#and that people are subscribed to emails on ao3 for when I update

[b-o-e]

your wally fics are absolutely one of the best here! i find myself always checking your blog for any new posts 😭 ❤️💛💙

gawwhsgahshhahah you’re making me blush so hardbafhshsahbdbs

THANK YOU!! it means so much to me for you to say that :’) I got the stupidest grin on my face rn GAHAHAH

[hjbender]

I keep getting comments on WIPs from readers—some who are registered AO3 users—expressing some form of “I like this story and check regularly for updates”. I don’t know if this is a permutation of “I can’t wait for an update” or if people genuinely don’t know about AO3’s Subscribe button.

Subscribing to a story automatically sends an email notification to the subscriber whenever the story is updated.

I don’t want to seem patronizing by mentioning subscriptions, but I also don’t want readers to be working so hard keeping up with a fic when there’s an easier solution. Or am I taking a compliment too literally?

(Please reblog for farther reach)

[nyoomerr]

the only time i start seriously eyeing up my subscriber count on ao3 is when im trying to figure out if there are statistically enough of yall receiving email updates for when i post any new work that i might be able to indoctrinate a whole bunch of people into a tiny fandom

[ginnyruin]

Altered State by ginnyruin announcement:

TL;DR: I’m rewriting my fic and will be posting two chapters a week until we reach the new update, Chapter 55. I’m excited to share the changes, including new characterizations and scenes, and new artwork by Nurchie.

long message:

Hi everyone,

I’ve been working on a rewrite on and off since I took a break last year. There were times when I wasn’t sure I’d continue — burnout can be tough— but revisiting the old chapters slowly drew me back in. What started as fixing a few things I wasn’t happy with eventually turned into a full rewrite. 

I initially intended to release Chapter 55 without sharing the rewrite first, especially since I know some readers have been waiting for a continuation of the story. I really didn’t want to disappoint. However, I realized that wouldn’t do the story justice.

I thought it might be best to release two chapters a week until we reach the new content with Chapter 55.

Subscribers on Ao3 won’t be getting any emails about these updates.

Just one email when the fic is first taken out of the collection because Ao3 does that automatically, and another when Chapter 55 goes live. I’ll be updating the date of the fic whenever a new chapter of the rewrite is posted, so it may appear in the tags for anyone who’s looking for it.

I might post update news here... but I really don't want to annoy people.

I won’t be deleting the original chapter webpages (since I deeply treasure your comments), but for now, they’ll serve as temporary pages even if it's empty. I know the word count and chapter count might look odd, but I hope you all understand.

I’ve deleted and rewritten entire chapters, reworked characterizations (Abraxas Malfoy for one, is so much more the original Death Eater you expect him to be). The atmosphere has become a little darker, everyone is slightly more miserable, but there will be some more humor too. While the essence of the story and most of the narrative progression remains the same, it feels like a deeper, more complete version now.

I’m also incredibly excited to share that Nurchie has repainted some of the older artwork, adding new details that reflect how her art and the story have evolved together. She’s also painted some jaw-droppingly gorgeous, brand-new pieces for the rewrite scenes, which I can’t wait for you to see. I’ve been eagerly following her progress with each new piece, and her work never fails to inspire me. She’s also my beta reader and has been such a huge source of encouragement and joy, and I couldn’t be more grateful.

Nurchie and I are both doing this purely for the joy of it in our free time. It’s a passion project for us, and we’re genuinely excited to share it with you. We’re not active on social media and aren’t making any money from this. It’s just something we love to create. 

Thanks so much for your ongoing support—whether you choose to revisit the rewrite or wait until it’s all finished, or not read the rewrite at all, I truly appreciate every bit of engagement. Your comments and thoughts here and on Ao3 have motivated me more than you know, and I’m excited to share this updated version with you.

[wolfjackle-creates]

Hi!! I haven't been on Tumblr for a while but I used to read a fic you made out of a prompt (?) Someone else made about Danny who freaked out when he realized the Waynes are the Bats and accidentally shot Bruce(?) And if I'm not mistaken you made a part 2 of it (idr remember if it was a wip or finished) but do you have a masterlist so I can re-read it :D? So sorry if I sound weird (´⌒｀;)

It is absolutely never weird to ask an author about their works!!!! Thanks so much for sending this in.

It's been ages since I've worked on this one, but it's definitely on my short list to get back to. Especially since I'm pretty close to having it finished?

Here's chapter 1 on AO3. And the Subscription Post.

Chapter 2 is limited to Tumblr right now, only two parts currently. Part 1 can be found here.

Currently it's called Want to Hold on and Feel I Belong. However, when I do start updating on AO3 again, I plan to change the name. (I'm just waiting so people who have subscribed are more likely to remember what they're getting an email about.) Mostly I refer to it as my Bad Reveal AU. Though I get that's not a great working name as that's usually reserved for the Fenton parents reacting badly rather than Danny reacting badly.

Also, as a thanks for reminding me that it's been a while since I've posted anything about this fic (or, well, in general), have the next bit!

Here's a random 1.5k.

Previous

-----

Having a potential lead so close meant the hours until J’onn’s arrival were spent in prep mode.

Every uniform had to be checked for the slightest damage and upgrades done where possible. Supplies and go-bags were organized so they could leave the moment they had a lead. Fuel levels in every vehicle were checked and topped off where necessary.

And finally, the zeta tube activated and J’onn stepped out. “Good day to all of you. I heard my assistance was needed?”

Bruce went to greet him. “J’onn. Danny’s room is upstairs. Did Clark explain the situation?”

