I've been running into a lot of fanfictions on here that are clearly ai generated, and I just want to let you know if you use ai to write fanfiction you are genuinely the most spineless sad sack of flesh to ever grace this earth.
No- I am not talking about writing styles- I am talking about when you literally forget to delete the part asking the ai to make your paragraph longer. I thought the entire point of fanfiction was to write something for the sake of writing something for fun!!! If it's not fun, don't fucking make ai do it for you, just leave it to someone who actually wants to write about it! My god is it that fucking hard people???
Dear people who think that using AI/Artificial Inteligence to produce soulless fanfiction that no one is ever going to truly connect with, care about, or even remember in a couple of weeks for the sake of getting clout in fandom spaces is worth causing irreperable damage to the environment,
Please, please for the sake of all that is good in the world, get the fuck off the internet.
Here is a helpful article on how to use a site skin on AO3 to hide or warn for works that include tags about AI (except for ones that are saying they've used a spell checker or grammar checker). A friend in my Starsky and Hutch fandom found this after a group discussion we had about AI generated stories. The instructions are easy to follow and it works just fine.
a not so small guide on how to use my "yuu's AI Warner" and "yuu's AI Hider" skins on ArchiveOfOurOwn so you can avoid anything related t...
Cue another obligatory vent post about the ever-increasing number of AO3 users posting undisclosed GenAI fic in the Joshler tag.
It used to be only a handful of people. Now, there are so many, and most people seem oblivious to it. A friendly reminder to keep an eye out for these hallmarks (with the typical disclaimer that these signs are non-conclusive and shouldn’t be seen as “gotchas” in isolation):
• The “X, but Y” Construction: E.g., “it wasn’t fear, but something darker”. “He wasn’t X; he was Y”. Genuinely, this is the most overused AI-ism.
• Somatic Cliches: Words hanging in the air or space, words or actions “hitting like physical blow/force”, keys opening locks, shivers down spines, breath catching/hitching, needlessly specifying that the heart is in the person’s chest (I.e., “his heart pounded hard in his chest”), releasing breaths they didn’t know they held.
• Economical Movements: What the title says, plus “fluid grace”, “unnatural stillness”, “pregnant pauses”, overuse of the word “diligent”, “like he owned the place” (and other variations).
• Cosmic Melodrama: The world narrowing, tilting, shattering, falling away. Time hanging.
• Overuse of “As if/As Though”: Rampant overuse of similes, especially if they’re unoriginal.
• Excessive Filter Words: “He felt”, “he noticed”, “he was aware of”. Heavy tell-don’t-show and pacing issues.
• Predatory Trope: “He offered a predatory smirk”, circling, dark hunger, primal growls, stalking, describing eyes as darkening, weirdly misplaced caveman speak. Repetitive depictions of dominance that feel wholly OOC and trope-y.
• Over-explained Voices: Voices described as “things”. Specifying voice/tone almost every time somebody talks. Tying into the last point, “he released a low, guttural growl”.
• Participle Cascades: E.g., “He stood there, looking at him, waiting for a sign.” Double or triple stacked adjectives are also super common, e.g., “he slowly, deliberately X”.
There’s plenty of other AI-isms out there, but yeah—try to show more love in the comments for human authors, because this is frankly exhausting.
Next person to post undisclosed GenAI FanFic in the Joshler tag gets a one way ticket to The Bad Place. What was once a small handful of users has multiplied exponentially, and frankly? It’s depressing. Listen to Kitchen Sink or something. I’m sick of seeing AI slop drown out human authors on a near daily basis.
accusing someone of using ai in their works to the point they have to literally clarify theyve been writing since january because theyre hyperfixated and havent been able to find a job these past few months (hence the reason why they have so much time) is insane. maybe ask the author respectfully before jumping into conclusions and shitting on their works for absolutely no reason and with no proof.
Lmfao I’m guilty of half of these ‘crimes’ you mentioned on your AI post and the last time I checked I’m not a robot. Don’t start an unnecessary witch hunt on people writing for fun, are you kidding me?
We’re having fun writing about two men from Ohio and you’re sending people to scrutinize work and for what. It’s not fucking serious.
