The Arrangement
A complete friends-to-lovers fic using iMessage group chats, direct messages and Google searches.
Twitter/X Examples
Tweets and threads with verified badges, quote posts, photo grids and engagement counts. Accounts live in the scene's cast, so renaming one updates every post it has already made.
Twitter
Character Tweet Thread
Twitter/X
Create custom character profiles with avatars and verified badges. Build thread-style posts with timestamps.
Twitter
Verified Account
Twitter/X
Verified badge support with custom likes, retweets, and reply counts. Perfect for celebrity AU fics.
Twitter
Tweet with Media
Twitter/X
A single post built around a picture. It opens with an empty image slot — paste your own address, or upload a file — and keeps its own alt text so the post still reads without the picture.
Twitter
Quote Post
Twitter/X
One character quote-tweeting another, with the original nested inside. Both accounts live in the scene's cast, so renaming one updates every post it appears in.
Twitter
Four-Image Grid
Twitter/X
A two-by-two photo grid, laid out the way X lays it out. Every image carries its own alt text, so the post still reads on a screen reader.
Twitter
Video Post
Twitter/X
A video your readers can actually play in the posted work, and a poster card with a link when the scene is exported as a picture instead. You give it a web address; nothing is uploaded or re-hosted.
Twitter
Long Thread
Twitter/X
A thread long enough to cross the point where a single picture stops being practical. Use it to see how a long scene behaves before you build your own.
Site Skin Templates
Restyle AO3 itself. Pick one, adjust the colours and fonts, then paste the CSS into Preferences → Skins. Only you see it — on every AO3 page.
Archive of Our Own
A Study in Lamplight
Dark
Moonlit Library
Site skin
Deep navy, parchment type, quiet glow.
Archive of Our Own
A Study in Lamplight
Light
Paper & Ink
Site skin
Warm paper with crisp editorial type.
Archive of Our Own
A Study in Lamplight
Light
Lavender Cloud
Site skin
Soft violet with gentle rounded cards.
Archive of Our Own
A Study in Lamplight
Decorative
Crimson Archive
Site skin
A richer, calmer take on classic AO3.
Archive of Our Own
A Study in Lamplight
Dark
Forest Study
Site skin
Moss, paper, and a vintage reading room.
Archive of Our Own
A Study in Lamplight
Minimal
Ocean Glass
Site skin
Clear blue-green with airy spacing.
Archive of Our Own
A Study in Lamplight
Decorative
Rose Tea
Site skin
Muted blush and cozy book typography.
Archive of Our Own
A Study in Lamplight
Minimal
High Contrast
Site skin
Black, white, and unmistakable hierarchy.
Archive of Our Own
A Study in Lamplight
Dark
Terminal Green
Site skin
Retro monochrome without visual clutter.
Archive of Our Own
A Study in Lamplight
Light
Golden Hour
Site skin
Warm amber and soft cream surfaces.
Archive of Our Own
A Study in Lamplight
Decorative
Gothic Velvet
Site skin
Black cherry with ornate serif details.
Archive of Our Own
A Study in Lamplight
Minimal
Clean Slate
Site skin
Neutral, compact, and distraction-free.
Archive of Our Own
A Study in Lamplight
Dark
Midnight Academia
Site skin
Ink and old gold — add your own banner.
Archive of Our Own
A Study in Lamplight
Light
Soft Shoujo
Site skin
Blush pastels and rounded cards — add your own banner.
Archive of Our Own
A Study in Lamplight
Dark
Neon Terminal
Site skin
Monospace on black, cyan glow — add your own banner.
