hi!!!! my name is eireval (eire or ei for short) I go by he/they/she pronouns.
i am a writer on ao3, and ao3 only. please tell me if someone is exporting, stealing, or posting my fics anywhere else because i will only ever post on ao3, and maybe a short summary on tumblr here and there.
rules for requesting!
-Must be in my fandom list
—Dispatch
—MCU (Marvel fics will be a mix of movies and comics)
—DCU (same rules as Marvel)
—Invincible (Show Centered)
—Percy Jackson (I’ve read PJO and HoO)
—Supernatural (I don’t really want to write this as much as the others, but feel free to request it)
—More to come!
-I WILL NOT WRITE:
—Dark Fics
—Reader as a Character
—OC’s (Reader Inserts will only be addressed by a certain nickname or [name]. GN unless stated otherwise.)
—Smut centered fics (on occasion)
—Certain Kinks (Rape/Non-con, Necrophilia, Fauxcest, Stepcest, Incest, Underage Sex, Pedophilia, Ageplay (not nsfw or not), DBF, Etc.)((THIS IS CRUCIAL!!!! YOU WILL BE BLOCKED IF YOU REQUEST ANYTHING OF THE SORT!!!))
URGENT NOTICE TO ALL FELLOW WRITERS ON TUMBLR!! REBLOG THE HECK OUT OF THIS AND TAG EVERY WRITER YOU KNOW TO SPREAD THE WORD!! 😬
WE NEED TO RIOT AGAINST THIS AT ONCE!
I just wanted to take a second to warn you all about a new Tumblr feature that appears to have just rolled out. I have confirmed with SEVERAL other writers already that it's not just me who's experiencing it, and I don't want you to accidentally fall into the same trap.
I did a screen recording to show the dilemma, and an explanation is written below.
Basically, I'm used to being able to quickly edit my drafts and just hit "save", and it would save it and still keep it in my drafts. Easy peasy.
But NOW, for some reason whenever you hit the "edit" button for a draft, it automatically selects "POST NOW" option???? And you have to MANUALLY switch it back to "save to drafts" EVERY SINGLE TIME you edit it if you don't want it immediately posted??
I have fallen for this stupid thing TWICE already because of muscle memory of 2 years of just hitting "save" whenever I worked more on a draft. But now I have had to delete the posted part and repost twice because I wasn't finished with it and didn't want my followers to read the unfinished scene.
So, whenever you edit posts in draft, make sure to select "save to drafts" EVERY time or else you'll be accidentally posting your unfinished work every time 😭😭
REBLOG ABSOLUTELY EVERYWHERE TO SAVE ALL THE WRITERS OUT THERE BRAIN DAMAGE!!!
Sooooooo many people are going to be finding out about this the hard way 😭😭😭 I encourage everyone who sees this post to send complaints through feedback tickets over at Tumblr Support, and also on Bluesky, if possible. Maybe if enough people push back on this they'll change it.
Let's have a talk about all the damn spambots and scams on AO3 shall we?
This isn't a complaint against AO3 - the archive volunteers are fantastic for helping work these things out. It's a warning and reassurance to other writers, and a reminder for readers whilst we're here. Lets take a look!
Details below the cut
There are several different kinds of spam and scam messages going around. Some are there to scare you, some are there to try and get you to pay them for something, some are just pure malicious hate.
They are more common from Guest accounts, but can come from registered accounts too.
Here's one from a guest, one of the most recent kinds, that threatens legal action against the author.
To be clear, you cannot be charged with a crime over writing fiction, or a lot of famous and beloved authors (eg, George RR Martin) would have been charged.
EDITING TO ADD There may be some places in the world where writers can be charged over some fictional content, so it is good to know your local laws and keep personally identifying information off your AO3. However, these comments here are still bots, not genuine threats to worry about.
They've also been seen on SFW Gen fluff fics with only cute and fluffy tags, which would not be a crime in any area.
Again, the work this comment is on is not a crime. Here's the work it's on, but I've seen this reported on things that have absolutely no sexual content or otherwise.
(Image contains NSFW Tags in the text)
If someone were to report this, it would take resources away from actual crimes, causing harm to real victims.
Other comments might talk about being "inspired to turn [your] work into a comic" or encourage you to contact them on another site.
These ones are trying to get you to pay them for something, and will scam you or not deliver or serve you AI slop. Which, fuck that. And this one was registered.
Key signs of a BS profile:
- Name is name_name[number] format
- No works, no bookmarks, absolutely nothing on the profile
- Very vague, talks about being a visual storyteller and/or bringing imagination to life
- Linked account names may not match
- Account is very new
Here's another one, disguising the word "Discord" to avoid filters.
To be clear even if this was genuine, it is not permitted to advertise for paid work on AO3. It's against their TOS.
