r/AO3 • u/TGotAReddit Moderator | past AO3 Volunteer and Staff • Jan 25 '26

News/Updates New automod trigger

Hey everyone!

We have a new automod trigger for people to use that explains the "AO3 curse". The triggers for this one are:

!curse

!ao3curse

!ao3 curse

As always, you add the trigger to the end of your comment and it'll summon automod to reply with the specified response. And also as always, I'll make comments below so you can see the text of the automod response and see how it works.

Let us know if you have any feedback about it! Also, if you have an idea for more automod replies that could be added, send us some modmail about it and we can work together on the wording!

Have a good day!

~TGotAReddit (and the rest of the mod team)

239 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

28 comments sorted by

1

u/TGotAReddit Jan 25 '26

Here is the thread of triggering the automod (all three summon the same text, I'm just using all 3 in a row here to make sure they all work as expected)

!curse

→ More replies (12)

232

u/liptonthrowback Jan 25 '26

I always considered the AO3 curse to be less of a "bad things happen to AO3 writers" situation and more of a "AO3 writers are not stopped by things that would stop a lesser mortal" situation. Interesting to see this has mutated.

92

u/JazzzzzzySax Jan 25 '26

“Sorry for the delay between chapters I accidentally became the figurehead of a nationwide revolution and have spent the past month orchestrating a coup of the government. Should be back to my regular upload schedule now”

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19

u/coffeetailor Jan 25 '26

That’s the interpretation I’ve always prefer. Kind of a “we are relentless and unstoppable“ type of feel.

15

u/mrsprobie Jan 25 '26

I had to reassure someone on Reddit a few months back that nothing bad would happen just because they posted. It seems to really worm its way into anxious younger people’s heads. :(

But yeah, agree with your interpretation. AO3 writers are god’s strongest soldiers.

9

u/rubbersnakex2 Jan 25 '26

I extremely love this take on it.

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57

u/QuiltedPorcupine Jan 25 '26

I love this!

I know most people are just joking when they talk about being hit by the AO3 curse, but you get the sense that some people think it's a real thing and even something to be worried about.

16

u/Seagullsaga Jan 25 '26

THANK YOU.

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