The Great AO3 Outage of 2023, As Told Through Memes
Archive of Our Own (AO3), the largest fanfiction repository, went down for over 24 hours as the result of a DDoS attack that started early on Monday morning, and the internet is still recovering. Readers and writers alike waited with bated breath, wishing and hoping and checking for updates religiously. Here are some of the best memes people shared to cope with the loss.
(Volume warning for some of the videos.)
#AO3Down
AO3 went down in the early hours of Monday, leading users to turn to other platforms like Twitter, TikTok, Tumblr, and Reddit to reminisce on the good old days of having a functioning website.
Others lamented their daily rituals being interrupted.
Many of the posts were a bit more on the jokey side, making fun of themselves and their internet habits:
Others, whether exaggerated or sincere, seemed ready to go to war with the “hackers”:
Some even got so desperate as to turn to other fanfiction sites like Wattpad, or even attempting to use a Wayback machine to find archives of the archive:
Many readers/writers are also defending the hardworking staff from complaints, reminding people that AO3 is run by volunteers.
Even Insider got in on the trend, running an article with the title “Archive of our Own is down and life isn’t worth living now.”
And, as was inevitable, some responded to the attack by writing fanfiction about it:
#AO3isBack
When AO3 returned, it was a joyous occasion and the internet celebrated with … more memes:
Some have also taken this as a learning experience and are now making sure to download all of their favorite fics:
Others note that, despite the attack, AO3 is not safe; conservative politicians’ attacks on the internet could allow parents to sue websites with queer content. They also note how many POC volunteers have not been given adequate protection by AO3 and if the group doesn’t work together, they could have some serious infighting or make the site toxic to vulnerable minorities.
What was your favorite meme from the AO3 outage? Comment below!
(featured image: Getty Images / AO3 / The Mary Sue)
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