#that's what fanfic is for

[soaps-mohawk]

I'm kind of new to the whole omegaverse scene, but your story has inspired me to write one of my own. My question though... Are there like "hard set" rules for omegaverse? Like, how heats and ruts work, how presenting works, society, etc? I'm nervous to do the genre injustice if I want to do "omegaverse, but a little to the left"

There's no real wrong way to do omegaverse. That's the beautiful thing about fiction, is you can quite literally pull something out of thin air and that's fine cause it's fiction. Really, I've seen omegaverse done in so many different ways. Every author has their take on it and it's an incredibly flexible trope.

If you want to read up on the sort of baseline that everyone follows, I'd suggest the fanlore page on A/B/O.

You really can't do it wrong. That's the beauty of it. There's so much room for interpretation and exploration in it. Get creative. Do your own thing with it.

#really the possibilities are endless and if anyone tells you you're doing it wrong then they're just trying to be the fandom police #and we all know what we say to the fandom police 😏 #really there's no right or wrong way to do it #just have fun #that's what fanfic is for #answered

[darthstitch]

Footnotes and Snippets

Footnote the First

Look, Methos was not an eavesdropper by nature.

Lies. He absolutely was, but only if it concerned his survival. The rest of the time, he had the sense to mind his own business.

Anyway. Methos had an inkling this was one of those times, because while Robert "Hob" Gadling was not the type of Immortal who played the Great Game, he had the look of someone who was rather handy with a sword. And Methos was rather fond of his neck, after several thousand years of being attached to it.

He'd only ended up in the general vicinity of Hob's office, intending to invite his colleague over for a pint and maybe some supper, as Methos wanted to escape a fellow History professor who was something of an utter twatwaffle.

Methos hadn't expected to walk into what was apparently a marital squabble of some sort, conducted in Middle English and in iambic pentameter.

Oooff. That took him a ways back.

Right. So he was about to get on with the very urgent matter of minding his own business except he caught the gist of the conversation which basically amounted to: "LUCIFER MORNINGSTAR, YOU COMPLETE LUNATIC, WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU THINKING?!"

Okay, only that sentiment was expressed in a more Shakespearean eloquency (oooff, Hob was going to hate him for that, maybe it should be a more Marlownian elegance). But that was, essentially, part of an argument in which apparently, Hob had just learned that his idiot boyfriend had gone off and faced down Lucifer Morningstar.

Never mind that said boyfriend was the anthropomorphic personification of Dreams and Nightmares, nope, Robert Gadling was still a medieval peasant at heart, and one did not piss off the Evil One Herself, in all her malice and considerable power.

(Yeah, Methos was still wrapping his head around the notion of Hob's boyfriend. Not that he was one to judge, having one broody and trouble-prone Highlander to deal with himself.)

There was a sudden gale and lightning cracked across the sky and Methos braced himself for some sort of apocalyptic weather event but apparently, Dream of the Endless had walked out in high dudgeon. Oh dear.

"I know you're up there," Hob said tiredly.

Welp. Never let it be said that Methos didn't lack for courage. "Well, I wasn't expecting to walk into a lover's quarrel conducted in Middle English but I had to stay around for the sheer poetry of it --"

" -- if you're going to mention bloody Will Shaxberd, I'm going to punch you in the nose -- "

Methos held up his hands. "I was thinking of Marlowe. And a pint." A beat. "Maybe a few more pints?"

"You're a prince among men, my friend."

It was a good thing that both of them were braced for the hangovers the next day.

Somehow, Methos was not surprised that he ended up dreaming of rain that night.

****

Footnote the Second

But I KnOw ThiNGS none of YOU know.

I know LOTS of things. Things about us.

Things N0t Even HE knows. DO YOU?

Delirium knows that in Destiny's Book, she waits at the family table, lost in her own world again, pointedly ignoring Desire, who's now flouncing off to sit near Despair. They were aching to say something clever and spiteful, only to be verbally smacked down by their Eldest Sister.

