#like even more than orphaning and deleting fics can do

[adrift-in-thyme]

Sometimes I’m super tempted to delete my ao3 account and just start all over again

[olderthannetfic]

https://www.tumblr.com/olderthannetfic/751011464262860800?source=share

Seeing the numbers compared, I realized that you are right, anon. It's a privilege to be able to write long fics, regardless of them thinking they're unable to write short fics because short fics are mostly scenes so it's not that long fic writers are incapable of writing short stories, deep down, they don't want to. Maybe it feels wrong for them since they've made an impression they always write long fics, maybe they find short fics less impressive, or believe that people won't give the same feedback as when they post something longer.

But I would like to argue that longer doesn't mean it has a plot. I've read 80k words of a character getting tortured with no chance of figuring things out or getting out of that situation and ended quite the same as the start. I've read 25k fic of characters just hogging. These fics have no stakes, no crisis, no buildup, no development, nothing just series of the same scene over and over with different sets or different positions.

Fanfic is free and that is why you encounter things that are, in a way, out of the box and technically are not allowed in the publishing world. But that's the beauty of it. Is it really that big of a gap for people who can write long fics vs people who can only write short fics? Because of how free fanfiction is, most things are okay to do, including only being able to write plotless or short.

One reason why I get jealous of other authors who manage to write longer fics than me is because I was too busy at the time. I found a good system for myself (dedicating a certain time to finish a chapter and then uploading them as I edit and so on) and you can build your own. I think with the right system, anyone can do it.

Pantsers, plotters, and hybrids are equal to me and it's true because how do you know that a person didn't just recycle the same plot they use from their previous fics, thus being able to write different versions of that story? We've seen the viral meme abt fic writers recycling the same thing and a lot of people admit to doing it. Does this mean they're mediocre or bad writers? It's not like that's against the TOS or illegal. Nobody paid us to keep making fresh new ground-breaking stories. The quality of a fanfic is decided from how you treat it. Do you still like it even after five years? Do you think about it sometimes? Do you feel so ashamed you'd rather put it in an anon collection or close your acc completely and orphan it? Do you wish for it gone to the point you delete every trace of it?

It's not from the amount of kudos, hits, or comments, tho yes it is easier to find good ones if you filter by kudos but there are lots of underrated ones and I've DNF a lot of fics that are not to my liking but have high-kudos because people keep rec-ing it. I want underrated fics to be more popular but not because it needs to be popular but because I hope to be in a community with more like-minded people. Fanfic has no publisher, we can't earn from it so traffic is merely informative so it's the community that matters the most.

In fact, to tell you the truth, after 17 years of being in ao3, I've curated my tag very specifically and stopped using the fandom tag and went straight to the ship tag. I also mostly rely on bookmarks, private collections, word from mouth of people I trust or believe to have the same writing style and taste as me. So it was very niche and limited.

Lots of stories have plots but not all must be in your favor so you gotta figure what you like to start. Are you team canon divergence or AU? what trope do you like? Telling someone to stop comparing is ineffective. We always compare because that's how we communicate. But people feel inferior because they don't feel worthy of themselves. If you start to know what you want, it's easier for you to write more. Whether you're still stuck on making 1k-2k, etc, at least you don't waste your time feeling sad or down and you keep writing. That'll help stimulate your brain and you will improve.

(Also maybe just don't listen to authors who you think are humblebragging. Mute or block them if you need to because I know, to some people who are in the same fandom, these types of attitude have more context to it. Idk abt anon, but in some cases maybe they were moots or the account was owned by another fan they've encountered on tumblr or other social media often, a BNF maybe, or just a popular author that other fans praise or talk about often, and things could get personal. Shit can go south quickly in the community tbh)

--

There's definitely an art to condensing one's thoughts into only a few words.

[equal-shipping]

Kaishin Reveal and What It Means For You

Okay I need everyone to keep their shit together because I think this is being blown out of proportion. What follows is a quick rant about what the hell is going in the DCMK fandom and what is going on in fandom in general cause I don’t know why I’m seeing so many people lose their shit over something that was most likely going to happen followed by a quick lesson by a ‘fandom elder’ on how to ignore canon and make a ship your own. 

Spoilers ahead and whatnot. 

April 11th the DCMK 27 movie came out and information was revealed about how Kaito Kuroba and Shinichi Kudou are now cousins. Twitter lost its mind, Tumblr lost its mind, Discord servers are being created and now everyone is wondering what the hell should they do. 

I’m going to be honest, if you are a creator for KaiShin, please don’t delete your work. 

Either archive it or orphan it but please don’t delete it.

You put time and effort into this, into something you love, and just because the mangaka is so SO set in his ways of every single ship being friends to lovers does not mean you have to follow the same format. This doesn’t make you an incest shipper or whatever, it doesn’t make you a person who you don’t want to be, it’s just something that you had no idea of knowing was going to happen and I hope that you can look back at it fondly. 

Anyways, for those enjoying Kaishin on the sidelines all I’m going to say is Pick a Lane. 

Ignore Canon 

If you are an old time shipper then this may not be new for you. I mean Gosho literally had another ship that turned out to be cousins like at this point it’s ‘who is my cousin’ being played in the entire Detective Conan manga. You either already guessed it, are an active incest shipper (hi, hello, tis a me) or you are used to your favourites dying. This situation is no fucking different. 

Wolfwood is dead, in my head he is alive and well and treating his Plant husband right. 

Sora is missing, not in my head where he is kissing Roxas and Riku and Kairi and whoever else wants to get at the sunshine of the KH universe. 

Ben is dead, NOT IN MY REYLO FANFICTION. 

If you are a person who actively kept up with the manga or actively kept up with the show it is possible to ignore canon because they do not suddenly go super deep into being cousins and knowing about each other. They both don’t know if they are cousins or else the jig would be up immediately and the manga would be finished. You CAN ignore canon and if Kaishin is a ship that brings you joy and just serotonin production I implore you guys to choose this lane if you still want to enjoy Kaishin. 

