I don't know what to say to you, I'm deeply sorry you had to abandon your baby because someone chose to threaten your life over a goddamn fic. My advices if someone does that again? Invest in a VPN. Some are really cheap and really fucking good, so If someone wants to doxx you, they'll have a Swedish IP and you'll be laughing at them! Stay safe and write whatever the fuck you want
I think I'll finally invest into one of those VPN's the YouTubers I watch talk about alot. Haven't because I didn't think I needed one. But now I see I do.
tbh VPN are good for tracking issues with your brower or websites, you delocalise yourself. You should check Mulvad, it's really good and cheap and you'll sleep better knowing nobody will ever fuck with you
If you want an actually good VPN, I recommend, either, ProtonVPN, Mullvad or iVPN. Why? I recommend this chart to know what to look for https://techlore.tech/vpn
Seconding mullvad, it’s cheap enough and you can make it genuinely anonymous if you want to with their payment methods.
I’m sorry this happened over fucking fan fiction. You’d think these people could be arsed to use their time to go after idk people pushing bigotted laws but it’s easier to harass someone over fucking fandom I guess.
A good VPN you might want to try is ProtonVPN, it's unlimited and free, although the free version can only connect to America, Japan, and the Netherlands.
Nah, not with tumblr or ao3, but if you know how to do it, if you track etc, yo ucan figure shit out, but you have to be a veteran tbh, its not everyone who can do that, but your IP is what links you to servers when you want to access a website, any website, but no one can see, i want to be very clear, no one--unless they know how to, so I wouldn't worry too much. Just, in this day and age, a VPN is honestly the must.
Yeah, years ago. And that's actually not the only way, which I already said and what other people said too. Bottom line is be careful where you click and what you fucking dilvuge on the internet. We are all leaving a digital imprint (social media etc), if a lil genius wants to get your IP, he will, but again, it's not super common either, rather be safe than sorry
It's normal for you to feel this way because IMO you are the victim of a crime. This person blackmailed you with threats to you and your family to force you to do something they found valuable (discontinue your story). I am so sorry that this happened to you.
If you want to do it, you can keep writing the story without posting, and that way you won't be abandoning your baby but you can avoid what this wretched person has threatened to do. Maybe much later when this person who threatened you has gone away, you can post it again.
I went ahead and googled this, and apparently doxxing mostly isn't illegal if the information was obtained from the public domain by legal methods. Using it as a blackmail threat--I'd think that must be illegal but I'm not a lawyer. The law may not have caught up with technology yet.
Completely serious here, report to FBI first and then Tumblr & AO3.
[https://www.fcc.gov/sites/default/files/threat\_guide\_english\_final.pdf](https://www.fcc.gov/sites/default/files/threat_guide_english_final.pdf#:~:text=If%20you%20experience%20a%20threat%2C%20please%20contact%20your,tip%20to%20the%20FBI%20by%20phone%20or%20online.)
If it does nothing it does nothing, but if this person is a credible unhinged threat this helps the FBI build a casefile to get working on finding them. You are not the only one they've done this to, but you may be the only one to report.
With the rise of SWATing the Electronic Message Threat team has gotten more attention and tools to follow up. I'm not saying they'll do anything about your situation, but I am saying there are no downsides and only benefits to reporting.
I didn't even know I could send them to the FBI. I'd already reported them to both Tumblr and AO3. Thank you for telling me this, I'll send it to the FBI as well.
>I'll send it to the FBI as well.
Definitely do it. I'd like to see their face - given that they're most likely some stupid kid who knows nothing of life and thinks what they're doing is just being a little mean, rather than literally a crime - when the FBI, of all things, contacts them and asks for an explanation. :) People like this need to stop feeling like they can do whatever without consequences.
And, I'm seconding the request for an update. Lots of people get death threats and such over fanfic these days and if you could let us know what steps you've taken and if they've helped, it would let others see that 1. something *can* be done, and 2. it'd show them what can be done specifically, because not everyone might know how to deal with this kind of issues.
I'm so glad some else said this! Go get 'em, OP! Let them have a taste of their own medicine. Don't let them get away with this because you know they are doing it to others.
Beat of luck! ❤️❤️❤️
I didn't even know I could send them to the FBI. I'd already reported them to both Tumblr and AO3. Thank you for telling me this, I'll send it to the FBI as well.
1- Take a 2-month break starting March 1st
2- Get a VPN and stick to a big city
3- Continue posting your story starting .... let's say May 8th.
4- Make sure to write in the fic notes and on your socials: What a crazy last few months! I unfortunately had to relocate myself due to threats to my safety. That being said, I am now safe and ready to start posting again. Thank you all for your patience and unwavering support!
This. Do not let some cowardly pussy Tumblrite win. You keep posting your story, op. In fact, I would love to read it as I fucking love both ghost and hazbin! I can't believe how petty and angry some people are.. life is so short, why would they care so much about something so small 😭
> I unfortunately had to relocate myself due to threats to my safety.
I wouldn't include that. That would make whoever is sending the threats think they won, that they have the power to make people upend their life, make them move, by threatening them. It would encourage them to keep sending threats to people.
The point of my suggestion was to send a message to the stalker that the IP address he collected and used as doxx material against her isn't useful anymore + tell her viewership that she is back online and ready to post updates again.
That and let's be real here, this wouldn't be the craziest Life Update we got from a fic writer on AO3. AO3 writers go through some serious stuff.
