#I've Read All The fanfiction Available to me about them and reread many times I Love them so much

[probablytrapped]

There's been an ongoing debate for years between users on AO3 about whether or not people should be allowed to add works from other authors to collections.

Generally this debate is now over with the the default for a work to not allow others to add it to anything, meaning less and less works are available to add, which I really do think it is a shame. I understand the the general danger of losing fics since whoever was running the collection could make the works all anonymous, and the original author couldn't undo. That's pretty scary and annoying. Not sure exactly the the mechanics, but in general the issue stems from the fact collections were not designed for what users were ending up using it for.

Some argue that this is what the Bookmarks function is supposed to be, but I disagree. Bookmarks, while they can be either public or private, don't have the same social or organization power that collections had. (And if I'm remembering correctly, have a slightly stunted filter..)

Any reader could see what collection a work had been added to...And this is a bit of bad thing honestly, some fics have been added to SO many collections that it sometimes is a larger block than the actual tags. But that doesn't change the fact that it was a user built "what to read next" function.

I'm not suggesting that that's something that AO3 needs, I DO believe that a huge part of reading fanfiction is learning to fucking dig and search for what you want. But, user curated lists of recommendations? I don't see the harm in that. If often times is just a smaller pool to dive into rather than all of a specific tag or series.

Bookmarks aren't that easily delved into. Usually you might find an author you like and check out their bookmarks, but it isn't quite work the same as reading a specific fic and then seeing it's part of a collection called "NaruSasu timetravel fics I LOVE". Someone else also really loved that story! and here are some other works that they thought were similar! how nice!

If we COULD keep the collection system open and in use as it was or create something similar, I do think it would need some improvements:

Default number of viewable collections or rec lists should be capped at like 10, and then there's either a toggle to show more or a link to a new page with all the collections the fic is added to.

The ability to hide the collections list entirely from readers. It'll still be in the index page or something, but ultimately if authors don't want people redirecting to other things from their story....I get that.

I don't really love the idea of authors being able to remove their stories from a list, but that might be something to keep people appeased. But I don't think people should be able to opt out?? If there's no harm created by adding to a list I really don't see the point. Of course maybe someone starts a "Trash fic that should DIE!" kinda thing....anyway it's complicated

Being able to subscribe to a collection who be rad as hell. This unfortunately feeds into the social media aspect that I think AO3 tries to avoid, so I'm not sure if that would go over well. Maybe the people who run the collections can't have their accounts public on the collection page? dunno

And to spice things up, some general OTHER upgrades to AO3:

can i PLEASE get some easy to read indicator on a fic in the search level that i've read it before? There are so many extensions I've used over the years for this, but most of them break after a certain point...But I just need a "you've given kudos" or "you're subscribed" or SOMETHING. I don't mind rereading fics, but I don't love being Gandalf half the time!

In the same vein as above....just a personal status tracker button. Maybe it's visible on the front end, but anything really to indicate if it's "TBR", "Reading", "Finished", or "DNF". The "DNF" is kinda important to me. Since if I mark it, that means I gave up for A REASON. This should all be private an not visible to authors or anyone else.

I would like to see all the fics I've given a Kudos to. please.

[not-poignant]

Hi Pia

Just to be clear, will the old version of Fae Tales remain available on ao3 or will it be replaced with the newer edited versions?

I'd appreciate knowing so I'll know whether to download the older versions before their replaced.

Thanks x

Hi anon,

I've talked about this a lot over the years. But basically I have actually edited and tweaked all of my stories many times over the years firstly, so that's a thing that does happen and it's worth backing up versions (if you want to keep the typos and some of the continuity errors x.x)

Secondly, I will save the 'references to SAL' version of Game Theory, so that this version is always available. I'm still on the fence about whether I'll make the AO3 version fully original, I always said that I would, but that was before I made the decision to actually try publishing, and now I think I could probably keep both.

However, even if I do that, I get a lot of people saying they find Game Theory confusing - why was Augus defeated? What did he do wrong? What's the difference between Seelie and Unseelie fae? Etc. etc. Questions that got answered in SAL for some, and certainly get addressed in COFT and TIP, never get addressed in GT, and that's kind of an issue for a free serial that is meant to help people get interested in my writing.

Some people overcome that (or have no issue with it), but it really is the biggest barrier to folks picking up the series.

