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By: Deshalia (Shalia) Murray
Editor-in-Chief
July 1st, 2026
Catergory: Opinions
Fanfiction has been a pillar of fandom culture for decades and will continue to be for many years to come. However, at what point does the fun and creativity become entitlement and criticism? As a fanfiction reader since the age of 11, seeing the progression has been beautiful. However, with time comes more people “infultrating” fandom spaces and poisoning them, and Fanfiction is no different.
The Heated Rivalry (TV Show) fanbase has unfortunately brought out the worst of said poison. The writers of this fandom are now widely known for creating pieces that are among the best in Archive of Our Own (Ao3) history. Some (not all, but enough) of the fandom, rather than enjoy those pieces, are slowly becoming entitled, rude, and ungrateful. It has become a problem that needs to end immediately
OpalApparition and AzraelRiego, two of, if not the most talked-about, Heated Rivalry fanfiction writers, are the main real examples of this behavior. In "Wolfbird," OppalApparition writes Hollanov in an alternate universe while still exploring the intense love the men share. In "Love In The Dark," AzraelRiego goes into the more taboo alternate universe of Mpreg. Both writers convey beautiful and complex writing that perfectly captures Hollanov as a pair even in different worlds. As someone who has read (and devoured) these books, the writing and plot are so satisfying, and it continues to amaze me how talented this fandom can be. However, despite these writers essentially having their own fan base, there will always eventually be sour apples. Unwarranted comments, demands for updates, and rude behavior led to these messages.
It’s genuinely the saddest thing I have ever read. Usually, we see community notes as a funny life update, anecdotes, playlists, etc. In over a decade of reading fanfiction, I have never seen such disrespectful and weird behavior towards fanfiction writers. Fanfiction is an art form we fans see for free; there should be no reason for criticisms the writers don't ask for. AO3 has always been a safe haven for fans to enjoy their entertainment interests beyond what is given. It's a way for aspiring/creative writers to express their talent, not a place for judgement and degradation. These are real people behind these stories, and all the works on the site are optional to read.
It is very clear to me that the Heated Rivalry wave is what is considered "baby's first fandom" for a lot of people, and there's no issue with that. However, that does not excuse abusing entitlement you do not have. It's also notable that most of this fandom is adults, which makes this issue even more tragic. Unfortunately, this isn't just a fanfiction issue; the fandom is slowly becoming toxic as it grows. It's pitiful because the show is about expression and acceptance, and the fans are losing that as the show grows older and older.
The main question in this situation is why? Why do fans feel the need to be entitled to another fan’s free time, creativity, and hard work? At what point did the normal, non-credentialed (because none of the ones speaking are genuine book critics) fan spew nonsense about work that is optional to read? Exactly, those questions make no sense, right? While I wish this issue resolves and writers can enjoy writing again, I'm sad to say this may only be the begininng
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