spoilers but i don't give you context: the blog

fic tag: #my-fic

[gravywheels]

You know what bugs me about soulmate aus? So, I’m assuming that this whole “the first thing your soulmate says to you blahblahblah” is a worldwide thing. So many of the aus I’ve read have a quote at some point that addresses how tragic it is when people have soul words that say something like “hi” or “‘sup” which makes NO SENSE! In a world where the first thing you say to people is THAT important, WHY GOD WHY would the culture still use standard greetings? Who the fuck is still saying hello at this point? Everyone in these worlds would surely develop a personalized greeting different from everybody else’s to prevent confusion. Like how no 2 racehorses can have the same racing name? The best part is that every time people met someone new for the first time, they would try to say something that no one else had said. You’d have people meeting eachother at a job intetview, they’d shake hands, smile politely, then one of them would be like “Every Tuesday, I hard even grape purple farm house sunsets too” and this would be perfectly normal. Or you’d go up to the cash register at Starbucks and instead of saying “Hello, what can i get for you today?” She’d look you right in the eye and say “I don’t know what Space Jam is” THEN ask you what you want and she’d repeat that to every customer in the line for the rest of her career. And because they live in the AU, nobody would think it was weird.

[mx-uniix]

Tips for a newbie fanfiction writer?

[zeskiverse]

You can’t improve without writing.

Always have back up of your stuff.

Distraction-free software that helps you write do exist.

Pasting your text from google docs onto AO3 will make it look funny.

There’s a script☆ that solves that problem.

Feedback (or the lack thereof) is never what you expect.

Learn to write for yourself in the first place.

Not everything you write will be the best fic ever™.

You can’t control how people react to your stuff.

No self-deprecation. Seriously.

A good summary attracts people. (No “I suck at summaries” there!)

Punctuation and structure are so important.

Don’t be afraid of using a character’s name. That’s why they have one.

Get a beta reader if you can.

It’s YOUR story and only you can tell it.

DO write that 9861th coffee shop AU for your fandom.

Anything is an AU.

Researching is good but don’t let it keep you from writing.

Tag your stuff accordingly.

Advice you see around aren’t supreme rules set in stone.

You’ll learn more about your style as you go.

Don’t compare your writing to others’. Especially “famous” fic writers.

Perfection doesn’t exist. Stop striving for it and just write.

A rough draft is better than NO story.

It’s okay to move on from an unfinished work to a new one.

It’s okay to not write 200K words in an hour.

Any length of writing is okay. Just focus on telling YOUR story.

Slumps and writer block are common.

You can always improve your writing if you want to.

Read lots and notice what you like in other people’s writing.

If you’re not having fun take a step back.

Set up a sideblog for writing on tumblr.

Tag your stuff accordingly. (both on AO3 and tumblr)

Follow spaces for fanfic discussions like @ao3commentoftheday

There’s no consensus about ANYTHING regarding fanfiction.

You can’t please everyone but you can please yourself.

Some people out there are rude and can’t be reasoned with.

Fanfiction is NOT your job. Don’t feel guilty for “not updating in months”.

Publish your stuff because you want to share it.

Everybody write crappy fics. Write yours.

Game soundtracks (instrumental) are great to play while writing. 

There’s always somebody out there waiting for your fic.

Many times you won’t hear but they exist.

Have fun. Indulge yourself. Treat yo self.

Writing is the best thing but also the worst.

Jot down those ideas. You won’t “remember later”. Seriously you won’t.

Inspiration often hits you when you CAN’T write.

It also often leaves when you can write.

Everybody hates and loves writing. That’s the life of a writer for ya.

Even your fave fic writer can feel ehh about the fic of theirs you LOVE.

Starting from the middle or the end IS a thing.

Listen to Natasha Bedingfield’s Unwritten. She knows what’s up.

[bearsintreesofficial]

ok so i decided "hey. imma search up bears in trees fanfiction" thinkin i wouldnt find any but then what do i see on ao3? bears in trees fanfiction. what do i do.

y'all that's been there for a while! join the party!

