~ Think about it ~

[nekoqueenalice]

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

[curiouspupsicle]

I'd also add, resist the AI bubble that companies are forcing on us. Don't use generative AI to make cute cat pictures. Actually click on a website written by humans, instead of relying on the AI summary at the top. Turn off AI features on apps you use. It's bigger than AO3. Tech companies are trying to convince us that we need shitty AI to do things it's not actually capable of doing. The AO3 scams are one part of an entire scammy infrastructure.

[kedreeva]

I know that it sucks, but you can mitigate this to some degree by switching your fics to "registered users only." Yes it will cut your audience to some degree, but it will also cut down bots- because registration isn't instant, and you can report registered accounts so AO3 can take care of it.

[kalyana21]

Pls help me find a fic -Swanqueen

What I remenber is that Regina was telling Emma that she is pregnant but Emma doesnt believe her. Emma react badly. Also Henry was super annoying, a brat.

So Regina left the town and goes to Europe (i think london or Paris) but Zelena help her (she was already in the this world with a husband). Cora was there too, telling her that she had change.

Katherine also left town, a few weeks or months after Regina.

Emma wants Regina back, and found her. She is also present when Regina give birth to the baby

But I never finish it, and i dont remember the name. So please help me.

English is not my first language so sorry if this doesnt make sense.

[taikeero-lecoredier]

RED ALERT FOR THE INTERNET: KOSA AND EARN IT ACT ARE RETURNING(2023)

These twos bills are very bad for the future of the Internet. Like..Very bad.

In a nutshell, KOSA would allow states to sue any websites that host content deemed “harmful” to minors. With such a vague wording, its expected that any nsfw or lgbt content will immediately be taken down.

Plus, it will be made mandatory to use IDs to confirm your age when going online, to so called “protect kids” but all that will cause is a huge potential data breach.

As for the Earn It Act bill, it would allow the governement to spy and filter out antyhing they dont like in private dms for any users,as well as blowing a hole into Section 230 : The thing that prevent websites from being directly liable in case a user post something illegal,instead of the user being punished directly.

I also made comics about these in the past, while the “contact your senators” bits may be outdated, I heavily encourage you to spread the word about this, as the linktrees are very interesting and useful still, especially call script wise.

KOSA Comic here

Earn It Act comic here

PLEASE REBLOG !

ALSO IF YOU WANNA HELP DO JOIN OUR DISCORD SERVER AGAINST THESE BILLS

Join the Stop Internet Censorship Discord Server!

Check out the Stop Internet Censorship community on Discord - hang out with 297 other members and enjoy free voice and text chat.

[fullhalalalchemist]

internet censorship bill about to pass congress:

ao3 is facing a ddos attack from an overseas right-wing anonymous group because it contains "degeneracy and disgusting things like LGBT and NSFW".

they're not the only right-wing group that is attacking fanfiction sites because of queer & nsfw content. the Heritage foundation, the US right wing think tank that writes laws for republicans, wrote an article about how "big tech turns kids trans" in which they're advocating for the Kid's Online Safety Act to pass because it will give state attorney generals power to sue websites for "potentially harmful content towards minors". in this article they point out websites like wattpad, tumblr, tiktok, twitter as sites that GOP attorney generals can and will target for censorship if this bill passes. all places where fandom, that's mostly queer, hangs out.

if you think this bill has no chance of passing because of all the red flags it poses, think again. it currently has 38 cosponsors in the senate, and is being pushed by the democrats as a "protecting the children!!" type bill.

there are left-aligned orgs in congress rn lobbying for this bill to pass. july is extremely decisive, because if KOSA goes through to markup it'll be bundled with the Earn It act, Restrict, and all the other bad internet bills and passed as a package, completely censoring the internet forever.

if you want to learn more about the bill, go here. also sign the open letter against it here

it's ESSENTIAL that you call your members of congress, specifically Maria Cantwell (you can call from out of state) and tell them DO NOT PASS KOSA. this site here connects you to your members of congress and gives you a short simple script to read off of! super easy and doesn't take much out of your day! please do this now!!

Bad Internet Bills

All of the bad internet bills. One website.

[doodlemancy]

it’s time to yell at Discord before they help destroy the planet

Discord’s CEO is on twitter hinting about their apparent future involvement with NFTs/crypto.

In case you aren’t already aware, cryptocurrency is digital currency that sucks because it consumes an absurd amount of energy and computer parts, and NFTs are a way of creating false scarcity for digital items, which are bought and sold with crypto currency, and also suck. Here is an article about why that shit sucks. The article has additional information. Here is a twitter account that also documents NFT thefts & scams (NFTs are often stolen art sold without permission).

