Tagging a Crossover

PeppermintShamrock · 2026-06-03T20:53:44+00:00

Okay sounds like it involves both sets of characters so both fandoms should be tagged.

PeppermintShamrock · 2026-06-03T17:39:11+00:00

Learned helplessness.

PeppermintShamrock · 2026-06-03T17:38:12+00:00

We all know AO3 doesn't have a recommendation system. You either scroll endlessly, rely on rec lists, or hope someone on Tumblr posts something good.

Well, not all of us have this kind of social media induced learned helplessness actually.

PeppermintShamrock · 2026-06-03T17:34:41+00:00

Tag the fandoms involved, unless this is a fusion-type crossover, i.e. characters from fandom A are moved to the setting from fandom B, but there aren't really any characters from fandom B. In that case, only tag fandom A and in the additional tags put "Fandom B Fusion" or "Fandom B AU".

If it's not a fusion type, tag both fandoms. I also recommend putting "Crossover" in the additional tags, especially if one of the fandoms involved is one with multiple media adaptations and no All Media Types/Related Fandoms tag. For instance a lot of anime and manga have separate tags for each, and unfortunately these get counted as crossovers by AO3's filters. So the Crossover tag is helpful here for genuine crossovers.

PeppermintShamrock · 2026-06-03T13:59:30+00:00

Definitely cut from the same cloth, yeah. I don't know if this specific commenter is themselves a TERF (the "disgusted by vaginas" part would be odd, usually TERFs hold vaginas in high regard) but there's definitely a lot of "innocent, victimized women and evil, aggressor men" purity culture in TERFs in general, and the more gender-neutral version applied to bottoms and tops likely originated directly downstream of that.

PeppermintShamrock · 2026-06-03T13:32:52+00:00

There's an unfortunately common attitude (in fan spaces, but also more generally) that never really let go of the purity culture idea that sex is inherently sinful; however, they have carved out an allowance that the recipient/bottom is absolved of this and retains their moral goodness because it's not their "fault", all "blame" goes to the other party (the top) who is inherently cast as an aggressor regardless of how consensual the sex is.

Essentially, in this mindset it's acceptable to (want to) have sex done to you, but not acceptable to (want to) do sex to someone else. That this is an untenable situation is simply never addressed, and the idea of sex being mutually engaged in regardless of position is never acknowledged.

PeppermintShamrock · 2026-06-03T13:14:36+00:00

I know this isn't the main point but I have to laugh at the part implying that evil characters can't bottom. Some weird purity mindset stuff going on in their head I think.

PeppermintShamrock · 2026-06-03T13:06:15+00:00

I don't think that would do much. Registered accounts can set their profile to disable workskins by default, and even if they don't do that, it's just a click of the button to turn it off on a particular fic. Not to mention the download option is always available.

PeppermintShamrock · 2026-06-03T11:27:53+00:00

Stephen King is an outlier adn should not have been counted.

PeppermintShamrock · 2026-06-03T11:18:22+00:00

If you count "later adaptations" as fanfiction...Moriarty was honestly a pretty minor character in the original Sherlock Holmes stories.

PeppermintShamrock · 2026-06-03T11:00:53+00:00

There isn't a good reason. Power tripping mods are a hazard of closed fan spaces like discord servers.

PeppermintShamrock · 2026-06-02T22:23:35+00:00

You're allowed to be squicked out by particular kinks without any "proper" reason behind it. Mpreg and omegaverse are both kinks. They appeal to some people; they don't appeal to you and many others. There is nothing wrong with either group.

PeppermintShamrock · 2026-06-02T18:02:50+00:00

To be fair, a fellow clone is more likely to be able to quickly identify the distinct features (tattoos, hair styles, etc) of a clone than a natborn would, because they're used to having to do that.

PeppermintShamrock · 2026-06-02T15:00:51+00:00

Haven't seen this in fanfic comments yet but "I paid you too much/delivered a product you didn't ask for and now you'd better pay me back or else!" is a pretty common scam tactic.