[stumpsucc]

you're welcome d:)

[obscurecurse]

hear me out. concept: frank is an undead lake boy. skin slightly greenish in the daylight. always soggy. reeds & twigs as hair accessories. hes been a young man for hundreds of years because of a siiiiiick cursed sword at the bottom of the lake. (he was stabbed with it and pushed off a boat? or something? dont @ me) he often lures people to the lake to get them to help him find it. he never means to seduce them or lead them on, and he certainly never means for them to drown. but thats always how it goes. he asks if they wanna go for a swim and they always say yes. this leads to a lot of hiding and watching helplessly as authorities drag the lake for bodies, rather than cursed swords. queue gerard. frank brings gerard to the lake and he’s just like “um actually i cant swim. like, at all.” frank says he’ll teach him but gerard gets all weird (secretly/self-consciously does not want weird hot guy to see him shirtless) they become friends after that. gerard comes back week after week and finds frank on the shore, skipping stones, whistling ghostly songs to the ducks. frank tells gerard about the sword. he’d never tried to just explain it to anyone before. he says he just wants to find it so he can finally fuckin die. gerard sympathizes. he shows up with a fucking canoe and a weird fishing rod. they end up makin out in it in the middle of the lake. frank doesnt wanna die so much all of a sudden. but then the boat tips over………………..

[because-weareglass]

the soulmate au but better

your typical soulmate au where a tattoo of your soulmate’s name appears on your xth birthday

person A is convinced that person B will be their soulmate

A wakes up on their xth birthday and is bitterly disappointed that it’s not B

it’s gotta be B’s relative or something though because they have the same last name?? but A has been to basically every family gathering and never even heard of this person, who the fuck is this soulmate and do they even exist

A never shares this with B because they don’t want to be embarrassed/it’s not really socially unacceptable to share your soulmate’s name before you find them/whatever

cue n years of angst

B comes out as trans/nb/genderqueer/other and changes their name

their new name matches A’s tattoo, A is overjoyed, all the feels

[sheathnknife]

one cannot have enough of cute and random aus so here have some more

“You’re the cute and quiet customer that frequents the coffee shop where I’m a barista and also where my rival barista works and we’re both fighting for your attention in increasingly creative and inconspicuous ways (making foam art, writing cheesy pick-up lines on your napkin etc. etc.)” AU.

“You’re my roommate who’s super cute and it’s the middle of the night and you’re cramming for your exams in your flannel pajamas and disheveled hair and it’s becoming increasingly hard for me not to kiss you” AU.

“You’re an Art student and I’m an English major and you keep stealing the papers for my assignment to doodle and I would kill you but you’re really cute and hey that’s actually a really nice sketch” AU.

“You’re the perpetual frowner in class and one day as I’m answering the teacher I intentionally make a very cheesy pun and I can hear crickets but you’re laughing out loud and that makes me feel very much accomplished” AU.

“The manager says the only reason the restaurant where we work at is popular is because people enjoy eating while watching our relentless flirting with each other but I swear to God we’re not flirting???” AU.

“I ditch prom to attend a local poetry slam and you’re also there and I never really noticed what a cute smile you have and hey do you maybe want to bond over our mutual love for ‘Howl’???” AU.

“You’re new in town and you seem very intimidating but as it turns out you have an awful sense of direction even with a map and you’re actually adorkable so here let me help you” AU.

“It’s Valentine’s Day and I’m single and you want to cheer me up but you can’t cook nor bake to save your life so you make me hot chocolate instead and it is delicious and I think I love you???” AU.

“It’s gym class and we’re playing volleyball and you spike really well and you manage to hit the ball square in my face and I think I’m bleeding and you’re apologizing profusely and it’s okay but you’re really cute so I guess I’ll take you up on that offer for coffee” AU.

“You’re the jerk-face customer that keeps on thumbing through their phone while ordering their drink so I exact revenge by spelling your name wrong on your cup and drawing phallic pictures on your coffee” AU.

“Our mutual friend invites us to go shopping with them and it’s kind of awkward and now you’re pushing them around the mall in a shopping cart and you’re both screaming like excited children and I’m paying the cashier and pretending I don’t know either of you” AU.

“Our mutual friend invites us for Thanksgiving dinner with their other friends and now there’s a full-fledged food fight going on with potatoes and turkey flying everywhere and we’re both seeking refuge under the table whilst sharing a bag of chips that you brought (just in case)” AU.

“You and I are both baristas at a coffee shop and one day I step out of the café to take a break and walk in on you gleefully drawing phallic pictures on the chalkboard outside that no one pays attention to so what are you doing?” AU.