Desire knew they could never go against Death Herself.

Instead, Delirium remembers her brother Dream singing, in that room, with the children and his lover. Singing in a way he hadn't in ages.

She remembered Dream singing many times, when they were all so young, so long ago. The way she would dance to the music he made, the way they made butterflies and pretty floating fish and other wonderful winged things to dance and fly and laugh and….

She remembered. She was Delight then. They were happy.

But Dream. He didn't sing so much anymore. Not since her nephew was lost to them. There were few things that made him happy now. She could see him. Clinging to those few, precious things, the people he loved and cared for.

She couldn't lose him. Not like they all lost the Prodigal. Not again.

So Delirium stands up and waits for Death to help Dream realize how wrong he'd been about Nada. Waits for Dream to let go of his pride once more, because really, Delirium realized that he was getting better at that. The pride thing. So stupid it was.

And just before Dream makes his farewells, before he runs off on another noble quest, Delirium darts forward quickly. She throws her arms around his waist, buries her nose in his chest. He smells of stars and multicolored butterflies and the last notes of a favorite song, that linger just for a few moments more before fading away. It's a familiar scent to Delirium. It comforts her.

"Sister?"

She looks up at him, her mismatched eyes steady and focused, even though she could feel the familiar white hot shards of pain, threatening to carry her off again to her comforting world of unnamed colors and sparkles. This was important. "Don't be an idiot, Dream. You're not alone, okay?"

"This is of my own making, my sister. It is only right that I should make amends."

"Yes, yes, yes, I know all that," Delirium tells him impatiently. "Listen. Because I can't stay like this any longer. It hurts very muchly. "

She pulls him down to whisper what she wanted to say. What Dream needed to hear. What Dream needed to remember.

And when she lets him go, her face is wet with tears. Death steps forward to put her hands on her shoulders, to offer comfort. But it is her big brother who gently brushes her tears away with his long, slender fingers.

"Thank you, Sister. I will heed your advice."

"YoU BeTTeR!"

When Dream of the Endless arrives at the Gates of Hell to free the woman he loved, he isn't alone.

With him is the Captain of the Heavenly Host, the Archangel Michael.

***

Footnote the Third

It had been a decidedly odd week.

Eddie Munson swore up and down that he'd seen Billy Hargrove in the school, stalking the halls like he'd owned the place once more.

The problem was that Billy had died in a horrific car accident six months ago. He wasn't missed. They still remembered how Professor Gadling had faced him down when he'd tried to push Max around. It had been pretty badass.

On the other hand, Dustin kept nattering about necromancy and how sightings of the Dead didn't necessarily mean a zombie apocalypse, but maybe a rogue necromancer's spell gone wrong.

There was that lady, Ms. Constantine, who'd popped by and mentioned something about Hell being emptied and how it was now all hands on deck getting everyone back where they ought to be. And something about how the school was warded and protected.

Huh.

Lucas' little sister Erica had mentioned about how she met up with these two boys from over at that creepy old St. Hilarion's, and they said Death was very busy at the moment, so they would be running off on their own adventure in the meantime.

The trouble was that one of those boys was apparently some rich and important person's son and he'd been found dead in his school's attic. Along with the bones of some other poor kid who'd also gone missing decades ago.

Eventually, all the weird shit died down and it was no more weirder than it usually was at school, what with the suspected cryptid teachers and one Additional Adjacent Suspected Cryptid who happened to be the boyfriend of everyone's favorite History professor.

Professor Gadling was just wrapping up a lecture when Murphy appeared at the door, looking like he'd just been dragged through hell and back again.

The good professor didn't hesitate. He'd just run over to his boyfriend and wrapped him up in a hug, like they hadn't seen each other in a hundred years.

"I promised you, didn't I?" Murphy was heard to have said. "Nothing foolish. I've just made things right again."

What the Professor's response was, the class didn't hear, but whatever it was, it made Murphy's cheeks turn pink and he was thoroughly kissed afterwards. The Professor pointedly ignored the wolf whistles and the cheers from the class.

