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#ao3 etiquette
vodkassassin · 2 days
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Y’all need to stop commenting on fics like the author is dead or something. The author sees those comments bro it’s like saying to someone’s face “sorry to hear about your passing. The only reason I’m sad about it is bc you won’t be making me any more sandwiches for free” like can you see how that might be insensitive? So what if they haven’t made a sandwhich in a month or a year or five. It’s not your place to announce their death lmao
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anxious-m3ss · 7 months
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“I hope this email finds you well”
First of all the only emails that ever find me well are from AO3
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gilraina · 1 year
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A humble plea to writers on AO3
Please, don't use the tag Read by the Author to say that you proofread your work!
Read by the Author is a subtag of Podfic. It's meant to be used for tagging audio works read by the author of the text.
If you wrote something, and then recorded yourself reading it out loud and posted that to AO3, you can tag it Read by the Author. That's what that tag is for. Please don't use it on written works to say "oh yeah, I read it before I posted it". It will make your work show up in the Podfic tag and confuse/annoy people looking specifically for audio works.
Thank you!
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swordsmans · 1 year
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today on ao3 tips, here's a quick follow up to this post about the ao3 "mark for later"/TBR/save for later function! ive seen some stuff going around lately lamenting that there's no easy way to filter out "character x reader" or "character x OC" fics from search results, but there absolutely is!
very quick and simple fix, just add "-reader" and/or "-original*" to the "search within results" bar (not "other tags to exclude", which might be where the confusion is coming from). it looks like this:
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here is what it looks like with both filtered out:
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the "*" after original is an indicator for the filters to catch the "original female--", "original male--", and "original character" tags, which is why is should be included! as a caveat, this also removes anything that has the word "original" in the summary or tags, so do be aware of that. (meaning this will also grab anything that has original characters tagged even if they AREN'T in a pairing, plus anything that uses the word "original" in the normal sense)
also, || designates "OR" for the filter search, so it is optional (and can be replaced with just a simple space) but i like to include it to be extra sure. i have checked and both results work.
anyway, happy reading, everyone!
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ravenelyx · 5 months
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And somehow I'm both
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frownyalfred · 6 months
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“Is it okay if I….” yes, do it. Reblog your own post again. Promote the heck out of your fic. Tag that person in your post even if you think they won’t see it. Give yourself kudos. Add your thoughts to your reblog! Be unashamedly yourself and be proud of your content and creativity.
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ao3-shenanigans · 2 months
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Ao3 PSA
Unless you click “Private” when making a bookmark, your bookmarks are automatically available for the authors (and other users) to see
The “Private” button can be found as shown below:
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realmermaid333 · 9 months
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A Guide to Using the "Inspired By" Function on AO3
The "inspired by" function allows writers to display fanfics that inspired their own fanfic neatly in the "notes" section via a link. It is used to credit inspiration, for archival purposes, and also for translations, remixes, and podfics.
It is a very fun function because it encourages community, and even gives your readers something else to read while they wait for your own fic to update. It can help people who really like a certain trope or writing idea easily find another fic just like it. And, if you use the function, the writer you are inspired by can choose to link it back to their own fic. So, at the end of their fic it will say, "works inspired by this one," and list yours.
"How can I tell if I should use the "inspired by" function or not?"
You should use the inspired by function if you are directly inspired by another fic. I have done this twice, and it is splendid. One of my besties and I have fics that are attached by this function. It's like they're holding hands via "inspired by" links :' )
If you read a fic, and at the end you're like, "Wow, this was totally radical, and now my gears are turning with an idea just like this one, but I'm gonna add my own spin to it." That would be a moment that calls for the "inspired by" function.
A situation that doesn't call for the inspired by function is two fics that are similar in trope, but the second one was not inspired by the first. For example; let's say person A writes a coffee shop AU fic, which is a very common trope, and person B also writes one, but without having ever read person A's fic, or without directly getting the idea directly from person A. Person B was not inspired by person A.
Let's say person B did read the fic, then also eventually decided to write a coffee shop AU that was completely different, and had very little in common with A's fic. That would not be a moment where the "inspired by" function would be necessary. B could use their own judgement to gauge how inspired they were by A's fic.
