AO3 Comment of the Day

this blog is attempting to come back from hiatus The views expressed in the answers and original posts on this blog are mine alone. I previously volunteered for the Organization for Transformative Works (“OTW”), but these views have not been approved by, and are not intended to reflect the opinions of, the OTW.

[ao3commentoftheday]

If you're looking for one of my site skins, you can find them all on my github.

The readme files give instructions for applying them to your account.

[memorizingthedigitsofpi]

headcanoned too hard and ended up surprised by zero results on AO3

[welcometothejianghu]

Small Fandom Summer 2026!

For the fourth year in a row now, it's time for Small Fandom Summer! Join me for Small Fandom Summer! It's real easy to play:

Make a fanwork for something that has fewer than 1000 English-language works on AO3

Post it to AO3

And then you've done it! You've made a thing and you've diversified the fandom ecosystem! You're basically a hero.

Q: The fandom I want to create for has more than 1000 English-language works on AO3, but the specific pairing I want to write for has fewer than that. Does that count? A: Yes! Q: What if it has more than 1000 English-language works on AO3, but, like, just barely? A: Okay! Q: What if it actually has a lot more than 1000 English-language works on AO3, but it still feels small? A: Sure! Q: What if I don't want to post it to AO3? What if I don't even have an AO3 account? Can I post it somewhere else? A: Wherever! Q: What if-- A: Just do a thing, friend. Make a thing. Share the thing. This is not meant to be restrictive; this is meant to be inspirational. Create the fanworks you want to see in the world. Make a stranger happy by appealing to their niche interests. Bring joy.

And if you want to give yourself some silly little Steam-like achievement badges to commemorate your accomplishments, well, you're in luck! I've made a bunch of them right here! You can grab the ones that apply to your work and paste them wherever you like and feel good about what you've done. Here's a few of my favorites:

So you see? This is meant to be silly and fun.

There's nowhere to sign up. There's nothing to commit to. There's zero pressure. You just do it if you do it, and don't if you don't. But if you do want to play (yay!), tag your stuff with #small fandom summer so we can all swoop in and appreciate everyone else's efforts.

Here's to creativity!

[ao3commentoftheday]

Images are white text on a black background with a coloured icon taking up the leftmost third of the image. They are as follows:

Green icon of a magnifying class over a beetle. Who's That Boy? (wrote for a character that previously had no AO3 tag)

Orange icon of a tape measure. Size Matters (wrote the longest fic to date in the fandom)

Grey icon of two women holding hands. Lesbifriends (wrote the first F/F fic in the fandom)

Yellow icon of a smiling face surrounded by hearts. My Special Person (wrote something because you knew that one person who'd appreciate it)

Blue icon of an elephant and a mouse. Lorge and Smol (wrote a crossover between a fandom with more than 1000 works and a small fandom)

Grey icon of handcuffs. Testing the Waters (this had better not awake anything in you)

Yellow icon of two fish approaching a hook. Hooked! (wrote something for the first time and are already planning on writing something else for it)

Green icon of a bag with a leaf on it implying soil or plant food. A Brand-New Bag (wrote for a fandom so small you had to teach AO3 what it was)

[gay-lien-from-space]

Hello fanfiction community,

Just wanted to bring to your attention that the term whump was actually coined by the Stargate fandom specifically to describe making this guy suffer. He is the original Mr. Whump (no that's not his actual name). That's how torturable this guy is.

Everyone say mean things about him.

Here is a non exhaustive list of what he goes through in canon btw:

His parents get crushed to death right in front of him when he is a kid

He is forced to relive the memory of his parents death countless times

He dies and gets resurrected

His wife gets possessed

He fails to save her and she dies in his arms

He dies and gets resurrected again

He gets infected by a virus that makes him act crazy and gets put in an insane asylum

He dies and gets resurrected again

His ex gets possessed

He is exposed to a lethal dose of radiation

He dies and ascends to a higher plane, then gets kicked out of the higher plane and his memory is wiped

He gets kidnapped by a princess

He gets kidnapped by a fish alien

He gets kidnapped and tortured by some terrorists

He gets kidnapped and tortured by another alien

He is driven to insanity by an alien device

He dies and gets resurrected again

He dies and gets resurrected again

[hypotenussy]

the number 1 rule of fanfic is have fun and be yourself. the number 2 rule is the average healthy adult male can lose roughly 2 liters of blood before dying.

