Fandom Etiquette - Tumblr Posts
Shout-out to the time I saw a lovely Sailor Moon fanart of Usagi/Mamoru, and noticed it had a comment chain. Turned out to be two people roleplaying as Usagi and Seiya commenting on it with what can be summed up as
Usagi: Nice art, but it's so weird to see me with him since I'm with Seyia :/
Seiya: Yeah it's so weird, I'm so glad we're together.
They got all surprised Pikachu face when the artist asked them to stop.
dont tag art with your mild disappointment, with your opposing headcanons, with your complaints, with generally obviously unwanted opinions dont do it
dont do it
Blocking the one character from the one show that the fandom wouldn't shut up about was truly a magical decision. 10/10, would recommend.
This.
All of these.
AO3 Etiquette
It would seem a whole new kind of AO3 reader/writer is emerging and it is becoming clear not everyone quite understands how the website community works. Here is some basic guidance on how most people expect you to go about using AO3 to keep this a fun community archive that funtions correctly:
Kudos is for when the story was interesting enough to make you finish reading. If it sucked or was badly written, you probably left. If you finished - you kudos.
If you liked it, you should comment. It can be long and detailed or a literal keysmash. Writers don't care, we just love comments.
No critisism unless the author has specifically asked or agreed to hear it. Even constructive critisism is a no-no unless an author note tells you it's okay. Many people write as a fun hobby or a way to cope with, among other things, insecurity. Don't ruin that for them.
Do not comment to ask the author to write/update something else. It's tacky and off-putting and will probably have the opposite effect than the one you want.
There is no algorithm, it's an archive. Use the search and filter function to add/remove the pairings/characters/tropes etc. you want to read about and it will find you the fics that fit the bill.
For this to work, writers must tag and rate stories. This avoids readers finding the wrong things and missing the stuff they want. I don't care how cringy that trope is in your eyes - it gets tagged.
Character A/Character B means a ROMANTIC or SEXUAL relationship of some kind. Character A&Character B is PLANTONIC, like friendship or family.
Nothing is banned. This is an implicit rule because banning one thing is a slipperly slope to banning another and another, until nothing is allowed anymore. Do not expect anyone to censor for you. Because of the tags system, you are responsible for your own reading experience.
People can create new chapters and sequels/fic series any time after they "complete" a story. So it's considered perfectly normal to subscribe, even to a finished story. You can even subscribe to the author instead just to cover your bases.
Do not repost stories or change the publishing date without an extremely good reason (like a complete top to bottom rewrite). It's an archive, not social media. No one cares what's the most recent, only what fits their tag needs.
Avoid deleting a story you wrote if you hate it - orphan it so others can still enjoy it, without it being connected to you anymore.
This is a creative fanfiction archive. No essays on your insights or theories please. There are other places for that.
I KNOW there's plenty more I missed but I'm trying to cover most of the basics that people seem to be struggling with.
I invite anyone to add to this, but please explain, don't berate.
Fandom PSAs
Dont’ Like, Don’t Read
or DL; DR
You are responsible for curating your own online experience.
If something upsets you, makes you angry or queasy or triggers you, stop reading/looking at it. Avoid things that might make you feel that way.
Learn to use the Sort and Filter function on AO3, especially the Exclude tools.
On social media, block and mute accounts / tags / words when necessary.
If you hated something, you don’t need to tell that to the creator or start pointing fingers at them publicly.
The Back button is free. Use it.
Addendum:
Yes, for this to work, creators need to tag their works accordingly, so that people know what sort of content they are about to engage with and can nope out if necessary.
I will probably make another PSA about the importance of proper tagging later.
Ship And Let Ship
or SALS
You are allowed to ship whatever you want.
Everyone else is also allowed to ship whatever they want.
You are entitled to dislike or even hate a ship. If you want to do this online, in public, don’t use the ship tags for hate posts.
If you see someone posting about a ship they like and you don’t, there is no need for you to start arguing with them in their replies / comments / QRTs / reblogs. Don’t throw your hate in their face.
