r/AO3

Something I have noticed recently is people complaining they can no longer use the emdash because it is associated with AI. That is not the case! Continue to use it, just use it right.

Some emdash rules—the emdash indicates a new direction in thought, functioning similarly to a semi-colon; but where the semi-colon joins two thoughts together, the emdash indicates an abrupt change in pace. When it acts like a comma, it typically does so when it's giving information. It can also precede lists—products, information, etc.—and can be used after punctuation.

But notice how none of these uses felt like AI? That is because AI uses the emdash incorrectly; where a semi-colon would better serve its purpose, it defaults to the emdash—honestly, it will default to the emdash for simple things like commas!—and you'll be hard pressed to find it using the emdash in conversations.

So, my fellow writers, I encourage you to continue using the emdash... just avoid using it where different punctuation would be better suited.

I'm an EMT-in-training, and when we get an emergency call, they're ranked as such:

• Omega - non-emergent (no lights or sirens), likely someone has a cold or splinter
• Alpha - non-emergent, someone is feeling sick but not dangerously so, no history/recent illness or trauma that makes something life threatening likely
• Beta - emergent, needs to be checked but it's likely not life-or-death
• Charlie - emergent, situation has the possibility of getting worse so get there fast
• Delta - emergent, shit's possibly going down so get there now
• Echo - DRIVE FASTER THEY'RE NOT BREATHING

So last night I was talking with a coworker who's helping with my driving training about the different ranks and realized, "If an A/B/Overse found out Alpha is one of the least concerns, they'd probably be pissed because they're boring calls," and I started laughing to myself and couldn't explain it to my coworker. (There's nothing wrong with boring calls, I'm always happy to help an elderly person who fell and needs a lift assist and isn't actively dying on me!)

It's just silly and now every time I see it pop up on my phone with a call I start giggling. Love this weird ass community. <3

Beyond the pro/anti thing, I mean. It feels like every day there are a few dozen "can I do this or will be people be mad at me" posts, but they don't even feel like the standard questions about the type of content they're writing. It's all stuff like "Can I post after a hiatus, can I reply to comments late, can I edit my own work, is it okay to self insert, is it okay if my chapters are short?"

it almost feels like people are just desperately seeking reassurance before they do ANYTHING. I know the internet can be a harsh place, but man alive, it's okay to step on a few toes now and again. everyone seems paralysed by the idea of doing fandom wrong.

It's tiring just reading them, so I can't imagine how exhausting it must be to have that level of anxiety over a hobby. Why is everyone so scared of their own readers?

I’ve seen a lot of people talk about how authors should only write for themselves and not care about comments and that’s why people say they don’t comment. But like… if we were doing this entirely for ourselves why would we post our stories at all?

I write partially for myself and partially because th comments I get from readers keep me going. If I don’t get any comments I would have stopped after like 3 chapters but because I’ve bee lucky enough to receive quite a few comments per chapter my fic is already 90k words.

We write fanfiction for fun, why can’t receiving comments and interacting with people who like our fics be what makes it fun?

i won't be dropping the actual fandom name, but i've been writing for this one fandom for...a decade now (damn) and i can't stop playing with these characters like a literary doll house. it's that kind of hyperfixation lol.

even so, i actually haven't posted anything for this fandom for...6 years because i think i was just so traumatized by some people being so mean to me in the comments out of a misguided understanding of "constructive criticism" and the general hate train of liking popular things.

i posted something again yesterday, to test the waters - in the hopes of possibly finding a way back into enjoying sharing my writing again to this group of people..and [red buzzer] not it.

don't get me wrong, some people are wonderful and have been incredibly sweet in the comments, but i feel like the bad actors are just inescapable in this specific fandom (i've been in other fandoms, and this is a very specific thing i've only experienced in this fandom - even my writer friends tell me this is not a thing for their fandoms.)

and before anyone calls me oversensitive, i just don't like the idea of dealing with annoying people lmao i'm sorry, i want my hobby experiences to be curated and free of drama.

Hi. I'm new to writing fanfic, and I wrote an AU fic in which my favorite character is a trans lesbian, but I received three very transphobic comments. I don't want to repeat them because they were really mean but one of them >!called me a groomer and homophobic!< for making this character trans.

I was complaining about this to my friend earlier, but my friend said not to delete them because that would be ignoring criticism which you're apparently not supposed to do as a writer. They're really upsetting to read every time I click on my own fic, though! I made a burner reddit account because I'm really embarrassed to ask this, and I don't want to draw attention to my fic. But is deleting transphobic comments considered ignoring criticism?

I’ve been a reader for YEARS but never had the confidence to write. A month or so ago I started working on a longer piece, my first ever fanfic. I finally worked up the courage to post the first bit today. I spent hours editing it, learning how to do italics on ao3, writing summaries, all that. It was absolutely one of the more nerve-wracking things I’ve done.

But oh my god if it wasn’t so worth it. An hour later and it has 2 kudos. I think I’ll cherish that feeling for a long time. I don’t even know if they’ll keep reading it, there’s a lot more chapters to go, but I feel so encouraged by it that I’m going to stay up late finishing the chapter I was stuck on.

Just wanted to share to thank those who leave kudos and who read newly published works. I didn’t know how much this would mean to me until it did :)