#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.

#inspired by #inspired by function #ao3 #using ao3 #ao3 writer #ao3 stuff #ao3 etiquette #archive of our own #fanfiction #fanfic #fanfic writer #fanfiction writer

[valgeristik]

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

#bg3 #baldur's gate 3 #bg3 astarion #bg3 tav #baldur's gate oc #aino bg3 oc #kunst huli #ainos like i love you but this is unacceptable #inspired by the auto choice function when choosing camping supplies #other gems included: 8 bottles of wine and 2 raw fish #id imagine itll happen once someone lets astarion make dinner again #and its like guys. have we learned nothing #too sleepy to draw that tho so

[mochasucculent]

She!!

Image description courtesy of @anistarrose: digital art of Luz from The Owl House in her Titan form. Instead of her witchy clothes, she wears a t-shirt and green overalls, with claws poking out from her sandals. She's leaping in the air with Stringbean's staff in one hand, laughing and channeling a spell. End description.

#the owl house #toh #luz noceda #titan luz #toh spoilers #the owl house spoilers #titan!luz #obviously very inspired by dana's art of titan luz with casual clothes over top lol #i thought it'd be funny to have the claws poking outta the berks #fanart #for some reason (tumblr cannot handle basic post functions) i was having trouble adding the description as alt id on the image #so for this one i guess we just get a description in the post body for now lol #thanks anistarrose for the description!

[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).

#i initially wanted to finish these for inscryptober but stuff got in the way #misc design notes erm #leshy's death design is inspired by the actual folklore leshy and the leshens from the witcher games #i remember reading somewhere that the folklore leshy incorporates animal bones and tree bark into his own body #so that's where the main inspiration came from #the markings on grimora are meant to be a combination of patterns on porcelain china and the patterns on motherboards #p03's components aren't actually attached to anything and just float around as needed #also its different functions are powered by the mox crystals in its body #magnificus already looks like a big fuzzy animal to me so i just leaned into that #he probably has a bunch of small animals living in his fur without him even realizing #magnificus #leshy #p03 #grimora #g0lly #inscryption #my art #scrybeswap

[thatswhatsushesaid]

#i cannot find a functioning link to the OG jiujiu version that inspired me to make this #anyway there should be more cute jin ling and his xiao shushu content in this fandom #mdzs shitposting #xiao shushu rights 🤝 #jin guangyao #jin ling

[squidpedia]

Snooork mimimimimi snooooooork mimimimimimi

Alright i think the coast is clear, kanako integrity duo GO‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️

I think they’d have fun sharing a half melted amalgamate body and have riveting conversations

#kanako integrity duo #very much inspired by the many many other stuff ive seen relating to kanako as an amalgamate taking on a lot of integritys traits #and i saw someone say once how the other fallen humans get resurrected #but not integrity because they simply had a sever lack of a functionable body to return to #so theyre just stuck with kanako now lmao #or at least i imagine theyve been stuck with kanako in the true lab for a while already #‘hey wait a minute…isnt this just chara and frisks dynamic of troubled kids ghost attached to cinnamon roll?’ #🧍‍♂️ #maybe #pedia says stuff #pedias art #kanako #lilac #integrity #asks

[arealtrashact]

What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas...

#Elvis Presley #I listened to a cover of Viva Las Vegas done in the style of a NIN song and it inspired me #my art #DID YOU KNOW? The TV set that Elvis famously shot with his .44 Magnum is still functional? #By some divine miracle the bullet missed any major wiring and (according to the Graceland Archives) if you were to plug it in today #this ancient relic could Actually play you something #pretty incredible if you ask me. #Personally I would like to watch the 68' special on this smashed up clunker #a kaleidoscope of tiny Elvis' prancing across the fractured surface of the screen....

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

uh. yeah i have no excuse i just couldn't decide between scribblin' up a monster or Home so i fused the two. monster home for No concrete reason!

