I Feel Like Theres Needs To Be, Like, Handbook For Authors Who Post On Ao3 For Effective Metatext.

I feel like there’s needs to be, like, handbook for authors who post on Ao3 for effective metatext.

By metatext I mean like tagging, summary, and authors notes (especially initial authors notes at the beginning of a fic). The means by which we communicate to our readers what they’re getting into.

Because we kind of all have to learn it by osmosis and there are conventions but nobody’s really taught them at the start, so there’s inconsistencies and misunderstandings or people just not knowing things through no fault of their own.

This ends up breeding frustration and confusion and in the worst cases resentment, hurt, and aggression.

I’m severely tempted to make such a handbook and get it circulating.

I think it would do fandom a lot of good.

Character Profile Tag!

It's been a while since I've done one of these, and I really like this tag, so I'm gonna make a few lol.

Let's go with Adahm Ryker from Scrapyard Boys for this one!!! <3

Full Name: Adahm Tiberius Ryker

Kind of Being: Human (Mutant Variant)

Age: Presumably 19 years old, has no birth certificate and has a snake-like biology so the details of how he ages are unclear but he is around that age physically.

Sex: Male

Appearance: Adahm is very tall and lanky, with warm white skin that is slightly sun tanned but without any freckles. His eyes are a piercing light yelloish green, almost neon, hue which look distinctively like the eyes of a snake. He has very long light brown hair that he usually keeps loose, brushed to one side, or tied in a messy ponytail. Adahm's smile usually appears normal if not for the fact that his teeth are generally sharper than that of a 'regular human' and that he has two, pointy snake fangs - like a reptilian vampire. A fun detail is that he can stretch and detach his jaw like a snake would and it makes for a devastating biting force. Adahm usually wears black clothes, with a dark - kevlar reinforced - jacket, black or dark grey button up shirts, dark denim pants and black leather combat boots, as well as fingerless grey gloves.

Occupation: Serial Killer (of corrupt people), Vigilante, Rebel

Family Members:

Taylen Ryker: adoptive younger brother, ward

Charles Zarin: childhood best friend (deceased)

Unnamed Parents

Pets: No pets

Best friends: Jax Strobber (they/them), Sasha Valentine (she/her), Gwyn Whitewood (she/her)

Describe his/her room: Adahm's room is spacious and meticulously organized/clean. It's on the smaller side, so as not to take up too much space in their safehouse, but comfortable. His bedsheets are dark grey with some black details, and his bed is usually pristinely made, and there's a light blue sleep mask usually tossed onto it. The room often has a light citrusy smell due to air freshners he buys, and there's a small study desk/work desk by the reinforced glass window where he does most of the planning for his missions. There's a holographic picture of him and Taylen on the edge of that same desk. In his wardrobe, he keeps his clothes - which are usually all in dark tones of black, grey and blue - and his vast collection of guns (ranging from pistols to precision rifles and one small machine gun) and knives (his preferred weapon, usually sharp daggers, common knifes and a few thin swords, as well as a pocket swiftblade);

Way of speaking: Faint (fictional) english accent. He is usually soft spoken, to the point he can sound like a hissing snake when he is speaking specially sharply, but almost always has a dangerous lilt to is voice that commands a certain amount of fear and respect from those around him. His way of speaking changes drastically when he's talking to Taylen - whenever he is addressing his brother, Adahm sounds genuinely kinder, more excited and gentle than he ever would have sounded while speaking to anyone else.

Physical characteristics (posture, gestures, attitude):

Towards strangers: Cold, snake-like, moving swiftly from spot to spot almost imperceptively, confident, scarily so. He usually has a wild/feral attitude to him, despite his calculated behaviors and emotionless persona, having a wild animal's unpredictability and deadliness to him. He has a sharp, imposing smile that usually sends chills down people's spines, and his eyes can be disturbingly cold and unemotional, though they do show a strong glint of enjoyment whenever he is inebriated by the thrill of a kill.

Towards Taylen: When around his little brother Adahm becomes an almost completely different person, being genuinely warmer/gentler, patience, easily excited about different topics and doting. The shift in his usually murderous outer personality he shows the world to his kind, protective older brother personality that is reserved for Taylen alone, can be jarring for those who don't know him well, but Adahm himself doesn't seem to realize that.

Items in his/her back pocket/ purse: Extra poison vials, combat daggers, ammo, climbing gear and spy gear, commlinks, his phone, an extra jacket or coat (he's ectothermic due to his snake biology and sensitive to temperature changes, especially cold weather) and snacks, preferrably dry ones.

Favorite sports: Swordfighting, Boxing, Climbing/Parkour, Swimming

Powers: Snake Biology, Venom/Poison Manipulation & Generation, Shadow Movement, Enhanced Senses/Speed

Relationships (how he/she is with other people):

When he knows the person: quiet, funny, attentive, kind, protective, easily excited, happy, and genuine

When he does not know the person: cunning, manipulative, sociopathic (he does suffer from sociopathy but it becomes much more clear when he's dealing with strangers, especially enemies), murderous, dangerous, sadistic, cold and unpredictable.

