Archive Of Our Own - Blog Posts
I stumbled across this site a few weeks ago--lots of useful info for if and when you feel like your descriptions are getting repetitive!
Star Trek: Voyager, J/7: The Measure of Logic
Sneak peek of one of my favorite sections from later in this fic.
A hardness overcame Seven then, the alloys in her spine chaining her fractured emotions back together in some grotesque distortion of what Janeway had always insisted they could be. Was this what it meant to be human? This labyrinth of consternation and insecurity and doubt? To feel, from one moment to the next, while drowning under the gravity of her inability to draw any meaningful connections between them? What was the purpose? Janeway found her then, and Seven realized she had dropped into a crouch closer to the habitat floor. The tentative ghost of a palm encapsulated her knee as the Captain crouched before her and Seven carefully deflected its benevolence by righting herself. She feared the touch would melt the metal of the implant concealed beneath the biosuit and burn them both. “Must...you always…touch me?”
https://archiveofourown.org/works/62063797/chapters/158729248
On Writing & Rarepairs
One of my favorite aspects of writing characters is really trying to get into how their minds might work--and when it comes to pairings, I greatly enjoy making something out of nothing.
Prior to 2023, I wasn't a Star Trek fan. I had seen the newer movies, and as a lifelong sci-fi nerd, they were fun to watch, but I always preferred Stargate and Farscape. I've historically been one to connect with characters who are "different"--Seven, Scorpius, Airiam, Saru--and I was in the midst of a particularly bad mental health spiral when I happened to turn on Star Trek: Picard. Seven of Nine was immediately someone that piqued my interest, not only because she was canonically LGBTQ, but because she was clearly someone that had a backstory. This led me to Voyager, because I wanted to see that backstory.
Shipping Janeway and Seven dragged me out of a 6 year writing hiatus, and I started working on a fanfic, though I never intended to post it, and I never finished it.
In 2024, I started Discovery, and was completely unprepared for how much S2E09 would mess me up. I'm a sucker for a tragic character on a good day. Make it a character we didn't know much about, then add an emotional scene between her and the female lead who barely ever interacted and apparently this is all it takes--that and being a bit grouchy about rare pair voids. For the first time since 2017 I was able to not only write something, but FINISH writing it. And then write and finish five more. More than that, I was actually happy with how they turned out, and how my writing evolved as they went from a one-shot to the longest thing I'd ever written.
Sometimes it seemed strange to Burnham, feeling that Airiam was beautiful. She suspected not everyone did, that they might see Michael as defective or faulty for feeling that way about someone–some thing–like that. She knew from the outside it was easy to forget Airiam had once been human, had once looked just like every other human aboard Discovery, but they only ever saw the augmentations the Commander couldn't hide beneath the trim navy and silver Starfleet uniform. They couldn't see the rest, the places where metal and machine fused into the organic remnants of a woman who had lost far more than just her life.
Brains are weird, and they latch onto weird things. As terrible as I consider Discovery overall, I can't complain about the fact that it was able to bring something back to me I hadn't been able to do in many years. The fact that it has now also translated into letting me write my own original fiction again, and allowed me to get back into the HABIT of writing again, is something I will be forever weirdly grateful for. The last time I finished an original piece was 2007. I'm looking forward to changing that next month <3
this impacted me a lot as a writer and a reader!!!
Fun Story to Share.
I got my (now 18-year-old) daughter into Ao3 back in 2021. I taught her she should always comment - even if the fic looks old or abandoned or whatever. She did.
Well - she got this email this morning:
The fic was written in 2014 and essentially abandoned.
Bethy read and reviewed in 2021 (and was actually the only person who had commented at all).
Today in 2025 - the final chapter was posted by the author and this was her reply to Bethy’s comment.
———
Never question whether a fic is too old to comment on.
Alright, so I made this. This Alternate universe is fairly new, I have been thinking about it for a while and decided to write it finally. I plan on finishing this Story but we shall see if I survive my midterms first. If you have questions on the AU or otherwise please ask them away, I will try to answer them.
