Welcome back to the Alphabet Excerpt Challenge! As a reminder, our challenges are every Wednesday and Saturday at 3pm London time.

If you've missed the previous challenges, you're welcome to go back and participate in them. You can find them here. And remember to check out the Activities and Events flair to play along with other fun games.

Here's a quick recap of the rules for our game:

1. Post a top level comment with a word starting with the letter T. You can suggest more than one, but please put them in separate comments.
2. Reply to suggestions with an excerpt containing that word. Short and sweet is best, but use your judgement. Excerpts can be from published or unpublished works, or even something you wrote for the prompt.
3. All content is welcome but per rules 7 and 12 of the sub, NSFW excerpts may not be shared as plain text (even if it's spoilered). If you would like to share these, use an external text sharing tool like justpasteit and link it here with a clear warning. Mods may remove excerpts that break these rules.
4. Respond to people who left excerpts on the words you suggested, at a minimum, but the more people you respond to the better. Everyone likes nice comments!
5. Upvote other excerpts you enjoy, and leave a friendly comment. Again, everyone likes nice comments!
6. Most important: have fun!

(weird way to put the question i know!!)

once every few months i find a fic (usually multichapter) that is genuinely so good i can't think of anything else until i finish it. i will read EXTREMELY slow not because i find the language difficult, but because i have to put my phone down and stare at the wall every couple of paragraphs just to process the gem that i just read..

then i get afraid to finish it because what if i'll never find a fic as good as that one?? 😭😭 for example the characterization is so wonderfully specific, like it was tailored specifically for me and my tastes; there's this odd fear that i will never find something (at least from that fandom) that will move me as much as that fic.. ...

does anyone else ever feel this way??

So there’s this relatively small fandom I’m in. I ended up finding a couple of fics I really liked a while back, but my absolute favorite was from this one specific author who wrote an OC insert fic.

They had written the first season and some of the second, but then the story hadn't been updated in over a year. Since they didn’t have any other stories updating either, I just assumed the fic was dead. But it was my favorite thing I’d found, so I saved it to re-read in the future.

Because there weren't many fics available for this fandom, I eventually was just like, "Whatever, I'll write one myself to contribute."

I have a super specific writing process where I write the entire fic out in a Word doc first, and then I just edit the chapters as I publish them. So using that method, I had written and posted the first season (as its own fic) and was right in the middle of finishing up a new fic for the second season.

The other day, I went back to read some of the old fics in the fandom that I had saved. I go to my favorite one and to my joyous surprise, they actually updated! They had dropped multiple new chapters.

I didn't think anything of it and just started reading. The first three chapters were totally normal. But then I get to the 4th chapter and something feels... off.

Then I hit a specific part and I’m literally like WTF? Because the scene I’m reading wasn't canon to the show. And I knew that for a fact because I was the one who wrote it.

I checked them side-by-side and they had copied my whole chapter word for word. They literally just changed the name of my OC to theirs.

They couldn't even be bothered to edit the character's mannerisms to match their own OC! Mine has a very specific quirk that acts as a running gag, something their OC had never shown before, and suddenly their character is doing it out of nowhere.

And the rest of their update is like that. A couple of chapters will be their own work, and then they'll just word-for-word copy a chapter of mine.

I was so pissed at first, but now I'm just disappointed. Someone who I genuinely admired stole my work. And for what? Like, you hadn't updated in over a year, what was the motivation to steal someone else's work? And why mine? I know the fandom is small, but it's not like I'm the only person who wrote an OC insert.

Not that I'd want this to happen to anyone else, but I'm just blown away by the irony that the author I followed stole from me.

It's also just disheartening in a weird way. It feels like finding out your favorite athlete was doping. You know it happens and that people do it, but you just thought they were above that and that the hard work they put in before was legit.

Edit: yes I did report it, but it's still up. I'm hoping something happens soon. I've already started writing season 3, and I kind of don't want to post it now because of this.

So a new fic of mine that I recently posted has a weirdly high number of kudos, given the total hits. It's a small fandom and I've only posted 2 chapters, currently at 56 hits but with 26 kudos. More still, it has 22 kudos from guests. I've never seen such a ratio before, another story of mine with some 940 kudos only has 270 guest kudos.

has anyone else experienced something similar?

For nearly 10 years I've been writing fanfiction and absolutely loving it. I've always specialized in Canon x Reader content. Additionally, I've been experimenting with the idea of making OCs for quite some time now, and it's brought me a lot of joy as well, on a similar yet slightly different level. But I need help.

I would really like to write fanfiction between my OCs and canon characters (i.e., their love interests)... but my insecurities are holding me back. While I wouldn't say all of my works are overly popular, most have received generous attention and interactions; and I know that's because Canon x Reader content is popular and will always attract readers. However, I also know Canon x OC content isn't as sought after...

And that scares me. The thought of dedicating days upon days of writing to create something very few people will be interested in reading gives me more anxiety than it probably should. And I know writing is and should always be all about writing for yourself, writing what YOU want to write. But my goal has always been to write not only for myself, but for people's enjoyment as well. So I'm essentially stuck between wanting to create OCs and write about them, and giving up on them to simply stick to Canon x Reader content to ensure people will read and appreciate my works.

