It's International Fanworks Day 2025! AO3's theme this year is 'Fan Communities are Ecosystems', where we celebrate diversity in fandom and fanworks, and the unique fan ecosystem it creates.
To celebrate, I wanted to make a list some of the fandom blogs/fanwork creators I adore in the fandoms I am a part of. All of these people truly embody the theme of helping a fandom feel like an ecosystem both on AO3 and on Tumblr.
Criminal Minds:
This section will be the longest since it's my main fandom. You have been warned ;-)
@swpf [swpf of AO3] has become one of my best friends in recent months after we first met in the comment section of one of my fics. She has reminded me how nice it is to have another fan/author to bounce headcanons and ideas off of. All of her fanfics are works of art, plus they bring so much to our fandom because they mostly focus on the rare pair of Tara/Penelope. From the canon-adjacent series [Drive], to her current WIP [I Believe] AU, everything she writes makes me feel so lucky to have her in the CM fandom.
@otahkoapisiakii [Phoenix_Falls on AO3] is one of my oldest friends and we met because we have both been in this fandom since the get-go. Our friendship began in 2014 when we were each other's favourite Jemily authors. In the decade of our friendship we have co-authored fics, beta read for each other, been each other's hype man, and created more unhinged Jemily content than you could imagine. For every angsty heartbreaking fic I wrote, Frankie would balance it out by posting tooth-rotting fluff, like the Jemily fan-favourite [Steps]. I truly believe their contributions to the JJ/Emily tag on AO3 were fundamental in turning what used to be our little rare pair (we had less than 100 Jemily works on AO3 back in 2015!) into what is now the fandom's most popular femslash ship.
@gaelic-symphony [TheLarkAscending on AO3] is also a backbone to the femslash side of this fandom. Bex writes the most masterful canon-compliant fanfics I have ever read. The way she weaves a narrative into the little in-betweens of each episode is a skill not many possess. Her fic [Caution to the Wind] is as foundational to the Tara/Emily ship, as @mjduncan [Take My Hand and Show me The Way] was to JJ/Emily. And although Tara/Emily is her favourite ship, Bex has also written an entire series of WLW canon re-writes focusing on a wide range of ships.
@artcake is one of our fandom's most amazing artists and I am so humbled that we have become each other's muses over the past couple of years. Commissioning Mer for art to go along with my fanfics has been a dream come true. Everything she creates blows my mind. From the art for Fooled Around (and Fell in Love), to the sexy smut art for [Sweetest Pie], to everything else she's created - Mer is such an important part of the CM fandom.
@cargopantsprentiss [sunshineandguns on AO3] is such an important part of this fandom for all Jemily fans. Rosie's writing can tear your heart to shreds, or make it burst from wholesomeness. As an author and an incredibly talented artist, she is a master at everything she does and a pinnacle to the CM fandom.
@justjasper [JustJasper on AO3] has been in this fandom as long as me. I remember reading their works, such as [Souls at Sea] when I first joined AO3 back in 2014 and I'm still reading their works (my current fave being [Only if For a Night]) in 2025. Not only is he an amazing writer, but he has also contributed his time and energy into organising last year's CM Kink Bingo which inspired over 130 works to be added to the CM fandom, including some that JustJasper wrote themself. Thank you for all you do for this fandom.
Fanworks aren't limited to just fics and fanart, gif sets and edits take just as much skill and time to create and without our talented gif makers, tumblr wouldn't be nearly as fun. Some of my favourite CM gif makers include: @emilypren-tiss, @wardengrill, @elles-greenaway, @ssaalexblake, @sculien
It's been a unique experience watching this fandom grow and change over the past two decades I've been a part of it and I am awed by every single one of the other talented, dedicated, fans I share it with. There are too many to list in one post, but please know I love and appreciate all of you!
[Find other CM Fic Recs here]
Critical Role:
* I am mostly a lurker in this fandom, which makes me even more appreciative of the talented people who contribute to it!
@astoriacolumnstaircase [astoriacolumnstaircase on AO3] is not only one of my favourite CritRole authors/artists, but she also has one of my fave blogs in general, because her vibes are immaculate. She's also done some guest pages for @southern-gothic-comic (more about that below!) an incredible Imogen/Laudna web comic. Fun Fact: My partner and I love Astoria's art style so much, I even commissioned her a couple of years ago to create art to accompany my partner's first fanfic.
@mintywolf is the creator of the @southern-gothic-comic. The art and story are SO good. The visual storytelling is so enthralling, I love it so much.
@distant-shadow aka @flybyenight [Cunthea on AO3] is easily one of my favourite aritsts on tumblr, period. Not just in the CritRole fandom. With gorgeous pieces such as [this], [this], and [this], I'm sure it's easy to see why. Brows is outrageously talented and it's always a joy to see anything Brows does on my dash.
lorelei_de_rolo on AO3 is also one of my favourite CritRole authors. The series [The Sexual Implications of Telepathy] permanently rewired my brain and gave me all sorts of new kinks in the process (and I thank the author for it!)
Other Misc. Recs:
Here are some other blogs I adore:
@fbisgayesttrio is the best TXF OT3 blog on tumblr. Finding someone else who are feral about Mulder/Scully/Skinner has been a delight and I appreciate seeing them on my dash.
@polyamships is an all-fandom blog celebrating any/all forms of polyamory in fanworks! This blog is SO important to me as a polyam person myself. I love seeing OT3+'s from other fandoms. Even if I don't go to them myself, I still celebrate the fact other fans are representing polyam ships!
@dwgif is my go-to Doctor Who blog! This blog is an amazing archive of all things DW
@chibnalldaily is also a Doctor Who blog, featuring gorgeous gifs that always leave me in awe
@racethewind10 [Racethewind10 on AO3] is one of my favourite multi-fandom people on tumblr. I first read Race's fics on Passion & Perfection and probably some on LJ too, before I even started using tumblr. Race's contributions to all things femslash is inspirational and was part of why I began writing CM fanfic. I have found many, many, new shows/fandoms simply because Race put pretty women on my dash and for that, I am forever grateful.
