If someone told you YOUR ship was shitty, and that you should write this other pair instead, would that make you want to write it?
Probably not, right?
It's the same for other people, even if you haven't figured that out.
OTHER PEOPLE ALSO DO NOT LIKE THAT.
Probably not, right?
It's the same for other people, even if you haven't figured that out.
OTHER PEOPLE ALSO DO NOT LIKE THAT.
Comments
The secret: Positivity.
Fandom communities where ppl are positive and encourage others are the best soil to grow in.
That is how you get the big numbers.
If every time someone sees your ship on their TL and they associate it with a sense of negativity and dread, that's NOT GOOD.
When you post about your ship, pretend you're making a pitch for why it's good, not why OTHER ships are bad.
Think about reasons why you ship something.
Talk about those reasons!
No one is out there shipping characters simply "because the other pair sucks".
The goal is to draw EVERYONE IN, to welcome people.
They witness the complaints and bad behavior first.
Many people think "Wow, that ship fandom is full of mean people, and they kinda scare me, so I'm not going to make anything."
It SUCKS when you can't find fics/art of a pairing!
It can feel very alone and frustrating!
I know that's why there's so much negativity.
But the negativity only increases the problem.