In that sense, I have considered adding extra scenes, and also removing the scenes that have been completely OOC for over 8+ years, like Gwyn masturbating early on in GT, or the spanking scene later on. Neither one fits Gwyn's character, and it's very quickly established after that - and then maintained for almost a decade afterwards - that they really don't fit his character.

Those inconsistencies might be charming for some, but they're actually really frustrating for me! I haven't been able to reread Game Theory for enjoyment for like 4+ years because of it.

So, will I fix those things to make GT have decent continuity of character and add new scenes to GT on AO3? Maybe. Will I keep the references to SAL? Maybe! This one's more likely, especially for the folks - the many of us - who love fanfiction and love AO3 and came to GT (including me) from fanfiction. There's always a transitional story for people who need it.

My biggest stumbling blocks are the character continuity issues.

Also for those who probably don't know, I've made some actually pretty big edits to SAL for character continuity re: Gwyn and Augus. Augus, in particular, has had some major reworking in that story (like 4-5 years ago).

Every single one of my stories gets edited over time, especially if I do rereads. Most don't get new scenes, but like... oof I'd say there's about 2000 extra words on Gwyn and Augus in SAL, and I remember I did an edit about 6 years ago which easily removed about 12,000 words.

No one's ever brought it up, so ideally the edits felt smooth and just made the reading process more enjoyable.

But yeah if you want old versions of anything I write, anon, save/download them.

But if I make big structural changes (removing scenes / removing chapters), I will make a back-up copy myself and host it on Dropbox or something for folks to download going forwards. But hopefully they try the edited version too :)

[forest-of-stories]

Throwback Thursday, Fandom Edition: "You're from way, way out of state."

One of my favorite podcasts, The Worst Bestsellers, recently released an episode on books 20-21 of Animorphs, aka the "David arc." (They carefully stated at the beginning why they don't consider those books to fall under the category of "worst"). At one point, their guest remarked that she'd once had a crush on Ax, the young Andalite refugee who struggled to understand human society, and had self-insert fantasies in which she dated him.

To which I can only reply, "SAME."

Like many of my peers, I had Very Intense Feelings about Animorphs when I was growing up in the late 90s. I've shared posts about it from time to time, and I've seen seen plenty of other people – on Tumblr and elsewhere – reflect on how well the series explored the emotional toll of having to save the world in secret while still attending middle school. Often, these discussions include sentiments like "I was expecting cute adventures about shapeshifting kids and instead I got body horror and war crimes!"

I never actually finished reading the series; my interest started to fade shortly after the very books discussed in that episode, and I found out how the story unfolded – including many of the horrors that those Tumblr posts described – more or less entirely through cultural osmosis. But for about a year before I stopped following them, each book was an automatic purchase, the foundation of a constant obsession, and the reason why I later used HTML brackets to indicate telepathic conversation in my unrelated fanfiction. Ax was my favorite character, partly because I also sometimes felt like I'd come from another planet and struggled to understand humans. (My crush on a fictional alien did not exactly help me feel less alone.)

The Alien, the eighth book in the series and the first one that Ax narrates entirely, might have been the one that I reread the most, and that Older Sister and I quoted to each other just as frequently. Consequently, she bought a poster of that book's cover art from the original artist, David Mattingly, and gave it to me for my 36th birthday in 2021. I took this awkward selfie shortly after I brought it home.

The poster, now framed, sits in the living room of the apartment that I share with two other Millennial nerds. If you're like me, and regretfully gave away your copies, at least some of the original books may be available digitally from your local library; you can check their Overdrive/Libby collections if you're curious. If I wrote down any of my own self-insert stories about my fictional alien boyfriend, I no longer have access to them, but I am still delighted every time I read a blog post, or hear a comment on a podcast, that suggests that I wasn't alone in my feelings after all.

[eurydicees]

Hi! I'm doing a school design project and I've decided to have a go at designing a Archive of Our Own app! I was wondering if you might be up for answering some questions to help me with my design (I need to show research in my project!)

If you are, answers to these would be SUPER helpful!

How long have you been engaging fanfiction sites such as Archive of our own, Fanfiction.net and Wattpad? 

What are some of your favourite works or fandoms on those sites? 

Are you a writer as well as a reader?

What drew you to these platforms and why do you stay? 

How long have you been engaging with the site Archive of Our Own specifically? 

What does your engagement with the platform look like? 

How often do you engage with the platform?

What are your favourite aspects of the platform? 

Do you think that you engage with all of the elements available on the platform?

