#[ FANDOM : TRANSFORMERS ]

[appalachianapologies]

There are many new friends on the archive, and many are young and have only known social media, which is why I wanted to say something!

Ao3 does not have an algorithm! It isn't a social media site, it's an archive.

Posting fics on Tumblr isn't the same as posting fics on Ao3

Ao3 is like a giant virtual bookshelf, and everyone is able to add their own stories to the bookshelf, all stored with different tags and different fandoms. Works are automatically sorted by newest to oldest, but filters, looking at bookmarks, and using the search function can change that.

Certain works are not pushed to the top like social media posts. More kudos and reads don't push a single work to more viewers by some algorithm. Unless otherwise filtered, works will be at the top of the page based on how recent it was posted.

Smaller fandoms get less views, less kudos, less bookmarks, and larger fandoms get more simply because of the number of people inside the fandom.

Ao3 is a giant virtual bookshelf- there is no algorithm, and there is no man behind the shelf pushing certain books forward.

Happy reading, and if you'd like to have more people notice a fic, why not share it with them! Send a dm to a fandom friend and it might turn into one of their favorite fics!

#ao3 #archive of our own #organization for transformative works #i have admittedly only been a member of the committee for a couple of years BUT ive been a member on ao3 since i was much younger #and it took me a hot second to understand how ao3 works; so i wanted to write a lil post about it after seeing this comment #no shade or blame to the person who wrote this by the way! #after being on social media so much it's a completely understandable mistake and i totally get it #and in fandoms populated by younger ppl typically it's even more understandable! #so absolutely no hate no shade no passive aggressiveness #but i do think it is important to learn how the archive works #so if you'd like to share this it would be greatly appreciated! <3 #okay have a good day sorry this post/tags became so long haha

[end-otw-racism]

End OTW Racism: A Call To Action

A fan protest against the lack of action from the OTW on addressing issues of harassment and racism on AO3 and within the organization

This is a Call To Action for Fans of Color and Allies

AO3 has acknowledged that they have a harassment & racism problem that its parent organization, the Organization for Transformative Works (OTW), needs to address. Currently, people can use AO3 to harass others through fanworks, comments, and tags. Just a few examples include: racist Untamed “spitefic” that used anti-Indigenous slurs and was written specifically to lash out at fans of color; a Transformer fic that used its Black-coded character to reenact George Floyd’s murder in July 2020; someone naming a fandom scholar who criticized their Nazi omegaverse fic in the tags of the fic specifically to incite harassment to the scholar; writers using racial slurs against commenters who pointed out racism in their hockey fic; and so much more.

In June 2020, after the murder of George Floyd, the OTW committed to addressing these issues. It has been nearly three years and they have not yet implemented any of the changes they promised, other than a blocking/muting tool that was already in development before 2020. We need to hold the OTW accountable to their own promises. (See the section further down on “Why Are We Doing This” for even more detail.)

As fans, together, we are powerful. We are organizing to protest the lack of action on promises made by the Organization for Transformative works to deal with issues of racism and harassment on their platform, Archive of Our Own.

We call on fans to do any or all of the following actions any time between May 17 to 31, 2023 to send a message to AO3 and OTW that we will hold them to their promises.

On AO3

Change the title of ten (or more!) of your most recent or most popular fanworks to include ‘End Racism in the OTW’ in the beginning, and provide a link to this post in your summary or first/top creator’s note

Post a new fanwork any time between May 17th to 31st with “End Racism in the OTW” either as the title or at the beginning of the title. The fanwork does not have to be long - it can be a 100-word fic, a quick sketch, a podfic of a ficlet, a 20-second vid/edit, a short piece of meta, etc. In the summary or first/top creator’s note, provide a link to this post

If updating any WIPs with a new chapter, add ‘End Racism in the OTW’ to the title and provide a link back to this post in your summary or first/top author’s note

Update your AO3 icon using the profile pic graphic in our Social Media Toolkit

Plan to maintain these changes until May 31, 2023, or longer if you wish

Send a message to the OTW asking for an update on their 2020 commitments!

For Readers: leave encouraging comments on fanworks with the "End Racism in the OTW" title to show your support of this initiative.

On tumblr

Reblog this Call to Action with the tag #End OTW Racism

Update your profile pics and banners using the graphics in our Social Media Toolkit

Follow this account for updates and signal boost our posts

On Twitter

Follow @/EndOTWRacism (remove the backslash) and signal boost our pinned tweet

Update your profile pics and banners using our graphics, and change your display name to include #EndOTWRacism

Use sample tweets and graphics from our Social Media Toolkit to tweet about your fanworks, and use the hashtag #EndOTWRacism

Help us make this a long-term campaign - sign up to help with other anti-racism projects and future actions!

