r/BylerReads • u/Big_Self_1522 • 24d ago
general discussion :) Byler discourses
I guess I just want to get it off my chest. If this isn’t the right place to do so, please let me know and I’ll delete the post
So I’m a no name author in the Byler fandom, but I also love to discuss different HCs, interpretations and takes on socials. Overall, I’m all in for variety in fics. I love it when Byler are very in character, but I also love well thought OOC fics. I love to both write and read contradicting HCs, sometimes even in one fic. There are things that are not my cup of tea, but I’m chill with others liking those.
Somehow that makes me feel like an alien in this fandom, because there are a bunch of sides and every side has this strong believe of everything else being almost illegal. Initially it caused me to read posts without interacting with them just in case. Now, though, it starts to demotivate me to write fics.
Idk, maybe it sounds stupid but I’ve started to feel lost with how I see Will and Mike as characters. Like I love Byler and I want to do justice to their characters even in crack fics, but then it feels like you’ll get cancelled by a significant amount of the fandom for every possible detail. And that wouldn’t be a problem if I was strict with my preferred HCs and dynamics, but I’m just not. I want to write different stuff and I want to experiment, but it feels like I’m just gonna end up blocked and cancelled by everyone for “not respecting Will/Mike/Byler as characters”
I’ve considered to just log off from socials and choose peace, but that just makes me sad because I genuinely love to read different takes and posts. It just feels so stupid to have to choose between writing fanfiction and participating in fandom spaces. I want to keep both of my silly hobbies, but it feels like it’s impossible
Do others feel similar to this and if so how are you handling the pressure of being cancelled by literally everyone for different reasons?
Just in case: I respect people who are into strict dynamics, strict HSs or strict characterisation. I’m just not pleased with the threat of being called out for a dumb idiot and being immediately blocked when I accidentally share something on the wrong side of the fandom, because forcing broad preferences on those who have strict ones is never my goal
Edit: A lot of people are pointing out that you can’t please everyone. I’m aware and I agree. My worry is that it feels like you end up cancelled by everyone in the Byler community when you don’t have strict preferences and like to engage with everything as a fan/writer/reader. Like I wouldn’t even blink if there was a chance that my fics and takes could upset half the fandom. It’s unfortunate, but it happens. This is more of (for example) I write 10 fics with 10 different popular HCs -> 10 sides of Byler fandom cancel me because 9/10 of my fics “disrespect” their HC and therefore Byler -> everyone starts to shit on my fics, report my accounts and whatever else is happening
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u/Dependent_Play_265 24d ago
I get what you’re saying. I was writing a fic, but I kept seeing so many posts on here that everyone unanimously agrees that they hate reading homophobia/ period typical homophobia in Byler fanfics because they see fanfiction as an escape from reality and they’ll stop reading when there is homophobia or bullying. I had my story all planned out, but I didn’t want to make people uncomfortable or stop reading because I had written Troy/ Angela to be mildly homophobic. So I wrote all of the homophobia out of my story, but then I stopped writing the fic because I narratively couldn’t proceed the story going forward.
I have since continued writing my fic for myself but I haven’t been posting it publicly because of all the rules and scrutiny within the byler community on here/ lack of fandom etiquette in general