***

Footnote the Fourth

No favors were granted to Loki the Trickster, who'd been caught by the Archangel Michael before he could impersonate Susano-o-No-Mikoto-sama and exchange places with him.

No debts were incurred to Loki Skywalker and a design that might have been set by a Dream who had been less happy, already over-burdened with grief and guilt that he would never speak of, was never to happen. He would be sent back to serve his sentence and all the guests of the Dreaming returned safely back to their own homes. Dream of the Endless had a realm to rule, friends who cared for him and a family who loved him. He had a home to go to and one who returned his love with equal passion. There were still some things left undone, but he would not be alone to face them.

For once, Dream of the Endless was happy and content.

-end-

#the sandman #dream of the endless #hob gadling #dreamling #dream/hob #methos #michael the archangel #i crack what i want #shhh don't tell neil #i'm giving dream of the endless a goddamn happy ending even if it kills me #that's what fanfic is for #put tongue firmly in cheek and leave canon at the door

[asirensrage]

Me: I'm going to watch this new thing! Purely for enjoyment! That's all! I'm going to be totally normal about it...

Also me:

#how else do I recover from my faves and their fates? #that's what fanfic is for

[fangirling-and-lovin-it]

This merger has royally sucked. I haven't been this disappointed about the cancellation of a TV show since Hannibal. Yes, Hannibal.

We're never gonna see the conclusion that Lisa Joy and Jonah Nolan imagined all along.

And I'm personally gutted that we're never gonna see a fitting conclusion to Bernard and Stubbs journey together 💜🏳️‍🌈

Oh well, just gonna have to make a lot more Bernubbs edits and fics to fill the space and correct this travesty mend my broken heart lol.

#That's what fanfic is for #canon who? #westworld #hannibal #Bernubbs #bernard/stubbs #westworld hbo #hbo merger

[pixiemage]

Please, for the love of god, please don’t be this person. No matter how long it’s been since an update, no matter how many unfinished stories are sitting on their account, no matter what - do not be this person.

Not only is it insanely rude, but you also do more damage than you think be being such a self-entitled ass about something someone created for free and for fun. “This author” can see what you say.

RIP decency indeed.

#Archive of our Own #Ao3 #Ao3 Comments #Writing #Fanfiction #Fanfic Writing #I wrote over 100k on that fic before burnout took hold #I poured my heart into what I did manage to finish #adhd’s a bitch that doesn’t always let me write what I want to write but I got that far #don’t make me feel ashamed because you didn’t get to see the ending

[writtenbyevie]

do you ever not write for so long that you’re almost afraid to? like what if I’m dumb now

#what if I’ve forgotten how #better procrastinate and make it worse!! #writeblogging #writer’s block #writeblr #writers on tumblr #writing memes #ao3 memes #fanfic memes #ao3 #fanfic #evie’s jeevies

[thisistoji]

TITS

credit: wanko

#toji fushiguro #jjk toji #jujutsu kaisen #jujutsu kaisen toji #toji #dilf toji #anime #toji x you #fan art #fanfic #shiu kong fanart #fanart #toji fanart #toji fandom #so hot it should be illegal #so hot omg #so hot 🔥🔥🔥 #muscles #so what if i lick his body from top to bottom #amazing body

[sleepysebris]

:) 🖤

@mlsecretsanta gift for @thequeenofspace! happy belated holidays and apologies for the delay, had a serious family emergency followed by sickness! I had so much fun making this though, was so excited to finally draw these two 🖤 hope you enjoy!!!