While I appreciate the dramatic hyperbole, Miranda, you might want to start by actually reading what I wrote.
Omg about the ai fics i didnt realize that a few of these acc were using ai and it made me feel really inadequate as an author for not being able to post or write as much as them and then i read one and i was like hey wait a minute this doesnt seem right. Then it all clicked and i got really mad
Write your own shit. If english isnt your first language or you're bad at grammar then... imrove. You wont get better at it using ai.
I don't understand people who forego the process of creating and growing.
Genuinely! This was my exact thought process. There was a time when it didn't even occur to me that people would post AI fic. After all, FanFic is inherently transformative. The ability to share your scenarios and communally engage in ideas is part of what makes fanwork so great.
Then this author, doing a daily posting challenge, dropped a bombshell in their Author's Notes. They'd been using AI to "help" because English isn't their first language... which felt like a betrayal since English is not my first language either. It was so frustrating. Beta readers exist! Fandom is a community, and people will have your back if you simply reach out and ask if somebody more experienced in English will read your work before you post it.
I use your ask to post a list of things to look out for. None of these should be treated as a "gotcha" since LLMs are trained by scraping real people's writing. However, since LLMs are calculation models, they use predictive wording and structure, and it's possible to clue into something being AI-written.
[Edit for the people with no reading comprehension: "things to look out for" =/= "here is irrefutable evidence of AI usage!". I'm talking about LLM generation patterns.]
1. Overuse of Similes
Almost every author will use similes. However, AI over-relies on them and typically uses them every other sentence. You will see many of the same similes word-for-word repeated across AI-written fics.
“He walked in like he owned the place.”
“His voice cracked like glass under pressure.”
“The silence was heavy, like a wet blanket.”
“The anger surged through him like a tidal wave.”
2. Overly Formal Dialogue
Some AUs make this type of wording far more fitting. However, both Tyler and Josh speak in an informal Americanized way, using conjunctions and filler words (uh, like, you know).
“I am not sure what you mean by that, but I would appreciate some clarification,” he said.
Instead of the more natural: “The heck are you talking about?”
3. Dramatic Em-Dash Constructions
I love a good em-dash and hate how AI uses them too. Many good writers use em-dashes since they convey information differently from semicolons. But LLMs attempt to mimic emotional fragmentation in a way that's supposed to create emphasis, but often comes across as unnecessary.
“He was trying—trying—to make things right.”
“He couldn’t breathe—no, wouldn’t breathe—until he knew Josh was okay.”
“It was over—everything they’d fought for—gone.”
4. Generic Reactions
Again, since LLMs scrape data from human-written FanFic, they emulate common reactions that real people use. However, like with similes, they tend to overuse them in ways that don't always fit the context.
He let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding.
His heart beat hard in his chest.
His jaw clenched.
A shiver ran down his spine.
5. Repetitive Sentence Structures
Writing is like music. You have cadence and flow. But AI relies heavily on a certain sentence rhythm, like "[Character] did [action], [adverb/adjective] doing [something else]." Also, the overuse of "something" and stilted one-sentence lines, and having one-line paragraphs.
Tyler turned away, shoulders trembling, his breath hitching in his throat. He followed, footsteps echoing, his heart pounding like a war drum.
Something about the day felt different. Promising. Not just another cycle of practices and performance but a branching path leading somewhere else. Somewhere new. Something… exciting.
But no. Not yet. Not now.
6. Emotional Beats that Don't Land
AI likes to insert intense emotional reactions without proper build-up or payoff, creating tonal whiplash.
Josh glanced at him—and suddenly, his soul shattered into a thousand pieces of longing.
7. Stacked Descriptions
I keep emphasising this, but plenty of human authors do this too. Still, AI often layers adjectives and adverbs in a way that reads as cluttered and devoid of subtlety. It should not be seen as an indicator of LLM usage by itself.
His dark, glistening hazel eyes pierced through the dim, hazy light of the cramped, dust-choked room.
My final note is that none of these should be taken as irrefutable indications of AI use. I do not want to engender hostility. However, as somebody with access to an AI detector that's used in academic fields, I can assure you... There are authors in the tag who are posting heavily AI-written fics. Many of them are doing it in a disingenuous/deceptive manner, too. I do ask you, however, not to harass any person who might be using AI! It is far more effective to simply not engage with their work.
