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The Fanfic Author’s Guide to Metatext

(As Used on Ao3) by Eiiri

Also available as a PDF here. This thing is 13,000 words.  The PDF is recommended.

Intro: What is Metatext?

Metatext is everything we fanfic authors post along with our story that is not the story itself: title, tags, summary, author’s notes, even the rating.

It is how we communicate to potential readers what they’re signing themselves up for if they choose to read our story, how we let them make informed decisions regarding which fics they want to read, how we get their interest and, frequently, how they find our story in the first place. A lot of metatext acts as a consent mechanism for readers, it’s the informed part of informed consent.

Since most of us who write fanfic also read it, we understand how important this is! But, for the most part, no one ever teaches us how to use metatext; we have to pick it up by osmosis. That makes it hard to learn how to use it well, we all suck at it when we first start out, and some of us may go years without learning particular conventions that seem obvious to others in our community. This creates frustration for everybody.

Enter this guide!

This is meant to be a sort of handbook for fic writers, particularly those of us who post on Archive of Our Own, laying out and explaining the established metatext conventions already in use in our community so we (and our readers!) are all on the same page. It will also provide some best-practices tips.

The point is to give all of us the tools to communicate with our audience as clearly and effectively as possible, so the people who want to read a story like ours can find it and recognize it as what they’re looking for, those who don’t want to read a story like ours can easily tell it’s not their cup of tea and avoid it, nobody gets hurt, and everybody has fun—including us!

Now that we know what we’re talking about, let’s get on with the guide! The following content sections appear in the order one is expected to provide each kind of metatext when posting a fic on Ao3, but first….

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Hi,

It’s your friendly neighbor fanfic author here. In the light of this apparent new trend of people feeding unfinished fics to AI to get an “ending,” and some people even talking about “blanket permissions,” let me just say this:

I EXPLICITLY FORBID ANYONE TO FEED MY FICS TO AI. DUDE, THAT IS ABOUT THE LEAST RESPECTFUL THING YOU CAN DO. IF YOU DO IT, SHALL YOU BE EXCOMMUNICATED FROM YOUR FANDOM AND WALK ON LEGOS BAREFOOT TILL THE END OF DAYS.

That is my anti-permission.

Thank you for your attention.

Day 4: "May I have this dance?"

AKA I don't have anything new written but damn I love variants of the book meet-cute.

Day 6: Kate and Anthony (Menace)

After returning Edwina to her chaperoning mother, Anthony was quickly waved over to the refreshments by his younger brother Colin. Standing beside him was a tall dark haired woman Anthony had not met before.

“Brother!” Colin grinned widely– generally a bad sign for Anthony. “Miss Sheffield and I were just speaking of you.”

“Miss… Sheffield,” he repeated slowly. 

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Day 2: "I am a gentleman"

Lord Bridgerton was assessing her once more only this time his gaze seared her. "Some men will take regardless of what women allow." Kate froze and he immediately held his hands up in a placating movement. "It is not a threat, only a concern. A protector for you may not extend to your sister."

The stinging of tears made Kate blink quickly. "There must be a way…" She had to protect Edwina. It was the most important promise she'd ever made to herself.

"Perhaps…" Lord Bridgerton rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "a small tweak to your scheme is in order. If your protector appeared in public to be Edwina's protector, it would go a long way toward stopping the offers."

"And you believe such a man exists." He quirked an eyebrow at her just as he had in the milliner shop but this time a fission of heat raced through her. "You? You should wish to have me as a mistress?"

He smirked and that was infinitely more dangerous than his brows. "I find your dedication to your sister quite admirable," he admitted. "And your decolletage at the theater, as well."

Kate's jaw dropped open for a moment. She saw his eyes move to her mouth and licked her lips. When his gaze darkened, she did it again.

"Careful, Miss Sharma," he said, voice slightly more strained than before. "I made assurances that I only wished to speak which you are testing."

It struck her then that this man was good– or trying to be at least. Kate believed him that he would help protect Edwina because he admired her. It made her feel brave, powerful even.

Taking a step toward him, she placed a hand on his cheek. "Surely a deal such as this should be sealed with more than words, my lord."

Groaning, he let his forehead fall to hers. "You are testing me."

"No, my lord," Kate said, palming his hardness through his breeches, "I am thanking you."

Day 1: Midnight at the library

Anthony quite literally stumbled over her in the library. "Shit, sorry–" He realized who it was huddled in a ball. "Kate?"

"Bridgerton," she choked out. Her breathing was shallow and there were tears running down her face. It was obvious to Anthony that she was having a panic attack.

He crouched beside her, a hand reaching toward her before he froze. "Can I touch you?" He winced at how that sounded. "Nothing weird! Just– my sister Eloise found it comforting."

Eloise was the one with their father when he died of anaphylaxis almost five years earlier. She'd been five and nearly inconsolable for weeks. The panic attacks started a couple of months later and Anthony, dutiful older brother just trying to lessen his mom's burden, learned everything he could about how to support her.

