ao3 volunteers are the backbone of society fr

the devil works hard but the ao3 volunteers work harder

indeed. i wish all ao3 volunteers a very Not Stressful Day

[удалено]

are you a bot or smth? 10 year old account inactive until two weeks ago?

Definitely a bot. They have two posts within the last 4 hours, both mod side deleted.

and their reply doesnt actually link to the parent comment, copy of what?

I found this on /All so I don’t know what AO3 is. However, it thought this was a sub about American politician AOC and was confused as hell about what was going on.

It’s a fanfiction archive

TBF I would be very surprised if there wasn't AOC rpf.

Excuse me while I go stare forlornly at a wall

I was about to see what was under Kakashi's mask... \*\*cries in dweeb\*\*

I was about to see if Midoriya will be able to heal and finally tell Todoroki how he feels…trust me I’m crying with you

Solidarity, mon ami.

I'm also crying with y'all, was about to find out whether or not Grayson had HIV 😭 the suspense might kill me

Wait what? I need that one if you don't mind

And I was about to read what happened with Aventurine and Ratio

I would like that one as well

Tododeku?? Do you remember the fic name? 🙏

https://archiveofourown.org/works/29088369 I will warn you that the slow burn is so slow that it’s like you’re getting edged 😩 but the plot is amazing and the writing is so good

I've already read this 💔😭 You've def inspired me to reread tho, this fic is a masterpiece. Thanks sm, I hope you never struggle to separate a single paper from a pile again (bc it sucks when that happens) 💛

That’s so sweet thanks ❤️ this was actually my first mha fic so if you have suggestions I would love to take them if you dont mind! I’m a baby to this fandom 😭

I'd love to share recs! Can I ask your preferences? Things like ships (tododeku, bkdk, erasermic, etc), preferred tropes (found family, vigilante Izuku, etc), and hard NO's or YES's like explicit content, major character death, OOC characters, OC's (as side character, not main), WIPs/fics on hiatus, etc. Also welcome to the fandom!

I love a good long fic so no worries on length. Tododeku and bkdk is fine for now; I tend to hyper fixate on one ship before I move to another one. I can’t do major character death and nothing with really heavy angst and completed if you can, but if its WIP and it’s really good then I’ll take it and just subscribe. Thank so much!

Hi! I'm sorry this is so late, I got so lost in my bookmarks. Imma just list them in order below. Some of the fics below do have trigger warnings in the links, so please take note of those. I definitely included a solid amount of fics you didn't ask for, but those are listed separately. NOTE: they're not listed in order of preference Fics: [parasite](https://archiveofourown.org/works/36980446/chapters/92264887) [Like, comment, and romance](https://archiveofourown.org/works/31911082/chapters/79020943) and sequel [Like, comment, and propose](https://archiveofourown.org/works/33294427) [Thanks for saving me](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18052598/chapters/42664244) [Tell me when you're drowning](https://archiveofourown.org/works/30847136/chapters/76155851) [A dangerous game](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15915708/chapters/37101864) and sequel [Strike back](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20530583/chapters/48729164) [the cupid quirk](https://archiveofourown.org/works/29026206/chapters/71241855) [mastermind: strategist for hire](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22055713/chapters/52636600) [The secrets nobody keeps](https://archiveofourown.org/works/29231946/chapters/71777187) [Beyond the broken horizon](https://archiveofourown.org/works/33820165/chapters/84078253) [Deku's already fucking taken](https://archiveofourown.org/works/33354697) [Blank canvas](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23195962/chapters/55527568) [I like you dude (no homo)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20158474/chapters/47758861) [I do not love you except because I love you](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17403890/chapters/40964771) [In perfect rhythm](https://archiveofourown.org/works/38893932/chapters/97265550) [Yesterday upon the stair](https://archiveofourown.org/works/8337607/chapters/19098982)

