pluckyredhead:

thesevenumbrellas:

paganinpurple:

AO3 Etiquette

It would seem a whole new kind of AO3 reader/writer is emerging and it is becoming clear not everyone quite understands how the website community works. Here is some basic guidance on how most people expect you to go about using AO3 to keep this a fun community archive that funtions correctly:

  • Kudos is for when the story was interesting enough to make you finish reading. If it sucked or was badly written, you probably left. If you finished – you kudos.
  • If you liked it, you should comment. It can be long and detailed or a literal keysmash. Writers don’t care, we just love comments.
  • No critisism unless the author has specifically asked or agreed to hear it. Even constructive critisism is a no-no unless an author note tells you it’s okay. Many people write as a fun hobby or a way to cope with, among other things, insecurity. Don’t ruin that for them.
  • Do not comment to ask the author to write/update something else. It’s tacky and off-putting and will probably have the opposite effect than the one you want.
  • There is no algorithm, it’s an archive. Use the search and filter function to add/remove the pairings/characters/tropes etc. you want to read about and it will find you the fics that fit the bill.
  • For this to work, writers must tag and rate stories. This avoids readers finding the wrong things and missing the stuff they want. I don’t care how cringy that trope is in your eyes – it gets tagged.
  • Character A/Character B means a ROMANTIC or SEXUAL relationship of some kind. Character A&Character B is PLANTONIC, like friendship or family.
  • Nothing is banned. This is an implicit rule because banning one thing is a slipperly slope to banning another and another, until nothing is allowed anymore. Do not expect anyone to censor for you. Because of the tags system, you are responsible for your own reading experience.
  • People can create new chapters and sequels/fic series any time after they “complete” a story. So it’s considered perfectly normal to subscribe, even to a finished story. You can even subscribe to the author instead just to cover your bases.
  • Do not repost stories or change the publishing date without an extremely good reason (like a complete top to bottom rewrite). It’s an archive, not social media. No one cares what’s the most recent, only what fits their tag needs.
  • Avoid deleting a story you wrote if you hate it – orphan it so others can still enjoy it, without it being connected to you anymore.
  • This is a creative fanfiction archive. No essays on your insights or theories please. There are other places for that.

I KNOW there’s plenty more I missed but I’m trying to cover most of the basics that people seem to be struggling with.

I invite anyone to add to this, but please explain, don’t berate.

People are so entitled in the comments damn like no you writer don’t have to put up with you being rude they wrote you entertainment for free

To the people in the notes who are insisting that they have the right to leave negative feedback on AO3:

What you’re not understanding is that fandom is not a service, it’s a community. I saw someone compare leaving a comment on AO3 to reviewing a product on Amazon – if you didn’t like the product, you’re going to say so. But fanworks are not products and you didn’t pay money for them. They were shared with you.

Leaving un-asked-for criticism in AO3 comments isn’t like reviewing a product you were disappointed with. It’s like going to a friend’s house when they’ve cooked a meal and telling them all the things that are wrong with the food. Sure, you can do it, but it’s rude as hell and they are probably not going to invite you to dinner again.

(“Can you leave crit in comments” has been a debate as long as I’ve been in fandom, but 20 years ago the argument was “I’m helping the writer improve!” and not “I am a consumer with a right to complain.” Fandom has gotten more creepily capitalistic over the decades but jerks are evergreen, I guess.)

More from this writing meme

9. What does your to-do list look like when revising?
Ugh… revising is the worst. It involves making robot audiobook versions of the chapter or book; listening and re-listening; looking for stumbling spots and repetitive phrases; taking stock of plot threads, character development, and sense of place markers and other descriptors. Write, rewrite, edit… test on people… read out loud…

10. How do you choose character names?
A lot of times, I’ll have characters existing in my head as little ghost flames, and as I look through names, they’ll start giving me hints on what they like. Like, one will say their name starts with a B, so I’ll look through B names, or let that sit and as I go through the day, something comes up and they go THAT ONE!! THAT’S MY NAME!! Sometimes they don’t have a story yet, or I’ve been using a placeholder name for chapters, but once they find their name, they’re very loud about it! Same goes for their other characteristics.

11. What is the book idea you’re proudest of?
IDK I really like Hauntening, but my retelling of the frog prince is really fun, too. I have tons of ideas… but executing them is a bit different.

12. Do you have a designated writing spot?
It used to be in a booth at a cafe, but I’ve since moved + pandemic. Now it’s either at my desk or on the couch w/ laptop, but neither are super comfortable. I guess my answer, then, is “not really, but I wish I did.”

More writing q’s from this meme– keep liking/rbing the post!

5. How many WiPs do you have right now?
so many… It hurts my head to try to count, honestly. Short stories, novels, half drafts, first drafts… bleh

6. Tell us about a book you’re working on
Current, active WiP is a book about a kid who lives for DND and for his 13th birthday, the GM is running a special overnight game at the comic shop! Wow so fun! Birthday magic transports them into the fantasy world of their game which is awesome except that not everyone in their party is what they seem…

7. Who do you brainstorm ideas with?
My waifu, @mamodewberry for a LOT of things… but also @faultbat and @anyahatesbunnies. I think these three could help me rule the world tbh.

8. Are you a plotter, panster, or something in between?
Something in between. I tend to pants the first few chapters, then go back and plot it out, rewrite, pants, plot, etc… until I’m able to figure out the whole book. Then I rewrite it all again from an outline. It’s kind of a mess.

From this meme

  1. How many books have you written?
    If we don’t count novel-length fanfic, I’ve written four complete novels and started like ten others.
  2. How many published?
    None… yet. :’)
  3. Do you have any books that are shelved forever?
    Not really. I can always use bits and pieces of any of my books to make something new/better.
  4. What genres do you write in?
    I typically write Middle Grade – Young Adult along the veins of fantasy/urban fantasy/horror.

