a non-selective plan for the resurgence of fic commissions

Too many children in the comments like ‘I think authors should be able to share ko-fi links :) it’s just nice’ and ‘OP is just a cop.’ Homie, OP is trying to keep AO3 fully functional without interruption. I will report your ass, too, because I value fic artists and our freedom of expression and my audience and our shared history far more than I value the few bux you wanna make on a commission.

It is not hard to link to your Tumblr or Twitter with a vague message like, “If you’re looking for my other works or other ways of supporting me, go here: link.” I have had people buy me coffees after enjoying my fic and asking where to support me. I threw up a link to my Tumblr and people cared enough to follow it. They were fully understanding when I explained in the comments that they could not commission me and I could not link them directly to any donation platform, but they could go to xyz link to read more. And they did! Nobody has to put AO3 directly on the firing line.

Go ahead and commission independently. Just do it anywhere else except on AO3. And then don’t come crying to the community when you, personally, get a C&D from a massive corporation.

AO3 is our bullet shield. Tumblr will pull your shit down. Wattpad won’t fucking protect you. LJ and FF.net already sold our asses for one (1) corn chip. AO3 is trying to protect us, you goddamn lemmings.

If you cannot follow the rules that protect fanspaces, you do not belong in our fanspaces.

The only people who misunderstand this are doing so intentionally and maliciously. Do yourself a favor and block the infants who think this isn’t a big deal.

Please remember that this ALSO INCLUDES FANDOM CHARITY AUCTIONS.

When you post charity auction fics, DO NOT note that they are commissions in any way. You can note them as “here is my thank you gift to X for such-and-such event” but please please PLEASE do not list them as commissions.

I think a lot of younger people are seeing this as a moral panic by OP. These are NOT being laid out as moral injunctions! This is not about being good! This is about covering your own ass and keeping fandom away from larger-scale legal trouble. No one is saying “If you break the rules you’re BEING BAD!” They’re trying to tell you “breaking these rules is DANGEROUS for yourself and potentially others as well!”

Sometimes I see fanfiction that is so good, I'm just like, HOW DARE YOU! HOW DARE YOU WRITE SOMETHING THAT IS LITERALLY RIPPING MY SOUL APART FROM THE SHEER BEAUTY OF WHAT YOU HAVE CREATED?

And then I proceed to weep with joy and anguish, simultaneously.

I will never not reblog this

Accurate.

This is the best post I’ve ever seen

accurate 

Guys, OP here. Please stop deleting my captions. How are the rest supposed to know that the receptionist is Satan

Reblog for Satan

@official-graveyard-posts

Official graveyard post.

I often wonder what happened to authors of unfinished fanfictions.

I hope they’re having a nice life

we absolutely are not and that unfinished fic haunts us to this day

Once I lamented on Twitter about never getting to finish a really good Sherlock fic, and the author recognized it and apologized, and I felt terrible. (And I SOMEHOW RESISTED begging her to finish.)

See, here’s how I feel: One of the best things about fanfiction is that I get the chance to read stories that are never going to be ‘published’ in traditional ways. I get to read the writing of people who are doing this as a hobby rather than a profession or even a part-time gig. And as a result, I get to be showered with so many beautiful stories that I would never, ever have found through any other medium. I get to read the work of writers who would have been lost to me if the only way I had of reading was through purchasing publications. There’s just so much more out there than publication systems have ever harnessed.

And, to me, unfinished stories are kind of the ultimate expression of that story that I wasn’t supposed to be able to read, but lucked out and got a chance to read anyway. Unfinished stories almost never get published. Before the age of the internet and fanfiction, most would never have been read except by their authors and maybe a close friend or two. But, thanks to the internet and the ability of authors to write as they go, for fun, with no obligations attached, I have gotten to read these unfinished, beautiful things. And sure, if I love a story I naturally wish that it would be finished. But if the choice is between never reading that story at all, or getting to read it as far as it goes, I’ll take the latter every time.

I have been changed by unfinished stories. I’ve been amused and moved and fascinated and transported by them. Some of my all-time favorite fics are unfinished. But I’m still so happy that they live in a corner of my head.

So if you have written an unfinished fic, thank you. I’m so glad you shared it.

Got me almost pissing my pants everytime🧍‍♀️

gets me so nervous like STOP (don’t actually)

Speaking as a writer: if we even catch a WHIFF of you being a fan of our content, we become more obsessed with you than you are with us.

Sorry, Writers are just needy that way. (Well, I am, anyway.)

Gentle reminder that very little fandom labor is automated, because I think people forget that a lot.

That blog with a tagging system you love? A person curates those tags by hand.

That rec blog with a great organization scheme and pretty graphics? Someone designed and implemented that organization scheme and made those graphics.

That network that posts a cool variety of stuff? People track down all that variety and queue it by hand, and other people made all the individual pieces.

That post with umpteen links to helpful resources, and information about them? Someone gathered those links, researched the sources, wrote up the information about them.

That graphic about fandom statistics? Someone compiled those statistics, analyzed them, organized them, figured out a useful way to convey the information to others, and made the post.

That event that you think looks neat? Someone wrote the rules, created the blogs and Discords, designed the graphics, did their best to promo the event so it'd succeed.

None of this was done automatically. None of it just appears whole out of the internet ether.

I think everyone realizes that fic writing and fanart creation are work, and at least some folks have got it through their heads that gif creation and graphics and moodboards take effort, and meta is usually respected for the effort that goes into it, at least as far as I've seen, but I feel like a lot of people don't really get how much labor goes into curation, too.

