Things I Wish Id Known When I Started Writing Fic On Ao3

things I wish I’d known when I started writing fic on ao3

use & for friendships, colleagues, familial relationships and use / for romantic or sexual relationships (or encounters)

not everyone reads fic. Lots of people use screen readers, and screen readers can’t see what’s on images. use descriptive text to help them out.

lots of people download fic to read on other devices, not all downloads capture images too.

there’s a big difference between No Archive Warnings Apply (NAWA) and Author Chose Not to Use Archive Warnings (CNTW). NAWA means that there’s nothing in the fic that needs to be warned for using the official Archive Warning system. CNTW means there might be something that requires a warning and the author is either avoiding giving out spoilers or they are unsure how to interpret their plot point with respect to the official Warnings. (in both cases, additional tags are where it’s at - you can explain yourself there) 

the reason why the number of bookmarks in the fic is different from the number of bookmarks on your stats page is because your stats page number includes bookmarks that are hidden

there’s a preference setting where you can receive emails with your own comments/replies.

there’s a site skin that hides stats so you don’t have to see them

writing in rich text format makes my life easier

knowing html allows me to do fun things in the comments section like comment/reply with reaction gifs

knowing html also allows me to do interesting formatting in my fics that I can’t do with rich text alone

those little blue bubbles with the question marks in them will answer my questions a lot of the time - and also teach me something new

the FAQ is linked under the word About in the header

if you write your fic in the draft window, you might end up losing it so make sure you copy the text before you hit Post, just in case

they aren’t kidding when they say drafts are deleted after 30 days

😭

all the things i never got to do

An immortal person decides to start streaming themselves playing Geoguesser, and over time become extremely popular as they tell the history of the places that they guess.

May I add the dying „captain“ in Survive to the list?

So we all know nothing in this world has gone as hard as Epic: the cyclops saga goes right?

Hot take the lines in survive where a soldier yells

“he’s got a club- HES GOT A CLU-“

Then another yells

“What are our orders?! captain? CAPTAIN!”

Are the most gut wrenching, mind numbing heartbreaking lines in existence

I need help finding a fic.

It’s a James Bond fanfic. It was on Ao3 and had 10 chapters. So, what I remember, was that “someone” hacked into J. K. Rowlings Twitter account and released little story snippets (mostly smut). These were always released with a colour in the order of the rainbow, so red first, then orange, then yellow and so on. And in the end it was revealed, that Q did it, and I think MI6 or at least Q Branch had some kind of betting pool going on.

I would be glad if someone helped me out.

I needed this. Thank you so much

Hi! Sorry if you've already answered this before, but do you have a Parksborn fic rec? Or a beginners guide to?

I don't believe I've answered this before? but I'm so here to share my favourite parksborn fics (so far) because honestly they're amazing and I highly recommend them!

the paparazzi ships parksborn AU series by knoxoursavior

The rumors start a week after they started hanging out again, which is a miracle in Harry's books. Peter's just stumped.

fluffy lil' fix-it series with the boys being goofy, what's not to love?

Even in the crowds, I find I'm always looking out for you by Trash_Cam

Nine years. Almost an entire fucking decade since he left New York City. Harry could barely believe he was standing here at all.

Out here on the street like this, he was nobody. Harry Osborn was just a name that belonged to a young, brunette boy, eager to explore and catch up on everything he’d missed. No expectations. No responsibilities. Just the city, him, and–

“Hey, astronaut, you listening?”

Peter.

this was the first fic I read when I fell back into this ship and uGH- the teasing is perfect. super cute fic

Meeting The Team by SlashPrincess15

Harry has the deal with fact his boyfriend has apparently been pseudo-adopted by the Avengers, and the fact they all want to ensure Peter is only given the best in life - even if it means threatening the current Oscorp owner.

honestly this whole concept is so fun, I love webbverse!peter mixing with the avengers fics

Counting Stars by tricksterity

Peter Parker's been in love with Harry Osborn for as long as he could remember, and how could he ever say no to saving his life?

Basically an AU of how TASM 2 should've gone if Peter wasn't a complete idiot and if Gwen didn't, y'know, get an extreme case of whiplash.

omg literally like my favourite fix-it fic probably?? this is basically now my canon for the second movie

keep your eyes on the trophy by finalizer

How to get Spider-Man’s attention: a guide by Harry Osborn.