It’s by far the healthiest option and teaches you how to curate your own fandom experience. 

Alternate Universes and You 

I was in the Hannibal fandom for a while and I clearly remember the ‘Hannibal is not a Cannibal’ tag on AO3. I thought it was hilarious but I would never dare to make fun of it because that is a prime example of CURATING YOUR FANDOM EXPERIENCE. 

Here are some examples on how you can start tagging: 

Not Cousins AU

Kaito and Shinichi aren’t family 

No Family Relation AU 

Pre Kaishin reveal 

Or just make a quick blurb of how you mean this drawing/fic to be perceived. Again, this is your experience and you get to make the space you want to make. It’s up to you to make/interact with the content that makes you most comfortable. Again, if you want to delve into AU’s then that is up to you and I think it’s a pretty good lane for those who just feel weird about the whole reveal. 

Stepping Away

Your moral values are your own, people, and I am in no position or even want to judge them. If you feel uncomfortable about this now, see your love for Kaishin diminishing because of the reveal or just don’t see yourself shipping Kaishin in the future then you are more than capable of measuring your response and stepping away from the ship entirely for your own health. 

Is it going to be sad? Yes, but they are fictional and I recommend having an idea of what you have in your life outside of fandom that makes you happy that you can focus on as you go through this. College, work, whatever hobbies you may have taken up–hell put all your eggs into another ship that you know also brings you joy! 

Do not let this dictate your day or your month or your year. This is just fandom, you don’t have to make a big statement unless asked about it, you do not have to justify your decision to anybody, curate.your.fandom.experience. 

I’m going to end this with a repeat of what I just said. 

This is all fictional. We are playing in a fictional sandbox where we can all make whatever we want in any capacity and as long as it is tagged correctly then nobody’s lines have to be crossed. If you just started enjoying Kaishin, find out how you still want to enjoy it or step away. If you have shipped Kaishin for a while, do the same fucking thing! The east side of the fandom is having a field day with the movie, why can’t the west have some fun too?! 

I’m going to ship Kaishin (however all my reblogs will be moved to my other blog for incest-y stuff and just other content people may not vibe with in general) and hell I might just join the Kaishin Big Bang for the hell of it because I have been shipping this ship since I was 15 years old and I’m about to be 30 so….I’m staying fucking seated cause you aren’t getting me out of this chair, Aoyama, you aren’t getting me to ship Aoko with anyone other an Akako so suck on that. 

Be safe, be smart and curate y’all.

[grilledcheese-savage]

People prob about to get reeeeaaall mad at me but Idrc. I’m pissed about the Lore.Fm situation. If you haven’t heard of it, it was going to be an app that reads your fanfiction out loud so you could listen to it like an audiobook. It would’ve sounded more natural and correct than any other screen reader so far. As someone who can’t really read a lot of fanfiction anymore because of my crippling chronic migraine, this would have been a GAMECHANGER for me. So here are some facts:

Lore Fm DOES use Ai to read aloud.

Lore Fm DID NOT send your fics into a training model so it can write more.

Lore Fm MIGHT be owned by a company called Wishroll Inc. , but this is not confirmed.

Lore Fm WASN’T for profit. They didn’t have any way to monetize it. It was just an accessibility tool.

A lot of the fanfiction writers were rightfully scared by this, since a lot of art has been stolen without consent to create AI engines. As a fanfic writer myself, I understand wanting the option to opt out. But a lot of the content I’m seeing made against this, has been factually incorrect OR just completely unaware of why this could be such a good thing. I just watched a tiktok that made me want to post this, of a writer saying you were completely selfish or entitled if you used this app because some people “use accessibility as an excuse to disrespect author’s wishes”. That is just straight up, not true. There could 100% be ways to fix this. For one, Authors who are okay with their fiction being read by AI could submit the fanfics themselves, making it kind’ve like Watt pad instead of it being up to the reader. People could tag their fanfics “Don’t use Lore Fm.” People who made orphaned fics or can’t get back into their account can blacklist themselves on the lore fm app so none of their fics could be read. As someone who codes, these are all very viable options. There could even be a simple honor system. But y’all sent death threats instead of genuine critiques.

Lore Fm took themselves down because they didn’t want to piss off the community, because their team is apart of the fan-fiction community. They deleted all their posts and took the app off stores.

Again, I AM NOT AGAINST PEOPLE CRITIQUING THIS. In fact, I think more people should be keeping AI in check, especially when it pertains to art. Their beta testers should’ve been giving them this advice.

Honestly, I’m glad they took it down for now, I think a lot of the advice I had given earlier should’ve been implemented waaaay before beta testers, but the over-exaggeration of this has gone way too far. Do your research and make your own opinions. AI has gotten out of control but it can be used IN CERTAIN SETTINGS for good. If you’re legally blind, photosensitive or just plain busy, this would’ve been so great.

Major disappointment. I’m definitely willing to change my mind about this in the comments/reblogs though if you have good evidence of why this shouldn’t have been made, just please be respectful.

[erraticprocrastinator]

Maybe I’m imagining it, but am I the only one who’s noticed a significant shift in fandom culture very recently?

This is coming from someone who’s “grown up” with modern fandom culture, and I’m not even talking about the differences between now and six years ago, when I first started participating in fandom spaces. I mean recently as in the past few months, maybe the last year? Again, maybe this is just in my head, but, I swear, I feel like I’ve been seeing a bigger and bigger division between creators (fan artists, fic writers etc) and audiences (readers etc) across multiple fandoms and in general fan spaces, too.

