locally-sourced-ghost

[locally-sourced-ghost]

PSA: AO3 HAS BEEN INFECTED WITH AI BOT COMMENTS.

Have you seen one of these dipshits? If you post regularly on ao3, chances are YES, but more likely you didn't notice nor suspect it was a bot. Sometimes they start off nice, or even praise you before getting nasty out of nowhere, like so:

But much like Grok, their newest obsession is nazism.

I don't know where they come from, or what purpose this could possibly serve other than suicidebaiting random people in the internet, I guess; but apparently they've started parroting names from real users to send these comments and shifting their general length to go by undetected. Maybe those are scrappers trying to train 'reviewbots' to be sold as part of some scam service promising to give feedback for newbie writers, who the fuck knows.

Here are more examples of the tone and backhanded compliments you can find in these:

If you regularly post on AO3 or interact with writers in it, please pass this along so they don't feel insane receiving bombs in their inbox. This is ridiculous.

[locally-sourced-ghost]

monthly/weekly/daily artist cycle

[locally-sourced-ghost]

NOTICE: As more and more fanfic writers are using generative AI for their works (you uncreative dweebs), I hereby swear on everything I hold dear that I have not and will NEVER use generative AI in ANY of my written work. Everything I post will be organically and creatively my own.

[locally-sourced-ghost]

NOTICE: As more and more fanfic writers are using generative AI for their works (you uncreative dweebs), I hereby swear on everything I hold dear that I have not and will NEVER use generative AI in ANY of my written work. Everything I post will be organically and creatively my own.

[locally-sourced-ghost]

This is your semi frequent reminder that there is no official AO3 app

All those are unofficial and available on the Google play store as of August 13th 2025. They mirror AO3's content and insert ads, for which the developer gets paid by page impression (that's every time the ad appears in the fic you're reading) not just clicks.

No money goes to AO3, nor to the fic writer. It goes to the person who did the bare minimum.

Many of these apps have poorly worded or non existent privacy policies, so they may also be mining as much data as possible and selling that on to unknown third parties.

Please, just use the official AO3 site and the browser.

[locally-sourced-ghost]

Soft Sentence Starters

"Do you even know how much I miss you?"

"I didn't know who else to talk to, so I came to you…"

"Can I tell you something without you laughing?"

"I saved this for you. I thought you might need it."

"You always make things feel a little less heavy."

"I know it's silly, but… it means a lot to me."

"When I think about home, I think about you."

"I really appreciate you so much."

"If I could freeze one moment forever, it might be this one."

"When you smiled at me today, everything felt lighter."

"You make me want things I didn't think I deserved."

"Promise me you'll tell me if you're hurting - even just a little."

"I always notice when you're not around."

"You don't even realize how much you matter to me."

"I didn't realize I was waiting for you until you showed up."

"Can I hold your hand? Just for a minute. Just to feel like I'm not alone."

"I hope one day you will see yourself the way I see you."

"When you come home, I will be waiting for you."

"Your smile is so beautiful. Sorry, it keeps distracting me."

"I don't say this enough, but I'm really grateful for you."

[locally-sourced-ghost]

Psst. Writer. Write that idea down. Yeah, it’ll stay in your brain forever and all, but it won’t. Write it down.

[locally-sourced-ghost]

Reblog if you’re grateful for your commenters <3

[locally-sourced-ghost]

my dream as a fanfic writer is for one day, one of my fics to be someones comfort fic. like the fic that they reread when they don't feel good and want to be happy. i want my words to comfort someone one day

[locally-sourced-ghost]

THIS

[locally-sourced-ghost]

*This poll was submitted to us and we simply posted it so people could vote and discuss their opinions on the matter. If you’d like for us to ask the internet a question for you, feel free to drop the poll of your choice in our inbox and we’ll post them anonymously (for more info, please check our pinned post).

[locally-sourced-ghost]

Howdy! I'm Ghost! I occasionally post fics on ao3 under the user Locally Sourced Ghost (Speaching)

I mostly focus on Jason but I've been thinking about writing some other things too.

Quick guide to my tags:

#Speaking beyond the veil: is just all posts that I've made

#writings from the grave: All my writing including links to my fics and drabbles that are only on tumblr

#My Gravestones: Are specifically my fics on ao3 like With Time, Operation Holiday, etc

#House Hauntings: Fics/writings I've written for other people as gifts

[locally-sourced-ghost]

I participated in the @dickgraysonexchange and actually ended up writing two fics for it.

Ghosts and Guilt

Words: 5.1k

Fandom: Batman - All Media Types

Relationships: Dick Grayson & Jason Todd, Dick Grayson & Bruce Wayne

Chapters: 2/2

Tags: Suicidal Toughts, Grayson Needs a Hug, Jason Todd is Not Okay, Jason Todd is Red Hood, Dick Grayson is Nightwing, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Dick Canon-Typical Violence, Jason Todd Needs A Hug, Good Sibling Dick Grayson, Bruce Wayne is Bad at Feelings

"Dick is struggling after Blockbuster's death. He can't take the guilt but when Bruce asks for help, Dick finds himself in Gotham. Maybe he'll be able to learn who is at the base of this gang war. But what will he do when he learns it's the long-dead Robin?"