[thecharmingquirksofothers]

incredible prev tags

[ao3commentoftheday]

I'm going to close the ask box for now because I have a lot that I haven't responded to yet. Hopefully it'll open up again soon.

[ao3commentoftheday]

My other question: how do you survive a rarepair fandom when the fandom oldie thinks they own the ship and everyone else writes them wrong? I wrote my version of the ship and fandom oldie tore it apart and all her friends attacked it too.

this is the second of two asks from the same anon

I think this comes down to your own personality and energy levels.

No matter what, I think you block 'fandom oldie' who is clearly a bully who should reconsider some life choices. I'd block all of their friends, as well. You don't need toxic people in your life, and anyone who harasses someone for who or what or how they ship is totally fucking toxic. They don't deserve your time or attention.

Other than that, you've got a few options.

Stop posting publicly and just ship to yourself and whatever group of people like your take on things. Put things into a private collection on AO3 and add your fandom besties as mods so they can see it and no one else can. Post on a private discord or a private social media account. Get a Dreamwidth and lock that shit down so only the people you like and trust can see it.

Post loudly and proudly. Since you've blocked them all, you can't hear their screams of anguish so put your stuff out there and enjoy the feedback from people who actually like what you make.

Stop creating and leave the fandom. Daydream to yourself but otherwise go completely solo and/or only discuss the rarepair with people you see in person IRL.

I'd personally avoid actually getting into a back and forth with the bullies. They'll inevitably drag you down into the pit with them and you'll end up being mean back in a way that you're ashamed of later. At least, that's how I feel when I lose my temper that way.

Responding to call out posts also tends to just make it all drag on even longer. Harassment campaigns don't care about you correcting them or saying what actually happened. It's not about the truth. It's about making you suffer until you don't post anymore. Don't give them any more ammunition to use against you.

What do the rest of you think? Can you offer anon some more options?

[ao3commentoftheday]

What's the best way to recover from someone trying to call you out because they don't like the femslash you write? I want to delete all my fics and leave fandom...

this is the first of two asks from the same anon

*hugs* oh anon. I'm so so sorry that you're experiencing this 💗

First of all, I want to stress that you didn't do anything wrong.

Anyone who doesn't like your writing has the option to simply not read it. They also have the option to mute your account on AO3 so they never even see when you post. They can block you, too, if they can't even bear to see your username in someone else's comments section.

You writing the things that you want to write has zero impact on them unless they allow it. They have no business blaming you or calling you out when they could simply ignore you entirely.

Call out culture in fandom, in cases like these, generally comes down to trying to harass someone into not creating anymore. The goal of this behaviour is to make you delete everything you've posted and never post anything again.

I do not blame you if that's the decision you make. Being at the centre of a firestorm sucks, and I've also disappeared when it got to be too much. Sometimes stepping away really is the best option for you and your mental health.

One of the many things I appreciate about AO3 is that, when you delete your work, they'll email you a copy of it. You won't be able to get copies of the kudos and comments, but you'll have the fic itself - which is still something 💗 And if you ever decide to put it back up, that option is there for you.

If you decide to orphan instead of deleting, be aware that those fics will no longer be associated with your account, but you also won't be able to have them deleted from the Archive. The comments and kudos will remain, but you will have no ability to get the fic back onto your account. The orphaning process is permanent and irreversible.

Also, since you can't edit the work after orphaning it, make sure you check your author's notes first to make sure they don't link back to your socials or contain other information that you don't want out there.