#splintery wood ribs and uhhhhh Brick Hooves and Wires! #ngl this was slightly inspired by hell pigs? obviously has Deviated from that image but yk #in my mind they have a large living space inside #complete with a lil window hatch for wally to say hi to his friends #so they're still Technically a functioning house! just with legs! and. uh. skin? kinda? #idk! to me the 'skin' isnt actual skin. it feels oily but Isnt #again! In! My! Mind! #my brain will take anything and run with it and oh boy is it sprinting #i could have given home hands. i could have. but i didnt <3 #imagine this freight train of a beast running ya down! i think i'd enjoy it! #scribble salad #i dont know what the 'fur' is. its definitely not fur i think... #maybe it should be wires? tentacles? hay? #eh it doesnt really matter! i doubt ill ever draw this Beast again #monster scribblin is a fun way to cool down And warm up!

[redhoodinternaldialectical]

"Murder is Werewolves" - Batman

I don't got the SPOONS to do this thought train justice, I have seriously been trying to write this thing for MONTHS so just, idk, have this half baked skeletal outline of the essay I guess:

I don't believe that Batman's no-kill rule is primarily about rehabilitation or second chances.

His refusal to believe that Cassandra could have killed someone when she was eight years old because "how could a killer understand my commitment not to kill" is absolute fucking MOON LOGIC from a rehabilitationist standpoint. No jury on the planet would think for even a second that she could reasonably be held accountable for her actions in that situation! Her past cannot condemn her to being incapable of valuing human life under a rehabilitation centering framework. However, Batman's reasoning makes perfect sense if he believes that killing is a spiritually/morally corrupting act which permanently and fundamentally changes a person, and that corruption can never be fully undone.

Dick Grayson killing the Joker is treated both narratively and by Batman as an unequivocally WIN for the Joker. The Joker won by turning Nightwing into a killer. Note that this is during a comic in which the Joker transforming people was a major theme! Batman didn't revive the Joker because the Joker deserved to live; he revived the Joker to lift the burden on Dick.

His appeal to Stephanie when she tried to kill her dad is that she shouldn't ruin her own life. He gives no defense of Cluemaster's actual life. Granted this is a rhetorical strategy moment and should be taken with a generous pinch of salt, but it fits in the pattern.

When Jason becomes a willful killer, he essentially disowns him, never treats him with full trust ever again, and... Well, we can stop here for Bruce's sake. Bottom line is that his actions towards Jason do not lead me to believe that he thinks Jason can become a better person without having his autonomy taken from him, either partially or fully.

The Joker is, for better or worse, the ultimate symbol and vessel of pure, irredeemable evil in DC comics now. He hasn't been just another crook in a long time. He will never get better, he will only get worse. If you take it to be true that the Joker will not or can not rehabilitate, then there's no rehabilitationist argument against killing him.

Batman does not seem to consider it a possibly that he'll rehabilitate. Batman at several points seems to think that the Joker dying in a manner no one could have prevented would be good. Yet Batman fully believes that if he killed the Joker, he himself would become irredeemable.

Batman's own form of justice (putting people into the hospital and then prison) is fucking brutal and clearly not rehabilitative. He disrespects the most basic human rights of all criminals on a regular basis. It is genuinely really, really weird from a rehabilitationist standpoint that his only uncrossable line is killing... But it makes perfect sense if he cares more about not corrupting himself with the act of killing than the actual ethical results of any individual decision to kill or not kill.

In the real world cops are all bastards because they are too violent to criminals, even when that violence doesn't lead to death. Prison is a wildly evil thing to do to another human being, and you don't use it to steal away massive portions of a person's life if your goal is to rehabilitate them. In the comic world, Batman is said to be necessary because the corrupt cops are too nice to criminals and keep letting them out of jail. I don't know how to write a connector sentence there so like I hope you can see why this bothers me so damn much! That's just not forgiveness vibes there Batman!!