In particular, it feels like reader entitlement when it comes to fanfics is becoming much more prevalent than I’m used to seeing. I’ve been coming across so many posts, across multiple platforms, trying to justify re-uploading others’ work, coming after authors who orphan or (god forbid) delete their fics, complaining about unfinished WIPs, and so many other things that honestly give me the ick. I know that, as an author myself, I’m biased towards these kinds of posts, but I really do feel like there’s been a shift from fans who really are just genuinely invested in this content to a way more hostile attitude. I’m used to seeing people who are upset about a favourite fic being removed, or disappointed about an abandoned WIP, but I’ve just never noticed so many people outright vilifying authors for it, or promoting things like using the Wayback Machine to copy and repost deleted content (something I have now seen people suggesting to each other on multiple occasions). It’s starting to put me off from actively participating in fandom at all, which I really don’t want to happen.

Even setting that particular issue aside, I’ve also noticed a huge uptake in people shaming both authors/artists and readers for the kind of content they produce and consume. I genuinely don’t think I can scroll through any of my social media feeds without finding at least one post complaining about a certain ship, or the way Author X portrays Character Y, or the existence of Dead Dove, or literally any other tag or trope that’s ever existed on AO3 or any other major site. I’m not talking about people asking others about their preferences, or people who say something just isn’t their cup of tea. I’m talking about posts, dozens of dozens of posts, made with the sole purpose of saying “eww, why does XYZ thing even exist, I mean who could ever read/write this, you’re disgusting if you do”, completely unsolicited, about every possible content you can imagine. I’m genuinely asking, whatever happened to “don’t like, don’t read” and “you’re allowed to click away”? Again, I’ve only ever known relatively recent fandom culture, but I always thought that “you do you” was the generally accepted attitude? I was actually anxious about posting my most recent fic because of this, and I’m honestly still a little afraid that I’m going to get a comment tearing apart my characterisation or end up as the subject of some unhinged Reddit thread — and what I write is pretty tame, compared to the darker works out there.

Have fandom spaces always been like this and I’m somehow only realising now, or has anyone else noticed these things, too? Is there some piece of the puzzle that I’m missing? I’d particularly love it if other fic writers could weigh in, because I’m really curious to see if it’s just me who’s seeing things this way.

[sweaterkittensahoy]

Hello! I have a bit of an embarrassing question to ask you, and you don't have to respond if it's too uncomfortable a topic to discuss. I've been struggling with my family's annual re-watch of Harry Potter this year (something I can’t avoid without upsetting and/or offending my parents), and it's made me think a lot about fandom and my place in it, though I haven’t been active with HP for many years. I had, recently, and briefly, considered doing a podfic of one of the fics I most loved when I was still in fandom, and have since concluded that no matter how far removed from the source material (as an early Marauders fic with M/M and significant deviations from the source material) it just isn’t appropriate anymore.

As to the other fics (written, not pod’ed) still existent on my account, I haven’t quite decided what to do about them yet. I guess my question is: how did you come to the decision to orphan your HP fics, rather than delete them; and would you still make the same decision now, as her tailspin into fascism has worsened?

I'd orphan again, no question.

We are deeply fucking unfortunate that the Rowling situation is one of the worst cases of "I don't think death of the author (the concept, not actual death) will fix this for me."

And, so, I had to decide for myself how I felt about being connected even tangentially to that fucking asshole. And I realized I wanted no connection at all.

But.

And this is the important part.

But. There are people who find comfort and enjoyment in MY stories from HER book series. Yeah, I'm using characters she created, but I'm putting them into different stories than she ever did. I wrote a series about Percy during the war where he was running a safehouse, and I wrote it because I was mad at how little actual war made it into the final book. And people like it BECAUSE it's a much more honest look at war (and that it's Percy/Oliver, but duh).

It turned out, for me, that the answer wasn't to delete everything I'd written and take stories away from people because the originator is a fucking asshole. The answer was to complete the death of the author. Me. By taking my name off my stories.

I assume my stories are still getting read and enjoyed. I hope so, at least. But more importantly to me, I didn't take away something I created to be shared because the original creator is a bad person.

I can't control what Rowling does. I can't control all the people who continue to justify why they continue to give her money while saying out of the other side of their mouth that they know she's a bad person, but Harry Potter means sooooo much to them, so they're just sort of stuck (no, you just want official merch).

I can control my own decision and be happy with it. If someone finds comfort in those stories I wrote, they'll be on AO3 whenever they need them. And setting them free from me and my complicated feelings on all of it was the right decision. I hope they're enjoyed, and I'm glad I left them to be found.

[firstkanaphans]

I don't know if you struggle with this, but do you have any tips on how to stop cringing at your own fanfics? I don't know why this happens to me but I've written and posted some of my fanfics, and initially, I feel proud of them and I like reading the comments, but if I get new comments/kudos after a few weeks and I reread the fanfic, I start cringing so much that I end up deleting it. And I know I'm not a terrible writer so idk what it is. I admire you because you seem so confident in your writing lol. Teach me your ways.

Ah, imposter syndrome. If I knew how to cure that, I would be a very rich person indeed. Believe it or not, I actually have the same problem you do. Although I'm very confident in my own writing, I find re-reading my own fics akin to torture because no matter how good they are, there's always something I want to change. And god forbid I find a typo. I can post the most depraved smut without blinking an eye, but use the wrong version of "there/they're/their" once and I'm ready to off myself.

So although this is likely not the answer you're looking for, if you have difficulty re-reading your own writing, my advice is to just stop doing that. At least for now. Trust the people who've read your story and enjoyed it because they're capable of being more objective about your work than you'll ever be.

Confidence in your own writing comes with time, but even professional writers struggle with imposter syndrome. Personally, I only re-read my own writing when I'm having a good writing day because if I chose to do it when I'm already feeling down about my abilities, I'm liable to never write anything again. I'm sorry I don't have a more concrete answer for you, but I hope it at least helps to know you're not alone.

