oh, hello there!

Oh hey pals, new AO3 scam just hit!

Just like the tumblr scam where they pretend to be "the support team" this is also a scam.

I edited out the link because I GUARANTEE if you go to it you will get your computer hacked and your AO3 or discord account stolen.

I am so mad because I got this 30 seconds after posting a new fic.

DO NOT FALL FOR THESE SCAMS.

No legitimate website support will EVER contact you like this!

light goes green and your dog goes sprinting off

welcome! here are what you need to know about ao3 and how it’s the complete opposite of wattpad

trigger warning for the mention of contents that are allowed on ao3 that can be triggering to some.

ao3 is a non-profit organization. it’s run by fans (people like you and me), for fans.

fans donate to the site on their own free will to keep the site up and running smoothly.

ao3 is not a social media. it is an archive.

ao3 doesn’t have ads. it doesn’t have algorithms. it doesn’t have “going viral.”

everything is endlessly free on ao3. there is no “ao3 premium.” you will never see a single ad on ao3, and you can download as many fics as you want to read offline for free.

ao3 doesn’t have an app. and ao3 doesn’t need an app. any “ao3 apps” you see are third-party apps and are not affiliated with ao3, so be careful giving these shady apps your login infos or other personal information.

ao3 was built with the main purpose to 1.) be completely against censorship and 2.) host fics that are banned on other platforms like wattpad.

the reason ao3 doesn’t have an app is because for it to have its own app, appstore and google play store will have to approve it first. and due to the contents ao3 allows, chances are that it won’t get approved. which is actually a good thing. it doesn’t need an app. it works more than fine without an app.

on ao3, every single thing is allowed as long as it is fanfic or fan work (original works, fan art and video edits count as fan works, but if you want to post a video edits on ao3, you will have to post it elsewhere and then link it back to ao3 — ao3 cannot host video edits on its platform due to copyright issues)

by every single thing that is fanfic, I mean every single thing:

the filthiest smut without plot that is written purely for sexual pleasure is allowed. it has its own canonical tag called “plot what plot, porn without plot.”

fics that focus on non-consensual sexual intercourse are allowed, doesn’t matter if the fics glorify or romanticize the act, doesn’t matter if they’re written as kinks. they have their own canonical tag called “rape/non-con.”

fics about characters who are minors are allowed, even if they’re portrayed in a sexual manner, even if they’re non-consensual sexual intercourse. even if the minor characters are romantically and/or sexually involved with characters who are adults. even if the fics are written in ways that glorify and/or romanticize the thing. they have their own canonical tag called “underage sex.”

fics about incest are allowed. doesn’t matter if they glorify or romanticize the relationship. they have their own canonically tag called “incest.” fun fact: the first ever fic that was posted on ao3 was a fic about an incest ship from supernatural.

fics about self-harm and suicide are allowed. doesn’t matter if they glorify or romanticize the act. they have their own canonical tags called “self-harm” and “suicide” also “suicidal ideation”, “suicide attempt”, “implied/referenced suicide”, etc.

fics about violence and gore are allowed, even if they were written for the sake of shock value. they have their own canonical tag called “violence”, “blood and gore”, “blood and injuries”, etc.

rpf is also allowed. doesn’t matter if the content of the fics are dark and taboo. they’re treated the same way as any other fics.

every single dark and taboo fic you can think of is allowed. and it has its own canonical tag. because it is the main reason why ao3 was created in the first place.

“but what do I do if I don’t wanna see fics about xyz?” you can filter out any specific tag, character and/or pairing you want.

“what do I do if I wanna find fics about xyz?” you can search for any specific tag, character and/or pairing you want.

a lot of ao3 users rely on tags to search for specific tags, pairings, characters they want. they also rely on tags to filter out and exclude specific tags, pairings, and characters that they don’t want to see.

ao3’s tagging system is by far the most efficient one I’ve ever seen.

on ao3, our main principles are “don’t like don’t read” — which means YOU have a responsibility to curate your own internet experience. yes, ao3 allows all kind of messed up fics, but they also allow you the ability to NOT see anything you don’t want to see, by filtering out specific fics, pairings and/or characters.

no. you cannot harass authors who write about things that disgust you. you can and will be reported for harassment, and ao3 takes harassment very seriously. they will not take your side. because fucked up fics are allowed on ao3—fucked up fics are the main reason ao3 was created—whereas harassment is a direct violation of their terms of service.

ao3 is a house of the freaks and the perverts (affectionate). you ARE in the house of the freaks and the perverts. so don’t think about harassing or being rude to the freaks and the perverts who built this anti-censorship house and are kind enough to let you in.