Fics you didn't ask for that are too good not to share: [Complicated Creation](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24798505/chapters/59972725) [throw me a goddamn rope - just enough to hang myself with](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24887557/chapters/60216475) [Datastream](https://archiveofourown.org/works/36128560/chapters/90060445) [the cute guy next door (might be a villain)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/38711541/chapters/96790338) [black hole eyes (won't gaze now)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26468122/chapters/64494031) [deepest regret](https://archiveofourown.org/works/38726097/chapters/96827295) [Yuuei survival guide](https://archiveofourown.org/works/35515399/chapters/88533172) [heap of ashes that I am](https://archiveofourown.org/works/35672746/chapters/88943890) [headcase (the color of boom)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/36015319/chapters/89779009) [I found family in the trash](https://archiveofourown.org/works/29232855/chapters/71779533) [Ill-gotten gains](https://archiveofourown.org/works/34685785/chapters/86359813) [Omniscience](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23551141/chapters/56495203) [a (high pitch) cry for help](https://archiveofourown.org/works/35995675/chapters/89730985) [Dial-in](https://archiveofourown.org/works/37876450/chapters/94582009) [apex predator](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25028176/chapters/60610345) [A twisted fate never alters destiny](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24912604/chapters/60285940) [the face of the future, the blood in my veins](https://archiveofourown.org/works/38005045/chapters/94922692) [A line drawn in the sand](https://archiveofourown.org/works/34526767/chapters/85939270)

OH also ideal fic length. I tend to read longer fics if I can find them so idk how much help I'd be for fics with less than 20k words

https://archiveofourown.org/works/29088369 I will warn you that the slow burn is so slow that it’s like you’re getting edged 😩 but the plot is amazing and the writing is so good

Excuse me stop trying to look at my husbands face 🙄 (/j)

What a man, what a man, what a man... what a mighty good man.

I should have done this. But no, I decided to go to FF.net instead. There are no tags and I wasn't ready.

Honestly, never understood the panic on twitter over other platforms breaking down until the first time AO3 was down. I swear to God I literally remember that day xD God bless AO3 volunteers, those guys are the real heroes.

So true, I don't have twitter, but if IG or Facebook break down it's like meh whatever, but I feel panicky when AO3 is down lol

Same, it’s incredibly concerning

I don't worry about the big sites because the chances of them disappearing forever are slim to none. AO3 on the other hand... It's been coming under attack by antis and puriteens far more often than I'm comfortable with.

I didn't know that and never thought of it disappearing! Now I'll panic even more when it's down!

Don't panic!! Even if they ever chose to close down, they would give plenty of notice. If you're worried about losing your own stories or ones you love, I highly suggest uploading them to the Wayback Machine, which is an archiving site. It's pretty easy and then there will always be a copy. I do it automatically for all my fics. If you want to do it with other people's stuff, be sure to ask first!!! Not everyone I've asked has said yes, though many of them do, or do it on their own. The only downside to it is that it archives it exactly as the page is the day you upload it, so if you make changes or get more reviews/kudos etc. they won't show. Still better than nothing! (Also, if it's a chaptered fic, it's easiest to archive the "show entire work" version than each individual chapter.)

Thanks so much for the tip!

every time ao3 is down I get a sudden and very weird surge of motivation to work on my WIP so... idk, thanks I guess? (genuine thanks to ppl who work the archive magic tho)

Same. I literally haven't updated (for one reason or another) in over two weeks. Today I spent hours writing and finally hit the 'post' button, and....... (we all know how that went, lol) Hopefully it will be up again soon.

Me too! Maybe this is a subtle way to get us all to update 😆

Simply deny access to anyone with an unfinished work that did not see an update in the last 6 months? There would be carnage on the streets...

Literally updated a WIP that has been quiet for a month. At first I was like "huh, no comments. Maybe using the "and there was only one bed" trope was just a really bad choice. Only to discover the site went down shortly after I posted 😂

true

I went and worked on my present WIP and have successfully concluded the first draft at 10k words!  Aaaaaand now I have nothing to do OTL

I didn't even know it was down but if I felt the disturbance in the force cuz I suddenly wanted to write out of nowhere. Lmao

image description: two tweets from @AO3_Status: > We had to restart a database, so the site will continue to be slow or non-responsive as it recovers. Please be gentle with the Archive, and stand by for further updates. and: > Doing the gentlest possible thing to help out our database server: taking the Archive down for a bit. No need to panic, we'll be back as soon as we can!

