Megan G | Starlet Fever
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Monday 02 November 2026 14:45:39 GMT
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JasmineB :
As a reader I say leave it up. I only go into AO3 a few months ago. And when the news broke about the site being down I saw many people who have been on for way longer state how this isn't the first time the site went down. And how they have downloaded things because this has happened before. heck the fics have a download option. If it was something that shouldn't be saved the option wouldn't be there. unfortunately I've never saved anything. I had a thought to do so but didn't. now im missing an audio fic I was in the middle of. and one that I re-read 😏
2026-11-02 18:07:26
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Nik :
I'm choosing to side with the writers. I read fanfics daily and have for years. I'm subscribed to so many amazing wips and I'm very invested in them continuing. I can patiently wait for a03 to go back up. I do have my favorite fics downloaded with epub that I've been reading and not sharing. At the end of the day, the writers hold the power. When the site goes back up they can delete their work or not continue their wips. I really don't want that to happen. It will happen when the site goes back up. The fandom can be pushy and rude and writers will disappear.
2026-11-02 15:17:07
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MJM :
I very much appreciated your Google Drive, and I feel like you providing one for your followers here is a little different than the people who are trying to create mass sites for public use. Having said that, I am a reader not a writer. One of the main things people follow you for are your fic recommendations so to me this seems a natural evolution during the AO3 shut down to provide a place to find the fics you are recommending. I have created my own doc to track all of the fics I’m reading while A03 is shut down, and I am pre-writing my comments for them while the fic is still fresh in my mind so I can go in and copy and paste them into A03 as soon as it starts working again.
2026-11-02 15:35:32
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missmandirl :
I too was warmed by the rallying around that people were initially doing to ensure people had access to fics. I have seen some posts and comments from authors, all saying that they are okay with sharing and to come back and comment and leave kudos when AO3 is back up. However, I recognise that these opinions are being served to me in line with MY algorithm, a little like a curated echo chamber. In short, I feel it's okay to keep up for now if you don't mind a bit of upkeep. You have reach and a responsive audience, we can keep our ears out and let you know to take down anything if we hear about specific authors wanting it down. 🤷♀️
2026-11-02 18:22:44
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returntotheroot3 :
Megan you always bring such thoughtful and respectful perspectives.
2026-11-02 18:12:37
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mar🐆 :
I keep thinking about actual literal libraries, and how completely impossible they’d be if they had to negotiate with every single author. Actual paid authors who actually have profits on the line! I consider published works to be information that’s out in the world, and I’m generally for the free circulation of information!
2026-11-02 18:01:55
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sbs :
I also can't tell if it's like specific authors in specific fandoms? because there are definitely authors (I know me included) that don't mind the drives being up as long as there is an effort to give fics engagement once the archive is back up. I also got the impression that some of the people complaining were upset about hypothetically finding their fics when they haven't found them yet
2026-11-02 17:37:19
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V Kent :
how could i as an author, especially of fanfiction, possible say no, know this alone is mine. I know I am writing material that cannot be copyrighted, publishing it behind no pay wall and often (at least historical) goes directly against the original media's authors (think Anne rice) and laws (about homosexuality).
2026-11-02 15:00:31
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Miranda Lynn :
and now theyve found a site that has scraped all the fics (even ones I had in unrevealed collections, which makes no sense) and are charging money for AI audiobooks....saying we're getting profit off of it and I'm beyond mad
2026-11-02 17:32:09
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Ooooh :
As a writer myself, I came to this conclusion. A03 is the book distributor. I chose them to keep my stories because they do a great job "warehousing" my fics in their servers, keeping track of views and kudos, and "distributing" my stories via ebubs. Since the distributor is down, no "new editions" are being generated to new readers. Those "old editions" are already in the hands of other people. They have come together to share the "book" around until the original distributor, A03 comes back online. Can I dictate who can or cannot display their "editions" of my story? No. I don’t even know how many people have downloaded my story from A03, much less these drives. This point is moot for me. I can only ask that my story is not loaded to another sight under a different name. If anyone wants my story on their favorite sight, Im more than happy to create an account anywhere and load my story for their enjoyment. Other than that, it's out of my hands. I write for my enjoyment and with the slight hope that other peope enjoy it too. If downloading my story from these drives help find pleasure, then go ahead and download.
