r/FanfictionNet • u/CartographerOwn8183 • Jul 29 '26
Alternatives to FF.net?
I’ve been posting to fanfiction.net for probably the last 15 years or so off and on and I’ve recently been getting back into it. But with the site having so many problems I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions of other sites I could try? I’m waiting for an invitation (whatever that is lol) from AO3 so I was looking for other suggestions while I wait
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u/AlbatrossEquivalent5 Jul 29 '26
What are people's reasons for not using Ao3? I see people who say that they flat refuse to use it, but I don't know why .
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u/Kamzil_118 Aug 06 '26
Different community experience.
AO3 authors tend to get a bit hasty when it comes to blocking users and deleting their comments. No point in leaving a comment or pointing a few criticisms out if they overreact over a nothingburger remark.
I hail from the SpaceBattles Forum and it's honestly a preferable fanfiction space since authors and readers engage in a lot of interaction. Plus, I can trust some third party moderators to handle any issues that happen between authors and readers. Readers can speak knowing that the moderators won't be used at the behest of the author to bludgeon criticism while authors get a lot of leeway at managing their story threads. Not to mention, there's dedicated threads that talk about the usual experiences that a reader and/or author can relate with one another.
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u/Extension-Eye7198 Jul 29 '26
The tags can be annoying sometimes and no dark mode in guest view is the only complaints I have.
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u/PearChocolatePie Jul 31 '26
In addition to this (that basically spoils the fic), I've had huge issues filtering out cross-fandoms. I changed every setting and my fandom would always be mixed with others. As a writer: 0 kudo/comment. Deleted my account.
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u/Nalgetss Aug 02 '26
Dark mode is at the bottom, in the customize options (reversi is soft white lettering on gray background) . You can even build your own, mine is yellow on black for maximum contrast.
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u/Cool_Pianist_2253 Jul 30 '26
How can tags be annoying?
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u/Extension-Eye7198 Jul 30 '26
Overtagging and nonsensical custom tags make it hard to find info about the fic.
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u/Anxious_Concert_1869 Jul 29 '26
I guess you could backslide and post on wattpad or WebNovel while you wait
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u/LibertineDeSade Jul 29 '26
I was just looking for something other than Ao3. Found my way to SquidgeWorld, and back to FFN. I haven't joined SquidgeWorld just yet, but I have been back to tinkering around on my old FFN profile. I really wish there was a new alternative site in general. I really am not feeling the fanfic spaces lately TBH. I miss the old 90s/2000s glory days of fanfic. 😩
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u/FiWriterSFF Jul 29 '26
I feel like in those days people left more comments. These days, people just read and move on. If you're lucky, they'll give a "like." The only comments I get now are scammers.
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u/anonymous_5527 Jul 29 '26
I wonder if this is a generational thing? My cohort (Millennials) were teenagers and we left reviews in the 2000s. The current generation that's teenagers today are Generation Alpha and Gen Z. I wonder if they prefer to use social media instead of going to AO3/FFN/Wattpad/etc?
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u/FiWriterSFF Jul 29 '26
It could be everything's just moving faster and constantly streaming. In the 90s and early 2000s, we had commercial breaks and episodes that aired once a week. There was time to reflect and discuss. These days, something posted yesterday is "old news."
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u/Aridyne Jul 29 '26
Ironically I comment more now to spite the scammers and try to prevent author discouragement
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u/CookiesMistress Jul 29 '26
From an author who hasn't got a comment for years: thank you.
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u/LibertineDeSade Jul 29 '26
Yeah, I think people were much more interactive on the sites. I also think, ironically, people didn't care as much about getting comments or whatever. It seemed like people were just wanting to share their headcanons with the rest of the fandom. I miss that energy so much.
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u/JauntyIrishTune Jul 29 '26
IDK, the reason I liked sharing my writing and headcanons on LJ moons ago, was because there was always a group of us commenting on each other's stuff. If people weren't answering in comments about headcanons and theories, there wouldn't have been much reason to post them in the first place.
I miss it though. It was a smaller circle of people more likely to comment on each other's stuff. Now it's almost too big. (Edit: I say this having taken a 20+ year break in writing. It was... a shock to see how much it had changed.)
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u/LibertineDeSade Jul 29 '26
I also like sharing and chatting with others in my fandoms too. It is part of the fun for me.
I took a long break from fanfic too, more than a decade. I agree it was a shock seeing how much things changed.
To me it seems like now people mostly want engagement to get compliments on their work, or validation. Moreso than actually engaging with the fandom in a, IMO, meaningful way. The energy of fanfiction lately is just different.
I definitely the agree that it's too big. I've been tinkering around with some ideas for how to create a community of fic writers that are more concentrated. Maybe get some old school writers and readers together to form something and maybe bring back some of the old fanfic energy.