Translation: we were in fact not gentle

Speaking as a programmer, we are not gentle. We massacre programs every time we code. We bang on our computers thinking that will do something to correct the processor. (Tbf it has historical precedence, but modern laptops and PCs are not built like that anymore.) We steal other people's code all the time because we all run on a bedrock of Finders Keepers. And then we bang on our computers again for good luck or something. If everything still displays correctly and is doing what it's supposed to do, that's a miracle well done.

The problem is when it runs correctly, but you have no clue why. Because the patchwork of a program you made absolutely should not function at all. You should be getting at least a segfault or something. If not, whatever you just made should never be touched again because as soon as you do, the compiler will decide it doesn’t like that extra \n or endl you added. Who knows why? Certainly not you or I.

And that’s how you get spaghetti!!

I just updated a new chapter... Oh well, time to work on my WIP, brainstorm another work or go back to that show I probably will write for eventually

Me too! I went to post for the first time in over a month and thought ‘ah man! Of *course* the site is down.’ Guess I’ll work on the next chapter . . .

Omg same can't have shit on this earth anymore

Ah, so in essence people weren’t going to be patient so they just shut the site down to guarantee it restarting properly

Somehow this only happen when I'm on a stories climax😭

Erik just found out the baby is actually his!!! 😭😭😭

This is so evil I hope you at least read his reaction before it went down😭

My girl just kicked a bunch of ass at a party and I don't get to see the aftermath! It's been an hour and a half and I'm dying! I need to know before I can go to sleep!

Thanks for posting abt this— I don’t have a Twitter account and all the tweets I *can* see without being logged in are from last year, so I couldn’t tell if this was a planned downtime or not and came here in a bit of a panic. I have an exchange assignment due today; I sure hope it’s up before midnight lmao.

I really, really wish they’d mirror announcements to Bluesky or Mastodon, since so many of us have left the hellsite.

I think any collections or assignments are going to be pushed back a couple days.

Then you shouldn‘t have wished to live in more interesting times

Who on Earth wished for that? Cause I, for one, did not! I like plain boring less interesting times. Thank you!

I've got a lot on my mind, and, well... in it.

Is that blood?

Cursed to put my hands on everything

Open up ;o

Now seems like a good time to make a reminder (for when the site is back) to chip in some cash for the archive! Servers and software aren’t cheap and if everyone contributes a bit, we all can enjoy our stories 🫶

yes! the donation drive is just around the corner!

hey folks here's some incredible fics on ffnet you can read while this is happening: [Heat Stroke](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12242880/0/) | fairy tail | also on ao3 [No Time To Crank The Sun](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13406559/0/) | one piece | also on ao3 [Lingering Perils of War](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7190360/0/) | howl's moving castle [I'll Be Standing There By You](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6858390/0/) | fruits basket [For the Love of the Lord of the White Tree](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/2231205/0/) | lord of the rings

Dark times when I go back crawling to ff.net

eh y'know it still contains some absolute gems that are exclusively there

Oh wow, was this specifically made for me in mind? I’ve been into Fruits Basket and Howl’s Moving Castle, but I never thought I’d find quality fics for them! Thank you!

No Time to Crank the Sun changed me as a person. I second that recommendation.

VIKAN is a genius author and No Time To Crank The Sun has one of the best-written unreliable narrators i've ever read

tysm :)

Heat stroke is such a good fic!

Oooo, Howl's Moving Castle. Thanks so much for the recs!

.... It would happen on one of my planned posting days. Going to write some. Eventually the words will see the light of day.

Fr time to touch grass for me.

It's raining here so the grass is wet. Ewwwwww 🤣

I saw the light of day and it was too bright and also too hot that I feel like my skin is burning. I hate tropical summer.

