It's a social media platform, if it's giving you stress.. then it's probably not for you! Don't worry about things, everyone here is (mostly) super polite as being a troll can get you down-voted (and thus induce a loss of rewards).

I'm happy to see someone, genuine and new.. @steevc.., @external-panic is another possibility for @tenkminnows. Have a drink of !WINE to soothe your nerves.

Follow some like-minded people, or you will miss what they are posting.

A good place for short stories is The Ink Well community.