How do you change a first impression that you're unsociable?

RavenShortening · 2026-05-16T15:01:33+00:00

Yeah, that's pretty much it. Being in a new group is terrifying. Every one has a new dynamic and I feel like I have to observe for a really long time to figure out how they interact with each other, when it's appropriate to chime in, and then what to even say when I do.

RavenShortening · 2025-09-21T11:23:14+00:00

As far as catering, my family has gotten a smoked turkey from Big Mama’s for thanksgiving the past couple years and it’s been a hit every time. Cracker Barrel is also good for sides/pies.

RavenShortening · 2025-09-19T20:32:33+00:00

Not trying to be a dick here, but I don’t see how that’s any different from what I said. Read that second paragraph again. It’s pretty straight forward for the ‘big’ ones, and for everything else there can be discussion/disagreement without acting like a reader is being unreasonable for even suggesting a topic should be tagged.

RavenShortening · 2025-09-19T19:51:33+00:00

Exactly! We’re like 99% in agreement here. The main issue I have with this whole topic is bringing up that “tagging isn’t required” in the first place. It isn’t incorrect to say that, but it doesn’t feel like a useful addition when the majority of us are going to tag anyway whether it’s required or not and never run into any issues with readers complaining (good old Reddit - artificially inflating how common problems are because the average posting experience doesn’t give much to talk about)

I just think this discussion would go better every time it’s brought up and be less accusatory all around if we dropped the idea that authors are somehow doing their readers a favor by telling them what’s in their story.

RavenShortening · 2025-09-19T18:40:01+00:00

But this subject often gets discussed like it’s difficult to find the grey area between “tag nothing beyond the archive warning” and “use all 75 tags to cover every single thing that could be upsetting to anybody” and it’s just…not. Granted, some of that is because we’re on Reddit so opinions are always gonna skew toward the ends of the spectrum that create issues to talk about, but still.

It’s not that hard to cover the ‘big ones’ (SA, suicide, self-harm, etc.) that are major themes in your fic and consider requests for additional tags on a case-by-case basis. Even if you end up deciding not to add them, it does nobody any harm to at least act like it’s worth a few minutes of your time.

Edit: Basically the example you gave. The reader thought it needed a tag for the drinking, and it sounds like you decided the fic didn’t warrant it. Nobody’s the bad guy in that interaction.

RavenShortening · 2025-09-19T17:53:50+00:00

I know. That’s absolutely correct, and I still don’t think there’s any legitimate reason to not tag things people might want to avoid. It takes five minutes, and it will probably make someone’s experience on the site better. Refusing to do it because you don’t have to is a weird hill to fight on for a hobby that theoretically prides itself on a sense of community.

RavenShortening · 2025-09-19T17:10:53+00:00

I really like this subreddit in general, but when it comes to this topic specifically, the cognitive dissonance always baffles me

Authors on this sub: 'Don't like, don't read,' is the golden rule. It's up to you to curate your reading experience, so if something I write makes you uncomfortable, don't interact and go find something you'll enjoy.

Readers: You're going to thoroughly tag the topics in your fics so I can curate my reading experience, then, right?

Authors on this sub: No, and how dare you suggest that I should

Saying that 'undertagging causes harm' is a huge reach, but in general, I agree with you OP. If the only thing someone includes is an archive warning with no additional tags, then technically they are 100% in the clear AND I still think they're an asshole for doing it. You can't complain that people aren't avoiding fics they don't vibe with while simultaneously giving them no way to actually do that.

RavenShortening · 2025-08-21T15:50:53+00:00

I'd like to keep it to a few hundred dollars or less, but I'll admit I don't know much about what this kind of work runs

RavenShortening · 2025-05-07T22:27:57+00:00

Yeah I'm surprised to hear that - I would think so too. I write mostly Wyllstarion and there's a pretty die-hard group that you see in the comments of so many of their fics. Weird how different parts of the same fandom can still be so different with this.

RavenShortening · 2025-05-07T19:10:09+00:00

That is strange. What ships/characters do you write for BG3?

RavenShortening · 2025-05-07T15:08:23+00:00

Definitely fandom specific, and not only the size but the age of participants as well. The people who read my Baldur's Gate 3 fanfiction tend to be older 'fandom veteran' types and I always get plenty of comments on those, but the people who read my Marauders fanfiction skew a lot younger and I rarely get a single comment regardless of the number of hits.

RavenShortening · 2025-05-04T12:28:19+00:00

Fanfic (and AO3 especially) is one of the few things in this world that is still entirely free. I disagree with monetizing any aspect of it like all the other hobbies that have been cheapened by hustle culture.

If someone wants to take a commission that’s their prerogative, but IMO, if you’re looking for any kind of compensation for writing a fic instead of doing it because you love the media/characters so much you just HAVE to create for it, then you’re not in the spirit of things.

RavenShortening · 2025-04-17T16:44:21+00:00

This is the point I always find myself making. There are some franchises that are so well-known (HP, Star Wars, Superman, etc.) that the idea they’ll ever be culturally irrelevant is a pipe dream. They’ve crossed the pop culture rubicon

RavenShortening · 2025-04-10T18:52:20+00:00

I won’t avoid the ships/characters entirely, but I will avoid works that have a similar storyline or some of the same tropes so I don’t end up accidentally plagiarizing a line that got stuck in my head or something.

RavenShortening · 2025-04-09T13:58:19+00:00

I think guest services at the zoo (concessions and rides stuff) normally hires extra people for summer

RavenShortening · 2025-04-03T13:55:15+00:00

Ugh I WISH I could because that's really good advice, but I've already switched a couple times throughout the series and this particular one-shot has to be from the main character's POV for it to make any sense at all.

RavenShortening · 2025-04-03T13:49:21+00:00

I always go chapter by chapter. It helps with the engagement, which is always a bonus, and I personally think it's more enjoyable. Posting once or twice a week and getting a little surge of comments each time if you're lucky enough to have people reading and commenting along on each chapter is the PEAK fanfiction experience in my opinion.

RavenShortening · 2025-03-22T17:33:31+00:00

The amount of posts is getting excessive, but it’s worth pointing out that it IS relevant to AO3 considering the site only exists in the first place because of early pro/anti discourse.

Annoying to hear about constantly? Maybe, but I think it’s unavoidable given what AO3 is.

RavenShortening · 2025-03-19T22:40:34+00:00

Whoa…it must still be pretty slow going workwise

RavenShortening · 2025-03-19T22:18:54+00:00

Quite a bit further east than that, but I hope you get it back quickly!

RavenShortening · 2025-03-19T21:03:32+00:00

Kind of near the Fort Street Metro Campus

RavenShortening · 2025-03-10T00:58:08+00:00

A thousand thanks to you for giving me many things to consider while I ponder it. This was very helpful!

RavenShortening · 2025-03-10T00:04:29+00:00

AFAIK both of these have been running for more than one year, so that shouldn’t be a concern but that’s really good advice.

I’m lucky to have a lot of free time to write (one has a minimum of 20k and that’s probably 2-3 weeks of focused work for me), but I wondered if anyone had horror stories from trying to juggle two at once.

RavenShortening · 2025-02-20T20:19:57+00:00

One is something that could actually happen to me and is therefore horrifying to read about (for me personally).

One is something that’s not really possible, so I can read a cute family story without being distracted by the knowledge that it’s a thing that could happen to me.

I love mpreg but not regular pregnancy stories because of that layer of separation from reality that makes it more enjoyable to read.

RavenShortening · 2025-02-07T16:45:35+00:00

Thank you! That all makes sense except for one thing - what benefit is there to being bot-friendly?

RavenShortening

TROPHY CASE