Are there any elements of the platform that frustrate you? 

Of the fanfiction sites you frequent, where would you rank the site as a whole and why?

What do other platforms have that Archive of Our Own does not, which you enjoy interacting with? 

Are there any features unique to Archive of Our Own that you enjoy?

If Archive of Our Own were to develop a mobile app, what features would you like to see? 

Would you like the app to be similar in aesthetic and function to the already established website?

Are there any features you would like to see added to the platform in the app?

If you're not interested no worries! Thanks so much

hi there!! i'm happy to help! i loooove talking and answering questions. under the cut bc this is long but here u go:

1. How long have you been engaging fanfiction sites such as Archive of our own, Fanfiction.net and Wattpad? 

uhhhhhh probably since middle school, maybe a little earlier if we're counting that sweet sweet deviantart and quotev fanfic. so 2012ish maybe? i first made an account and start publishing on wattpad in march 2015 though!

2. What are some of your favourite works or fandoms on those sites? 

oh man i have too many favorites to count. i cannot narrow it down to a list. i reread this one recently though and according to my ao3 history i've visited the page 20 times so like. im gonna rec this one for today.

3. Are you a writer as well as a reader?

yeah!!! read my fics here. please. oh my god. please read them. im begging everyone to read my fics. i just published a new one. the second chapter will be up tomorrow oh my god please read it.

4. What drew you to these platforms and why do you stay? 

when i first started writing/reading fanfic on wattpad, i was specifically really drawn to the community that was on there! i felt so safe and welcomed by everyone in that space and that was really exciting for me. shoutout to those guys. on ao3, i really love how easy to navigate the website is, specifically the search and post new work functions. similarly, i love how kind most people have been to me but ao3 is less about the community for me than wattpad was--i think the differing natures of the commenting function on both website create a different space, as well as the fact that you can't dm on ao3. ao3 isn't meant as social media (even if some of us use it like that)--and that's fine!--but you can tell lol. i think i'm more drawn to ao3 than wattpad nowadays because of how much more accessible it is (no account needed 90% of the time, no ads, better search bar, etc.) and how much easier it is to read on there.

5. How long have you been engaging with the site Archive of Our Own specifically? 

i first made an account and started posting in 2019! i was doing the pjo/hoo big bang and needed an account to participate so i caved and requested an invite, and i haven't looked back since.

6. What does your engagement with the platform look like? 

a lot of reading, a lot of writing! i use the mark for later button a lot.

7. How often do you engage with the platform?

like, a lot. honestly. its kind of bad how much i use ao3.

8. What are your favourite aspects of the platform? 

like i said above, i LOVE that i can mark fics for later and come back to them when i have more time or brain capacity or interest or whatever. that's one of my favorite buttons to press. i also really like how easy it is to see comments that people have left on my work! also there are no ads and that's like, holy grail of features these days.

9. Do you think that you engage with all of the elements available on the platform?

i like to this i take advantage of most of the website, but while i know that other people do this and the feature does get used, i don't personally subscribe to fics or users. i have all email notifications off except for the add to collections requests lol. i also don't personally make collections, but it's a cool feature anyways and i don't mind being in other people's collections (i consider it an honor!).

10. Are there any elements of the platform that frustrate you? 

this is objectively a hot take but tbqh i don't love that my fics can be downloaded to people's personal devices. i have heard the plethora of reasons people do it and i know how many people do it and i know that it's , like, not something i can control or fight against so im not even gonna try, but i uh. don't love that, personally. i can see why people like the feature and i get it, honestly i do, i just. yeah. it's not my favorite thing.

11. Of the fanfiction sites you frequent, where would you rank the site as a whole and why?

ao3 is the only fanfiction site i frequent these days! i'm not counting tumblr because i don't like the format of reading fics on here lol.

12. What do other platforms have that Archive of Our Own does not, which you enjoy interacting with? 

ooooh hm. i simultaneously really like and don't like that you can't send dms on ao3. i liked that kind of direct contact you had with your readers on wattpad, but that contact just isn't really part of ao3's mission and i get that!

13. Are there any features unique to Archive of Our Own that you enjoy?

marked for later! aaaa!! my beloved!!!

14. If Archive of Our Own were to develop a mobile app, what features would you like to see? 

i think i'd like it to stay similar to the website tbh. there's not much i'm looking for in an app that isn't already in the website.