HEY!
AO3 is in danger of becoming CENSORED. if you have donated $10 or more BEFORE june 30th, PLEASE exercise your right to vote (as you should have received an email to) and VOTE AGAINST TIFFANY GU, who is PRO-CENSORSHIP and PRO making AO3 “palatable” for outsiders and antis.
this is one of the few places dead dove writers/illustrators have to post our content, which is NOT illegal, immoral, or a threat to society. however, CENSORSHIP IS.
if you have the opportunity to vote, PLEASE TAKE IT.
KEEP AO3 WONDERFUL! THANKS!
use a horizontal rule instead of special characters if you'd like your fic to work for people who use screen readers
Fanfictions taught me to never think that I am "not good" or "not pretty" enough for someone ever again.
I MEAN I legit have seen the most questionable creatures, cranks, animagus, werewolves, etc and their human partner will still be like "you're the most beautiful person I have ever seen in my life" AKAJAJAJJAJAJAJ
I have seen every human feature and imperfections possible; Freckles, moles, acne, scars, cuts, bruises, callouses, pockmarks, limps, blood, wounds, flesh, bones, black veins,and bites with their skin slightly tingling as their love interest plants kisses all over their bodies
"But I (have/am) a disease/mental illness/disability/traumatic past/suicidal thoughts/self harm scars/ the chosen one/on the run/..."
"I love you."
So, that will be it, friends. Learn fron your favorite fanfictions, tropes, ships and fictional characters. DO NOT let anyone think that you're "not pretty enough" and "not good enough" for someone. You are lovable. You WILL find the right person. <3
-April.
I have 190 tabs opened on my phone, and 187 of them are AO3 Fanfictions.
My friend js shared my ao3 account with her older siblings. I'm not okay.
How am I supposed to love laugh love in these conditions(ao3 is down)
AO3 Etiquette -UPDATED
Based on both decent and not so decent replies, I have made some changes to my original post below.
It would seem a whole new kind of AO3 reader/writer is emerging and it is becoming clear not everyone quite understands how the website community works. Here is some basic guidance on how most people expect you to go about using AO3 to keep this a fun community archive that funtions correctly:
Kudos is for when the story was interesting enough to make you finish reading. If it sucked or was badly written, you probably left. If you finished it, you liked it - so kudos.
If you really liked it, you should comment. It can be long and detailed or a literal keysmash. Writers don't care, we just love comments.
No critisism unless the author has specifically asked or agreed to hear it. Even constructive critisism is a no-no unless an author note tells you it's okay. No, posting it online is not an open invitation for that. Many people write as a fun hobby or a way to cope with, among other things, insecurity and just want to share. Don't ruin that for them.
Do not comment to ask the author to write/update something else. It's tacky and off-putting and will probably have the opposite effect than the one you want.
There is no algorithm, it's an archive. Use the search and filter function to add/remove the pairings/characters/tropes etc. you want to read about and it will find you the fics that fit the bill.
For this to work, writers must tag and rate stories. This avoids readers finding the wrong things and missing the stuff they want. I don't care how cringy that trope is in your eyes - it gets tagged.
Character A/Character B means a ROMANTIC or SEXUAL relationship of some kind. Character A&Character B is PLATONIC, like friendship or family.
Nothing is banned. This is an implicit rule because banning one thing is a slipperly slope to banning another and another, until nothing is allowed anymore. Do not expect anyone to censor for you. Because of the tags system, you are responsible for your own reading experience.
People can create new chapters and sequels/fic series any time after they "complete" a story. So it's considered perfectly normal to subscribe, even to a finished story. You can even subscribe to the author instead just to cover your bases.
Do not repost stories or change the publishing date without an extremely good reason (like a complete top to bottom rewrite). It's an archive, not social media. No one cares what's the most recent, only what fits their tag needs.