As for how to recover? I think it often comes down to understanding that you're not the one at fault - despite what those people are saying. How you move on from this is going to depend on you and how this has affected you.

The loss of trust and safety that this kind of situation causes can be anywhere from annoying to traumatic. I say do what you need to do to feel safe again. Whether that's to take a break from AO3, seek solace in a group chat or discord server, move to a different fandom, or just get a really good hug from someone who cares about you.

Let's see how other people have dealt with situations like this before. *hugs*

[ao3commentoftheday]

Apparently it's aromantic visibility day today (June 5th)

so uh hi? I'm aromantic.

Can you see me now?

[ao3commentoftheday]

See you all on April 6th when I'll be visible again for another day.

[ao3commentoftheday]

Wait, you can make a second account???

on AO3? yeah

you need to either have a second email address or set up an alias on your existing address - it doesn't matter whether it delivers to the same inbox, what matters is the email addresses need to look different to AO3's back end.

If you're wondering whether this is AO3's official stance, yes it is. They actually recommend it in the FAQ answer for whether you can have an anonymous pseud (you can't). The relevant quote is:

You can set up a second Archive account using a different email address... Post works that you wish to be separate from your original account using that second account. This option is the most secure.

[ao3commentoftheday]

I'm loving the discussions about the role and purpose of fandom, as well and what activities are needed to keep fandoms alive and flourishing!

However... as a fandom creator (writer and artist), I sometimes feel like too much pressure is concentrated on creators. I don't know if this is a frustration others share? Not only should we keep making things, but somehow we also end up becoming these central fandom figures who can feel pressured into responding to comments (or else we're called arrogant or ungrateful), making friends (or else we're rude for ignoring well-meaning people who reach out), and being the drivers and pillars of that community (running events, responding to memes, etc. – and everything falls silent if we stop). It's a lot of work!! I don't always have the time and energy to make things for fun and then also engage in all the ways people might sometimes feel entitled to because they enjoy my works.

I really wish that more "non-creating" fans in the community would discover their fandom power!! and not just rely on the visible "producing" creators to be the only people worth engaging with. It takes nothing more than passion to write a meta-post about a character or a plot point, or to create an ask game, or to DM someone else who you see posting funny tags – not just the creator! Maybe your followers have other tips for evening out the balance a little more?

Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this, anon. This is an observation I've seen in many parts of life, not just fandom.

A lot of people feel as though they need permission or an invitation of some sort in order to contribute. That's why I always end my answers by asking people to share their thoughts. I want to make it explicitly clear that I want people to add things into the reblogs (which I can then share out for more people to see) and the replies (which people can at least read even if I can't reblog).

I have heard fans who are readers but don't write fic say that they think they can't get an AO3 account unless they plan to post something. This is incorrect, of course, but a lot of people make that assumption.

I think at least some people (I don't know what kind of percentage) assume that someone who is writing fic or posting art or making podfics and video edits etc. has some sort of expertise that "allows" them to post.

People with less confidence or with less practice etc. sometimes need an extra nudge before they realize that they're welcome to contribute too. If that's the case for you, please allow me to say:

You are welcome to post in your fandom, even if no one invites you to. Even if you think you're not good enough. Even if your idea isn't "popular."

Start a conversation. Share a thought. Talk to folks who reblog cool shit. Be a folk who reblogs cool shit. You don't have to do everything in order to do something.

As mentioned above, please do share your thoughts in the reblogs and replies to keep the conversation going.

[leomonae]

Other things people can do:

make a rec list

make a "here's all the fics I've found in this fandom with this one trope/general vibe/very particular setup I just think is Neat" list

make a "welcome to the fandom, here's the fics that people will just assume you've read/know about to get you started" list

make a "if you liked [popular fic A] you might enjoy [less well known fics B through N]" list

[iguanodonwildman]

More things you can do!

