This space was created to help people who are new to fandom. Please ask us any questions about fandom you may have, such as:
How to Comment
How to Use AO3
How to Post Fanfic
Help with Resources - Writing, Drawing, Posting, Sharing, etc
How to Tag
Where to Start
As we receive questions, we'll compile an FAQ that will be linked here.
While we may not be able to questions specific to your fandom, we would love it if you still asked and we're happy to point you in the right direction as best we can.
Who are your Fandom Elders?
Jungle, Mara, and Stella currently run this blog. They are based in different timezones.
Jungle (@indigo-jungle, she/her, 30s) has been a long-time lurker and commenter in the Lord of the Rings and Transformers fandom. Over the last six years, she has written for The Silmarillion, Lord of the Rings, and Marvel fandoms. Some of her favorite tropes are mutual pining, a clever canon-divergence, and bed sharing. She’s always happy to indulge in a gen fic or stories that explore non-conventional relationships. Outside of fandom, she can be found trying not be crushed by dumbbells, flourishing a sick swing out on the social dance floor or curled up on her couch with a good book.
Mara (@marasfanfics/@themaradwrites, she/her, millennial) published her first fanfic in 2002 (or 2003, she can't remember) and wrote her first fic on an old 386 computer back in the 90s. She's published fics for Jurassic Park/World, Marvel, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, The A-team, Once Upon A Time, CSI, Chicago PD, Robin Hood, and Stargate. And probably others she's long forgotten. Her favourite tropes include Idiots In Love, Soulmates, Fix-it AUs, and anything with an OC. She also runs events and co-admins the @marvel-oc-hub on Tumblr and runs @sam-a-palooza. Outside of fandom, she's a computer nerd who spends her days reading and being bossed around by her cat.
Our Guides
How to Comment
Fandom Dictionary SFW Version
Guide to Using AO3 Tags/Filters
Comparison of The Big Fanfic Sites - For Writers
Comparison of The Big Fanfic Sites - For Readers
How to Make Fandom Friends
How to Criticize The Right Way
How to Get Started With Writing Fanfic
Rules
Don't be a dick.
We accept everyone.
Rude comments/commenters will be deleted and/or blocked.
We welcome discussion on OCs and xReader fics. We do not welcome shaming people for writing either.
We do not support works created using AI and will not give advice on creating works with AI. If you would like resources and guides to help you write better without AI, we are more than happy to help!
Please note: These are not fandom-specific, so you may find other terms within your fandom that are not listed here such as ship names. We’ve done our best to go with the most common definitions, but there may be exceptions to the below within specific fandoms.
If you have fandom terms you need help with and/or don’t see in the list, please send us an ask!
If you have any terms to add, please send an ask! We know we're missing terms in our dictionary.
The NSFW Fandom Dictionary. (Link inbound)
The dictionary:
Alternate Universe: A fully alternate universe to canon events, or a universe that differs in major ways from the canon events. An example would be a Medieval AU or a universe with an OC or Reader insert. (See also ‘Canon Divergence, ‘Original Characters’, ‘Reade/Reader-Insert’ ‘Yume’.)
Canon: Everything that happens in the source material, be it movies, a comic, a tv show, an anime, etc.
Canon Divergence: A fanfic written that follows canon up to a certain point, then branches away to tell its own story.
Dead Dove: Do Not Eat: Means that this is exactly what the tags warn you it is. It is not synonymous with ‘enter at your own risk’ type warnings - the Dead Dove should always come with other tags detailing the reason why it is there, such as potential triggers or dark themes depicted. You have literally been warned beforehand. Comes from this scene in the series Arrested Development.
Don’t Like, Don’t Read: Use tags and summaries to find fics that match your expectations. If you find a fic you don’t like, don’t read it. If you’ve already started to read it and decided it wasn’t for you, hit the back button.
Femslash: Stories that feature lesbian (or other woman-woman) pairings. The term stems from ‘Slash’ fics, which are M/M. (See also ‘Slash’ and ‘wlw’)
Fictional Other: The canon half of a Self-Ship/Self-Insert pairing. (See ‘Self-Ship’.)
Fix-It: A story written to ‘fix’ something in canon, often to give a happy ending to an arc with a sad ending. For example, saving a character who dies or having them make different choices.
