#key: tips

bonus at the bottom for how to read a fic when the post has been deleted or the account has been deactivated:

•  how to use the wayback machine

➣ no fic recs and one fic per ask only

we do not do fic recs. we are more like a lost and found blog for fics you have read before but can’t seem to find anymore. we only help you look for a specific fic.

please only send one fic per ask. if you are looking for multiple fics, send in a different ask for each one. we need them to be separate for tagging purposes.

➣  use google first

we typically find a lot of ‘lost’ fics with google. this takes seconds and considering that sometimes we may take a few days to answer asks, you could find your fic way faster if you just google it rather than waiting for us to answer your ask! though we understand not all fics can be found with google, some can be found easily!

they typically fall under three categories: 

a) you know the name of the fic and the member b) you know the AU and the member c) you know only the name of the fic

if you know the name of the fic and the member please type this into google:

[“name of fic”] + [name of member] + bts fanfic tumblr

for example, if you are looking for a fic called ego and the member is jungkook, you should google:

“ego” jungkook bts fanfic tumblr

which will yield ego by suga-kookiemonster

the quotes are essential to this search. by typing them it ensures that whatever is between the quotes must appear in the results. you can use the quotes with AUs, member names and even defining characteristics about the characters in the fic such as: “piercings”, “grey hair”. it will help narrow down results.

if you know the au and the member of the fic please type this into google:

[member] + [au] + [bts fanfic tumblr]

for example, if you are looking for a jungkook fic where he’s a track star that gets injured and oc patches him up, then you should google:

jungkook track bts fanfic tumblr

which will yield gold rush by nochugguk

if you know only the name of the fic please type this into google:

[ “fic name” ] + [bts fanfic tumblr]  

for example, you are looking for a fic called gold rush but you don’t remember the author or member, then you should google:

“gold rush” bts fanfic tumblr

which will yield gold rush by nochugguk 

to optimize your search, you can add defining moments or characters from the fic along with the search as well. this may help narrow down results and point you to the right fic. scrolling through our status: found tag will give you a good example of how us admins use google to find fics.

step-by-step guide on how to google search (if you’re having trouble googling, this is for you)

see this post to see our google process from start to finish (*google cache)!

you can also find more google tips here!

fics with common AUs such as college au may be difficult to find due to the sheer number of fics with that au so if google doesn’t work, and the tips below such as searching through the tags/general search doesn’t work, then send in a detailed ask and we’ll try to help!

➣ search the tags

if you are on DESKTOP: all of our fic tags can be found here!

if you are on MOBILE: please use the link in the mobile blog description. for some reason links to the page in posts will not work.

if the fic is specific, first try looking through [AUs] or [member]. if there was a very specific sex related detail, check in [s] (smut). we know there are a lot of tags (500+) but please make sure to try checking all that apply to the fic you’re looking for!

when on desktop, once you click on a specific tag, press fn + down arrow key to load all asks in the tag. then use ctrl + f to find a specific word. e.g: member’s name, other unique details e.g: aquarium, coffee, best friend, cinema, etc.)

(if you don’t have access to desktop, see this example for how to search for words on your mobile browser)

example: if it is a yoongi roommate fic & yoongi is also oc’s best friend. click on roommate tag, then press fn + down arrow key to load all asks. then use ctrl + f and type best friend or type yoongi. then only read those that are highlighted.

we have found over 1,500 fics and some tags have a lot of fics under them e.g: college or roommate. make sure to scroll through the multiple pages. alternatively, here’s a neat hack on how to search through tags that have many fics.

➣ use our search bar

if you know the name of the fic, you can type that in our search bar. otherwise, you can use the search bar and type in general terms such as: soulmate, tattoos, demon and etc. *note: the search bar may not display posts even if the post exists. for best results try looking through the tags first, THEN try the search bar.

this way if the fic has been asked about before, you will find them in either the tags or in the results of a general search

➣ be detailed

give as much info about the fic as you can remember. explain the fic in detail. details, especially unique ones are VERY important. mention the member and au if you remember. talk about memorable scenes or describe the general premise of the fic well. include things you do remember and not things you do not remember as those do not help. please do not send something in such as:

“hi please help me find a college jungkook fic. i think there was smut. i read it a few days ago and now i can't find it. i do not remember the name of the fic or the author. the app suddenly closed while i was reading it.”

instead, send something that includes:

•  AU (e.g: college, roommate, office, idol, fwb. the more the better) •  Member’s name •  General premise of fic •  Other helpful details (the more the better)

this should result in something like:

“hi i’m looking for this college jungkook fic where he’s lab partners with oc. at first oc thinks he’s really innocent but turns out he’s a fuccboi and he tries to get with oc. oc is also best friends with namjoon.”

(this is ego by suga-kookiemonster)

note: especially for hybrid/shifter fics, if you could specify what kind of hybrid/shifter (ie, calico cat jimin), that would really help!

➣ view list of blogs that have moved/deactivated

we have made a list that contains all the blogs that have moved/deactivated. please look at it before asking us if we know where (insert blog name) is now and etc. if the name is not on the list, steps in this linked post show you how to find a ‘lost’ blog. if you can’t find it despite taking all those steps, do send in an ask!