“Yes. He said that your newest ward has density shifting powers and left things behind in his walls and floor before running away a few days ago.”

Bruce nodded sharply. “Follow me. Clark will show you where the items are hidden so you can retrieve them.”

Dick happily zipped up what felt like the hundredth bag he’d had to pack and joined them. “Hey, J’onn. Welcome. How have you been?”

“Greetings, Dick. It has been a long time since our last meeting. I have been well. I want to wish you luck in finding your brother swiftly and easily.”

Dick nodded his thanks. “Same. We’re really hoping he left behind something to help because we haven’t had much luck so far.” Dick pulled out his phone and notified the family of J’onn’s arrival and requested they meet in Danny’s room.

On the way, Bruce and Dick filled J’onn in on the situation. At the implication of government experimentation, he face went hard and he vowed he would help them however he could.

Clark, Jason, and Alfred were already there when the group arrived and the rest weren’t far behind. With everyone present, the room felt crowded.

“Where should I start?” J’onn asked Clark.

“Behind the NASA poster. I think that’s where he keeps the weapons. One of them is an object that looks like it might be the same as, or at least similar to, the weapon that shot Bruce.”

Under Clark’s direction, J’onn removed not just two more energy guns, but also a glowing-green net, a boomerang, a tube of lipstick, what looked like a weird, high-tech thermos, and a wooden baseball bat with a sticker that said “Fenton” on it.

Dick couldn’t help but whistle at the pile. “Damn, he was packing all this?”

“Apparently,” said Damian. But Dick could tell his youngest brother was impressed and mentally reassessing his beliefs of Danny. “Perhaps he is not as helpless as I previously believed.”

“Why’s he got lipstick?” asked Steph as she picked up the tube.

“Don’t!” ordered Bruce even as she opened it and released a laser beam that left a small scorch mark on the ceiling.

She stared in shock before laughing. “Oh, damn! When he comes back, I’m so asking if he could get me one of these. That’s so cool!”

“Can I see that?” asked Barbara.

“Wait until we’re in the cave,” said Bruce with a sigh. Both women grinned at him.

Dick reached down and grabbed the net. Despite the color, it seemed normal enough, maybe a little smoother than most rope he’d handled. He pulled out a pocket knife and was able to slice through one of the ropes easily enough. Jason came over to look at it with him.

“Anything weird about it?” he asked as he reached out to touch it. “Huh, that’s odd.”

“What’s odd about it? Seems pretty normal to me.”

“It just… It feels weird. It almost hurts to touch.” When Dick looked at him sharply, Jason quickly added, “It doesn’t hurt, but it feels like it should. If that makes sense.”

“Feels normal to me.” Dick showed him the break he’d made.

Jason shrugged. “Dunno, then. I just get a weird feeling from it.”

Damian picked up the energy gun, Tim the thermos, and Duke the boomerang when Alfred cleared his throat.

“Before we get distracted, might I remind you that there is more to find? We can bring everything down to the cave to examine them with no more damage to Master Danny’s room.”

Everyone sheepishly put down the things they were holding. Dick bit back a laugh when he noticed Clark push the baseball bat away from himself with his foot.

“So, J’onn,” Clark said. “I think the next area of interest is behind this poster.” He gestured at a poster of the horsehead nebula. Dick had helped Danny find it and hang it up and the kid had talked about nebulae for over an hour as they did. The memory caused his eyes to burn.

From this stash, J’onn pulled some notebooks and two external hard drives, which Barbara took. Dick and Bruce both grabbed a notebook. Dick opened his to the first page.

Journaling is such a stupid idea. I don’t have any time for it but Jazz says I need to get my feelings out. Pointless. So what if I can’t sleep and Skulker attacked me again today during English getting me another detention. Its not my fault! Shit, haven’t done that essay for Lancer. If I miss any more assignments he’s gonna fail me for real.

Everyone knew Danny had been failing before he’d been brought to them, but he’d refused to discuss why. Once he was in school in Gotham, he’d gotten straight A’s. Even if he did ask for the occasional help in English from Jason.

But this raised so many questions. Who was Skulker and why were they attacking Dick’s little brother during English class. He flipped through the pages. Interspersed between journal entries were drawings of schematics. Dick thought he recognized some of the designs as the weapons they’d uncovered.

His eyes caught on an entry that started with a string of curses.

Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck. My parents saw Dani today. In ghost form. They actually managed to hit her. Only her second visit and I couldn’t keep her safe. Some big brother dad cousin whatever I am. I did get her to the Far Frozen. Frostbite fixed her up. Taught me what to do if it happens again, too. And gave me the medicines and supplies to do it. I’m so glad I have friends in the Zone now. It makes it so much easier. I can’t get the image of Dani’s blood staining my hands out of my mind. Going to Tuck’s tonight. I can’t be around my parents right now.

Stomach dropping, he flipped a few more pages until he found one with a photo. It was a grinning Danny with white hair and wearing a jumpsuit standing on a curved balcony. Behind him, spire buildings rose into the air, many rounded in a way not often found on Earth.

Clockwork took me to Mars today! Holy shit it is so cool. Just, everything. We went back to when they were thriving and I had to stop an invasion. But that’s not important. Everyone here can go intangible despite being alive. Some of their buildings don’t even have doors because they’d be pointless! And the plants and animals are all so different, too. Clockwork helped me find some books on Martian history and biology and evolution. He’s also gonna show me where the Martians exist in the Zone so I can learn their language. Maybe one day I can go to Krypton or Tamaran as well?

Dick stared back at the picture. It did have that distinctive feel of wrong that extraterrestrial landscapes always had. He swallowed. “Uh, J’onn?”