“You and I go out to a sushi bar and the sushi chef yells at you for being allergic to a particular kind of fish and now you’re crying and I’m trying to comfort you” AU.

“You and I are at a sushi restaurant and you’re continuously snagging sushi off the belt that I have to pay for and you don’t seem to be going to stop anytime soon but you look so cute when you’re eating with that smile on your face what the hell man” AU.

“The mailman constantly mixes up your home address and mine together and keeps on sending me your letters and packages and I’m sorry I look through them but your life seems very interesting as well as those books on black magic in one of your packages so wanna talk about it over a cup of coffee?” AU.

“We’re both strangers sitting in the same booth at an eatery because all the other booths are full and you’re drawing smiley faces on your plate with ketchup and wow your concentrated frown is cute” AU.

“It’s our mutual friend’s wedding and they keep shoving us into each other because we’re the only ones at the ceremony who are single” AU.

“You’re my roommate and it’s way past midnight and you’re talking about how Charles Dickens inspired prison reform and how the moon must feel insignificant because it borrows light from the sun and this is all very interesting but will you please shut up and go to sleep” AU.

“You’re actually a really friendly and chill vampire and at night you float around outside of my bedroom window to talk with me about the universe and stuff” AU.

“You’re going through my sketchbook and giving questioning looks and I swear to God I’m just a deranged artist and not a serial killer” AU.

“We live next door to each other and I can see you through the window while you’re dancing to your iPod in your flannel pajamas and disheveled hair and God you’re a dork” AU.

“I’ve been standing in line at the coffee shop for hours and you casually cut through for your drink but also buy me my favorite blend and now I’m not so sure what to make of you” AU.

“I’m sick so you make me chicken soup and I’m really grateful but I’ve also seen you read books on magical spells and potion-making so I’m not sure if I should drink your soup in case it turns me into a toad” AU.

“There’s a scrawny black cat in our neighborhood that hates everyone and everything but follows you around for some reason and I see you pet it and feed it fish fries are you a witch” AU

“I’m a perpetual frowner and most certainly not a morning person and I work part-time at a breakfast bar and your disheveled hair and content smile as you eat my waffles and scrambled eggs is the only thing that can get me to smile” AU.

“You’re the one in class who has tattoos all over their arms and piercings and everybody’s scared of you and one day I catch you watching cat videos and doodling in the middle of a lecture and wow you’re a dork” AU.

“I work part-time as a cashier at the local corner store and you come here regularly to shop and bond with me over the microwavable chicken bites so how about I take you out on a proper date instead?” AU.

“I’m the owner of a magic shop and you discover my magics one day when you walk in on my cat flying around inside the shop on a broom and now I have to take you in as my apprentice or turn you into a toad” AU.

“You’re the health-conscious med student and I’m the chain-smoking art student who’s also your barista and you leave me notes on smoking and lung health on your napkins and also a 20-page essay on lung cancer tucked under your saucer” AU.

“You’re a tea-lover yet you come to the coffee shop where I work at just to see my foam art and you give me hefty tips regularly so I’ve taken it upon myself to master the art of tea-making just for you” AU.

“I’m a fashion major and I’m working on my illustrations and maybe I’ve had too much coffee but I swear I just saw one of the mannequins move so here I am calling you in the middle of the night please help I’m scared” AU.

“You work at a fast food restaurant and as you hand me my food you lecture me for ruining my health what is this hypocrisy” AU.

“I’m egging a random person’s house to relieve stress and you join me and as it turns out the house belongs to your ex and now they are chasing us as well as the police and now we’re both in jail waiting to be bailed so um you wanna talk about it?” AU.

[cityelf]

Soulmate AUs masterpost!!

Seeing as these seem to be getting more and more popular, I thought I’d compile a list of all the different varieties I’d seen. Suggest more if you’ve seen them, and feel free to message me with sources to add if you remember where the original post is!

Classic: people realising they’re soulmates as soon as their eyes meet. The power of a glance, as Victor Hugo would say.