WRITING MEME LET’S GOOOOOOOOOO

1 like = 1 answer

💫📡🤲

💫what is your favorite kind of comment/feedback?

I’ll be honest, I love the gushing, ooey-gooey comments where people are keyboard smashing their feelings out, ESPECIALLY if they manage to be coherent long enough to point out a specific thing that they enjoyed. Knowing that my attempts at making people feel actually succeeds is so very, very validating. 🙂

📡why is writing and sharing your writing important for fandom?

So fandom is an interesting creature… It lives, it breathes, and evolves over time depending on what it eats– both canonical content and that from the fans. The stuff that we put into it is going to be different than what future or past fans put in, because it’s like a time capsule of perspective and understanding. Everyone has a unique voice, and bringing that to the table with our different backgrounds means more diverse transformative works. It keeps it alive and healthy, and then we all learn and grow! Art must be created and observed to thrive.

🤲what do YOU get out of writing?

I’m always going to be creating characters/stories/scenarios/etc… that is never going to change. But writing lets me more effectively share that with others, and I LOVE that connection. It also feels very productive and helps me sharpen my skills for other things, like my original novels. I love the exercise!

🤍

I answered that one here, so I’ll move on to the next one which is…

🕯️was there a fic that was really hard on you to write, or took you to a place you didn’t think it would take you?

Hard on me emotionally? NLA and Vitya Diaries, definitely. Both of them I cried and cried during many scenes.

Hard as in difficult, though… The Better to Love You With was EXTREMELY hard for me to do, even though I had it all plotted out well in advance, because I decided to write Yuuri’s PoV for some reason and also I was a guest for the zine, so I was like OH NO PRESSURE. I think it turned out well, though. 😂

Woahh, first of all thank you for answering so honestly and sharing a bit of your personal experiences, I am completely glad that you are now where you feel good and in a place that you can call home and your safe place 💖 Speaking of history and real world comparisons, I think that’s why we end up with some people or other, the choices we make and the struggles each of us has. I think something I love about viktuuri is the answer to “why yuuri?” or “why viktor, why with viktor and not with other people?”, and I think it’s something precious. In other scenarios, as I’ve seen in another of your stories (or even in the NLA itself), I share the thought I had; otherwise chris might have had a real chance with viktor, he was patient, protective, he really cared for him, he really loved vitya and he saw and accepted him for who he was so why yuuri? and I think that’s something that happens in the real world, Vitya wasn’t ready at the time and the only one who managed to awaken all those feelings in him and help him heal was Yuuri, because they were what the other needed and that’s beautiful. , because neither of them was perfect but as you say they complemented each other and it worked because they were compatible and because they WANTED to work for the good of the other when one of them was not perfect. Life just happened that way and that’s where it felt right, we all have flaws and virtues.As you say, no one is just bad or just good, and I believe that sometimes one can be good for someone and bad for someone, in the sense that we are experiencing different things that are sometimes not compatible with what the other person is experiencing , especially when you’re not ready to make a change or improve or work on it, and it causes “isn’t here”… things to happen in life.That’s what I love so much about NLA, that it’s so simple and at the same time so wonderful, because that’s life, it’s not always fair, not always everything is joy or sadness, and sometimes love is not always where you thought or where “it is easier” to get to, the decisions we make and how we fight our own problems and traumas are ultimately what also builds love, and the support and compatibility that someone has with you to grow together.I’m happy that that was the essence of what you wanted to show and that it’s not just “he’s bad and good by nature” or “he’s better” “he’s worse” (for example with characters like chris, as possible romantic interest of viktor, AND I love victuuri with all I mean..but amazing guy and totally worth it, of course! ). And I love that the victuuri is about that. Love in pure essence and the decisions we make.I’m very happy to be able to comment more in depth on all this that I thought and of your process as a writer and co-creator of NLA.(maybe l’ll bother mamo too with the yuuri’s part hahah )Many things like that and the panic attacks helped me a lot for personal development. Tsm for sharing thisCan’t wait for Mafia AU and send moreSee you on twitter^^🍵🍵✨🦄🦄🦄🦄👑👑🩰🩰🩰

I’m mainly “answering” this so everyone can see your response; I REALLY appreciate your feedback, and am so grateful that you’ve let us know how our writing has impacted you… It’s so gratifying to know; we worked really hard, and I’m!!! SO HAPPY!!!! that it came through!!!

Sometimes I look at the way I met my partner and my good friends, and how the circumstances of us all coming together were so precarious and crazy… It ended up being meant to be because we made it so with our own choices and experiences.

Like Viktor said in the 1st stage drama (the Chihoko affair): “It’s because of his past that Yuuri is who he is now.”

I absolutely agree with everything you said here. @mamodewberry – make sure to read the above for good fuzzy feelings. 🙂

🤍

🤍what’s one fic of yours you think people didn’t “get”?

LOL can I say NLA? I think most people got it, but we’ve gotten a few comments where I’m left scratching my head like “did you… not see the series???” because we were trying very hard to stay faithful, but okay! 😂

JK JK.

I’ll do Vitya Diaries, which has a tiny readership base compared to NLA. I’d have to guess that it’s because it’s first person (like the Princess Diaries), or because it ships Vitya with an OC (the bad boyfriend, even though Viktuuri is always end game), or… idk! But I really thought folks would want to read more about our take on young Viktor and the things he went through before finding Yuuri. Alas?!

Give yourself a Compliment about your own writing! :)c

Of course YOU would send this, my waifu… 💖

I think I’m pretty good at emotional character arcs and coming up with random side characters. Those would probably be my biggest strengths.

Dear me: when you hit your stride with voice, you hit it hard. 8)

THANK YOU!