#fandom explained

I was wondering if you have a list of general (non wolfstar/hp related) fanfic/story terms? For an example, something explaining what an angst fic is or different romance tropes and the like. Does this make sense? Thanks in advance!

Yes! Well, sort of. The Librarian LOVES getting questions about the world of fandom and has organized all of those asks/answers into the Reference Section. Below are some of the posts from that section, as well as a link to a fandom glossary page.

Reference Section

AO3 Ratings and Warnings

Citrus Ratings + Whump

Orphaned Account Explanation

Dead Dove: Do Not Eat Explanation

How to Link your AO3 to Tumblr

How to Post an Unfinished Multi-Chaptered Fic on AO3

Fandom Glossary

And to explain your specific questions:

Angst: think of this as the opposite of fluff. It's meant to convey that the author has made the character to suffer and as a reader who loves that character, your heart will probably suffer a bit too. Can be found in any type of fic.

first of all thank you for your work, you’re amazing

second of all, i was wondering what the little blue lock next to the titles on some fics mean ?

Thank YOU friend! Your kindness is giving the Librarian a ridiculous smile. 🥰 Also, this is a great question!

AO3 Blue Lock

The little blue lock that you see above? That means that only people with AO3 accounts can view the work. 

Some authors may choose to select this option so that their work is harder to view if you’re not in fandom (think employers, family, etc.). Of course, people can still make an account to view the work and its comments, but it can take weeks to get an account on AO3 so most employers won’t take that kind of time. 

If you’re an author who'd like to use this feature, it’s quite easy! 

Go to the Edit Work page. In the Privacy section, select the option "Only show your work to registered users" and then select the "Update" button.

Hope that helps and thanks for the ask! 

I've seen the word WIP used in reference to fics and wondered what it meant?

Thanks for the help! (I love your blog btw) 💜

Hello sweet friend! The Librarian is happy to solve this mystery for you. 

WIP is an acronym for Work In Progress

Writers and artists alike use this term to refer to their projects that are incomplete. There’s actually quite a bit of humor around this term, as many creators have a “pile of wips”, which means they have multiple started ideas. 

Have a nice day!! 🍯🕴

Hello friend, and happy Sunday to you as well! No ask is ever a bother and this one is especially easy since the answer is already in the Reference Section.

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