mourning old fics and the end of an AO3 era
I donโt know how many more โIt was not _. Not _. But something else _ refused to nameโ Iโve got left in me
Iโve been a part of fandom culture for well over ten years now. I started reading fic at ff.net, back when lemons and limes and NSFW were still a thing, before making the switch to ao3 and never looking back.
Danmei fic writers and creators have simply always been on another level. The entry point is perfect- there are enough adaptations and fanworks to cast a wide net. At the same time, visual adaptations (manhua, donghua, and dramas) are often shelved or unfinished, leading people to seek out the original source material. If you have enough patience to read the novels and the incredibly rich and complex worlds they create, you will produce good fic.
Maybe weโve just been eating too good for the last eight years. Where danmei fics of the past had beautiful prose, prominent authors with unreal characterization, brilliant headcannons and very distinct voices and writing styles, every third fic I now read blatantly uses AI.
It started off slow, a phrase here, a flowery description that didnโt make sense there. Soooooo many lists of threeโs. And ALWAYS negative repetition. Not as _. Not _. But _. No _. No _. Just _. A release. A required reconsideration not asking for permission.
The worst is when thereโs character dialogue and, for a brief moment, you go under. You can tell it was written by a real person because their voice comes back. Then โNotsโ and โNosโ break the immersion and You can tell. You can always tell. It all sounds the same.
Sentence structure also gives it away.
By no means was there uniformity in writing, but fics didnโt consistently look like this.
A three-sentence long paragraph. Then a couple one-off sentences for punch. No paragraphs longer than six sentences.
No rules or rhyme or reason for the break (in the past, these one-offs would be dialogue or internal thoughts). Just the same cycle. Repeated over and over.
Until there was nothing left to reconcile. (Ha.)
Sometimes I think Iโm going crazy with how blatant it all is. However well you think you can mask it or cover it, just know that itโs always obvious. AI also has a voice, and itโs causing all of these once-great once-inspired fics to sound the same. Itโs boring, monotonous, repetitive Hell.
With that being said, Iโve never commented or harassed an author Iโve suspected of using AI. Iโve been around the block. I know fandom etiquette, and know witch hunts and false accusations are the number-one way to kill a fandom and permanently chase good creators away. Itโs just not worth it.
I can even understand why some people would use it- sometimes you have an idea but arenโt skilled enough to execute it. It certainly saves time between updates and Iโm sure helps with writerโs block. Writing is hard, it takes time and effort to learn.
But Iโm just so tired of reading it. Fics are entirely optional, why clog up tags uploading a spit-out prompt that everyone already has access to? If you donโt care enough to write it, why should I care enough to read it?
I loathe the inevitability of AI and how itโs already been integrated into a world Iโve been apart of and love deeply. I know itโs too late and that thereโs no stopping it as Ao3 has become borderline unusable. So, Iโm pouring one out for all the creators that worked hard to make their own style, their own identity, their own mark upon the world. Thank you. We see you and can always tell the difference. You are the lifeblood of our communities. Thank you.
Iโm sorry if this is soap-boxy. Iโm just tired. At this point I would even welcome an open honest AI tag because at least then I could avoid that โwriting styleโ like the plague.
