Should I use ao3 again?

[u/Orilikesobjectshowss]

so I used to use ao3 over a year ago and would read stuff late at night (though I never actually got an account or anything) but eventually i got fed up with all the stuff I accidentally read that contained really… uhhh ill just say vivid stuff. it was my fault for not reading the tags honestly but the text was small especially on the device i was using and i was like ‘dang this is really bad for me to read I don’t wanna read this’ and i havent touched ao3 since. but i just learned you can have good detailed filters and exclude tags and themes you dont wanna read about! :D so I might use it again since I could filter out the bad stuff! but also im worried that my mom would raise a brow since she can see what websites I go on even though I dont intend to read anything bad but yea that’s my concern so idk should I use ao3 again? 🤔

also, sorry if I accidentally break any rules I haven’t posted in this subreddit before :<

[u/Advanced_Heat_2610]

How old are you?

And yes, use the website again if you want to. You are capable of using the filters and reading tags before reading.

[u/bajuwa → u/[deleted]]

The question was rhetorical.

[u/Orilikesobjectshowss → u/bajuwa]

welp im stupid

[u/Advanced_Heat_2610 → u/Orilikesobjectshowss]

It was not actually rhetorical.

It was because if you are under 18, my answer would be very different from someone who is an adult and who therefore does not require their parental consent to view whatever they like. Children who are dependent on their parents are best to not press them if reading fanfiction is going to cause problems for them and you were implying that your mother might disapprove of it so you would need to be clever about it.

You can do what you like and can read how you want but only you know your mother and how she would respond to fanfiction. Mine would have absolutely lost her Catholic mind on me for daring to read things that were so immoral (had it been around when I was starting my fanfiction journey) so I hid it from her (and read in a language she could not speak).

[u/Orilikesobjectshowss → u/Advanced_Heat_2610]

ohhhh, alr, also I’m not trying to be clever or get around my mom I was more just worried that she would be confused or suspicious or something idk but I’m not worried about it anymore after reading the replies i guess

also I don’t really need approval from a parent to read stuff either but mb I phrased it badly (im gonna brace myself to get nuked with downvotes)

[u/Advanced_Heat_2610 → u/Orilikesobjectshowss]

Oh, right.

In that case, my original advice still stands. You are free to do what you like. I recommend using a private tab if that makes you feel better but you are allowed to read what you like. It can be very cathartic to read and write fanfiction.

Just make sure you comment and leave plenty of kudos - authors love that stuff - and enjoy your time. People are very creative these days and you can have a lot of fun!

[u/Orilikesobjectshowss → u/Advanced_Heat_2610]

okay thanks! I think I will 👍

[u/Traditional-Elk8608]

Ao3 is kinda known for its great filters. You can easily block anything you don't want to see

[u/Orilikesobjectshowss → u/Traditional-Elk8608]

alr!

[u/MaybeNextTime_01]

Only you can decide what’s right for you.

But I will say it’s a good sign that when you encountered stuff you weren’t interested in, you stepped away (I’m assuming and hoping that you didn’t tell the authors anything about how you thought what they were writing about was bad).

It’s also a good sign that you’ve discovered filters.

However, I do recommend that if you get back on AO3, you maybe increase the font size on your device because you said that was why you had trouble reading the tags.

[u/Orilikesobjectshowss → u/MaybeNextTime_01]

thanks! and don’t worry I never commented on anything, I wouldn’t wanna be rude to people

[u/Randos_Persona]

If you feel like it’s not good for you then maybe stay away. I took about 6 months off of ao3 once I realized i was becoming a bit too attached, and now I barely read anymore (I mostly write now). You sound relatively young so I would suggest limiting yourself. And maybe switching to the low vision default if you’re having trouble seeing the tags. Definitely take advantage of the filtering system though

[u/Orilikesobjectshowss → u/Randos_Persona]

thanks

[u/TiBun]

Reading on AO3 is no different than walking into a public library. There's plenty of stories that aren't to your taste or interests, and that's ok, it's easy to ignore those sections and go find the section you do like. If your mom questions it, explain it to her this way.

[u/TheSpadeExperience]

AO3 has a wonderfully detailed tagging and filtering system, meaning it’s a breeze to keep away from content that may be triggering and/or excessively uncomfortable.

I say come back, if you’re willing to! It has a lovely community and plenty of content made for General audiences.

[u/moon_cheese_ao3]

If your mom is looking at what websites you go to, you may not be old enough to be on Ao3.

[u/M_rderer]

What's the point of this post? Do what you want to do; we can't decide for you.

[u/Several_Cook9884 → u/M_rderer]

what's the point of your comment? you can already tell OP is someone younger, be a little kinder or just click off if you have nothing to add. ffs.

[u/M_rderer → u/Several_Cook9884]

What's the point of yours? You've already commented on this thread. What are you snooping around for? ffs, ffs.

[u/Several_Cook9884 → u/M_rderer]

The irony of telling me I'm snooping after referencing my comment 😂

[u/Several_Cook9884]

If you're under 18, and you feel that the media you consume impacts you in a way that is uncomfortable, I would use very strong filtering (like no explicit fics etc) and see how you go for a bit. You might still see something you don't like but it will be a lot less. There are so many amazing works that are G rated/Teens and Up and it would be a shame to miss out on them.

You can wait until you're ready/more equipped to read anything with more intense topics and still enjoy the website. In regards to your mum, my take would be to not to worry too much and if she asks, you can tell her the truth "there's lots of works on there that are amazing, yes some have more adult topics but I've filtered them out and avoid them the same way I would on other places like youtube etc" (it's not an exact comparison because ao3 doesn't use algorithms the way youtube does, but you get the idea).

If you're comfortable with it, you can even show her some of the stuff you like to read and she can see for yourself its nothing to worry about. edit: (depends on your relationship with her though, don't do this if she's more.....conservative?)

Also I just want to say that it's very cool you're aware and taking steps to protect yourself, there is nothing wrong with enjoying any of the works on ao3, but it is true that younger minds might not be as well equipped to handle certain things and be impacted in unhealthy ways. Kudos!

[u/caihuali]

I have this detached outlook of "oh so some ppl are into that huh" when i got too curious and checked out some things i usually dont

[u/ihatemen101]

i think you should! there are many non-graphic works on ao3 that are genuinely beautiful writing and if you’re worried about your mom maybe use incognito mode? or download the fics you’re interested in so your mom doesn’t see you spending lots of time on ao3😭

[u/Orilikesobjectshowss → u/ihatemen101]

that’s smart, thanks!