#on a completely unrelated note feel free to blacklist the tags if you don't want to be hit by a swarm of them

[burningcomputerpersona]

ahahahahahaa isn't it wild how listening to the wonder years on repeat will completely fix you anyway i am so normal about this band i swear

[friendlyalien]

Not to mention fandom was originally not for children, nor was it made by children.

However, and this goes for all age groups primarily for pages like AO3: if you're looking for a story, and see one tagged with shit you don't like or even untagged (which should be a big red flag for you) and you know there might be/is going to be stuff you can't handle and you still click on it and, surprise surprise, you find shit you don't want to read and you still read it and then you have the audacity to go out of your way to scream at the author, you're stupid. Plain and simple.

Or maybe you didn't know better. Therefore:

Take a break from reading and practice these simple ways to make your life easier:

use the back button

blacklist/block/exclude tags you don't want to see

write down the name of the author if you find out they tag incorrectly or in a confusing way (it happens) and avoid them (or block them, if that is possible)

alternatively, write down names out authors that are reliable so you know where to go if you're struggling to find anything good

if you start reading a story and realize it is not to your tastes, or features content that is not to your tastes, stop reading it. Why would you read something you don't like if you don't have to (and you don't)?

There are thousands of stories out there. Keep in mind that you're not the intended audience for every one of them, that there will be shit you don't like, and that is normal

don't take shit for granted

the author most likely doesn't know you

have a friend who's into fandom? Ask them for recommendations. There are blogs dedicated to almost every ship out there; go ask them if they could recommend a story with X and Y and without Z. Chances are they, or their audience, will.

Still can't find that one thing you're looking for? Go write it. It's fun, I promise.

On a not completely unrelated note, is there a way to, as a reader, hide all tags on AO3 except for like the pairings?

Also, if you have more tips on how to navigate in fandom, feel free to chip in.

Just Anti Things: I was gonna get pissed about the sheer amount of strawmanning in this post but then I realized that it looks like wynx/against/pedos deleted and I was too happy that the anti who repeatedly insisted on dragging me into map discourse and accused me of being a map was gone