Currently A Hazel Callahan Stan Account

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.

ao3 doesn't have an app because for it to have an app, appstore will have to approve it first. and if, hypothetically, ao3 needs appstore to approve it, it will also have to abide by appstore's pro-censorship stance and start banning dark and taboo fics, which is against its own core principle of being completely against censorship.

ao3 doesn't need an app. it works more than fine without an app. the reason ao3 can allow dark and taboo fics, the reason it can allow the most disgusting and shockingly vile fics, and be completely against censorship is because it doesn't need appstore's approval. it stands on its own as a non-profit organization with functioning site and a team of lawyers protecting its platform, its users, and every single fanwork on its platform.

everybody say thank you ao3

My 11-month male cat lets my foster kittens nurse on him.

me: yeah, i posted on tumblr

publisher: .........tumblr?

me: that's where the gays are.

publisher: And what is your marketing strategy on... tumblr?

me: idk, i shitpost at 2am?

publisher: .....and it works?

me: depends on what the gays find funny at that point in time.

publisher: Could I have a link to your tumblr?

me: .......absolutely not.

publisher: I've been looking into tumblr, have you thought of using Blaze to promote your book?

me: NO

publisher: But it seems like an efficient way to get this in front of more eyes-

me: people on tumblr hate Blaze.

publisher: There is no algorithm and you can't pay to promote a post? I don't understand how anyone advertises anything on tumblr.

me: That's the best part. They don't. They can't.

(trying to make him understand that we do not control the attention. We just have to show something shiny and gay enough and if people are interested, they'll reblog.)

NOTP: the opposite of an OTP (One True Pairing). It is a ship a fan strongly dislikes. The word is a portmanteau of ‘no’ and ‘OTP’ and thus is not a contraction of any particular phrase.

Squick: anything that is a deep-seated, visceral turn-off. Squicks may be shared by many fans or be specific to one; one person’s kink may be another person’s squick.

YKINMKATO, or kink-tomato: Your Kink Is Not My Kink, And That’s Okay: used to indicate support for fannish diversity and to distinguish between disapproval or kink shaming and simply having different taste.

DLDR: Don’t Like, Don’t Read: a phrase used to warn against complaints about an aspect of fic or meta. A “live and let live” philosophy of fandom, which places the responsability for avoiding content one doesn’t want to see on the side of the fanwork consumer, rather that on the creator’s.

SALS: Ship And Let Ship: similar to the above specifically about shipping tastes.

YMMV: Your Mileage May Vary: a phrase used to acknowledge that any given individual’s personal opinion on the topic at hand may differ due to their own tastes, standards, values, experiences, etc.

As the OP points out, all of these crucially imply no moral judgment of what they’re designing.

also that apparently “when you get a chance” usually means “when you take a break from the thing you’re immediately doing” and not “on a list among various other things you are doing today or tomorrow”