ao3org

[ao3org]

July 2025 Newsletter, Volume 202

In July's newsletter, the OTW Board Election is a week away, Open Doors continues their FictionAlley import, and Fanlore wraps up Fandom in Color. Check out the latest news post for details at https://otw-news.org/yckuzf7w

[ao3org]

Wrangling Update: Fandom Tags for Fangans

Hello Ultimate Fangan Fans!

For several years, wrangling policy led to all fangan fandom tags redirecting to the Dangan Ronpa Series, which often made it difficult to find fanworks on AO3 for any specific fangan. Based on the updated policy laid out in this post, we’ve started splitting out some fangans into their own fandom tags on AO3. We hope these changes will make finding the fanworks you’re looking for easier in the future.

Please check under the cut for more information about which fangans have been canonized separately, as well as information about future fangan canonization criteria. 

What criteria does a fangan need to meet to get its own fandom tag?

AO3 tag wranglers will use the following criteria to determine if a fangan should get its own fandom tag:

Is the fangan in the format of either a playable game or a series of videos?

Does the fangan focus on a new cast of characters?

Does the fangan have at least 10 fanworks on AO3 posted by 10 unique users?

If the answer to all of these questions is YES, then it may qualify!

Which fangans meet those criteria at present?

AO3 tag wranglers have determined that the following fangans currently meet the criteria to be canonized as separate fandoms:

Project: Eden's Garden

Danganronpa: Despair Time

Danganronpa Another ~Another Despair Academy~

Super Danganronpa Another 2 ~The Moon of Hope and the Sun of Despair~

Tetro Danganronpa PINK

Danganronpa: Lapse

Danganronpa: (He)Artless Deceit

Tag wranglers will continue to monitor usage on other fangans tags and may make additional adjustments as usage changes. If you notice a fangan that is not on the above list that looks like it meets the criteria for its own fandom tag, you can let us know by contacting AO3 Support.

I've previously posted a work on AO3 for one of these fangans. Do I need to retag my work?

If you've tagged for a variation of the fangan's name or acronym in the fandom field, tag wranglers have made that tag a synonym of the fangan's fandom tag. This means other users will see your fanwork when browsing the fangan's fandom tag without you needing to make any changes.

If you only tagged for the fangan in the Additional Tags field, and used Dangan Ronpa Series or another tag unrelated to the fangan in the fandom field, your work will not show up in the fangan's fandom tag unless you edit your tags to add the fandom tag. However, it’s entirely up to you whether or not you wish to adjust the fandoms tags you use.

I want to read fics for a fangan that is part of a series of killing games or has an upcoming sequel. Is there a way that I can see everything for all entries in the series at once? Will I still be able to see fics that are solely about a specific entry in the series?

Yes! When multiple fangans in a series are eligible for their own fandom tags, tag wranglers will also create a metatag for the overall series, with each individual entry in the series getting its own subtag, to mirror the format we use for Dangan Ronpa fandoms. When browsing the metatag, users will also see fanworks tagged with a particular subtag. As an example, when browsing the metatag for the Danganronpa Another series, users will also see works tagged with the individual games within that series. Alternatively, a user can choose to browse solely within the subtag Super Danganronpa Another 2 if they are only interested in fanworks for that game. 

(From time to time, ao3org posts announcements of recent or upcoming wrangling changes on behalf of the Tag Wrangling Committee.)

[ao3org]

Wrangling Update: Undertale & Deltarune Fan Games & Fanmade Web Series

Hello Undertale and Deltarune fans!

Based on the updated policy laid out in this post, we are planning to canonize Undertale Yellow as a separate fandom from Undertale, as we have determined that it meets the criteria of sufficient original content and size requirement to qualify for its own fandom tag. In the coming days, we will be canonizing Undertale Yellow (Master Sword Video Game) and subtagging it to the main Undertale fandom.

Fandom tags which have been used primarily or entirely for Undertale Yellow (and variations) will be moved over to the new fandom once it has been canonized. Please be aware that it may take some time to complete this transition, so we thank you for your patience as we make these changes.