Create whumps lists

Create lists of shippy moments

Make screenshot collections

Record and post clips of your show to get more people into your fandom

Make incorrect quote memes

Make silly little TikTok-style edits of your favs

Make character playlists

Figure out the layout of buildings/cities

Recreate those building in the Sims or with an online floor planner or even just draw it out because holy hell writers will be so thankful for that

Make your blorbo in various video game character creations

Build a pokemon team for your blorbo

Make up silly headcanons! What does everyone do at the fair or the beach or during a fire drill?

Outline a fic idea you have — maybe you don’t have the time or energy or you just don’t feel confident enough to create it, but share it anyway!

Create outfits based on your blorbo’s design or outfits they would wear

There are so many ways you can engage with fandom that aren’t making fanart or writing fanfics. Fandom is community - Please don’t be afraid to join in!

[pancake-surprise]

(I've been on tumblr for 15 years, far longer than I was ever on twitter, but I've never engaged much beyond reblogging so please pardon how many times I reference fandom activities I witnessed on twitter)

Collect interviews with the author, producer, director, mangaka etc

Similarly, translate interviews

I remember someone in the haikyuu!! fandom kept a twt thread of every time two characters were in the same panel. Not sure what the tumblr equivalent would be. I guess just a regular old post with lots of additions? (Send help; i'm not sure why my brain is struggling so badly to translate twitter threads to tumblr posts)

Run a quote bot account: I'm not sure of the status of quote bots in a post twitter era, but those were quite fun. Again an example from the hq!! fandom, there was the hq!! bastille bot which would spit out a bastille lyric + a ship. The siken bot would spit out a line of poetry + a ship name. On tumblr maybe the equivalent would be a gimmick blog?

Run a ship/character week. I think these are probably the easiest kind of fandom event to run. it doesn't take more than one person, a blog, and rudimentary graphics skills.

Are socmed AUs still a thing?

Make gifs

Try to figure out the layers to a character's outfit and share your studies with the world. (I'm looking directly at you, Hoyoverse and all you're what-even-is-that how-do-they-even-put-that-on character design. beautiful, but confusing)

Update fandom wikis

Log fandom history on fanlore.org (another project run by the Organization for Transformative Works, aka the parent of ao3)

Volunteer for the Organization for Transformative Works/ao3

[marypsue]

Fandom wikis!! One thousand blessings upon everyone who maintains fandom wikis, oh my god.

Some suggestions:

Transcribe episodes for film/audio canons

Podfic! We can always use more podfic, and most people's phones have a voice recorder.

Create bingo sheets (e.g. make a fanwork with five or more of these tropes for a bingo; read/reblog fanworks in five or more of these categories for a bingo)

Be a Your Blorbo expert consultant! If I'm writing about a character I don't have strong feelings about, but I know one of my friends is constantly reblogging and posting about them, even if it's all silly memes and "character <3"-type posting, I'll sometimes reach out to them for advice on if I'm getting Their Blorbo right. It's absolutely invaluable and I appreciate these people so much.

We are all just enthusiastic nerds on the internet. You have as much right to share your enthusiasm as anyone. One of the things I love about tumblr as a platform is that you can just start saying whatever about something you like, and you will find other people who like it too.

[mithrel]

Socmed AUs are absolutely still a thing!

Other things you can do:

Add image descriptions to fanart/fanedits

Make crappy stickfigure comics

Share your fiber-arts/cosplays of characters

Record a podfic of one of your favorite fics (with permission!)

Act as a beta reader

Let people bounce ideas off you/offer suggestions

[ao3commentoftheday]

Hi! I have two ao3 accounts, and i was wondering of there was a way to completely move a fic from one to the other without deleting and reposting? I've added the second acc as a co-creator but I cannot remove the first. Is there a solution to this? I would really love to keep all my comments and kudos

I'm afraid you'll need to ask either Support or PAC for help with this one. I don't know why you'd be unable to remove the original account unless:

there's a technical issue occurring for some reason (Support)

your original account is currently suspended (PAC)

you cannot access the original account because you forget your password (Support)

you cannot access the original account because it is not yours (PAC)

I'm assuming it's just a technical issue that Support can help you with, but if it's one of the other things then hopefully you can contact the right team to assist.

