A Lurker of Note

A most peculiar mademoiselle running a fandom oriented blog and trying to stay positive.

[alurkerofnote]

Literally just random no-name characters. The most obscure quiz only for deep-cut Merlin fans. Ten Questions, all Merlin related.

[alurkerofnote]

you know the drill

[mental-ch-illness]

me, as my laptop fan suddenly becomes louder: what is it?? what program?? who is doing this to you????

[sarahsoph]

*opening task manager* Who do I need to kill?

[dmbakura]

do u ever see someone elses headcannon for ur fave character and its like….. i completely respect that u have the right to that headcannon, i will not confront u at all and start needless bullshit over that headcannon…. but i will silently sit here and give you the sideways glance of the century

[sharkfish]

me, out loud: hey that’s cool we all have our own interpretations and i support you as part of fandom regardless 

me, in my head: ….but you’re wrong 

[lurkinglurkerwholurks]

I would just like to remind everyone that this is the mature, reasonable, and sensible response.

[fang-emblem]

[babycharmander]

A little PSA for people who use AO3…

Gen refers to fic that is not focused on romance. If your fic is not a romance fic, please give it this tag.

Other refers to fic that is focused on romance, but is not specifically male/female, male/male, or female/female (like an OT3 (ship involving 3 people), a ship involving characters that are not male or female, etc). IT IS NOT FOR PLATONIC RELATIONSHIPS. IT IS FOR ROMANTIC ONES. please for the love of all that is holy do not tag your family-relationship-centered fics as “other” you are going to give people a HEART ATTACK.

“Character/Character” is for romantic pairs. “Character & Character” is for platonic relationships like friendship, family, etc. Please do not tag family-centered or adult-and-minor-centered platonic character relationships as character/character for the love of all that is holy

The E rating is for smut and literally nothing else (unless you have other unusual reasons to rate it E–I’ve seen people apply it to non-smut fics as a deterrent to keep minors away from it, but keep in mind it’ll make it so people who are trying to avoid smut will not find your fic). Your fic that has a lot of graphic violence but no sexual content does not need an E rating.

The M rating is for fics that would basically be rated R if they were movies, and may contain graphic violence, some sexual content, and generally more serious subject matter than you would typically show a teenager. However, if your fic is almost entirely smut, please just give it an E rating.

Also, when you post a fic, you WILL want to give it a rating, or else AO3 will assume you’re probably posting smut and will warn everybody who clicks on your fic that it may contain adult content. If you don’t want that on your fic that contains no adult content at all, please just give it the proper rating instead of not rating it at all.

this post brought to you by PLEASE LEARN HOW THE TAGGING SYSTEM ON THIS WEBSITE WORKS YOU ARE GOING TO GIVE EVERYONE A HEART ATTACK

[babycharmander]

ANOTHER IMPORTANT THING I FORGOT TO MENTION!

“Creator Chose Not to Archive Warnings” means that at least one or more of the archive warnings (that is, “Major Character Death,” “Graphic Depictions of Violence,” “Rape/Non-Con,” or “Underage”) DOES apply to your story, and you’re choosing not to say which one it is. If you select this option, AO3 will put a warning on the fic that potential readers have to click through.

“No Archive Warnings Apply” means that none of the aforementioned archive warnings apply to your fic.

THESE ARE NOT THE SAME THING. IF YOUR FIC DOES NOT HAVE ANYTHING MAJOR THAT NEEDS TO BE WARNED FOR, PLEASE SELECT “NO ARCHIVE WARNINGS APPLY.”

[lao-pendragon]

The fellowship of Tim Burton’s Merlin And the commission for @deathcomeswithakiss ❤ Tim Burton’s Merlin

[lesbiansitara-moved-deactivated]

I wish that ao3 had an option to filter warnings (and tbh certain authors) out like I will never ever want to read it and just seeing it puts me off so much that often I end up closing my browser because that content upsets me so much lmao

[darcylindbergh]

There is a way to do this but I can’t recall how to do it. it’s something you type into the box for “other filters” or something, I don’t remember. who knows?? It’s not a great option, and I don’t know if you can sort out authors that way, but it’s better than nothing if someone can reblog this with how to do it!

[fordeductions-blog]

Alrighty friends! It takes some specificity, but you can do this. Let me show you how!

So I started with going to the Sherlock (TV) section of Ao3. On the right we find this lovely section! ((I know I’m going over things you already probably know, but I figure this post may go to new Ao3 users, so bear with me.))

Underneath this, I chose sort by Kudos, because that’s a quick way to find most popular fics, for the sake of this demonstration. 