Do not harass fan creators or fans for shipping something you disapprove.
All of this also applies to liking / disliking an individual character.
Addendum:
”I agree with this, except when…”
No, then you are NOT agreeing with this.
Let me make this VERY clear. There are NO exceptions. None.
You don’t EVER harass real people over pixels.
If you disagree with this, kindly block and move on.
Your Kink Is Not My Kink
or YKINMK / YKINMKATO
The longer version is ”Your Kink Is Not My Kink And That’s Okay”.
People have different tastes. Not everything is for everybody.
Even if you don’t like a specific kink, other people are still allowed to use it in their creations.
You are entitled to dislike kinky content and think that it’s ”weird”.
Don’t kink shame or judge people based on their kinks.
This goes both ways: your kink is not someone else’s kink, so don’t push it onto those who are not into it.
Be Kind
or Don’t Be An Asshole
Focus on the things you like instead of the things you hate.
Create and unite instead of destroying and dividing.
Don’t harass real people over fictional things.
Stop stirring up petty drama just to get some attention on social media.
Stop trying to ”win”. Fandom is not a competition.
Remember that your own experiences aren’t universally shared. Your perception of things can differ from someone else’s, but that doesn’t mean either of you is necessarily wrong.
Other Archives
May or may not be the time to remind people that there are four other archives out there running on otw-archive!
SquidgeWorld Archive <- ALL FANDOMS!
superlove <- Guru young person self-hosts PINK otw-a on a Macbook.
Ad Astra <- Fifteen year strong single fandom Star Trek fanfiction archive! Fantastic community! (Also, I founded it. XD)
Comic Fanfiction Authors Archive <- Newest and most GAY RAINBOW otw-archive deployment ever! For comic books and comic adjacent fandoms! (Also, I founded it! XD)
Please, people, consider starting an archive! Decentralize fandom! Not only will this take some pressure off of AO3 for being the only non-pit of voles site, but when AO3 goes down, you'll have other options!
AO3 Commenting Ettiquette, A Guide:
I've seen a steep rise in the phenomenon of AO3 readers leaving comments that, frankly, read as demanding and entitled and leave authors with no desire to write more fic, if that's the reception they're going to get.
To paraphrase Hanlon's Razor, I try never to attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by incompetency, and therefore assume that these commenters are coming from a genuine place of enjoyment which they simply don't know how to communicate well.
Consequently, I intend to dissect an example of such a comment, and then provide an example formula of what to say instead.
[Image ID: A screenshot of an AO3 comment. The comment text reads: "Oh my God finally please post as soon as possible I can't wait to see Bruce reaction [four pink heart emoji] please please please update as soon as possible [four pleading face emoji] /end screenshot ID]
So what's wrong with this comment? The commenter said "please," after all... Three times, even! Surely that must be polite enough!
Let's dig in:
"Oh my God finally" - the use of the word "finally" carries the implication that the commenter has been waiting a long time for an update, and they feel entitled to this, and all subsequent updates. Even if a fic hasn't been updated for years, authors don't owe you updates. Period.
"please post as soon as possible... please please please update as soon as possible" - as previously established, the author doesn't owe you an update. This comment was posted 10 hours after the previous update - not even a single day had gone by! Authors are people, with jobs and lives and schedules of their own. Some authors have regularly scheduled updates, and keep readers apprised of such via author's notes or posts on their blogs, and some post updates when they can, as the inspiration strikes and schedules allow. In all cases, updating is a choice an author makes, not something they owe you by default, and certainly not a trick to be performed on command.
Everything in the comment is about the commenter - "I can't wait to see Bruce reaction" is the only mention of any of the chapter's contents. At no point in this comment did the commenter express gratitude to the author for posting the chapter, respect for their time, skill, energy, creativity, effort, etc., or even mention what they liked about it. Instead, the only thing the commenter talked about is what they want to see in future chapters, which yet again carries that same sense of entitlement of "this is the story I want to see, write it for me!"