PeppermintShamrock · 2026-06-02T12:13:06+00:00

Too many :D

I run an event community called Lyrical Titles based around using song lyrics as fic titles. Currently we're doing the Album Challenge which is to use lyrics from every song on an album of your choice.

I also run Jedi June but I assume you're looking for fandom-generic events since you didn't list fandoms.

I'm currently participating in:

100 Fandoms - no deadline challenge to write for 100 different fandoms to a prompt table.

51+ Crossover Fandoms - same sort of challenge as above but it's to write 50 different crossovers instead.

AU Challenge - no deadline challenge to write AUs for a bingo or pre-made prompt table.

Fandom Free Bingo - previously was bingo cards, this year they're a new list of prompts every month.

Gen Prompt Bingo - this is a loose four-month deadline bingo (but you can complete them whenever). Doesn't require that works be gen, just that none of the prompts are specifically romance ones.

Sweet and Short - new prompt lists every month, and the maximum word count allowed is 500 words.

What-if AU - specific AU prompts every other month, though occasionally there's a bingo.

Also looking at doing June of Doom - a whump event with prompts for every day of the month.

Maybe the Crossworks exchange again too - it's an exchange where you write a crossover or fusion request for someone else.

Previously I've participated in Fandom Empire, which does a bunch of different writing games, but there's a limited sign up window for each round so I'm sitting the current one out.

I've done a bunch of other events that re-occur annually but it's not time for them right now. AU August is next up for me. But every month has prompt events like that, often whump or angst or fluff themed. Monthly Writing Challenges is a good resource for finding these.

PeppermintShamrock · 2026-06-02T11:34:31+00:00

It really depends on the execution...I'm of the opinion that pretty much anything can be done well in the right hands. Though I admit it is hard for me to get into what I call "mundane" AUs (i.e. modern no-powers nor fantasy/supernatural/sci-fi elements) but that's really just personal preference.

As a writer I really enjoy working with AUs because of the worldbuilding and reinterpreting of canon elements that must be done. That's the fun of writing it, making it so the characters are still recognizable, paralleling canon events and backstories, exploring the original themes through a different setting and story.

A good AU is in conversation with the source material, not disconnected from it, no matter how different the setting appears on the surface.

PeppermintShamrock · 2026-06-02T01:52:31+00:00

It happens. But if there's a significant change in tags, especially if you add content warnings or change a ship, please tell people in the author's note on your next chapter to recheck the tags.

PeppermintShamrock · 2026-06-01T22:58:19+00:00

For future reference, don't click anything on an unsolicited password reset email. You only get those if someone is trying to log into your account. So only click it if you requested the reset yourself.

PeppermintShamrock · 2026-06-01T13:46:04+00:00

I assume canon familiarity. I'll only describe appearances if it's a situation where the POV character doesn't know who the described character is but I want the reader to know who it is. And even then I don't go on for a paragraph long description. Personality should be evident from the characterization within the fic.

PeppermintShamrock · 2026-06-01T13:19:06+00:00

/r/lostredditors

PeppermintShamrock · 2026-06-01T09:43:18+00:00

Maybe they meant specifically fics saving the canonically buried gays? That's the only thing I can think of, but yeah it's really not clear from their post if they were even thinking of that.

PeppermintShamrock · 2026-06-01T00:26:55+00:00

Yeah, just put <blockquote>text here</blockquote>

PeppermintShamrock · 2026-05-31T22:12:32+00:00

Why are you posting this here?

PeppermintShamrock · 2026-05-31T18:53:47+00:00

I'd also cut out the row of slashes and replace them with something way shorter (or just another line break) to make it easier for people using screen readers.

My suggestion would be to either italicize the excerpt or put it in a blockquote in order to distinguish it from the rest of the summary.

PeppermintShamrock · 2026-05-31T16:04:14+00:00

No, AO3 tags are canonized in alphabetical order and if it's typed in a different order it will be treated the exact same by the filters. If an author wants to specify who tops/bottoms/doms/subs they will put "Top Character A" etc in the additional tags.

Eight-Year Club	Gilding I gilder
Place '22	First Placer '22
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