Response #3 [AO3 meta]

edit 9/19/25: hey, so, given the fact that all my work is on AO3, and also the fact that this was published like...over a decade ago, this is not where i currently stand on AO3 and even the OTW in general. i'm a big believer in the idea of transformative works and the importance of them (and us creators) being able to exist in peace without the threat of legal action hanging over our heads more than it already always is.

the fannish landscape is very different now than it was then, in many ways, and my relationship with fandom and fan works even more so. i think, especially in today's world, it's kind of...wild to think that you can seriously "control" or dictate how fans can and should interact with your work, and that part of releasing that work into the world is coming to terms with the fact that once it's out there, it's out there. you have to let go of the idea that you can still really control the narrative around it, especially in regards to how people react and respond to it. you can try and influence it, but it's not solely in your hands any more. that's one of the points of publicly releasing something to begin with—you want others to experience it.

i suppose there's a conversation about respecting a creator's wishes, which is mostly what i was on about back in the early 2010s when i was taking the stance i took then. but also...if you don't really like fanfiction/fan art/whatever of your work, just let people know you don't want to interact with that content and move on. trying to actively keep people from even creating that stuff in the first place feels like a fool's errand, even putting aside what it says about how you view and respect your fans.

i'm leaving this post public for a variety of reasons, but i did want to make that clear for anyone who might be paging back through this journal's archive. this is a reflection of my views when it was originally written and posted, not now.

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For those of you just joining us, here's a roughly chronological timeline of the posts with links:

1. Sachehund's initial post about the OTW, and the follow-up that makes the link between the OTW and AO3. (One link because both posts are on that page.)

2. My post, outlining why I chose to wipe my AO3 account (and also a response to/echoing of Sachehund's follow-up post).

3. Anne Apocalypse's call for opinions.

4. --There are several reblog opinions off of Anne's post that I'd suggest reading to get a broader view of the perspectives of the situation. All the ones I've read have brought up valid points, a lot of which I hadn't thought of.

5. My response to the responses to Anne's post, which is mostly clarifying my position and directly responding to some of the points brought up.

6. Sachehund's addition to my post.

7. meinterrupted's posts. (They were posted on Tumblr and Dreamwidth, but I'm just liking the DW ones for simplification.) The first one is a more general counter post to Sachehund and me, the second one is a response to Sachehund's response to me.

8. Sachehund's post about meinterrupted's cross-posts to DW and the conversation(s) going on there.

9. EDIT: myinterrupted's response to Sachehund's post, which I missed.

10. This post, also a response to meinterrupted.

Cut for length.

 

( No, seriously, it's long. )