So how do we do better?
Express gratitude to authors and artists for their work. Something as simple as "Thank you for this latest chapter!" goes a long way to making an author feel appreciated. Note that I use the word "chapter" and not "update" - using the word "chapter" shows that the reader understands that this is a labour of love, and the author is making a choice to share it voluntarily. Conversely, using the word "update" gives the sense that this is Content Creation™️, something the author is doing as A Task, a chore, or a job, something that they implicitly Owe Someone.
Mention what you liked, in detail if you can, or more generally if you can't. It can be as simple as "I really liked this chapter!" or as detailed as "I really liked when [character] did [thing], it felt so in-character, as if it was a deleted scene from the original [movie/book/etc.]." The important part is showing the author that their work is appreciated, that people are reading it and resonating with it. The body of the comment should be centered around the author, not the commenter.
Express your excitement for future chapters/artworks/etc. As mentioned previously, avoid words that make it sound like you feel the author owes readers more writing, and try to stick more to expressing your feelings of excitement. If you want to add speculation of what might come next, be careful not to come off as demanding that the author write it Exactly That Way - they are the author, not you, and if you want the fic to go in a specific direction, there's nothing stopping you from writing your own fic!
Avoid emoji-only comments. These make many authors feel like you're only commenting out of a sense of obligation, like "if there's enough comments we can get a new update." You can use emoji in comments, but try to also include some verbal expression of gratitude, and maybe even details of what you liked.
Here's a possible formula for how to write a non-demanding comment that doesn't come off as entitled, and some examples:
[Expression of gratitude to the author] + [Details of the story which you enjoyed] + [Expression of anticipation for where the story is going]
Your comment could be simple: "Thank you! I liked this chapter a lot. I'm excited to keep reading♡"
Or more detailed: "Thank you for sharing this newest chapter! I really liked the way you show Alice going through the stages of grief, it felt really genuine and real and heartbreaking. I can't wait to see what happens with Alice, Bob and Carol after this!"
The important part is that you aren’t making the author feel like you think they owe you something, because that's a surefire way to make them stop writing.
If you've read all the way here, thank you for your patience and willingness to listen, and I hope we can all help make AO3 comments a better experience for authors and readers alike!♡
THIS!! As long as you tag/warn HEAVY stuff so people can filter it to AVOID it that's good!! [Please PLEASE people do NOT be like this person in one of the fandoms I'm in, who said they would "false tag their own works" to "make sure people read them anyway", even when said-people mentioned they are triggered by d*ath, t*rture and more and this person just replied with a "not my problem, life happens and maybe you shouldn't watch the show/series in the first place if this triggers you" 😭😭😭 Filters exist for a freaking reason, if you false-tag it, you can and WILL cause harm and trigger people, and that's basic decency to mention (AT LEAST) there are some potentially heavy triggering subjects 😭]
“You are responsible for the minors in your fandom!!!”
No, I’m fucking not. I’m not your parent. My past-times do not automatically sign me up to act in loco parentis. If you need someone else to monitor your own content consumption online, go get mommy and/or daddy to set up a content blocker on your computer.
If someone makes you feel like crap for being excited about something you love or wanna talk about, maybe they should find a new hobby that doesn't involve ruining other people's joy. It's "amazing" how some people in fandoms think their superior attitude and condescending remarks make them the ultimate gatekeepers and know-it-all. Newsflash: being a rude jerk isn't a special skill.
So, to all the self-appointed experts who delight in making others feel dumb for having different opinions, being excited by things or passions, congratulations!! You're doing a fantastic job of sucking the fun out of what should be an enjoyable experience for everyone!!!!
Next time someone tries to belittle your enthusiasm, just remember that their need to feel superior says more about their insecurities than it does about your love for the fandom.
Keep enjoying what you love, and let them wallow in their self-righteous bubbles.