And again you can see no actual comment about the work itself.
There are other kinds of comment bots too. Some will have weirdly phrased details from the fic that are very general, like someone fed the piece to AI and asked it to create a comment or summary (which they most likely did) to try and trick you into thinking it's genuine.
Unfortunately not.
I've even seen some trying to stir up arguments like demanding an author change details about the fic claiming it's transphobic/homophobic/anti-immigration etc.
I once had one like this accusing me, and asexual, of being acephobic from a guest account copying the name of a regular commenter.
So there are lots of them out there. I see new ones every week on my works or reported from other writers.
But now the important bit:
What can we do about these bots?
Given how some are registered, locking fics so guests can't read/comment won't work any more. But you have options!
First, REPORT!
As you can see on one of my threads before there was a button for "spam". What if you already accepted the comment or replied or don't have comment moderation turned on?
In the email, click "go to comment thread page" and hit report at the bottom of the page here.
Keep your report concise and include spam or scam bot in the title, like this!
If you went from the comment thread page from above, the link will automatically be filled in for you. Just let the volunteers know what you're reporting and they'll handle it when able.
Having comment moderation turned on can also be peace of mind. It might mean having to manually approve all comments before they appear on your work, but it also means you can report these scam/spam/bot comments without them showing up on your work.
You deserve better.
"But Lia, what if I'm a reader, not a writer? How can I help?"
You, dear readers, have the most powerful skill of all - you can leave genuine comments. Even if it's just some emojis or a keysmash or some small but real comment on the work, to show authors they're still seen and appreciated.
Even better if you quote a line you really enjoyed, or say something specific about the work, but literally any comment could be a sorely needed boost for a struggling writer who has only had bot comments. I've seen new writers feeling so discouraged from all these and that's heartbreaking.
"What do these hate bots want? I know scammers want money but the hate makes no sense!"
The leading theory is they're trying to scare people off the site, stop them writing, and somehow weaken the archive because they don't like that it hosts works of all kinds.
Really, nobody knows for sure
There are likely only going to be more. It sucks, but I want you to know those signs to look out for to protect yourselves and others, and to report to help AO3 find ways to combat these annoying and pointless posts
Share this around, add your experience or anything I missed, but most of all:
Don't let it discourage you.
Keep writing, keep reading & commenting, keep enjoying this wonderful creative hobby we all love so much!
Tell YOUR stories in your ways with the characters and worlds you fell in love with so much you just had to write about them.
We have the real power here.
ADDITIONAL NOTE: I did not cover up the names of any users here.
They intended these to be public comments on public works.
HOWEVER please do NOT seek out or harass anyone shown here. Some may be cloned from genuine people, but either way contacting them will not achieve anything productive.
PSA: AO3 Bots Are Getting Worse (And Here's What You Need To Know)
Alright so if you're active on AO3, you've probably heard about the bot problem. It's been going on for years but it's gotten way worse lately, so here's a breakdown of what's happening and how to protect yourself.
What Are AO3 Bots?
Basically spam accounts that leave comments on fics. They're automated and they've been plaguing the site since like 2021, but they keep getting more sophisticated.
Types of Bots You Might See:
Praise Bots - These leave super generic compliments that could apply to literally any fic. Stuff like "This is pure genius, I'm in awe of your world-building" or "This deserves all recognition." The dead giveaway is when someone praises your "heartwarming" fic when everyone literally died and the earth shattered around them lmao.
Hateful/Cruel Bots - These are the really fucked up ones. They scrape REAL AO3 usernames and attach them to horrible, cruel comments. So innocent people get their names attached to hateful shit they never said. If you see a mean comment, check if the username is clickable - if it's not linked to an actual profile, it's a bot.
Kudos Bots - Some authors have woken up to like 30-60 fake kudos dumped on their fics all at once, with no corresponding increase in hit counts. This completely destroys the metric system especially in smaller fandoms.
AI Accusation Bots - These accuse authors of using ChatGPT or other AI tools, sometimes on fics that are literally older than the AI programs they're being accused of using. Some link to "AI detection tools" which are likely just trying to get you to feed more fics into AI training databases.
Misinformation Bots - A newer type that showed up in May 2025 claiming AO3 was removing works to "conserve server space" and telling authors to delete their own work or risk being banned. Complete bullshit - AO3 has never done this and never will.
Mary Sue Bots - Accuse your OCs of being Mary Sues, even when your fic only has canon characters and no self-inserts at all.
Art Commission Scam Bots - Leave praise then offer to make comic/art commissions of your fic. They get you off-site to Discord or Instagram, take your payment, then either send AI-generated garbage or ghost you completely.
How Do They Work?
