Some fics on ao3 are so brutal, why are they allowed to stay up???

Because AO3 is a hosting service. They don’t exist to police the content on their site as long as that content doesn’t breach the Terms of Service.

It’s an author’s responsibility to tag and rate and warn their fics appropriately. It’s a reader’s responsibility to read those tags and ratings and warnings and decide whether or not they want to read the fic. Anyone who isn’t willing to do their part probably shouldn’t be using the service.

[image description: a tweet by user @indigenousAI saying

"fun fact: as a DV survivor i cannot register to vote because doing so makes my address public. anyone who is fleeing or hiding from an abuser is automatically disenfranchised from the political process and this is a feature, not a bug"]

High Payoff Scenes.

If that scene you meant to be emotional, jaw-dropping and climactic isn’t working right, try taking a step back. 

All the usual aspects of a good scene also apply to the buildup toward a good scene. As well as including all these aspects into the scene itself, remember that at the point where your awe inspiring scene hits…

The reader should already feel deep, ‘positive’ emotions for the characters involved, whether that be love, intrigue, or an I love to hate them feeling.

The reader should already understand and have witnessed the characters struggling in some way with the goals they are working towards during that scene.

The reader should already have a clear picture of the character’s relationships and emotions, and understand which direction they are moving.

The reader should already be well-based in the plot and have a good understanding of every piece of information they need order to be fully immersed in the scene. 

The reader should already have a clear picture of the current stakes and playing field, so they can decide what outcome to root for. (Or in some cases, they can feel the same desperation the pov character has as they realize there are no good outcomes.)

Most importantly, remember that there are no perfect first drafts, and barely any half-decent second, third, or fourth drafts either. If you need to rewrite and rewrite a few times over, that’s okay. 

Just because the amazing scene in your head seems to fall short once it’s written, doesn’t mean all its amazingness isn’t still buried in there somewhere.

@ fic authors what do you personally consider a successful fic? What’s the bar?

Plan B is shelf stable for up to 4 years. Afterpill is shelf stable for about 18 months.

Plan B is currently available over the counter, and you can find coupons for it online for various retailers; some of those coupons require a prescription so check the coupon details carefully. Both of these medications can be ordered online.

Plan B and Afterpill in the 1.5mg tablets are less effective for people over 176 pounds, however it is safe to double the dose, so if you are heavier order two doses. Ella is also effective for heavier people, but requires a prescription.

Emergency contraception is effective for a short period after sex. You need to take Plan B or Afterpill within 72 hours of unprotected sex to prevent pregnancy.

IUDs and birth control implants are effective long-term birth control that does not require your partner to participate in using the birth control or even be aware of it. IUDs are 99% effective and are effective for 3-12 years depending on type. Planned Parenthood can place an IUD for you, and so can many gynecologist's offices, and IUDs are covered under most health insurance plans. Talk to your doctor or gynecologist about how to get an IUD. Birth control implants are 99% effective and are effective for up to 5 years. Like IUDs, you can talk to your doctor or gynecologist, or visit Planned Parenthood, to get an IUD.

The birth control methods listed here are not effective for preventing STIs, they are for pregnancy prevention only.

If you can become pregnant but do not want to be pregnant, now is a good time to consider a long-term birth control option like an IUD or a birth control implant, and to purchase emergency contraception like Plan B or Afterpill to have it onhand in an emergency.

‘the point of fiction is to build the world we want to see!’ respectfully. No It Is Not.

Hey so if any of y’all are or have been volunteers for Ao3, PLEASE be careful when checking your emails

And if you know somebody who’s a volunteer I’d check in with them and see if they’re aware of this

Yet another writing ask

Which of your fics would you keep the basic plot of but rewrite completely?

Anything that you’d like to write but feel like you’re unable to?

How would you describe your writing style?

Do you have any OCs? Do you have a story for them?

What’s a tag you never want to use for your works even when it applies?

What’s your ratio for rating your works?

Your favourite ao3 tag.

How slow is a slow burn?

Thoughts on cliffhangers.

Top three favourite fic tropes.

Three tropes that are fine but overrated.

If you write in more than one language, what’s the difference?

Rate your worldbuilding skills from 1 to 10.

Write and share the first sentence of a new fic. Just that.

What’s your favourite plotless fic you have written?

Are one-shots really underrated?

Past or present tense? Why?

First, second, or third person?

Share a snippet from a wip without giving any context for it.

Do you work on a single project or many at the same time? How does that work for you?

Can you accurately predict how long your fics are going to be? If you can, what’s your secret?

What is it about watching the same two idiots falling in love over and over again?

Dialogue or description? Why is the other one so hard?

Thoughts on flashbacks/flashforwards.

Is writing the whole thing beforehand better or worse than writing it as you go?

What would you describe as OOC?

Do you agree that one shouldn’t start a story with a piece of dialogue?

Any writing advice that works for you and you feel like sharing?

What’s the hardest thing about writing?

Describe a fic that almost happened, but then it didn’t.

What was the most difficult fic for you to write (but in the end you made it)?

Do you have a word/expression that you always use in your writing?

Give your writing a compliment.

Do you write to improve? Or is that not a concern for you?

Thoughts on writing challenges/contests.

How do you come up with fic titles? What’s the one you’re most proud of?

Do you research before writing or while you write? Is it fun or boring for you?

