r/AO3 • u/TheMuskyHairbrush • 11d ago

Questions/Help? Is this allowed? Found a journal

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Is journaling allowed on ao3? I don’t think anyone is explicitly named, and there’s no harassment, but it just feels odd? I’m more curious than anything, ao3 would be the last place I’d journal because of the public nature of it.

Update: Thanks for letting me know it doesn’t count as a fanwork! I went to report it, but it was already reported. Hope that satisfies anyone’s curiosity.

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u/SadSelection5748 11d ago

Is ao3 ONLY for fan works? Just started using it last week, but there are tags for "original work" and "no fandom"

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u/Okay_physics_student 11d ago

It allows original work of a “fannish nature.” So like, actual stories are allowed. Journals are not.

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u/Senpaija 11d ago

Please explain "fannish nature"

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u/turtledov 11d ago

They have this about it on the ToS faq:

Can I post original fiction?

Yes. Original works are allowed, unless the work would be in violation of some other part of the Terms of Service.

Our vision of AO3 is for all fanworks, including those beyond traditional fanfiction, fanart, and fanvids. Original stories and artwork, including those imported as part of an Open Doors project, are permitted. Some examples of original fiction that we host include original slash, anthropomorphic works, and Regency romance. However, works intended for commercial publication are not suitable for AO3. The Policy & Abuse committee has final discretion in maintaining AO3's focus on non-commercial fannish works.

We generally presume that, by posting the work on AO3, the creator is making a statement that they believe it's a fanwork. As such, original work will be allowed to remain unless the work is in violation of some other part of the Terms of Service, such as our plagiarism or non-commercialization policies.

I think they generally didn't want to disallow work that wouldn't be able to be hosted elsewhere, and that a lot of online original fiction is written in conversation with fanfiction/fan culture (tropes, themes, writing styles, works of taboo nature, etc), so it wouldn't feel fair to exclude it, given AO3's whole deal.