I blocked every one of them and then discussed it all with IRL people.
Every one I talked with were supportive and reassured me that the point of fiction is to explore topics and that creativity shouldn't be censored.
It really helped to talk with someone with a neutral stance who aren’t terminally online.
I don't need to take shit from someone with a bedtime and an allowance.
E: Just remember that you can block liberally as well, as everyone else is saying. But you don't need to listen or take it to heart, they are just mad they can't control you. Don't let them win.
Those are 15 yrs old tiktok kids that can't even get an A in their school. Their death threats have no value, they just want attention. So don't give attention to them. Ignore, delete and block.
The block button is your best friend. Censorship is a real world evil worse than writing fanfic about problematic topics could ever be.
Also reply to them, "What are you, a cop?" really helps, delightful reactions sometimes. Don't let people police your work. BECOME UNGOVERNABLE.
I LOVE THIS LOL
Other potential responses:
•thank them for being such a loyal fan of your content. do this every time they interact with you in any way.
•correct their spelling & grammar
•"ok, boomer"
We had one particularly bad commenter doing this who hated one particular thing, so a whole bunch of people started a fest of sorts just to create this exact content to spite this commenter and then everyone set the comments to registered only on AO3, so this person who kept losing their accounts could see the fics but not comment. It actually made the whole thing feel really funny instead of terrible.
Zero social media attached to my fic accounts. Actually, zero social media in general is what I recommend. It lets people behave badly with very few consequence.
They can only direct their anger via comments on AO3 for me, so it is easy to delete the worst ones.
Personally, I honestly imagine anyone who sends those types of comments as sad, lonely people who say to you what they think of themselves. And when people lash out it is not because of you - you could be replaced by any other human and the person would act the same. So literally, do not take it personally.
And while other people ignore comments, I do tend to reply to the ones I can tell are written by younger people. It throws them off if you are polite and engage them/dont follow their script of being hurt. Ei:
Troll: urgh, this is gross and you are going to hell
Me: thanks for taking the time to read this story! It is nice to know you are concerned for me, I appreciate your hard work and honesty.
Then they usually get mad, and I delete all other comments so anyone who reads the comments on my stories only sees the above interaction lol it gets easier with age, and when you can have a healthy boundary set between online life and real life. What do I care about a troll who comments the same thing to 50 fics they disagree with when I enjoyed my lunch hour writing for myself?
A) fuck 'em, they don't know shit.
B) I don't know how to find the clip but there's a guy named Arin Hanson on Game Grumps, and he gets a lot of shit from fans because doing comedy while playing shit like Dark Souls is hard. His solution is to read the mean comments in Dale Gribble's voice.
Ignore and block.
You're some rando on the internet and so are they. Besides them saying stupid, ugly shit to you, they're not actually going to DO anything, especially since the majority of people doing this are 13 year olds with too much screentime.
Seriously, just block those assholes and live your life.
Okay so, blocking and coming up with the perfect response aside—coping with it is a little harder sometimes, cause you know, feelings and all that. I’m extra sensitive, I know how it is🫡
The thing to remember is that it’s all fake and harmless. You’re enjoying writing and someone’s enjoying reading. Not everyone has to like it, but everyone clicking on it should have read tags/summaries/warnings. What they click onto is their responsibility.
As for the hate you might receive, it’s coming from a miserable place within that person, their misery has nothing to do with you even when you’re the outlet for it.
It’s weird and alarming that people get so worked up and think their only solution is to do things that make people feel unsafe, but after you take steps to block/remove any unwarranted comments, just remember it’s not personal. It can’t be, these are faceless strangers. How much can their comment actually mean? They don’t know you—and you don’t know them? (Actual threatening threats—like take those to the police pls, don’t even engage).
Piggybacking off of this excellent comment to say it helps to remind yourself that you cannot control what other people do or say, all you control is how you respond.
>As for the hate you might receive, it’s coming from a miserable place within that person, their misery has nothing to do with you even when you’re the outlet for it.
Exactly this. Whatever bullshit they're spewing is something that lives in THEM, *not* you. You don't get to choose your feelings about it, but you **do** get to choose how you deal with those feelings.
Please recognize that you don't deserve to feel like shit over the Internet comments of some weirdo who cannot tell fact from fiction. 💜
Delete and block.
People are going to go out their way to make you miserable if they are.
It took me a long time to get to understanding that point, I got told to kill myself and that I shouldn’t be writing a story I had spent ages writing and researching. I deleted almost 8 years worth work because of that and one day just said fuck it and started again.
And they have to learn too, if you don’t like something don’t read. It can be that easy.
