Your personal Tumblr journey starts here
this reminds me of the time someone on tiktok said fanfiction websites are like drug dealers: if you want the good shit, you go to a good dealer; bad quality drugs on wattpad, mid quality drugs on ff.net and excellent, well-sourced drugs from ao3. as someone who doesn't even do drugs this still makes total sense
Reading fanfiction on ao3 is like being addicted to drugs.
The first time you read one you experience this immense amount of euphoria and satisfaction (because of a well-done story or your ship having a solid dynamic etc.)
The high lasts for quite some time until you want way more of that special feeling so you read more and more until eventually nothing can satisfy you anymore.
But instead of trying to quit, we embrace the madness and let it takes us wherever it wants.
And I think that's beautiful.