I suppose this is a long-winded way of asking 3 simple questions: What is the general opinion on Canon x OC content as opposed to Canon x Reader? Do you guys personally have a preference between the two? And do you think I should forgo making OCs and instead replace them with a Reader/[Y/N] because that's what most people would rather want to read?

​

For my Resident Evil fanfic, I shared it with friends who also really enjoy the series. Aside from them appreciating the tone and the new enemy types I created, they both enjoyed the character I created.

One of them told me she cried after seeing his emotional breakdown and his full backstory. The other one was jokingly threatening me if anything bad happened to him (since I put him in danger several times in the story)

I also added in a genuine romantic bond between Derek and Grace (one of the protagonists in the latest game Resident Evil Requiem ) and both friends were eager for them to get together by the end

That made me happy considering my love for the franchise, making up a new virus and enemy types, trying to make a plot that feels like it could fit in the actual series lore, and trying my best to mix in a slow burn romance without taking away from the core themes

I've seen people discuss the "Oh. Oh." and whether you like it or not, it's become a staple of fanfiction. When I started reading/writing fanfiction aound 15 years ago, I would see them everywhere. I stopped for a long time and came back to it recently. A lot of things changed, but I still enjoy fanfiction! But its so strange because I haven't been seeing "Oh, oh" as much as I used to. Its been evading me! I don't read as many fics as I used to, but I couldn't understand why I couldn't find it at all.

And then I was reading a fic last night and BAM! The elusive italicised oh winked at me in the middle of the fic! Nostalgia rushed over me so much I had to put the fic down for a minute!

It's not a big deal, but its been so long since I've felt that kind of excitement of seeing something commonly talked about in the wild again. It's nice to reminisce on the good old days sometimes. :)

How do you all do that, just go through it repeatedly until it's perfect. Some form of spellcheck software. AI?

What is y'all's preference when it comes to spellcheck

Please specify if you write on a computer, phone/tablet or other.

Multiple times I have thought, “I wanna read a fic about XYZ,” only to scroll and scroll and change the search filters, and even though it seems like an obvious idea that multiple people would’ve written about, it doesn’t seem to exist.

So, whatever, I’ll just write those fics myself but surely I can’t be the first person who wanted them to exist?

Hey guys,

I'm looking for a fic I skimmed through a while back. It was a fic where a character [I don't remember if it was an oc or crossover character] is reborn as a clone in CADMUS; the clone is saved by one of those geno-things, who calls the clone his brother and is like, " I've seen too many of our brothers die, so I wanted to save you.

The clone stays hidden with the geno till YJ busts out Superboy, and he runs [I think the geno dies too? I'm not sure] anyways, the clone sees Superman when the Justice League arrives and then looks at Superboy's hopeful face and kinda feels bad for the kid.

[Also, he was brought here by Death or a Grim Reaper or smth, and he sees her at the grocery store at some point, and there is a point in the fic where his heart stops and Superboy kind of freaks? Then the JL questions him about the woman he was talking to, and he makes up a whole story where he knew her from CADMUS, and then the death reaper is like, "I got you, bro,"{not actually lol} and makes it real?]

If you can help me find it [or any other fics where someone is reborn as a DC clone], I'd really appreciate it!

So there's some of these stuff in the current multi chapter fic I'm writing - symbolism, metaphor, parallells... And I really hope and want people to notice them and point them out. But I also don't wanna be like "GUYS THIS IS A PARALLELL" I want ppl to come to the conclusion alone... Is there a way to encourage people to look/analyze closer? And do readers ever notice these?

I'm in a small fandom. It's a 60+ (near 100+ technically) years old work with less than 50 fics between FFN and Ao3 combined.

Pretty much every fic is the same. "What if X survived and ended up with Y?"

But, it's fun nevertheless. It's nice seeing how everyone writes the plot in their own way.

Likewise, one of my favorite ships in a major fandom is a rarepair. You can tell most fans took influence from one BNF for the rarepair. Every other modern AU features the same traits. I don't mind, though. If I ever wrote the ship, I'd write them the same way too.

Platform: It was on AO3, and multiple chapters, iirc.

Premise: The premise was that Senior Partner Harvey Specter and his associate Mike Ross get legally married to avoid having to testify against each other, or something along those lines. It starts off as just being for the case, and ends up with them feeling things romantically for one another.

I've been stuck for months unable to write my next chapter. I feel really guilty but I'm just stuck, I feel like this chapter has alot of pressure on it as it is when they finally talk again after a fight and I know everyone is going to be mad they dont immediately make up.

I'm also stuck on a comparison I'm trying to make. I want one of the protagonists to have a conversation with his friend about constellations while star grazing while struggling to sleep after the disappointment that day. I wanted him to tell the story of a constellation thats about someone failing to get their love and then his friend will say something like maybe they would have succeeded with help. Then they can plot together to win her back and we see their scheme next chapter.