Both email forms are linked in the website's footer. Support is linked under Technical Support & Feedback. PAC's is linked under Policy Questions & Abuse Reports

[tavina-writes]

Iirc you have to go to the original account and remove it from that side - you wouldn't be able to remove it from your second account. The option will be at the top when you go in to edit the work as a button that says "remove me as a co-creator"

[ao3commentoftheday]

Thank you for this addition! I hadn't considered that anon didn't realize they need to remove themselves from the original account!

[theweatherinmyhead]

When I did this, the steps were:

1) From the Original Account, add the New Account as co-creator (you did this!)

2) From New Acct, go to Co-Creator Requests and accept the request

3) From Original Acct, go into edit work and choose Remove Me As Co-Creator at the top of the page

This should do it!

The new acct isn’t officially a co-creator until accepting the request, and the original can’t be removed from the work if the new acct isn’t fully a co-creator.

[ao3commentoftheday]

Hi! Do you have any advice for how to deal with negative comments that aren't strictly hate comments? I'm posting a very angsty fic, so i get a lot of playfully angry comments, but this one person is genuinely furious that i had half of the main couple marry someone else during a time loop, and they keep sending comments on the new chapters since then to complain about it. they said that they feel like the fic is pretending to be a ship that it's not, that the main couple is ruined now and they don't see how the story can go forward, etc. For the record i tagged it as a minor relationship since it's just one non-descriptive passage in a story very focused on the main ship, but they said that wasn't enough.

i'm sorry they're not enjoying the story, but i don't really know what to do since no one else seems remotely this angry about it and i've seen the same plot point in similar fics by other people. i haven't replied to any of these comments yet because i was hoping they'd get over it, but they keep sending similar ones. should i try to respond kindly or keep ignoring? i'd feel bad blocking them since they haven't really done anything wrong, but it's kind of ruining my experience of posting this fic.

i apologize for long this got >_< thank you for your time!

Hi anon! Sorry it's been a while since you sent this in. I hope it's not an issue anymore but if it is, I think you just need to block that user.

Blocking them won't stop them from reading your story, but it will block them from commenting on your work.

It's clear that they are having an outsized reaction to what you're writing and it's also clear that they don't have the ability and/or desire to stop reading a story that doesn't appeal to them.

It's not your job to manage the emotional state of someone you don't know. I know that sounds harsh, but in this case I think that's what's going on. They can't control their own emotions about your fic, and nothing you can do can control that reaction for them.

Does it suck that they won't be able to comment on anything else you write? Sure. But they've lost that privilege. At least for the time being. If you decide in 6 months or whatever that they've probably calmed down, you can go back to your preferences page and edit your block list.

Until then, do what you need to do to keep your peace. And to let this person know that they're not behaving well.

What do the rest of you think? Am I being too harsh here? Is there another option you see for this situation?

[askshivanulegacy]

If you want to give them a chance, and you haven't communicated with them yet, then that's what you need to do first.

"It's a shame you're not enjoying my fic! I'm going to continue writing and posting it the way I want. If you don't like it, you're welcome to find something else to read." You can also tell them that the comments are not appropriate to keep posting, they will not result in any changes, and you'd appreciate if they stopped posting because you don't want to read negativity on your fic and you're not looking for critique.

Basically: "Don't like, don't read." One warning, one chance, and if they blow it again then block and don't look back. (This method also means you can block and forget instead of bothering to keep track months later, which is not something most people care to do.)

[hediih]

I would consider saying:

"Thank you for your thoughtful comments. By what you shared, it's apparent you are invested in this story. That is something a writer always hopes for when sharing our creative labor for free. We hope our readers connect in a way with our narratives that makes them think creatively. So good to know you did!

