#inspired by function

[realmermaid333]

A Guide to Using the "Inspired By" Function on AO3

The "inspired by" function allows writers to display fanfics that inspired their own fanfic neatly in the "notes" section via a link. It is used to credit inspiration, for archival purposes, and also for translations, remixes, and podfics.

It is a very fun function because it encourages community, and even gives your readers something else to read while they wait for your own fic to update. It can help people who really like a certain trope or writing idea easily find another fic just like it. And, if you use the function, the writer you are inspired by can choose to link it back to their own fic. So, at the end of their fic it will say, "works inspired by this one," and list yours.

"How can I tell if I should use the "inspired by" function or not?"

You should use the inspired by function if you are directly inspired by another fic. I have done this twice, and it is splendid. One of my besties and I have fics that are attached by this function. It's like they're holding hands via "inspired by" links :' )

If you read a fic, and at the end you're like, "Wow, this was totally radical, and now my gears are turning with an idea just like this one, but I'm gonna add my own spin to it." That would be a moment that calls for the "inspired by" function.

A situation that doesn't call for the inspired by function is two fics that are similar in trope, but the second one was not inspired by the first. For example; let's say person A writes a coffee shop AU fic, which is a very common trope, and person B also writes one, but without having ever read person A's fic, or without directly getting the idea directly from person A. Person B was not inspired by person A.

Let's say person B did read the fic, then also eventually decided to write a coffee shop AU that was completely different, and had very little in common with A's fic. That would not be a moment where the "inspired by" function would be necessary. B could use their own judgement to gauge how inspired they were by A's fic.

But, let's say person B really, really loved person A's fic, and wanted to show everyone another coffee shop AU. Person B very well could still use the "inspired by" function just to have the link. Or, they could just link the fic in their "Notes" section, but i personally think the inspired by function is a little easier than creating a "notes" link on ao3 LOL.

However, I have seen some people just list a fic they are inspired by in the notes section without any issues, but I encourage people to use the inspired by function. If you're unsure, maybe ask the author that you're inspired by if they care. If you ever don't use the "inspired by" function, and step on another writer's toes, just simply talk it out and credit.

"But, Mermaid, if I use the "inspired by" function, won't it look like my fic belongs to the original person?"

No?? I am including this because I've seen a surprising amount of people say this and it bugs me. If you use the "inspired by" function, it links the fic you were inspired by in the "notes" section in first chapter. That's it. It doesn't say, "this fic belongs to this other writer," lol. It says, "Inspired by (insert fic) by (insert author)," one single time. After that, it will not be listed in future chapters. Your name will always be on it, and it will only be listed on your account like usual.

To conclude, you should use the "inspired by" function if you are directly inspired by another person's fic. if you're not, then don't use it. Easy peasy. I encourage its use because it's very fun, it is part of fandom etiquette to use it when needed, it allows people to recommend fics similar to theirs, credit another person's idea they used, etc.

[beastlyidiocy]

when the 𝑓(𝑥) = 𝑎𝑥³ + 𝑏𝑥² + 𝑐𝑥 + 𝑑 😋

[frenchiepal]

04.06.25 ☕ unfortunately all the people who told me that i just have to get used to the taste of coffee were completely right :') i am now addicted

[agathaharknes]

Agatha Harkness being a menace and a danger to society in every episode of Agatha All Along (4/9).

Bonus:

[valgeristik]

i dont think he remembers what a normal meal is, nor does he care

[jonesandashes]

captain flint's A+ team-building

[m1lkyw4yw1sh3z]

Popping out of your friend's computer at 3 am to give him a little jumpscare no clickbait XD

[martyryo]

me rn

[evermoredeluxe]

as proud as i was (and will forever be) after seeing the official tour gross, i am literally brought to tears by seeing the bonuses news. just thinking about how taylor is not just setting precedent in the industry, but also how she is inspiring me and millions of other fans to kind and generous, whether it’s to your employees or by being philanthropic. little kids are going to see this news and be inspired.

and then i spiraled into thinking how she has also inspired me to be resilient (how she always rises up no matter however many pushbacks she faces), be kind to myself and be proud of my past instead of be embarrassed by it, be hardworking and just to keep going. one of my fav things she’s said is that if you’re facing turbulence, it probably means you’re rising higher and higher. the biggest adventure of her life has just ended and im just very proud and emotional and i love her so much. she started doing this feeling lonely in life and now she makes millions of people not feel that way. she is there for us and we’re there for her, and it’s all just so beautiful. changed my life for the better, and i don’t even wanna know where i’d be without her.

[smokey07]

Just have a thought

Agamemnon sucks for a lot of people, I know. He sacrificed a lot of people’s life and even his own family for the war, his own child.

But in context of siblings,

it’s often the older sibling to play the mean one, the evil one and the younger sibling could then be less “stained”. That it’s the older one’s duty to take care of his little brother when their parents were not there. That he needed to put up a brave face so that no one would take his younger sibling lightly.

His wife, his children came later into his life, they were indeed important, but his siblings, they knew each other the moment the younger one’s sign of life bloomed in their mother’s womb. It’s a lifetime bond. They knew each other then when they were nothing, and now when they’re something. And if life went well , they would die roughly the same time too.

Parents would only be there during the first half, and their spouses and children during the second half. But siblings, wouldn’t they live along each other all of their lifetime?

