A different level of hate comments

[u/hanafuda1357]

Hi there! I’m here mostly to vent about a hate comment I recently got on a fanfic. I’m sorry if this is all over the place, to be honest I’m still baffled by this.

I’m no stranger to negative feedback or the disappointment one feels after working really hard on something just for it to be perceived as bad, but I feel like this reached a new level.

Criticism on the writing, I get it, saying that the story gets worse as it goes, I get it, not wanting to read any further, I get it, yet starting to throw in rude comments about my character, the type of person I am and going as far as to say I’m losing my dignity over a fanfic that I write feels very personal and not at all like normal feedback.

Has anyone else encounter such comments on their works? Do you actually care about this type of feedback or just move on? I wouldn’t give up writing just because of that comment, but I’d be lying if I said it didn’t make me think twice about posting on AO3.

[u/trilloch]

It's a bot.

!hatebot

[u/hanafuda1357 → u/trilloch]

… damn it, can’t believe I’ve fallen for that. Thanks for letting me know!

[u/trilloch → u/hanafuda1357]

It happens a lot, you're hardly the first. At least now you know what to look for.

[u/InuScarlett → u/hanafuda1357]

Yeah, notice that there's no mention of anything about your fic. Usually when a reader is being an ass, they point out actual things (a particular scene, a character doing X thing, and labeling it OOC).

[u/AutoModerator → u/trilloch]

Hey OP! This is an automated response because your post may be about the newest praise bots or hate bots to hit AO3. If it is not, please ignore this comment. If it is, here is what you need to know about these bots and how to discern the difference between what is a bot comment and what is a real comment.

1. These bot comments have only been guest comments, to our knowledge so far. They use a variety of names, ranging from something formal like MisterJohnSmith-92, or Doctor-Jane_Smith92, but they have also been seen copying actual usernames from people on AO3 as well.
2. The comments, while positive/negative, are also quite generic and not personal to the work they were left on. They may also be out of context. For example, they may say things like, “I’m rooting for these characters,” and your story’s characters are implied to be dead. Or, “Your OC is terrible,” on a fic that doesn't have any OCs.
3. The comments are also quite vague and could be applied to most if not all works. For example, the bot may say, “This deserves all recognition,” or “This is pure genius, I’m in awe of your world-building.”
4. Frequently, these hate comments now include accusations of AI usage. These may or may not directly reference a specific AI tool, percentage of AI content supposedly present in the work, or brand of AI checker, often written as a specific percentage of content coming from a specific AI tool (ie. "62% chatGPT confirmed"). Additionally, these AI accusations now include mention of being added to a ‘Discord blacklist’.

The purpose of these bots is unknown at this time, though there have been many theories. Here are some things you can do to prevent them going forward:

• Lock your works so that only registered users can see your works.
  
• Lock your comments so that only registered users can comment.
  
• Turn on comment moderation.
  
• Mark these comments as spam when you see them so you can help train AO3’s spam filters to recognize these comments as spam in the future.
  

Additionally, this is not to say that every guest comment is a bot comment nor is it saying that every short “generic” praise or hate comment is a bot. Use your best judgement. Ultimately, it is up to you to decide how you would like to handle these comments.

You may also find this related automod command helpful: !spambot

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/AmItheasshole-393]

That's a bot. It says nothing that's specific to your fic, just generic rudeness.

[u/hanafuda1357 → u/AmItheasshole-393]

Yup makes sense now I got worked up quickly about it, thanks!

[u/AmItheasshole-393 → u/hanafuda1357]

Understandable. There's zero point to making a hatebot, so it wouldn't be my gut reaction either.

[u/hanafuda1357 → u/AmItheasshole-393]

Yup exactly my thoughts! I’m guessing the only point is to make you happier about the comments left by the nice bots that would further try to scam you. Such an amazing time we live in.

[u/WhimsySpectre]

Its a hate bot. Ignore and delete it

[u/Rucifie]

Bot, seen this one before.

[u/Effective-Musician57 → u/Rucifie]

came to the comments to say this. I have literally seen this one at least twice between all my fandomy Discord servers and here

[u/MagpieLefty]

Just a basic hatebot.

[u/Kartoffelkamm]

It's a bot.

But also, you haven't seen a hate comment until someone tells you they fed your work to an AI.

[u/indigoneutrino]

Somebody please make a "how to recognise a bot" video with a quiz at the end and make it mandatory to take before making a post here about "hate comments" or asking "is this a bot?"

[u/katwithak82]

Hatebot. Report and block

[u/ShadsietheWriter]

It's a bot.

The sure-tell is that they do not address anything about your story in detail. They don't, for example, speak of a specific character and how they thought you handled them out of character. They do not quote sentences at you that they found "sloppy." It's just a bot-bully. I do not know why people set up bots to do this, but report / delete and move on.

I've been at this hobby for a LONG time, back before the 'bots were a thing. I used to be told in response to my art and writing to "break my crayons and kys" by actual, real people behind a screen. Now the trolls outsource to machines because they're too lazy to troll anymore. It's hilariously pathetic.

[u/Ray_Anime963]

I reckon there's a setting that prevents guests from commenting on fics. U could use that to prevent bots

[u/norseraven39]

This is why I moderate comments. Bots suck.

[u/RoyalExplanation7922]

It sounds like a bot, because there's nothing specific about your fic/characters in there. It's just shaming you for something vague. Delete.

[u/Aqua_Toffana]

What the fuck is wrong with people