Just got a notice that I was breaching the rules of engagement on AO3 because I was promoting my ko-fi page, so this is a tweet to let you know that you can't do that! (Because I didn't know)

I totally get where they're coming from about wanting AO3 not to be a commercial space, but I do have to say I find it kind of sad that mentioning the possibility of voluntary donations to support others is forbidden?

Which probably also means that advertising fic commissions is forbidden as well. And when I see the commodification of fanart (which I'm not against!!!), I find it kind of sad that fanfic authors don't have access to that kind of financial support.

The conclusion being: support the fuck out of fanfic authors. Leave kudo's. Leave comments. Bookmark their stuff. Share their stuff. And if you want to support one of them financially, reach out to them OUTSIDE of AO3 to see if they take commissions or accept donations somewhere!

OKAY TURNS OUT I HAVE MORE FEELING: Can we /talk/ about the commodification of fanwork though? Can we talk about this idea that you can (should?) make money out of your involvement in fandom? Is this a generational thing and if so, what does it say about this generation?

How do we feel about hustle culture reaching even the most non-commercial of spaces? How do we deal with the fact that so many 20-somethings are so scared of not being financially stable that they seek to commercialize every single of their hobbies, even this one?