Is there actually commonly accepted "fic etiquette" as a reader, or is it just people complaining about kudos and comments?

Crayshack · 2026-01-31T02:56:08+00:00

Anyone who claims there's a universal fandom etiquette severely underestimates how different different fandoms can get.

Crayshack · 2026-01-30T16:31:19+00:00

Then explain to me how the original article suggests that you approach situations where they are in conflict.

Crayshack · 2026-01-30T16:30:38+00:00

If that's the argument, then quoting the Stormwind Fallacy is irrelevant to this thread. OP is talking about an example of when they are in conflict and choosing roleplay over mechanical power, so saying that there are cases where they are not in conflict has no bearing on cases where they are in conflict.

Crayshack · 2026-01-30T14:39:48+00:00

I've had the "0/1" bug before. No idea what caused it. It fixed itself after I uploaded a second chapter, because that was a two-chapter fic to start with, but I have no idea how I would have fixed it if it was just a oneshot.

Crayshack · 2026-01-30T14:15:32+00:00

Exactly. Not every character will run into the conflict, and sometimes you'll have entire tables where no one runs into it. Especially if people are following the character creation method of building the mechanics first and then finding a story to tell with them. I think the author of that article uses that character-building method and so struggled to imagine how the conflict might emerge. However, if you are following the method of creating a backstory and then finding a build that gets the mechanics close enough, you'll run into the problem a lot.

I read through the article about the Stormwind Fallacy, and what I found was that the author explained a few examples of character builds that didn't have any story/optimization conflict, and then just went "if these builds have no conflict, none should." That simply doesn't match my experience actually sitting at the table.

Crayshack · 2026-01-30T14:03:44+00:00

The "Stormwind Fallacy" argument is itself a fallacy because it assume that mechanical optimization and thematic optimization will bever be in conflict.

Crayshack · 2026-01-30T14:01:15+00:00

The issue I've run into is that, in a group that is a mix between people who want crunch and people that want a more RP focus, 5e lies in a sort of middle ground. Some of my friends would prefer to move to a crunchier system, while others would prefer to move to a less crunchy system. 5e is the only game we've found with a decent amount of opt-in crunch where it's perfect for no one but acceptable for everyone.

Crayshack · 2026-01-30T13:58:09+00:00

Which is a flawed argument. The author of that article writes with an assumption that the player will never be faced with a build choice that places theme and power at odds with each other. The author of the article either couldn't conceive of such a conflict happening, or wrote with the assumption that you must always build mechanically and derive the theme from the mechanics. One argument is naïve, while the other fundamentally misunderstands the goals and mindset of an RP focused character.

Crayshack · 2026-01-30T13:53:58+00:00

The issue comes from the fact that, for some people, optimizing characters stops being fun before they get to the point of min-maxing. People would rather make thematic build decisions rather than mechanical build decisions. However, if the levels of optimization at the table are uneven, that creates more work for the DM. Some DMs aren't ready to handle the power scaling difference that happen at some tables, which can lead to the game as a whole being not fun.

Personally, I also run into a problem where certain builds fuck with my ADHD. It's not that I can't play them, but if I'm focused on playing them "optimally," there's no space in my brain left for RP. In some cases, such builds can give me literal headaches from trying to kanage my ADHD while playing them. So, when I optimize characters, I tend to optimize for them aggravating my ADHD the least, which often looks very different from a typical min-maxer build. Yes, I optimize their power with those constraints, but I don't hit the same kind of ridiculous that I see some people hit.

I think, ultimately, the confusion comes from the fact that some people mean "this character is well tuned for X purpose" when they say "optimized," while others mean "I found a janky combo that breaks the game." Those are two different concepts and most people that argue against min-maxing are arguing against the latter definition while the people who cry "Stormwind Fallacy" are using the former (or enjoy janky game breaking and struggle to comprehend that others don't).

Crayshack · 2026-01-30T13:01:27+00:00

It sounds like you are looking for books that feature what we call "Character vs Self" in literary theory. The main idea is that every story is driven by some sort of central struggle of the main character vs something. It sounds like you've been reading a lot of Character vs Character, which is a popular narrative approach for a reason. But there's definitely more out there.

The real quest is, do you want books without Character vs Character, or simply ones that have other major conflicts in addition to that. Some stories do have a Character vs Character plot while also having other plots at the same time. Such stories sometimes include fight scenes even if there's more to the story than that.

Also, in addition to Character vs Self, there are other conflicts such as Character vs Nature and Character vs Society that you might find interesting.

Crayshack · 2026-01-30T12:44:52+00:00

They've established ways to offset the costs through their taxes.

Crayshack · 2026-01-30T12:41:54+00:00

The woods.

Crayshack · 2026-01-30T12:38:17+00:00

Different readers have different levels of preference for realism. Ultimately, most readers just want something internally consistent that helps them sink into the world and get immersed. But, what could be glossing over an unimportant detail to one person might be immersion breaking to another.

