Ao3 is a fangirl's best kept secret
Ao3 is a fangirl's best kept secret
And controversial news in the online writing community
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AO3 released its top ships1 of 2024, and the statistics were extensive, to say the least.
If you have no idea what I’m talking about, Archive of Our Own, otherwise known as AO3, is a database filled with fan-written stories for every fandom you could think of. Think back to the huge wave of One Direction fanfics that were popular in the mid-2010s, some of which have even been used as inspiration for movies today, like “After” and “The Idea of You.”
AO3 describes itself as" “A fan-created, fan-run, nonprofit, noncommercial archive for transformative fanworks, like fanfiction, fanart, fan videos, and podfic.” As of writing this, they say they’re host to 67,140 fandoms, 7,475,000 users, and 13,570,000 works. Even with all that, it manages to remain under the radar outside dedicated fans. AO3 acts as a fun little inside secret.
The platform has a bit of a…sultry…reputation. After all, it’s a fan-made site with fan-made content. Often the stories fill a need the author didn’t meet, such as imagining canon2 relationships or plot points. The possibilities are endless, which means you get a lot of R-rated content in there. But if the video above by @ColeyDoesThings taught me anything, it’s that the platform is multi-faceted.
The AO3 lists range from This Year’s Top 100 Ships to All-Time Top 100 Pairings to the Femslash Top 100 list. There was even a list for platonic and familial relationships. AO3 is really a concentrated place for creativity and entertainment.
The fanfiction site also caught my attention last week when I saw several X posts, like this and this, about a site-wide outage. I preceded to do some research (i.e. consult my friend well-versed in the platform) and learned about a cyberattack that took down the platform last year.
An attack on writing
Who would target *fangirls? I thought. (Seriously, what is a Hazbin Hotel shipper3 going to do to the world?) The *girlies are minding their own business as they read their little fics4 on the subway in peace.
Well, apparently cyberterrorists had some other ideas.
The AO3 status account tweeted in July of 2023, “A group presenting themselves as a collective of religiously and politically motivated hackers has claimed responsibility for the attack. Cybersecurity experts believe the group claiming responsibility is lying about their affiliation and reasons for attacking websites. View the group’s statements with skepticism.”
The attacks represent a bigger crisis, though. Book censorship is on the rise in the United States.
Many burgeoning writers turn to AO3 as a safe place to explore their writing abilities and connect with like-minded communities. As a teenager, I even started writing original stories on Wattpad (though none of them made it very far). Some of these writers become published authors later on.
It begs the question, what happens if even amateurs don’t feel safe enough to explore their craft?
Luckily, the recent outages were due to overwhelmed servers and not a cyberattack, according to an X post from AO3. Censorship, though, is not the only threat to face writing lately.
NanoWrimo AI controversy
We can’t ignore artificial intelligence’s impact on the writing world. It was hectic in the online writing community when the organization National Novel Writing Month (otherwise referred to as NanoWrimo) released a statement saying, “We believe that to categorically condemn AI would be to ignore classist and ableist issues surrounding the use of the technology, and that questions around the use of AI tie to questions around privilege.”
“We see value in sharing resources and information about AI and any emerging technology, issue, or discussion that is relevant to the writing community as a whole. It's healthy for writers to be curious about what's new and forthcoming, and what might impact their career space or their pursuit of the craft. Our events with a connection to AI have been extremely well-attended, further-proof that this programming is serving Wrimos who want to know more.” -National Novel Writing Month statement
NanoWrimo is a non-profit based in the U.S. that encourages users to write a 50,000-word novel in a month. It has various programming throughout the year, like Camp Nano in the summer, and offers fun digital badges for those who meet their goals. Many writers have rallied around NanoWrimo, making new friends while they spur one another onto their word count. The statement sent shockwaves through the community, especially those with disabilities who felt like it was an attack on their person.
“I can’t believe Nanowrimo of all people would argue that AI is legitimate because disabled writers need plagiarism technology to write a book. I’m sorry but that is highly offensive to me,” X user and author Meredith Mooring said in a post.
X user Helen Black wrote, “Sorry but Nanowrimo saying the use of AI is fine and condemnation of it is ‘classist’ is the biggest pile of horse wank. Working class writers are perfectly able to write their own yanno…words. We don’t need your IP stealing, environmentally disastrous tech bro shite.”
If you look closer into Nanowrimo, you’ll see their 25th anniversary is sponsored by ProWritingAid and Dabble, two platforms which allow users to utilize AI for their writing. You’ll also find they’re having sponsors withdraw from partnerships altogether.
We’ll see just how canceled the platform is when November rolls around. In the meantime, I hope writers will keep pursuing their craft, not dissuaded by existential threats to the industry.
*I know fangirls/the girlies are not the only ones who can enjoy fanfiction!
Read my last terminology story: Let's talk about skibidi skibidi Gen Alpha
My weekly roundup:
😇 What I’m Doing: I might be writing something myself 👀
🎶 What I’m Listening To: Ego by Halsey
🎞️ What I’m Watching: The VMAs!
🔎 What I’m Reading: One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig
⚠️ What’s On My Radar: Chappell Roan’s interaction with paparazzi at the VMAs brings us back her conversation about boundaries
Read the full Gen Z Dictionary here.
Ships: A couple or pairing, usually fictional, that fans think should be in a relationship
Canon: Something considered by the fandom as confirmed, like a couple who actually ends up together in the book
Shipper: The fan who “ships” a couple
Fics: Short for “fanfiction”