“Yes, Dick?”

“Um, Danny. This is his journal. He said he went to Mars. Before… Just, before. He’s got a picture. Is this real?” He handed the photo to J’onn who hesitated a moment before taking it.

J’onn froze as he stared at the simple image. “I… Yes. This is my home. How…?”

Dick shrugged and wished he had an answer for the last of the Martians. “Someone called Clockwork brought him there apparently. To stop some sort of invasion? He didn’t discuss that much. He was too interested in the planet and people to talk about what he did. He was hoping to visit Krypton and Tamaran, too. Also said something about Martians existing somewhere he called the Zone. He wanted to meet them to learn the language.”

The look on J’onn’s face at the mention of other Martians existing somewhere was heartbreaking. Maybe Dick shouldn’t have said anything? When Danny came home, would he maybe want to talk to J’onn about Mars?

With clear reluctance, J’onn handed the picture back. “This is your brother in the photo?”

“Yeah. I mean, Danny usually has black hair and blue eyes, but that’s him. Do you recognize him?”

J’onn nodded. “Of course. He is the Omen. His coming foretells death and destruction which he will then try to avert. I know what invasion he is speaking of, it is, was, taught in our history books. He saved all of Mars that day. We thought him a god.”

Dick’s mouth fell open. His little brother? A god?

-----

Did you enjoy your little surprise update tonight? Let me know what you think!

[elodieunderglass]

Thank you @sweetlyfez for tagging me!

rules: give us the links to your fics with the most hits, second most kudos, third most comments, fourth most bookmarks, fifth most words, and fic with the fewest words.

First Most Hits: Strange Pilgrims (Good Omens) / complete / 127k words. A large and ambitious fic about a lot of things and - alarmingly - having an actual plot, but it excuses that by also having jokes in it. 55,424 hits.

Second Most Kudos: His Delicious Materials (Dungeon Meshi / Delicious in Dungeon, daemon AU) / WIP / 59k words. Winnie the Pooh by way of Nona the Ninth, narrated by a large dog. 1500 kudos.

Third Most Comments: Weasel Heart in Defiance (Dungeon Meshi / Delicious in Dungeon, daemon AU) / WIP / The Hobbit by way of Night Watch, narrated by a guy who is NOT a protagonist. 610 comments (367 comment threads)

Fourth Most Bookmarks: The First Great Poem (even the furies would weep) (Mad Max: Fury Road) / terminally unfinished / a really pretty concept and strong voice, but I just didn’t have enough of a plan to pull it off! 39 bookmarks (30 public + 9 private.)

Fifth Most Words: Odds Abridged (Dick Francis, Sid Halley series / complete / content warning for horselessness. this is literally just a parody that I wrote this week in a fever dream hahaha. 4,816 words

Fic With Fewest Words: Sharpe’s Daemon (Sharpe, daemon AU) / complete / my precious and most stupid baby I love you so much. What is Richard Sharpe’s daemon and how would you win a fight with it? (2,265 words)

——————

Regarding public and private bookmarks - if people tick the “private” option when they bookmark, you won’t see the count on the fic page, but you can still see them on your Statistics page. Find your Statistics page on your ao3 main dashboard.

Here you can see on the fic’s public page that His Delicious Materials has 410 public bookmarks.

But if you look at your Statistics page - you’ll see that if you count a different way, it has 567 bookmarks - they just did so privately!

This tabs also separates comments into “comment threads.” So if you reply to all comments, or if people have wonderful conversations in the comments, you can see the different data patterns!

It’s also where subscriptions are, which can also be interesting. Subscribers are people who have signed up to get an email when you update, which is a different mechanism from bookmarking (and IIRC, doesn’t require an Ao3 account.)

Anyway!!

Tagging @girlmercury @andlightplay @skydaemon @kedreeva @gallusrostromegalus if you’d like to play!

[azumasoroshi]

some of yall gotta lock tf in cuz i was reading a fic today where the author marked their fic as completed when it wasn’t and so the first chapter ended on a hella cliffhanger

and one of the comments was like “omg this is so good is there gonna be a part 2??? cuz that is an illegal cliffhanger” and the author was like “omg yes thank you there’ll be a part 2!! i only marked it as completed because people avoid unfinished fics”

like. should you not mark unfinished fics as completed? yeah no dont do that. should yall motherfuckers ALSO be reading unfinished fics so that this isn’t a problem? YEAHHHHH MAYBE

i fucking LOVE reading unfinished fics cuz that means i get to write comments about how much i loved the latest chapter without irrationally worrying that something i say will be disproven in the next already existing chapter LMFAO like it’s fun!!! all you gotta do is:

write a short summary of what happened in your bookmarks and note down what chapter it’s on out of how many, eg. gojo gets hit with suguru coffee blast meet cute 1/?

if it’s really short atm eg. <2k words 1 chapter, just put like some random word eg. explosion 1/? and you can just relive the experience blindly again when you come back to enjoy it. have fun with this one by the way, ive done some really obscure ass words/memes where i dont know what the hell they have to do with the story when i come back to it and then i read it again and im like OHHH I GET IT NOW. and sometimes i never understand what past me had in mind when writing it which is really funny it’s like a time capsule