I want to make special note here of the transformative aspect. You don't simply commit a single act when you kill, no, you become a killer, like you might become a werewolf.

The narrative supports this a lot!

Why did Supes go evil during Injustice? He killed the Joker. Why did Bruce become the Batman Who Laughs? Bruce killed the Joker. Why was Jason Todd close to becoming a new Joker during Three Jokers? Because he killed people, to include the Joker.

Even if these notions of redemption being impossible aren't the whole of his reasoning (people never have only one reason for doing what they do) it is a distinct through-line pattern in his actions and reasoning, and it is directly at odds with notions of rehabilitation, redemption, and second chances.

So why does he give so many killers second chances?

Firstly because this doesn't apply to all versions of Batman. Some writers explicitly incorporate rehabilitation and forgiveness into his actions. You will be able to provide me with examples of this other through-line pattern if you go looking for them. The nature of comics is to be inconsistent.

Secondly the existence of that other pattern does not negate the existence of this one. People and characters are complex, and perfectly capable of holding two patterns of belief within themselves, even when they conflict to this degree. You can absolutely synthesize these two ideas into a single messy Batman philosophical vibescape.

Finally and most importantly to this essay: he has mercy on killers the same way that werewolf hunters sometimes have mercy on someone who is clearly struggling against their monsterous nature, especially if they were turned in exceptional circumstances or against their will. They understand that they are sick, damned beasts, cursed to always be fighting against themselves and the evil they harbor within. It is vitally kind to help them fight themselves by curtailing their autonomy in helpful ways and providing them with chances to do some good to make up for their eternal moral deficiency.

I think in many comics Batman views killers as lost souls. Battered and tormented monsters who must be pitied and given mercy wherever possible. (The connections to mental health, addiction, and rampant, horrifying ableism towards people struggling with both is unavoidable, but addressing it is sadly outside of the scope of this essay.)

Above all, the greatest care possible must be taken to never, ever let yourself become one of them, because once you have transformed the beast will forever be within you growing stronger.

To Batman, it is the most noble burden, the highest mercy, the most important commandment: Thou shalt suffer the monsters to live.

#batman #batman negative #batsalt #okay hopefully that will let peeps who don't wanna see me rant against bats avoid this? #i could write several books on the moral and ethical philosophies at play in the Batfam tbh #I'm like kinda mostly happy with this #pretty good for being slammed out in three hours while baking brownies #inspired muchly by my friend's talk about Batman acting in accordance with Presbyterian predestination #and how he is one of the most carceral of all superheroes #all people merely revealing through their actions what sort of person they already are #punishing them in the hopes they can suffer enough penance on earth to escape hell #how that can look like rehabilitation or redemption at a glance #but functions in a fundamentally different way #anyway hope this mess was an interesting read! #damian's tomfoolery

[serendipnpipity]

Lil’ minimalist 2am notes app drawing 🌘

(WIP it came from below the cut)

#dan and phil #dnpgtumblrtag #wanted to brainstorm what my next piece would look like digitally but don’t have access to my laptop rn #so I put it in the Freeform app which is like notes but pure doodle function #went copy-paste thinking it would duplicate the whole thing onto the dark background but it only took the highlights #and now it’s a cool minimalist doodle #ser sketches #btw the next artwork itself is inspired by phil = moon and the eclipse shirt #so that’s why sun & moon #dnp

[agendercryptidlev]

Some folks online really need to get it into their heads that ableist bigotry is still ableist bigotry even when directed at a shitty person.

#Ableism #Mental illness #disability #Especially when you say ableist things about someone shitty who doesn't even have the disability you're being ableist about #this post inspired by the #wilbur soot #situation #btw #Specifically the people trying to assign him various mental illnesses #and the people uses this situation to make fun of him for being uncleanly and showing executive function difficulties #It also erases the actual problem when people do this

[thatdeadaquarius]

Imagine creator reader but no divine presence or aura that makes people crumble at the knees.