15. Would you like the app to be similar in aesthetic and function to the already established website?

oh definitely! i think if it was too different it wouldn't feel like ao3 and i wouldn't enjoy using it so much.

16. Are there any features you would like to see added to the platform in the app?

hm. we can block users now which is a win but it'd be interesting to be able to block tags. you can exclude them from the search, but it'd be nice to not even have to worry about doing that.

i hope this helps!! best of luck with your project :D

[beingatoaster]

G, O, and S?

G - Do you remember your first OTP, if so who was in it

I do, in fact! Regis and Danilo from the Darkover books (Heritage of Hastur, I think? It's been a long, long time since I reread any Darkover), who were overtly attracted to each other and had so much tension and everything. I think it was the first time I'd seen non-hetero desire written that explicitly, and tbh I originally read it too young to understand a lot of the explicit bits of it, but I knew that they were pining and the angst tore at my tiny prepubescent heartstrings and I was infuriated when that book ended as it does.

(It is the Darkover book I reread most recently, which was still 7-10 years ago, because I answered a question like this on a similar meme and the two of them sprang into my head. And I recall from the reread that the Regis/Danilo sections read like angsty M/M fanfiction, from the evil rapist character going after the delicate psychic woobie to the incredibly charged fever-and-delirium scene in the... cave? abandoned cabin? wherever it was. And then the ending, while fitting very much with the rest of Darkover overall and being realistic for the setting, feels almost like a betrayal of that vibe. Like! Fits the society! Is very much both of them having to move on from their intense angsty teenage feelings to become adults in a psuedo-feudal social structure! But if it had been the fanfic it felt like then Danilo would've gotten over his religious reservations and not been adopted by his rapist (as an apology because it meant that he would inherit the guy's shit, but... was always skeevy, and knowing what we know now about MZB does now feel, like, extra skeevy) and he and Regis would've actually gotten together, and even if the actual ending was more series-appropriate the part of me that fell in love with them still really wants that. Goddamnit I still have so many fucking feelings about this.)

O - Choose a song at random, which ship or character does it remind you of

Okay, shuffle pulled up Bravado, by Rush, and since my head is full of Genshin these days, my very first thought is of the Nameless Bard (and the rest of the fighters in that group).

S - Show us an example of your personal headcanon (prompts optional but encouraged)

Trying to think of a headcanon that I haven't already put over on the Genshin blog. XD;; I don't know how explicit I've ever been about the Fredrica-Seamus-Crepus triangle that I think of as backstory to the Kaeya-Diluc-Jean triad? But I've ended up with a very solid headcanon, as in I don't think I've written anything where it isn't the background I'm automatically using, that Seamus and Crepus were friends because Crepus was, at the time, head of the Wine Guild, and as Seneschal Seamus dealt with him a lot; to Fredrica he was just Seamus' friend, not anyone particularly important and tbh a bit annoying in his focus on failing to be/wanting Diluc to be a Knight. And then Seamus and Fredrica broke up, for whatever reason I give them in that particular timeline (that's more flexible), and Crepus, seeing Fredrica likely to get both girls, promptly swung into action and pulled on all the strings he had available to arrange for the current split-custody arrangement. And that's why in all my fics Fredrica hates him and Diluc. :>`

[roseymoseyberry]

Hey.. I need your help. So I've been writing fic for awhile now but have never posted them online until recently. And i got positive feedbacks right which made me love writing even more. My readers are all so nice and they're patiently waiting for updates which i had written halfway. Anyway life kept me busy for awhile buT now i can't get back into fics.. Rereading my fic i only see flaws and now with each new comment i received i just get overwhelmed. Kinda wanna delete my ao3.. What do i do

I’m so sorry it took my a couple days to get back to you anon. Life has been... well, life, lmao.

But ok, listen. I absolutely feel you. I went through a writer’s block as recently as this past summer/early fall for... I want to say two or three months at least? It was rough. I hated reading over my own stuff because it all just read as terrible to me, the pace rushed and dialogue bad, etc etc etc. (and lord almighty, don’t get me STARTED on how I felt when I realized I was abandoning a fic from an old fandom oops)

It’s hard to get out of that. And ultimately every writer is a little different, so I can only tell you how I get out of ruts.