^pro tip you can also do this for fics that are finished. literally anything. have FUN with your BOOKMARKS they’re so easily customizable and if you get self conscious you can always just make them private lol

subscribe OR just periodically scroll through your bookmarks OR mark it for later OR use original tags to mark it as unfinished or like. literally anything idfk

if you feel like being a real chad and leaving a comment it’s super easy too you can just be like omg love x scene that happened in this chapter it was so angsty/cute/crazy/unexpected/insert adjective and i loved it/im rolling on the floor/im dying/im in the ambulance, cant wait for next chapter xoxo heart emoji like it’s THAAAT easy. said by someone with dogshit social anxiety and a tendency to overthink every action ive ever made, IT’S THAT EASY!!

and like. boom. that’s it. you get new content from fics you love delivered straight to your door!! hello??? even if they never update again are you really gonna mourn the loss of like 10 seconds of your time. cmon you’re already on ao3 for hours at a time like. lock INNNNNNN

me personally i get so much fuckin shit in my emails that i can’t turn off notifs for. so when i get a notification that some fic i dont even remember updated i get hyped as SHIT because finally some good fucking FOOD!! even if i dont remember it right now i must’ve liked it enough to subscribe to it and i know my taste better than anyone else so it must be good shit lmfao…and if it’s a fic i REMEMBER then it’s like YEAHHHHH BABY. do you even comprehend how many times ive checked my phone at the bus stop and gotten a notif from either a fic or author i’ve subscribed to and just. instantly start grinning like a maniac because YESSSSSSS

can personally attest that this has happened multiple times from ao3 user hollow_lime_green (Hanatamago) and many other authors. do ittt. brighten up your day. pspspspsp do itttttttttt

[brokenlovesong]

felt like posting a small snippet of the Chetpop fic I’m currently working on :)

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

Sodapop dropped to his back before taking another hit and probably could’ve stayed, undisturbed where he laid, for the rest of the night had he not been ripped from his thoughts by the aggressive footsteps breaking apart nature with every stomp. Cracking open one eye by a sliver, he could vaguely make out the banana yellow sleeve of the overpriced jacket all the football meatheads sported.

Just dandy.

There are very few people Soda actually wanted to see in that moment and a West Side tool bag was not one of them.

“I’m telling you now, rich boy. Turn around and go right back to your castle made out of cheese that you came from because I ain’t in the mood for sharing land.”

Chet scoffed. The sound of liquid swirling at the bottom of an empty bottle filled his ears and reminded him of Buck’s. “Who died and made you king? As far as I’m aware, we’re on neutral grounds.”

“But barely. I could chuck a rock at your head right now and if I missed, it may stumble onto Greaser territory.”

The footsteps grew closer and closer until when Sodapop opened his eyes, the slimy face of a no-good money bag was kneeling right in front of him. So close he could push a hand out and send Chet toppling backward onto his ass. That option sounded appealing. “You probably can’t even spell ‘territory’.”

Despite the mostly empty bottle and his breath reeking of alcohol when he leaned in far too close for comfort, Chet’s words didn’t seem slurred enough to indicate intoxication. That meant either he was drunk and a world renown actor, or he was sober as a nun.

That didn’t matter, though. Soda knew if he wanted to— and he really wanted to— he’d win a fight if he picked one. Chet was tall. But all his muscles came from football. Soda’s came from brawling with his buddies.

But, as much as his fist twitched with a desire to swing, his muscles ached in more places than he knew he had muscles in. And he was tired. Overly exhausted from everything life had thrown at him as of recently. So he decided to give Chet an out and he’d let the other boy decide his fate. “Get your face out of mine before I rearrange it.” He thought it was polite of him to give Chet the option.

more fics like this one on my ao3! subscribe if you want an email when I finish it or follow my tumblr for updates

[thenerdyindividual]

You don’t have to read WIPs. There’s plenty of reasons people may not want to, ranging from “I have poor memory and forget everything by the next update” to “I don’t want to invest in something that might not be finished.” But that can be very discouraging for writers, especially ones who have just started posting for the first time. It’s not a reader’s job to handle writers’ emotions, true, but we all need encouragement from time to time. Especially when we first start something new.

My suggestion for when you find a fic that sounds interesting but is still a WIP? Use the subscribe function on AO3. It can be found at the top of every work posted to AO3, and all you have to do is click it, and you’re done.

[id the top of a work on AO3 showing the chapter buttons, bookmark button, and subscribe button]

You’ll receive email updates every time a new chapter is posted, and you’ll be able to see when the final chapter of a WIP is posted so you can read from the beginning. Just leave a quick comment for the author letting them know you’ve subscribed and are just waiting for it to finish. This provides encouragement for people who may be struggling with confidence or motivation, without forcing you to commit to something that doesn’t work for you.

[whxtedreams]

Oath Broken and Soul Bound Masterlist

A WItch Hunter!Din Djarin x OFC!Witch Series

Tales of witch meetings, gruesome and horrific, were used to fan the flames of fear and ensure the harsh punishment and persecution of those accused of witchcraft. The subsequent actions born out of the fear and hatred for witches were far worse than the stories that inspired them. The persecution and killings of those accused of witchcraft were not just ruthless, but often downright brutal.

**Blurb is subject to change until i begin writing**

Astaria Lowell had sworn to never take a life. So when Astaria is staring down at the Kingdom’s deadliest Witch Hunter that she had nearly killed, she must do what she can to save him. Which involved bringing the Hunter into her coven… full of Witches. As his health returned, Astaria realised three things. Din Djarin had not killed her. He was now wanted by the Lords for breaking his oath and she was to be tried as a Witch. They were both set to burn for their crimes. They needed to escape the Lords, but they couldn’t do it alone.

A Witch with forbidden magic. A Witch Hunter turned oath breaker.  A pathological liar nobody trusts. A Dragon Rider without his Dragons. A grieving father with a trigger happy finger.