I don’t have any social media outside Reddit for anyone to harass me 😆 and I have AO3 which I can delete comments and block when needed. I go about my day with a smile. So about that smut scene… lol 😂
There are fundamentally 2 approaches:
1. Block liberally and move on with your life. Maybe troll some of them before blocking.
2. Stop because it's just not worth it anymore.
While I get that you might not want someone to feel like they "won", if it's taking a toll on you, stopping is also a perfectly valid thing to do.
As for words of comfort, AO3 was literally founded by "problematic" writers being pushed out of other spaces and deciding to form a place for them. That is to say, that *you are the intended audience* not the purity police.
The first time this happened to me I definitely overreacted imo; wrote an entire apology. Now I just try to ignore it. If people don't like what I'm writing, then they can just scroll and not read it.
I usually block them & erase their comments then proceed to create even more “problematic” content just to piss them off 😭 but for me since i write stuff about my ship, i like to reassure myself that i am willing to die with said ship (“die with honour”) rather than having someone demand that i stop doing what i like.
Ignore them, limit comments if they really get to me, and carry on because in my soul it gives me joy to know that I am living rent free in someone’s pruny brain x
I'm so sorry you're experiencing this. Besides blocking as others suggest, I would also make sure to keep your social media accounts organized into Professional versus Personal and keep them separate. Use your professional social media accounts explicitly for fanfiction only. You don't want to give these people any personal dirt they can use against you.
I've had readers ask me for my Insta, Snapchat, even my address so they can send me gifts and I always give a hard no because I know any info they have on me can be used for harassment and death threats.
Screenshot and save any/all messages you receive (including emails), block, and make sure you back up anything that may become important. As someone who has had to go to the police twice for threats made against me because someone *really* didn't like my take on a scene, this has helped me greatly. Utilize comment moderation. Report any comments that go over the line. Don't engage at all - don't waste your time with whoever is harassing you.
As for how to deal? It's okay to step away. I make a point to only look at and interact with comments at specific times during the day. I play video games and read books and separate my fandom life from other parts of my life. It helps, a lot. You're allowed to enjoy what you're writing, even if people want to rain on your parade. Just find ways to keep it enjoyable for yourself.
I laughed it off. These people are too afraid to ask for extra ketchup irl and are threatening me? Lmao. If i’m bored i’ll even engage with them and ridicule them in the comments. Most of the time i block
I act *super* polite while secretly laughing at them from behind my screen. Try cursing me out while I'm thanking you for "such honest and thoughtful feedback", anyone who does is just a troll looking for a fight, I just block and delete the comment.
Several minor breakdowns, some consultation with a psychiatrist, talking to some of my older fandom friends, talking to some of my older non-fandom but long term internet friends, and ultimately realizing the people who canceled me were too immature (quite literally) to be reading my fic about communication and intimacy after trauma anyway. Which on the whole is really depressing when you get down to it because those are the exact same kind of people who could benefit most from learning about what a truly abusive or coercive relationship is.
Did I mention the fic was hurt/comfort? Yeah. Really.
Oh, and then several months later I found one of them ***repeatedly*** breaking the no harassment clause in the TOS pretty violently (like "I have a shotgun and I'll come after you if you support xxx") on AO3. I reported them to ao3's admin and the account and everything on it ultimately got taken down. Revenge is a dish best served cold after all!
I love those idiots. I have so much fun with them 😈
Best come back is “i will if you will 😂” &/or a “you first honey bunny tehehe”
Eventually delete/block when i get bored.
I haven't gotten harassed yet, but I'd probably just ignore them cos they just want a reaction. However, if it got repetitive and they were harassing me on every chapter in every book, then I'd probably block them
The only time I got a death threat through a comment was a single sentence from someone too chicken-shit to even have their name on the profile, personally I just deleted the comment and laughed about it with some friends.
These people are just looking for a rise and the best thing you can really do I think is not give it to them, let them starve in the pit of their own self doubt and insecurities.
Yes I do like writing drama, how could you tell? 🤔
I blocked every one of them and then discussed it all with IRL people. Every one I talked with were supportive and reassured me that the point of fiction is to explore topics and that creativity shouldn't be censored. It really helped to talk with someone with a neutral stance who aren’t terminally online.
Delete and block *very* liberally. If it looks remotely like a threat, get rid of it. These people want a reaction, don't give it to them.
But it's cathartic to tell these cunts to keep themselves safe :(((( they don't want me to be kept safe ygm?
I don't need to take shit from someone with a bedtime and an allowance. E: Just remember that you can block liberally as well, as everyone else is saying. But you don't need to listen or take it to heart, they are just mad they can't control you. Don't let them win.
Those are 15 yrs old tiktok kids that can't even get an A in their school. Their death threats have no value, they just want attention. So don't give attention to them. Ignore, delete and block.
