unpopular opinion probably but I actually like that ao3 doesn’t let people take back their kudos.
unlike social media platforms (which ao3 is not) where people unlike stuff whenever they think or find out the original posters’ moral compass doesn’t perfectly align with their own’s or whatever, and “likes” can be taken back at any time, ao3 treats kudos as something sacred. once you give it, it’s the author’s to keep forever.
But it does mean that there's a certain subset of readers who refuse to give kudos because there's no take backs and they're terrified of being found out for kudosing a problematic fic
yes. that’s one of the reasons why it’s sacred :)
This year is my 15th AO3 Anniversary! How long have you been on AO3? (hint: the day you joined is in your Profile)
1-2 years
3-4 years
5-6 years
7-8 years
9-10 years
11-12 years
13-14
15+ Years
See ResultsOkay. I was on my beloved AO3 and I saw something that made me do a double take. So, now I really want to know…
I’m so curious to see how long people have been on AO3! I know some people have been on there since beta/invite only, but I would love to see what the number is on tumblr!
huh. how about that
ALTDo you know programming languages like SQL or Python and want to help rescue at-risk fan archives? Want to wrangle AO3 tags or translate them into English? Are you fluent in other languages? The OTW is recruiting: https://otw-news.org/2p94jnbf
ALTToday’s OTW guest, Atticus Yus, discusses fanfiction, consent, and tagging as paratexts. Read more at https://otw-news.org/ym553em7
Sigh. I was slightly suspicious of the first comment, but it was very different from the usual spambot bullshit, so I stupidly gave them the benefit of the doubt :/
Anyway, reported and blocked.
what’s your opinion on banning ai generated fics? would it be wrong to explicitly ban them? (I mean, banning fics that are explicitly stated by the author to be ai generated)
censorship is always wrong. period.
ao3 allows ai-generated fics on their platform, and I agree with their decision even though I don’t like ai-generated fics. (here’s the post about it.)
when I say I’m against censorship, I mean I want nothing to be banned or censored — even if it’s things I personally dislike. so no, I will never want censorship.
also, if “every fic that is tagged as ai is banned”, I promise you people who use ai will absolutely stop tagging their ai fics as such. meaning there’s no way for anybody to know for certain if a fic is ai-generated, meaning you will get even more witch hunts, speculations, accusations and harassment within fandom and writing space.
so banning every ai fic that is properly tagged is… probably one of the most effective ways to destroy the entire writing community lol.
the point is for people who use ai to feel comfortable enough to be honest about the fact their fics are ai-generated, so that other people can make their own informed decisions on whether or not they want to read these ai-generated fics.
the point is not to harass or ban people who are honest about their usage of ai.
ALTAO3 tag wranglers have canonized some new "No Fandom" additional tags and revised subtag and metatag relationships of existing "No Fandom" canonical tags. Check out the latest news post for details: https://otw-news.org/2wdv4dm5
Happy pride month everyone!
Code, instructions on how to install them and previews HERE
The specific flags are separated in various chapters, and there are quite a few more than those shown in this tumblr post! (I had to cut down the previews or the post would have been SO LONG).
Of course I couldn’t make THEM ALL they are so many, and I had technical problems for flags with more than 6 colors and I still haven’t found a way to handle chevrons….
Have fun!
here the link again. the skins are separated by chapters, different flag for different chapter.
No, no, and NO.
AO3 does not live in “the cloud” because that is other people’s computers, and other people’s computers are vulnerable to censorship.
AO3 is on its own computers. It does still have to be housed somewhere, and I suppose a determined enough hater could try to find that place and go after it, but it’s a lot harder than sending spurious complaints to Amazon or whomever going “BadWrong things are hosted on your cloud service!”
Owning the servers is a core tenet of OTW/AO3.
Warming up a new database server….
When people involved with AO3 talk about “the cost of servers” they don’t mean “the cost to pay Amazon for space on their servers.” They mean, like, the cost to physically own them, and eventually replace them with new ones. And the operating costs to run them.
AO3 is not “in the cloud.” AO3 is stored on physical machines that the OTW owns.
While this is not a solution that can work for everyone who wants to deal with controversial content, it is why AO3ple sneer at alt-righters who complain about getting thrown off hosting platforms.