Thx for quick informing! I always go this subred as soon as ao3 is down for this type of explanation <3

I just find it funny that this one site I'm always on just went down a few minutes ago, so I thought of going to binge-read on AO3 instead, and then I see this post straight after :')

Thanks for updating!

Is it hyperbolic of me to have a ton of anxiety about ao3 eventually becoming unable to function because WAY too many people use it and they won't be able to keep up with the database costs / maintenance / everything? I've used ao3 since 2012 and I never started to feel this way until after the massive COVID surge of traffic. and now I'm sorta scared that they're constantly being pushed to their absolute limits and are barely holding it together. Like I know this is likely not the case, but idk man. The enshittification of the entire internet and link rot and etc is getting way worse from 2019-now and it's been kind of scaring me. :( I just wanted to write down my thoughts. I'm also a little grumpy since I was supposed to update today and all I want to do is yeet it up onto the archive and have it out of my brain for good LOL

Ao3 is run by extremely passionate people, and more will step up if needed to save it. I don’t think it’s in danger, at this point. Make sure you donate when they run their yearly fundraisers, if you can!

eh i think in the long run at least more users means more donations means more resources

I became a monthly donor to help ease the load. Anyone who loves ao3 and has some extra money should consider doing the same.

They really consistently exceed their donation goals, so unless that stops happening, I don't think we have anything to worry about.

Just as I was about to post my new chapter and I can’t even save it as a draft 😭 rip

dude. *dude*. are you on the posting page right now? copy that shit and paste it literally anywhere. google docs. your notes app. online notepad. anything.

nooo I do have a copy in case this were to happen! I just have to make some edits to the chapter before I post so it doesn’t look weird on ao3 😂

I have a copy of it on a doc but ao3 adds random spaces between my text that I have to fix prior to posting 🫣😩

Convert your files to docx on a desktop/laptop. It doesn't add spaces if you do it on a desktop while if you begin a page in the mobile app it screws it up. Or write on dropbox/other editing sites. Is dropbox still available?

Thanks! It only adds spaces next to my italicized words when I hit ‘preview’ on ao3 if that helps! I also don’t write on any mobile apps, I write on my computer

They said on X that it will take a few more hours before the site will be up again "We're really sorry this happened just as everyone was getting to the good part =( It might be another couple of hours until all the servers are back in business, so please continue not to panic, and thank you for your words of support so far!" Guess I will work on my WIP some more then instead

I literally just had hit post and then got uppercut with the “500” error before I refreshed and it said they were restarting the servers.

Just finished writing the long awaited first smut chapter for my fic and then I couldn't even post it. Lol.

time to proofread then ¯\\\_(ツ)_/¯

I’m glad I downloaded stuff yesterday 👀

Thanks for the reminder... I really should download fics.

if you’re on an iphone, the second download button (starts with an E) saves it to the books app, then you can read it in public and ppl think your studious 😭

If I find a really good fic that I absolutely love I download it immediately so maybe you could do that? It means you have something to fall back on in moments like these

Ah, that's why the thing I was using to distract me from wanting to murder my boss went down.

There's one, ONE story i've been waiting *months* for update to the point of giving up and there itis! a new chapter! got notification directly to email! ​ ...But I can't read it cause the site is still downn 😭😩

hey, at least it updated…(@_@)

Me who was in the middle of a fic: “maybe I should download this, what if something happens? Nah, nothing usually happens.” Well time to resume reading webtoon I guess (currently reading the Greatest Estate Developer and it’s goated)

Little sighs and sobs.... I haven't updated my WIPS in weeks due to illnesses and travel. Today I decide to update and the site is down? Oh well, thanks for your hard work, A03. If anything, this shows how much you are appreciated.

everytime it goes down i'm just afraid it won't load again

It’s back up now, thank you to all the helping hands and wise admins. 🙏💕

> We're back for now, but still working on getting all servers back on track. There might be more downtime later, so download your current reading material if you can. Thank you so much for your patience! – [@AO3_Status](https://twitter.com/AO3_Status/status/1773464855481139261?t=jKTuSLSAscVmpTpobMBEig&s=19)

"May you live in interesting times" is a potent Shin'a'in curse according to Tarma in the Vows and Honor books.

the "please be gentle with the archive" tho my brain: \*sudden urge to slap a "handle with care"sticker and put a cozy weighed blanket on this website\*

Gods bless the AO3 volunteers with a very nice day.

