decemberwinter

This is actually so funny to me. I hope puritans who migrated from Wattpad are so shocked and terrified by the fact AO3 is actually against censorship that they come crawling back to Wattpad and leave AO3 alone forever.

Like why are you surprised that the site that was created specifically to host dark/taboo/fucked up fics—that were banned on pro censorship platforms—because the founders are proships who got tired of censorship, actually hosts and allows dark/taboo/fucked up fics that were banned on pro censorship platforms 😭 Your report will do nothing because AO3 EXPLICITLY ALLOWS AND WELCOMES DARK/TABOO/FUCKED UP FICS. AO3 IS THE PLATFORM THAT WAS CREATED FOR DARK/TABOO/FUCKED UP FICS.

Imagine willingly walking into the Freak and Pervert Factory and then being shocked because the Freak and Pervert Factory is actually a home for the Freaks and Perverts.

emmaubler

Even then, the Freak and Pervert Factory has tools that let the tour exclude the freak rooms the visitors don't want to see, but friend up there is mad the rooms exist at all. If you like censorship, go back home to Wattpad. Otherwise, curate your experience with the handy-dandy filters and back button and deal with the fact that people are gonna write/read things you don't like.

waywardsou2

Some idiot: "Why are you reading your own fic, that's shallow and stupid"

All fanfic writers and writers everywhere: "Who the fuck do you think I wrote it for?!"

the960writers

Isn't that what we're supposed to do? Since it's now apparently bad form, arrogance, and entitlement to ask for comments and kudos.

"Stop begging for engagement, just write for yourself."

Exactly. I'm over here, reading my own fic because I wrote it for me.

gabiactually

it’s not weird to find fanfiction from 2021, or 2017, or 2014 that you’ve never read and actually taking your time to read it.

it’s not weird to love it and comment and leave kudos because the author will probably still see it someday and it will make them happy.

it’s not weird to like said author’s work so much that you want to go look for other fics from them.

it’s not weird to go through the authors profile and look for other fics from the ships you like (or maybe some that you’ll give a chance because you liked the author) and maybe bookmark them for later.

it’s not weird to read these other fics and like them too and comment on them because you actually like them and you want to let the author know.

it’s not weird to read fanfiction from 5, or 8, or 10 years ago and actually enjoy and engage with it because it’s perfectly normal to relate to something that’s less than a decade old!

let’s stop treating fanfiction like they’re instagram posts that stop being interesting in 24 hours! fanfiction is NOT social media, fanfiction is art!!! and art doesn’t get old in one day, one year, or even a decade!

read fanfiction! write fanfiction! comment on fanfiction! let’s not let fanculture die people!!!!!

bundibird

Not only is it not weird, it is ACTIVELY ENCOURAGED. Authors LOVE IT when people do this!!! Its not "weird" and its not "neutral" -- its a fucking DELIGHT. Feel very absolutely free to read though an author's entire back catalogue, leaving kudos and/or comments along the way; we absolutely freaking love when someone does this. There is nothing more joyful than getting a comment notification for an old fic. It will make our day, I promise.

taraljc

There needs to be a special word for the warm, gratifying feeling that you get when you watch someone kudos everything you've ever written in a specific fandom in backwards order over 3 days. and that word needs a modifier to express the inexpressible joy when they start leaving comments on every story no matter how old it is.

evilwriter37

Reminder that fanfic writers are people and not your personal fantasy machine. I’m not an AI that you can type your prompt into and get an emotionless response from. You have to actually talk to fic writers like we’re people with feelings and not a fucking robot. Some readers have a habit of making a request while not saying a word about the fic they’re commenting with said request on. So it’s incredibly dismissive of the work that is already there! And then the audacity to demand a fic while doing so! If you want someone to do something for you, you usually get better results when you’re kind about it.

Also, how are we to know you won’t treat the request the same way if it actually does get written? How are we to know you’re even going to say a single kind word? We don’t, because you’re behaving in an entitled way that shows you won’t. The amount of requests I’ve taken in good faith where the person who requested it never said a word about it is astounding. Not even a thank you.