“This never happened” fix-it fics or “this happened but” fix-it fics?

Wildest AU scenario you have written?

Write a 9-word fic.

Been a while since I’ve opened up TBV with the intent of making progress on it. Apparently it takes an average 22 months to mentally recover after leaving a shitty job, and I’m not even 5 months in.

However, I am alive and sort of considering getting back into writing again! Go me.

*****

With one of his blankets spread underneath them and the other two wrapped around their shoulders, Shiro and Keith settled in behind the telescope. Shiro had half a dozen star charts open on his tablet, all of different sections of the night sky he wanted to show Keith.

Keith gave him some impressively withering side-eye when he tried to direct him to operate the telescope.

“We haven’t covered this in class yet, Shiro,” he said, humor cracking through the sternness in his voice as he continued, “We’ve literally not touched a telescope. At all.”

Shiro flushed. “Yeah, uh, sorry Keith, I just... forgot. It’s been a while.”

Keith’s lips curled up into a barely-there smile. “It’s alright.”

Women’s faces are not unprofessional.

man. remember early in the pandemic, shortly into the telework phase, when a lot of women started vocalizing “wow, i didnt realize just how much time, energy, and even money i was wasting on dolling myself up for work every damn morning, until i didn’t have to do it anymore. i don’t think i’ll go back to doing that when we return to the office? i won’t be a slob or anything, of course, i’m just not going to go out of my way to look pretty at work"  and then,

so many people proceeded to lose every last crumb of their shit about it, writing the most asinine crybaby articles ever where they were just. utterly horrified by the possibility that more and more women might become comfortable looking natural/plain and completely opting out of the expectation to look as appealing as possible at all times, even when all they’re doing is spending all day in a cubicle. that was bonkers. lmao.

A Thought

Any analysis of Superman and Captain America should involve two main points. 1) They are every bit the caricature of honest goodness that they are said to be. And  2) BEING a a caricature of honest goodness means not just fighting obvious villainy, but raging against institutional injustice, even when it comes from “Legitimate” sources.  There is a difference, however. The Kent’s raised Clark with a strong moral compass, but also good sense. He’s very aware that, as Superman, anything he does comes with a tinge of Threat. He’s keenly aware that with the power he wields, the only way he can continue to operate is by appearing completely nonthreatening to the status quo. Unless he is preventing immediate, obvious harm, he has to be very careful with his intervention. He’ll see a city councilman skimming funds from schools, a factory illegally disposing of waste, or Cops inflating their quotas with bogus charges, and he’ll be outraged. But, Superman can’t do anything about those things. If he intervenes, people won’t see Superman protecting civilians from police abuse, they’ll see Superman Threatening A Cop. If Superman expresses any opinions besides the most milquetoast “Be Kind To One Another” stuff, it gets spun into “Scary Indestructible Alien Man Wants To Take Over The World”. So, Superman takes all that rage, every injustice and abuse he sees, and those that he cannot solve as Superman, he gives to Clark Kent.  And behind the “Aw Shucks’ Kansas Farmboy affect, Clark Kent is RUTHLESS. He will pick apart your life and nail you sins the sky for all to see.  Like, everybody knows about Lois Lane, and she’s objectively the better journalist, but people always underestimate Clark. Those that remember anything about him usually think of him as harmless, the guy who comes to collect the statements your media people prepared, so you’re caught off-guard when the fangs come out. A Clark Kent interview goes like this: First Question: Hello Police Chief Smith. So, how did you get involved in law enforcement? Second Question:  What are the key values that drive your police department?  Third Question: On September 14th, you called your officers together and told them to, and I quote “ Pull over every [racial slur] you can find out there. If they let you search, say you smell weed and bring them in. If they don’t, bring ‘em in for refusing to cooperate. Just get those [expletive deleted] in cuffs and paying fines, or else start looking for a new job”. Would you say this policy of deliberately targeting racial minorities is in line with the values you described earlier?”  And Clark Kent doesn’t stop after he gets his headline. It might end up on Page 3, but he’ll keep the story going until your career is torn to shreds and staked outside as a warning to others.  And then it’s back to human-interest stories and the feel-good beat until he selects his next target.  Superman is forced to overlook things, but he IS looking, and he won’t forget, and just because he’s not throwing you into the sun, doesn’t mean he intends to spare you.  Steve Rogers on the other hand will interrupt an interview to kick the shit out of a crooked real estate developer for driving people out of their homes. When arrested he’ll say “I’m sorry, how about we just chalk up the next time I save the world as community service”. 

For Writers:

Reblog if it’s okay for your followers to leave you an ask telling you what the one thing is they remember you for as a writer.  Is it a scene or a detail or a specific line? Is it something like style or characterization?  Is it that one weird kink they never thought they’d be into, but oh my god wow self-discovery time?

When fic writers host writing tutorials.

girl help i’m having creation ideas above my skill level

i think what voltron post season 2 missed (aside from good characterization) is an overarching story. there wasn't a single goal, a clear direction, like there used to be. the climaxes and the fights didn't feel as satisfying because it wasn't properly build up to. it felt like the writers just thought "hmmm this scene would be cool guys" and wrote around that, instead of trying to do actual storytelling

Theory: all cats are reincarnated bakers.

Evidence:

1. Up at ungodly hours to be ready for a surprise early breakfast if necessary.

2. Champion kneaders

3. Loaf