As always, please feel free to vent in my inbox. I like to know I am not alone in my frustration.
Please tell me I’m not the only one super frustrated by the amount of AI generated FanFic in the Joshler tag on AO3? In particular, there’s this one user who posts a crap load—we’re talking near-daily updates of multiple fics—and it’s like… dude, you’re not slick. No human author could keep up with that output, and my accusation isn’t baseless—I’ve run their stuff through an AI checker that is approved for use in my academic field, and it always comes back with heavy GPT generation scores. They’re not the only one, either, and many of these fics have a lot of comments and are actively drowning out the real authors.
I want to read the latest chapter of human-written masterpieces such as “drain my dirty blood” or “strangers”, not plagiarism machine concoctions. I hate how these generated fics make me feel self-conscious about my own use of em-dashes, too. They all have the same cadence. Death of originality.
Idk, I hate 2025 and I need to know I’m not the only one annoyed by these people who are pretending to write their own content while using LLMs that steal from fanworks. Please vent in my direction (I have anon asks open) because I feel like I’m going stir-crazy.
PSA - This Etsy store is stealing artists’ free brushes for profit
There is a shop on Etsy called SammyArtsStudio who is taking people’s free brushes and resources, selling them for roughly AU$13.01 a pop. She has stolen the free work of amazing artists such as Devin Elle Kurtz and Attki, both of whom generously provide free brushes that are being misused for monetary gain.
According to her page, she has made 4,722 sales with 800+ reviews, most of which are five-star. Assuming all of those listings are AU$13.01, that's AU$61,386 or US$41,282 of profit. She is a five-star "star seller", meaning that her work is prioritised in the search engine.
This isn’t intended to be a call out post; it’s more of a heads up to people who create free brushsets. Only the creator of the brushes can submit an Intellectual property infringement form to stop this person from commercially benefiting from your work. Sadly, Etsy is very lax about art theft, so this is the only way to stop it. It’s apparent by the glowing reviews that thousands of well-meaning people are falling victim to this misappropriation. Please refer to Etsy’s IP Policy here.
Below is proof of content being stolen, including screenshots.
Support the original artist and get their brushes here. Find the Youtube video shown above here.
The seller even posted a video of them “showing how to use the brushes”, which features even more proof of stolen brush usage. Get the original brushes here!
tl;dr if you make Procreate brushes, I recommend checking this Etsy to make sure that your IP isn’t being infringed upon and commercialised without your consent. She has 149 listings on Etsy. I am very appreciative of people who provide free brushes, and I’d hate to see your work being fraudulently misused.
There is a shop on Etsy called SammyArtsStudio who is taking people’s free brushes and resources, selling them for roughly AU$13.01 a pop. She has stolen the free work of amazing artists such as Devin Elle Kurtz and Attki, both of whom generously provide free brushes that are being misused for monetary gain.
According to her page, she has made 4,722 sales with 800+ reviews, most of which are five-star. Assuming all of those listings are AU$13.01, that's AU$61,386 or US$41,282 of profit. She is a five-star "star seller", meaning that her work is prioritised in the search engine.
This isn’t intended to be a call out post; it’s more of a heads up to people who create free brushsets. Only the creator of the brushes can submit an Intellectual property infringement form to stop this person from commercially benefiting from your work. Sadly, Etsy is very lax about art theft, so this is the only way to stop it. It’s apparent by the glowing reviews that thousands of well-meaning people are falling victim to this misappropriation. Please refer to Etsy’s IP Policy here.
Below is proof of content being stolen, including screenshots.
Support the original artist and get their brushes here. Find the Youtube video shown above here.
The seller even posted a video of them “showing how to use the brushes”, which features even more proof of stolen brush usage. Get the original brushes here!
tl;dr if you make Procreate brushes, I recommend checking this Etsy to make sure that your IP isn’t being infringed upon and commercialised without your consent. She has 149 listings on Etsy. I am very appreciative of people who provide free brushes, and I’d hate to see your work being fraudulently misused.