And please, never delete something you've worked so hard on. Orphan fics if you must, but don't delete them. I've deleted exactly two fics in my entire life and I mourn them to this day. That's a piece of your history, even if you can't see it right now 🫶🏻

[theragnarokd]

[i deny anything to do with this. dirk writing fanfiction, modern no sburb au, rated T so far, lots of self loathing and judginess]

It was the end of the evening shift. He did a lot of closing nowadays, night blurring into dawn: there wasn’t anyone to drag him out. Not anymore. On the counter, there was a finished drink, the customer’s name written on it in sharpie. His coworker must have ducked out just before calling out their name. He picks it up. It’s not until he calls out the name that it registers: “Enkidu!” From the back of the coffee shop, a familiar figure approaches, and Gilgamesh’s heart clenched. For a desperate moment, he dared to hope.

Dirk exhales, rereading the paragraphs for typos. Then he saves it into the folder titled Oubliette, and opens a different text file. His SBaHJ reverse-mpreg vore isn’t going to write itself, and Dirk can’t disappoint his readership.

Even as the thought forms, his inbox dings. His heart speeds up at the view of the sweetest words known to man or machine:

[AO3] Comment on SBaHJ: the Romeomance

Of course he immediately opens the notification.

centaursTesticle left the following comment:

My admiration, as always, is yours. I would be happy to read more in this GRIPPING tale

Dirk permits himself a small smile. This guy has been commenting on Dirk’s fics, first in a binge and now on every new installment he updated. Dirk mentally fist-bumps him before opening his WIP folder, where the relevant fic document lives. It’s a good day.

It is not a good night.

Dirk should go the fuck to sleep. Or at least to shower. He washed the dishes earlier and his shirt has more unmentionable fluids on it than his latest fic update, which is saying something.

Instead, he goes to Romeomance’s page and hits refresh.

Not even a tick on the visit count.

This is stupid. Dirk is being a useless idiot. If people can’t appreciate his subtle satire and how it corresponds with the tone of the original comics and movies, that’s on them, and not on him.

There’s a newer fanfic than his with twice the hitcount, not even looking at kudos.

Well, so what? People like what they like. As long as Dirk is happy with the stuff he writes – and while he’s always aware of places he could improve, he rather is happy with it – what does it matter what response some other person’s fic gets?

The title is a lower-case quote from a song that was in the top 40s ten years ago. The tags include Enemies to Lovers, Only One Bed, and Slow Burn. (The fic isn’t even 10K, and it’s marked as complete, so Dirk is a teensy bit skeptical of how slow that burn is.)

Dirk clicks in. Maybe he can learn a thing or two.

The first two paragraphs make a fairly clever allusion to the famous stairs monologue. It’s a surprisingly fresh outlook on a piece of canon that’s been worn to palimpsest and back by fanon. It could be a good fic. Dirk might enjoy it. Better, Dirk might learn how to write something that isn’t worthless drivel–

He closes the tab.

This would be an excellent time to go shower.

He opens the tab again. He reads through the story grimly, marking how the dialogue sounds lively and not like two finger puppets squeaking at one another. Yes, okay, it’s a stylistic choice for Dirk. That, and he can’t fucking write dialogue to save his life.

By the time Dirk reaches the author’s notes at the end, the only argument he can make against deleting all his own fic is that it can serve as a cautionary tale.

The end notes thank two beta readers. Dirk runs his fics past Roxy when he can swing it, but for the most part, he hasn’t managed to attract a beta reader in years. Maybe that’s why everything he writes gargles balls.

There’s also a link to the author’s entry in the Every Little Bid Helps fanfic auction. Dirk clicks on the link mostly out of self preservation: if he rereads this fic, he really will orphan his account. That would be sad for that centaursTesticle guy, wouldn’t it? Think of the testicles. The centaur ones.

[teenagebountyhunter]

bloom is such a soothing and lovely written fic 😭 do you have any plans to continue it

You are too kind friend!

The short answer is: Plans? Yes. Any sort of timeline? No. It's outlined, most of it's written, and every time look at it, I delete half of it and decide it doesn't feel right. I realized recently that it's been a year I've been posting, so my new vibe is "whatever direction I take this story in is the right direction, and done is better than perfect."

What I can offer instead:

If you, like me, are a fan of this specific flavor of soulmate trope, here are all the fics I've found that stem from Mindheist's Never Let Me Go (RIP). They all link to AO3 unless otherwise noted, and they are listed in publication order. I've read the ones with *

Love at First Touch by bagelswrites [Jimin]*

Soulmate Bonded: Jungkook x Reader feat. Namjoon by minxy_keys [Jungkook feat Namjoon]- this links to wattpad. The story is also on AO3, but wattpad has more chapters

Airplane Mode by orphan account [Hoseok]

Turbulence by orpahn account (fallincarins) [Yoongi]*

By Accident by Nigihayami (Kohaku_xx) [Taehyung- in progress]

Take My Hands Now by RemindMeAgain [Jungkook, but also Namjoon- in progress]

Bloom by Teenagebountyhunter (this is me) [Namjoon]

Trip No Further by matchy9393 [Yoongi]*

The Two Who Found Our Destiny by PurpleMoonFlower [Jimin]

Soul on Fire by @vyduan [Seokjin- in progress]*

All I Haven't Said by @violetsiren90 [Namjoon-in progress]*

And if you, like me, are a sloot for Kim Namjoon stories, here are a few that I read or revisited in the last year (thought not necessarily posted within the last year) and enjoyed, alphabetical order:

Captive (#3) by smashin [Namjoon/Reader CEO AU, a one-shot in two parts]

I’m going to be (12,500 miles) by bazooka [Namjoon/Jimin, red string of fate soulmates- in progress, basically complete]

Love: A How-to Guide by orpahn_account (fallincarins) [Namjoon/Reader, strangers to friends to lovers (tbd) in college- discontinued]

New and Resplendent Colors by platinumtangerine [Namjoon/Reader who is an artist]

Sanctuary Between Worlds by GraphiteFox [Namjoon/Yoongi/Reader mafia AU]

Second Heart by RM091294 [Namjoon/Reader, JUST TRUST ME, THIS IS MAYBE THE BEST THING I READ THIS YEAR]

Substance by RM091294 [Namjoon/Reader who is also an art conservator]

Verified Amateurs [ONLINE NOW] by beebalm [Namjoon/Yoongi, friends to lovers]

Honorable mentions (Namjoon makes appearance, but is not the primary love interest):

Bona Fides by RM091294 [Jimin/Reader with a sprinkle of Namjoon/Reader who is a spy, seriously, just go read her whole back catalogue]

Proscenium by automnesleaves [Namjoon/Yoongi/Reader lover/friend triangle who are all teachers, the softest]

Speaking of the End by oh_hey_tae [JK/everyone, magic and curses, you don't even meet Namjoon until 66% in, but I love him, in progress(?)]