“No cheerios for you, but I would gladly give you my kidney”

Am I saying what he did is right?Hell no. But it’s another way to look at his ruthlessness and protective tendencies for his lil bro.

[show-tunes]

Scrybeswap

I have a lot of scatterbrained design notes for each of them but generally I wanted them to look similar to their original designs but with different themes. I also imagine that they have the same inscribing tools as their original counterparts but just use them differently (i.e. Magnificus paints animals, Leshy takes pictures of people as they're dying/about to die, I'm not sure what the magic equivalent for P03 would be besides maybe a spellbook that copies the essence of things, and Grimora's quill would either "write" code or write directly onto the hardware of robots).

[cmentarek]

recent sketches!!

The first pic are redesigns of my 2019-2021 ocs! If you remember any of these characters no you dont! Embarrassing. Second is Maria, Marysia, my beloved protagonist for my newest project. Third is Helena my favorite rat. And fourth is Maria once again, with her friend, Juras, also a character from my newest project

[theinsanecrayonbox]

bwaha the fruits of my random inspirated labors: Doey and his Doughling

yeah, the story of Doey basically being mpreged just slammed into my brain like a freight train out of nowhere, fully formed, and demanded i write it IMMEDIATELY...and do a few doodles. because zomr why do i find the Doughling so adorable?? it's just a blob, that my brain made up. why? how?? idk but i am having a grand time and don't know how to deal lol.

just for fun, here's a comparison of my fav doodle there, seeing as since i'm out of regular pencil lead i had to use this glitter/metallic blue i have and...yeah...

if i hadn't shown you this, would you have noticed in the main sketch dump?

also for fun, the color swatches i was playing with trying to mix a color for the doughling based upon his colors

never really settled on the right color...oh well, i'm running out of garbage to stall with.

anywhos, i wrote a fic right? is it good; probably not. but i had blast, and i'm very happy with it. 32 pages/9 chapters in almost a single day, that's a feat i haven't accomplished in a long time. and like i said, the whole plot was just beamed into my head fully formed and demanded to be thrown out into the world. so...yeah. enjoy?

https://archiveofourown.org/works/63145576/chapters/161714473

i'm weird. i don't even really go here, yet i have tripped into this hole deep and it's interesting. may never touch this again, might consume the rest of my being for who knows how long, not me. please don't hate me, i'm just trying to have fun in my cardboard box yelling into the void like every body else. have a good day.

[waytooinvested]

Tag game🎉

Tag your moots and ask them where they got the idea for their tumblr accounts name!

Mine is because I had just finished being utterly eviscerated by one half of my OTP getting hit by a car (on the cusp of them getting to live happily together against all the odds on a show I genuinely trusted to be BETTER than that. Reader, they were not better than that), and I felt the burning need to create a fandom blog RIGHT THAT SECOND so I could share the pain with other fans without totally flooding my main blog with it (in retrospect, I should have just flooded it. But ah well).

Only I still had actual tears running down my face so was not in much of a state to choose, and am in general just SO BAD AT NAMING THINGS. And I was feeling a little silly for caring so much about what happened to these fictional characters in the first place, so I went with exactly what I was feeling in that moment, which was WAY too invested in a tv show. The plan was always to change it to something better as a soon as I calmed down and worked out what that might be.

Only remember the part about how I am SO BAD at naming things?

Yeah. Well, that never went away. And then people started getting to know me as waytooinvested and therefore changing it would cause confusion, and, well, now it's 10 years later and here we are.

I still want to change it. I still don't know what to change it to. I still have the issue of once more being known by this name and not wanting to accidentally lose people via a change.

No pressure tagging:

@fazedlight, @not-a-robot-i-swear, @cinnis, @hopefulwitchgentlemen, @snowydragonscave, @mercifulfrog, @thexfridax, @casualkoalatea, @kj-yikes, @theredcapeofk

[yikes-ajax]

🧶 Been crocheting a scarf so naturally there's 300 pictures of my cat laying in it

[stars-obsession-pit]

Lifeblood

Being a ghost scientist is hardly a highly acclaimed occupation. Even among those who actually know that ghosts are real, the scientists are widely regarded as whack-jobs and quacks. Idiots at best, scammers at worst.

Well that was all about to change.

While working for the Ghost Investigation Ward, she had made a world-shaking discovery.

And like any great scientist, she immediately set about ensuring it was hers alone. She wouldn’t let anyone take this away from her, and certainly not the government. She deleted all the hints of it from the organization’s databases, and quietly tendered her resignation as soon as the trail seemed clear.

For this, her name would be remembered forever.

For she had discovered the secret to eternal life.

Not just the ghastly echo of consciousness imprinted into ghosts, but real, true, life. Bodies, brought back from the most heinous injuries or even from death itself.

And it was all thanks to those disgusting ectoplasmic pseudo-creatures.

Because that was the solution. Ectoplasm. The potent, highly pure stuff, ideally sourced directly from the bodies of powerful ghosts. Without the impurities, the corruptive effects of ecto-contamination could be mostly staved off.

Now, of course, collecting those ghosts to harvest would be a challenge—especially without the government facilities she used to have access to.

But she knows what the rich are like. They’ll pay anything for an opportunity like this. Once she gets things started, she’ll have all the resources she could ever need.

And she already stole enough doses to prove their effectiveness to those first backers.