Fears: Losing a loved one again or being unable to protect them (especially Taylen), actually being a 'freak' or unworthy of love, being forced to comply by arbitrary rules, being weak, being touched without consent

Faults: Emotionally detached from strangers, murderous, ruthless, vindictive, blunt/unkind, vicious/bloodthirsty, tendency to tunnel vision, bad at reading people and especially stunted at emotional cues (of people he doesn't know)

Good Points: Kind, genuinely cares about those around him, has a good sense of humour, protective, loyal to a fault, deadly smart, loves his brother more than anything and is a good guardian even though he doesn't know how to parent, rebellious and free spirited

What he/she wants more than anything else: Justice, Revenge, being able to keep Taylen safe, and being worthy of respect/genuine love with no strings attached.

Tagging (gently): @sleepy-night-child, @kaylinalexanderbooks, @smol-feralgremlin, @oh-no-another-idea, @littleladymab,

@winterandwords, @eccaiia, @sarahlizziewrites, @illarian-rambling

@agirlandherquill, @anoelleart, @ray-writes-n-shit

@the-golden-comet, @writernopal, @anyablackwood, @unstablewifiaccess, @forthesanityofstorytellers

@i-can-even-burn-salad, @cakeinthevoid

@lassiesandiego, @thepeculiarbird, @clairelsonao3, @memento-morri-writes, @starlit-hopes-and-dreams

@differentnighttale

@wyked-ao3 and OPEN TAG

Taglist for Scrapyard Boys below the cut 🧪

Scrapyard Boys Taglist (-/+): @ray-writes-n-shit, @sarandipitywrites, @lassiesandiego, @smol-feralgremlin, @kaylinalexanderbooks,

@diabolical-blue @oh-no-another-idea

@cakeinthevoid, @clairelsonao3,

@thepeculiarbird

@the-golden-comet, @urnumber1star, @ominous-feychild, @anyablackwood, @amaiguri, @lyutenw @finickyfelix

@thecomfywriter, @the-letterbox-archives, @differentnighttale @wyked-ao3

Let me know if you'd like to be added!

OC Outfit Tag

Belated thanks for the tag, @mysticstarlightduck! You've tagged me in a few of these, and though I could make up for them all here, I have so Pinterest boards dedicated to this exact thing, so I'll be responding to each one individually lmao. Starting off with my OCs from Asteria Heights!

SERAPHINA

MEGUMI

AVEN

Gently tagging: @the-down-upside-finch, @nailamoonsi, @anoelleart, and anyone else who wants in!

Villain Crimes Tag

Late thanks for the tag, @mysticstarlightduck! Gonna avoid some because of spoilers, so this is only the crimes of not-secret villains! Trigger Warning for lots of violent crimes of several orders because these are bad guys. They do bad things. Several of them are warlords.

Rules: List all the real-world crimes your villains are guilty of committing!

King Silas

Fratricide

Bribery

Assassination

Torture

Enslavement

Taking hostages

Killing prisoners of war

Wrongful execution

Child neglect

Child abuse

Homicide (first-degree and second-degree)

Obstruction of justice

Conspiracy (of several crimes)

Perjury

And the facilitation/ordering of several more crimes/these crimes to be done by the hands of his subjects.

Butcher

Homicide (first-degree and second-degree)

Mass murder (is that a charge?)

Stalking

Harassment

Assault and battery

Conspiracy (of several crimes)

Theft

Vandalism

Forgery

Fraud

Attempted murder

Blackmail/extortion

Littering

Honestly they probably both committed a bunch of crimes I've forgotten about.

Gently tagging: @dragonfelling, @anoelleart, @talesofsorrowandofruin, and anyone else who wants in!

In trying to come up with ideas for No Stress November, I started designing a writeblr event called the Writeblr Village! Focusing on the community and sharing ideas and supporting each other.

Here are the “locations” in the village!

The Coffee Shop

Looking to start casual conversations with your fellow writers? Stop by the coffee shop! Open your inbox and DMs, share your ideas and WIPs, grab a nice cup of coffee and sit around to chat!

The Library

Looking to learn and do some research? Head to the library! If you're focusing on reading to find your voice, looking for inspiration, trying to complete research for your story, this is the place to be! Reach out for resources and share your progress with the community!

The Gym

Looking to set some high goals and grind on your writing? Head to the gym! Share your goals and progress with the community so we can keep up with you and cheer you on!

The Bakery

Looking to whip up some wonderful treats and WIPs? The bakery is the place to be! Let us know what you're working on and share your snippets, finished pieces, and bits of progress as you go so we can enjoy your delicious treats and congratulate you on your hard work!

The Arcade

Looking to relax and play some writing games? Stop by the arcade! Ask games, tag games, reblog chains, they’re all here and open for business! Let us know you're here so we can play with you!

The Spa

Looking to take a break from writing all together? Head to the spa! Share your favorite self care activities and where you are in your self care journey so we can support you!

The Archive

Looking to take stock of your work and figure out what to do next? The archives might be your place! Review your outline, edit your drafts, reassess and decide which project you want to work on next! Share your process so we can join you in the archive!

How to participate

The Village will be open for the rest of the year, until December 31st. You don't have to “visit” everyday, but when you do, make a post letting us know where you are hanging out and share your progress! Feel free to add as much or as little information as you want! Don’t forget to visit others in the village and support them, too!

Hope to see you guys around the village!

Meme Tag

Thanks so much for the tag, @pandoras-comment-box! Went with a variety of my WIPs because I just went with whatever inspiration struck at the time, lmao.

Gently tagging: @mysticstarlightduck, @dragonfelling, @elizaellwrites, and anyone else who wants in!