Fanfiction advice and etiquette for both readers and authors
I've noticed a lot of people, myself included, complaining about people not understanding proper etiquette with regards to fandom and fanfiction, especially with regards to new and younger people taking part for the first time.
However, a lot of us take for granted having been around for a while or being in the right social circles when first joining, so the rules have become largely unspoken nowadays.
So, I'd like to help anyone new to fandom by providing a sort of guide to the basic culture and rules for engaging with fanworks, including new advice with regards to how things like AI has changed the landscape and environment of fandom.
Others are free to contribute their own thoughts. My advice is limited to my own knowledge and experience after all, and I'm not going to be able to account for everything or everyone's preferences or get everything right
1. Don't like, don't read
Ao3 is an anti-censorship platform. You are going to stumble upon things on there that may downright disturb, disgust, or upset you.
If you don't enjoy a work, it is much easier and less time consuming to hit the back button or go back to the homepage than it is to leave a hate comment.
If the work bothers you so much that you can't even stand to see it in your search results, then mute/block the author and/or use filters and extensions if that is an option.
Remember: Author Chose not to use Warnings is a adequate warning. It is not the same as Warnings do not Apply. What it means is that the Author acknowledges that there may be things present that fits within one of the warning categories, but doesn't wish to specify, so proceed with caution.
Make sure you read tags before going into a work. If you don't and you find something upsetting, that's on you. But this also comes with it a responsibility on the author's end too:
2. Tag! Tag! Tag!
In order for "don't like don't read" and "curate your own experience" to largely apply, you authors have to make sure you are tagging things correctly. Not only will it make finding your work easier for someone trying to scratch a particular itch, but if you fail to tag your work properly or tag your work incorrectly, you have no leg to stand on when a reader is upset that they came across something dark or explicit in your work without warning.
Yes, improper tagging or untagged works are technically not against the archive rules, however it is a considerate thing to do for the sake of readers and the least you can do in return for readers' etiquette.
This includes proper content warnings, AUs or canon divergence (ex: coffee shop, apocalypse, humanized!, fix-it, alternate timeline, genderbent!, crack and crack taken seriously, crossover, etc), oc tags, ship tags, headcanons about characters, and particular tropes (ex: enemies to lovers, hurt no comfort, whump, fluff, etc)
If in doubt, tag it anyway! Free form is your best friend, you don't have to be intimidated by it. Not only does it provide suggestions but you can literally type whatever you want
Also if you use AI to generate fanworks, please tag that too. I know it's something that is largely disliked by fandoms but there is no rule against it on Ao3. AI generated content won't be removed from the platform, tagging it will make it easier for readers that don't like AI content to be able to avoid it
3. If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all/No criticism unless asked
I know some people may like to think they're doing an author a favor by giving their own two cents on a particular fanwork, but regardless of intentions this is not something you should ever do unprompted.
Even if an author does ask for criticism, that is not an invitation to be nasty to them. Constructive criticism is made politely and in good faith, and for good measure make sure you throw in a compliment or two before or after the criticism.
Authors provide these works for fun and it's not always easy. They have lives, they have bills to pay, mouths to feed, classes to take, and people to connect with. They are writing for the sake of it, and all they get out of it is some kudos and the occasional comment.
Someone doesn't have to pursue improvement in order for their work to be seen as worth putting out there, it's all for fun.
4. Authors do not owe you anything
Authors write for their own enjoyment first, and again, authors have lives outside of their writing. They do not owe you another chapter within a certain time frame or have to tell a story to your liking. Even if they have an update schedule shit is going to happen that can get in the way. Authors do not owe you an apology or an explanation for their absence.
You should not be making comments on a work along the line's of "When's the next update?", or when there finally is one after a hiatus "Finally! Where have you been?" You can mention you're excited to see what happens next, welcome an author back kindly, and let them know you're happy to see them without being rude and entitled.
In the same vain you should not ever offer to finish a fic. Or, if you want to write a continuation, make sure you ask the author and not the readers for permission, and give proper credit when you post if it is granted. Ao3 has an "Inspired by" feature, which you can absolute use to credit fics that you may have gotten ideas from.
5. DO NOT AI WITCH HUNT
Do not use an AI checker if you suspect AI use, you're just feeding it to AI for training. Do not listen to people trying to say there are "tells". AI is going to look like human writing because it was trained with human writing. It uses em dashes because humans use them. Your accusations will hurt more people than it will help
If you suspect it might be AI, then don't read it. Don't make callouts, just hit the back button.