Try to avoid deleting a story you wrote if you hate it - make it anonymous or orphan it so others can still enjoy it, without it being connected to your name anymore.
It's come to my attention that metaworks ARE allowed on AO3, which is something I wasn't aware of. So if you do post an essay or theory, please tag it as such so others can choose to search for it or exclude it.
The only reason this archive works is because NON ONE PROFITS. Do not link to your ko-fi or patreon or mention monetary gain in any way or you violate the terms and risk having your account removed.
I KNOW there's plenty more I missed but I'm trying to cover most of the basics that people seem to be struggling with.
I invite anyone to add to this, but please explain, don't berate.
a list of all the fics i've uploaded to ao3 and snippets
it's no use going back to yesterday (i was a different person then) - splintered
“I hurt her?” The words come out without me even thinking about it. If I wasn’t sure about going crazy before I sure am now, because out of all the things Jeb could’ve said, I wasn’t expecting that.
blend blend - jazzpunk
She’s having fun! Sure, she isn’t really allowed in the hot tub by the orders of her sister, but she doesn’t need to be in there! Yeah, she's a little bummed out by the fact that her sister took both of the guys for herself and took her aside to not so nicely tell her to back off, but that doesn’t matter. She's just happy to have been invited for once!
rabbit pie day - too many cooks
she wishes she could cry. she wishes she could do anything else except smile. but she can't. she no longer wants to be here. katie had been so excited to be in a show and on tv. she didn't anticipate the freedom of her sense of self being taken away. she's not allowed to moved if there isn't a camera on her. is this a curse? it sure seems like it; feels like it. she never felt this much pain in her life. it's not physical, no. It's mental.
apocalyptic creep - the walking dead, original
He was just minding his business! Really! He was! It's not like he was trying to creep on her! After the chaos his most recent encampment had ended in, he had been on his own. Seeing the woman approaching the area he was camping out in had scared him. He quietly retreated back into the building, as to not be seen. With slow movements, he made his way from the roof to the ground floor, wanting to keep a closer eye on this mysterious woman.
drip - original
The sounds in this damned lighthouse are going to drive her crazy in her last moments. The dripping from the waterlogged walls and ceiling along with the wet stuttering of her own breaths are not what she wanted to hear.
This was not how she imagined this situation would go. This is not how she imagined she would die.
I've got problems(sung like the mother mother song) - original
Oh.
I don't think she's here to help me.
That was the last thought I had before the thing squeezed its hand and everything went black.
dog days are over - gravity falls, alice in borderland
Still, Dipper tries to think reasonably about why everyone on the street would be gone. Maybe they had to evacuate? He walks down the neighborhoods surrounding his and knocks and rings bells on every door he can. When absolutely no one answers he decides to check the rest of town. He thinks about what might be open at this time of night. He goes and checks the restaurant and grocery store. Dipper even goes to the museum but can’t find anyone. Maybe it was an emergency evacuation?
With no one around he decides to go back home. At least being there will bring him some comfort.
silence is fear - the backrooms, liminal spaces
Very Unsettling. That's the only way to describe this place. He'd been sitting here for god knows how long, scared to move on. He isn't even sure why he's scared; there's nothing really jumping out to him. Maybe that's why he's feeling so paranoid. The fact that everything seems normal but he knows that it isn't.
notes:)
I wrote this to be part of a big series I’m creating and I love it. It’s something I wrote in 40 minutes which is pretty good for me
It has some violence and character death so watch out for that
If you want to follow more closely of things you can go to my ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Orange_Clouds/pseuds/Orange_Clouds
"You're a beauty, a luminary, in my face…," I jump to the song, waiting for the intense part to kick in. I've recently become obsessed with problems by mother mother; it has quickly turned into my favorite song. I had been pacing from corner to corner in my bedroom, hoping I'm not being loud enough to awaken my roommate. I'm doing a mix of skipping and jumping because of the excitement. I reach the corner my door is in and quickly touch my fingers to the wall next to it. I turn around and skip to the corner my bed is in and allow my leg to brush against it.