But, let's say person B really, really loved person A's fic, and wanted to show everyone another coffee shop AU. Person B very well could still use the "inspired by" function just to have the link. Or, they could just link the fic in their "Notes" section, but i personally think the inspired by function is a little easier than creating a "notes" link on ao3 LOL.
However, I have seen some people just list a fic they are inspired by in the notes section without any issues, but I encourage people to use the inspired by function. If you're unsure, maybe ask the author that you're inspired by if they care. If you ever don't use the "inspired by" function, and step on another writer's toes, just simply talk it out and credit.
"But, Mermaid, if I use the "inspired by" function, won't it look like my fic belongs to the original person?"
No?? I am including this because I've seen a surprising amount of people say this and it bugs me. If you use the "inspired by" function, it links the fic you were inspired by in the "notes" section in first chapter. That's it. It doesn't say, "this fic belongs to this other writer," lol. It says, "Inspired by (insert fic) by (insert author)," one single time. After that, it will not be listed in future chapters. Your name will always be on it, and it will only be listed on your account like usual.
To conclude, you should use the "inspired by" function if you are directly inspired by another person's fic. if you're not, then don't use it. Easy peasy. I encourage its use because it's very fun, it is part of fandom etiquette to use it when needed, it allows people to recommend fics similar to theirs, credit another person's idea they used, etc.
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writingwife-83 · 2 years
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Bouncing off this post because I’ve seen a lot of people adding this thought in the reblogs.
Don’t ever be afraid to read way back in time (I’m talking many years!) through someone’s AO3 works, and leave kudos and positive comments along the way. I promise it’s not weird or creepy or any of the things people sometimes worry about! This should be your rule of thumb-
If an author chose to leave a fic on AO3, no matter how old, they want it to be read and they want to know when you’ve enjoyed it! 👌
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vodkassassin · 20 hours
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I just read your "stop commenting like the author is dead post" and I completely agree with you. May I ask if there is anything one can say to an author (other than thanking them for their work and complimenting the fic) if they have suddenly stopped posting out of nowhere? There are some authors who posted regularly and just completely stopped and I'm tempted to add something like "I hope you are doing well and that everything is okay" but I don't want to make them feel bad or that they have to justify their decisions. How would you feel to get such a comment? My intention is not to guilt them into updating but good intentions can still make people feel bad
I have had comments where people say exactly that (the “hope you’re doing well and that everything is ok”) and I’ll say that this is the angelic other side of the coin of the “update now!” devil side.
Saying “i noticed you haven’t updated as you usually do, I hope everything is ok.” (Oftentimes this comment type continues on to specify that they are not asking after an update but instead are asking after the well-being of the author, such as “no pressure or anything! Just hope that you’re doing well”) this comment highlights the fact that the commentor is only asking because they noticed that the trends of the author’s posting have changed suddenly without warning and it’s made them concerned for the author. The commentor in this case is asking if the author is alright and letting them know that the commentor is hoping for their well-being. It’s coming from a kind place, a human place. It lets the author know that the commentor acknowledges that they are a person, too.
That’s completely different from comments that just say “noticed this hasn’t updated in a long time. Are you still working on this?/Why is it always the good stories that get abandoned?” Because THIS comment communicates to the author that the commentor does not care about the author themself, only the content that the author provides for them. Chapter updates are only a transaction in the eyes of the commentor, one that they feel entitled to despite not paying for them, and they’re annoyed that they have not received their product as per usual. They are commenting on the change in the quality of service and wish to voice their complaints to the provider for slacking. It lets the author know that the commentor does not see them as a person, but as a source of media.
So while the two comments above are similar aside from how they’re worded, they communicate two different mindsets. One is someone asking after another person’s wellbeing and wishing them well, and the second is someone annoyed that the content creator they feel entitled to the content of hasn’t been ‘doing their job’ despite not being paid for it at all.
Hopefully this helps clarify why we authors find it so offensive and insulting to receive the second type of comments.
But rest assured, we (or at least I personally) actually find the first type of comment as something nice to receive bc it means you care.
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gilbirda · 11 months
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Another fandom PSA - Bookmarks
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Hello everyone, I am back with yet another informative post, since I've observed some behavior that could get out of control real fast.