THIS THIS THIS!! (rant ahead lmao sorry)
It's always freaking heartbreaking to encounter people who belittle others just to feel superior in fandoms.
These people seem to derive a strange sense of satisfaction from dismissing others' opinions, declaring "your take is wrong" as if they hold some ultimate authority on the subject. This behavior is not only unhelpful but downright toxic, and it says far more about their insecurities and need for validation than it does about the person they are trying to belittle.
Someone excitedly shares their thoughts on a new show, a book, or a hobby they love is amazing and should be celebrated instead of being mocked and belittled. Instead of engaging in a healthy discussion, the self-proclaimed expert swoops in to undermine their enthusiasm, declaring that their take is flawed, naive, or just plain wrong. This isn't even about fostering understanding or sharing perspectives, no, for them it's about asserting dominance and making the other person feel small. It's a power play, pure and simple.
These belittlers often cloak their condescension in a veneer of intellectualism, pretending they're just trying to "educate" or "correct" you, or that they just "know better than you" for God knows what reason.
"But I know the character better than you."
"They wouldn't do that, you're wrong."
"That couldn't be even further from the truth."
"This doesn't match."
"We knew that, are people this slow?" But let's call it what it is: arrogance.
They can't stand the idea that someone else might have a valid point or a fresh perspective that challenges their own. So, they resort to mockery, sarcasm, and outright dismissal, being absolutely rude to people coming in with fresh takes and perspectives about characters.
Examples of this behavior are sadly abundant in all fandoms. Maybe you've experienced sharing your interpretation of a film's ending, only to be told that you "just didn't get it". Or perhaps you’ve offered a critique of a popular book, and someone insisted that your opinion is invalid because you don't "understand literature".
It's the same old song: their way or the highway.
This need to tear others down to build themselves up is both petty and says more about them than it does about you or your passion/hobby and so on.
What's truly awful about this behavior is the impact it has on open dialogue and community. It stifles creativity, discourages new voices, and creates an environment where only the loudest and most self-assured can thrive.
This is the antithesis of what any healthy community should be, whether it's a fandom, a hobby group, or a workplace. When people are afraid to share their thoughts for fear of being belittled, everyone loses out on the rich diversity of ideas and perspectives that make discussions vibrant and meaningful.
Plus, this behavior exposes the insecurities of the belittlers themselves.
Confident individuals don't need to tear others down to feel good about themselves. They understand that different perspectives enrich their own understanding and are open to learning and growing. In contrast, those who constantly belittle others reveal their fragile egos and desperate need for validation. Their superiority complex is nothing more than a mask for deep-seated insecurities and they can't stand them so, they prey on other people, people they deem "wrong" and/or "weak".
If you find yourself on the receiving end of such behavior, remember this: their need to belittle says more about their deficiencies than your capabilities.
Your opinions, excitement, and insights are valid and valuable. Don’t let their arrogance dim your enthusiasm or silence your voice. Engage with those who respect and appreciate differing perspectives, and leave the self-important gatekeepers to stew in their own narrow-mindedness. If those people make you feel like utter sh*t for being excited about something, leave said group, look for mutuals online or irl.
You deserve better than being belittled for being passionate, talkative about your hobbies and more. You'll never be "too much" for the right persons. If the arrogant ones find you being "too much", they can go look for "less" somewhere else.
In the end, the best communities are built on mutual respect, open-mindedness, and a genuine appreciation for diverse viewpoints.
Keep being excited, keep sharing your thoughts, and keep challenging the status quo. Your voice matters, and no self-appointed expert can take that away from you.
Fandom is meant to be a fun place. If creating petty cliques or some select special few as "the right ones" is fun to you, please go outside.
ALL OF THIS
Fandom PSAs
Dont’ Like, Don’t Read
or DL; DR
You are responsible for curating your own online experience.
If something upsets you, makes you angry or queasy or triggers you, stop reading/looking at it. Avoid things that might make you feel that way.
Learn to use the Sort and Filter function on AO3, especially the Exclude tools.
