How to
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How to AO3 by Charles_Rockafellor, ๐๐ทแถฆ๐โรฐษ E โ๏ธ๐ พ๏ธjออญอจฬฬฬฬตอฬฬฬฬฬฎโน๏ธ (Charles_Rockafellor)
Fandoms: AO3
24 Sep 2023
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Summary
New to AO3 (or even not so new)? Have questions? Dazed and confused?
โ ...do your notes in chapter one stay stuck to the most recent last chapter? ๐
โ Does your chewing gum lose its flavor on the bedpost overnight?
โ Start here.๐ DON'T PANICโ! ๐
This is a beginner's guide / primer / introduction for readers and writers (possibly better titled โGuide to the Archivesโ, as someone suggested on Facebook โ though that makes me feel like Virgil to some Dantean cerchio or bolgia, prompting me to think instead โGuรฌdo della archivioโ [my 13-14c Genoan is a bit rusty, seriously, so I hope that I got that right]). My later tutorials in this series cover somewhat more advanced stuff, but I've seen so many people (sometimes long-timers) in need of the basic stuff that I finally decided to write this.
One Stop Shop-'n'-Drop? Not quite, but it explains a lot of things that you might not find easily (in some cases, not for years), or might assume work like some other site (which is a hit or miss assumption), and will point you to a number of resources.
Series
- Part 1 of How to
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How to make and fix a series on AO3 by Charles_Rockafellor, ๐๐ทแถฆ๐โรฐษ E โ๏ธ๐ พ๏ธjออญอจฬฬฬฬตอฬฬฬฬฬฎโน๏ธ (Charles_Rockafellor)
Fandoms: AO3 help - Fandom
23 May 2021
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Summary
๐ Don't panic. ๐
This takes you through an easy step-by-step process so that you'll have as many series as you wish in no time โ and yes, you can even weave multiple series together, and rearrange their order.
Bonus on how to search for a series (and other search tips and details).
Did your series glitch out on Next Work โ, or give you two fics with the same part number and zero of the one before, and now it's freakin' tutti sciancato? Work with me here: we can fix this, we have the technology (cue music from Six Million Dollar Man).
Did your series disappear from the page that shows all of your different series? ใฝ โช โซ I think that I know why... โซ โช
(Bonus section on indenting [CSS work skin] and different-width spaces [HTML], and screen reader problems with lists and symbols, and styling list items' bullet point markers, and empty row glitches.)
I read, appreciate, and reply to all of your comments โ they're always welcome!
๐ซ๐๐'๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ณ๐๐๐, ๐บ๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐ ๐บ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐! โค๏ธ
Series
- Part 2 of How to
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Analyzing AO3 reader traffic flow by Charles_Rockafellor, ๐๐ทแถฆ๐โรฐษ E โ๏ธ๐ พ๏ธjออญอจฬฬฬฬตอฬฬฬฬฬฎโน๏ธ (Charles_Rockafellor)
Fandoms: AO3
19 Feb 2023
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Summary
It's easy to find the graphs of AO3's overall annual reader traffic per month (as shown in the next work in this series), and work out the weekly ebb and flow of each day in general (again: next work). This tutorial looks at the daily peaks and troughs per half hour of the day and how to work those out for your own fics' reader traffic flow rates, using the author's own results as the test example.
Bonus content: seeing YouTube CTR click through rate data w.r.t. crosslinking fics.
I read, appreciate, and reply to all of your comments โ they're always welcome!
๐ซ๐๐'๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ณ๐๐๐, ๐บ๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐ ๐บ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐! โค๏ธ
Series
- Part 3 of How to
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A year-long AO3 overall traffic analysis by Charles_Rockafellor, ๐๐ทแถฆ๐โรฐษ E โ๏ธ๐ พ๏ธjออญอจฬฬฬฬตอฬฬฬฬฬฎโน๏ธ (Charles_Rockafellor)
Fandoms: AO3
31 Mar 2024
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Summary
Where the previous meta looked at how to find one's own fics' traffic pattern, this meta looks at all of AO3 for a year of 48/7 half-hourly data in 5+1 variables (total {bookmarks, works, comments, hits [and my own works' hits for comparison and contrast], and kudos}), tells how they were obtained, drawing traffic pattern conclusions from these.
Tables' and graphs' foci are the peaks and troughs of the mean average day (in 30 minute increments) and changes over the mean average week, with links to some years of AO3's own data.
As well, some observations and caveats are made regarding the fluctuations, the holidays, and similar minutiae โ a traffic report trying to disguise itself as not-a-weather-forecast. ๐
NB for transparency to avoid misleading: AO3's 48/7 uploads 366 days; AO3's 48/7 bookmarks 298d; and AO3's 48/7 comments, hits, and kudos 295d; my own works' hits 366d of daily tally and 352d of 48/7.
I read, appreciate, and reply to all of your comments โ they're always welcome!
๐ซ๐๐'๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ณ๐๐๐, ๐บ๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐ ๐บ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐! โค๏ธ
Series
- Part 4 of How to
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Fonts, and colors, and work skins, oh my! by Charles_Rockafellor, ๐๐ทแถฆ๐โรฐษ E โ๏ธ๐ พ๏ธjออญอจฬฬฬฬตอฬฬฬฬฬฎโน๏ธ (Charles_Rockafellor)
Fandoms: css - Fandom, Work Skins - Fandom
24 Jan 2021
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Summary
Explains:
โโ how to make a work skin;
โโ how to view fics' work skin rules;
โโ how to colorize text and circle words and highlight backgrounds (examples in head-note), and change and resize your fonts;
โโ how to turn all links blue-underscore automatically;
โโ the CSS code for diacritics to render properly, e.g.: โแบงโ & โแปโ (with diacritics not superimposed), or โแปโ (with underdot directly beneath, not kerned to the left), without breaking words such as โgแบงuโ or โvแปtโ (using a monotype font for these letters would create gaps to each side of the แบง or the แป). Head-note has corrected examples;
โโ Site Skin addenda to block / shrink tags, and block authors / works;
โโ even a quick way (code included) to simply make a Site Skin so that you can read everything in your font of preference!Full code is included.
I read, appreciate, and reply to all of your comments โ they're always welcome!
๐ซ๐๐'๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ณ๐๐๐, ๐บ๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐ ๐บ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐! โค๏ธ
Series
- Part 5 of How to
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Chess puzzle extravaganza by Charles_Rockafellor, ๐๐ทแถฆ๐โรฐษ E โ๏ธ๐ พ๏ธjออญอจฬฬฬฬตอฬฬฬฬฬฎโน๏ธ (Charles_Rockafellor) for Mewsmodeus (Mewzebub)
Fandoms: CSS abuse - Fandom, Chess - Fandom
13 Jul 2025
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Summary
But does it play chess? While chess is hardly DOOM, there still are some constraints on actually moving things around without JavaScript (though gifbot has some ideas that might render such possible).
Don't panic! ๐
Time for some in situ RNG aikido.
I can't [yet] offer any definite way to actively play chess on AO3, and so, in lieu of such, I offer you 256 preconfigured static-display chess puzzles, one selected randomly per refresh, with random black or white to move, using only HTML and CSS, no offsite JS.
There are also some secret messages from the BBEG upon
:hoveron desktop Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Opera, and TOR [in a WIN 11 environment], or upon:touchon iPhone Safari (Android Chrome... is iffy, because Androidโ โโ : it has both worked and failed for me, so no guarantees). Lemme know how it is on Mac / 'nix!Part CSS extravaganza demo, and part How To for leveraging RNG for stunning results.
Series
- Part 6 of How to
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Bubble-pop! game by Charles_Rockafellor, ๐๐ทแถฆ๐โรฐษ E โ๏ธ๐ พ๏ธjออญอจฬฬฬฬตอฬฬฬฬฬฎโน๏ธ (Charles_Rockafellor)
Fandoms: css - Fandom
27 Jul 2025
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Summary
Ever want to pop some bubbles? Ever want to use RNG to generate them? Well then, here's your handy, dandy bubble-popping game with Random Number Generator, all rolled into one! (Full code included.)
But wait, there's more! Yes sirree, Bob, this li'l baby comes with colors and patterns on its bubbles, and a little tense background music for ambience (might need a pop first, depending upon browser)... and no, it's not a Rick Roll (TL;DR from testing: audio in desktop Chrome, not desktop Opera, iPhone Safari, or Android Chrome; desktop results vary with settings for Firefox, TOR, and MS Edge โ details in head-note). G'head: kick the tires and take her out for a spin! โค๏ธ
And YES, it's PLAYABLEโ โโ ! Tap / chase to click the bubble, find the next; OCD Heaven/Hell!
Don't panic! ๐
Series
- Part 7 of How to
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Targeting specific AO3 work sections (not site) with CSS effects by Charles_Rockafellor, ๐๐ทแถฆ๐โรฐษ E โ๏ธ๐ พ๏ธjออญอจฬฬฬฬตอฬฬฬฬฬฎโน๏ธ (Charles_Rockafellor)
Fandoms: css - Fandom, AO3
26 Jan 2025
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Summary
Want to apply CSS effects (e.g.: some background color, image, or .gif) to entire sections automatically from your work skin (without having to waste precious character count within said sections)?
Wish you could adjust the font, color, highlight, alignment, etc. of the section headers themselves? Perhaps even extend the work beyond the boundaries, covering that wasted space to the sides, and even the site page header and footer regions?
No clue where to even start? Tired of trying to find which part of the work is which from peeking at other works' work skin rules, or mucking about with trial and error?
๐คฃ Don't Panic. ๐
Here you'll find how to aim your work skin rules at any section of your work (or combination thereof) that you want โ and yes, even how to expand those effects to outside of the work areaโ! (Even... commentsโ)
I read, appreciate, and reply to all of your comments โ they're always welcome! โค๏ธ
Series
- Part 8 of How to
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Inside, Outside, Upside-down by ๐๐ทแถฆ๐โรฐษ E โ๏ธ๐ พ๏ธjออญอจฬฬฬฬตอฬฬฬฬฬฎโน๏ธ (Charles_Rockafellor)
Fandoms: AO3 CSS, css - Fandom, HTML - Fandom
23 Mar 2025
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Summary
I threw this together overnight (and have tweaked it some since then). Just applying a few little CSS party tricks that I've learned or developed along the way... ๐
My tricks aren't revealed in the narration, but since this is a How To series, you should be able to ferret them out by now โ and if not, then take it as your homework challenge! โค๏ธ
Use your 1337 haX0r Wiz zen skillz.
Click for keynote
โBest viewed on a COMPUTER browser with a MOUSE, not a 'phone where some effects will be missed or simply not optimized (though there are a couple of surprises that appear on iPhone [not Android] rather than desktop browsers).
โ ๏ธ
CAUTION, beware of audio from invisible video; see notes.
โ ๏ธCf. notes in work skin for issues w.r.t. different approaches used in this work.
Series
- Part 9 of How to
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Green Rain font, from The Matrix by Charles_Rockafellor, ๐๐ทแถฆ๐โรฐษ E โ๏ธ๐ พ๏ธjออญอจฬฬฬฬตอฬฬฬฬฬฎโน๏ธ (Charles_Rockafellor)
Fandoms: The Matrix (Movies)
02 Apr 2023
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Summary
This gives you the CSS and HTML necessary to present a somewhat passable but rather primitive and
staticDYNAMIC emulation of the โgreen rainโ / โdigital rainโ of The Matrix. Webkit is included for lead symbols' outline, in order to sharpen the contrast.A dynamic one could be faked nicely with .gifs (AO3 can run Doom, after all), but you can't (by T.o.S.) use Javascript within AO3 (not sure about T.o.S. w.r.t. external), so an actually dynamic font seems a little out of reach for now. But that's OK: 27 Nov 2023 I found a workaround for a dynamic background.
Full code and illustrations are included.
I read, appreciate, and reply to all of your comments โ they're always welcome! ๐
๐ซ๐๐'๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ณ๐๐๐, ๐บ๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐ ๐บ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐! โค๏ธ
Series
- Part 10 of How to
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Building ConLangs, with a concrete example by Charles_Rockafellor, ๐๐ทแถฆ๐โรฐษ E โ๏ธ๐ พ๏ธjออญอจฬฬฬฬตอฬฬฬฬฬฎโน๏ธ (Charles_Rockafellor)
Fandoms: Conlangs - Fandom
07 Apr 2024
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Summary
Sometimes we want a conlang (constructed language) in our fic (or even without a fic). They abound in the wild โ Star Trek's Klingon has an essentially functional vocabulary, Tolkien put in a lot of work on Elvish Quenya and other languages of Middle Earth, and many others exist in one state of completeness or another.
So, how do you go about making one for yourself? This takes you through the steps alongside resource links; where you start building one is up to you, but this provides a good grounding in some of the basics at least. It also goes through those steps as it progresses, building up the lelษนli conlang as we go. The sounds and written form, the vocabulary and grammar, and even dialects, though each section's associated linked resources are probably of more interest to most (except perhaps my readers).
NB: there's a metric shit-ton of IPA in here, for which I apologize beforehand should you read this with a TTS screen reader (or, I imagine, a braille reader) that's not majorly buffed.
I read, appreciate, and reply to all of your comments โ they're always welcome!
๐ซ๐๐'๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ณ๐๐๐, ๐บ๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐ ๐บ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐! โค๏ธ
Series
- Part 11 of How to