Archive of Our Own
A Study in Lamplight
Decorative
Sun-Bleached Western
Site skin
Sand, rust and a wide horizon — add your own banner.
iOS iMessage Examples
Blue and grey bubbles with delivery and read receipts, typing indicators, and group chats where each person gets their own name colour. Replies quote the message they answer, and Tapbacks sit where iMessage really puts them.
iOS
Two-Person Chat
iOS iMessage
Classic blue/gray bubble conversation. Perfect for intimate two-character dialogue scenes.
iOS
Contact with Avatar
iOS iMessage
Add contact name and profile picture to personalize conversations. Perfect for named character chats.
iOS
Typing Indicators
iOS iMessage
Real-time conversation feel with "..." typing bubbles. Creates tension and anticipation.
iMessage
Rich Group Scene
iOS iMessage
Everything the iMessage builder can do in one scene: a named group with per-person colours, replies that quote the message they answer, a four-photo grid, a link card, a voice note, a video, Tapbacks, and system events like “Mara named the conversation”.
WhatsApp Examples
Green bubbles with timestamps and the blue double ticks, one-to-one or in a named group with per-person colours and photos. Quoted replies, emoji reactions, link cards and date separators all included.
WhatsApp
WhatsApp Chat
WhatsApp
Authentic WhatsApp interface with green bubbles and gray received messages. Perfect for modern texting fics.
WhatsApp
With Profile Picture
WhatsApp
Add contact name and profile picture to WhatsApp chats for personalized conversations.
WhatsApp
Timestamps & Read Receipts
WhatsApp
Show message timestamps and read status with checkmarks. Perfect for timing-sensitive conversations.
WhatsApp
Group Chat
WhatsApp
A named group with several participants, each with their own colour and avatar, plus emoji reactions, quoted replies, a link card and date separators.
Google Search Examples
Search results pages with your own queries, titles, URLs and snippets — in three flavours: current Google, the older layout, and Naver.
Google
Character Search History
Google Search
Show what a character searches for. Create custom search results that reveal personality and plot.
Google
Research Montage
Google Search
Build investigation scenes with custom search queries. Perfect for mystery and research-heavy fics.
Google
Fake News Articles
Google Search
Create realistic news article results with custom headlines, URLs, and descriptions for world-building.
Google
Autocomplete Reveal
Google Search
A half-typed query and the five things the search box offers to finish it with. Tells the reader what a character has been looking for without a single line of dialogue.
Read complete examples on AO3
See how the scenes work inside finished stories, alongside ordinary prose and with the work skin turned off.
Sent to the Wrong Chat
A complete accidental-confession fic showing delivery and read states, typing indicators, reactions, group chats and Google searches.
Popular Use Cases
Where a scene like this tends to earn its place in a fic
Social Media AUs
Set your entire fic in a social media world where characters interact through tweets, posts, and comments.
- Character viral moments
- Ship discourse threads
- Fandom reactions
- Celebrity AU interactions
Text Message Fics
Tell entire stories through 1-on-1 text conversations with authentic messaging interfaces.
- Long-distance relationships
- Secret communication
- Late-night conversations
- Confession scenes
Epistolary Stories
Modern epistolary fiction told through digital communication formats.
- Found footage style
- Timeline reconstructions
- Mystery revelations
- Multiple POV switches
Character Voices
Show distinct character personalities through their texting/posting styles.
- Formal vs casual texters
- Emoji usage patterns
- Typing speed differences
- Platform preferences
Ready to make your own?
Build a conversation and put it in your chapter — as a picture, or as real text your readers can select. Or restyle AO3 for yourself. Free, no signup.
Start a conversation Build a site skinAlso by the same developer
Separate Google Docs add-ons · free to start · not required for AO3 SkinGen.
WordFokus
Drafting in Google Docs that won't let you edit as you write. It locks what you have already typed, so you stop re-polishing the first sentence and the chapter actually gets finished. Editing comes afterwards, when there is something to edit.
WorldKonstruct
A story bible that lives beside the manuscript: characters, locations, factions and events, with @mentions that update themselves when you rename someone. Point it at a draft you have already written and it can find the elements for you. Useful when a fic turns into a series and you can no longer remember what you decided in chapter 3.