If people are creating resources, curating content, organizing the creations of others, gathering information, and doing other fandom activities that aren't necessarily the direct action of creation, they're doing a lot of fandom labor, and it's often largely unrecognized.

Celebrate fan work!

To folks doing this kind of labor: I see you, and I thank you. You are the backbones of our fandoms and I love you.

I Didn’t Think I Shipped It But The Fic Writers for This Ship Really Brought Their A Game: a memoir.

I Didn’t Know This Ship Existed Previously But Now I’m In Hell: the sequel

I Used To Hate This Ship, What Have You Done?!: the third installment

I Ruined Myself With This Ship And Now I’m Taking You All Down With Me: a memoir

I’m The Only One Writing This Ship But I WILL Convert Some of You or So Help Me: a manifesto

This Used To Be A Crack Ship But Now I See The Potential Oh God: a confession

writers wishing they could draw whats in their head 🤝 artists wishing they could write whats in their head

DEAR FANFICTION WRITERS

Thanks for existing

DEAR ARTISTS

Thank you for everything ❤️

DEAR REBLOGGERS AND COMMENTERS

Thank you for inspiration and motivation

Not people saying “Fandom has always been like this” in that vent post I made. No. It hasn’t always been like this. Fandom has NEVER been like this until recently and if you were in fandom pre-tumblr purge, pre-twitter, pre-netflix boom, pre-tiktok….then you would fucking know it was nothing like this.

We still had the drive to create. We still sold prints and charms and made zines…but it was never like this.

The introduction of streaming, binge shows that drop all at once, tiktok and vine RIP i still love u vine but you were the beginning of a particularly ugly era) creating this bite sized, quick paced ‘content’ era of creation and it bled out into fucking everything else.

Fandoms didn’t die down when the show ended or the season was over. You didn’t mass unfollow artist, writers or moots just because they changed fandoms. There wasn’t this need to please the algorithm in order for your posts to get seen by people and enjoyed.

Fandoms used to last YEARS. Star Trek is literally the oldest running fandom out there and you got people in there that could care less about the new stuff and still have been happily prancing through their fucking fifty year old fandom today. Hell, even SPN after all it’s fuckups and shitshows has a dedicated fanbase STILL creating tons of art and fic.

There is no patience anymore. No calm feeling of taking in fandom and friends at a pace that which doesn’t make you stressed and is still fun.

Do I blame fandom for this? Of course not, but people are complacent with it and start changing their vocab to accommodate and end up making the situation so deep it cant be fixed.

We call Art & Fic Content now, completely stripping the value of what it is to a level of consumerism instead of personal entertainment & community bonding.

Let OP talk, they’re absolutely right.

I cannot believe I’m only 10k words away from writing the end of this 5k fic

by popular demand, the sequel: I cannot believe I’m only 6 chapters away from writing the end of this one-shot fic

one of my favorite things about fandom is that the exchange of intellectual and creative property is a legitimate form of gift giving. like ‘i’m so enchanted by you, i love you, let me tell you a story’

When I was younger I used to be part of the “only-reads-complete-fics crowd” but as I’m getting older I’m realizing how powerful it can be to have consistent things to look forward to…

All the ppl in the tags laughing abt how fic updates aren’t consistent are cowards. I aim to be subbed to at least 365 fics. One for each day of the year. And that’s just my starting point. Your inbox? Empty. Barren. Fallow. Mine? Bountiful. Overflowing. A cornucopia of ripe treats awaiting my tender consumption. I wade through honey-rich excess while you starve of your own volition.

This line is the sexiest way to say “You fucked up” that I have ever read. I have to start using this in my life when pointing out the follies of others.

I tend to follow fics that don’t update consistently or over long periods of time (I mean I myself am no better when updating lol) so when it does update I get super excited and it’s so rewarding

And those of us writers who struggle with updating are incredibly grateful for followers like you!!

Thank you!!

Fun fact, too: fics in general are more likely to reach that ‘complete’ stage if the author doesn’t immediately get disheartened thinking nobody wants to read their stuff. Sure, following and interacting with a fic doesn’t guarantee it’ll get finished- real life and issues with muses can still get in the way- but an author getting even just a few enthusiastic comments after each update is still more likely to view their work as a worthwhile thing to dedicate time to than someone who gets none.

Plus yes. Getting emails about fics getting updated? Very fun.

I wonder if readers understand the rush of adrenaline a writer gets every time we receive a like or a reblog, let’s not even talk about a comment.

Reader feedback is like heroine and we are all hooked

Me after receiving a comment:

as a fanfic writer, the best thing you can do for yourself is invest in the stories you want to read. don’t think about what will get popular, because it will make you miserable. write about what means the most to you. if you want to write pure smut, do it. if you want to make intricate worlds and complex characters, do it. write and write and write. contrary to popular belief, good art does not have to make you suffer. all my very best work is the stuff that i enjoyed writing

The New User Migration

TYPE: Event TIME: Seasonal RARITY: Uncommon

DESCRIPTION: 

Great things are gained and great things are lost with the onset of great change. It is the nature of things. This is no different on Tumblr, where each new cycle brings a new migration of users all with their own stories, styles, fandoms, memes, and content. This rare and majestic movement heralds the arrival of a new community, a new culture, and a new climate. The migration is a thing of beauty, but should not be underestimated in regards to the disruptions it may cause when it comes without warning. 

FIELD NOTES: 

I liked this post, scrolled for like another minute before I went “SHIT FUCK SHIT” and scrolled back to reblog it

AJDHNFNCKWFKSNC,JAKD;FA ALWAYS REBLOG

Be a hero y'all! Just liking a post doesn’t help creators nearly as much as a reblog