AO3 tag wranglers will use the following criteria to determine if a fan game, web series, or webcomic should get its own fandom tag:

Is it in the format of a playable game, a webcomic, or a series of videos?

Does it focus on a new cast of characters or significantly differ from the source fandom in some other significant way?

Does it have at least 10 fanworks on AO3 posted by 10 unique users?

In anticipation of questions, we also want to address that at this time we will not be canonizing other fan games or non-game fan-created fandoms for Undertale and Deltarune, including those that may share some similarities to Undertale Yellow. Wranglers have examined other Undertale and Deltarune fan games, webcomics, and web series currently synonyms of the main fandom canonicals, but found no other fandom tags that fit the criteria for canonization at present. These will remain synonyms of Undertale for the time being. We will continue to monitor tag usage, as well as evaluating new webcomics and web series on a case by case basis, and may make additional adjustments if usage changes.

If you notice distinct Undertale or Deltarune fan-created games or web series that have been tagged for on the Archive that reach 10 uses by 10 distinct creators, you are welcome to submit a request for canonization by contacting AO3 Support, and our team will evaluate the request to determine if these fandoms should be canonized under the current guidelines.

(From time to time, ao3org posts announcements of recent or upcoming wrangling changes on behalf of the Tag Wrangling Committee.)

[ao3org]

In #FiveThings calamario discusses tag wrangling, tag hunting, and reading fic. Read more on https://otw-news.org/2p8chtrx.

[ao3org]

Wrangling Policy Update: Fandom Tags for Fan Games & Fanmade Web Series

Hello Fan Game and Fan Web Series Enthusiasts!

You may have already noticed that we've made some changes this year to how we handle fan games & fan web series. These fandoms can now be canonized as fandom tags! Some are on their own, while others are subtagged under the source fandom.

Prior to 2025, whenever a fan game or web series was tagged on a work, the fandom tag was made a synonym of the fandom that inspired it, regardless of how closely related the final product was to the originating material or how popular it became in its own right.

Earlier this year, the tag wrangling committee adjusted this policy and began canonizing fan games and web series that have at least 10 distinct works on AO3 by at least 10 unique creators and exist relatively independently from the source fandom, typically due to such things as an original plot and original characters.

Some of these changes are already visible on AO3, and new canonical fandom tags have been made related to Danganronpa, Pokemon, Five Nights at Freddy’s, Friday Night Funkin’, Super Mario Bros., Legend of Zelda, Fire Emblem, and Undertale. Others are still under discussion and may be canonized in the future.

Beneath the cut, you’ll find an extensive list of fandoms canonized under this updated policy over the last few months. We’ll also be following up on this post with two fandom-specific posts regarding how this change will impact Undertale, Deltarune, and Dangan Ronpa in particular.

Please keep in mind that while this list includes a large number of the more recently canonized fan games, fan webcomics, and fan web series associated with the fandoms listed below, it is not meant to be exhaustive. Additional fandoms may have already been canonized and/or may be canonized in the future. 

While users are welcome to contact AO3 Support to make a request if they notice a fandom might qualify for canonization and have enough usage on AO3 to warrant separate canonization, please be aware these fandoms are still canonized with the wrangling team’s input and at their discretion.

Team Fortress 2

Emesis Blue (Movie 2023)

Friday Night Funkin’

Friday Night Funkin': Vs. Dave and Bambi (MoldyDH Video Game)

Friday Night Funkin': Vs. Dave and Bambi: Golden Apple Edition (Sky! and Lancey Video Game)

Friday Night Funkin': Sarvente's Mid-Fight Masses (Video Game)

Friday Night Funkin': Soft (Video Game)

Friday Night Funkin': Vs. Bob and Bosip (Video Game)

Dave's Fun Algebra Class (Video Game)

Friday Night Funkin': Mario's Madness (Video Game)

Five Nights at Freddy’s

Rebornica (Webcomic)

Security Breach Shows - SunMoonShow (Web Series)

One Night at Flumpty's (Video Games)

Five Nights At Treasure Island (Video Games) 

Playtime with Percy (Video Games)

POPGOES (Video Games)

Five Nights at Candy's (Video Games)

Legend of Zelda

Linked Universe - jojo56830 (Webcomic)

Fire Emblem

Fire Emblem: The Morrow’s Golden Country (Video Game)

Pokemon

Pokemon Insurgence

Pokemon Reborn

Pokemon Rejuvenation

Pokemon Uranium

Warhammer 40.000

If the Emperor Had a Text-to-Speech Device (Web Series)

While we won’t be announcing every change, you are welcome to follow us on Bluesky and can expect to continue to find updates about our work both there, here on Tumblr, and via AO3 News. For more information about AO3's tag system, check out our Tags FAQ.