2026-11-02 17:48:55
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caribqueen :
Friend if it makes you feel icky take it down This is supposed to bring you joy If it's not take it down. I have hesitated to download from drives for the same reason. I have some downloaded. I'll just reread and wait.
2026-11-02 18:16:21
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Theen :
First of all, I love your content and appreciate your thoughtful perspectives, as well as all of your recommended fics😁. As for the dilemma… as someone who had never read fanfiction a day in my 56 years, until I watched Heated Rivalry, and have become immersed/addicted solely in this fandom of fan fiction, I too understand and empathize with both sides of this coin. Since A03 is a a free service & volunteer led space for writers to share their incredible talent with us, for which I am galactically grateful, all while knowing their works are unprotected & downloadable, I think it’s safe to say their stories are most likely shared without their knowledge prior to experiencing this disastrous shut down and that they should expect to some degree that it’s happening regularly. On the flipside, it’s a matter of consent and respecting the wishes of the author which I am 1000% for. The problem with this unique situation is for the most part we can’t go through every fic and track down every author who does or does not consent to the sharing of their work during this time. There’s also another perspective, that some may find scoffable, that’s some readers truly need this outlet for their own mental health and then there’s some of us who probably needed an outside force to make us take a break😉 At the end of the day there are writers who are upset and will choose to remove their works once service is restored and that’s their prerogative. But I also hope that with time their initial frustration morphs into empathy in the community.💜
2026-11-02 16:49:28
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mdbreloaded :
For me, as a fic writer, what I’m missing most is the dopamine hit of seeing views and hits. So I asked around for my epubs and posted them on a Wordpress site and asked people to use that instead. I’m more worried about the derivative/transformative protections being in place (which I fear we lose on a Google Drive) as well as including the tags and things that are gone without ao3 up. Sharing was an entire point of ao3, so I’m not too hurt by readers sharing it outside this site, but to the extent people care about my preferences, I’ve made them known.
2026-11-02 15:22:19
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Ramona :
i asked for the epub of a fic and the author masseged me to say they could send me the pdf. and there are mega threads on reddit where authors share their works to read while AO3 is down. so from my pov it‘s only a few authors who have a problem that their work gets shared.
2026-11-02 15:43:18
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vampirepeepaw :
i like my takes straight from the crockpot i like them steeped in thought for a long time before they’re served
2026-11-02 17:41:09
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jemmaharris111 :
I think the problem stems from the fact that authors who have published works on Ao3 MAY expect someone to download their fic for their own personal reading at some point (easier to read on Kindle/wanting to read it on a long journey); but didn't expect their fic to go into a personal shared drive that then has now been shared with the masses. I'm finding at the moment, I'm only personally comfortable reading works that I find on the old bird app by authors who are willing to share their works via a different method (I'll go back on Ao3 after to give kudos & comment when I can) Unfortunately, the people who have shared their drives to those at large on other apps/on here, cannot undo the actions that they have set in motion already.
2026-11-02 16:14:10
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Georgia Collins :
Kerfluffle is one of my favorite words so thank you for that 😄I'm on the side of not posting anything on the internet that isn't your own. I believe authors join the AO3 community in part for the protections it offers and we should respect them and their work by patiently waiting for AO3 to return. I don't want to do anything that may result in anyone having their work stolen. I miss AO3, but will read real books and send good thoughts to the volunteer angels at AO3 who are navigating this nightmare.