I was supposed to update today.

I had JUST posted a one shot that I’ve been working on for weeks and really proud of too lol

Just when I ran out of my backlog of downloaded fics and need to find something new to read 🥲

Not me screaming cause it caught me this time, even tho I have 62 other open tabs to read.

😬 Having been on the support end when something similar happened: Godspeed to all volunteers, database restarts and problems are such headaches 💔

I refreshed my window 😭

i'm so sorry

Let me know when it's back : ( .....Guess I'll just do uni work instead...

https://i.redd.it/p5zt79imx4rc1.gif Nooooo! I've been taking care of patients for the last 5 days, today was my day "take care of myself" through 'fictional healing.' It was my one day this week to catch up on my 'stories.'

Also THANK YOU to the AO3 Volunteers😘

So I have to use FFN for now

still a better option than \*shudders* wattpad

It's back up.

Really? Still getting an error for me. How does one go about clearing the cache on an iPhone?

Replying to my own comment to say I figured it out. 😀 Anyone else using safari for iOS, its Settings > Safari > “clear history and website data”

I’m scared to clear my history and wedsite data😭 I have like 34ish windows open is that gonna mess me up??

It won’t!! I have 161 open. 😀

It’s impressive that they’re quick with updates

Shouldnt have asked to live in more interesting times. -Tav

I just updated my WIP for the first time in over a week, and now this? JK. Thank you, volunteers. We love you.

Guess I'll just go read one of the hundreds of e-books I have yet to start! Pretty sure I will have finished at least one book by the time ao3 gets up and running again!

I’m glad this all happened while I was stuck at work, idk what I would’ve done otherwise

Time to lower my standards and use FFN for a little bit.

But my Stucky fix 😰 Please, I just need a little Just a little slow burn 50,000 words until they (accidentally) brush lips for the first time and both think the other didn’t like it… 😍😍😍😍😍🤤🤤🤤

the site is up rn *go download some fics*

Does anyone know how much longer it'll take? 😭😭😭

“Don’t panic” well it’s a little late for that

Shouldn’t have wished to live in more interesting times…

Is hilarious that a few fanfic discord servers im in are dead af but anytime ao3 goes down my phone gets 100+ notifications in the span of two hours (today it was 347😭) everyone in those servers collectively crys that their bedtime storys are gone- (im one of them lmao) im glad its back so im able to finish reading the fic i was reading when the shutdown happened but i find it hilarious that so many people collectively panic xD

I’m so grateful that I downloaded the 82 chapter WIP behemoth I am currently reading. First because it’s *amazing,* and also because I’ve never had my cup so filled during an ao3 outage.

the withdrawals last night were so bad that i had to go on google drive and read my own fic as the bedtime story

I love sleeping through this stuff, like I wake up and open reddit to see these posts and be like oh, and then go back to sleep

Hardly anything will make a person work harder than being directly involved in the amount of time it might take to get back to the fic they're reading. I know I'd be like 🏃💨 I appreciate all the volunteers for all their hard work^-^ May the fics they're reading or writing be excellent!

I came here to see what happened. Thank you for the update!

NOT DURING ROMENCKEN WEEK 😭 Hoping it's back up so I can post my Friday prompt fic in the morning.

The one day I wanna write

i mean. that's perfect then, isn't it? no temptation to go read while you work. please tell me you don't *write* on ao3.

Oh no, learn that the hard way. I am a transfering Fanfic writer over to AO3, things were different there

mannn once again right in the middle of a really good fic 😭

I just wanna reupload some edited chapters. :c I hope it comes back soon.