HERE IS WHAT YOU SHOULD DO ASAP:

1. CANCEL NITRO. Don’t wait around for them to reverse course or apologize. Cancel it now, choose “other” when it asks why you’re canceling and write in your answer. They need to see the financial backlash right now. You can always re-sub if they backpedal, but right now they need the impetus to do the backpedaling.

2. GO HERE to their feedback forum. make a thread and tell them you cancelled nitro and don’t want them involved with crypto garbage. contribute to other threads if you see one that piques your interest. EXTRA CREDIT: downvote this thread, boo them, downvote the crypto dingdongs in the comments.

3. If you have twitter, tweet at them. tweet at @discord and reply to Jason’s tweet with whatever dunking and booing you feel like.

4. PASS IT AROUND. Tell your friends with nitro. Tell your favorite group chats and servers. Encourage them to do the same.

This is one of those situations where we need massive and decisive backlash RIGHT NOW to nip it in the bud. Your input really does matter right now. Shouting down shit like this has gotten even companies like Patreon to reverse course on bad decisions. Even the stupidest tech bros do respond to enough screaming. So SCREAM. Remind them where their real money comes from, and scare them away from the planet-destroying fake money.

[bloodcountessabendroth-deactiva]

Hi, I'm 25 and debating starting male-to-female HRT. However, I'm scared that HRT won't help me at all. It seems like HRT does so little after puberty, especially by the time one gets in their 20s. I'm really scared that I'll just end up being someone in a male body, but with breasts. Is there anything you can say to someone having this fear? Thank you, and sorry, I suspect this is a silly question.

Actually, the claim that HRT doesn’t do much after puberty is a myth.  I started when I was 31 years old and now I’m 35. =)  

It’s never too late to transition!  

[lady-feral]

Yeah, anon, have you seen my timeline?  I started at 29.

It’s never too late.

[transgirltumbling]

Seriously, I transitioned at 39 and I’m 41 now.  Hormones are magic whatever your age and while some things stay, many things change and it’s been totally worth it for me.

[maikai-hoolilo-deactivated20200]

OMG!!! I love seeing posts like this. The hope it inspires. especially in girls like me, is unprecedented. Thank you!

[antiquityashley]

Hope

[themaddahlia-deactivated2023040]

I felt the same way before I started transitioning and especially because I have a fair masculine build. But you know what I’ve learned from my experience so far? Fuck it! There is always hope and you could end up surprising yourself with the results. 

[djzoetrope-blog]

I think results vary, I don’t see much difference between pre-hrt and 8 years on hrt

[alexfromawen]

Just adding another voice to the barrage: It. Is. Never. Too. Late!

The top two pictures are from 2011, age 32. The bottom three are from this yeah, 2016, age 37, and (almost) 2 years on hrt. Hrt is magic.

Never.

Too late.

[iwant2bshiela-deactivated201610]

REBLOGING!!! Always! Forever!

[the-belfry-doll]

Reblog to help someone find the courage uwu

[alpacajess]

Always reblog

[nonbinary-dysphoria]

Look at these amazing and brave women!!!! A reminder to all my followers, it’s not too late!! You can do it!!!!!

[ewok-brock-blog]

This is what I needed to see in my day ☺️ I’m only 23 but I think about making this change on a daily basis and it’s been 3 years since I’ve been thinking that. Hrt is in my future (:

[misshorrorotaku-deactivated2024]

Look at all these gorgeous women! <3

[cloviepops]

THIS is what i needed to be able to send to my struggling trans friends

[preppyprincess33-deactivated202]

I needed this

[thefingerfuckingfemalefury]

<3 Never too late <3

[piratadelamor]

please help spread the word about the indigenous genocide happening in Brazil TODAY

"Brazilian Supreme Court is about to rule an important decision on Indigenous Lands. Today (July 30th), STF resume the discussion of a lawsuit filed by the state government of Santa Catarina against the Xokleng people, concerning the Ibirama-Laklãnõ Indigenous Land, where Guarani and Kaingang peoples also live. In 2019, the Supreme Court classified the case with the status of “general repercussion”. This means the decision will serve as a guideline for the Brazilian federal government and all judicial instances regarding demarcation procedures. The world must watch this judgment closely. The future of Indigenous Peoples in Brazil depends on it."

"Since June 8, 2021, Indigenous Peoples and Indigenous organizations in Brazil have been in Brasilia, the capital, with the Levante pela Terra (Standing up for the Land) camp, protesting against Bill PL 490, which passed the technical juridical board of the legislative house to be approved on June 24, 2021. Bill PL 490 aims to make the demarcation of Indigenous lands in the country unfeasible and to set the year of the Constitution of 1988 as an arbitrary cut-off date for recognizing Indigenous land rights. If the Bill passes, Indigenous Peoples who were not on their land before 1988, due to various factors including forced removal and lack of legal recognition, would no longer have rights to their traditional territories.

