#fandom ettiquette

and i know most of yous didnt know this and thats fine! no need to apologise im not trying to make u feel bad, im just trying to navigate fandom and this website without being constantly exposed to a really awful racist slur

if u have to use that specific term, at least keep the slashes between the letters. it still sucks to see tho ngl. even better! stick to omegaverse or instead use aob (alpha-omega-beta) (imo its also nicer to pronounce; ay-oh-bee. ayo-bee)

Learn how to tag your fics.

I’m begging you. The AO3 tagging system is not hard to navigate. It's one of the most comprehensive systems on the internet, and it's literally designed to be intuitive.

You have a tag? You type it in. It autofills. You click it.

That’s it. It’s not calculus.

But more than that, let’s talk about archive warnings, because clearly a lot of y’all skipped the tutorial.

There are five standard archive warnings. Just five.

graphic depictions of violence

major character death

underage

rape/non-con

creator chose not to use archive warnings

There is also "no archive warnings apply", which is supposed to mean "this story contains NONE of the above." It’s fluff. It’s angst-lite. It’s kissing and hand-holding with emotional tension and possibly some spicy fun if tagged, but it doesn't contain anything listed above.

Cool? Cool.

So WHY am I seeing fics tagged with both “no archive warnings apply” and “creator chose not to use archive warnings”?

You can’t have it both ways. Those are contradictory. One says, “This fic is safe,” the other says, “Read at your own risk.”

Pick one.

Pick the correct one.

Here’s the deal: “creator chose not to use warnings” is a choice. It says, "Hey, there might be sensitive or potentially triggering content in here. Maybe it’s plot-relevant, and I don’t want to spoil it. Maybe I don’t know how to word it. Maybe I just don’t feel comfortable disclosing."

Totally valid. But you, the writer, are also acknowledging that people might avoid your fic because of it. That is also valid.

But “no warnings apply” is a promise. You are saying, "There is nothing in this fic that needs a content warning." Nothing that could blindside a reader in a bad way.

And when you misuse it, you break trust.

You are potentially putting someone in harm’s way.

You’re not being mysterious or clever, you’re being irresponsible.

And while we’re here, if your fic is not complete, don’t tag it as complete. Don’t set it to 1/1 and then drop a note at the end that says “chapter 2 coming soon!” because guess what? That’s not a one-shot. That’s not complete. That’s misleading and kind of frustrating.

If you’re not sure how many chapters there will be, that's fine, but then don’t mark it as finished. Readers deserve to know whether they’re starting a complete piece or just the beginning of something. A random “to be continued” in the notes is not an ending.

And don’t even get me started on the fics that have no tags listed at all. Just 20k of emotional trauma, kinky sexual encounters, and a surprise character death with zero heads-up.

I’m not saying you have to tag everything, but if your fic includes something that could genuinely upset or trigger someone, and you don’t even put “creator chose not to use warnings,” what are you doing???

Tagging isn’t about censorship. It’s about consent. It’s about letting your readers make informed decisions. It’s about respect.

So please, tag your fics. Use the archive warnings correctly and understand what they mean because this isn’t just a technicality; it’s the difference between someone enjoying your work and someone getting hurt by it.

ok so. in the early days of fandom, anyone participating was probably a massive nerd about the media it was about, and everyone was here to share their takes, their fan theories, their fanart/fanfic and it was basically everyone's job to create and find what they wanted to see. it was niche. it was the days of YKINMK (your kink is not my kink (and that's ok)), don't like don't read, etc.

fandom wasn't there for broader media consumption. it's a space to create and share.

and there come the fandom newgens (disclaimer : i know a lot of you guys are normal and respectful). with newer generations, consuming content on the internet is super easy!! and joining the fandom of something you like is a natural instinct!! on one hand, that's great, we're here to share the joy. on the other hand, there comes the perception of fandom as a space to consume. fanfics and fanart aren't considered the product of passion, they're considered natural byproducts and extensions of the media that are there to be consumed. and there lies the problem. people come to fandom to see more of what they love, not share what they love.

and that creates entitlement. if something won't appeal to the broader audience of new consumers, what is it even worth? if something isn't palatable to the average, it's shunned and considered disgusting. because if you see fandom as a platter of things to consume, you enter the perception that it's all there for you. but that's not the case. some things aren't to your taste, and that's okay. some things are repulsive to you, and that's okay. some things are almost perfect!! but then they're not. but your disappointment and personal discomfort do not give you the right to demand that others bend to your will.

because fandom is for creating. for passion. for joy of sharing an interest. and we don't have to do it all the same to appeal to whatever imaginary "shareholders" (potential consumers) will think of it. if there's a niche, some people will like it, others will not. that's the beauty of it.

credit for the comment that sparked this post :

Also, harassing fanfic writers who write non-cannon compliant fics, or fics that are slightly more unconventional than the (mostly) vanilla stuff that Hollanov canonically get up to - is not okay guys. Its fandom, fandom is freaky, don't clutch your pearls on Ao3 just filter out the stuff that icks you and read the tags properly.

Edit: I have also seen an influx of Connor and François shippers acting fucking gross about it, specially by being racist towards Huson and treating him like a barrier in Connor and François' "relationship"