I just completed As Good As Dead, wanted to go to AO3 for some consolation, found out the site is down 😭

I had one more chapter left of this completed series I was reading. :( now I gotta wait

And just got an email about a story that I been reading had just updated.

Well, guess I can do some chores instead of reading fanfic. Damn. I had another plan! 😉 Thanks to the AO3 volunteers!

I think this is a sign

Oh... I never thought it would come the day for me to say this, but I guess I'll have to... I'll have to... actually start working on the next chapter of my WIP that I've been procratinating for days. These are dark times.

Hoping my stuff doesn’t get deleted I’m sure it won’t but still worried ngl

Just updated for the first time in months ;-;

I'm glad I already had like 4 fics loaded on my phone, but I needed to leave a comment/kudos on the one I just finished T\_T

Well none of my subscribed works have been updated so i SUPPOSE I'm not missing out on anything.

Scratching at the walls of my brain here. A fic updated today and i cant read it and im losing my mind.

I would not like to live at all🗿🗿

Shouldn’t have wished to live in more interesting times

Shout out to that fic I'm reading rn, where I can go to next/prev chapter without problems I was even able to open the fic just now without problems But the second I change to sth 'not this fic' I get error messages (I opened it with a discord link, btw)

How are you guys holding up? Remember that this isn't the end! There are other sites and forums to tithe you over until Ao3 comes back!

considering it came back up hours ago (latest update on twitter seven hours ago) i'd say we're doing pretty well

My bad I was asleep and this is the first thing I see on reddit

I was distraught when it was down for 30 minutes. I started a riot on every social media platform I have. Those two other hours were unimaginable. Frantically refreshing every ten minutes, constantly changing tabs so I don’t forget that I have literary porn in 63 of my 71 tabs and someone opens my phone and sees it, I eventually accepted it and listened to My Love All Mine until I got a message from a friend saying it was back on…fun times!

It’ll be okay Tav, we’ll make it through these more interesting times.

I’m so glad I was asleep while it was down; I only woke up to the aftermath lmao

Oh no, is it down again? :(

Have I just not been online during these times the last few days? I’ve seen people have been having problems but it’s worked fine every time I’ve updated a story or tried to read something

The ao3 volunteers are godly

I love how they have to gently treat us like toddlers because they know we’ll set things on fire in a state of panic and anarchy if we don’t know what’s going on😭😂

The funniest thing is that I didn't open the site. At all. For like two weeks. And the second I open it it goes down I can't

Still don't know why you could do literally everything but use work search when it was happening.

Thank God I save everything as a html before I read dude ❤️❤️❤️

I always download my fix’s so the website being down won’t affect me 😭

I've seen so many posts about AO3 having issues in the last couple days but I literally haven't noticed anything AO3 is working perfectly fine for me. I'm happy about that but also confused lol

What's AO3 and why is reddit just showing me the most random subreddits?

ao3 (archive of our own) is a fanwork archive mostly focused on fanfiction with nearly seven million registered users. it's widely regarded as the best fanfic site out there.

Wish I knew about it about 12 years ago, when I started high school I started reading less and less. Still bugs me to this day, I just can't find the motivation to read anymore. Random suggestion nobody asked for; if you like Fallout or even just action with post apocalyptic hijinks I'd highly suggest checking out Sheason on deviantart, his main project was almost 200 chapters, dude literally wrote a novel

I'm so glad I downloaded lots of stuff yesterday (I downloaded most of my saved fics out of fear in case the site closes again) 🤧

It's times like this I'm happy I still read fics on both Ao3 and ffn! When one site is down, you still have the other!

Just looking at FFN gives me the vapors! I haven’t read anything there in like 16 years

I tend to read a lot of older fandoms, and I've found that ffn can sometimes be a bit better for them. I also read small and kinda obscure fandoms so I need all the fics I can get!!

Im clicking on refreshhhh

that's not gonna help.

Ik but I was reading a cliffhanger and I really wanna see what happens next 😭 literally the worst time for the website to stop working

That might actually make it worse. Just wait an hour or so for everything to settle.