What Do We Want?

Since their June 2020 statement, OTW has been working on updating their Terms of Service (TOS) to address racist and bigoted harassment, but with little transparency and only the vaguest of updates. It has been three years since their commitment to this update - we want to see the results of their work implemented in the next 6-12 months. Their TOS updates and complementary policies should include:

Harassment policies that can be regularly updated to address both on-site harassment and off-site coordinated harassment of AO3 users, with updated protocols for the Policy & Abuse Team to ensure consistent and informed resolutions of abuse claims

A content policy on abusive (extremely racist and extremely bigoted) content; by abusive, we are talking about fanworks that are intentionally used to spread hate and harassment, not those that accidentally invoke racist or other bigoted stereotypes

These points are not particularly new and are not our own innovation; please refer to Stitch's article written over two years ago, asking for several of these very things.

OTW has also already committed to various process-based actions for longer-term works towards centering antiracism, including hiring a Diversity Consultant. The last update that OTW published said that the consultant would be hired within the next five years (after already having had three years to work on it since their original commitment). That is not soon enough. We want to see the following process-based actions implemented:

Hiring a Diversity Consultant within the next 3-6 months

Committing to a policy of transparency on this topic, with quarterly updates on the progress of these projects including challenges and their plan for overcoming those challenges. These quarterly updates should be published on OTW News page and newsletters, not solely discussed in Board meetings

Why Are We Doing This?

16 years ago, Astolat famously published her manifesto calling for a fandom Archive of One’s Own. In that time, AO3 has grown to be a central pillar of fandom, likely far outstripping its founders’ original vision. It is more than just an archive now; it is a central hub of the modern fannish experience. AO3 and the OTW must continue to grow and evolve with fandom over time to remain a healthy and functioning pillar of fandom. To that end, there are several areas in which the organization, as it admits itself, is lacking.

In June 2020, in the wake of the George Floyd protests and the uprising of the Black Lives Matter Movement, The OTW published a “This Week in Fandom” referencing the works of Dr. Rukmini Pande and Stitch, among others in which they discussed ‘making change for a better society’ through ‘conversations about race and racism’. In response, Dr. Pande and Stitch submitted a letter to the OTW calling for a more formal public statement than an offhand reference in a News Roundup that only served to call for thoughts and discussion without any indication the organization intended to do anything, policy wise, to address the issues being raised.

Eventually, the organization did remove the references to the works of Dr. Pande and Stitch and then made an official statement on the issue of racism within the organization and AO3. In it, they identified several things they would be prioritizing to combat harassment and benefit users. Some of those have been implemented (notably those that were already under development). However as of this writing, little else has been done especially in regards to:

Improving admin tools for the Policy & Abuse team

Reassessing the current mandatory archive warnings with the possibility of implementing others

And, most importantly, reviewing the Terms of Service (TOS) to allow the Policy & Abuse team to address harassment that is currently not covered by the existing TOS

By their own admission, the current tools and policies of the OTW are not sufficient to deal with issues of harassment and racism.

Several people who were involved in the founding of the OTW, including previous OTW Board members and staff on the original OTW Content Policy Committee, acknowledge that the founding of the OTW in 2008 and early board iterations failed us as a fandom by not doing enough, and by not even considering the way racism is perpetuated in fannish spaces, despite a long history of racism in fandom.

It has been nearly three years since the original commitment by the organization with little visible, measurable progress on these three crucial issues and a complete lack of transparency on where they are in regards to even beginning to deal with these issues. In fact, in Q&As, it was heavily implied by a member of the board that those calling for OTW to deal with issues of racism (which OTW had already acknowledged as a problem!) were not really fans but outside agitators.

This has cast significant doubt on the organization's sincerity and commitment to their stated goals, and on their position as leaders of a central fan tent-pole. Fans of color are not outsiders. They are right here, members of our community, and they are being harassed and targeted and driven out while space and platforms are being given to racists.

We, as fans of color and our allies, find the current state of fandom and current actions (and lack thereof) unacceptable. Fandom is our space, all of ours. We, as a fandom, have a right to a racism-free space and have a duty to our fellow fans to create that space. Unlike so much of the world, this is a space we can control and make better. It is a space we must make better. To read even more about this movement, visit our FAQs.

