I’ve been thinking about this a bit – and in a much broader context, so it does go beyond your comment (which I appreciate very much) to something I’ve noticed in the past year or so of reading fan fiction, watching artists, doing my best to interact when I can and sharing what I’ve found worthwhile, and watching others do the same.

The alleged purpose of sharing ourselves is to make a connection. If you put out X energy and there is little to no connection made as a result, that is energy lost, not to be regained.  It’s foolish to continue a project that isn’t connecting with anyone, so you move on and work on something new.  

When I read people upset that their favourite story or writer up and disappeared on them, I have to wonder what energy was expended in support of that work.  If nothing, if you only have indifference, and this applies in all areas of life – you’re not going to have things you enjoy.  Your experiences will be negated by not being fully involved with them.  Lives and all that they are made of – relationships, businesses, schools, holidays, democracies – fail for this very reason.  

You have to participate or it goes away.  That’s fair play, really.  

And then there’s the whole conspicuous over-consumption that the abundance of fan fiction / art (and the fact that it is free) allows.  I’ve read posts from people who claim to have twenty different browser tabs open reading one story after another.  Is this the way fiction is enjoyed now, like it’s an all-you-can-eat buffet you gorge yourself on then walk away from?  There’s always a negative side effect.  

It’s wonderful that there are so many creators out there with a story they want to tell and it’s wonderful that we have platforms that allow us to offer them for free, but there is a lot we have to weed through to find the things we might love and cherish a little. When you do find them, share them.  Through sharing, we build discernment and understanding and, hopefully, real community.  

It’s also well to keep in mind that so many of these creators are people who might be experiencing a lot of negativity in their everyday lives – just for being who they are or who others think they are.  People who suffer with mental illness, developmental disorders, sensory processing issues, physical disabilities. Queer people.  People of colour.  Young people.  Women. All the nationalities and languages. All the intersections.  

When we take all of this in, we can give something back, too.  It isn’t difficult. We can make the world a little easier and kinder for one another just by taking part in what we have to share – and no, it isn’t always easy or simple.  I find it very difficult at times, too.  I deeply appreciate the support that is sometimes offered to me – even by total strangers.  

If we take all of this for granted – and it is easy to, because there is so much of it and it’s easy to forget to respect what it takes to give it – we won’t have it long. It will disappear.