(...)

The Bill opens the gate for development on Indigenous lands, including deforestation for large scale cattle farming, mining leases, the regularization of illegal subdivisions in the territories in favor of land grabbers, and all kinds of large scale infrastructure such as hydroelectric plants, ports, roads, military bases etc. It would legalize operations that greatly impact Indigenous territories without their Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) nor benefit-sharing, and represents a new wave of colonization."

BRAZIL IS AN INDIGENOUS LAND. AND IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN.

THE BILL PL490 IS BEING VOTED TODAY, JUNE 30TH. THE LIVES OF THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLES IN BRAZIL AND THEIR RIGHTS TO THEIR LAND IS IN RISK.

THIS IS AN ATTEMPT TO FINISH WHAT THEY STARTED WHEN THE PORTUGUESE INVADED THESE LANDS IN 1500.

please help raising the hashtags #MarcoTemporalNão and #TerraIndigenaFica in your social media. please talk about this.

also check the ABIP (Articulação dos Povos Indígenas do Brasil) website for more information on the indigenous peoples situation in Brazil. the website is available in english and brazilian portuguese.

FLORESTA DE PÉ, FASCISMO NO CHÃO! FORA BOLSONARO!

[bum-ju]

anyways, japanese imperialism is not a thing of the past and still exists today. japanese propaganda is in the little things, and to end it you have to recognize them. stop glorifying the rising sun flag. pay attention to how japanese media treats its korean characters as opposed to the white ones. be on your guard when anyone or anything implies that japan is in any way superior to other asian countries. above all, listen to and support any poc who has been affected by japanese imperialism.

[bum-ju]

you can reblog this post instead of liking it btw

[ekkosecho]

george floyd is not a martyr. he is not a hero. he didn't sacrifice his life. he was murdered. stop thanking him for bursting your bubble of ignorance. stop talking about his legacy as if he chose to die. stop ignoring that police violence continues to exist and continues to murder people.

remember that black lives matter. all over the world.

[scurviesdisneyblog]

Raya and the Last Dragon concept art by Ami Thompson

[crow-queen-art-deactivated20210]

Please share this!!!!! As you resident vitiligan and fellow artist I am here to educate people on how to properly create a character with vitiligo and other things to keep in mind about the disorder. And don’t forget, this trauma can be purely environmental. Even a small cut or scratch can trigger vitiligo to start appearing.

Only 1% of the entire world’s population has vitiligo but I see so many artists making characters with it when they sometimes don’t even know what vitiligo is and pass it off as “skin pigmentation”. Like— what does that even mean??? XD

It’s not an aesthetic and it won’t get you “diversity points” so stop romanticizing vitiligo!

[dathen]

On twitter I’m seeing dozens of threads from Black activists warning people against burnout, giving all sorts of useful tips about preventing and managing it for the sake of a long-term, sustainable effort.

On tumblr I’m seeing a hell of a lot of young white kids yelling at anyone who actually follows those steps, and acting like burnout is a moral falling rather than a well-proven psychological phenomenon.

Be careful who you get your information from. Don’t let guilt lead you to make choices that will harm both you and the movement.

[nilzhoglander-deactivated202303]

I’m going to reblog this again since I see more individuals are inquiring about burnout prevention tips in the notes and it’s why I sought out this resource. I hope it helps you!

source

[apersnicketylemon]

Burnouts are not only real, but can cause actual physical damage to your cell structure, especially in the brain. This is why they find activists who burn out never return to the cause. It can take months, and sometimes even years to recover from bad burnouts if you do not also have a quality way to help recover from them. 

You MUST take breaks, and let other people take breaks. It’s not weakness, it’s not lack of dedication, it is not selfish, it’s vital and important and a part of maintaining your health. Burnout has real, sometimes permanent consequences and must be taken seriously. 

It can cause and exacerbate anxiety and depression disorders, it lowers your immune system (And we’re in the middle of a pandemic still), and it will permanently alter your ability to be passionate about the thing that caused it (And part of being an activist is passion. That’s what keeps people there).

[imfemalewarrior]

Rest and recovery are just as important, if not moreso, than actually doing whatever you were doing that meant you need rest and recovery. R and R allow you to continue exercising, training, doing activism, the list goes on. 

Needing to rest and recover does not mean you are a bad or lazy person, it means you are a person who needs to take a break. So take the break, it’s far better to be able to continue doing these things long term instead of for a short while and needing to leave for your own health. 