Fluff: Just a good old feel-good story. It can be romantic or platonic or familial. Anything intended to leave the reader feeling happy. It doesn’t have to have a proper plot, it can be a oneshot with no plot, just fluff. (See also ‘Oneshot’)
Gary-Stu: An overpowered or perfect character that doesn’t necessarily follow in-universe rules, usually a self-insert. Some people incorrectly conflate this with all original character fic but just because an OC is paired with a canon character doesn’t mean they are a Gary Stu / Mary Sue. An example of a Gary-Sue would be Luke Skywalker from Star Wars. (See also ‘Mary-Sue’)
Genderswap: Changing the gender of a character. This is also considered to be an Alternate Universe.
Headcanon: A person’s personal beliefs about or interpretation of canon events or characters. It can be based on subtext or just be completely author’s imagination – neither of these is wrong.
Isekai: A person from our world being transported into a fictional universe.
Lime: An older fandom term for stories that contain fade-to-black sex. More commonly M-rated fic. (See also ‘Lemon’ in our NSFW Fandom Dictionary)
Mary-Sue: An overpowered or perfect character that doesn’t necessarily follow in-universe rules, usually a self-insert. Some people incorrectly conflate this with all original character fic, though many OCs don’t qualify as Mary-Sues/Gary-Stus. Examples of Mary-Sues include Bella Swan from Twilight and Ebony Dark'ness Dementia Raven Way from the Harry Potter fanfic My Immortal. (See also ‘Gary-Stu’)
mlm: See ‘Slash’. This stems from the phrase ‘men loving men’.
Oneshot: A single chapter story. It can be a slice-of-life story, something with no plot, or it can have an entire plot contained within.
Original Character (OC): A character that isn’t included in canon and is solely made up by the author. This character has a name, a personality, and a background entirely created by the author that usually aligns with canon or with the rules of the alternate universe created by the author. These fics can be written in first, second, or third person. (See also our article on OC vs Reader vs Canon fiction)
Reader/Reader-Insert: Usually written in first or second person (‘I’ or ‘You’ POV), this character has no birth name (may have nicknames), no description, and a vague history. This is meant to allow readers to slip into the character themselves and immerse themselves in the story.
Self-Insert: A piece of fiction that’s written with a character based upon the author.
Self-Ship: A term used to describe when a person ships themselves with a fictional character. (See ‘yume’ and ‘Self-Insert’)
Ship: Short for a relationship, can be used as a noun or a verb. Example: Canon/OC is a ship (noun), but you can also say you ship them (verb).
‘Ship and Let Ship’: The idea that not every ship is meant for you specifically to enjoy. If it’s not your ship, move on and find something that is.
Slash: Stories that feature gay (or other man-man) pairings. It stems from labelling a fic as M/M - ie. the slash in the middle. (See also Femslash)
Slice of Life: A story containing normal, everyday life moments usually set within the context of the canon material. Can be platonic, romantic, or familial, and can also be combined with an Alternate Universe.
Squick: A non-judgemental way to say something isn’t to your taste - essentially saying ‘this isn’t my cup of tea’. Example: “Soulmates fics squick me out” means you don’t enjoy it, but you don’t shame people who do.
Tags: These are added to fics on Tumblr, Wattpad, and AO3 to let readers know what is contained within the fic. They are a way to advertise your fic to the right audience. Tags can also be used to filter fics to find what you like or hide what you don’t like. Do not tag things that aren’t in your fic to reach a wider audience. In fandom, this is more likely to alienate your audience. (See our article on Curating Your Experience)
Tropes: Commonly used plot devices/themes within fanfic (and fiction in general). For example: Soulmates AUs, One Bed, etc. (See Fanlore for more details)
wlw: See Femslash fics. This stems from the phrase ‘women loving women’.
TL;DR: If you’re unsure where to start, just drop a “I really enjoyed this fic!” or similar, and don’t demand updates without other input, or give criticism unless the author has specifically and explicitly called for it.
The most important thing to remember is that the vast majority of fanfic authors and fan artists are fans too – they started out in the same place as you and just like you they read and enjoy fanfic and fanart!
Many authors post their stories online because they want to talk to you about the fic, and want to share their passion for the characters with the community!
So there is no need to be scared or feel intimidated by the writers and artists.
You can rest assured that in 99% of the cases, the writers are delighted to hear from you as long as your comment has a positive tone and isn’t coming off as entitled (we’ve included more information and examples below).
Fandom is inherently social, a group of people talking about their shared interest, and the people who want to be put on a pedestal and write fic for popularity are very few and far between. The vast majority of us are here to build a community. So we love seeing comments!
Fandom is not social media. You cannot get the same experience by passively consuming fanfic/fanart. Liking/leaving kudos does nothing on sites like Tumblr or AO3 because there is no algorithm to appease.