Again, the point is never about shaming those who have done this, but to inform and warn about how disheartening these things can be; and what can you do to avoid hurting anyone in the future.
Let's talk about bookmarks.
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Looks easy enough to add a bookmark, just type some notes — maybe to remind future you what the fic was about, maybe some random thoughts of the fic, maybe the chapter where you left of — add some tags if you are that organized and slap the bookmark to a Collection if you have that.
But I want to bring attention to this little guy:
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If you are going to leave a hurtful message, at least have the decency to not leave it where the author will see it.
Authors can and will see the bookmarks! I can only speak for myself but I do check the bookmarks because sometimes people get creative and have funny Notes, or their tags are hilarious.
But, sometimes, we wonder if y'all know authors can see the bookmarks, unless you set it as a Private Bookmark.
What do I mean with hurtful bookmarks? Well:
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*gestures vaguely towards these*
Granted, not all are rancid takes, but some truly give weird vibes? As in, it feels like people doesn't know authors can see their Notes and bookmarks?
You can have an opinion about the story, that's completely valid, but the option of setting it to Private Bookmark is right there.
So, as a rule of thumb, if you wouldn't like someone telling your words to your face then have the courtesy of not doing the same for someone else.
Mark it as Private if you'd rather not let the author see your Notes.
For more information about Bookmarks, AO3 provides a FAQ page.
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janjan-the-ninth · 3 months
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To fanfiction authors: Please learn what Dead Dove means. There has been a trend, especially will all the new people who have joined over the last few years, to tag fics which are no where close to Dead Dove as Dead Dove. Just cause the fic contains topics which aren't allowed on tiktok or which they think are bad, like Major Character Death, Violence and so one. Which exists as seperate warnings on ao3. A fic is not automatically Dead Dove just cause it deals with those topics.
The overuse of the Dead Dove tag will make the tag utterly useless in the long run and will lead to an increase of censoring from the outside as new people and everyone else will think that everything they do not like is Dead Dove and therefore bad.
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iamstartraveller776 · 21 days
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Consider if you will, that you wake up to that glorious email from ao3, the one that says you've got a comment on your fic. Excited, you open it, only to find a rude message. What a way to start your day, right?
I'm not going to tell you what you should or shouldn't comment on a fic. I'm just saying before you leave an unkind review, remember: {1} Fandom isn't Amazon where you're leaving a review for something you paid for; fanworks are given for free. {2} There is a human being behind that story. If you wouldn't say it to a stanger's face, maybe consider whether you should be saying it in a fic comment. {3} Your personal preferences are not supreme or moral. If you didn't like, should you really have read? You're responsible for your own experiences in fandom. Have you considered that maybe you aren't the intended audience for that fic?
You don't actually have to be an asshole when you come across fanworks you don't care for. Just saying.
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midnights-dragon · 24 days
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I cannot stress how much I HATE people who do this. Fully tagged with 30+ specific tags, titled, and everything, only for:
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Because like. Ao3 is not a place for placeholders like this. I can almost guarantee that this person is some 12 year old from TikTok who saw something about the "Ao3 Algorithm" that doesn't exist and wanted to get a head start, if this is even someone who's writing anything at all.
Don't bother tracking it down, I already reported it and commented (though I don't doubt they'll delete my comment calling them out, and that they will wait until their account gets flagged and the "fic" gets taken down). It's just so, SO frustrating. THIS IS NOT WHAT AO3 IS FOR.
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frownyalfred · 8 months
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gently grabs you by the chin hey. if an author selects “chose not to use archive warnings” on a fic, they’re allowed. even if you don’t like it or disagree.
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ao3-shenanigans · 3 months
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I think ao3 reading can be broken down into two simple rules:
If you have nothing nice to say please don’t say it 🙁
If you have something nice to say PLEASE say it via kudos or comments!!
Asking for a friend - does bookmarking a fic as a rec also count as showing appreciation to the creator?
This is very true!!
Uncertain, I think authors can see recs/public bookmarks and I’m sure they appreciate them! I’ve often thought of bookmarks as more of a personal thing though
Authors-feel free to share your thoughts!
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