Five unlikely… friends, all needing a way out of the Kingdom for their own selfish reasons.

One impossible task they might be able to complete if they don’t get each other killed in the process. Or rather, kill each other.

Main Current Tags

WItch Hunter!Din Djarin, OFC!Witch, witch hunts, violence, author has researched but is still learning, forbidden love, Third person POV, fantasy AU, world building, pirate!Ezra, Dragon Rider!Frankie, Joel Miller just wants to be left alone,

Chapter List

word count // 1.8k

Part 1

1. The Hunter // 1.8k

Part 2:

Part 3:

Part 4:

Part 5

Part 6

the one shot that inspired this - The Hunter and His Witch

Other

Character Study

Notes

I am currently in a writers course and this is the story I'm writing for it. I am learning more as I write and may come back and edit things from time to time. The cover is hand drawn, don’t look at me - I tried. I was very hesitant to write an OC! instead of reader insert since I’ve seen a lot of people say they tend not to read them, but you will love Astaria I swear. She’s pretty cool. NOT doing a tag list for this series. If you want updates, you can subscribe to my AO3 and you will get emails when I upload.

[aerodaltonimperial]

A couple more tidbits about ao3, for people who havent used the site as much:

If you want people to be able to gift you fics/art, you have to go into your profile and check the box that allows this.

As a general practice, I recommend NOT checking the box that allows people to add your works to collections. This is because if they add it to an unrevealed collection, the work will be inaccessible to anyone else until the collection is "revealed." Losing control is bad!

You can see your own history, including how many times you have accessed individual works (this can be fun!)

When it comes to hits, ao3 account-counts (if logged in) or IP-counts (if not) and if you post a new fic, the site will only count one hit per account/IP address. Therefore, the first 24 hours can show you a true "hit count" that doesn't include repeat reads.

Authors can see what you write and tag on bookmarks unless you click the "private bookmark" button. So please don't be rude or mean here!

Muting users will stop their works from showing up on your page. Blocking users will prevent them from commenting but will NOT block them from accessing your fics. There is actually no way to block certain users from your fics on the archive.

No one can see your kudos list! Please don't avoid leaving kudos because you are embarrassed to read smutty fics. The only people who can see your kudos are authors and people who click into the fic and look at the bottom. That's a devil's sacrament situation.

Making an account allows you to subscribe to both authors (as a whole) and individual fics so you get emails when the author posts or the fic is updated. Please consider getting an ao3 account if you are still using it as a guest! Many users lock their fics to the archive so guests cannot see them. Become part of fandom, we are happy to welcome you. 💚

[metaphorical-goblin]

So You Want to Start Reading Fanfiction

Hello! So, if you're here, chances are you already read fanfiction. However, it's possible that you don't, and you want to start! I hope this guide will give you a little bit of info to help you get started.

A. Where to Read Fic

We'll start with the basics: where to start? I prefer Archive of Our Own, (colloquially known as AO3), but others use other sites, such as fanfiction.net, Wattpad, and even DeviantArt! But I prefer AO3 because of their comprehensive tagging system.

B. AO3: A Primer

Let's go over some brief definitions and explanations.

Fic: Short for 'fanfiction'.

Tags: labels that people put on stories. Most people think of these as "trigger warnings," but that's not an all-encompassing label, since tags are also used to indicate different types of stories or relationships (for example, Fluff, AU, or Hurt/Comfort).

AU: Short for 'Alternate Universe'. This refers to when an author takes the characters and... well, puts them in a universe that's different from canon. Alternate Universe tags can also come with more specificity (Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops and Cafes, or Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, to give some examples).

Canon: short for "canonical." This refers to what actually happened in the original media, as opposed to popular fan theories or headcanons.

MCD: short for "Major Character Death."

Dead Dove: Do Not Eat: this is a term often used on fics with more "extreme" contents. It is meant to be a warning for readers to take the listed tags seriously; i.e., the author means it when they use the listed tags! What you see is what you get, so take time to review the tags and summary carefully.

No Archive Warnings Apply vs. Creator Chose Not to Use Archive Warnings: I won't go into detail about the Archive Warnings here, since AO3 has a very extensive page about this, but the brief summary is: "No Archive Warnings Apply" refers to media that doesn't require any of the warnings (that is, Major Character Death, Graphic Depictions of Violence, etc.). "Creator Chose Not to Use Archive Warnings" means that the creator may have included some content that isn't tagged or listed. It's always wise to proceed with caution!

Character/Character vs. Character & Character: This is a very key distinction! The slash refers to romantic relationships (dating, sex, marriage, etc., like Phoenix Wright/Miles Edgeworth) and the ampersand (&) refers to platonic relationships (friendships, parents, siblings, etc., like Trucy Wright & Apollo Justice). Some fics even use both (Franziska von Karma/Maya Fey; Franziska von Karma & Maya Fey); this is simply used to indicate that these characters might interact in both romantic and platonic ways, or it explores other aspects of their relationship. It's not uncommon to see groups of people all listed together, either as a platonic group or as a polyamorous coupling.

Now, what is an "archive?"

You may be apprehensive (or even nervous!) to read, like, or comment on something that's a few years old. This isn't something to worry about on AO3! The expectation is that you'll be searching for something to read based on your preferred tags (plus, any creator would probably be thrilled that someone is still reading their story a year, five years, even fifteen years later!).

The purpose of an "archive" is to hold all of these stories to share. You wouldn't avoid picking up a book at the library just because it's been there for a while, would you? The archive is the same way!