I give a wide grin when the lyrics I had been waiting for come in. "I've got problems…," I turn around and get ready to jump and dance only to give out a short scream. The smile of pure excitement I had on my face quickly dropped when faced with the face of a creature staring at me from my now cracked open door. I stare at the thing in horror and watch as its hand slides in holding onto my doorway. It reminded me of one of those guys in k dramas that put their hand against the wall to pin the girl. I almost laugh at that thought before quickly correcting myself.
From what I can see the thing is very tall and lanky. Having to bend down to fit itself in the hallway. It has at least one long spindly hand that's now breaking the wood of my doorway. Its face is very oval shaped and it almost looks like it's wearing a mask. I can see nothing of the body or legs but its neck is very thin; with it looking like a small branch. As I'm analyzing the rest of it something draws me back to its face. It's only then I notice what I assume to be saliva dripping down its face onto the carpeted floor.
I slowly reach up to pull down my headphones. I was hoping for it to be like a wild animal; meaning I was attempting to not make any sudden movements. With my headphones off I could now hear the growling and labored breathing coming from the monster. My eyes widened in fear, wondering how I was supposed to get out of the situation. My eyes suddenly shift over to the wall my closet is on. What happened to my roommate? Oh god. Did this monster already kill her? Eat her? Was I too busy blasting music that I didn't hear my own roommate, my friend getting killed? Or did she somehow get away? Or did the monster come to my room first? If it did I hope she has enough sense to run instead of trying to help me.
My eyes quickly jump back to the monster at the slight movement. The thing was slowly sliding itself into my room. My mind starts rushing, wondering what I should do at this moment. Should I try jumping out the window or throwing something at it and running around it? I didn't get to make a decision before I heard a whistle blow and the monster jumped forward at me. I scream and bring my arms up in an attempt to cover my face and chest, but that didn't help me. I scream out in pain as I feel its sharp claws dig into my arms and then my chest. I pushed my arms into its face to push it away but that only resulted in me cutting up my hands from the sharp teeth it apparently has. I feel the tears well up in my eyes from the fear and pain that I'm currently in.
I attempt to push out my legs to no avail before going limp; hoping if I don't struggle as much the thing would just get it over with and kill me. But of course that didn't happen. No. This things' giant hand instead grabs at my face to force me to look at my doorway. There I see my roommate. My eyes widen as more tears fall from them at the emotionless look on her face.
Oh.
I don't think she's here to help me.
That was the last thought I had before the thing squeezed its hand and everything went black.
😭
writing is hard but coming up with a cunty title and catchy summary will slay even god's strongest soldier
i love this. im following it in my next fics fr, ty!
i made a guide to help with ao3 tagging :)
“Trojan, stop their doomscrolling!”
oh man. Is that a…..SAD BEING?! I cannot tolerate your insolence to your thoughts of your inabilities, when you surely can do it! ….whatever it is.
i have some mixed feelings about the mha fandom, but I love that the first thing that most fanfic writers do when the first year of ua starts is expelling the grapist (mineta)
this says a lot about bruce...
I love that there are also a lot of variants of the tag, like Bruce Wayne's C+ parenting
I love the batfandom
bruce......
when they use the No Romantic Relationship(s) tag and don't use any other relationship tag 🤦♂️(I like to rawdog my fics, and only look at the relationship tags because spoilers, but it is very annoying if I have to guess
kinda disappointed in the hermitcraft fandom rn (especially the Grain fans) when I looked up Solidarity for some Timmy fics on ao3 I couldn't find any Timmy | Solidarity tags. Even a Timmy | Jimmy | Solidarity would have been funny but noooo, only the Jimmy | Solidarity tag exists.
so please dear fic writers use his lore accurate name, and don't be a bore
Foolish one (me) stop checking your mailbox (Tumblr) for confessions of love (news of AO3 up and running again)