Reader just spawns in at wolvendom like a fly and meets diluc for no important reason i just love diluc then pow we can alter character builds then discover that my husband has the bell and instructors set on 😲

Creator freaks out cause wtf this is NOT the build i put on my diluc and hes standing there like ‘what psychopath did i just meet..’ so wow what no way creator reader just happens to have a 2 piece crimson witch in their inventory.

Reader: ‘You’re probably gonna leave me here but theres a hillichurl camp near by you dont want the knights of favonius to get to it first right’

Dilucs mad suspicious but hes a good civilian and puts his vision to use and absolutely destroys the hilichurls

Hes doing like 19x the amount of damage he normally would and word gets around that theres some random lady that makes people uncomprehendingly strong

BRO (genderneutral) I SAW A FIC LITERALLY ABOUT THIS SCENARIO UNDER THE SAGAU TAG AWHILE BACK- ACK-

FIC REC ASK!!

I CANT FIND IT- THEY WERE ACTUALLY THE OG INSPO FOR ME KEEPING A READER WHO COULD STILL ACCESS PLAYER FUNCTIONS

LIKE, DUDE THEY DID DILUC AND EVERYTHING

THIS IS SO CREEPY WTF R U SECRETLY THAT AWESOME WRITER??!!! DID U SNEAK INTO MY ASKS, BC IF SO HELLO I LOVE THAT FIC SM <3 ANYWAY-

I don’t know how to write this without plagiarising that person!!

Because this is such a specific scenario, I don’t see a way around writing this or at least I don’t have the skill for it lmao, as this is the same situation as that fic, so here you guys go!

My first fic rec!! Thank you so much @myrainycollectorpizza for finding this fic!! You're a peach tysm,

Here's pretty much a cooler longer version of what anon said by Muraar on ao3!

☆

Safe Travels Anon,

💀♒️

☆

Fic rec sorry my beloveds! Another ask will be uploaded in an hour or so! :] I lied i forgot to tag u guys in the new one hold on

@karmawonders / @0rah-s / @randomnatics / @glxssynarvi / @nexylaza / @genshin-impacts-me / @wholesomey-artist / @thedevioussmirk / @the-dumber-scaramouche

#fic recommendation #fic recs #when u specify ur brainrot so hard someones already done it 😔✨️ #tysm for the ask tho i hope its okay i put this ur way instead of writing a response! #feel free to send another one in if u rlly want me to write something #:) #genshin sagau #genshin impact #sagau #my replies #my asks #genshin isekai #genshin imagines #gender neutral reader #genshin impact sagau #genshin impact artificer au #thats what im calling this bc DND the roleplaying game has a class for characters just like this! #that and this story are what inspired me to keep the “ingame” functions for when ur “in game”

[maybeinanotherworld]

the other day, i said i was tired of seeing legendre polynomials everywhere and a friend of mine said, with no explanation whatsoever, "le gender polynomials" and i just think that's the funniest thing i have ever heard

#physics #math #physblr #mathblr #legendre has been ruining my life I'm tired of this man #adrien marie legendre meet me in the dennys parking lot right now #'oh the legendre polynomials are the generating function for the coulomb potential' #why don't you generate yourself some bitches legendre #anyway this has been a finals season inspired rant on legendre polynomials that no one asked for #thank you for coming to my ted talk #university #college