On social media, block and mute accounts / tags / words when necessary.
If you hated something, you don’t need to tell that to the creator or start pointing fingers at them publicly.
The Back button is free. Use it.
Addendum:
Yes, for this to work, creators need to tag their works accordingly, so that people know what sort of content they are about to engage with and can nope out if necessary.
I will probably make another PSA about the importance of proper tagging later.
Ship And Let Ship
or SALS
You are allowed to ship whatever you want.
Everyone else is also allowed to ship whatever they want.
You are entitled to dislike or even hate a ship. If you want to do this online, in public, don’t use the ship tags for hate posts.
If you see someone posting about a ship they like and you don’t, there is no need for you to start arguing with them in their replies / comments / QRTs / reblogs. Don’t throw your hate in their face.
Do not harass fan creators or fans for shipping something you disapprove.
All of this also applies to liking / disliking an individual character.
Addendum:
”I agree with this, except when…”
No, then you are NOT agreeing with this.
Let me make this VERY clear. There are NO exceptions. None.
You don’t EVER harass real people over pixels.
If you disagree with this, kindly block and move on.
Your Kink Is Not My Kink
or YKINMK / YKINMKATO
The longer version is ”Your Kink Is Not My Kink And That’s Okay”.
People have different tastes. Not everything is for everybody.
Even if you don’t like a specific kink, other people are still allowed to use it in their creations.
You are entitled to dislike kinky content and think that it’s ”weird”.
Don’t kink shame or judge people based on their kinks.
This goes both ways: your kink is not someone else’s kink, so don’t push it onto those who are not into it.
Be Kind
or Don’t Be An Asshole
Focus on the things you like instead of the things you hate.
Create and unite instead of destroying and dividing.
Don’t harass real people over fictional things.
Stop stirring up petty drama just to get some attention on social media.
Stop trying to ”win”. Fandom is not a competition.
Remember that your own experiences aren’t universally shared. Your perception of things can differ from someone else’s, but that doesn’t mean either of you is necessarily wrong.
Fandom pro tip: engage with fandom based on what you love, not what you hate. Goes for ships and characters, plot points etc.
Thanks soo much for the advice. This is one of the things that I struggle with so much with commenting as a reader. I am a terrible writer, but unfortunately cannot read something without noticing little errors as I read - I even do it with published books as well. I took your advice and have left a comment on the fic with all the things I loved about it, and found the author on Tumblr to let her know how much I liked it and to see if she was looking for a beta.
So I need some advice. I recently made a New Years resolution to make an effort to comment more when I read things I like. The fic I am reading at the moment flows quite well, but there are some really obvious errors with missing words/names, and the grammar and overall sentence structure could do with some work simply to make reading easier. I love the fic but am not sure how to convey just how much while also giving constructive feedback. Thoughts??
This is really tricky territory and it’s really not easy to answer without knowing the author personally.
Some writers would love to have missing words, grammar errors, and typos pointed out to them, and they’d appreciate hearing about it. You might even get a shout out in an author’s note.
Other writers would internally cringe, externally thank you, and then crawl into a corner in the foetal position, rocking themselves and telling themselves over and over again what a terrible writer they are.
It’s a spectrum.
My advice would be to keep the public comments positive and ask, either in a comment or via a different form of communication (like a tumblr ask) if they’re looking for a beta. Do not mention the errors you’ve noticed, just leave it at “beta”. They’ll know what you mean.
If they say no, then they’re probably fine with posting things the way they are and you saying something probably won’t change things. If they say yes, you get to fix all of the typos AND you get to read the fic before it’s even posted! Win-win!