2026-11-02 16:25:20
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Olivia Anne :
I love that you're conflicted about this, because it is a conflicting thought. Having said that, however, you've already locked onto the fact that A03 has the download option that anyone may use. I have noted a few of the hundreds of fics I've read which carry a warning by the author of how they prefer their work to be shared. I too have offered the PDFs I have and I've thought about the same thing. For me and me only I've decided that sharing is the polite thing to do. On the other hand, as an attorney, I do understand the dilemma. I have only to recall that Rachel Reid herself first posted on AO3 and then removed her works so she could publish the very thing that brought us to AO3 in the first place. So there's that. I just feel like I could listen to you talk forever. I wish you'd find a way for us to watch Heated Rivalry together when season 2 starts. Wouldn't that be fun. Thank you for the work you do to amuse all of us; I very much appreciate it. Onward it upward to the next dilemma this whole situation is going to present us with. Cheers. 🎉♥️
2026-11-02 16:17:00
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Kat 🐈⬛🐈⬛🐈⬛ :
Reddit has a daily(?) thread where authors, who want to, can share their links for those who want to download/read. x
2026-11-02 15:05:58
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Keya3 :
I feel like maybe just take it down just in case? But still keep your downloads for personal use and to share only with trusted individuals since that was the intended purpose of downloads on ao3.
2026-11-02 15:13:44
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V Kent :
While I think credit is key, and cannot have their name removed, the idea you cannot spread fanfiction is very hypocritical given how many makers of the original media have demanded/sued/asked us not to make fan content
2026-11-02 15:02:18
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L0LAS0F1A :
I’ve seen people recommend my works on here before. I’ve never seen someone post full screenshots of a download of one of my oneshots on here, before until this thing started. I don’t mind it. I’m fine with my things being shared. I want people to read my stuff. My only hang up is if someone literally copy and pastes my work onto a site and claims it as their own, which could have happened before this all started anyway.
2026-11-02 15:52:40
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Alex :
hmmm yeah i went on a similar journey. also saw people on my fyp who i unfollowed previously because of their too hot takes back with more. mostly im just not interested in being yelled at on social media. especially inside online fandom people can really jump to this us vs them thing that im just not interested in. like i want to hear from people who are talking to their audience in good faith not berating the perceived villains. anyway in my view most authors who really don’t want their fics up have notes in the begining or end saying like don’t share outside ao3 etc. so you can check the authors notes on what you shared. also you could add to your little note like im happy to exclude your fic if you don’t want it here just kindly let me know and i will remove it. idk i’ve got some moral ocd/cult baby trauma so i tend to ruminate pretty hard on what’s good or best etc. generally i end up back with well i have to act with the information i have in this moment and be willing to change if new information come up. it seems to me that a lot of the loudest voices on the internet are people who tend towards burn the witch or chase the monster with pitch forks vibes. there is very little consideration for levels of harm. or the understanding that it’s unrealistic to exist in community without causing harm even with the best intentions. anyway, i know you have talked a lot about hr fan fic being a fun joyful non work thing for you. i hope you can preserve that fun. i appreciate you sharing the fics you have and would love to hear about what you have been reading. i also totally understand if you need a break or if it feels like too much work to keep the drive up. 🥰🥰🥰
2026-11-02 15:45:54
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😽S😽 :
I think the disconnect has a lot to do with what one perceives fic to be. A lot of writers see their fic as a contribution to the conversation within a fan community. It isn’t so much a /product/ for them in the way a book would be. A fic separated from its author is cutting a real person out of a conversation that they spent hours, days, maybe even years trying to contribute to. So, it makes sense that writers would be sad and hurt. It isn’t paid, so obviously there’s real passion behind it, and the entitlement to free labor in fandom spaces has gotten overwhelming in recent years. Sorry this got so long, but I think the TLDR is: if you are going to read offline, you absolutely must go show the writers some love when the archive returns 🥰 not doing so is pretty cruel to the writers 🥺
2026-11-02 17:33:46
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Anna :
I’m new ao3 and my immediate response to this issue is that I am assuming fic writers are using ao3 to post their fics with the idea that this is where they are and this is where people go to read them. A safe place of sorts. And so I can understand why the idea of them being shared on Google drives by who knows who can feel a little unsettling. I personally have downloaded enough to hold me over so I am ok waiting until the site is fixed. I am not shaming those who are relieved to share & get fics from others. I just feel better siding with the writers that are uncomfortable. I think many are OK with sharing and so I would probably just download those. But being respectful, regardless of where we land on the issue, I think should be the priority.
2026-11-02 16:20:49
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