The Road to You by @bonvoyagenoona [Everyone/Reader (not all at once) who is on a journey of self-discovery, the Joon chapter breaks my heart a little]

[ajscico]

Fan Joy July Day 31

multiple fics! I nicknamed this set in my head "abandoned, orphaned and deleted, or why I have a fic hoard." 😅 and the post got long so I'll spare y'all's dashboard with a read more...

Let’s not and say we did. By SincerelyMystic

This one was abandoned and I'm so glad it wasn’t deleted but... yeah. I hope the author is doing well wherever they are. Good fic. Good angst.

This art would be a couple images from the last published chapter. Twilight and Sky are sitting stunned as shock hasn’t worn off yet, Sky broke a leg in the fall and the pair just got dramatically introduced to Mipha’s Grace so... Wild is sitting up amidst the remains of the teal flames.

Wild groaned and sat up, pressing a hand over his eyes. “Where’s the Talus,” he muttered, and Twilight blinked in astonishment.

“There isn’t one,” He breathed. “You joined Sky in his decent to death and managed to die just fine without a Talus.”

Amidst everything else that happens in the fic, a little morbid humor to break the tension. Maybe one day I'll have to follow my own trend and write something to resolve this... and maybe then it will not haunt my wips?

A True Love of Mine Morigenos (orphan_account)

Orphaned fic. Watch the triggers on this one please. It’s...a lot. I am aware I have really weird tolerances for certain topics but the song behind this fic and how it was tied in beautifully... I couldn't leave it out. 

It's the scene after Wars has finished telling the tale to Legend. He’s a mess. He’s bared his soul and revealed more than he really meant to tell the Vet and Legend helps him close the locket, covering the trinket and the precious contents of it in both their hands. 

Legend was also crying, eyes wide at the horrors that were just described to him, and was at a completely lose for any words. What do you say? What do you say to someone who lost everything in the most brutal way? What do you say to the person you do nothing but argue with since you met them, and they just shed their soul in front of you? There was nothing to say, only actions can speak for you at this point, and he wanted to make his count.

Still blubbering, he got on his knees with Warriors, and slowly closed the locket in his brother’s hand. He put it in Warriors’ left hand and closed said hand around the locket, Wars looking at him the whole time.

Father Time Series By Heroine of Twilight 

So the series is taken down from Ao3, but I did download most of them before that happened. So my choice out of the wonderful series is: Not A Father but a Dad

This series is full of lovely Dad!Time content. And the series as a whole is one I pull up when I miss my dad. This fic is a highlight of three times Time got to play dad to members of the Chain. And the art would be summary scenes of these three in particular. The fic includes the instances of: teaching Legend to shave, taking Sky for his first drink (and giving him advice on marriage), and showing Wild how to fix a roof while Wild confesses he wants to rebuild the ranch ruins and make it a place that is even a shadow as home-like and welcoming as Lon Lon is. Alas, I cannot link the fic.

31 days, wow, not bad for the first time I managed to do an event, even if it was not the traditional way this should have gone. Thank you @/kikker-oma for proposing this wonderful event. We should do it again next year. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[midnightswaltz]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love ❤️

Oooh, hi! So, the thing is, I only have, like 6 fics posted anywhere and a couple of them need extensive rewrites (or I've kinda just written off because I'm not happy with it anymore & don't wanna rec, but haven't gotten around to deleting/orphaning). But here's what I've got.

1 - Recombined

Fandom: Mass Effect Andromeda. Relationship: Sis!Ryder/Jaal Ama Darav.

I'm very proud of this one, not least because it's one of the few things that actually got finished. It was unexpected because LJ was not a part of my "canon" Ryder's story (still isn't... well, not exactly) but I love her. I also find myself rereading this quite a bit especially when I need to remind myself that I can be a good writer.

2 - Vengeance and Saving the World

Fandom: Arrow (2012 TV show) + Pacific Rim. Relationship: Oliver Queen/Felicity Smoak

oof, this little guy is only like a week younger than my nephew. I'm not really even in the fandom anymore!

It's still weak in parts but, for a change, I don't actually care. I like the little jokes & nicknames. I'm proud of the bits of worldbuilding I got to add to the worlds I already smashed together. There was other stuff that I didn't eventually write like Tommy's dad was still alive with a kaiju egg and some nefarious plot or something. I do still get the odd kudos on this which I'm tickled by, but also, like, how the far in the weeds have you gone that you've found this almost 11 year old fella?

3 - Terra Incognita

Fandom: Mass Effect Andromeda Relationship: Sis!Ryder/Jaal Ama Darav

Major WIP.

I know I haven't updated this in... well, a while. I am working on it, because I really enjoy writing all the little ways in which my headcanon is different from the game story or how they can all play together. Like I'm currently obsessing on how the angara have the intelligence to know about what happened on Eos (this is briefly mentioned by Jaal during the first meeting with Evfra). Like, there's probably a very simple explanation, but I'm having more fun with *spoiler 😆* that one day I plan on letting other people read.

4 - In the Darkness You Will Reach

Fandom: Dragon Age Inquisition Relationship: F!Lavellen/Cullen Rutherford

Ravi Lavellan's story. Another major WIP.

