deadcatwithaflamethrower:

Fandom Etiquette tip # I don’t know but it’s pretty damned high on the list:

Criticizing an author who does not get paid for any reseearch performed for a fanfic (which is also free and the author does not get paid to write) about how the author didn’t put in enough effort to make things easily understandable. Despite the fact that the predominant POV is that of a character who didn’t/doesn’t understand those words, either. Despite the fact that fucking Google exists. Despite the countless hours of time that have already gone into the creation of what they’re reading.

“You didn’t write what I wanted to read!” is the rallying cry.

Go pick up an untranslated copy of Beowulf and then come back and tell me how easy it was to understand.* Even if you get the copy like I have, where the OE is on one side and the Modern English translation is on the other, OE grammar and ME grammar are two entirely different creatures. It’s not word-by-word translation.

(*Unless you are an English Major who decided to live the dream
and you’re literally conversant and can easily read Old English. You
have to shush in this instance.)

When you comment on an author’s freely given work only to tell them they’re not doing a good enough job to suit your preferences, you‘re being unbelievably selfish. Worse, if you actually like the fic in question, you are risking that the author’s updates slow down drastically as they struggle to keep caring about what they’re writing and the research it entails…or maybe they’ll walk away from the fic entirely and you’ll never find out what was meant to happen. Think it hasn’t happened before? I personally haven’t given up on my fics once they publish, but I know of so, so, so many people who did. They walked away and they did not come back. If you’ve ever discovered an excllent WIP that stopped updating with no explantaion, check the comments. Chances are good that you’ll find out why.

“Oh, but you should have thicker skin and learn to take criticism!”

Fuck you.

Criticism and critique are not the same. Proper critiquing involves pointing out what was right and good as well as whta might be troublsome. Criticism is only reinforcing the negative and actually doesn’t help anyone.

I’ve heard people use the “thick skin” argument to excuse horrific verbal abuse–I’ve even heard it from other creators, who pride themselves on their thick skin. About how anyone who doesn’t have that proud thick skin shouldn’t be playing in this big internet sandbox.

Those same creators often have stable jobs, stable lives, and aren’t battling physical or mental health problems that plague them 24/7.

Once of those other creators was once a friend. He and his infamous thick skin once spent an entire day harrassing me when I posted on Facebook about how something had happened in public that made me supremely uncomfortable. He lied about what I said (despite the post being public and Right There to verify) and got an entire group of people involved in the harrassment. Needless to say, we’re not friends anymore. That’s also about when I told Facebook to permanently go take a flying fuck.

It isn’t about someone else having thick skin. It’s about having manners, common courtesy, and some basic human fuckin’ decency.

People who talk about someone needing thick skin just want an excuse so they don’t have to face the fact that they’re thoughtless, insensitive bastards and possibly bullies as well.

You don’t know what’s going on in a creator’s life. You might be the straw that breaks the camel’s back, and then all that free content you were eating up without once expressing appreciation and gratitude for it goes bye-bye.

*erases pages and pages of personal bullshit*

tl;dr Remember that your words have consequences. I try hard to do the same.