"I embrace the following mantra internally when someone else's story doesn't flow the way I believe would best fit the characters and/or the plot:

"Write the stories I want to read."

"I tell myself this every day actually.

"This fan fic is already conceived, fully outlined, drafted and probably won't satisfy your narrative needs once additional chapters are posted. I do appreciate knowing you have been emotionally impacted though. I want to support you. I hope to read your story someday. Feel free to post your link in a response so I can find it to read and support your future creative writing.

"Thanks again for commenting!"

[ao3commentoftheday]

Hi! Do you have any advice for how to deal with negative comments that aren't strictly hate comments? I'm posting a very angsty fic, so i get a lot of playfully angry comments, but this one person is genuinely furious that i had half of the main couple marry someone else during a time loop, and they keep sending comments on the new chapters since then to complain about it. they said that they feel like the fic is pretending to be a ship that it's not, that the main couple is ruined now and they don't see how the story can go forward, etc. For the record i tagged it as a minor relationship since it's just one non-descriptive passage in a story very focused on the main ship, but they said that wasn't enough.

i'm sorry they're not enjoying the story, but i don't really know what to do since no one else seems remotely this angry about it and i've seen the same plot point in similar fics by other people. i haven't replied to any of these comments yet because i was hoping they'd get over it, but they keep sending similar ones. should i try to respond kindly or keep ignoring? i'd feel bad blocking them since they haven't really done anything wrong, but it's kind of ruining my experience of posting this fic.

i apologize for long this got >_< thank you for your time!

Hi anon! Sorry it's been a while since you sent this in. I hope it's not an issue anymore but if it is, I think you just need to block that user.

Blocking them won't stop them from reading your story, but it will block them from commenting on your work.

It's clear that they are having an outsized reaction to what you're writing and it's also clear that they don't have the ability and/or desire to stop reading a story that doesn't appeal to them.

It's not your job to manage the emotional state of someone you don't know. I know that sounds harsh, but in this case I think that's what's going on. They can't control their own emotions about your fic, and nothing you can do can control that reaction for them.

Does it suck that they won't be able to comment on anything else you write? Sure. But they've lost that privilege. At least for the time being. If you decide in 6 months or whatever that they've probably calmed down, you can go back to your preferences page and edit your block list.

Until then, do what you need to do to keep your peace. And to let this person know that they're not behaving well.

What do the rest of you think? Am I being too harsh here? Is there another option you see for this situation?

[askshivanulegacy]

If you want to give them a chance, and you haven't communicated with them yet, then that's what you need to do first.

"It's a shame you're not enjoying my fic! I'm going to continue writing and posting it the way I want. If you don't like it, you're welcome to find something else to read." You can also tell them that the comments are not appropriate to keep posting, they will not result in any changes, and you'd appreciate if they stopped posting because you don't want to read negativity on your fic and you're not looking for critique.

Basically: "Don't like, don't read." One warning, one chance, and if they blow it again then block and don't look back. (This method also means you can block and forget instead of bothering to keep track months later, which is not something most people care to do.)

[yourwakingnightmares]

You've got three options really, depending on your personality and how you approach things.

And probably the simplest... Delete, block, move on. You can delete comments, block the user, and blissfully continue to post whatever the hell you want, secure in the knowledge that you don't have to interact with them.

My personal favorite: respond back, telling them exactly where they can shove their attitude, exactly where they can go with it, in a polite manner, while dropping small crumbs of why you're entitled to do whatever you want with your fic, while subtly nudging them to acknowledge they're the asshole in this situation.

Ignore them completely and totally; wait until this person with no life gets so frothing mad at being ignored that they start making threats, or leaving reportable comments. Then happily report them to AO3, get them banned, and move on with your life, secure in the knowledge that you won.

[ao3commentoftheday]

Apparently it's aromantic visibility day today (June 5th)

so uh hi? I'm aromantic.

Can you see me now?

