Saw you reblog this https://sapphicscholar.tumblr.com/post/665115741479157760 and while I agree it's god tier, it reminded me yet again of those exchanges we've had in your fic comments about how that's not really Deb as much as people might think at first blush. Like she has her whole routine and very structured life, and has the whole make-up/clothes/wigs done by professionals thing--both of which give that impression of controlled and put-together, but she throws her ipad into the pool 11 minutes into the first episode! She is inherently chaotic to a degree and loses it right away. It's why Lemony Snicket antique man was right to say that Ava and Deb are the same--they're not, but also they totally are!
Yes!! I was actually thinking about that comments convo as I reblogged it! And then I saw your ask and got it into my head that it was v important to chart some of my faves—all smart successful women in positions of power, but differently oriented along the axes of something like chaotic to tightly controlled and those who run hot to those more traditional cold “ice queen” types (bc they’re not actually all icy!). And then I was like oh man if I had graphing software I would also love to add in a z-axis for something like prickly to mean or quiet to loud, but I really should be working 😕
Obviously there are a dozen takes on these characters and some I split bc I think we see them act different canonically in either different contexts (eg enchanted forest pre-Henry or storybrooke post-Henry) or different mental stages (eg drunk or sober), but I had a fun time making my messy little index card graph hahah
Marlene Dietrich, looking fabulous at 70, grants a rare interview with Swedish television in 1971 and offers her thoughts on fellow European screen icon Greta Garbo. Though they never met, the film stars purportedly shared two lovers
during the early-1930s, actor John Gilbert and heiress Mercedes de Acosta.
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 - you kudos.
If you 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. Many people write as a fun hobby or a way to cope with, among other things, insecurity. 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 PLANTONIC, 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.
Avoid deleting a story you wrote if you hate it - orphan it so others can still enjoy it, without it being connected to you anymore.
This is a creative fanfiction archive. No essays on your insights or theories please. There are other places for that.
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.
People are so entitled in the comments damn like no you writer don’t have to put up with you being rude they wrote you entertainment for free
To the people in the notes who are insisting that they have the right to leave negative feedback on AO3:
What you’re not understanding is that fandom is not a service, it’s a community. I saw someone compare leaving a comment on AO3 to reviewing a product on Amazon - if you didn’t like the product, you’re going to say so. But fanworks are not products and you didn’t pay money for them. They were shared with you.
Leaving un-asked-for criticism in AO3 comments isn’t like reviewing a product you were disappointed with. It’s like going to a friend’s house when they’ve cooked a meal and telling them all the things that are wrong with the food. Sure, you can do it, but it’s rude as hell and they are probably not going to invite you to dinner again.
(“Can you leave crit in comments” has been a debate as long as I’ve been in fandom, but 20 years ago the argument was “I’m helping the writer improve!” and not “I am a consumer with a right to complain.” Fandom has gotten more creepily capitalistic over the decades but jerks are evergreen, I guess.)
im mostly interested in how many ppl are children of immigrants, so if one of your parents is an immigrant and one isn’t, vote parents are immigrants. for previous generations, choose whichever applies to most members of that generation or if that doesn’t work, whichever feels most right to you.