Edited to add: I forgot to say that that’s an AWESOME resolution, and you are a hero for wanting to comment more :D
Fandom Etiquette
I’ve been around for a really long time in various fandoms, and no one ever writes this stuff down. I’ll start. Please add to the list. We can’t expect people to follow “rules” they don’t know exist.
written with the help of @unbreakablejemmasimmons
Fanart
if you like something, reblog it. Help the artist get their work out there in front of more people. Share the joy that it brought you.
if you want more of it, support it. This can be via commissions, reblogs, recommending the artist to other people, shouting in the tags, or sending the artist asks/messages.
if you hate it, keep scrolling. Keep the hate in a message window with a friend, not in the artist’s notes.
if you want to use it, ask permission. Artwork is beautiful and you want to show it off. But please ask the artist before you throw it into your header or your icon.
if you use it, give credit. And not just a post where you say “Do you like my new icon? X made it!”. Put it in your blog description, that way when someone rolls around your blog three months from now, they also know where your icon/header came from.
Fanfic
if you like something, reblog it. Help the author get their work out there in front of more people. Share the joy that it brought you.
if you want more of it, support it. Kudos are fine, but if you want more of the thing you like, you should comment. Subscribe to the story or the author. Send them a message about how much you like what they wrote.
if you read it, kudos it. Or give it a thumbs up. And this is just if you managed to get all the way to the end. If you finished the story and you actually liked it? Comment and reblog.
don’t demand content. Be patient. Stories take time. You can encourage without being demanding. Show your love for what’s there without telling them to post more often.
be gentle with criticism. Some people want it and some people run away from it. If you don’t know what type of person the author is, it’s best not to go there. “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything.”
Fandom
ship and let ship. You love your ship and other people love theirs. No one needs to “win” when we’re all going to end up in tears anyway.
if you hate it, stay out of the tag. This has two meanings: 1) don’t deliberately put hateful commentary in a tag and 2) if you hate a tag, don’t go and read through that tag just to make yourself angry
if someone makes you something, appreciate it. Read and comment the fic. Like and reblog the artwork. Pimp it out and tell them how much you loved it. It’s a gift, treat it like one.
if it’s a gift, put some effort into it. You signed up for that exchange three months ago and now it’s a week before you have to send the gift and you don’t have the time or the inclination to do the thing. Well too bad. Someone out there has been working hard in your gift, so you should do the same for them.
none of us are “better” than anyone else. We’re all trash for our particular show/film/book/ship/artist/what-have-you. My fave is no better than yours and yours is no better than mine.
actors are not their characters. They are people. Treat them like people.
if you don't like a certain ship or media do not interact with the posts catered to that ship or media! don't be a bitch and leave bullshit salty tags on the post from op, simply block the tags of this ship or media because tumblr has this awesome feature where you can prevent things from showing up on your dash by blocking specific tags.
"#hur dur not to be a bitch but my ship is better than yours because they have this in canon hur dur" "#hur dur not to be a bitch but x series is better than y series because they have z trope hur dur"
i don't care! the op doesn't care! make your own post about your ship or media of preference and leave other people alone.
that's it, thanks for coming to my ted talk.
So, you made a Tumblr blog
You're finally here, after seeing many screenshot on Instagram, and hearing many times this site is dead on Twitter. Here you are, and you got no clue how any of this works. That's okay, this should help
[these are just social cues about how this site works that us old users don't even think about but can feel confusing for users coming from other platforms.]
Let's begin:
How does this site work? Easy! The blood and soul of this site is reblogs (not to mistake them with reposting). Think of it as finding something cool and going "hey guys check out what my buddy did", except way less annoying because you can do it 300x times a day and no one will mind and actually they'll thank you for it. A reblog might sound like a Big Deal but it's the equivalent of an Instagram like, as in the currency of the platform.
What if I don't want to spam the dashboard? Then you can use the queue. Click the options on the reblog window and chose "add to queue", you can configure it from your blog options for when and how it posts. You'll find many users use tags that include the word 'queue' to signal that it isn't an "online" reblog, this is totally optional.