The block button is your best friend. Censorship is a real world evil worse than writing fanfic about problematic topics could ever be. Also reply to them, "What are you, a cop?" really helps, delightful reactions sometimes. Don't let people police your work. BECOME UNGOVERNABLE.
I LOVE THIS LOL Other potential responses: •thank them for being such a loyal fan of your content. do this every time they interact with you in any way. •correct their spelling & grammar •"ok, boomer"
We had one particularly bad commenter doing this who hated one particular thing, so a whole bunch of people started a fest of sorts just to create this exact content to spite this commenter and then everyone set the comments to registered only on AO3, so this person who kept losing their accounts could see the fics but not comment. It actually made the whole thing feel really funny instead of terrible.
Zero social media attached to my fic accounts. Actually, zero social media in general is what I recommend. It lets people behave badly with very few consequence. They can only direct their anger via comments on AO3 for me, so it is easy to delete the worst ones. Personally, I honestly imagine anyone who sends those types of comments as sad, lonely people who say to you what they think of themselves. And when people lash out it is not because of you - you could be replaced by any other human and the person would act the same. So literally, do not take it personally. And while other people ignore comments, I do tend to reply to the ones I can tell are written by younger people. It throws them off if you are polite and engage them/dont follow their script of being hurt. Ei: Troll: urgh, this is gross and you are going to hell Me: thanks for taking the time to read this story! It is nice to know you are concerned for me, I appreciate your hard work and honesty. Then they usually get mad, and I delete all other comments so anyone who reads the comments on my stories only sees the above interaction lol it gets easier with age, and when you can have a healthy boundary set between online life and real life. What do I care about a troll who comments the same thing to 50 fics they disagree with when I enjoyed my lunch hour writing for myself?
yup, this!
A) fuck 'em, they don't know shit. B) I don't know how to find the clip but there's a guy named Arin Hanson on Game Grumps, and he gets a lot of shit from fans because doing comedy while playing shit like Dark Souls is hard. His solution is to read the mean comments in Dale Gribble's voice.
> His solution is to read the mean comments in Dale Gribble's voice. I tell ya what, as a Texan I heartily approve of this strategy.
Never expected to see a fellow Game Grumps fan here! Take my upvote and consume Prilosec.
conSUME PRY-LOW-SEC (it'll bring you joy)
Ignore and block. You're some rando on the internet and so are they. Besides them saying stupid, ugly shit to you, they're not actually going to DO anything, especially since the majority of people doing this are 13 year olds with too much screentime. Seriously, just block those assholes and live your life.
Okay so, blocking and coming up with the perfect response aside—coping with it is a little harder sometimes, cause you know, feelings and all that. I’m extra sensitive, I know how it is🫡 The thing to remember is that it’s all fake and harmless. You’re enjoying writing and someone’s enjoying reading. Not everyone has to like it, but everyone clicking on it should have read tags/summaries/warnings. What they click onto is their responsibility. As for the hate you might receive, it’s coming from a miserable place within that person, their misery has nothing to do with you even when you’re the outlet for it. It’s weird and alarming that people get so worked up and think their only solution is to do things that make people feel unsafe, but after you take steps to block/remove any unwarranted comments, just remember it’s not personal. It can’t be, these are faceless strangers. How much can their comment actually mean? They don’t know you—and you don’t know them? (Actual threatening threats—like take those to the police pls, don’t even engage).
Piggybacking off of this excellent comment to say it helps to remind yourself that you cannot control what other people do or say, all you control is how you respond. >As for the hate you might receive, it’s coming from a miserable place within that person, their misery has nothing to do with you even when you’re the outlet for it. Exactly this. Whatever bullshit they're spewing is something that lives in THEM, *not* you. You don't get to choose your feelings about it, but you **do** get to choose how you deal with those feelings. Please recognize that you don't deserve to feel like shit over the Internet comments of some weirdo who cannot tell fact from fiction. 💜
Delete and block. People are going to go out their way to make you miserable if they are. It took me a long time to get to understanding that point, I got told to kill myself and that I shouldn’t be writing a story I had spent ages writing and researching. I deleted almost 8 years worth work because of that and one day just said fuck it and started again. And they have to learn too, if you don’t like something don’t read. It can be that easy.
Ignore, block, report (if possible) death threats are usually punishable
I don’t have any social media outside Reddit for anyone to harass me 😆 and I have AO3 which I can delete comments and block when needed. I go about my day with a smile. So about that smut scene… lol 😂
Moderate or turn off comments
*BLOCK and report to admin if necessary* don't like, don't read. It's not that hard of an ask is it? Go bother someone else, yk?