Just quit the bullshit. You act entitled, mean, and ungrateful, and then whine and complain when writers stop posting, because you lack the self awareness to see that it’s your behavior causing that. You want endless fic but refuse to engage with the writer in any kind or respectful way. Stop it.

jayalaw

Leave meaningful comments or even keyboard flailing.

allthingswhumpyandangsty

some people don’t deserve fanfics, much less for free.

also even if authors didn’t tag any specific warnings but they used the “creator chose not to use archive warnings” tag, then that is your warning.

“omg you should’ve —” no one forced your entitled ass to read anything. fanfic writers write for themselves and their own enjoyment. if you don’t like what you’re reading, quietly leave. ao3 is not an airport. no one cares about your departure so no need to announce it.

totallysilvergirl

#fanfic#I mean#what’re y’all thinkin’ the E means out there#Expressive?#Excellent?#Energetic?#and ffs#do you return a book you buy the moment it has smut?#y’all think that just because you’re given the mode to communicate#it gives you leave to say ALL THE THINGS#don’t. just. DON’T.

@ishipanarmada these are too good to leave in the tags

solarmane

new fanfic writer who has marked their work completed ao3 only to leave a note at the end saying: thanks for all the support guys if you want to read the rest of the fic subscribe to my patreon :)

me, an elder fandom veteran, suddenly having anne rice flashbacks:

no.

NO.

starting to rock back and fourth.

you do not understand.

you were born into an age of peace. i was there Gandalf. i was there three thousand years ago. i remember the cease and desists. i remember authors hunting fanfic writers for sport. i remember when every fic opened with a disclaimer because we genuinely thought it might protect us.

we do not charge money for the copyrighted gay wizard stories.

do not tempt fate youngling.

step away from the paywall.

that is how you summon the ancient evils.

that is how you wake the lawyers.

odins-price

Remember people, this is against AO3s terms of service. If you see a fic that does this REPORT THAT THING!!! These people may not know better or they might, but them doing this has the potential to ruin things for everyone.

peppermintquartz

Tell the writer to read the TOS. Writers absolutely CANNOT ask for payment in exchange for fanfic. If they won't take it down ASAP, report it to AO3.

allthingswhumpyandangsty

not my tweet or my fic (and there’s a good chance of this comment being a bot) but yeah, don’t do this. sure, some writers wouldn’t mind having fanfics (or direct continuation) of their fanfics written by someone else. some may even be thrilled and happy. but the fandom etiquette is that if you want to write a fanfic or a continuation of someone’s fanfic, YOU POLITELY ASK THE WRITER FOR THEIR PERMISSION. not their readers.

also 5 months isn’t long at all. 5 months is 5 minutes when it comes to fanfics. I’ve waited years for my favorite fics to get updated (one of my favorite fanfics was updated by the author after 13 years) and I’ve never said anything to them about “it’s been ___ years, I don’t think it will get updated anymore”. because another fandom / fanfic etiquette is that fanfic writers write for free in their free time, they don’t owe you anything. maybe they will update one day. maybe they won’t. if you want your favorite fic to get updated, you comment something like “this is good!! I’m excited for what happens next” and maybe your positive comment will motivate the author to update. but you don’t say “it’s been ___ months or years”. fanfics writers write for themselves and their own enjoyment. they’re just kind enough to let you read their works for free. stop being rude and entitled to fanfic writers.

asiaemerald

Dear Fanfic Writers,

How on earth do you write good dialogue between characters that sound natural? When I say characters I mean like preexisting characters from media, not ocs.

Like how do you write that dialogue that feels sincere to the character, something that you can imagine them saying.

Also how do you write reactions and actions of said characters? How do you learn the way a character responds to something, or how they do something.

I’ve tried to study the characters but it still doesn’t feel natural whatever I write.

There’s not much source material for me to study or observe.

I’ve also read other fics and even memes and incorrect quotes to learn how other people write the characters, but like I said before it still doesn’t sound good what I write.

Sincerely,

Someone trying to learn the art of fanfiction

stewdoesthings

Fanfiction exists for TWO reasons:

• Dealing with complex thoughts and emotions I can't work through in therapy, like grief, despair, a complicated relationship with pain and addiction
• Seeing the same characters fuck over amd over again

evilwriter37

And they can be both at the same time if you want!

arialerendeair

Plagiarism Handling (Non-AI)

So, I learned I'd had one of my most popular fics stolen today, and I was really proud of how I handled it, so I thought I'd share as a recommendation to authors for the future in case this happens to you.