Read More

[sadgaywerewolf]

Soulmate AU where things go wrong a whole bunch

The name on your wrist keeps changing

The timer runs out and there’s no one else around that you can see

The timer/name is covered by a scar so you never know what it says

Polyamorous individuals with multiple names/times but their soulmate only has one name

Certain factions forming to argue what the term “soul mate” actually means

People getting forcibly outed because of the name of their soul mate

the list continues

[sassahi]

au where everything is black and white until you meet your soulmate

[sassahi]

ADDITIONALLY: when your soulmate dies, the world goes back to black and white

[oooarchive]

THAT’S HORRIBLE i love it

[hopefulartandwriting]

No but can you imagine having a normal day at work or running errands but then everything suddenly goes black and white.

[elizabethismms]

LEAVE MY LIFE

[goshdarnit-daniel-blog]

But at the same time, imagine bumping into someone and your whole life lights up

[virgno]

Soulmate au where instead of having the first thing they say tattooed on each other, they instead have a random sentence tattooed that that person will say around them. And so you know it’s not just a coincidence when they say it, the tattoo stings and fades away. 

Just imagine all the scenarios. 

Best friends just hanging out like usual and Person A says something like “I wonder if fish get thirsty?” and Bam the tattoo on Person B disappears and they just scream. 

Person A going out with someone and just waiting for them someday to say the sentence they have , but then the barista at Starbucks says it instead.  Person A really really really hates person B but then that idiot has to go and say the sentence, and how can they be their soulmate they’re stupid and loud and too good looking for their own good. Like who needs that good of lips? 

Just imagine 

[ao3commentoftheday]

Version 1.0 - Fanfic Trope Selector

Click here to visit the random fanfic trope selector. Filled with 126 fandom tropes supplied by my followers (and the internet), take a chance and see which one you get. 

Note: The images above are screen captures from the selector. The selector displays rapidly moving text. If this will bother you (or cause issues for your health), close your eyes before clicking. On desktop, hit P to stop the selector and get your trope. On your phone, tap the screen to do the same thing. (I just learned how to do this and I wanted to try it out)

[saltoftheao3]

This. Is so, SO cool!! Thank you!!

[art-and-sterf]

Clothing references

All References Male Clothing Female Clothing

Genres High Fashion Steam Punk Goth Street Fantasy

Modern Vintage Historical

Shirts Blouses Vests Jackets Coats Cloaks Hoods Corsets

Pants Leggings Skirts

Accesories Bags Jewelry Necklaces Rings Fans Parasols Tiaras

[incorrect-hazbinqotes]

It’s for science

[fob04]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

i finally wrote another fic, happy new year fellow val velocity apologists

[inkchantress]

tropes i will never get tired of

fake dating

omniscient narrator who immediately contradicts the characters (“This is fine,” she said. It was, in no way, shape, or form, fine.)

deadpan jokes while swordfighting

the “I FUCKING LOVE MY WIFE” guy

oblivious pining that slowly escalates until A is going on page rants about how pretty B’s eyes are but still doesn’t seem to recognize they’re in love

Strong Leader Type having to physically fall down in order for the other characters to see how exhausted they are

funny villains who talk and make jokes with their heroes while they’re fighting them

the villains presented as the protagonists

*increasingly pulls out bigger and bigger weapons from more unlikely places*

“I said all of your weapons” *pulls out more*

“ALL OF THEM” *pulls out one last tiny dagger*

traumatized character using humor to cover up ptsd

characters going out for a break at a restaurant/movie/whatever and something bad happening

using the “*gasp* what’s that over there???” trick to avert the enemy’s attention and it working

a villain’s weakness being something totally random and nonsensical

a hero duo arguing over who’s the sidekick while fighting a villain

“don’t be silly, we don’t need [important thing]”  “you lost it, didn’t you?”  “yeah”

“what’s the one thing I told you not to do tonight?”  “raise the dead”   “and what did you do?”  “raised the dead”

“I think that went pretty well” *explosion in the distance*

[rebloggingwrittingadvice]

This right here is a serotonin generator

[edgar-allan-possum]

Something unlikely happening + two people swapping money in the background

[hemmicks-deactivated20201227]

This. This is what I Iive for.

[teenagehandz]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

june egbert? june egbert.

[teenagehandz]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

sometimes you write death note fanfic in 2020. it’s fine.

(a little l & light relationship study during and after the rain scene)

[stumpsucc]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Callum bullies Nick into finding out who his soulmate is. Things get really weird really fast.

Do Not Come For Me They Wanted This