#reader resources

Can confirm:

Goodreads was the future of book reviews. Then Amazon bought it.

"A prominent author’s decision to pull her new novel from publication after being ‘review bombed’ highlights Goodreads’s power in publishing — and raises questions about its longtime owner"

This Washington Post piece is paywalled, but if you click on the article via the Reddit link, you can get free access for 45 days through their partnership with Reddit. https://www.reddit.com/r/books/comments/14qltca/goodreads_was_the_future_of_book_reviews_then/

The alternative: StoryGraph: https://www.thestorygraph.com/

We want to encourage reader interaction on SPN fan fiction stories, and we're ready to put an entire CultureFly box where our mouth is! Each fic you kudos/comment on (on AO3) or reblog with a comment (on Tumblr) will earn you one entry into the drawing for the prize. 

How to enter:

1. Read an SPN fic on AO3 or Tumblr.

If the fic is on AO3, click that kudos button and leave a comment! 

If the fic is on Tumblr, REBLOG the post with your comment!

The comment can be anything from (fic-relevant) key smashing to a bunch of emojis to a full book report on why you loved the fic. As long as you give the writer some love, that's what matters!

2. Go here, fill out this form, and give us a link to either your reblog on Tumblr, or the work on AO3 where we can see your comment. One fic per form submission, please!

The nitty gritty:

- Comments must be new. You can't submit comments you made in the past. 

- Comments must be individual and relevant to the fic. If we feel you have just key smashed on random fics in order to earn entries, or if all of your comments are identical, you will be disqualified.

The prize:

The Spring 2025 Culturefly Box!  Yes, the whole box! (Note, there is a tiny slice on the desk mat, and the Pestilence pen was damaged but could easily be repaired with a drop of super glue. Everything else in the box seems to be in perfect condition. When I saw the damage to the mat, I inspected the rest of the box thoroughly.) Contents include a 3XL Crowley shirt, a heat-reactive mug featuring Sam Winchester, a "demon tablet" tablet cover, Lucifer's Cage desk organizer, Azazel desk mat, and "Pen Set of the Apocalypse" with Notepad.

The deadline:

This form will be closed to submissions at midnight, EDT on June 30th. The winner will be announced on the SPNFanFicPond's socials: Tumblr, Twitter, BlueSky.

Note: This is open to everyone everywhere, but if you live in the EU or some other parts of the world, you may have to pay landed costs. Also, you will have to give your full name and mailing address to Admin Michelle to receive the prize.

Got Questions? Send us an ASK, or DM @mrswhozeewhatsis!

Have questions about this or anything else? Send us an ASK or send a private message to one of the admins below!

Admins:

Michelle - @mrswhozeewhatsis

Marie - @mariekoukie6661

To support readers and new Tumblerers and encourage them to engage in a meaningful way that contributes to our community and keeps it fun, I wanted to put together a list of resources.

If you love to read fanfic but struggle with what to say in a reblog, comment, or ask to show writers some love and appreciation, the below posts should be useful.

I encourage you to PLEASE take the extra two minutes to drop some feedback and appreciation after you read someone's work. Writers put SO much time, energy, and love into their stories, and if you enjoy reading them, please express that. You may just make a writer's whole day or inspire them to write and share more fic! 😊

mainly writing tips (updated 5/24/26)

(#1) Just a random thought. Since I use (Y/N) a lot in my works, I figured I should tell you guys about this one chrome extension! It’s called interactivefics, and it should work for chrome and firefox!

Here is the Link!

(#2) I found this big ass thread of different words to use if you can’t seem to find the right one. 

(#3) This lovely site, even though some of it is P2U, provides insight of what emotions cause what actions within people. It’s very useful for showing instead of telling!

(#4) This crowdsourced dictionary can be useful for broadening your vocabulary, or if you would like a good laugh. There are some funky things on here.

(#5) Here’s some hyper specific writing tips

Every month, we host a book club chat about selected fics in our Discord server, exclusive to Pond members only!

(Not a pond member? Joining is easy! Just fill out this form here.)

Spn Fanfic Book Club is a place for Pond members to discuss fanfics together to learn about writing and gain inspiration from our fellow writers. Each month, a series of fics will be selected surrounding a theme for us to chat about. And remember, if you read a fic, leave a comment!

We choose multiple fics so that folks can choose how much they want to commit and won’t be left out of a month because there’s a fic they don’t like. Read all of them? Awesome! Only read 1? Still amazing and we want to hear what you think!!

Rules

Be respectful. This should go without saying, but don’t be rude to one another, try your best not to talk over one another. And always remember, Don't Like, Don't Read!

Gen chats stay general. NSFW images and text discussions must be had in the 18+ chats. Some months we will discuss 18+ fics, these discussions will happen in the 18+ chats and need to stay there. Good rule of thumb is anything you wouldn't want your boss to see on your work PC needs to go in 18+.

Don't Talk Shit. We're here to talk about fanfiction so we can improve our own work and find inspiration. We are not here to give rude or unwanted criticism to the writers. Some of the writers may be in the server and some may not, they all deserve respect. This is not the place for "brutal honesty" at any time.

How do we choose fics?

Fics are chosen each month based on a theme and which fics have synergy with each other. The first place we check is the Angel Fish Awards, so if you read a fic you think would be great for us to read together, give it an AFA nomination! (Click here to learn more about how to nominate a fic for an award!)

We try to message any authors before using their fic in Book Club, both those in and outside the server, so keep your eyes on your messages if you get an AFA nomination!

If you have any questions, please contact Manta Ray Russo 🐝 (@shadowbender19)

Have questions about this or anything else? Send us an ASK or send a private message to one of the Admins below!

Michelle - @mrswhozeewhatsis

Marie - @mariekoukie6661

TURTLES ARE VITAL TO THE POND, AND CAN DO SO MANY THINGS!

🐢Reader Resources - Here at the Pond, we want to become your one-stop shop for SPN fanfiction! To that end, we have a Tag List that you can be added to, and we’ve developed a tagging system to help you find the kinds of stories you like to read. If you have any suggestions for other ways we can make the Pond more accessible to readers, please send us an ASK!!

🐢Submit Angel Fish Award nominations and win prizes - Anyone, whether you are a member or not, can nominate any Pond member for an award. To do this you simply submit a link to the particular fic and provide a description on why you have nominated it. Submit Here

🐢Get on the Pond Tag List and be tagged by your favorite writers when they post their stories

🐢Access the discord server and interact with other members. On discord* you can:

Talk with writers, ask questions about their fics. Maybe you’ll spark some inspiration and get new content or a sequel?

Request fics - have an idea that you’d love to read but can’t find it? Stick it in the fic request channel and it may inspire someone to write it.

Easier access to fics (as writers post their fics in the self promo channel)

Join the Manta Ray monthly chats

Find fellow fans attending conventions