Fic two is a treat for @lulurhythm because I love her work ;P she has amazing fics, and if you have the time, you should definitely check them out

The Bullet Wound to Hot Chocolate Pipeline

Words: 1.5k

Fandom: Batman - All Media Types, Nightwing (Comics)

Relationship: Dick Grayson & Jason Todd

Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Hurt Dick Grayson, Good Sibling Jason Todd, Good Sibling Dick Grayson, Nightmares, Platonic Cuddling, Hugs, Jason Todd is Robin, Dick Grayson is Nightwing, Brotherly Bonding, Selectively Mute Jason Todd

"Dick is frustrated by the lack of progress in his case, so he goes back to Gotham hoping for Bruce's help. The only problem is that Bruce isn't there, at least, he wishes that was the only problem. Jason is running around Gotham as Robin without Batman, and now Dick has a bullet through his leg.

Great. This night is going great."

[locally-sourced-ghost]

a feel like the new generation of fanfic readers NEED to understand that clicking on a fic (interaction) does nothing. ao3 has no algorithm. your private discord discussions of fic do not reach the authors. if you do not actively engage with writers they will stop posting. this isn’t social media this is community.

[locally-sourced-ghost]

How to write hospital scenes 

From someone who’s definitely been in too many and would very much like a refund...ツ

⊹ Waiting rooms are emotional purgatory. They’re too bright, too quiet, and weirdly timeless. Fluorescent lights buzzing, TVs playing muted news no one watches, coffee that tastes like burnt stress. People aren’t relaxing in there, they’re just existing, awkwardly pretending their phones are interesting while dissociating at 40% battery.

⊹ Everyone talks in a whisper, but not because it’s respectful, no, it just feels wrong to speak normally. Like the walls might be listening, like if you talk too loud, something worse might happen, even the loud people get quiet in hospitals.

⊹ Overnight stays are hell. hospital chairs? medieval torture devices with upholstery. even if someone’s trying to nap next to a patient, they’re not sleeping. They’re half-listening to the symphony of beeping machines, nurse shoes squeaking, the occasional cough, and distant Code Something crackling over the intercom. it’s anxiety with a blanket.

⊹ The smell is unforgettable, like it’s not just antiseptic. it’s plastic and cafeteria meatloaf and sweat and fear and the smell of a place where people are very much not okay. the first time your character walks in, it’ll hit them like a wall. later, they might not even notice, or maybe it’s the only thing they can smell for days after.

⊹ Talking to doctors is a weird performance. You're trying to be calm, they’re trying to be calm. But no one is calm, your character wants to ask 47 questions and not sound desperate. The doctor explains things like they’re narrating a science video, and when they leave, someone will immediately go “wait... we forgot to ask” every. single. time.

⊹ Monitors beep constantly. half the time, it’s nothing. A wire got loose, someone rolled over. But the second it is something, the vibe shifts fast. Nurses appear like ghosts, machines start going off, and everyone starts moving. And your character? they might freeze, or panic, or forget they have lungs. Go with whatever makes sense for them, but make it visceral.

⊹ Time goes full funhouse mirror. Ten minutes waiting for test results feels like a year. A full hour stretches into eternity, meanwhile, three hours can pass without anyone realizing it. You can use this in your pacing, make it drag when the waiting is unbearable.

⊹ Hospital cafeteria food: Garbage. It’s either offensively bland or stupidly overpriced. The grilled cheese is six dollars and tastes like regret, and someone will 100% cry into a cold sandwich at 3am, because grief doesn’t care where you are.

⊹ People start fixating on tiny, random things. They can’t control the big stuff, so their brain zeroes in on a sock slipping off, a crooked IV pole, the repetitive drip-drip-drip of medication. Let them obsess over something small, it’s how the brain copes with being completely powerless...

[locally-sourced-ghost]

A useful thing to know about AO3 tags is that they're wrangled by humans. A human being will read your tag, understand what it means*, and then connect that tag in the backend system to other tags that mean the same thing (if there are any)

that's why, for example, the tags

not beta read

no beta

no beta we die like men

no beta we die like mne

no beta we die like [insert character who dies in canon]

unbetad

unbeta'd

unbeta-d

un-beta'd

and a million more versions are all searchable and filterable if you just tag one of them. A Tag Wrangler (the job title of a human volunteer who manages AO3 tags) has made sure that AO3 understands that those are all synonyms, so AO3 treats them that way.

When you're tagging your fic, or searching for a fic, or filtering a tag to find or remove works from the list you do not have to use every possible version of a tag. You just need to pick one - unless using more is a stylistic choice you're making, in which case have at it.

*or research what it means - which is why wranglers really appreciate it if you put (OC) behind the name of your original characters so that they don't have to scour every source they can find to see if it's a named background character in canon.

[locally-sourced-ghost]

Get these ai writing assistants out of my face!!!! I don't care if my writing is bad at least it is mine!!!!