Before we get to how to start writing again though, I want to say that if you’re overwhelmed by the stress of thinking of reader’s waiting for more? Officially put the fic on Hiatus. Edit your summary to say “This fic is on Hiatus” so that you know that anyone reading it knows it could be a very, very long time, if ever. I have only really needed to do that once, but found it helped to take the pressure off. If you receive email notifications for comments, maybe turn those off for a while. Come back to them later.

Ok, and now. My big, fancy, all important advice:

For me, the number 1 objective is to force yourself to get words down on the page. To get yourself writing again, you need to fucking write.

There’s a couple different strategies I’ve try when I’m stuck.

One of the first is to reread the story I want to work on. That usually works if it’s the kind of block that isn’t about hating my writing so much as just staring at the page and not knowing how to word. In your case and with that specific kind of feeling though, it may not be so relevant because yeah. Right now your writing feels like shit to you. So this is something to consider for future blocks.

The next thing I’ll usually do is just. Brute force it. I force myself to write a sentence, and won’t let myself delete it. And I’ll keep forcing myself to write until I’ve got at least a paragraph or two. It’ll be slow, and it will be painful, and it will feel like I’m writing the worst writing in the world. Just absolute garbage.

But a paragraph or two will eventually roll over into more, and usually when I reread over it later I’ll realize it wasn’t nearly as bad as it had felt like it was at the time. And the most important thing is I’m getting back into the flow of the fic. Often from that point the rest just falls back into place.

Brute forcing it by yourself can be tricky though. If you’re not sure how to get yourself to do that, look into some writing tools to motivate you to just get down words as fast as you can! A couple suggestions I have are:

Word Sprints: This website is just one way to do this particular exercise, but I found it super helpful in the past! Word sprint/word wars/speed runs/etc are basically a game-like situation where you and other writers have a set amount of time to write as many words as you can. The Word Sprints website has 25 minute spans with 5 minute breaks, and you can either join the global one (which I don’t recommend lmao) or you can make your own group and invite other writers to it. This specific site allows you to see how many words the other folks in the group have written in real time, so it can help motivate through fun competition if that’s something that appeals to you.

You don’t have to be constrained by the site though. I’m part of a TF fan content creators discord where folks sometimes just run our own, usually with more like just 10 or 15 minute long sprints and then everyone shares how many words they wrote at the end of the sprint. It can be a really nice way to change the focus away from the quality of the words your putting down to the quantity. Because listen -- you can always go back and edit lower quality writing, but you can’t do anything with no writing to work with at all, you feel?

(If you happen to be in the TF fandom and feel comfortable messaging me off anon, feel free to do so and I’ll definitely send you an invite to the discord. It’s really nice to have a space to talk with other writers and problem solve with folks who know the pain, haha)

Fighter’s Block: If something that involves other people doesn’t appeal, no worries! This web app is basically a simple little rpg style game. You put in a word count that you want to reach (so maybe something as little as 100 or 200 words) and then you go into a fight. In this case you’re motivated to write fast because your health goes down while you’re idle, and the enemy’s health is your word count, so you defeat them by reaching your word count. It’s a fun little game and is a great alternative to word sprints.

I know there’s other similar sites, so don’t be afraid to search for a tool that fits you.

Another way you might be able to get words out is by abandoning where you left off for now and writing another scene that you’re excited about. I personally don’t do this because I have to write in order -- I just have to!!!! -- but I know a LOT of writers who bounce around and then knit the scenes together.

Or really, just mix it up in general. Do you always write at home? Try taking your laptop to a coffee shop for the express purpose of writing. That’s something I do a LOT. Always write on a computer? Try writing on your phone. I’ve even seen a post going around about changing your font to comic sans and that helping! Shake things up. Try something new. You might find something that works better for you!

Mmmmm I think that’s about all the advice I have personally since those are my go to’s. But keep in mind it’s not the end of the world if that doesn’t work for you -- all writers are different!! If I’ve learned anything from talking to other writers, it’s that we all have different ways we do it, different tools and formats and styles and all of it.

And ultimately? Don’t forget that fanfiction is about self-indulgence. It’s about you! If it’s stressing you out way too much, take a break. Put that shit on hiatus. Turn off notifications from ao3. Leave it alone for a while. You do you. Ultimately, while it may feel cruel, you don’t owe your readers anything. You’re doing this hobby because you like to, and you shared it with them by choice.

If the need is strong enough that you want to delete, look into orphaning your works. That way it’s no longer connected to you in any way, but it’s still available to readers.

I wish you only the best, Anon, and can only hope I was of any help at all, haha