Tools
WhatsApp Group Chat AO3 Workskin Builder
Due to popular demand, I’ve made an AO3 workskin for WhatsApp style group chats. As of now, it only includes light mode. I’m planning to add a dark mode version later. It includes names, day dividers, timestamps on messages, and images. You can customize the chat avatar, chat name, and the participants. You can also add a custom background, or it’ll use WhatsApp’s default light mode background. You can make it as long as you want, and the bottom “Type a message” section is optional.
I’ve also made a spreadsheet builder so you DON’T NEED TO KNOW ANY CODE TO DO THIS! You also don’t need to copy paste inside HTML tags for forty years. You can change settings, fill in your messages, copy the code it spits out and add that to AO3.
As always, please let me know if you run into bugs or need help using it. My DMs are open and you can also reach me by email and on Discord. I will be updating the sheet as bugs are found or new features added so I recommend grabbing a new copy every time you use it.
Text Workskin Maker
Hello, pals! You may have noticed that on AO3, it’s possible to embed what looks like texting into a fic but is actually built with The Power of CSS and AO3 workskins!
Maybe you found this amazing article: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6434845/chapters/14729722 and wanted to do it yourself but were too overwhelmed by the coding steps involved. Or maybe copy and pasting hundreds of individual texts into the HTML made you want to scream.
Fear not! I have built a tool. With this spreadsheet and a few copy-pastes, you can turn this:
into this:
The spreadsheet link again: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1KllIZ1dsvnnJg8AwJRZPdMvA12AvL1hLecju4MbDiwo/edit?usp=sharing
The base workskin and information comes from CodenameCarrot and La_Temperanza’s helpful guide linked at the top. It’s currently only available as a spreadsheet, but perhaps I’ll turn it into a webtool at some point. Let me know if you run into any issues, but it has been extensively beta tested so before you report a bug to me, please make sure you have read the entire instructions page carefully. Thank you! If there’s high demand, I may make builders for other skins too, or add more options to this one.