Getting an Account

AO3 has a bit of a waiting list when it comes to getting an account. This shouldn't deter you from applying to get one! Having an account on AO3 has all kinds of benefits, including:

Access to many other fics that authors have chosen to show to registered members only

The ability to Subscribe to fics and receive emails when they update

The ability to save your favorite fics with Bookmarks for easy access

Keeping a "marked for later" list (instead of having 73 open tabs of fics you want to read at all times)

A record of your history (so you can find the fic you forgot about!) that can be cleared with ease (so... other people can't find the fic you forgot about)

A presence in your fan community (something stellar about being recognized by an author you love...)

And more! ...probably

C. Navigating AO3

There's the occasional critique that AO3 is a bit hard to get around. However, I'd like to show you that this isn't the case!

Finding a Fandom

AO3 has... thousands of fandoms. Probably hundreds of thousands. So, the easiest way to find something that you enjoy is by starting at the fandom page!

If you already know what you're looking for, it's easy to just click on it's corresponding category and Ctrl + F for the title you're looking for (Cartoons & Comics & Graphic Novels -> Ctrl + F -> Owl House). However, if you're not sure what you're in the mood for, I like to click on "All Fandoms" and just see what's popular.

For this example, I'll just use Ace Attorney since... that's where I live.

Narrowing down...

Alright! So you found your fandom... and there are a hundred thousand fics to choose from. What do you do now?

The next step is to find your fic! One idea (and the method that I used when I first started) was simply to scroll through the landing page and see what was recently published.

However, you may want a little more specificity... let's say today that I'm looking for a multichapter fic with a Coffee shop AU where Miles and Phoenix get together. Now, how do I find something like that?

Well... that's where Sort and Filter comes in!

As a side note, if you're on mobile, you'll have to hit the "Filters" button at the top of the screen to open this panel.

Here is where we start adding specifics to what we want to read! Include and Exclude are sort of self-explanatory... "Include" looks for fics that have the tags you asked for, whereas "Exclude" hides everything that you list.

Language Settings are also useful! Selecting the language you want to read fics in (for me, English) also helps narrow down the numbers.

"Relationships" is useful to narrow things down for the specific ship or group that you want to read about. You can include or exclude multiple relationships, as well (personally, I really enjoy stories that explore both romantic and platonic relationships, so I tend to use multiple!).

I don't often include Word Count, but it can be handy if you're looking for a shorter fic (for example, sorting with a max of 5,000 words) or a longer fic (using a minimum of... 10,000 words, I guess).

At the top, you have "Sort By"! This is a very handy tool if you want to change up how you're seeing what the archive pulls up. I tend to sort by Date Updated (if I'm looking for something new) or Bookmarks (if I want to find something popular), but take time to explore all the options!

Now, let's see how the fic numbers change after I put in my filters...

Wow! So just a few filters took my choices from over 38,000, all the way down to 7! There are all sorts of other tags you can use, too, to look for the story you want to read! (Getting together, Family Fluff, DIVORCE!!!)

D. So, You Found a Fic!

Well, you sorted through the tags, read the summaries, and picked the fic you want. What do you do now?

What's a Kudos? Well, 'Kudos' is AO3's version of a 'like'. It's sort of custom to leave a Kudos if you finished reading the fic!

What should I comment? I won't go into detail about comments here, because that's a whole post on it's own. Comments are a step up from Kudos; it's your chance to tell the author what, specifically, you liked about their work (or that you just really, really liked it!). You shouldn't be afraid to leave comments, no matter how old a fic is. In fact, unless the author says otherwise, a Kudos and comment are appreciated at any time!

The Difference between Subscribing, Bookmarking, and "Mark for Later"

Note: All of these features are only available for registered members, so if you don't have an account yet, just slide on past this section!

Subscribing with the Subscribe button is a feature that emails you whenever the author updates that particular fic. Subscriptions are private; the only person who can see that you're subscribed to something is you!

Bookmarking is a tool you can use to save fics you really love. It's like putting your favorite book in a special place! It's important to remember that, unless you mark private, all of your Bookmarks are publicly visible! This means that any comments or notes you leave can be seen both by other users and the author; keep this in mind before you write something mean!

Mark for Later is a button you can use to save a fic that you want to come back to later. It saves it to a special page on your account in your history (in the Marked for Later tab). Like subscriptions, "Mark for Later" is private, and no one will see it. However, you will not get notified if your "Mark for Later" fics are updated, unless you are also subscribed.

E. What now?!?!?

Well... that's kind of all I have to teach you! You can keep modifying tags or fandoms to find things to read, but the best way to learn the website is by exploring it yourself!

After you read a fic, I highly recommend you leave a comment. Aside from the fact that it encourages the author, it also helps you build community with other creators! It's just fun to leave comments, and you can start some great friendships like this!

You might also want to explore the author's other works! This is easy to do; just scroll to the top of the page and click on the author's name, which is listed right under the title. If you liked this fic, odds are you'll probably like their other ones!

If you really really want to go wild, you could even share the fic on other sites (like tumblr!)! I don't do this often, but it's a good way to ask for or give recommendations for fics that you love.

Well... if you read all the way to the end, congratulations! I'm by no means an expert, but if you have any questions, I'd be happy to help you out. Good luck!

