whenever a writer of fanfic, or an artist of fan drawings, gets told “you should be making original stuff professionally! you could make money!”

i have an assortment of irritated responses

but usually the strongest is:

“we ARE making that. Lots of us are. but we are not making money. because you are not buying it. you are not even LOOKING at it. When was the last time you even tried to find and enjoy an original work that wasn’t already at least a million-dollar property? And the few people who are trying are only finding the ones at the top of the algorithm, wherever they’re looking. Vast majority of artists and authors have long ago given up on getting money or even getting human recognition from making original works. fanworks are the only place where we even feel like people see that we exist. so don’t you fucking tell us that it’s less worthwhile than original works just because it’s fanworks.”

(…and also, of course, we do love the blorbo. just like the rest of you)

<3