With those filters on, we end up with this being our first two results: 

As you can see, we have Nature and Nurture by earlgreytea68, and The Internet Is Not Just For Porn by cyerus. So what if I am utterly sick of seeing earlgreytea68 on my list? Let’s pretend I’ve read all their fics, or that I just don’t like her, or whatever. I want this author out. I go to this section on the right: 

In “Search within results” I type earlgreytea68 into the bar, with a minus sign in front. This gives me the following page, upon hitting the sort and filter button:

There goes earlgreytea68! But now I’ve decided that Crack is just not my thing, I’m sick of that, too, for heaven’s sake, I want something reasonable in my gay slash fanfiction about detectives that solve crimes about glowing dogs and irish megalomaniacs. Heaven forbid this get ridiculous.

Well, then I add this to my search:

Which gets rid of everything with that tag. My results are now:

Performance in a Leading Role is now my first result!

You can do this as many times as you want; the biggest problem I have is trying to filter out multi-worded tags. For example, “Secret Relationship” is hard to filter. Better to go with authors you dislike or with words like “DubCon”. 

I hope this helps! Also remember that googling site:archiveofourown.org and then adding search terms will mean google searches Ao3 for you, and sometimes that works far better. 

Good luck!

[darcylindbergh]

An excellent in-depth guide! Thank you!!

[eyesofmedusa]

omg changed my whole ao3 rarepair game

[stucky-ficrecs]

An excellent guide to filtering on AO3!

You can filter out phrases by enclosing them in quotes. For example, if ABO and Hydra Trash Party are not your things, try:

-“alpha/beta/omega dynamics” -”hydra trash party”

[possibly-an-obsession]

I have more advice!

Say, you’re in your random fandom- I went with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, since I’ve been reading Iron Man stuff recently. Tony Stark is awesome.

But anyway, you’re on the page, and you see that there are 174,774 works! That is way too many for a casual afternoon’s browsing.

And you see that the first one is Peter Parker/Tony Stark and that is not your jam. It doesn’t work for you, or it squicks you, whatever. Wouldn’t life be easier if you could browse without seeing that pairing (or whatever pairing you don’t like)? You can!

First, click on that pairing tag(You may want to open this in another tab, actually.):

and it’ll take you to the page for that pairing tag. Click this button:

and then look at the address bar! The actual page is unimportant. Copy the numbers located here:

and go back to the original search page! Down on the side, in the same place you can get rid of other tags, type -relationship_ids:”the number you just copied”

Then hit ‘sort and filter’ annnd… magic!

The fics with that pairing are gone! You can also do multiple pairings, get rid of any tags you don’t like, and sort it by date or length or kudos, or whatever.

Enjoy.

[irenkaferalkitty]

I’d just like to add that these sorts of search modifiers ALSO WORK IN GOOGLE AND MOST RESEARCH DATABASES. The more you know.

[briefly-be]

Crowley: this is so sad alexa play despacito

Alexa: mama… just killed a man……

[jumpingjacktrash]

this is it, this is the final form of the meme

[dukebee]

All memes on tumblr for more than about a fortnight metamorphose into Queen references

[thebloggerbloggerfun]

*sniffs fanfiction like a fine wine*

Do I detect a hint of… bedsharing? Mutual pining perhaps?

[misccee]

Ahh…subtle undercurrents of fake relationships

[burgundydahlia]

I’m getting strong notes of slow burn and friends to lovers, with a touch of smut at the finish

[hastalux]

*drops an enormous box wine on the table*

This is just smut. Entirely smut. This smut has never even seen a plot.

[woodelf68]

Yeah that’s my order

[sensitive-inferno]

*rolls up with a growler of 16% craft beer*

OH MY GOD

*slams growler on the table*

THEY WERE ROOMMATES

[inky-petrel]

*delicately sets 4-pack of violently neon green RTDs on the table*  Stuck in a car.  In a snowstorm.  Middle of nowhere. V. Cold.  Only one character has a Big Fluffy Coat. Cuddling with a side of mutual pining.  Best served with a slice of Things Mumbled While They Think The Other Character Is Asleep.

[thegirlinthebyakko]

*Comes in with a hand full of those tiny alcohol bottles you see at the checkout* onshots!

[stephrc79]

*Slides bottle of whiskey across the bar*

Enemies to lovers with a double shot of confused hate-fucking because lbr, no one’s actually hating anything about the fucking up here in this joint. Not even them.

[trish-argh]

*slams bottle of clear liquids with the lable peeled off and shot glasses on the table*

Identity Porn, babes! Adventures! It could be spicy it could be sweet, who knows? I mean we all know its vodka… but is it tho?

[brolinskeep]

*holds a big mug of spicy hot chocolate with some foam art - is it a cat, is it a dragon? - under you nose*

coffee shop AU

[xancredible27]

*shows up with a selection of soft drinks*

Anyone looking for non-explicit fics?