What about the tags everyone treats as sacred? Tags are mostly for your organization, but also for speaking your mind (keep in mind, it's considered rude to diss the creation/fandom/ship in the tags of a positive post! The creator will see it in their activity page and it's a bummer, keep your comments silly or positive. If you wanna vent make your own post and tag it accordingly with anti-fandom/ship/character). If you don't have anything to say on the tags of a reblog don't let that stop you! Reblog without tags, you can always reblog it again later if you came up with something to say (no, OP won't mind).
What about likes? Likes are more like bookmarks for stuff you wanna find easily later, maybe for a personal post of a friend. You'll find you can actually hide your likes page (as the people you follow) on your blog, that's the common practice. Litterally no one will go look at your likes page,,, ever. trust me, it's easier to just have it hidden.
On the contrary, reblogs and original posts tell people what you're interested in, what you enjoy/don't enjoy. This is what it'll decide if someone wants to follow you or not: what kind of content you'll bring to their dash (don't worry if it's not consistent, we'll get to that later). Likes are mostly just for yourself.
What are replies for then? Probably the least used feature. You can use it to reply to a friend's personal post, or if you have a question for OP that needs an answer. This is not like a Twitter or Instagram comment! They won't boost the post and the creator would rather you'd put that praising comment in the tags of a reblog. They'll see it in their activity page for sure 😉
How do I find blogs w juicy posts to reblog as a newie? Search a fandom/ship you like and follow the top blogs there, scroll till you find a post you like and follow the original poster. They might follow back if they check out your blog and see you reblog content they like and congrats! You're mutuals 💕
You can also follow tags and there's always creation hubs blogs that exist solely for the purpose of creating or rebloging gifsets and content of a specific fandom/ship.
Do timelines matter? Is it cringe to reblog old things? An unequivocal no. You'll find its hard to know when something was posted to begin with, and we love that! It doesn't matter if it's from a deactivated blog, if it's 5 days or 7 years old, reblog it anyways, you won't be judged because no one will look at the date it was posted either.
What is it this about "curating your online experience"? Just like Instagram, you can block people, just like Twitter, you can also mute/filter words. On Tumblr you can also filter tags. (They'll appear like posts w a message that they contain filtered content). And like neither, you can turn off all suggestions so you see stuff only from people you follow, in the order it was posted.
How do I do this? Settings > dashboard > preferences > best stuff first/include stuff in your orbit/include "based on your likes!" > Off/on as you prefer!
Next is tags and keywords, these will depend on who you follow and what stuff you're sick of seeing. Filter freely! No one will know except you and the better tailored to your interests your dash is, the more fun using this platform will be. Remember, this site doesn't have an algorithm that hides content from the people you follow based on your activity like other platforms, so don't hold back. (Filtered tags are also great to use like on twitter to hide spoilers or trigger warnings, with the added bonus that tagging those is a popular policy here, it can be more effective than on twitter.)
I'll give you a tip: if you've blocked someone but are still coming across their stuff in people's reblogs, load their URL as a muted word and say bye to their annoying content for sure 😘 I also use it for meme posts that start to get on my nerves.
What about those comments about the likes and reblogs ratios? Well, that's A Thing here. Like I said before, reblogs are the whole point of this site, so when in recent years people seem to have switched to only ever liking stuff (along w many other reasons. It's not one single person's fault), the site traffic has plummeted. This has been very disheartening for creators who started to feel like the fandom communities they loved and interacted with on the daily became silent audiences who are not interested in making the community grow or even engage with it. It sort of escalated from there.
The bottom line is that we all want to support and enrich the fandom/s we're in, so I wrote this in the hopes that it'd give new users an idea of how to best do it in this particular platform 💗
For more info you can check tumblr's official guide
PSA if you read a fic for a relationship style that you don't normally like, and you like the fic in spite of the relationship, only comment with the first part of that sentiment!
"I really liked this!" not "I really liked this even though I don't want to see these characters in this sort of relationship!"
AO3 Etiquette
It would seem a whole new kind of AO3 reader/writer is emerging and it is becoming clear not everyone quite understands how the website community works. Here is some basic guidance on how most people expect you to go about using AO3 to keep this a fun community archive that funtions correctly:
Kudos is for when the story was interesting enough to make you finish reading. If it sucked or was badly written, you probably left. If you finished - you kudos.