If you want the author to know you're enjoying every update, to let them know you're still reading, the best way to do that is with a comment.
Adding your comments in reblogs on Tumblr also helps others discover the fic so the author might gain more readers than they would’ve without the reblog, and people find new fic they love - it’s a win-win.
That said, nobody expects every single person who enjoyed their fic to leave a comment.
But.
If you don’t comment, you don’t have any stake in the fic.
Nor do you have a right to be upset if the fic isn’t updated or abandoned.
You are not who the author is posting the fic for because the author has no idea what you think or if you're actively reading. The author doesn't know you're there.
If you haven’t shown the author you’re enjoying the fic, you cannot be surprised if that fic is abandoned or put on hiatus due to lack of interest.
So, how do you comment?
Emojis: I don't know any author who'd be pissed if you dropped a heart emoji because you have nothing else to say. I'm sure someone out there would be, but let me assure you they are in the minority.
Quoting Your Favourite Parts: Go for it! Most authors don't mind and would love to hear your favourite parts of the fic!
Live-blogging Your Thoughts: This kind of a cheat mode for commenting. You read a line, a thought pops in, you paste it into a doc, and write what you thought. Sometimes it's just copy/paste and an 'lol', sometimes it's long commentary.
Random short comments: "Loved this chapter", "Well done!", "I can't wait to see where this goes!", etc. All are generally welcome
Keyboard Smashes: Authors love this! Go right ahead and be incoherent and excited!
Get Mad, Get Emotional: You can absolutely leave comments that are upset and emotional as long as you're not being an asshole. Such as "How could you do this to me?!?" or "Why would you do that - I love it so much!". Let your emotions run free, just don't be a dick and remember someone is behind that account. And don’t include any personal attacks towards the author.
Do not leave ANY criticism, including constructive criticism, unless the author has requested it explicitly. .
And on the topic of different types of criticism: If you have any non-constructive criticism, only offer it if an author states they welcome differing opinions. If not, don't leave it. There are some authors out there who forget to note they'd accept any form of criticism, but they are not the majority. It takes nothing to be kind.
Consider why you’re leaving the comment. Pause and consider your goal and your audience as a commenter, as well as what the author has or has not requested. Questions you might want to ask yourself could include:
If you’re leaving a negative or constructive comment, why are you leaving it?
Are you hoping to start a dialogue over something you disagree with?
Does that have anything to do with the fic?
Is your comment more appropriate for a private conversation between friends?
Comments are for the author, bookmarks are for the reader(s). That said, please keep in mind that if you have a bookmark that isn’t private anything you say can be seen by the author.
But what if I don’t like the fic?
Hit the back button. There’s an old fandom adage “Don’t like, don’t read”. Keep that in mind when you come across something you don’t like. It’s okay to not like a fic! We all find fics we don’t like. If there are topics that you do not want to see, you can exclude the tags from AO3 search using the search result filter and block them on tumblr, which is a good idea – curating your own online experience is a good skill to learn.
What is the difference between being rude and being invested in the fic?
It’s intent. You can absolutely leave comments getting worked up about a plot point, getting excited or even rabid over your favourite character getting shot or making a morally questionable choice or whatever. But look at the comment - does it come across as enthusiastic or mean?
Also, if you are leaving comments such as “Update???” without any additional input, it can easily come across as entitled – authors want to share their work because they want to hear others’ thoughts about it. As an author, it can be disheartening to see that because it feels like it’s just an expectation to crank out chapter after chapter without getting anything in return.
Examples:
Don't: Faramir would never even consider taking the ring, the way you write him is so completely out of character, why even bother writing Faramir? Why not make this fic about Boromir instead? This could’ve been so good, but you dropped the ball.
Do: I have never thought that Faramir would never even consider taking the ring but this fic intrigues me! I can’t wait to see where you take this and how you work this into his character!
Don't: pls update soon!
Do: I am super excited for this fic and can’t wait to see the next chapter!
The above comments have the same point - that you think what’s happening is out of character, or that you want to read the next update - but one shows the author that you’re enjoying the fic, while the other is discouraging and unhelpful.
These examples aren't to say that your intent is rude.
But that the impression it gives to the author can be interpreted as rude.
If you have anything to add, please leave your thoughts in the comments or reblogs!
And if you have any questions, our Ask Box is open.
Additional Resources:
Comment Starters 101
So you want to leave longer comments?
Long Live Feedback
