They're Just Not That Into You

If you follow this newsletter then chances are you're a fanon author, reader, or both, so it's nearly impossible for you to not have encountered those paranoid writers who never cease to pester others about their story. They will not yield when it comes to boosting the popularity of their work, and they will push you ceaselessly and tirelessly until you give them feedback (and it better be positive feedback or else they will plummet into a spiraling depression and complain about it obnoxiously on the IRC or elsewhere). In the outside world, these people are referred to as attention [censored]. Here, on Avatar Wiki's fanon portal, we call them "Fan Slaves." According to the WLS urban dictionary, a Fan Slave is "One who will go any lengths to get feedback, because that is his or her sole purpose in life."

So if Fan Slaves already have their own Urban Dictionary term, why write an entire article about them? The thing is, we have somewhat of an epidemic on the portal. Authors are constantly begging for subscribers, even offering to trade favors in return for adding one's username to the subscription list. First of all, let me tell you something: subscriptions mean nothing. Maybe you giggle like a giddy little schoolgirl whenever you see that so-and-so subscribed after you asked them and thirty others to in a message wall spam-a-thon, but guess what? It. Means. Nothing. When you message them with your super dandy subscription notice, Chuck Norris isn't going to show up at their house, chain them to a chair with their eyes peeled open, and force them to read your chapter. Especially if they're someone you asked to subscribe, I'd bet my Shakira albums that all they're going to do is click on the message so the notification goes away and then carry on with their lives. That being said, don't be surprised when they don't comment on the chapter saying "OMG YOU'RE SO AWESOME I WISH I WAS YOU LOOOOL OMG!" like girls do on each others' Facebook profile pictures. SO if/when they don't comment, there is no need to bother everyone about it and demand that someone deliver you your well-deserved feedback. No one likes it when you do that. It's annoying. How do I know? I know because since last week, when I decided that I would be writing my WLS article on this topic, I've been doing exactly everything that I just complained about. (For that, I apologize to ARG, Ty, Minnichi, Momadia, Agent Slash, Annawantimes etc. Thanks for being the mice of my social experiment.)

The responses I got were exactly what I expected. Replies were delayed, if they came at all, and I could feel the annoyance in my friends' words. I too, am incredibly irritated when Fan Slaves order every single Wikian to read their fanon and then offer a (positive) review to satisfy them. I know it can be worrisome when at first you don't have many fans. I get that! The key to this whole game is patience. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing bad about asking people if they're enjoying your story. I do that all the time! However, endless pestering is not necessary. If your fanon is a good read, fans will come in time. What you should be spending your time doing is writing more chapters and reviewing them meticulously to make sure your fanon is the best it can be. That is how you'll be a success! If someone simply doesn't want to read it, don't force them. Who knows, maybe they'll check it out on their own sometime.