[kaelidascope]

Humor Me - It's About Beestfic

Okay so here's the thing NFKNGFKJGN I've been slowly working my way through rewriting this thing, but motivation is nonexistent when I have to keep over 110k words to myself without some kind of payoff. My dilemma is this;

I wanted to keep the original posting to preserve the hit ratio, comments, and dates seeing as this is the first fic I ever wrote. I personally think the original is absolute hot garbage and I'm embarrassed to have this thing be a reflection of my current skills. And yet, I've had many people argue they think it's one of the best things they've ever read. (seriously, what are you guys reading where you think this is good? but anyway)

I want to start releasing the rewritten chapters as they come to help motivate me. But that's difficult if I can't notify anyone they've been updated through the email notifs on AO3, and also what about the rest of the 10 chapters that are already up there that now don't correlate with the updated chapter at all? I could post a brand new rework, and just keep the old one preserved, but then I risk all the following I already gained on it, and now I'm just left in a mighty fat pickle.

So my options are this;

A) wait until all 110k words are rewritten, and mass release the updated chapters with a new archive page so that current subscribers get the email notification to reread all 110k words to get up to speed on the new work and new plot

B) Just post a new thing all together and leave the original Beestfic offline, treat it like a brand new fic

C) Post the new thing but release the original Beestfic back out for the public and just label it as 'Discontinued/Classic Version' with a link to the rewrite

D) Mark all current chapters blank and update them as I write them so I don't lose the comments or hits, but ppl subscribed to it won't receive the AO3 email until I post the next chapter. Only people following my socials will know it got updated at all

I appreciate the humoring lol I have more fun when I get to release it as it comes. I'm not the type to hoard content, I get too excited. This'll also make it more fun to cycle through projects when I get burnt out on one or the other (looks at MM... sorry babygirl you're gonna cook a lil longer that next chapter is gonna be like 19k words GNKJFNFKJG)

[anne-is-ominous]

Some Anne-ouncements Following Reignited Book I

In just a few moments, I'll be releasing Home, the final chapter of Phoenix Reignited Book I: Ashes. The end of a book is usually a great time to make some Anne-ouncements, and so, without further ado...

Phoenix Reignited Book II: Embers

There will be no gap between book postings for Reignited; this coming Tuesday you will see chapter one of Phoenix (re)Ignited Book II: Embers. The new book will continue in the existing work on AO3 and all the other platforms, so folks who are subscribed / following / whatever it's called on your platform of choice will continue to get alerts.

Reignited on Royal Road

We're finally ready to announce the release schedule for Royal Road! I've wanted Reignited on Royal Road for some time, but held off due to the unforgiving nature of their Rising Stars algorithm that all but requires posting chapters with a certain cadence I could not meet until I had built up some backlog.

Reignited will launch on Royal Road December 1, 2024, with ten chapters dropping on that day. It will then receive a chapter drop every day for the next thirty days, and as such, on December 31, 2024, Royal Road will "catch up" with the other platforms that have been getting updates all along. Beginning on January 2, 2025, Royal Road's Reignited release schedule will fall back to Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday alongside the other platforms.

Folks wishing to support the story's success on Royal Road can help by reading the new drops on the platform daily as they are released, and leaving advanced reviews. These things dramatically increase the story's ranking in the algorithm, especially in the early going.

A Reignited Reorganization on Wattpad

I had announced that all the platforms would get Reignited as one huge work, rather than breaking it up by book as I did with the original series on AO3 or by series as I did on Wattpad, QuoteV, Royal Road and Scribble Hub.

Unfortunately, I've learned that Wattpad has a 200-chapter maximum for a work, which means a Reignited series through book XIII would actually need three volumes to get through it. Rather than doing a Vol. 1, Vol. 2 which end at arbitrary places in the story when the 200th and 400th chapter is reached, I've decided to go ahead and just do it by series on Wattpad like I did the original. So, there will be a Phoenix Ignited: Reignited Edition, followed by a Phoenix Ascendant: Reignited Edition and Phoenix Odyssey: Reignited Edition. Sorry about the confusion.

Sunsetting Reignited on MediaMiner

I was - and remain - excited whenever I discover a new platform to expose Phoenix to, and when I found MediaMiner (which apparently came and largely went during my hiatus from the world of fandom) I immediately sought to post Phoenix there.

However, as I've now gotten through 24 chapters there, I'm noticing lots of problems. The interface is old and largely broken, leading to a convoluted solution where the only way to properly format even basic things like italics is to make a specially-formatted RTF file. It takes almost four times as long to post a chapter to MediaMiner as to any of the other 11 platforms Reignited is currently on. Additionally, all of the algorithmic things like trending lists are entirely broken; the top trending story on MediaMiner has not been updated since 2009.

These things I could have dealt with, but the dealbreaker for me is interaction notifications. When people comment on a chapter, I get no notification. There's no inbox, no emails, nothing; I have to literally click on every chapter and scroll to the bottom to see if there's comments waiting for me. I find it entirely unacceptable that people could comment on my work and not get an acknowledgement from me, and short of spending a half an hour checking, I have no way whatsoever to know if it's happened.

For this reason, I've decided to suspend posting to MediaMiner after this chapter. I'll add a "25th chapter" essentially explaining this decision and linking to the various and sundry other platforms on which Reignited will continue, and leave Book I on the platform as essentially a glorified trailer for the larger work.

I don't know if anyone is reading on MediaMiner - I have no way whatsoever to tell - and if someone is and this causes you great distress, please tell me. I'd be willing to reconsider if it's actually helping anybody to post there, but right now it seems to be all pain, and no benefit to anyone.

Book XIII progress

As I mentioned Thursday, I'm taking a brief (1-2 week) pause on Book XIII to focus on Reignited Book II and getting some "life stuff" dealt with. I have a bunch of time off from work over the next two weeks and expect to really be able to throw myself into this and make some good progress.