[puppyeared]

sketches for sleight's van, the Magicmobile ^_^

#I had a lot of fun designing this!!!!! #i used the volkswagen kombi van as the base model and drew inspiration from modded cars with high rides #to kinda mimic those old horsedrawn caravan wagons.. i tried to keep functionality in mind so the tire covers on the chassis have #grips for where you would put your feet if you were to get in the drivers seat kinda like those huge freight trucks.. and since the ride #height is a little high theres a pool ladder attached to the back to mimic a caravan and to help ppl get in from the back #also exciting coming up with the stage side door.. i dont know exactly how it would work but i imagine the handle at the top #has to be turned and pulled in order to set up the stage.. and then theres a locking mechanism to keep it in place..?? #theres also a stage curtain right behind the door where sleight would come out to do his performance so thats fun!!! #i dont have much to say abt the interior except i forgot to include the ladder which would help reach the skylight #the skylight is a little domed and i riffed that off the kombi camper too but its to contain his butterflies before and after shows ^_^ #the hatch is inspired by the net stormdoor at my aunts house.. kinda like chicken wire?? and then there are flowers and pupae #idk if im ever gonna get around to coloring this but im happy finally getting my ideas down and turning it in my head lol #my art #myart #my oc #oc #sleight #concept art #interior #laikas comet oc #fan character #doodles

[probablybadrpgideas]

Ah.

Ok, no need to panic. As long as you don’t look in the tags, we’re golden. You can do that, right?

Hmm, yeah, I see the issue. You want to look at the tags now. Who can blame you? So how about I sweeten the deal? You take this natural 20 and maybe you “forget” to look at the tags, huh? You’re happy, I’m happy, everyone wins.

We got a deal? Glad to hear it.

Have a nice day, pal.

-Pencil

#Oh shit #right #no worries just stop reading now and it will be fine #ok #if you're really sure I can't stop you #but this is your last chance #Here we go... #Ok I don't actually have anything #I'm a fraud #please don't tell anyone #I actually play RPGs as intended and make functional characters #it's all a facade #I'll be ruined if this gets out #What have I done? #Ok no worries we can fix this #how about this #I'll give you inspiration if you reblog this with the implication there's something really messed up in the tage #Some really fucked up shit #please my brand is on the line #Thanks pal #I owe you one

[welcometogrouchland]

[ID: two pieces of digital fanart depicting Luz and Belos from the owl house dressed as Sarah and Jareth from Labyrinth (1986), respectively. They're wearing the costumes from the hallucination/ballroom scene. In the first piece Luz stands in the foreground with her skirt bunched in her fists, facing towards us but looking at something out of frame. She has a necklace of her egg palismen and a rod of Asclepius hairpin, and is wearing her white vans under her ballgown. Belos stands behind her in shadow, looking down at her and holding up a light glyph. The background is black. The second image is the same piece except with no shading, more vibrant colours and a purple background. End ID] @toh-described

🦉💫Don't tell me truth hurts little girl/Cause it hurts like hell🔮🌟

Labyrinth au!! Honestly surprised I've never seen one of these before?? feels very fitting. But I guess I'm the only one w/ this specific brainrot cocktail lol

(DO NOT TAG AS SHIP OR I WILL EXPLODE YOUR EYEBALLS💥)

#the owl house #toh #luz noceda #luz toh #belos toh #philip wittebane #i do have actual thoughts and (traditional) sketches to flesh this out into a full on au #luz and sarah are very different protagonists so it's fun to switch up the labyrinths design and narrative function to reflect that #if the labyrinth in the movie is trying to teach sarah to be grateful for what she has (lose moral cause this movie has -20 story) #then Luz's labyrinth would be a lot more of a ''give into temptation'' style test ala witches before wizards #overall very similar to the ballroom scene (hence why i took inspiration from it for this) #(also sparkly outfits <3) #I'd probably put the collector as jareth instead of belos as well?? i drew him hear bc I thought he'd look cool juxtaposed w/ luz #but the collector would be a much more relevant antagonist in a story based on Labyrinth i think lol #he'd have stolen king away after luz proclaims he'd be better off without her and she has to get him back yknow? #meanwhile the collector tries to lure her into giving up by crafting a fantasy world to tempt her #but of course she keeps going. make some friends. do some trials. you have no power over me. david bowie dance party. etc #it makes sense to me <3 #anyway. Tumblr pls let these images be a decent size on dashboard <3