I Want Us to Own the Goddamned Servers
Because I want us to own the goddamned servers, ok? Because I want a place where we can’t be TOSed and where no one can turn the lights off or try to dictate to us what kind of stories we can tell each other.
AO3 is what a website looks like when you seize the means of production.
Exactly. When I was growing up, pre-internet, they used to say, “Freedom of the press is for those that own one.”
The early internet was like everyone owned a press. Those days are gone; owning the servers is the new owning the press.
TBH, I kind of want to get a printing press.
I recently came across a fic that has a lot of sexual content and dark/uncomfortable themes. That’s not really the problem — I knew what I was reading. What bothered me was that the author insulted real people (their own readers) in the disclaimer. They said that if you get aroused while reading their fic, you're 'disgusting', 'vile', and 'should be killed'.
Is this even allowed under AO3's rules? The author insulted their readers in the disclaimer. Why does getting aroused by a fictional text make someone a pedophile or a bad person? I would understand if the author just felt uncomfortable — but they didn't stop there. They went straight to insults and threats.
I want to report this fic.
yeah it’s definitely in poor taste on the author’s part here. I think you can report it for harassment. though I’m not 100% sure if it’s considered a violation of ao3’s tos if the harassment isn’t targeted at any specific person but rather a vague author being a bully and an unpleasant person for this in general.
that said, I believe you can report it. if ao3 doesn’t consider it a violation of their tos then nothing will happen (except maybe the author themself driving their own readers away with their hostile energy). if it’s considered against ao3’s terms of service then ao3 will handle the issue.
also for the record, I don’t care if people get off on taboo fics, even if it’s about things I’m personally uncomfortable with. thoughtcrimes are not real and I believe it’s better to let them jerk off on fantasies than harm real people.
Quote from AO3's TOS:
"II.H. Harassment
Harassment is any behavior that produces a generally hostile environment for its target. Examples include bullying, threats, and personal attacks by or towards individuals or groups of people."
You should report it. And I'd recommend to take a screenshot of what that user said so you have evidence in the case they'd try to pretend as if they did nothing.
fwiw, I have reported tags that, to me, were definitely ‘hostile,’ 'bullying,’ and 'attacking’ a group of people (they were basically “people who enjoy X go tf away! that’s just nasty!”), but AO3’s PAC disagreed. I think bad behavior like this should still be reported, but just be aware that PAC might start splitting hairs and decide it doesn’t count. :/
June’s OTW Signal discusses Russia’s intensifying crackdown on LGBT content, spotlights an academic survey about how fans evaluate fanfiction + tips for you on blanket permission statements. Read more at https://otw-news.org/ycxc85hw
Just fyi for anyone taking the fandom survey linked to in the newsletter above: on desktop, at least, it requires you to scroll sideways to get to the ‘agree’ and 'strongly’ agree options on some of the questions:
Not sure about mobile.
Ok extra context from your friendly neighborhood Master's Degree holding archivist:
Archives are "curated" according to what's called a "collection policy". That means a policy that dictates what you collect; usually along a theme. For example at the university I used to work at the collection policy was to collect archival material pertaining to the local area and its history/important figures. At the historic home I currently work at, the collection policy covers materials pertaining to the person who lived at the house.
AO3 collects fan works and original writing. That's it. That's how they "curate". They don't allow a copy paste of published works (for legal reasons) and they don't allow commissioned works (for legal reasons) . Everything else that falls under fan works and original writing is part of their collection policy. Everything. That's how archives work.
Librarian for 6+ years with an archival background, the entire premise of the initial argument is laughably untrue anyway.
Like yeah, a master's in library science is a prerequisite for most existing library/archival jobs, but any ham-and-egger who wants to start their own archive is allowed to do that, there's no High Council of Archivists who's going to swing by to check your credentials and shut you down if you're not properly licensed. The creators of the archive are highly qualified with the academic credentials to back it up, but even if they weren't Oakly would still be wrong.
OTW's Elections Committee announces the 3 candidates for the 2026 Board of Directors. 4 seats are up for this election. Read their bios and platforms by visiting otw-news.org/2dyw55hh
ALTAO3 now has 11 million registered users! Visit our celebration post and learn about gifts on AO3. Read more at https://otw-news.org/5n7expmy