#fandom #ao3 #otw #EndOTWRacism #End OTW Racism #racism in fandom #organization for transformative works #archive of our own #antiracism #otw board

[transformativeworks]

The Archive of Our Own Reaches 11 Million Fanworks!

The OTW is pleased to announce that the 11 millionth fanwork has been posted to the Archive of Our Own. From fic to fanart to podfic, every fanwork on AO3 is the result of someone’s love for and dedication to transformative fandom, and we’re grateful for each and every one of your contributions. AO3 wouldn’t be what it is without you!

We’ve hit 11 million fanworks just six months after reaching 10 million fanworks last October. In those six months, Accessibility, Design & Technology has rolled out the ability to mute works, bookmarks, and comments from specific users; Open Doors has imported over 16,000 fanworks from at-risk and offline archives; Tag Wrangling has wrangled over two million tags; and Policy & Abuse and Support have answered approximately 10,000 tickets each. We’re excited to continue to grow and support fans in the coming months, and we look forward to seeing what you create as we do!

#organization for transformative works #archive of our own #ao3 #fandom #fanfiction

[terminumart]

Oh boy I sure do love this ship and hope nothing terrible happens.

#tfa #transformers #shockwave #tfa shockwave #blurr #tfa blurr #shockblurr #maccadam #terminum art #what do you mean i'm 16 years to late for this fandom

[hysterical-random-things]

I had the wonderful experience of being part of the Peace Through Tyranny & To Be Gentle Zines put together by @allsparkzines! Here's my Piece for To Be Gentle!

#transformers #maccadam #optimus prime #optimus #g1 optimus prime #tf fanart #artists on tumblr #allsparkzines #to be gentle #hystdraws #fandom zine #zine

[emoji-abuse]

the most dynamic ever

based on this!

#hi transformers fandom #clenches fist. these two live rent free in my head #ratchet #tf ratchet #deadlock #tf deadlock #ratchlock #dratchet #i suppose? #idw #tf idw1 #maccadam #transformers fanart #burtonmakes #ratchlock day

[keferon]

…..I discovered Overlord’s boyfriend Trepan

My first reaction - wow he kinda like Rung but evil

My second reaction - wow hekindaliKERUNGBUTEVIL

#transformers #maccadam #honestly I’m amazed #This fandom is so fuckin huge #I can point my finger at any character and there will be lore about them #and more hilariously #there will also be their boyfriend or something ahahah #okay not literally but in the sense of fandom ships? A l w a y s #so #I got curious #And discovered that when Chromedome used that mnemosurgery move called Trepan’s Trigger against Overlord #welll #I found out Trepan is an actual living guy haha #anyway #I drew this for a friend because technically I discovered all this because of her👍 #Trepan #idw trepan

[frosty-tian]

Unveiling the full piece I did for @turbofox-zines!

It was an absolute pleasure to have been part of a zine with so many amazing/skilled individuals (please do make sure to support everyone else’s entries as well), and very much shall participate any future events hosted by the team!

#rescue bots #transformers rescue bots #rescue bots fanzine #fandom event #frankie greene #doc greene #ezra greene #anna baranova #doc baranova #graham burns #rb salvage #tfrb salvage #rb blurr #tfrb blurr #rb boulder #tfrb boulder #my art #digital

[robobrainrot]

If you're new to the TF Fandom, here are the universal constants that exist on tumblr. Fandom fanatics feel free to add any I missed;

We use the tag #Maccadam for tf content. Its the bar/old oil house from lore. Knowing that means you're cool. If its Sexy Narsty Robolewds, use the tag #Valveplug. If its Brutal Narsty Blood Time, use the tag #Robogore.

Anyone and everyone can be babygirl

Especially the old men

___ HAS FALLEN! I, STARSCREAM NOW LEAD THE DECEPTICONS!!!!

Megatron Monday, Wheeljack Wednesday, Thundercracker Thursday

The never ending fight about what color TFP Ratchet is

Deep fried Transformers. I don't mean pixely and over saturated. I mean people keep battering and frying their toys. I cannot explain this

The take over of other fandoms posts. Transformers can and will be applied to everything. Anything and everything can and will be related back to Transformers

Mr. John Hasbro (vague and unspecific)

Be kind to the OC Creators and Self-shippers. Cringe is dead and if you don't like their vibes, just DNI. It's Tumblr. You're on their turf now.

Transformers for Trans Rights. We love the Queers here 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

#fandom guide #transformers #maccadam

[kairukitsuneo]

Ok, the first one is a joke.

