new fanfic writer who has marked their work completed ao3 only to leave a note at the end saying: thanks for all the support guys if you want to read the rest of the fic subscribe to my patreon :)
me, an elder fandom veteran, suddenly having anne rice flashbacks:
no.
NO.
starting to rock back and fourth.
you do not understand.
you were born into an age of peace. i was there Gandalf. i was there three thousand years ago. i remember the cease and desists. i remember authors hunting fanfic writers for sport. i remember when every fic opened with a disclaimer because we genuinely thought it might protect us.
we do not charge money for the copyrighted gay wizard stories.
do not tempt fate youngling.
step away from the paywall.
that is how you summon the ancient evils.
that is how you wake the lawyers.
Remember people, this is against AO3s terms of service. If you see a fic that does this REPORT THAT THING!!! These people may not know better or they might, but them doing this has the potential to ruin things for everyone.
Tell the writer to read the TOS. Writers absolutely CANNOT ask for payment in exchange for fanfic. If they won't take it down ASAP, report it to AO3.