Thank you as always for your patience and understanding as we continue our work!

(From time to time, ao3org posts announcements of recent or upcoming wrangling changes on behalf of the Tag Wrangling Committee.)

[ao3org]

AO3 is back online and the issue has been resolved. If you are still experiencing issues, please let us know. Thank you for your patience!

Posted: 17:37 UTC July 28, 2025

We are aware that AO3 is down and investigating the cause. We will update with more information shortly! Please refer to our status page for more information. Posted: 15:39 UTC July 28, 2025

[ao3org]

We've found the issue and a possible fix. We're currently working on it, but it may take a little time to complete. Thanks for your patience!

Posted: 16:36 UTC July 28, 2025

We are aware that AO3 is down and investigating the cause. We will update with more information shortly! Please refer to our status page for more information. Posted: 15:39 UTC July 28, 2025

[ao3org]

We are aware that AO3 is down and investigating the cause. We will update with more information shortly! Please refer to our status page for more information.

Posted: 15:39 UTC July 28, 2025

[ao3org]

Our servers have caught up on their backlog. Emails are now being sent out as normal!

Posted: 13:25 UTC July 28, 2025

AO3 emails are currently delayed. No data has been lost: emails will still be delivered, just behind schedule. You may also get some duplicate emails. Thank you for bearing with us!

Posted: 18:52 UTC July 27, 2025

[ao3org]

AO3 emails are currently delayed. No data has been lost: emails will still be delivered, just behind schedule. You may also get some duplicate emails. Thank you for bearing with us!

Posted: 18:52 UTC July 27, 2025

[ao3org]

Voting instructions for the 2025 Board Elections have been sent to all the eligible members. If you haven't received them, read this: https://otw-news.org/yemsybkn

català • Čeština • Deutsch • Ελληνικά • English • español • français • हिंदी • italiano • lietuvių kalba • magyar • मराठी • Nederlands • norsk • polski • português brasileiro • Română • Русский • slovenščina • Српски • suomi • 中文

[ao3org]

2025 Candidate Q&A and Chat Round Up

OTW Board candidates are answering your questions, and the live chat with them is coming up soon! Read more at: https://otw-news.org/v5k9e79j

[ao3org]

Latest Change Log

Over the past few weeks, we completed several important infrastructure updates including upgrading to Elasticsearch 8, finishing the transition to Rails 7.1, and migrating the bookmarks table to create room for more bookmarks.

We also made some user-facing improvements, such as fixing various access and display bugs; clarifying some error messages, form labels, and page titles; and adding chapter numbers to comments in your inbox.

→ Releases 0.9.414 - 0.9.419 - Change Log

[ao3org]

We’ve temporarily lowered the AO3 comment rate limit due to bots leaving spam comments.

Posted: 16:42 UTC July 15, 2025

[ao3org]

Updates to "No Fandom" Additional Tags, July 2025

AO3 tag wranglers have canonized some new "No Fandom" additional tags and will be providing updates on a regular basis going forward. Check out the latest news post for details: https://otw-news.org/yc3mcsur

[ao3org]

The slowness and intermittent errors have been resolved.

Posted: 11:27 UTC July 13, 2025

Due to database server maintenance, Archive of Our Own is loading more slowly than normal and may occasionally show error messages. Refer to our status page for more information and updates.

Posted: 09:25 UTC July 13, 2025

[ao3org]

Due to database server maintenance, Archive of Our Own is loading more slowly than normal and may occasionally show error messages. Refer to our status page for more information and updates.

Posted: 09:25 UTC July 13, 2025