#i absolutely believe emo marinette went home and made dolls after seeing the ladybug & chat noir dolls #im assuming adrien's room is the preferred hang out space in this universe #so this is his room and that is his ladybug doll #also obsessed with his quiet blushy personality #assume that when they detransform she laughs at his half-finished makeup cause they forgot what they were doing before they left #and he deserves it for poorly-timed teasing her mid-battle or something #there's the fanfic #ml secret santa 2023 #ml secret santa #miraculous ladybug #ml paris special #adrienette #emo love square #emodrien #my art #my ml comics

[iamanartichoke]

I don't know who needs to hear this, but as a creator -

I am fine with "the audience" -

downloading my fics

printing my fics

copy/pasting or screenshotting my fics

sharing your saved copy of my fics with anyone else who might want them in the unlikely but never impossible case that my fics are no longer available on ao3

making a book of my fic(s) and running your fingers across the pages while lovingly whispering my precioussss

doing these things with anything I create for fandom, such as meta, headcanons, au nonsense like 'texts from the brodinsons,' etc

I am not fine with "the audience"

doing any of the above with the purpose/intent of plagiarizing my work or passing it off as their own in any capacity

feeding my work into ai for any reason whatsoever

Save the fandom things. Preserve the fandom things. Respect the fandom things.

Enjoy the fandom things.

#fanfic #ao3 #archive of our own #fandom things #tumblr things #i may have said this at some point #i'm sure i have #but whatever - just in case #i don't say this with the presumption that i'm so amazing and people are clamoring to save my fics #but just if anyone is so inclined that's all #ftr i don't intend on ever removing my fics from ao3 or deleting fandom things from this blog #i've always shared my fandom things with the intent of keeping them shared bc that's the whole point of posting #but the fandom atmosphere and ao3 constantly being under attack who knows what can happen #not that this applies to anyone but should all else fail you can also reach out to me and i will personally give you a copy #at least of fics bc i save everything #not so much the tumblr things but this is a good reminder to myself that i should do that for the things i care about #that i've made or done and only posted here #anyway sorry i have now used up my quota of the putting words into sentences doing for today #i have plans to stare into the void now

[frownyalfred]

want your favorite author to update but don’t want to be too pushy in their comment section?

here’s 5 things you can do to encourage them:

Reblog their fic link on tumblr (bonus if it’s with tags)

Bookmark the fic with a note about what you’re excited about/love in the fic

Recommend the fic to your friends or local discord channel

Draw art or create other media for the fic (as indicated by the author’s comfort level)

Leave them a comment when re-reading about the parts of the chapter/story that stood out to you the second time

#this isn’t about me #this is just what I think a lot of authors would appreciate #more than the ‘update soon!!!’ comments #fic #fanfic #fanfiction #ao3 #archive of our own #writing things #writing #reading things #reading #tips and tricks

[cult-of-the-eye]

I love how intricate asexuality can be. No sex at all? Sure! Just want to watch? Brilliant! Only comfortable with topping? You go girl! Only rarely feel aroused and when you do it's very touch and go? Wonderful! Kinky but not in a sex way? Coolio! Queerness is full of nuance and people are complicated and things never live in a vacuum!!

#guess what made this dawn on me #reading jmart fanfic #and seeing all the different ways jon's asexuality is depicted #it just makes me so happy about the queer community #tma #the magnus archives #jonathan sims #martin k blackwood #jmart #queer #ace #asexual #acespec

[starchaserfanatic]

My Friends/Family: Hey can I see your phone? I need to look something up.

Me, closing like 80+ Ao3 Tabs as fast as I can:

#that’s all fanfiction #fanfiction #fanfic #ao3 funny #ao3 #it’s private bro #what I read is between me and god stg #jegulus #wolfstar #ao3 fanfic #drarry #aziracrow #james potter #marauders fic #marauders #james x regulus #regulus black #remus x sirius #sirius black #remus lupin

[athenaschild5]

when fanfic authors say that they don’t decide what happens in the story that the characters make the decisions i imagine it like this:

writer: *sitting down* type type type type *squinting at the screen* type type type

writer: *gasp* WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT…… type type type

#yea that’s what happens when i imagine it lol #writing #fanfic #fanfic writing #authors #fanfic authors #ao3 stuff