-FemaleWarrior, She/They 

[ierotits]

okay people who have been fighting to unwhitewash the clones, now is your time to help māori!!

What’s happening

- 182.41 hectares of our ancestral land in Wairarapa has come up for sale.

- This whenua backs onto our maunga Tararua, our awa, Waiohine and is near our whānau urupā, Te Uru o Tāneroa.

- The tender price is between $1.2-1.5 million.

- Our whānau are trying to raise money to meet the tender price.

- Our iwi has not settled, so we have no collective financial base.

- Our whānau want to buy back our whenua and establish papakāinga and sustainable business to bring our people home to Wairarapa.

If the tender is unsuccessful they will keep all donations for the next bit of land that comes up

#LandBack Help us buy back our ancestral land in Wairarapa

#LandBack. We have a once in a lifetime opportunity to buy it back and help recreate a hub for our Ngāti Kahukuraawhitia people.

(information has been copied from @/amscraig on twitter, who is a member of the iwi attempting to reclaim their land)

it is so disappointing that this is the only option to reclaim illegally stolen land for the iwi, but the government wont work towards settlement with many iwi so we have no other choice

if you have any money avaliable to donate please do, anything would be appreciated!

[ierotits]

update!! this much has been raised in only a couple of days, keep sharing, we can do this!!!

[eight-immortals]

Chinese knots (中国结)

What Is a Chinese Knot?

A Chinese knot is a knot that is tied and woven from a single length of cord or rope to be a variety of shapes and of varying complexity. Each shape has its own symbolic meaning, and nowadays you can find them as decoration, gifts for special occasions, and adornments on clothes.

Each kind of knot is named after its shape or the symbolic meaning that it carries. Knot weavers can use a variety of colors, but they usually weave deep red ones as in the picture above. The color red signifies good fortune.

Ancient and Modern Use of Artistic Knots

Several styles and colors of Chinese knots

Even today, Chinese knots are rich in symbolic meaning, and they therefore hold sentimental value when given as gifts or passed down through families.

For example, in ancient times and even now, lovers may give a knot as a token of their love. The ‘true love knot’ and the ‘double happiness knot’ are given or used at weddings to express mutual love and growing old together in fidelity. Knots connoted love and marriage in Chinese culture.

Knot Etymology

This connotation can even be seen in Chinese words. The Chinese word for ‘rope’ is ‘shèng’ that sounds similar to the words for ‘spirit,’ ‘divine,’ and ‘life.’ Knots had a spiritual meaning and were used for worship.

The word for ‘knot’ itself is ‘jié’ and is related to many other terms that reinforce the symbolic meaning of the knots. For example, ‘tuán jié’ which means ‘to unite,’ ‘jié hūn’ means ‘to marry,’ and ‘jié guŏ’ means ‘bear fruit,’ ‘result,’ or ‘outcome.’ So a knot given to a marriage partner or a couple means all these things and having children as well.

Modern Usage of Artistic Knots

Along with being symbolic gifts or messages, knots are still used if they wear traditional Chinese clothing or as good luck charms. They are a means of fastening traditional garments instead of buttons or wooden pegs. Now, silk is most widely used to make these clothing knots.

They are used as jewelry such as even rings, earrings, bracelets, and necklaces. They are sold as handicraft novelty items too.

Source: chinahighlights 

[eeerlenwald]

jokes over

[tiktoksthataregood-ish]

[carrionthird]

"Stop scrolling and please help me spread the word, because if I've landed on your page you're most likely either a black woman or someone who cares about black women and the simple phrase I'm about to share could help save a black woman's life.

Doctors are to black women what police officers are to black men. That may seem controversial but I believe it to be true and I speak from personal experience.

If you've seen this TikTok you know that a 2016 study showed that 50% of medical students and residents thought that black people couldn't feel pain the same as white people.

And we learned from this video that because of a 1999 study, to this day, there's a black correction factor for the creatinin levels in black people's kidneys, meaning we're less likely to recieve a kidney transplant if needed.

So if you go to a doctor, feel you aren't getting proper treatment or they refuse the treatment you've requested, say to them the following:

I will need you to document on record that you are refusing the treatment (or medicine) I've requested, and the reason you are doing so."

[dovewithscales]

This works. I have used it in other situations. If medical staff have to document and take responsibility and be on the hook legally for doing shady shit they behave much differently.

If you weren’t already going to spread this advice because black women are at risk, then spread it because it’s applicable to everyone else as well, including you reading this.

But particularly women, and especially black women.

[artofjoohei]

☀️🌻𝓢𝓾𝓷𝓯𝓵𝓸𝔀𝓮𝓻🌻☀️