seasidefics | gotta go insane to stay sane

realizing that in order to get the courage to post my work, i probably need to stop interacting with fanfic authors all together but esp on reddit specifically. and like, yes, it’s reddit, so why should i care that a bunch of anonymous strangers downvoted my comment? but it does get under my skin and bother me. i already feel kind of isolated in this sphere, so i think it just hits that feeling even harder. especially because it’s always when i make a post just asking a question about etiquette, and i genuinely don’t see why people wouldn’t like it. it’s not like i’m being rude or saying some controversial opinion. all i did was ask what people would do if someone had published something very similar to a wip they’re currently writing. like… am i breaking some kind of unspoken rule?

i just never seem to agree with most of the users on there. a lot of their general dislikes—like fics in lowercase or long, purple-prose titles—are things i actually love and try to emulate in my own writing. maybe it’s because there aren’t many rpf writers there, and that was my introduction to fanfic. but for the most part, and i know i’m generalizing, i just don’t like the attitude on that subreddit. every time i try to contribute, i’m mostly left feeling… rejected and sad.

then i have the other problem where i don’t really feel like i fit in with kpop fic authors either, especially in my fandom. or well, maybe that was more true years ago. i don’t interact anymore, so maybe i could find a friend group if i tried. but right now it just feels like i’m this sad loser looking in from the outside.

so it’s like two different worlds i don’t fit into. i’m just this sad third thing.