(In which Peter’s really bad at excuses and Harry’s getting a bit desperate.)

idiots being idiots. peter thinks he's good at hiding things. he's not. harry goes about getting the truth in the most harry way possible

5 times peter gave people a different name (for harry) +1 the one time he didn't have to by censored

peter is really bad at keeping something a secret

^ I don't even need to add anything. this fic is silly and great and I loved it

how the mighty fall by allourheroes

What if Harry and Peter's relationship was a little less subtext. (An alternate version of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 with lots of friendship and sex and teamwork.)

okay THIS series owns me! like. amazing fix-it. amazing writing. amazing plot?? the third fic lives in my mind rent free because I genuinely never realised I needed dad!harry until I read it and my life is so much better for it (and I know it might not be everyone's cup of tea but just in case I'm still recommending it)

Blind by phrazes

Spider-Man saves Harry a few times and they get to know each other. Even though Spider-Man won’t revealing anything about himself, Harry falls in love with him anyway. It’s a good thing too — it’s about time he’s interested in someone other than Peter Parker.

cute fic with pining and fluff!

The Trials of Living with Spider-Man by orphan_account

Peter and Harry have moved in together and Harry's getting used to the whole superhero routine. Until Peter comes home bleeding all over their expensive hardwood floors.

just dorky boyfriends being in love and harry not appreciating blood getting everywhere

I Found You (Lost In The Things I've Done) by Take_Me_To_My_Fragile_Dreams

Peter lets out a breathless yell, the webbing catching on one of the metal rafters before he can hit the floor, sending him back up into the air. He fumbles enough times to make Harry’s heart resemble that of one going into cardiac arrest but eventually he manages to get the hang of it, finding a rhythm that leaves him beaming happily, body twisting to send him back up to where Harry sat, landing neatly on the edge of the wooden platform.

“So?” He grinned. “What do you think?”

“I think,’ Harry glared. “That you almost gave me a heart attack.”

Peter’s grin widened. “And?”

“And…” He drew in a breath, letting out a grudging mumble. “It’ll work.”

He was unprepared for the bear hug that came in answer.

a really cool au of peter already being in ravencroft when harry returns. harry is a competent bamf in this fic and that's what I live for

fear, wish i didn't know the meaning of by notfirewoodyet

“Good,” Peter says against Harry’s temple. “You scared the hell out of me.”

or 5 times Harry scared Peter, and 1 time Peter returned the favor

soft lil' emotional fic that I absolutely adored!

though change will come by theneverending

Harry tries a coffee shop for the first time, and one of the workers is surprisingly quirky.

short and sweet coffee shop au feat. peter and his amazing pick-up lines

Felicia saves the day (As usual) by slenderlof

Harry has a hickey. And a board meeting. God damn it Peter, now, of all days?

omg felicia is the absolute best and she's amazing in this fic! literally just dorky, domestic boyfriends

sometimes, not flirting works, too by thompsborn

“I don’t—” Harry stops and lets out a rough sigh, scrubbing a hand over his face. “I’ve been in back to back meetings all fucking day and my brain is not processing words right now, okay? All I know is I’m suddenly in charge of a fucking dog the size of a fucking car and I’ve never had a dog before and I don’t know—”

“Woah, okay, just—” the guy holds up his hands, Harry’s phone still clutched between nimble fingers. “It’s not—it isn’t rocket science, okay? It’s a dog. You’ll be fine.”

Harry huffs. “I’d do better if it was rocket science. I actually know rocket science.”

okay, okay, I'm starting to notice a trend in me just liking fics where harry is smart and knows it. also peter working for tony again because what's not to love about that?! this lil' au is so fun!

Your arms around my neck (and your breath upon my skin) by the_authors_exploits

Any gala is boring; a Stark and Osborn gala? Boring as-

But then there's Parker...

(If only he'd pay attention to Harry)

literally made me wanna write my own gala parksborn fic because it is just such an amazing idea and I need more fics like this in my life!! (feat. jealous harry)

Cat or Dog by neverfinishe

"We don't have time for a dog."

"We're not getting a cat."

"I don't know why you say it like that. Cats are great. A cat won't piss on the floor because you forgot to take it out," Harry says with a sweet smile. He has a point, and he knows it.

honestly I just love the idea of these two being super domestic and getting pets and this fic is so fluffy

Instagram Followed by ProsperDemeter

“I’m bored.”

“You’re a genius, find something to do.”

“Harry,” Peter dragged the name out with a whine and tossed back his head in his best impersonation of Morgan Stark throwing a temper tantrum. “I’m bored.”

“Peter,” Harry mocked. “I don’t care.”

Or, four times Instagram thinks they're dating and the one time they actually are.

super fun little mixed up universe au fic that I loved reading. lots of cute peter and harry moments and matchmaker mary jane being a legend

m'kay I got a little bit carried away, my apologies 😂 (there are even more fics that I totally recommend in my ao3 bookmarks if you dare to navigate that hell hole)