How NOT to write a Vampire Diaries Fanfiction (including TO & Legacies)

a plot for your OC

when i say 'stealing plots' i literally mean STEALING and PLOTS

not ideas or traits or creatures from other shows or movies or books.

sure, use a banshee, maybe a shapeshifter, hell even bring in the Scarlet Witch character for whatever reason

do the storyline where your OC is a descendant of Merlin or Baba Yaga or Marie Laveau of all people and how they have an apparent crown or something in the witch community

but for gods sake, i swear if anyone reading this takes the Marie Laveau descendant idea and then makes her descendant white i will become your worst nightmare and i won't be doing it alone

back to it,

remember to cite your sources, to be honest about where you got your idea to mix together something from a different show with your fanfic, it's ok if you brought in kitsune's from teen wolf, talk about why and how you're doing it

that's the great thing about fanfiction, you're in control, but there's also a difference between well written fanfiction and the stuff where a saltzman triplet is a ninja assassin who teams up with spider-man and finds out she's actually adopted and is the child of daenerys targaryen and jon snow

i mean, i mean no hate towards anyone who wants to read or write that, i'm just looking at the bigger picture if you want to write your own stories one day

- the adopted plot, Elena already went through that in season 1, not to mention it's a cliche in the fiction world already

- the reincarnation plot, especially if they have a past with other established characters, just don't, it's basically doppelgängers only they pass on the memories

- the secret sibling plot

- the plot where your OC is related to either the Mikaelsons or the Salvatores and has a past relationship with either the Salvatores or the Mikaelsons

- the soulmate plot,

god, those, when done right, could be great, but it takes a lot of effort, but usually, they aren't and turn out blagh. they always rush into it, they fall in love at first sight, and that goes for the werewolf mate thing too, those are the worst, it's basically getting two characters together and instead of establishing them as people first, they just fuck each other by the fifth chapter instead

now, if you are interested in doing a soulmate thing, well, let me at least point you in the right direction as to where you should learn,

Scaimachy by Cat

it's a Kol Mikaelson fic, and while it does play well into a lot of my no-no's like the Gilbert twin thing, it really is done well and is aware of itself, it's the one Gilbert twin fic that should exist, just ignore and erase all the others you've read

for a werewolf mate fic, let me again point you in the direction, take notes from

Bite Me by stayonbrand

it's not a TVD universe fic, but it is a werewolf/vampire boyxboy love story that is completed and well written, i will vouch for it
and it honestly does the werewolf mate thing really well, they explain it in-depth and how it's more of a longing for the other, and just a pull once you find them, you don't even know who it is until you're basically alone with them, like the wolf is confused and it's also not instant love, but it's super hilarious and it's boyxboy fic that's completed, so here i am, advertising for a really good book to get even bigger