Fan Fiction and Shenanigans

In recent days, there have been a number of posts on tumblr about third party apps that host AO3 fic on them. A lot of people are worried and even more people are pissed.

There is no need to send in emails to AO3 Support or to the Policy and Abuse team. They are fully aware of the situation and are probably drowning in emails right now. 

Here’s what I know and what you can do about it.

Fluff app / Fanfiction Pocket Archive Library app / Archive Track Reader app:

These apps work as a sort of skin for the AO3 site itself. They don’t download works and redistribute them. They provide an access point to AO3.

The developers of these apps are making money from the app itself (through tips and subscriptions - both voluntary), which wouldn’t exist without the free content created by AO3 authors. Since people post their work to AO3 because it is free to access and hosted without ads, authors are understandably angered by this.

Because these apps are basically just a portal to the site, a DMCA notice will not apply in this case. All works currently hosted on AO3 will show up on these apps, because these apps are simply letting you view AO3 through their interface.

Woodsign company apps (including MCU, Harry Potter, Sherlock, Creepypasta, and more):

These apps seem to curate  some fic from the various fandoms and rehost it. They allow users to read offline, so it’s possible they are redistributing it. In this case, a DMCA takedown might be effective.

This app developer is also making money by hosting fanfic that was written and posted for free on AO3. They have put up a paywall so that you can only access the complete fic if you pay for it or rate the app in the App store. 

If you want to post a negative review, consider saying things like:

* these fanworks are free already at archiveofourown.org * you can kudos, comment, bookmark, subscribe, and mark to read for later for free with an archiveofourown.org account * you can also download fics to read later in various file formats - both pdf and formats that are usable by ereaders * archiveofourown.org is a website with full mobile browser accessibility. Anything you can do in this app, you can do on the site - for free, and without ads * the Archive is a fully-licensed non-profit organization run by volunteers, unlike this for-profit app

There is no official AO3 app. The website is mobile friendly and if you want to have quick button access to it, you can Add to Homescreen on your phone and you can click in just like you would on an app. None of these third party apps can provide you with AO3 support. Only AO3 can do that. The best version of the site will always, always be the site itself.

While we were collecting the names and numbers of ‘Other’ write-in fandoms for the Unlisted Fandom Challenge, we had a look at the way signups were going for the fandoms listed in the dropdown.

More than 100 contributors signed up to work with ANY fandom! Of those, nearly half are interested in providing beta services for your fics, including various levels of editing, medpicking, britpicking, and the like. A quarter are interested in drawing fanart, and the rest want to write fanfics, create fanvids, or record podfics.

Of the named fandoms in the FTH dropdown, MCU was the leader by a mile for most of the sign up period, but toward the end Good Omens started eating into their lead. And, for a good long while HP and Sherlock kept flip-flopping over which of them would have the third most signups. In the end, they tied. They’re followed by Star Wars, and then Supernatural, which finally pulled away and ahead of Teen Wolf, with whom things had been neck-and-neck for a while.

These seven fandoms made up nearly 40% of all signups for listed fandoms. The next eight - Star Trek, Yuri!!! On Ice, Doctor Who, Check Please!, The Witcher, and Hannibal - totaled roughly 12%. These THIRTEEN fandoms had just over half of all listed signups! One hundred four additional fandoms combined make up the other ~50% of listed fandom offers.

Actual percentage numbers are under the cut. Some of the fandoms with just a handful of signups are smaller, and the number of signups is fairly representative of their presence on tumblr - which has historically been FTH’s main channel for communicating. Others, though … they’re fairly large, and appear to be under-represented based on signups. We’re thinking on ways to better reach those fandoms, and have another post in the works where we’re hoping you can help.

I’ve been working on learning oil painting so I painted one of the best Hannibal scenes from the end of Mizumono where Hannibal tenderly hugs Will while gutting him. Like that’s just the peak of romance right there tbh

LOOK AT IT

I FOUND IT! I FOUND THE ANSWER!

Okay, maybe not the final answer, but part of the problem! Asks keep getting eaten. Which is a big problem when you’re doing something anon and don’t want to ask the person “did you get it”? 

If the ask contains an ellipsis without a trailing space, it gets eaten. It says delivered, but it goes nowhere.

So “Well… then” will get delivered but “Well…then” won’t!

After discovering this, I tested it. Five different accounts between two people, anon vs not. No matter what, without fail, if the trailing space was missing, the message was not delivered.

I contacted Tumblr staff. They were already fully aware this was happening, but it is not documented anywhere. Nor do they seem keen on giving their users a warning about it in any fashion.

“Why are you in serving pose, Princess?”, I enquire as I enter the room, just home from a hard day at work.

