i understand what you’re saying and i agree that readers shouldn’t be bullying the other author either. if she wasn’t the one making the accusation, then she definitely shouldn’t be the one receiving hate for it. no author deserves that.

at the same time, my point was never to invalidate anyone’s feelings. i understand that seeing messages like that can be upsetting. however, making the anonymous message public without clear evidence of plagiarism can also unintentionally escalate the situation, especially when people start forming their own assumptions.

that’s why i keep emphasizing that accusations of plagiarism should come with clear proof. tropes and similar concepts have existed in fanfiction for a long time, so similarities alone don’t automatically mean someone copied another author.

i also hope that when situations like this happen, authors with large platforms can help de-escalate things by reminding their readers not to harass or attack anyone. it would help prevent more damage from being done.

in the end, i just hope readers remember to be more careful with what they send anonymously and how they react to situations like this. both authors deserve respect regardless of the ships they write for.

let’s not be the reason someone loses the spark to keep writing. please.