132,828.

That's how many words I have written (& rewritten) on this fella without posting.

This is not actually posted anywhere, but I do have some bits n' pieces that I've shared over the years, which I linked the tag. In my scrivener file, it's mostly a whole bunch of almost finished scenes & half started side stories (like there's a couple assassination attempts in Skyhold, one of which has become it's own little story inside the larger story, but I'm not really sure how they work that one out yet...). I'm probably going to be sharing more on tumblr soon, because I'm not writing it in any particular order & am getting impatient about sharing the stuff I'm proud of.

This is another one of those things that I start rereading so I can start working on & then just get sucked back in until it's hours later & I'm like "wait...what was I doing again?"

Not 5, but honorable mention - Through the Dark Places

Fandom: Dragon Age Origins Relationship: Surana/Alistair

This is the beginning of my warden's story. I still want to finish this and was very proud of it when I started, but I really want to rewrite the beginning of this. I'm not unhappy with it, but I can make it better.

[hotshoeagain]

orphan-account fic rec

Okay, if you orphan your fic for any reason -- I understand we're not supposed to out you as the author -- even if we have a handle on the connecting thread.

So here are fics which I know were all written by the same author, who shall remain nameless (who I never knew personally so I cannot reach them with thanks for orphaning rather than deleting from AO3)

The Sea in a Chasm, part 1 of Sussex "The news of Sherlock’s impending retirement hits John like a physical blow. He looks around for something reassuring to stare at, something comforting, but the flat seems suddenly foreign and he feels that he is falling, falling."

Boundaries, part 2 of Sussex, a short sequel " 'Do try to have some sense, John.' John leans back and waits for Sherlock to figure out why that wasn’t good. Sherlock, to his credit, doesn’t take long. 'That was—not an optimal reply. What I mean is, you deserve better. Than having to take, my, um, my feelings. On faith.' "

Battle [ as far as I know, the only 221B ficlet ever written from Ella Thompson's PoV ]

Entanglement "... he puts the fairy lights away poorly after every Christmas to guarantee that he and Mrs Hudson will sit together and fix them the following winter. He enjoys the tradition of solving a puzzle while Mrs Hudson gives him her undivided attention; Mrs Hudson puts on Christmas carols to soothe her nerves while she and Sherlock work, which allows him to listen to songs with which he has sentimental associations ... "

Ash, part 1 of Fearful Symmetry "... so is John, the firelight lining his face with shadow. 'You lied, you broke my heart, you won’t even tell me your fucking names, and I’m like you.' John’s voice breaks. 'What could be on that stick, what could I possibly find there, that could hurt me more than that?' "

Evergreen, part 2 of Fearful Symmetry PAY ATTENTION TO THE CHARACTERS AND THE TAGS

Filament and Feather "Feathers ruffle, settle. 'Crows like what’s luminous.' Sherlock swallows. 'You channel it, John. The light.' "

.

.

Filament and Feather is what got me interested in this artist; linked from a lovely little bit of poetry (not quite a 221b) written by aderyn; and inspired by one of @khorazir's earlier drawings in this fandom.

If anyone reading this now recognizes the writer of these stories, and knows any more stories in the orphan account which belonged to them, please share. Because, whoever they are/were, that girl can make words sing.

[loserchildhotpants]

Hello, Everyone!

This announcement will be repeated many times, I’m gonna reblog it several times, so don’t worry too much yet, but with the recently troubling attitude of AO3 towards AI mining and scraping, I’m taking some measures to protect my fics.

Also, if you could reblog this so it gets more traction, that would be really helpful to me! So, please do, if you can! 

Item One:

I will be deleting ALL unfinished works on my loserchildhotpants AO3 account. This is besides the point of what’s going on with AO3 and AI mining right now, and has more to do with the fact that I get a lot of comments on unfinished works, guilt-tripping me, making me feel badly, and so I’m taking them down. No, I do not want to orphan them, they’re my works, I know there are other options, I am opting to take them down. So, if there are any unfinished works of mine you want, now is a good time to go download them.

I will be going through my loserchildhotpants AO3 account and deleting unfinished fics at the end of June. 

June 30th, I will begin deleting unfinished works.

Item Two:

If AO3 doesn’t make an announcement very soon about what protections will be given to writers on AO3 in regard to AI, or something very bad happens, like the board decides that AI mining is permissible, I will be taking all of my fics down on both my someonetoanyone account and loserchildhotpants account.

Just to be clear: if AO3 is not definitively safe from AI mining, I will be taking down all of my fics. 

If that time comes, I’ll make a different announcement like this one, but I think the message I’m trying to convey here is if there are ANY fics of mine you want to keep, now is the time to download them.

Right now, AO3 has not made a strong stance against AI mining, and has rather let the chairperson of their legal committee tout about how great AI mining would be on the site. There was even talk of mining fics for AI to then profit off of. 

I’m not feeling particularly heartened that AO3 hasn’t made a clear, definitive statement about where they stand with AI mining, how they will protect writers, how ToS may change, and I don’t like that there have been no allusions even to caring about the consent of writers in regard to AI mining.

Fic is different than fan art (for a lot of reasons that are still beyond me tbh), so writers can’t profit from fic - it’s despicable to think anyone would mine AO3 fics for writing and then sell it. There isn’t another place I know of that is safe from AI mining where I could host fic. So, I don’t actually have a plan in place for if AO3 decides to betray their user base. 

Which means, if there’s ANYTHING on my loserchildhotpants OR someonetoanyone account that you want to keep, NOW is the time to do that.

Again, unfinished fics on loserchildhotpants will be coming down at the end of June, regardless of the AO3 AI mining stuff, but things could get more dire if the AI mining issue isn’t resolved soon, so just download and back up anything you don’t wanna lose.

As always, my inbox is open to comments/questions/concerns.

I’m gonna tag fandoms I’ve written most for, so this hopefully gets to the people that need to know.

