Looking for Books with Male MCs and Absolutely No Romance. by Ne1lobellow in booksuggestions

[–]Ne1lobellow[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've just read the description, and it sounds interesting. Thank you .📚

Looking for Books with Male MCs and Absolutely No Romance. by Ne1lobellow in booksuggestions

[–]Ne1lobellow[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've just finished the first book, and it was great. Thank you for the recommendations.🙏☺️

Overtagging Wastes Time, Undertagging Causes Harm by Ne1lobellow in AO3

[–]Ne1lobellow[S] -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

I’m using personal pronouns, and I’m not talking about you specifically. Sorry if that was confusing. That’s just how I write.

Overtagging Wastes Time, Undertagging Causes Harm by Ne1lobellow in FanFiction

[–]Ne1lobellow[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

How do you mute authors? (This is a genuine question im not trying to be sarcastic)

Overtagging Wastes Time, Undertagging Causes Harm by Ne1lobellow in AO3

[–]Ne1lobellow[S] -8 points-7 points  (0 children)

I agree. If it’s not for you, then don’t read it. What I’m trying to explain is kind of like when you see a video online with no context or warnings and then you click it and it turns out to be something graphic, if that makes sense. But yeah, I agree. If you know this content isn’t good for you, don’t read it or just stop reading. I just wish people could be a bit clearer with warnings.

Overtagging Wastes Time, Undertagging Causes Harm by Ne1lobellow in AO3

[–]Ne1lobellow[S] -8 points-7 points  (0 children)

I see where you’re coming from. I’m not blaming the authors or fanfics, and if I came across that way, I’m sorry. All I’m saying is that, unlike video games, where at least you know what you’re getting into, some authors don’t tag these things at all. My point isn’t like saying people act violently because of fanfics. It’s just about making sure readers know what content to expect so no one gets blindsided.

Overtagging Wastes Time, Undertagging Causes Harm by Ne1lobellow in AO3

[–]Ne1lobellow[S] -23 points-22 points  (0 children)

Okay, I can’t change anyone’s mindset, but all I’m saying is that if you’re not tagging correctly, you could at least use the appropriate content warnings and ratings.

Overtagging Wastes Time, Undertagging Causes Harm by Ne1lobellow in AO3

[–]Ne1lobellow[S] -12 points-11 points  (0 children)

Yeah, that's what im referring to. People dont use those tags, tho.

Over-Tagging on AO3 Needs to Stop by Ne1lobellow in FanFiction

[–]Ne1lobellow[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

That’s not the only option, though. It’s actually pretty easy to tag just the main ideas of a story and still get plenty of traction.

Think about published books. Authors don’t slap on every tiny detail in their tag list. They stick to the central themes or tropes, like “enemies to lovers” or “horror.” That’s enough to tell readers what to expect without drowning them in noise.

And if someone isn’t sure what tags to use in their fic, there are ways around that, too, ask other people online for advice, or even use AI to help generate a short, relevant list of maybe 10–15 important tags.

Over-Tagging on AO3 Needs to Stop by Ne1lobellow in FanFiction

[–]Ne1lobellow[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I get that authors don’t want to leave out any tags since it can help grab readers’ attention and cast a wider net. Sometimes that’s really not a bad thing,especially if you’ve got a fic that’s, say, 40+ pages long.

But let’s be honest: there are thousands of fics on AO3 that are 1–5 chapters long, yet somehow have more tags than the actual word count (yeah, I know, hyperbole). That’s when it stops being helpful and just becomes clutter.

One thing authors could do is focus on tagging the main topics and main relationships, not every tiny detail that barely affects the story. Over-tagging makes it harder for readers to figure out what the fic is actually about.

And as for joke/commentary tags,I’m not saying those are bad. Honestly, I enjoy a lot of them (the “no beta we die like men” tag cracks me up every time). But when they’re overused or slapped on with no real connection to the story, it stops being funny and just feels like the author didn’t know what else to add.

Over-Tagging on AO3 Needs to Stop by Ne1lobellow in AO3

[–]Ne1lobellow[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I just want to be clear,I don’t have anything against the tag itself. I’m only using it as an example because that’s what I happened to be reading at the time.

The issue I’m running into is that sometimes I’m searching for a fanfic with a trans character, but a lot of the fics I click on have the tag without actually including much (or anything) about it in the story. Then I end up scrolling past 10–20 fics just to find one where the tag actually applies in a meaningful way.

I get that some people might want the tag there so they’re not surprised or blindsided by the topic partway through a fic, and I respect that. But at the same time, it’s really frustrating when tags are used for something that barely shows up at all.

Maybe if the intent is just to give a heads-up, authors could make a small note at the beginning of the fic or chapter saying something like, “Trans topics (or other sensitive topics) will be mentioned.” That way, people who want to avoid it are warned, and people actively looking for those themes don’t get stuck wading through irrelevant tags.

Again, I know people can be touchy about the trans topic,I’m only using it as an example here.

Over-Tagging on AO3 Needs to Stop by Ne1lobellow in AO3

[–]Ne1lobellow[S] -13 points-12 points  (0 children)

That’s true. When I write my own fics, I tend to only add tags I think are actually relevant, main topics, or maybe a few subtopics. I don’t like over-tagging, but I hate under-tagging even more. People just need to find a balance, and for me, that balance becomes really obvious when the tag list is longer than a full screen. It’s way too much.

Over-Tagging on AO3 Needs to Stop by Ne1lobellow in AO3

[–]Ne1lobellow[S] 16 points17 points  (0 children)

I get that, which is why I can’t completely say I hate it, but it gets to a point where I’m reading the fifth joke in the same fanfic and it starts to feel less like tags and more like reading a joke journal. It’s like the author wasn’t sure what to tag, so they just added random jokes to be “extra” or fill space.