The bots comment as unregistered guests and scrape real AO3 usernames to attach to their comments. The username shows up but isn't clickable and has no actual profile associated with it (unless you search for that name directly, which makes it look legit at first).
The newer ones are getting smarter too - they scrape your fic's tags and use them to make the generic praise seem more personalized. So if you tagged "angst" they'll specifically mention emotions and tension.
How To Spot Them:
Username isn't clickable/has no profile
Generic praise that could apply to any fic
Comments that make zero sense for what actually happened in your story
Multiple comments hitting your fics really fast (like 7 comments timestamped over 9 hours)
Sudden spike in kudos with no matching increase in hits
Anyone trying to get you off-site for commissions or services
The Emotional Impact:
This shit genuinely hurts authors. Some don't realize they're bots at first and think the hate comments or AI accusations are real criticism of their writing. There's also concerns from neurodivergent and ESL authors who worry their real comments will be mistaken for bots because their writing style might seem stilted.
And if your username gets stolen? You might have to track down authors and explain that hateful comment wasn't actually you.
What You Can Do:
As an author:
Delete bot comments as soon as you spot them
If it gets bad, lock your comments to registered users only (Settings → Privacy → "Only show your work to registered users")
Report the comments if you can
As a reader/commenter:
Don't panic if your username got stolen - reach out to the author and explain it wasn't you
Keep leaving real comments! Authors need to know there are real people who love their work
Maybe make your comments a bit more specific/personal so authors know you're real
Everyone:
Spread awareness so people know what to look for
Don't feed fics into "AI detection tools" that bots link to
Why Are They Doing This?
Honestly? Probably to keep AI brands in the "fandom news" cycle and create controversy. Some are straight-up scams. Either way, they suck.
Stay safe out there and keep supporting your favorite authors with real comments. We need that genuine engagement now more than ever. 💜
Tagging all my mutuals @ruinationz and @turbotasticnumberone and @cartoon-cat7241 and @cru5h-cascades and @seleyaaaa and @mono-squamblo and @strayfelinez and @strangelilangel and @yukihirop and @rivertheemoo and @meatmedallion and @drownedsilverforever and @senpaipaws and @cartoonlover999 and @byronicmoron and @resolutelymadvermin and @wanka-wanky and @looksmokin and @justwatchedsometv and @oakwoodvida and @human-n0-l0ng3r and @glooberousgoon and @goddess-of-lov3 and @lucifersdog-luci and @casethecreep and @aoihibiki247 and and @klyju and @fleshistic and @golshi-sweetheart and @femmesagemoon222 and @4ggravatez and @resonanthideoutruin and @saddmyths and @homestuckyaoi413 and @blueloky and @divine-vxnity and @ace-productions7 and @fiberopticemoweeb666 and @cryptedlullaby and @3veryth1ngstays and @blossomletters and @alpheiaa and @juniizhq and @sapphicavocado and @bloodybigirl and @yanderehiro and @dnplicoricenutttt and @russkiy-american-dreams and @2catnip4me and @miracle-winkel and @mickyx-x and @biblicallyunhingedtheo and @the-only-good-ai and @prettirei and @unhinged-pink-espresso and @patchofglass
I'm not sure if I seen any posts going around discussing the recent VERY DETAILED (and honestly kind of poetic in how vitriolic they are) AI generated spambots on AO3.
I feel like I just need to spread the word, because these guys are NASTY. But they aren't real! You can tell that by the fact that they don't mention a fandom, a character, or anything even remotely about the fic itself.
Just wanted to put it out there in case anyone gets one of these and it crushes them. Never stop writing. Writing and story telling is one of the oldest ways of connecting with other humans. It's a gift to this world. Keep writing!!!
Twice now. Twice I got spam bot comments on Ao3. Not accusing me of being a AI user or a bad writter. No, no, no. Worse. Accusing me of being a r@pist and a pedØ! What the hell? And they left those comments on a AI Song work, NOT on a fanfic.
Never beleive them and mark them as "spam".
TEXT FORM
"It is rare to come across something so fundamentally broken and terrible that it makes you question the state of the entire internet. This fic is a fucking disaster from start to finish, filled with the kind of sloppy, nonsensical prose that only a truly disturbed mind could find acceptable. I was so unsettled by the themes that I decided to do some digging on social media to see who was behind the screen. What I discovered is absolutely sickening. You aren't just a bad writer; you are a documented sex offender and a pedophile rapist. It’s fucking terrifying that someone with your history is allowed to post here and interact with people. I’ve made sure to link your profile to the master list of sex offenders on social media so that everyone is warned about the monster behind these words. You think you can hide behind a screen name, but the truth is out there now. No one is going to fall for your bullshit anymore, and the fact that you’re trying to normalize your disgusting crimes through this fic is beyond redemption. Get the fuck out of this community before things get even worse for you."