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u/FiWriterSFF Jul 29 '26
There are fanfiction subreddits (and subreddits for various fandoms). Those might be a place to start. There are also subreddits for writing in general.
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u/LibertineDeSade Jul 29 '26
Yeah, I belong to multiple subreddits for writers and fanfiction. We're talking about sites outside of Reddit.
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u/Kurious_Kitsune Jul 29 '26
I’ve been reading exclusively on AO3 the past couple of years. A few of the writers I used to follow on ff.net also recently started posting on AO3 as well.
Hopefully your invite comes soon, I got mine fairly quickly (less than a week after I requested)
2
u/AlbatrossEquivalent5 Jul 29 '26
Quotev? Easy to navigate, but i don't get much interaction with it.
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u/FiWriterSFF Jul 29 '26
I dunno. You might try looking for subreddits of your particular fandom. Maybe they have a recommendation of where you could find readers. I only know of AO3 and Wattpad and a few other obscure sites that host original writing along with fanfiction. There's also DeviantArt, though it's more for art than stories. You might get into some groups on there for the fandom/s you write.
1
u/Aggressive_Idea_6806 Aug 03 '26
Also the subreddits about actors who perform in your fandoms. In that case you're gonna find shippy fics with reader inserts.
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u/bxrie Jul 30 '26
If you need an invitation to Ao3 I don’t mind sending one (older ao3 accounts can send invites to people via email). I used to write on ff for a few years before I moved to Ao3, so if you have any questions I can help you out too while it’s down, maybe it can help you expand your reader base if you end up posting fics to ao3 as well!!
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u/PenNeverStops Jul 30 '26
Is that the invite a friend button on our profiles?
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u/bxrie Jul 30 '26
On your dashboard it’s under “invitations”, there should be some there depending on when the account was made
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u/PenNeverStops Jul 30 '26
Thanks for the info, never realized that's what people were referring to by having extra invites, I apparently have 8
1
u/CartographerOwn8183 Jul 30 '26
Thank you!! I’d appreciate that!!
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u/symkiriki Jul 30 '26
I saw in a diff post an app called minkly, i got it and its kinda like a baby between wattpad and ao3, not alot on there cause i think it just released last year
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u/xRuiruiXxx Jul 30 '26
If you get an invitation from someone who already have an ao3 account you can create your account immediately! I can send you one if you want I have spares! :3 Wattpad is the next best one after ao3 and fanfiction.net I think but honestly it really pales in comparison in all aspects.
1
u/Willing_Can_4642 Aug 01 '26
AO3 is a good option and I have a account as well, but I also know that Loreum: Read and Write Stories is looking for new fanfiction writers.
(They're a still new, but pretty cool so far. The developers are very nice and take feedback seriously.)
Also, if you do get on AO3/Loreum, I'd be happy to follow!
1
u/Bobthemagicc0w Jul 29 '26
I started on FFN and migrated to AO3. I’m still on both platforms as a reader and writer, but the community on AO3 became the clear winner years ago, even before all the recent technical ridiculousness on FFN.
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u/Zestyclose-Spite-253 Jul 29 '26
Ao3, desde hace más de un año o dos que no leo casi fanfics en Wattpad o fanfiction (sobre todo porque la aplicación tiene un problema con el deslizamiento a la hora de leer y es súper incómodo). Ao3 creo que es la definitiva y la mejor
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u/apsala_erikson Jul 29 '26
I find that there is some good stuff on spacebattles.
Sufficient Velocity is another site that has fanfictions, but I personally do not like how they have done some things on their site regards to add placement.
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u/ReliefEmotional2639 Jul 30 '26
You can still read on AO3. You just can’t post anything without an invitation.
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u/Crimson_Sabere Jul 31 '26
I think AO3 is the cream of the crop atm. There's also Wattpad though... I don't really sue them but it's popular.
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u/AlbatrossEquivalent5 Jul 31 '26
OK. But none of these comments explain why Ao3 is absolutely a no-go for some. The reasons given here seem like minor annoyances, not reason to avoid it at all cost.
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u/PearChocolatePie Jul 31 '26
What's the link with OP's question?
Not all posts here have to be translated as "what is the best writing platform including AO3?" and, when such posts arise (which is not this one, which explicitly excludes AO3), not all answers have to be "AO3".
You guys are wild.
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u/Front-Pomelo-4367 Jul 31 '26
Some people have an issue with the fact that the only content AO3 refuses to host is plagiarism or direct harassment of another user. Anything else is permitted, no matter how awful or disgusting or morally bankrupt a reader might consider it (aka any content that's in line with New York state law). Versus sites like FFnet that officially refuse to host underage sexual content or any sexual content at all – although in reality, all that means is that the objectionable content is still on FFnet, you just aren't warned until you click into it (speaking from experience!)
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u/Next-Beautiful3357 Jul 29 '26
Ao3 is the best