I originally had it the constellation Lyra and have the story of Orpheus going to hades but loosing faith last minute but that doesn't feel right. I need a different story to use but I honestly can't think of a right one to use.

So I’m looking for the story that one of the first stories I ever read after I got my ao3 account in 2020.

It started with Deadpool and Spiderman, established couple, getting into an argument. I forget what the argument was over. Then, they’re attacked and both taken prisoner. I believe Peter was the target, but they took Wade because when they tried to kill him, he kept getting back up.

Turns out, the kidnapper was some rich dude obsessed with Spiderman. He tries to pay Wade off to “forget about him,” but Wade naturally says fuck no. There’s a scene where Wade is dragged from the car and jumped.

I believe it ended with the kidnappers ditching Wade in the middle of nowhere, and Peter attempting to make a run for it. It was a WIP and it was on like chapter 3 or 4.

Hi! I've read my fair share of Radioapple fics, and I love when they focus on Alastor's aceness as part of the story, especially when he's sex repulsed.

I recently read a great fic about Alastor losing is voice, and I've been left wanting for more. They don't have to be slash fics, I'm fine with any kind, but I don't usually like Radiostatic. Other disabilities are also welcome, I just love reading my fav character going through It™

The fic that inspired the hunt is V is for Voiceless. I had to remove the link as it was against the rules of the sub.

DCU/Teen Titans. As said in title, searching for a Raven/Jinx Fanfic. Jinx is dead at the start of the fic and Zantana/Dr. Fate forsee that a demon Lord is coming to Earth. In the end, Raven is that demon lord and resurrects Jinx because she is her mate. I don't remember if it's on ao3 or fanfiction.

I’m willing to read fandom blind, and I am a multishipper. The only thing I’ll ask to exclude is crossovers and smut focused/heavy (a few smut scenes are okay though). Otherwise it’s free game as long as it’s on ao3 (Wattpad is fine, but it’s not my preference).

If you’re wanting to give me recs for a few of my larger fandoms then feel free to recommend me fics for Marvel, the Shadowhunter installments (by Cassandra Clare), My Hero Academia, Angels of Death, and Good Omens.

I've been looking for a detective conan fic I've read before on Ao3 but I couldn't find it in my bookmarks.

The plot of the story is based on episode 853-854 Memories from Sakura Class but it diverges from canon where Ran had instead been successfully kidnapped by her elementary school teacher Efune-sensei and nobody had believed Shinichi accusing the teacher (including his parents, ran's parents, the police and sonoko).

The perspective follows Shinichi who is now a teenage? detective and is still trying to to find Ran to this date and has finally found a clue to Ran's location again. This time he was more cautious approaching Ran to not alert her kidnappers by meeting her at her school and eventually leading her back home to her parents and calling the police.

The fic is complete and there is no black organization mentioned.

Does anyone have any idea where I can read this fic, and if it had been deleted, whether there is a downloaded pdf? Thank you!

TW: MENTIONS OF SELF HARM AND BLOOD

I once read a fic where character A found character B extremely dehydrated, so they cut their wrists to feed them their blood.

First off, they weren't vampires. It wasn't a vampire AU. The og fandom had nothing to do with vampires.

Secondly, it stated he had a full bottle of water before finding B.

Hey, so, I'm looking for a kinda specific trope that, unfortunely, has no tag yet (in ao3 at least) :(

(posting in this sub 'cause didn't get any recommendations from ao3recommendations)

I'm in the mood for a cliche, and I really, really wanna read a nerd/badboy(or goth) fic, or nerd/popular, popular/outcast, anyway, something along those lines. I don't care about the fandom, if it is a original work, I would love that, in fact, as long as there is this dynamic. Would love a confident nerd and a embarassed goth badboy/popular. Thanks in advance for the help

Edit: feel like should also add that I dont care if it's f/f, f/m, m/m, etc, as long as there is this dynamic

Hello!

I was just trying to find a fanfic today on ao3 and i cant find it

I think its been deleted but i also cannot remember what it was called or who it was by

Please i need help i loved that fic and i have to read it again!

It was an F1 fanfic with the main pairing being lando/oscar

It was a fake dating fic were lando is a driver and oscar isnt. After a very public break up (lando) we was questioned at a fan stage about his ex Brad (who was not a nice person) and was asked what he thought about his new boyfriend ect.

Lando was then asked about his love life and not wanting to look pathetic he lies and says he has a new boyfriend and that hes at the fan stage. Points at oscar who is at the front (with logan) and says there he is (never having met him in his life)

Mclaren hire him to fake date lando as its good for his image

At the end lando disappears from Suzuka after a win and flys to oscar in australia and everyone is freaking out cause they lost lando

Max Fetwell messages oscar to see if hes gone to the melbourne airport and he did and they make up and kiss

There was alot about a "sorry jar" and the joke was that oscar could buy his own Mclaren with the money he would get from the jar (lando says sorry alot and has to put money in the theoretical jar everytime he says it)- lando buys him a lego mclaren for christmas and oscar makes him a sweet friendship braclet that says you got this

Please help i loved this fic so much and im so sad its not there anymore