6. Don't let the bots get you down
The rise of AI has lead to a lot of copyright issues due to scraping for training these programs. While OTW has your back when it comes to fighting the legal fight, there are things that can make it harder for a work to be claimed by its rightful owner. A work being orphaned or deleted from the archive by the author will make harder to prove who the copyright owner is when a work is scraped without consent.
With this in mind, there has been a rise in bot comments that are programmed for the sake of discouraging authors to the point of deleting or orphaning their work. They may do things like accuse you of using AI, or say horrible things about your or your writing.
Luckily, you do have options to protect your work and mental health from them.
Archive locking your work give it a layer of protection from being scraped for datasets or targeted by these bot comment. It's not a guarantee as methods evolve, but most of these thieves are not going to wait for an invitation to start training their program and most bots use guest accounts (Very important disclaimer that bots will often steal the names of registered users. Please don't attack actual users because of bots).
If you still want guest engagement on your work but are worried about bot comments, you can also turn on comment moderation. This will require comments to be approved before appearing publicly on your work, so you can delete any spam, scam, hate, and witch hunt comments you may receive
7. Ao3 is a archive, not social media
There is no algorithm on Ao3. Much like tumblr you need to find what you want to see and block out what you don't
Do not use Ao3 to argue with other authors. It is an archive for fanworks, not petty fights
Do not create works as "placeholders" for future works, that's what drafts are for
Do not add tags "for reach" if they do not apply to your story
Muting an author means you won't see their work in search results, blocking an author means they won't be able to interact with your works
Ao3 will not remove works that contain content you think is gross or morally wrong. They will only take action if the work in question contains content or links to content that depicts exploitation and harm of real life people or animals (rpf doesn't count)
8. Fanfiction is not for monetary gain/Ao3 will NEVER be monetized
Ao3 is non-profit and volunteer run
They will take action if you link anything with regard to patreon, ko-fi, paypal, or anything that encourages readers to give you money anywhere on your works or profile. This is because the thing that protects fanworks under fair use and from copyright infringement is the fact that authors are not profiting from them.
You are allowed to link social media accounts, and then post links to donation and tip sites on those accounts, but by asking for money in exchange for fanwork directly on Ao3 itself you are putting that legal protection in jeopardy.
The lack of monetization also protects works from censorship, which is what allows Ao3 to function as an archive in the first place.
When you introduce advertisements to an online space, those advertisers are not going to want their brand associated with certain things, hence they will demand the removal of anything seen as unsavory, ranging from sexualization of underage characters and incest, to even the most vanilla smut and queer characters existing
The whole reason Ao3 exists is because fans were tired of other sites like Fanfiction.net and Wattpad purging adult content and darkfics to appease advertisers.
If you find yourself in any way bothered by the fact that dark and disturbing content is allowed freely on the platform, or the lack of monetization, you have other platform options.
9. Authors write for themselves, but they still like encouragement
Authors write for their own enjoyment first and foremost, but that doesn't mean they can't be demoralized due to lack of engagement.
Your comments will never be a bother, they are appreciated. Even if you don't have the energy for a long insightful comment, something as simple as a "Hey I really enjoyed this" can make someone's day
Engaging with works through comments is also a great way to make friends and find community. It allows you engage in discussions about the source material and get insights on the author's thought process behind a chapter by commenting. You might just discover new perspectives on your favorite characters or the themes and world building of the source material if you take a chance to ask or share your own thoughts
10. Fanfiction is not activism, but that does not excuse bigotry
Fanfiction authors are not corporate entities. They are people writing for the fun of it. They should not be held to the same expectations of providing representation that large companies like Disney and Warner Bros and well known and influential authors are.
Someone's writing preferences are their business alone, and whether you want to engaged with their work or not is your choice.
That being said, as a writer you still need to check your biases and listen if you are corrected by minorities in fandom spaces, and also do your due diligence and be respectful when writing characters that are part of groups and cultures you are not part of. If you can spend hours trying to research types of shoes for a specific time period or how long it takes for someone to bleed out from a knife wound to the stomach, then you can also do research and make sure you're not stereotyping a black character or using slurs to describe an intersex character.
There is a lot of unchecked bigotry in fandom spaces that gets overlooked and brushed off, which creates hostile environments and alienation for POC, disabled people, queer women, aspec people, intersex people, and many others.
It takes effort to make fandom spaces welcoming and safe for everyone.
Hopefully I covered everything well enough. Remember you are free to add to this or expand upon anything I mentioned here. Thank you for reading and have fun!
