not to be controversial bc I know this is like…not in line with shifting opinions on fanfic comment culture but if there’s a glaring typo in my work I will NOT be offended by pointing it out. if ao3 fucks up the formatting…I will also not be offended by having this pointed out…

‘looking forward to the next update’ and ‘I hope you update soon!’ are different vibes than a demand, and should be read in good faith because a reader is finding their way to tell you how much they love it. I will not be mad at this.

‘I don’t usually like this ship but this fic made me feel something’ is also incredibly high praise. I’m not going to get mad at this.

even ‘I love this fic but I’m curious about why you made [x] choice’ is just another way a reader is engaging in and putting thought into your work.

I just feel like a lot of authors take any comment that’s not perfectly articulated glowing praise in the exact manner they’re hoping to receive it in bad faith.

fic engagement has been dropping across the board over the last several years, and yes it’s frustrating but it isn’t as though I can’t see how it happens. comment anxiety can be a real thing. the last thing anyone wants to do is offend an author they love, and that means sometimes people default to silence.

idk where I’m going with this I guess aside from saying unless a comment is outright attacking me I’m never going to get mad at it, and I think a lot of authors should feel the same way. ESPECIALLY TYPOS PLZ GOD POINT OUT MY TYPOS.

Reblog for a larger sample size!

No "show results", if you're not a fanfic writer just be patient.

I saw a post about an anon saying it was embarrasing to have an ao3 account in your 30s (it's absolutely not), so I want to do a poll and see what the age range actually is.

Folks have got to understand that they probably aren't messed up by some Secret Big Trauma that they just can't remember; but rather by a million tiny microtraumas that they do mostly remember but don't even register as traumatic because nobody actually understood that these things would cause trauma, much less stack on each other over the years.

Whether you're carrying one big rock or a big ol' bucket of sand, it's going to weigh on you just as much.

This is why psychologists have started taking more of an interest in CPTSD in the last 10-15 years. What most people know as PTSD is a response to a single, intensely traumatic event (or even a series of events). However, CPTSD (chronic post-traumatic stress disorder) is caused by living for years in a situation where your nervous system cannot catch a break. Even if nothing huge ever happened to you, you always had to be on guard for a thousand little things that could and did happen.

After years and years of this, your nervous system gets "stuck" in an activated threat response. It never really lets you rest, and if this started when you were a kid, you may not develop a lot of neural pathways that you should have, because your brain was too focused on keeping you safe to bother with little things like "genuine human connection" and "interpersonal attachment."

No lie, Complex PTSD/CPTSD is HUGE.

If you are disabled, if you are queer, if you are chronically ill, if you are the survivor of a toxic but not abusive relationship, if you grew up or lived under the threat of harm but no "actual" harm (or "very little" harm) was done, you may have CPTSD that isn't getting caught because CPTSD looks different from PTSD.

I have learned that caring for an aging parent, my husband losing a job, my stepson’s brother overdosing, and buying a house and attempting to fix it up and move is a full plate the last 2 months.

Add on the day job and music and I’m just exhausted.

This almost made it into the author’s notes for my last chapter. Also I left my keys at the facility my father in law stays at so that’s tricky.

I debated posting about this. It’s a hard topic, and a hard week. I’ve decided that I’m going to post this, but I have one ask. If you know me in “real life”, please don’t speak of this to anyone. You can reach out to me, but please do not reach out to any of the parties involved or share it outside of Tumblr. I just need to get it off my chest.

Trigger warnings for death, drug overdose, and grief. Don’t say I didn’t warn you; this is a grim entry.

The awful painful update. My stepson’s grandmother is mad at him because “he should be supporting the rest of the family.”

He took his brother in when no one else would.

Fanfic reader's prayer: may my favorite author's hyperfixation on this fandom last longer than mine 🙏

Fanfic writer's prayer: may my hyperfixation last long enough for me to write all the fics in my head.

you would be upset too if some cute kid you met at work was possessed by your shitbag cheating ex who died 50 odd years prior

A tip: if a manager reporting to you expresses surprise that one of their employees was laid off, and you give a mealy mouthed answer equating to “oh I am behind on mails and don’t know what’s up” because you’re also laying off that person you’re talking to… you’re a coward.

Being a leader means owning a message. It means saying “I can’t tell you that.” It means taking a stand. It doesn’t mean being a chicken shit. Good leaders lead. They own a message even if they have to be ambiguous. Bad leaders handwave. They blame emails.

I will not say what this is about (it’s not about a situation of mine). But I hope some cowards enjoy sucking that corporate dick (in the bad way).

This is about my husband’s manager.

My husband no longer has a job, mainly because his manager is deceptive, spineless, and possibly opportunistic. Not sure what I expected in corporate America.

Enjoy destroying your company, company that shall not be named.

Can I have you forever?

Every single night.

honestly the real mvp is shaun temple. his wife shows up after the world almost ended and is like hey, remember that little fruit who you met 3 days ago? he's my best fucking friend he's my younger brother who's a gazillion years old he desperately needs therapy and he lives in our garden now with his time machine. and shaun was just like okay! what are we making for dinner :)