[queerangelic]

something i’d forgotten about good omens is that in the beginning of the story Aziraphale and Crowley, while on good terms and having a specific understanding about how they interact with each other and their jobs and the world, have a very passive kind of camaraderie. If you have eternity to look forward to, there’s no real need for change or growth, and in essence, their friendship isn’t much changed from the eden days. But with the Apocalypse on its way, the trust and companionship they’ve built over millennia suddenly becomes vitally important as they question their loyalties to their respective “forces”. The turning point is when Aziraphale thinks “he ought to tell crowley - no he wants to tell crowley, he ought to tell heaven” and later Crowley’s first instinct on escaping eternal damnation from his old bosses is to seek out Aziraphale and LEAP THROUGH A BURNING BUILDING to find him. When Aziraphale accepts that Heaven isn’t going to help him, and Crowley accepts that Hell isn’t going to let him do his own thing, their primary loyalties become each other and the earth they live on together. Like they spend the rest of the story trying to find each other again, determined to stop the end of the world, because they know that’s what the other would do. 

[deactivated-blog]

[terrypratchettparadise]

“You can’t give her that!’ she screamed. ‘It’s not safe!’

IT’S A SWORD, said the Hogfather. THEY’RE NOT MEANT TO BE SAFE.

‘She’s a child!’ shouted Crumley.

IT’S EDUCATIONAL.

‘What if she cuts herself?’

THAT WILL BE AN IMPORTANT LESSON.”

- Terry Pratchett - Hogfather

[nerdgamery]

[cyberdelph]

TEAM STARK ✌️ by dan@kg_slept

[pizzassuplex]

yall ever heard about ao3s next of kin policy

[hobbitystmarymorstan]

..hmmm..

[hiddenlacuna]

Who wants to be executor of my smut?

[saathi1013]

…is this supposed to be considered weird? I don’t get it.

[hiddenlacuna]

I think it’s more that it was an unexpected feature. I’m glad it’s there.

[moonblossom]

Yeah I actually found it while prepping for brain surgery, and was incredibly relieved that it was a built-in feature and not something I’d have to leave convoluted instructions about or whatever. It’s a bit morbid, sure, but it’s a great feature.

[gallusrostromegalus]

…an unexpected but very appreciated feature.

[thebaconsandwichofregret]

Another reminder that AO3 was created by women who’ve been in fandom for decades and have gone through the loss of fandom friends and had to worry about what to do with this little accidental shrine.

[divinekinshootpoosts]

If you touch an Angel’s wing and halo at the same time they take a screenshot

[borzoibabe]

you know what trope pisses me off the most? when the protag is pointing a gun at somebody and they’re like “you won’t do it. you’re too good” and the person holding the gun is like oh shit i am and they slowly lower the gun while the other person laughs. WHAT THE FUCK. if i were there, and somebody told me “you won’t do it” i would immediately shoot them dead without hesitating. who are you to tell me what i wont do. musty bitch

[k-lionheart-deactivated20171126]

[sam-winchester-cries-during-sex]

[kyraneko]

Keep in mind that there is almost always a third option, most especially when the person talking is vague about what, precisely, it is that you “won’t do.”

If it’s noodles, pour them on your sister instead of on her computer, or if the noodles are quite hot, pour them on her pillow or in a great spattering arc around her room.

If you have a supervillain at gunpoint and *they* say you’re “too good” and “won’t do it,” shoot them in the leg/foot or the shoulder. The former allows them to think they’re right while you lower the gun only to be confronted with sudden understanding and regret when you blow their metatarsals to kingdom come, while the latter is instant and avoids giving them even a moment’s satisfaction or any time to charge you while you’re lowering the gun to shoot them in the leg.

Door Number Three usually exists and is often your friend. Endeavor to cultivate awareness thereof.

[mixingmetaphorsoup]

Ethical dillemas are rarely reducible down to a clear binary.

[thefingerfuckingfemalefury]

This series of posts reads like a drunken discussion between Wade, Colossus and Negasonic

[doubledecks]

“While many people think fanfiction is about inserting sex into texts (like Tolkien’s) where it doesn’t belong, Brancher sees it differently: “I was desperate to read about sex that included great friendship; I was repurposing Tolkien’s text in order to do that. It wasn’t that friendship needed to be sexualized, it was that erotica needed to be … friendship-ized.” Many fanfiction writers write about sex in conjunction with beloved texts and characters not because they think those texts are incomplete, but because they’re looking for stories where sex is profound and meaningful. This is part of what makes fan fiction different from pornography: unlike pornography, fanfic features characters we already care deeply about, and who tend to already have long-standing and complex relationships with each other. It’s a genre of sexual subjectification: the very opposite of objectification. It’s benefits with friendship.”

— Francesca Coppa, “Introduction to The Dwarf’s Tale,” The Fanfiction Reader (via francescacoppa)

Someone put it into words. I gotta sit down

[albymangroves]

BENEFITS WITH FRIENDSHIP