Oh no! I didn't see that this had been posted!
avividtale
joined 2 years ago
Post the story. Not everything is for everyone, but most everything is for someone and the rarer the interest the more valuable it is to those looking for it.
It's hard for me to pinpoint exactly what it is, but some factors include nuance, strong characterization (whether their motives are complex or simple, whether they are capable or bumbling), and a strong dynamic with the other characters in the story.
Those are pretty broad brushstrokes, but when those elements are in play I feel like it genuinely adds something. Conversely, it's notable when they're lacking.
No one specific thing, but I occasionally would fall down a rabbit hole with lore, or names, or astrology and just get swept up in it. I still enjoy the themes around astrology in its various forms. It's been ages since I looked into it, but I used to find reading about it fascinating. It's funny because I never had any interest in horoscopes, but the descriptions and themes as pertained to the signs and the houses and elements themselves were always kind of neat.
Sometimes the fandom is more compelling than the work itself. Sometimes the fandom makes me like the work more.
Agreed! There's nothing wrong with knowing exactly what put you off, or even considering it. But sometimes, I can't quite pinpoint it and I've just never been someone who "has to finish" a story I started just because I started it.
There are many beautifully crafted stories out there that just don't resonate with me, but I don't have anything negative to say about them.
Oh gosh, there's not one specific thing. Really, if I decide I'm just not enjoying a story, or not enjoying it anymore...I stop reading it. That doesn't mean there is anything objectively wrong with the story. It's possible that my fixation has shifted, or that something arose that I just didn't care for in terms of how they presented a character or situation and it struck in just such a way.
This actually happens more often with novels than it does with fanfiction, as fanfiction authors tend to be fairly forthcoming and they use a lot of tags.
As an example, I remember getting a few chapters into a novel once that portrayed (not in a way that at all endorsed) a very abusive relationship and did so in such a heart-breakingly realistic way that I couldn't get past it.
The story itself was an absurd, fantastical, bizarre work of fiction that just so happened to portray certain very real dynamics in a way that felt jarring. If anything, that is to the author's credit, but I noped out not terribly far into it.
I found that blocking the NSFW domains removed a lot of what I did not want to see in the sidebar. But, that may not help if you want the option to browse those forums sometimes. It's not a guarantee that you'll never see anything of the sort show up there, as plenty of domains allow NSFW content, but by removing the ones focused on it you'll dilute the chances significantly.
To be honest, I was happily surprised (stunned really) that I was able to so easily block at the domain level. Especially given how new the platform is, as people have pointed out.
The nature of the fediverse is such that their are instances and domains for just about every topic, so if something isn't your speed then blocking those domains will take a huge chunk off your screen with very minimal effort.
You can block the NSFW instances and domains as a start. It may not get rid of EVERYTHING, but it can help.
Examples:
https://kbin.social/d/lemmynsfw.com will take you to that domain. From there, you can hit block (next to the subscribe button) to block at the domain level vs a specific magazine. (NSFW instances are going to have lots of magazines in them so this is just more expedient.)
You can also block any NSFW magazines on Kbin itself by going through the magazine list and hitting block beside those listings.
This isn't specific to NSFW obviously. I only learned about it recently via a YSK post that likely does a better job explaining things, but thought it was worth a mention.
Ooh! I know that vibe. It's sooo hard to maintain focus when you've got another story on the brain!