➣ know the sorting system

tumblr doesn't allow for double tags so posts will be sorted with more detail such as:

a namjoon mafia fic will be sorted by

#member: namjoon

#au: mafia

#genre: smut

please know that tags work better on desktop than on mobile. when searching on mobile you don’t have to put the # as it’s automatic. when searching on desktop go onto the blog and search the tag you’re looking for.

➣ use AO3′s search system

if you remember reading the fic on AO3 and the writer has NOT crossposted on another platform, please follow the search tips below:

there are 2 ways to search on AO3:

a) using the sitewide search b) going into a tag and using the filter sidebar

if you know the title of the fic, you should use the sitewide search. if you don’t, it doesn’t matter which one you use. there are slight differences between the two, so you can choose the one you prefer.

//

to use the sitewide search, start here:

from there you will see various search boxes. most of them are self explanatory and for the ones that aren’t there’s a blue question mark you can click on next to the different search boxes that explain what they are for. you can use every box if you have the information, but these are the most useful to us:

Any Field - keywords go here. searches for your input in the title, tags, notes, and summary. use only one word or an exact phrase, spelling must be exact (if you are having difficulty identifying keywords to search, see how we analyze your fic descriptions here)

Title - similar to Any Field but only searches for your input in the title. spelling/phrasing must be exact

Single Chapter - if you are 100% sure it’s a one shot, check this box

Fandoms - type bts in the box, give it a minute to search, and 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS will show up in the dropdown

Characters - if you don’t know the pairing but remember one of the members involved, type the name in, wait for the search dropdown, and select the name

Relationships - pairings go here. note: pairings with 3+ people may not have a set tag. even if they do, writers do not tag them all the same way. for example: if the pairing involved jungkook, reader, and jimin, it could be tagged as Jeon Jungkook/Park Jimin/Reader, but the writer could also list every part of the relationship separately (Jeon Jungkook/Reader, Park Jimin/Reader, Jeon Jungkook/Park Jimin) as a general rule, it’s safer to use a 2 person pairing tag in situations with 3+ people.

Additional Tags - if you remember specific AU tags, warning tags, smut tags, etc. you can put them here. note: if you have multiple keywords and know 100% that one of them is a tag, then you can put that tag in here. otherwise, it’s easier to just use Any Field since it can search tags without accidentally narrowing your search too much.

Sort By - generally you can just use Best Match but sometimes the different options can help you find it faster:

NOTE: you do not have to use the tag suggestions they provide, but it is advised since they only show up as suggestions if people use them frequently.

//

to use the filter sidebar, start in AO3′s BTS fandom tag. if you are on DESKTOP, you will see the sidebar on the right. if you are on MOBILE, you should see a button that says Filters. press it to get the sidebar.

from there you will see various filters similar to the ones you see with the sitewide search. everything is more or less the same, but here are the main differences:

Include/Exclude: most of your input should be in INCLUDE. Exclude will help you narrow your results and give you less to search through, but you don’t have to use it. Include has checkmarks and Exclude has x marks, but BE SURE NOT TO ACCIDENTALLY MIX THEM UP.

Less Search Boxes: if you don’t see the tag you’re looking for among the given options for any of the sections, you can search for it in Other tags to include. it will give you suggestions for any kind of tag you search.

Search within results: this is the same as Any Field

➣ be nice

not exactly a tip but, if you have benefited from this blog, please try and answer some of the asks where the fics are still unknown. this is a community effort so it'd be really nice if everyone participates.

fics that are in need of finding will be tagged under:

#status: lost

asks that have a suggested answer but needs to be confirmed by the original inquirer will be tagged under:

#status: pending

asks that have been answered correctly will be tagged under:

#status: found

➣  help each other

please try to reply to the ask if you're comfortable with that instead of sending in another ask to answer. this is so that the community will be able to see the reply faster. it's also totally cool to reply with ‘yes, i think that's the fic!’ or something along those lines, because that let’s us know faster.

➣  how to use the wayback machine

although the site is a little slow, the wayback machine keeps snapshots of old blogs. if their blog name is still up (even if the whole blog has been cleaned out and looks like a brand new blog that hasn’t posted anything), you can almost always still access their blog and navigate through it. please, please, only use this method to read fics. please do not use this method to access fics and repost them ): plagiarism is horrible and you should never plagiarize. if you are unable to find the fic after following this guide, please do not send in an ask about it. we will not entertain any further asks.

so, anyway how do you use the wayback machine?

first, go to the site then enter the url of the blog you’re looking for into the given box and press enter

//

once you do that, click on one of the available dates where a snapshot was taken. they are highlighted in green and i’ve pointed them out. if you do not get this page, that means you can’t access the fic/blog anymore, sorry. if you do get to this page, continue with the following steps.

//

//

once you click on it, you should be able to navigate it as usual. try out a few different dates if it doesn’t work. a functional site should look just like the blog before they cleared their account. the site is a little slow so give it some time.

//

//

alternatively, when you know the author and name of the fic, google that, obtain the link address for the specific fic by right clicking on keep reading and then clicking copy link address. then, paste that specific link into the wayback machine. [example shown here]