ao3 is proship, profic, and anti-censorship.

any writer can write whatever they want, however they want. the only etiquette is that you tag your stuff properly and accurately

mistagging for visibility is heavily frowned upon here, and it won’t get your works more views. people will either block or report you if you deliberately mistag things with the purpose of getting your fic more views. as I’ve said before, ao3 is an archive. it’s not a social media. it doesn’t have algorithms or going viral.

there's a big difference between "&" and "/" in relationship tags: "Character A & Character B" tag means the relationship between Character A and Character B is neither romantic nor sexual, whereas "Character A/Character B" tag means the relationship between Character A and Character B is romantic and/or sexual.

if you come across a fic that has the tag “creator chose not to use archive warnings” it means the fic may or may not contain topics that can be triggering, but the author won’t tell you what these topics are, or if there are any at all. so proceed at your own risk.

that said, because ao3 is a non-profit site that hosts millions of works about others’ copyrighted characters, you CANNOT link a monetization platform anywhere on ao3, you CANNOT mention any donation, commission—or anything that involves money—anywhere on ao3. no, you cannot imply donation, commission, or anything that involves money either. that is against their terms of service.

and because ao3 is a place for fanworks, the “work section” of your post has to actually be fanwork (fanfic, original work, fan art, link to a video edit count as fanwork). anything that isn’t fanwork is not allowed.

you cannot post something on ao3 that is not fanwork. so no political statement, no call-out post, no “I’m looking for fics about xyz”.

ao3 is anti censorship as long as what your post is actually fanwork and as long as you don’t violate their terms of service that I’ve mentioned above.

ao3 has their own team of lawyers to protect them, their users, and every fanwork that is posted on their platform.

last but not least, don’t write directly onto ao3. write and store your works elsewhere before copy and paste them onto ao3 once they’re ready to post!! because ao3 does NOT autosave drafts for you, you risk losing everything you’ve typed if there’s a glitch, if the site crashes or if your device unexpectedly shuts down for whatever reason.

ao3 is proship, profic, and anti censorship. being proship, profic, anti censorship, and hosting dark and taboo fics that were banned on other platforms are the main reasons ao3 was created in the first place.

you are welcome to join ao3. but you are NOT welcome to harass, act rude or be entitled towards the people who built this house. if the fact ao3 allows fics you find disgusting (even though it also allows you to filter out anything you don’t want to see) bothers you so much, you are free to go back to wattpad and have nearly everything censored and banned there.

Commenting Etiquette

No Unsolicited Concrit: Authors post fanworks for free as a hobby. Unless an author explicitly asks for constructive criticism in their notes, keep comments positive and critique-free.

Don't Like, Don't Read (DLDR): If a story, relationship, or trope bothers you, hit the back button. Leaving negative comments over subjective preferences breaks core fandom norms.

Phrase Update Requests Politely: Demanding "Update soon!" can feel transactional. Pair your excitement with appreciation for the current chapter (e.g., "Loved this chapter, can't wait to see where the story goes!").

Short Comments & Emojis Are Welcomed: You don't need to write an essay! Leaving a kudos or a single heart emoji in the comment section is a totally valid and appreciated form of comment.

Tagging & Relationships

Accurate Warning Tags: Always select the appropriate Major Archive Warnings or explicitly mark "Author Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings."

Distinguish / vs &: Use / strictly for romantic or sexual pairings (Character A/Character B). Use & exclusively for platonic or familial relationships (Character A & Character B).

Site Rules & Features

No Monetization: AO3 is a non-profit archive run entirely on donations. Selling physical copies anywhere on your profile or story text violates TOS and risks account suspension.

Public vs. Private Bookmarks: Bookmarks are public by default, and authors can see everything written in them. If you use bookmarks for personal ratings, critical notes, or reading progress, remember to check the Private box.

AND DON´T USE AI.

also, you can technically make your ao3 page look aesthetically pretty by applying your own customized skin/layouts on your own ao3 page. according to people who use their own customized skins, it’s easy once you learn how to do it (I personally don’t know how to do it because I’m not interested in learning or applying any fancy skin, and I just use dark mode there) it may not be as easy as decorating twitter or wattpad layout, but that’s because the purpose of ao3 is to archive fanworks, not to be a place for users to show their aesthetic layouts.

once again, ao3 is a non-profit organization, an anti-censorship archive/library that welcomes all kinds of fanfics/fanworks. it doesn’t prioritize “looking aesthetically pretty” because looking aesthetically pretty like a social media platform has never been relevant to its purpose.

doctor: I’ve worked with my colleague, Dr. Malpractice, for 15 years now and I have never witnessed the behavior you are describing.