[ao3commentoftheday]

Hi! Do you have any advice for how to deal with negative comments that aren't strictly hate comments? I'm posting a very angsty fic, so i get a lot of playfully angry comments, but this one person is genuinely furious that i had half of the main couple marry someone else during a time loop, and they keep sending comments on the new chapters since then to complain about it. they said that they feel like the fic is pretending to be a ship that it's not, that the main couple is ruined now and they don't see how the story can go forward, etc. For the record i tagged it as a minor relationship since it's just one non-descriptive passage in a story very focused on the main ship, but they said that wasn't enough.

i'm sorry they're not enjoying the story, but i don't really know what to do since no one else seems remotely this angry about it and i've seen the same plot point in similar fics by other people. i haven't replied to any of these comments yet because i was hoping they'd get over it, but they keep sending similar ones. should i try to respond kindly or keep ignoring? i'd feel bad blocking them since they haven't really done anything wrong, but it's kind of ruining my experience of posting this fic.

i apologize for long this got >_< thank you for your time!

Hi anon! Sorry it's been a while since you sent this in. I hope it's not an issue anymore but if it is, I think you just need to block that user.

Blocking them won't stop them from reading your story, but it will block them from commenting on your work.

It's clear that they are having an outsized reaction to what you're writing and it's also clear that they don't have the ability and/or desire to stop reading a story that doesn't appeal to them.

It's not your job to manage the emotional state of someone you don't know. I know that sounds harsh, but in this case I think that's what's going on. They can't control their own emotions about your fic, and nothing you can do can control that reaction for them.

Does it suck that they won't be able to comment on anything else you write? Sure. But they've lost that privilege. At least for the time being. If you decide in 6 months or whatever that they've probably calmed down, you can go back to your preferences page and edit your block list.

Until then, do what you need to do to keep your peace. And to let this person know that they're not behaving well.

What do the rest of you think? Am I being too harsh here? Is there another option you see for this situation?

[askshivanulegacy]

If you want to give them a chance, and you haven't communicated with them yet, then that's what you need to do first.

"It's a shame you're not enjoying my fic! I'm going to continue writing and posting it the way I want. If you don't like it, you're welcome to find something else to read." You can also tell them that the comments are not appropriate to keep posting, they will not result in any changes, and you'd appreciate if they stopped posting because you don't want to read negativity on your fic and you're not looking for critique.

Basically: "Don't like, don't read." One warning, one chance, and if they blow it again then block and don't look back. (This method also means you can block and forget instead of bothering to keep track months later, which is not something most people care to do.)

[ao3commentoftheday]

should i tag/mention somewhere that a fic is abandoned if i never plan on finishing it? i wrote it for a fest, and that fest was the last thing i participated in before i left that fandom. it's only the first chapter and i never started writing the second one. it's been over a year by now, and i don't think i'll ever finish it. should i say it's abandoned, or should i leave the door open just in case?

In a case like this, it's important to remember you can always edit a fic - unless you orphan it.

I recommend adding ABANDONED to the fic summary and/or tags so that anyone who comes across it will know that it's not updating. I've heard from readers, however, that they would appreciate you not tagging it as complete unless it actually is.

If you ever decide to go back to it, just remove that word from the summary and/or that tag from the fic and pick it back up where you left off. I've done it. It's not a problem.

In the meantime, though, it'll be off your plate and not something you'll need to keep thinking about.

[hotairballoongal]

Yes, update the tags AND summary. Let people see up front that they shouldn't expect more. And put it in both in case someone just skims one.

Personally I don't like when authors add a chapter to a work (especially if it's not actively being updated anyway) to say they aren't updating. If I'm subscribed, I've either forgotten about it or I'll get really excited that a long awaited fic finally updated, only to be disappointed when it didn't actually. Or if it's a tag I'm browsing, I'll be like cool this just updated, so it's an actively updating fic. And then I'll get to the last chapter and it's saying how they are officially abandoning it. Then I am sad. Use the tags and summary.