Open Invitation: The Storytellers' Speakeasy

As I've mentioned before, the inestimable @princesscolumbia and I have merged our fan Discord servers to create the Storytellers' Speakeasy, a community for fans and fandoms to converge. I'm shocked and pleased to report that in under two months, we've reached about 90 friends in our little group, including more than fifteen fellow Storytellers who share and collaborate on their own fanworks and original stories with us.

(Haunted Mansion voice) But, there's room for a thousand...

Whether you're a Storyteller in your own right, or just want to hang with us, see previews, beta read, kick it in a supportive community, and maybe - just maybe - hear me humiliate myself and sing Ranko's songs live on stream from time to time, we invite you to join our community.

The Speakeasy is a safe and supportive environment for all people, including and especially LGBTQIA+ folks of all stripes, and a sex-positive space. All NSFW content is separately moderated and hidden behind an opt-in role. We have active fandom discussions for Ranma 1/2, My Little Pony, Star Trek, Pokemon, Sailor Moon and several others, plus channels for gaming, writer support, trans/gender stuff, and more. We'd love to see you around the Speakeasy!

So that's it!

Thank you all so much for your time, attention and support. Reignited has been doing so much better than I could have hoped or dreamed, and it's thanks to each and every one of you.

From the bottom of my heart,

[mooifyourecows]

No im not a cop lol im asking because i see a lot of comments under your fics and was wondering if a lot of people end up following your tumblr

Well, Tumblr isn't as active as it used to be. I have about 2500 followers but idk how many are actually still kicking around on here, ya know? Even i don't post as much as I used to....

But Tumblr is special in that the follower count is meaningless. I mean.... I think follower count on any app is meaningless because I'm not trying to be some kind of influencer or cult leader. other than to get exposure for my writing, I really don't see the appeal of having a ton of people reading my random posts about taking recreational drugs and having strange but beautiful dreams about Brendan Fraser

I'm sure most of the people who read and comment on my fics are subscribed to my ao3 account and get emails when I update. That, or they learn through smoke signals from other daisugies fiending for that special sauce. Most of them are readers i recognize because they come back and comment on everything I post

[parkitaco]

ok people. i really don't want to have to be saying this but i am once again being struck by the lack of etiquette in the byler fandom and just in current fandom in general so i just. have to say something ok

first off i'm gonna say that fandoms come from a place of love and i know everyone most people have good intentions and love their fic authors but the etiquette around fics and art and all that lovely stuff is,, how shall we put it,, literally nonexistent.

listen. i love writing fic. i love that people like reading my fics that's insane hello?? i love getting comments and kudos and getting messages from ppl who are excited about my future projects it's great!!!

that being said, when i receive messages asking when things will be out/comments on wip wednesday snippets asking if the fic is out yet/messages asking me to tag them when the fic is published, regardless of how good the intentions are it comes off as very demanding and doesn't make me feel good as a writer who is doing this Voluntarily and For Free.

fanfic writers do this for fun!! we are not machines, we are people with our own lives outside of fandom and those lives have to take priority most if not all of the time. this means that yes!! sometimes fics take a while to write!! sometimes chaptered fics take a while to update!! and guess what?? that is totally ok. fanfic writers taking their time is not a bad thing. it means they care and are taking their time to create quality content. it means that they are spending time tending to their real personal lives, which is a normal and healthy thing to do.

there are plenty of posts about why demanding faster updates is bad, and i think that's pretty common knowledge, but i want to talk specifically about these very enthusiastic comments/messages/etc because i don't think anyone means harm but the thing is that fic authors simply do not owe you anything. we don't owe it to you to let you know when a fic will be out, we don't owe it to you to tag you when it is, and we definitely don't owe it to you to provide information that you can easily find out for yourself. as a writer i'm already putting insane amounts of pressure on myself and receiving it from other people, even if that's not the intention, is just not a good feeling.

especially because much of this information is readily available to you!! while you may not be able to find out when a fic will be out (which is probably because the fic author doesn't know either), you are entirely capable of checking the timestamp on a post to see how old it was, then using a little thing called Critical Thinking Skills to determine whether it's likely the fic has been posted or not. if so then great!! most authors have their ao3 accounts linked somewhere on their blog page so YOU (yes, you!!) can go look for the fic on ao3!! if you don't find it, ao3 has a super cool feature where you can subscribe to an author, so you'll get an email notification whenever they post!! and while you're there, if you're truly desperate for something to read, you can always go through the fics they've already posted, and if you've read everything there already and/or they haven't posted anything yet, check their bookmarks and see if there's anything there you like!! and as a last resort, there's always the trusty old search bar on ao3, which you are capable of filtering to every last preference!! the byler fandom is huge and there are tons of fics out there so undoubtedly something will fit your taste.

i know that can feel daunting, and i know it's disappointing when a fic hasn't been posted or updated yet, but the good news is that if you're seeing a snippet it means the author is working on it!! a little patience never hurt anyone, and taking those steps to determine for yourself what's going on with the fic rather than bugging an author who is just trying to go about their life and work on content during whatever free time they have just proves that you care. the simple fact of the matter is that fic authors don't do this for attention, they do it for fun, and therefore we can't cater everything to you or answer questions that you should find the answers to yourself. it's not our responsibility to keep track of people who want to be tagged when a fic is published or want to know when it will be out, because all our energy is going into creating the content you so desperately want!! i'm just begging everyone to be a little bit independent. asking an author for this information just shows you don't care enough to find it for yourself and this sort of laziness is part of why fandoms die.

tldr: fic authors are not machines designed to please you, use some critical thinking once in a while, and please for the love of GOD just go touch grass. breathe some clean air. you'll feel better i promise