“Because I’ve had a really bad day, Sir”, she replies. “Because I don’t want to talk about it, Sir”

“Are you sure, Princess?”, I question in a soft, comforting tone; “You know I’m always happy to listen?”

“Thank you, Sir. I know that. But, I don’t want to talk right now. I need to serve you. Please may I serve you, Sir?”

“On one condition, Princess. We talk about your day in the bath tub together afterwards”

“Yes, Sir. Of course”

“Ok, Princess. Let’s get you restrained. Then I’ll spank the stress away. Would you like that?”

“Very much, Sir. I need you to take me, I want to be lost in our world with only you, Sir”

“Very well, I’m not going to be gentle with you, Princess”

“Thank you, Sir”

Copyright @fantasies-of-a-dominant 2018

Alpha Stiles and his beta

The Alpha of Beacon Hills is young but wise, with big ideas and an ambitious second who is eager to make Stiles’ every desire come to fruition.

Stiles’ human heart and wolf instincts make him the perfect leader to help provide sanctuary for lost omega wolves, and to safely bridge the gap between the human and supernatural worlds.

In the past some might have suspected the cunning, ruthless Peter Hale of usurping yet another alpha… but it’s clear he’s smitten with his mate, and wrapped around Stiles’ clawed finger. The deeper their bond grows, the stronger their pack becomes. Together they’re unstoppable.

Hey guys! Sorry this took so long. I’ve been so busy this month, but I wanted to get this done before the end of the year. So here we are! As always, interpret the prompts however you please. You can use all four daily prompts, or just one. You can also mix & match, or ignore them entirely. If none of them inspire you, do your own thing! I’m so excited to see what stories and artwork you all create come the end of February!

Sunday the 23rd- oviposition/ tentacles/ knotting/ vines

Monday the 24th- fuck or die/ sacrifice/ urge to breed/ claws

Tuesday the 25th- movie monsters/ werebeasts/ hunting or being hunted by/ wings

Wednesday the 26th- dragons/ gods and goddesses/ fae/ scales

Thursday the 27th- body horror/ blood play/ non-con/ tails

Friday the 28th- Monster lover/ tender moments/ mindmelding/ fur

LOOK AT THIS GORGEOUS THING!

@msridcully made it for me to go with my Steter Secret Santa fic that features porn star Peter snowed in with EMT Stiles.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/21877771/chapters/52218922

Look, @hakeberhooligan !!

Hey there, @hakeberhooligan here! I’m so excited to kick this off. I want to include a broad range of prompts/themes, so I made a simple survey. The survey will be open for two weeks (until December 10th), so fill it out and be sure to share it! I want to make sure we get a good spread of fandoms.

As for when: The event will run the last full week of February, Sunday the 23rd to Sunday the 29th.

Anything related can be tagged #MonsterWeek2020

I can’t wait to compile the prompts!

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/GGVSBYD

Sorry I’m a little late with these, but here you are!

Sunday, 2/2: Winning a Poker Game/Bet

A bet can certainly set the stakes higher. The prize could be money, a favor, an object, even a person. That’s entirely up to you.

Monday, 2/3: Random Topic Generator!

https://www.randomlists.com/topics is a link to a random topic generator that will give you a list of eight topics. Use as many topics on your list as you want! If inspiration doesn’t strike for your first list, you’re more than welcome to run it again.

Tuesday, 2/4: Feral/Memory Loss

There’s nothing quite like your werewolf acquaintance going feral, or a friend forgetting you entirely. It’ll be interesting to see how Stiles, Peter, or Derek would cope in that situation.

Wednesday, 2/5: Birthday/Anniversary

Birthdays and anniversaries can be a time for joy, or a time for sorrow. It all depends on what you’re celebrating.

Thursday, 2/6: “I don’t want to talk about it”/“Don’t touch me”/“It didn’t mean anything”

Some sentence prompts that are sure to breed angst and all the feels.

Friday, 2/7: Choose Your Own Trope

I was going to list two or three tropes for Friday, but there’s so many good ones to choose from. So instead, choose our own! Choose several if you’re feeling adventurous.

Saturday, 2/8: Established Relationship/ Slice of Life

Every day can’t be filled with fighting Big Bads, right? There must be lulls in life, where everything feels… normal. Give these men a well-deserved lazy day.

Sunday, 2/9: That Time of the Month

It’s a full moon! I decided to keep the prompt vague though. This could refer to full moon madness, or even be open to some a/b/o shenanigans. You decide!

Also notable, is that this full moon is the snow moon. The term ‘snow moon’ is the historic name given to the second full moon of winter by certain Native American tribes. It’s called the snow moon due to typical snowfall during the time of year. Heavy snowfall is also the reason for its alternative and more grim name, the ‘hunger moon.’ This is a great prompt!

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