Chef No. 2
One slice at a time: sharp takes, clean cuts, hot story.
No. 2: I made sure to publish everything I wrote on LOFTER.
(LOFTER is a microblogging and creative platform popular among fan creators in mainland China.)
No. 2: But I can’t promise that what’s on LOFTER is always the full version. (laughs)
Cleo: Well, I mean…(laughs)
No. 2: We can break it down into two types of writing. First, there’s the kind that contains a lot of explicit sexual content—like full-on R-18 (sexually explicit, adult-only) scenes. When I write something like that, I already know it’s not going to make it past LOFTER’s filters, so I don’t even try. What I usually do is just post a short intro on LOFTER and say something like, “Full version available on another platform.” So yeah, if a story has extensive sexual scenes, I’ll skip posting it there entirely, because I know it’ll definitely get taken down.
Cleo: Mm.
No. 2: Then there’s the second kind, which I think is more complicated. These stories don’t contain explicit sexual content, but the descriptions are suggestive enough that they still get censored. LOFTER has this weird gray area—it’s not about what’s happening, but how you describe it. Like, you could write a line like “he kissed him,” and that would be fine. But if you go into detail, like how the tongue moves or whatever…that’s a no-go.
No. 2: So the space becomes really tricky. Even if I’m not writing graphic sex, even if I’m just being poetic or sensual, that can still get flagged. And LOFTER’s system has changed a few times too. In the past year, from what I’ve experienced, short posts sometimes get unblocked quickly. But with longer pieces, if there’s any of that kind of language, there’s a good chance it’ll get flagged. Once your post gets flagged, you can try to appeal, but after a few rounds, it’ll get sent for manual review. At that point, it’s pretty much guaranteed to be rejected. Most of my posts that got taken down were in that blurry space, where it wasn’t explicit, but it was still “too sexual” or “too violent,” according to the system. That in-between space is really hard to navigate.
Cleo: Exactly.
No. 2: And honestly, if we’re being practical, when you’re in a big fan community, like one that’s super active and has a lot of engagement—your main audience is probably teens and college students. So if you're still hoping to reach them and get feedback, you can’t just write only for yourself. You have to think a bit about what kind of access and content is acceptable to serve in that space.
Cleo: When you say “serve,” what exactly do you mean?
No. 2: I think...maybe we can start by talking about the difference between writing and art. In fan communities, most of the work falls into two major categories—writing and illustration. I’m not talking about cosplay or video edits here, because those usually don’t go on the main creative platforms. So yeah, “art” is what fan artists draw, and “writing” is what fic writers like me produce. And from a writer’s point of view, unless we’re talking about RPS (real person slash), in most fandoms, art tends to get more traction. It’s just easier to get clicks. If a fic and a piece of fanart are posted at the same time, the art almost always gets more feedback, faster.
Cleo: I see.
No. 2: That’s actually part of the reason I don’t like posting my writing in a fragmented way. Readers usually respond best when they can see everything up front. There’s a difference between just posting your story directly and asking readers to go to the comments, click an external link, maybe even enter a password. That small bit of extra effort can make a difference in traffic.
No. 2: Art is super direct—you get that visual impact right away. But with writing, it’s a different situation. Some fan artists can express an entire idea in one image. For writers, it’s a process. You’re telling a story. With art, someone can see it, like it, and move on in one second. But with a fic? To really engage, they have to read it. So when someone gives a like, it usually means they spent real time on your page. They stayed with your words.
No. 2: That’s what I mean by writing being more “time-consuming”, not in the bad sense, but just literally. It requires time and attention from your audience. Not everyone’s willing to slow down for that. Not everyone has the patience to sit with a fic for five minutes, ten minutes, whatever it takes.
No. 2: Writing isn’t an instant form of expression. And because of that, writers often end up embedding more of their perspective into the story. I’m not talking political opinions, but things like how they understand the characters or the ship. It’s kind of a one-way transmission. Whether or not the reader picks up on it isn’t guaranteed, but as the writer, we are always trying to send it out. You have to be really intentional about how the reader experiences the story. So when a fic gets censored, and I have to start replacing words with pinyin or symbols, or cut huge chunks, it messes with the whole flow. The emotional continuity breaks. It just doesn’t land the same way.
Cleo: I see.
No. 2: And there’s one more thing. It’s something kind of...toxic, honestly, in fan culture. Some readers feel that once an author posts a fic, they’re responsible for more than just the story itself. They start paying attention to the author’s identity, even social behavior. Like, who did you like, who did you repost, who are you interacting with? All of that becomes part of how people “read” your work. If, for example, you say you’re a “purist” for a certain ship, but you keep hanging out with people who are multishippers, or people who obviously favor only one half of the pairing, then your own preferences get called into question.
Cleo: I did see that happen.
No. 2: And honestly, there are people who spend all day doing this kind of stuff. They’d be there, digging through old posts, checking who liked what, gossiping about other fans. So for fan creators, there’s definitely pressure. Who you’re seen hanging out with can shape how people read your work, or whether they read it at all. There’s definitely pressure.