[optiwashere]

Fanfic Writer Questions

Yay, thanks for the tag @askweisswolf! 💜

I'm gonna tag a few folks to do this if they want, but anyone that sees this and wants to join in can consider me tagging them! @bottombatch @jasminethetransvampire @centaursniper @underworldobsessed @quitefair @siyurikspakvariisis @riteontime

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

89, but that's not quite telling the whole story. I've written a number of one-shot collections, and those have upwards of 200+ short fics in them.

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

As of right now, my stats page says 829, 334 words, but that's not correct really. I've abandoned/deleted/orphaned some works. The real number is probably over 1M.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

I only write for Baldur's Gate 3 at the moment and that's gonna color the rest of the questions. Once I find a fandom that I like writing for then I tend to stick to that fandom for years. I'm interested in dipping my toes into the Pathfinder WOTR ficdom eventually, but probably only a little because my Golarion knowledge is real slim. If Dreadwolf is good, I'll probably wind up writing something for that as well. I wasn't very interested in video game fandoms for a long time, which is odd because it's only become more compelling as I've gotten older when I'm also playing fewer games.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Currently? I'm actually not at all surprised by this order, except for the one OC fic that managed to find its way there. That is pleasantly surprising, and I'm glad it's one that I also like a fair bit. 1. Take Me Under Your Wing (E-rated Aylin/Shadowheart/Isobel) 2. Black and Red and Smoking All Over (E-rated Shadowheart/Karlach) 3. Her Private Shore (E-rated Shadowheart/Asheera) 4. Arcane Mishaps (E-rated Shadowheart/Karlach -- yay, some t4t made it!) 5. Tasting Moonlight (E-rated Aylin/Isobel) Now, this tells a certain story on its face, but you have to remember that 4/5 of these were posted in Kinktober only two months after the full release of the game. That was the height of its popularity on AO3, and I highly doubt if these fics were released today they would have hit the same numbers. That also includes the Shadowheart/Asheera fic, by the way. I could see that one barely breaking 40-50 kudos these days. P.S. Stats are silly

5. Do you respond to comments?

Yes, all of them. I get quite a few, and with so many fics across a fresh fandom it means that I occasionally get newcomers to various niche fics. Sometimes people stumble into a pile of fics that they like in one of the ships, and it's so delightful when I see it. Same with people that I see reading Light Casts a Shadow in order :') Most of the fun in fandom is interacting with like-minded people, anyways. Kudos and such are also people saying they like the thing, but people actually coming out to talk to me are my #1 priority. I like to hear y'all's thoughts and even wind up chatting a little in some cases :)

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

When Everything is Dark and Guided Through Gardens Gray both have fairly angsty endings, but I think Melpomene might be one of the darker endings of my smutty fics. Fragrant is My Many Flower'd Crown is absolutely my angstiest non-smut ending though.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Almost certainly it's the final ficlet of my headcanuary collection, The Missing Piece. It's open-ended, but it's overwhelmingly saying that things will be all right.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Yeah, occasionally. The open stuff is a lot less common now, but there are a couple fics that have gotten pretty ugly comments. I moderate those away without locking down because my skin is plenty thick. I get a fair few anons, again thankfully reduced these days, that absolutely despise me. They make me laugh more than anything now because I've blocked so many. I've also seen some passive aggressive vague posting about me here and elsewhere, which is always hilarious.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Oh yes. Kinky, vanilla, descriptive and action heavy, flowery and emotive. All kinds, really. Usually trends towards loving and hopeful and sweetly emotional.

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

I haven't for BG3. Yet. There's a BG3/WOTR crossover that I really want to write, but I need to find the time for it between everything else.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Yep, twice. And it was way more than one fic both times!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

I don't think so? At least, not that anyone has ever told me. I'd love for someone to feel the urge to do that, though.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I don't think so? Technically, at least? I've certainly had writing brainstorm sessions that could count for this, but never anything where either of us wanted to call it co-writing.

14. What's your all time favorite ship?

Ouch. I don't really have an answer for this tbh. I like to compartmentalize ships to fandoms. BTW, it's Shadowheart/Original Female Character for BG3. Yeah, all of your Tavs and Durges. Asheera's my favorite, of course, but I've never been so invested in a Canon/OC ship.

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

There's a fantasy AU I wrote for Parks and Rec with April Ludgate as a witch/vampire that I know I'll never get back to.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Emotional forwardness, probably. Maybe solid grammar? Writing speed? Anyways, I like to explore emotions explicitly with characters where they really feel everything to extreme degrees. It's hyperreal, but I think it's also compelling to both write and read.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Plotting, weak metaphors, and consistent characterization.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I do it fairly often in fantasy fandoms without qualms. Also, I tend to use the italicized text in fiction to indicate that it's a different language, not that it's "wrong" or anything like that. Doing that in nonfiction, however, feels pretty gross. Real world languages? I don't do it unless I'm familiar with the language or know someone that can beta it.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Technically wrote for? That's really hard to remember for me, but it was probably something like R.A. Salvatore Drizzt fanfic tbh. Could have been any number of fantasy series at that age though. The Dragonlance books, Black Company, or Discworld, maybe? Hard for me to really think back that far because I know for a fact that I used to write stories as a kid, but it's all very foggy and I lost all that stuff in a flood years ago. Posted for? A fandom I don't really want to associate with anymore.

20. Favorite fic you've written?

Bend to Break to Mend is my favorite thing I've written for BG3, followed closely by It Is the Wound She Gave Me and Like I Am Safe Again.

[mistythedritten]

20 questions for Writers thing

So I got tagged by the lovely @bleue-flora so here I am!

How many works do you have on Ao3?

Twenty. Which is more than I expected.