I've had my fics stolen probably a dozen times (that I'm aware of) over the past 14 years I've been posting fic on Ao3. It's horrible, every single time it happens. It's never NOT horrible.

Someone steals it, changes the names, posts it, gets the hits, the comments, the bookmarks, all of it, praising the story.

I report it, explain the situation on Ao3, complain about it to a few friends and... feel awful for the next few days.

Nothing has really ever made the awful feeling go away. It fades eventually, but. Call out posts of the user who did it, posts asking for support, none of that really takes away the violation of what happened.

Someone STOLE my work... and pretended it was theirs, and posted it. Even had the guts to put their Twitter handle on the work, with:

This is just the foundation, and I can’t wait to explore more of this world! If you enjoy the story, drop a comment—I’d love to hear your thoughts. You can also find me on Twitter at (TWITTER HANDLE) 💖

At the bottom of the author's note.

This is the work they stole, btw.

Never Judge A Shadowhunter By Their Scent

It's a fic I am tremendously proud of, and one of my most popular ones in the Malec fandom. I love that story, and it was written for a dear, dear friend.

A reader, someone who loved it enough to remember it - recognized it, and not only called out the person (I refuse to call them a writer until I know all of their writing isn't stolen from others) who plagiarized me, found me, found one of my fics to comment on, and let me know.

That person is my hero.

The pathetic excuse for a "writer" who stole my story from me? I hope you have the days you deserve for the foreseeable future.

However, being angry at that person does me... no good. It's a waste of time, and energy. Calling them out (even though I could, since I have their Twitter handle) does no good, nor do I really want to.

Which left me sitting with the question of what I actually wanted to take back from the person who stole from me.

I realized what I wanted was what they'd received for their stolen work - the comments on the fic complimenting how good it was, or how much they liked the plot and story. Those? Those were MINE.

And well. I always reply to my comments.

Whether or not any of these people click on the link to the original fic doesn't particularly matter to me. The fic will eventually be removed by the Ao3 Abuse Team because it is stolen and clearly plagiarized.

I went through all 30 comments on the stolen fic and thanked them for enjoying the story, let them know it's plagiarized, and provided them a link to the real fic. I didn't respond to the author at all, nor did I acknowledge what they had so clearly done.

And now? I feel better.

I can't reach everyone who ever read the fic. I can't reach the 40+ people who have it bookmarked. But I can reach these 30. I can let them know the fic is stolen, that the ideas, plot, and other aspects they loved? That those were mine, and I am glad they liked them.

It doesn't fix what happened. Nothing ever does when your story is stolen. But I do feel like I took the tiniest bit of power back.

I wasn't mean, I didn't shout, or scream, or curse. I didn't acknowledge the author at all. I just let the people who liked the fic know that I'm glad they liked it, that it was mine, and it was my writing that they were complimenting.

That was what mattered to me, and now they know.

evilwriter37

Fanfic writers: We like comments! Please tell us when you like our stories!

Fanfic readers: Write for yourself and stop being entitled and whiny. We don’t owe you anything. 😇

Okay, we don’t owe you, the readers, anything either, but that’s not how fandom works. That’s not how community works. This is not a give and take. This is a discussion. How would you feel if you worked your ass off on something you’re super excited about, show it to others, and then get crickets? It’s disheartening.

And then these same people are the actual entitled and whiny ones who get pissed when writers don’t share their stories. Hypocritical much?

harleyquillao3

I’ve pretty much given up writing due to this sort of BS. Well, partly due to lack of engagement and piss poor attitudes; but also depression and menopause brain fuckery. Why should I care or bother when nobody cares that I exist? 🤷🏻‍♀️

evilwriter37

Ugh, god, I am so sorry. I definitely understand the emotional/mental struggle. Some people really are just awful and entitled to fic writers. I hope that life eases up on you soon.

lorelune

i'll defend fanfic for my whole life. like the joy it brings is genuinely transformative and indulgent in a way unique to the genre. it isn't meant for a market, it isn't meant to be sold or marketed. it is born out of such care and passion for a media that one must write and must share it, so other folks can enjoy it to. for no other reason than love and joy. do you know how special that is? especially in our current social and political climate.