Kate nodded shakily and Anthony dropped down next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and rubbing her arm in a comforting pattern. She leaned into him heavily, breathing ragged. After a moment, she spoke again, "Can you talk to me? Please?" Her voice was hesitant and so small– not right for her at all.

"I never wanted to date your sister," Anthony blurted out. In his defense, it was the first thing that came to mind. He dropped his head back against the bookshelves hard but kept talking. "You were acting so unaffected and ignoring me and I wanted–" What? Her attention? His neck and ears heated with embarrassment. "I don't know, to get a response, I guess, but I took it too far and I'm sorry.

There was a long moment between them where the only sound was her breathing. "I'm sorry too," Kate admitted, voice still quiet but stronger. "I know I overreacted. You're not even Eddy's type."

"Please, I'm everyone's type."

"Trust me, you're not." She snuggled a little closer. "Tell me about your family."

"Well, I have seven younger siblings. My mom has an event planning business we all help with on weekends."

"What about your dad?"

"He died when I was thirteen. It was really sudden."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"Mine died a couple years ago too. Cancer."

"Sucks."

"Yeah." The grief was palpable. Suffocating. Thankfully Kate broke it, "What was your dad like?"

"He was the best. He loved us all so much. He worked hard but also made time for each of us individually. I didn't mention but there's two sets of twins in the family and he would always make sure each got their own time and attention." Anthony closed his eyes. "I hate that Hyacinth, she's the youngest, never got to meet him. It's so unfair."

"It is," Kate agreed, "but at least she has the rest of you. When you never knew a parent… you don't miss them like we miss our dads. It's more like being told a story you can never truly understand. If they loved horses, you wonder if you would've done equestrian or if you might've vacationed at a dude ranch instead of the beach." It was as if she could sense the silent question Anthony didn't dare ask. "My mum died when I was three. Car accident during a storm– I was in the backseat. Mary, Eddy's mum, is my guardian now."

"I, uh… I didn't know that."

Kate shrugged a little self-consciously. "Why would you? Mary's the best, though. She's basically my mom."

Her breathing seemed to be back to normal, so Anthony untangled himself from her. "Here, let me just–" He went to the librarian desk and grabbed several tissues.

He handed them to Kate when he returned and she wiped her face. "How do I look?"

Her eyes were still red and her eyeliner was smeared but the only word that came to mind was striking and Anthony knew better than to say that. "Maybe wash your face before next period," he suggested with a lopsided smile. He offered her a hand to help her off the floor.

Kate accepted his help with a small thanks. He tried to shrug it off but she shook her head. "No, seriously– thank you. You didn't have to be so nice."

And all he could think was that it'd never occurred to him to do anything else.

Day 5: Sisters

Kate was struck, not for the first time, by just how beautiful her sister had become. At fifteen she was already blossoming into womanhood. (Unlike Kate who had been cursed with spots and unruly curls.) It was becoming more evident by the day that Edwina had real potential to marry well and finally have the life she deserved.

The problem was Kate. She hadn't been able to save nearly enough for a season, even a smaller one in Bath was well out of reach. She'd pinched every farthing but the numbers always came out the same. She could barely keep them fed, clothed and housed.

As Edwina danced around happily, Kate watched with an aching heart. They had their tea and biscuits, Kate ensuring Edwina received the lion's share, but she couldn't shake her malaise.

When Edwina was clearing their dishes, Kate cleared her throat. "I've been thinking of writing to the Sheffields."

Edwina froze. "Kate, no." Her voice was an anxious plea.

"I don't like it any more than you, Edwina," she said with forced evenness, "but the estrangement would only be temporary and they have the means to–"

"I don't care." Edwina all but threw herself into Kate's arms, nestling her head against Kate's bosom. "You're my sister and I won't deny that."

Kate swallowed, trying to keep the emotion from her voice as she rubbed soothing circles on Edwina's back. "I know you love me. That won't change because you're not here."

"I won't go," she insisted, voice hitching as her skinny arms squeezed Kate tighter. "I won't go and you can't make me."

Kate could make her, technically speaking, but she knew she never would. "Okay, Winnie," she agreed, fighting her own tears at the injustice, at her own ineptitude, at Edwina's mulishness. "We'll find another way."

Edwina pulled away suddenly. "I don't need a season. I don't, Kate. I can work too and we'll be okay because we have each other."

Kate wanted to cry all over again as she brushed away Edwina's tears. "We'll see," she said in her gentlest tone. The non-agreement was Mary's preferred way of ending arguments with Kate during her teen years. Using it now with Edwina broke her heart all over again.

"Kate," Edwina's spine straightened, mouth set stubbornly, "I mean it."

"I know you do," she replied in that same tone.

Edwina huffed. "I am going to go clean my face, and then I will prepare supper and then you are going to listen to me read Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion."

"Not Hume," she pleaded but Edwina ignored her. Apparently moral philosophy would be her punishment.

Kate trudged up to her room and flopped on the bed, knowing her day dress would get wrinkled and fully unable to bring herself to care. She wasn't willing to give up on Edwina's future.