[you-were-meteowrong]

reblog for bigger sample size

#i dont understand bookmarking everything to keep track of progress #like... #i just subscribe and read it IMMEDIATELY when i get an update email #i bookmark fics i'd personally recommend #i like looking at what my readers bookmarked #or what a fave writer bookmarked #gives me more stuff to read! #my thoughts #text #polls #my polls #ao3 #ao3 writer #fanfic #fic #writing

[fonulyn]

since I've seen it talked about in several places recently:

if you are going to do a whump- or kink- or ANY-tober or other similar challenges please please please don't post them as one fic with 31 chapters unless it actually is one coherent fic. if they're 31 completely separate fics or ficlets then please just make a collection for them or just post them as separate fics. it doesn't matter if they're only 100 words or if you think they're too small or insignificant to post alone, they're not.

and why this?

because if you post all 31 of them in one fic the tagging is absolutely useless. if I look for things to read on ao3 I'm gonna look at the tags, and if the tags include something that's a dealbreaker for me, i won't even click on the fic. I might not even SEE the fic because I've filtered out the nope-tag! so I'm gonna lose out on reading 30 perfectly nice fics because of one fic that my nope-tag applied to.

ao3 is about archiving. it's about clear tagging and being informative. there is nothing informative about it if the tags in the fic apply to random chapters while others have nothing to do with it. it makes so much more sense to have each work as an individual fic with its own individual tags and warnings, so readers can make informed choices.

of course, you do you. I can't police what other people decide to do. but personally, I find it incredibly frustrating to weed through 31 chapters to find the ones I actually want to read. so I don't. I automatically scroll past all works posted like that. and I know some others do, too.

there is absolutely no shame in posting short things on ao3. there is no minimum word count. no one is going to look at you funny if you post a small ficlet on its own, I promise. it's just going to make some readers very happy when they can actually find the things they want to read.

so, please. at least consider the upsides of posting each work as their own fic.

signed, one very frustrated fandom grandma.

#ao3 #fanfic #fandom #I'm not trying to dictate what others do #so if you still wanna keep posting #completely unrelated works as chapters of one thing #then go for it #i'm not your mom #but please at least consider the alternative #and how much easier it'll be for people to #both find it and to make informed choices #of what they want to read

[plumadesatada]

just remembered a fic on AO3 (or more likely LJ because it had that distinct late 00's experimental vibe) that appeared double-spaced oddly, in that some paragraphs would be spaced normally and others would have double or even triple spaces in between. it was about one half of the otp getting over the other's death (or coma, can't remember which), so all the comments were about how poignant the use of visual spacing was as a means to convey all the emotional holes in the character's life.

and then the author replied like... *giggle* guys it's NOT double spaced. try selecting the whole text

and we were all like "no WAY"

but we selected the text, and yes!!!

the "holes" in the story? they were actually lines and actions from the dead/coma character's ghost, rendered invisible to the eye by the simple trick of coloring the text the exact same as the background, revealed by nothing more than a click and a drag of the mouse

a story about the profound loneliness of losing your the partner of your life and having to make do without them, without anything to fill the holes they'd left behind, suddenly became a story about the profound helplessness of seeing someone you love suffer from your absence while you are right there, unable to do anything about it, unable to communicate that you love them enough to suffer unseen and unheard with them, just to keep them company they'll never know about

it was then that I truly realized how *superior* the digital medium is to plain printed paper, how the medium and the format can add to a story.

I think about that fic about once a year. I wish I could find it again

EDIT: FOUND IT!!!! UPDATE HERE

#probable fandoms for it (that I was in at that time): naruto Hikaru no go deathnote maybe? #definitely not Harry Potter or BBC merlin. I can't recall what else I was into back in 2008-2009 #God I miss those Fandom days. everyone was doing such NEAT things both coding and writing wise #fanfic #pretty sure it was LJ #UPDATE: IT WAS LJ AND THE FIC IS BBC SHERLOCK 🤮 #but still worth reading