Thank you Mirage, Knockout and Bumblebee being the lovable & coolest and sexy transformers for the TF fandom. They instantly become my favourite when they appear on screen.

#transformers #tf fandom #maccadams #tf memes #memes #transformers memes #Venn Diagram meme #rotb mirage #bumblebee #knockout #mirage #tfp knockout #bumblebee 2018

[greentrickster]

Learning Transformers lore is an absolute trip. For example:

TF Wiki: Some transformers have mutant sparks. They’re called ‘outliers’ and have unusual powers as a result!

Me: Wow, neat!

TF Wiki: Skywarp is one such transformer - his ability is teleportation!

Me: Cool!

TF Wiki: Thundercracker has one too, which allows him to produce sonic booms!

Me: Appropriate!

TF Wiki: In fact, the entire command trine are outliers!

Me: Absolutely fun! What’s Starscream’s power?

TF Wiki: He’s fucking immortal.

Me: ...what?

#transformers #starscream #thundercracker #skywarp #command trine #this is not a criticism #this fandom and its canon are just an entire godsdanged amusement park of wild rides #and you never know when the next one's going to start

[macadam]

I love transformers art so much. It has so much range to it in media choice and style and composition. Becoming a tf fan and immersing myself in the art on here has genuinely made my art so much richer. I've considered approaches I never would have considered before.

So many fandoms fall into this well where one art style/approach gets popular and then everything flows around it. Sometimes it's so strong you can literally break the fandom's art into eras. But transformers art seems to do the opposite. At least on Tumblr

It's repaired a bit of my brain that's been damaged by the wildly popular mass produced art styles that are so popular on instagram (and I imagine twitter also). I love so many of the transformers artists on here you are all so creative and your art is so diverse and it brings me so much joy

#there's this feeling I've gotten in other fandoms that to make fan art I have to make it a certain way #but with tf fan art it's literally like... put a robot in there with even just a little semblance/inspiration of the original design #and the art is richer for it #transformers #maccadam

[aldecaver]

Oh that smile 😩

#transformers #decepticons #maccadam #tf #art #robots #robot #tfp #starscream #transformers prime predacons rising #transformers fanart #transformers more than meets the eye #transformers starscream #autobots #megatron #transformers prime #transformers prime starscream #tfp starscream #tf starscream #transformers fandom #transformers art #fanartist #fanart

[somerandomdudelmao]

Which version of Transformers would you recommend to watch first?

Depends on what amount of gay you want to witness

#I'd say #Transformers prime #just because it was the first one I saw #and it successfully dragged me to tf fandom haha

[hysterical-random-things]

I had the wonderful experience of being part of the Peace Through Tyranny & To Be Gentle Zines put together by @allsparkzines! Here's my Piece for Peace Through Tyranny!

#transformers #maccadam #megatron #g1 megatron #tf fanart #transformers g1 #tf megatron #artists on tumblr #zine #ptt #allspark zines #fandom zine #hystdraws

[bakanokiwami]

TOP 10 CARTOON/COMIC/GRAPHIC NOVEL FANDOMS ON AO3 BASED ON NUMBER OF FANWORKS,SINGLE CATEGORY TAG ONLY VERSION (2009-2022)

If you don't see a fandom on the chart, it may be because that fandom only has a multicategory tag and no Cartoons/Comics/Graphic Novels category only tag. (E.g. Homestuck) You can see this category with the muti-category fandoms included in this post.

To make these bar chart race, all series titles in the Cartoons/Comics/Graphic Novels category on November 29 (or the closest date to it) of every year were copy-pasted from Wayback Machine to Google Sheets, rearranged according to number of fanworks, manually filtered for fandoms belonging in only one category, and then inputted to Flourish to turn into a bar chart race.

Locked fanworks aren't included in the count because Wayback Machine can’t view those, only Ao3 users can.

Fandom tags that are no longer in the Other Media category tag as of posting this are left out of the bar chart race. These tags are usually either miscategorized or already have other tags referring to the same fandom.

Please refer to this post for more bar chart races.

Thanks for understanding and hopefully I didn’t mess up anywhere! 🙏

#ao3 #archive of our own #fandom history #voltron #dcu #miraculous ladybug #marvel #marvel 616 #avatar the last airbender #atla #rwby #batman #transformers generation one #gravity falls #steven universe #young justice #avatar legend of korra #legend of korra #the avengers #avengers #x men #the sandman #teen titans #Buffy The Vampire Slayer #green lantern #w.i.t.c.h. #ultimates #the real ghostbusters #x factor #futurama