If you liked it, you should comment. It can be long and detailed or a literal keysmash. Writers don't care, we just love comments.
No critisism unless the author has specifically asked or agreed to hear it. Even constructive critisism is a no-no unless an author note tells you it's okay. Many people write as a fun hobby or a way to cope with, among other things, insecurity. Don't ruin that for them.
Do not comment to ask the author to write/update something else. It's tacky and off-putting and will probably have the opposite effect than the one you want.
There is no algorithm, it's an archive. Use the search and filter function to add/remove the pairings/characters/tropes etc. you want to read about and it will find you the fics that fit the bill.
For this to work, writers must tag and rate stories. This avoids readers finding the wrong things and missing the stuff they want. I don't care how cringy that trope is in your eyes - it gets tagged.
Character A/Character B means a ROMANTIC or SEXUAL relationship of some kind. Character A&Character B is PLANTONIC, like friendship or family.
Nothing is banned. This is an implicit rule because banning one thing is a slipperly slope to banning another and another, until nothing is allowed anymore. Do not expect anyone to censor for you. Because of the tags system, you are responsible for your own reading experience.
People can create new chapters and sequels/fic series any time after they "complete" a story. So it's considered perfectly normal to subscribe, even to a finished story. You can even subscribe to the author instead just to cover your bases.
Do not repost stories or change the publishing date without an extremely good reason (like a complete top to bottom rewrite). It's an archive, not social media. No one cares what's the most recent, only what fits their tag needs.
Avoid deleting a story you wrote if you hate it - orphan it so others can still enjoy it, without it being connected to you anymore.
This is a creative fanfiction archive. No essays on your insights or theories please. There are other places for that.
I KNOW there's plenty more I missed but I'm trying to cover most of the basics that people seem to be struggling with.
I invite anyone to add to this, but please explain, don't berate.
Rule one of fandom: there are some things that only exist for us.
Don’t send actors fics
Don’t give them explicit art ever
Don’t tag them in rpf questions or theories
Don’t try to bring them into fandom drama of any kind
Don’t hold them responsible for what the producers and writers decide
They’re still people. They have private lives, which do not include fandom.
🔹 Someone else's fiction cannot cause you physical harm.
🔹If someone else's fiction is causing you emotional or psychological harm, or distress, you can put it down and not read/watch it.
🔹Your emotional well-being is not the responsibility of fiction writers.
🔹Someone else's fiction is not about your personal trauma.
🔹When reading or watching fiction, you always have the power. You can always stop. You are never reading fiction without your own consent.
🔹Fiction writers are not responsible for other people's mental health.
🔹The content of a piece of fiction does not reflect on the morality of its author.
🔹Just because someone writes about bad things happening, doesn't mean they want those things to happen.
🔹Don't like? Don't read.
Sometimes when I'm struggling with my mental health, or real life is sapping my already-limited energy more than usual, I will drop the ball and not reply to comments for a while. But please know that they mean no less to me during those times. I will still read them the moment they appear in my inbox. I will read and re-read and smile and cry and screenshot to show my best friend so they can be happy for me too. In fact, during those times, comments mean even more.
Those who don't comment on fics you like, you've got no idea the joy you could be supplying to someone. Consider that just because it took you 15-30 minutes to read doesn't mean that's how long it took the author to write. I'm seven months in on my current fic. Having that effort validated? And all it would take is a few words? As little as a thanks? Please, just a minute more of your time.
We're not big business. We're not mass producers. We're sitting at our computers or on our phones watching the hit counter go up in single figures. Your acknowledgement is oxygen. Your engagement is everything.
The sharing of fanfiction was a two-way street once. It's got quiet on the readers' side of the road lately. We miss you.
people who let me wake up to this get a special place in heaven. firefly_fox how does it feel to hold my life in ur hands....