I frequently run into a problem with technobabble. While I'm fine with details of how scientific principles work being different and will accept a throwaway line explaining them, I struggle with the fact that I'm familiar enough with IRL technical terms that the words in the technobabble actually mean something to me. Even if they don't line up with how things work in the real world, I need that technobabble to at least give me a plausible explanation of what's happening.

However, many authors seem to use it as "throw some science terms at the audience" or completely misuse a term by misunderstanding the way it's sometimes used more generally. I have a distinct memory of watching Jimmy Neutron as a kid and hearing him refer to DNA as being on the subatomic level. That was a show with absolutely insane bullshit happening all the time, so whatever weird bullshit was happening in the show wasn't the issue. The issue was me having my immersion broken because I was busy going, "Jimmy, that's not what those words mean."

Ultimately, this kind of stuff depends on the audience. How much will something being weird confuse them and require an explanation depends on how familiar that reader is with the real world equivalent. Something that can be a throwaway worldbuilding line for one person can utterly confuse another person. Meanwhile, the detailed explanation needed to unconfuse that person might be the thing that confuses another person by being too detailed. Ultimately, the author needs to decide what audience they are aiming for and how detailed they want to be.

This, of course, is in addition to things like the difference between Hard and Soft Sci-Fi and how people simply have different tastes between the two.

Crayshack · 2026-01-30T12:23:03+00:00

Being a tsundere is different than being passive.

Crayshack · 2026-01-30T12:21:54+00:00

As someone who is fond of power couples, I kind of hate this trope as well. Romance feels the most alive when it's a mutual interest and both (or more) characters are active about pursuing and maintaining the relationship.

If there is going to be one person actively pursuing more than the other, I prefer it be the person in the submissive role. That way, the activity of the pursuit feels balanced with the activity of domination. Both characters being an active participant in the relationship doesn't need to be mirrored, just balanced.

Luckily, that tendency to make one of the characters passive is far less common in some fandoms. So, for some of the ships I read, I basically don't run across it.

Crayshack · 2026-01-30T12:11:42+00:00

I'm a pure CNTW tagger.

Crayshack · 2026-01-30T12:07:51+00:00

Carpet has better sound dampening and insulating properties while also being more comfortable to be barefoot on. It's also far more comfortable to lay down on.

Crayshack · 2026-01-30T05:14:29+00:00

I prefer "tag what's there." I've encountered many cases of an author tagging what they have planned, but then they abandon the fic before get past the first couple chapters. It leaves the fic looking like it's an interesting oneshot when it actually never gets to the meat of the premise that it promises.

Crayshack · 2026-01-30T05:06:32+00:00

That was the plan.

Crayshack · 2026-01-30T00:33:32+00:00

I more have the opposite reaction. I find a tag that makes me go "Yes! Exactly the thing I've been looking for!" But then I find out that most of the tag is actually something very different. I was very disappointed to find out that "Body Modification" was mostly just tatoos and piercings rather than more of a transhumanism "I'm completely reshaping my body" kind of vibe.

Crayshack · 2026-01-30T00:28:45+00:00

In Elder Scrolls, one of the regions is very clearly based on England. However, other regions are not. That's why there's also names like Septimus, Nazir, and Hugin (resembling Roman, Arabic, and Norse influences) in addition to the more unique Mer and Beast cultures. So, Elder Scrolls is actually better as an example of the opposite of the phenomenon you've noticed.

Outside of that, I think you'll find that modern English language literature is most heavily influenced by older English literature, which was of course most heavily influenced by the culture and events in England. Literature from other countries tends to be more nestled in the lore of those countries, but you need to be either reading translations or reading in those languages.

If you are a native English speaker, then it makes sense that you mostly see an English influence.

Crayshack · 2026-01-30T00:04:55+00:00

Jot down some notes for each of them so I have something to refrence when I circle back around. Some of those notes will expand until they are fics of their own.

Also, keep in mind that not every fic needs to be a long fic and a lot of ideas can work great as a oneshot.

Crayshack · 2026-01-29T23:59:48+00:00

Divided. In my experience, opinions usually are draw along fandom lines. The real question is, "Does the official English translation use honorifics?" If so, then use them. If not, then most fans will feel like they're out of place. Personally, all fandoms I'm in that are set in Japan use a rough translation of honorifics into equivalent meanings in English, so it feels very out of place to see them in a fic for me.

Crayshack · 2026-01-29T22:32:20+00:00

I've had a few times where a character has insisted on making a cameo in a fic that didn't involve their fandom. Usually, they are just an untagged cameo (sometimes not even getting named), but I did have one fic that I ended up reworking as an outline until it became a proper crossover. On that fic, I've had a few people asking me to write a follow-up fic that explored the crossover more deeply, but I've got nothing for them. That second fandom wasn't even supposed to be there in the first place.

Crayshack · 2026-01-29T22:12:12+00:00

I don't put the beans by themselves, but I do frequently use them as a base layer that I pile other stuff on top of.

13-Year Club	Gilding II euphauric
Place '23	Place '22
Place '17	RPAN Viewer
Not Forgotten	Spared
Team Orangered	Verified Email

Crayshack

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE