprocate then it's simply a bonus on top.

You can also try saying this aloud:

I am here to have fun and enjoy myself. If I meet other like-minded people along the way it's a bonus I will gladly accept. I am ready to receive new friends.

I hope this helps you, Nonnie!

Try not to pressure yourself into chatting/interactions. Accept that some days you may not feel like it, while other days you may want to comment or chat. Do what feels right for you, and don't try to do it all at once. Little by little. One step at a time.

You can say to yourself, I'll try to comment on someone's post today. Or, I'll tell one of my favourite writers/artists what I enjoy about their work today.

Little steps like this.

It's really hard to go wrong with genuine, thoughtful, and positive responses in fandom. You don't have to write loads, a short comment is just as valuable.

Is there a gif making or headcanon blog that you enjoy? Send them a nice ask or reblog their post with a nice comment. Everyone behind a blog will always notice the positive responses in their notifications.

In summary, Nonnie:

-Try out some positive comments

-Don't overwhelm yourself

-One step at a time

-Block or filter anyone/anything that annoys you! Block liberally.

I hope that helps! Here are some more answered asks that may also help you out.

How to make fandom friends:

Making space for yourself:

Help with leaving comments:

Hi, Nonnie! 

My first tip would be to stop comparing yourself as a writer to other writers. Focus on yourself, forget what other writers are doing. They are them. You are you, and you are unique. Nobody else can be you! Only you can post your fics.

My writing tips are: try out different styles of writing to un-plug your creative flow. You don't have to write a novel for a fanfic, you don't need a plot per se, you can write something more abstract. That's the beauty of fandom! You are free to post whatever comes to mind. 

Think about some of these suggestions to try out for yourself:

• A series of interviews/monologues for your characters.

Allow them to take the mic and talk about anything (always a great writing tip for getting into your flow). 

Alternatively: write a news story or magazine article about them. What would the story be about the character(s) if they were on the front page? Did they win an award? Was there some drama or controversy? Maybe Character A is interviewing Character B? Write it in magazine interview format and see how it goes. Have fun with it!

• Vignettes, outtakes, deleted scenes.

If you want to write that one scene you had in mind, write that one scene! You don't need the full story. This is fanfic and you can post whatever you want! Treat it as a deleted scene from the director's cut. 

Did any special scene from the canon source material inspire you to write the deleted scene that came afterwards? Write that one scene! 

The great thing about fandom is that readers already know the characters out of context, so you can use this to your advantage and dive right into your scene. 

• Shorter fics 

Drabbles (one hundred words), flash fiction (three hundred to one thousand words), or other short story types of fiction, can be a great writing exercise. 

Similar to writing a vignette, a short word count helps you focus in on one scene or one aspect without worrying about a full plot or too much going on. 

If you post short fics they can stand on their own (standalones), or connect to a larger narrative as a series. They can all take place in the same time period, or have major time skips. There's so much choice! What appeals to you? Try it out!

• A poem, Haiku, song fic, scripted speech.

Experiment with different formats! Write down ideas. You could incorporate them into a fic or post them on their own. Each of these suggestions is a way to get your writing flow turned up to max, and get you more comfortable with writing.

The more you post your works in fandom the easier it becomes, trust me!

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Hi Nonnie!

That sounds so frustrating! It's a pity when one person or a small group ruin things for everyone else.

Unfortunately with Anon comments, you're unable to block or report them on ao3, by my understanding. But if if gets particularly bad I would still send a report with the evidence to ao3 and see what they say.

In the meantime, you have two options with Anons, and this applies to any and all platforms:

Option 1 - delete and ignore Anon hate.

Don't even skim read it! If the first line indicates that it's Anon hate, delete it. Block if the platform allows. Anons are cowards and send hate messages out of jealousy. It's pitiful. Go about your life without giving these sad sacks a second thought.

Option 2 - Turn off Anon commenting.

You can turn it off temporarily, which would be my first suggestion. Trolls need instant reaction and if you don't give them that, they will fade away to troll someone else (unfortunately). That's how they operate. Whether it's a few weeks or longer, have Anon off for a while.

Also try writing other themes and see if there's less trolls there. I've found that only certain tropes or ships attract trolls. Experiment if you want, try out other tropes in your fics and see if there's less trolls to deal with.

Further tip - seek support from your fandom!

Encourage your nice readers to get ao3 accounts so they can still comment! Many readers just don't get around to it. With some prompting they can!

Do you have ao3 invites? Offer those. Ask your friends to as well.

Build a community of friends with named accounts online, talk to each other, support each other.

If we don't support each other then writers will be chased out of fannish spaces for good. It's important we show up.

These are all suggestions to combat trolls and Anon hate.

Together we can make trolls redundant and focus on what we enjoy, which is writing and posting!

Does your ship have any online events? A comment exchange? If so, join them! If not (or if you don't like who runs them) create your own! Get your friends involved. Ask readers if they'd volunteer.

Build community.

It's worth a shot! Start with a simple comment exchange during one week or month this year, or a group challenge on ao3!

Start small and give it a shot!

And for trolls in fandom as a general problem, I've written a posting about not feeding them here -

Yes, Nonnie! Remember this key phrase:

Don't Feed The Troll

All of your reactions to trolls online should be repeating that key phrase.

Do not engage with trolls, do not give them the oxygen they crave.

Delete their messages, delete their comments, block liberally, report if necessary, don't refer to them publicly, and don't give them any attention. Trolls soon get bored and move onto their next source of attention. Don't let them bring you into their storm or steal your peace.

Easier said than done, I know, but try your best to remember the phrase Do Not Feed The Troll, and act according to that every time. For example, if you get an angry ask or message, ask yourself will replying to this enraged Anon message do you any good? Will the Anon actually read your response and reply in good faith? Probably not, so why bother responding? Block, ignore, starve them of oxygen. No response is also a response, one they will eventually understand.

You can't have a normal conversation with people who are determined to misunderstand you, misinterpret you, and otherwise seek to harass you. Same applies to enraged people on their named accounts too, creating storms online. Anon or not, if you get a bad vibe and feel like you're being pulled into their storm for no good reason, disengage. Ghost. Mute, don't reply, block, distance yourself. Protect yourself first.

Usually their storm is more about them than it is about you. Don't let them put their rage onto you.

Remember this piece of advice too: what other people say about you will fall into one of two categories, which are

Feedback on how to improve yourself

Their own personal opinion

If what they said was feedback on how to improve yourself or improve something you did (example, "can you add a warning tag to a post for consideration?", or having a peer review at work) then you can take this feedback and choose to work on it. If it was given in good faith then it will be useful to you. We are all learning every single day, that's what being alive means. This is okay!

Alternatively, if what they said was their own personal opinion (example, "your fanfiction stinks", "you aren't allowed to ship that!", "I hate your blog"), then that's all it is. Their opinion. Who cares? Shake it off and ignore them. Delete the messages and ignore. Their personal opinion is nothing to do with you.

Good luck Nonnie, and remember: