Fanfiction Reference Works
This is a collection of AO3 works and other resources for creating fan works. (See also the Fanwork Research & Reference Guides tag.)
Some fandoms have wonderful on-line communities (e.g. The Harry Potter Lexicon and Marvel wikis) devoted to creating canon references. Many more do not, but fans still have created deeply thought out essays, maps, tables, histories, and other world building. Hopefully, you can find them here.
AO3 allows custom formatting using limited HTML and CSS (workskins). This collection has a number of formatting "how-to's" in addition to the AO3 docs below.
Note: Works added as bookmarks do not add their tags or fandoms to the collection. Please add your own works
(Open, Unmoderated)
Recent works
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Summary
This is a tutorial on how to create Twitter / X templates for AO3, includes both Tweets and profile card.
- Scalable so it's also accessible to mobile users.
- Tweets (chapter 1): text, tags, quote tweet, photo(s), replies, verified checkmark.
- Profile card (chapter 2): displays a user's profile as shown on Twitter.
- Please let me know if there are bugs and/or requests.Ao3 Twitter Template Generator now available! (Made possible by the amazing Anlanther): Now you only have to fill in your text and copy-paste the generated code!
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Summary
This is a personal experiment with HTML. It is a very limited list with what I find useful.
Update: Somehow I find more and more stuff useful, so this list is not that limited (and not that private) anymore. I'll improve it with time and according to my needs and interests.So far that's posted:
Part One: Basics
Part Two: Lines
Part Three: Footnotes and Links
Part Four: Columns and Skins
Part Five: Pictures
Part Six: Videos (and gifs)
Part Seven: Choose Your Own Adventure
Part Eight: Chapter Title
Part Nine: The Title, the Username, and Links
Part Ten: Kudos Message
Part Eleven: Newspaper Article
Part Twelve: Content Notes and Spoiler (NEW: Opacity)
Part Thirteen: Playground for Jinx (glitch text, color, table)
Part Fourteen: Text generator
Part Fifteen: Boxes (still in progress)
Part Sixteen: Vertical Text
Part Seventeen: Transition (NEW)
Part Eighteen: Automated Animation (NEWEST) -
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Summary
This is a work-in-progress by someone who doesn't code and frankensteining a whole bunch of CSS. It's cute though!
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Userscript to add Series [Public] Bookmarks total count to author's stats page by 𝖀𝓷ᶦ𝕔ⓞðə E Ⓜ️🅾️j̵͍̟̝̝̖̮̓ͭͨ̂̐̚ℹ️ (Charles_Rockafellor)
Fandoms: AO3 stats - Fandom
05 Jan 2026
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Summary
It's bugged me vaguely for years, though never enough that I really cared... but it hit me last night: if JS can do one thing, such as return the special kudos messages to their days of tailored glory, then it can do another, so... yeah, why not?
If you want to see your series' total number of public bookmarks in your stats page: you got it! ❤️
Full code included.
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Userscript to return tailored kudos thanks' and styled comments' visibility client-side by 𝖀𝓷ᶦ𝕔ⓞðə E Ⓜ️🅾️j̵͍̟̝̝̖̮̓ͭͨ̂̐̚ℹ️ (Charles_Rockafellor) for Mewsmodeus (Mewzebub), GumbaBunny
Fandoms: CSS abuse - Fandom
03 Jan 2026
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Summary
Remember when people started tailoring their kudos messages and error notices? Pepperidge Farm remembers — and so do I.
Not a site skin, but much like one: a script permitting those special messages to be seen in the work skin again.
Not much more to say: this gives you a userscript in JS that you can plug in and make things go brrrrr again (at least for yourself as a reader). I use it in Violentmonkey in Firefox. I don't speak JS (this is me dipping my toes into the water here) and am not at all familiar with the ins and outs of all of the different userscript managers, so you might need slightly different syntax or something if you use a different manager (and since I discovered last night that Chrome no longer supports Violentmonkey, and it seems that Tampermonkey and others aren't really open source, I was stuck between Skýlla and Khárybdis).
And bonus: it even permits the effect on multichapter works in single-chapter mode!Don't Panic
Make Kudos Great Again!
* Full code included
Recent bookmarks
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How to Make iOS Text Messages on AO3 by CodenameCarrot, La_Temperanza
Fandoms: No Fandom
10 Apr 2016
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Summary
This is a tutorial/live example on how to mimic iOS text messages on AO3 without the need to use images. There's also a chapter on how to have emojis displayed on AO3 as well.
Series
- Part 3 of AO3 Work Skins/Tutorials
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A mock-up of a fake article about a TV series, with CSS and HTML code and a brief guide on how to use it.
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A Discord workskin that supports most Discord-style markup. Includes layouts for channels, DMs, and Group Chats. Darkmode only.
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Bookmarked by EMERALD_CRINGE
15 Mar 2023
Bookmarker's Collections:
Bookmarker's Notes
reference sthingiies :)
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Summary
How to set up a bookmarklet that applies a saved set of filters to any works or bookmarks listing page on AO3
(Bookmarklets are a bit fiddly on mobile, but very much doable—and functional. Since I've done all the coding already, you can just follow the instructions without worrying about that. ;D)
GitHub version (more technical) || Tumblr version (with screenshots for Chrome on Android)
Bookmarked by Nightcandle
10 Feb 2023
Bookmarker's Tags:
Bookmarker's Collections:
Bookmarker's Notes
Saved Filters on AO3 by reisling
-----------------very useful and well explained. 😊
It's quite simple and easy to implement.
I tried it out with just a few filters (English, no Crossovers and no WIPs) and it works like a charm! 😀