2. What is your word count?

90,465 words, which is just over 200 words according to the words to pages website I use.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

The DreamSMP

4. What are your top 5 fics? (stats)

By Kudos, Glitter Green, The Retrieval, An Ugly Duck Named Dream, Bound By Black and White Strings, and Rescuing the Rivals

5. Do you always respond to comments? Why or why not?

Almost always, every once in a while I'll get someone who basically wants me to change an aspect of my fic so they can have what they want, like it's a restaurant. Which is different than someone creating theories on what might happen next or talking about how I've written characters. I don't respond to those people mostly because I don't know how? Do I just say "No, I'm not going to write that, thanks for the suggestion," or something?

But most of the time, yes. I love interacting with people who like my writing, it's fun!

6. Angstiest ending for a fic?

That would be a fic that's not done yet! This fic is going to have a bittersweet ending, but we aren't close to that yet.

7. First Fic with a Happy Ending?

That would be the first one-shot I ever wrote, Glitter Green

(I discovered how to embed links today, this is great!)

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I did once, I wrote some references to IRL events with Tommyinnit neg, which got two hate comments. I laughed at them and deleted them. I did add tags making it more clear there was Tommy neg, but it was 3 lines at most.

9. Do you write smut?

...yes and no. I have officially dipped my toe into writing it, but I certainly haven't posted any. Yet. I'm still deciding what to do with it. It's not even finished.

10. Do you write crossovers?

Does DSMP and Empires SMP count?

11. Ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge, but I also don't go looking for them elsewhere.

12. Ever had a fic translated?

No, but that would be cool.

13. Ever co-written?

Yes! I've got a couple. Zen doesn't have a Tumblr, one author wants to keep her Tumblr separate, and one author doesn't feel like she's done enough to have her name on the fic. (I disagree, but that's her choice.)

I recommend everything they have written.

14. Favorite ship?

Tough choice, I kinda rotate. I keep trying to pick, and I can't.

15. What's the WIP you want to finish but probably never will?

Black and White strings, it's been over a year, I'm thinking of orphaning the fic or putting it up for adoption.

16. Writing strenghts?

Hm, I like to write Emotions TM, but is that a strength? Same with dialog.

17. Writing weaknesses?

Flirting and fight scenes. I'm just unfamiliar with doing fight scenes and don't know how to flirt.

18. Thoughts on dialog in another language in a fic?

I've done it in my FarfaDream fic, but if it's something that's not easy to google translate, I find it a bit annoying.

19. First fandom you have written for?

The DSMP.

20. Favorite fic you have written?

Also a tough question. I'm not sure. The one that is most self-indulgent is definitely Children of the Realms

And there you have it folks! I would like to tag @citrus-blade @the-final-sif @percy-ils @morgueofstories @azures-grace @unholy-virtue @firedergen and everyone else who would like to!

[halowritesthings]

i love learning about things a week late through youtube recommendations from random channels i've never seen before

(bad grammar and typos cause i'm shooting my shot as fast as possible so I can get back to Important Adult Stuff(TM))

i suppose i can't really gripe because i'm still largely logged out and wouldn't have heard otherwise so maybe I should take it for what it is

i know i'm a random person who writes as a hobby so I don't necessarily "owe" anything to people online, but y'all have been so sweet to me and I feel it would be unfair to keep dropping off the face of the planet like I have been, plus, I have been stewing over quite a bit of my thoughts these past few months and making a large "get all my thoughts out in a word vomit" post is a good way to A.) sort out my shit and B.) to procrastinate homework

college is BEATING MY ASS and i'm not even at the harder junior/senior year type stuff so even if my writer's block wasn't the worst it's ever been I highly doubt I would be writing anything anyway. i cannot say for certain when I'll be able to get back (it seems the universe is tailored specifically to punch me in the face whenever I have the slightest inclination to do so) but i will say it is always on my mind. i don't ever want to give up writing fully because of how many good things it's brought me but i want to be mature and say that it has taken a backseat in my life.

i still don't regret the things I've created and i will always be thankful for the experiences I've had + the friends I've made (even if we haven't talked in a while :') sorry guys) BUT this situation has just become the nail in the coffin for me in terms of what i want to do with my ds/mp and other adjacent fics. i can't say for certain what I'll go through and orphan/keep or just outright delete (WIPS/unfinished series will probably get deleted is what I've decided so far) so this is a BIG WARNING sign right here and now: if there are any ds/mp fics of mine you are fond of, please go and save them now. even if you think the one you really love is "safe" it's better to be cautious and have it yourself than hope for the best outcome.

now's a good time to mention that i have been feeling similar feelings toward my fl0wer husb4nds fics (gonna come out and be honest: i don't particularly care for sc0tt anymore, sorry) so if you like those you should also search them out. i think a hard majority if not all of them will be orphaned, so they'll still be up, but it never hurts to be able to read something while offline anyway

however, due to the aforementioned Important Adult Stuff(TM), i won't be able to get to the whole Properly deleting/orphaning process for a hot minute. that does not mean you should put off saving my fics because my brain could decide one night that i HAVE to do it IMMEDIATELY, but i can promise that it's not happening tonight (might hold off for at least a week just to give people time to see this post).

TSALP, my pride and joy, is perfectly safe and fine. when i think about whenever ill be able to write again, this series is the First thing to pop up in my mind. i have so many things i want to do with that series (and h3rmitcr4ft as a whole) that make me smile despite all that has happened surrounding mc/yt. someone will need to threaten me with death to make me even consider giving that up. hell, even taking a step back, i can say that i will never fully let go of mc/yt. i straight-up have tickets to go see tommy's america show later this month (send my dad well wishes as he's the one taking me LMAO) .

remember to drink water, take breaks, tell your friends you love them etc. I'm terrible at giving advice since I'm a bonafide mess of a person, but i will say that the best thing you can do for each other is support one another. i've always been a bigger fan of giving support to those who are hurt than trying to go and cause more pain to the people that you can argue "deserve" it. the people you care about are going to be with you much longer than the assholes, so be sure to put more energy into focusing on them than the ones that don't even deserve your scorn.