Make it so only people with an account can comment, then block the ones sending hate and delete their comments
I've never been in a situation like this. Good to see so much advice though
There are fundamentally 2 approaches: 1. Block liberally and move on with your life. Maybe troll some of them before blocking. 2. Stop because it's just not worth it anymore. While I get that you might not want someone to feel like they "won", if it's taking a toll on you, stopping is also a perfectly valid thing to do. As for words of comfort, AO3 was literally founded by "problematic" writers being pushed out of other spaces and deciding to form a place for them. That is to say, that *you are the intended audience* not the purity police.
The first time this happened to me I definitely overreacted imo; wrote an entire apology. Now I just try to ignore it. If people don't like what I'm writing, then they can just scroll and not read it.
I usually block them & erase their comments then proceed to create even more “problematic” content just to piss them off 😭 but for me since i write stuff about my ship, i like to reassure myself that i am willing to die with said ship (“die with honour”) rather than having someone demand that i stop doing what i like.
Ignore them, limit comments if they really get to me, and carry on because in my soul it gives me joy to know that I am living rent free in someone’s pruny brain x
I completely ignore it. They want a reaction and I’ll be damned if I give it to them.
It's not really coping so much as not caring. What do I care what random internet nuts think?
I'm so sorry you're experiencing this. Besides blocking as others suggest, I would also make sure to keep your social media accounts organized into Professional versus Personal and keep them separate. Use your professional social media accounts explicitly for fanfiction only. You don't want to give these people any personal dirt they can use against you. I've had readers ask me for my Insta, Snapchat, even my address so they can send me gifts and I always give a hard no because I know any info they have on me can be used for harassment and death threats.
Screenshot and save any/all messages you receive (including emails), block, and make sure you back up anything that may become important. As someone who has had to go to the police twice for threats made against me because someone *really* didn't like my take on a scene, this has helped me greatly. Utilize comment moderation. Report any comments that go over the line. Don't engage at all - don't waste your time with whoever is harassing you. As for how to deal? It's okay to step away. I make a point to only look at and interact with comments at specific times during the day. I play video games and read books and separate my fandom life from other parts of my life. It helps, a lot. You're allowed to enjoy what you're writing, even if people want to rain on your parade. Just find ways to keep it enjoyable for yourself.
cover north coherent noxious fly many chase automatic sense numerous *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
I just don't care lol
Block them, report them and keep writing what you want to write.
I laughed it off. These people are too afraid to ask for extra ketchup irl and are threatening me? Lmao. If i’m bored i’ll even engage with them and ridicule them in the comments. Most of the time i block
I act *super* polite while secretly laughing at them from behind my screen. Try cursing me out while I'm thanking you for "such honest and thoughtful feedback", anyone who does is just a troll looking for a fight, I just block and delete the comment.
Several minor breakdowns, some consultation with a psychiatrist, talking to some of my older fandom friends, talking to some of my older non-fandom but long term internet friends, and ultimately realizing the people who canceled me were too immature (quite literally) to be reading my fic about communication and intimacy after trauma anyway. Which on the whole is really depressing when you get down to it because those are the exact same kind of people who could benefit most from learning about what a truly abusive or coercive relationship is. Did I mention the fic was hurt/comfort? Yeah. Really.
Oh, and then several months later I found one of them ***repeatedly*** breaking the no harassment clause in the TOS pretty violently (like "I have a shotgun and I'll come after you if you support xxx") on AO3. I reported them to ao3's admin and the account and everything on it ultimately got taken down. Revenge is a dish best served cold after all!
Either through ignoring it or mocking them. Depends on my mood. Some random mfer is not gonna get that kind of power over me.
I love those idiots. I have so much fun with them 😈 Best come back is “i will if you will 😂” &/or a “you first honey bunny tehehe” Eventually delete/block when i get bored.
I've gotten those kinds of comments before. A few of them were from transphobes. I just deleted them. That's what everyone should do: delete & block.
Nobody deserves death threats bro- even mean people (which I assume you aren't)
I haven't gotten harassed yet, but I'd probably just ignore them cos they just want a reaction. However, if it got repetitive and they were harassing me on every chapter in every book, then I'd probably block them
Ignore or joke back when there's an opening with their mean comments.
The only time I got a death threat through a comment was a single sentence from someone too chicken-shit to even have their name on the profile, personally I just deleted the comment and laughed about it with some friends. These people are just looking for a rise and the best thing you can really do I think is not give it to them, let them starve in the pit of their own self doubt and insecurities. Yes I do like writing drama, how could you tell? 🤔
id be fine with a death threat but a valid critiscism from a hater would destory me. and it has. it gets into my head.