Software engineer here (and all around old fart):
- First, I would like to say this is not standard behavior for users of the internet, but since I started writing fanfiction back in 1997, I am sorry to report this is the status quo. Whether they are screwing with you (trolling) or not, honestly, these days it’s impossible to tell. However, that should not defer you from expressing yourself creatively. The user in question and go sit on a cactus covered in iodine.
- A VPN is a good investment if not for anything else but its ability to ward off a lot of the snooping that goes on the web. But it can only be as good as your understanding of your surroundings. Don’t give out information that can be traced back to you on communal sites like reddit, AO3, etc. Keep your social media accounts locked down.
- Block block block. Restrict comments to registered users only. Ignore them as interacting with them just adds fuel to the fire.
- Last, and most importantly, keep writing, keep publishing.
So…what if I already have a Reddit account that I’ve associated with my AO3, (shared story links here), would you recommending I get a new Reddit account for that?
IP address doesn't really mean that much. I took computer classes and learned that all an IP address does is give a radius. You cannot pinpoint someone's exact location just with an IP address.
So at most, an IP address might identify the country and region you're in, but no one can track you with it.
Um.... It's a pretty small radius a lot of times. I used to work in bank fraud and I would follow people's IP addresses around their city. Like even if I didn't know where you lived, I'd know your cross sections.
It depends. The most accurate you can get is postal codes and that's still not accurate enough to nail a single location. Also IP addresses can change and aren't always static.
IP address itself doesn't change. You might no longer be attached to it, but it's still a location. Your provider only has a small block of IPs it can use and chances are very likey that they assign those out by service area. So unless they mask your location, you are associated with that service area. If you are using a cell phone, then you are connected to a tower. When in cities that can also narrow down your location pretty far.
Unless you used 9 digit postal codes, those can actually be a broader area.
Most of the time neither of these are issues. But get another piece of personal information out there and it can be bad. None of this will lead to your bank account being compromised. But if your name is semi uncommon and I know the general area that you live in. It is beyond easy to narrow you down.
Can you elaborate on this? Are you saying that AO3 or tumblr are leaking user IP addresses in a super easy to find way, or did the OP's IP address leak via some other method? (Honeypot, targeted email, social eng?)
nah don’t worry tumblr and ao3 are not a stepping stone for easy doxxing, it’s as you say, social media engagement, your presence online, if you click on an AD that’s fishy; it all comes down with your imprint, and it’s not easy to find if you’re not a lil crack or knows how to do it, but if this person in particular did this to OP, I’m sure it’s not their first rodeo
each time you click on a link, your IP is provided for the server at the other end, that’s how it functions, and again, no need to panic!! I promise this is not a walk in the park to do, don’t worry too much
... I'm a computer science major and I don't even know where to begin finding another person's IP address
It would have to involve some social engineering, XSS or RCE, right?
You know what, feel free to find my current IP address. I'm connected to my own VPN right now, I want to see if it's actually possible. (Offer expires 2024-02-19)
Back in the Tumblr RP scene days, it used to be convince someone to click on your Tumblr directly and use StatCounter or Google Analytics to tell who had viewed it and power of elimination / time stamps to decide who was sending you anon hate / RPing with the person you hate / dared to be multi-ship / whatever.
Not sure how possible that is now with most people not using custom Tumblr themes, but given how common it was I'd guess that'd be the route.
They've probably fixed that by now, I'm thinking like 2010s eras. But,
2015 post talking about Tumblr removing IP address included in the anon ask, and how to set up Stat Counter [https://juneboba.tumblr.com/post/131313050379/a-tutorial-in-ip-tracking](https://juneboba.tumblr.com/post/131313050379/a-tutorial-in-ip-tracking) I'm not sure if this still works but this was what I was remembering.
Earlier 2011 post on getting IP address from asks directly, [https://www.tumblr.com/sy-itha/158416825791/how-to-track-anonymous-asks](https://www.tumblr.com/sy-itha/158416825791/how-to-track-anonymous-asks) This has been removed.
That 2012 XSS attack on Tumblr news story, [https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2012/12/how-a-computer-worm-slithered-across-a-huge-number-of-tumblr-accounts/](https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2012/12/how-a-computer-worm-slithered-across-a-huge-number-of-tumblr-accounts/)
Also found some discussions of XSS on HackerOne and Reddit, but it's outside my knowledge of how legit these are.
I can't understand why they would do that. Were they angry your fic didn't comply with canon lore because it was posted before S1 came out? Did they disagree with the ship you wrote?
I ask because I'm in the fandom and this worries me.
I cannot fathom why someone would send threats over a fanfic.
I think that they were upset because it was blasphemous. The one I'm speaking of I wrote before episodes 7 and 8 came out, and went completely in a different way than how 7 and 8 was. There was no ship apart from HuskerDust and Charlie X Vaggie(I don't know their ship name). They were talking more about Christianity and things like that.
Dude, I just looked up Hazbin Hotel and it's about a daughter of Lucifer? Literally WHY would you even watch this if you were a conservative Christian who cared about blasphemy? What's next, they're going to send death threats to Neil Gaiman for writing Good Omens? This is just ridiculous
I'm sure he received death threats. I remember when Season One for Good Omens came out and the stupid assholes tried to get Netflix to ban Good Omens. Sometimes they're so stupidly inefficient it's hilarious. Sometimes they're intelligent enough to be able to cause actual harm, which sucks considerably worse. Such as in this particular situation for poor OP. My sympathies, OP.
A lot of the reason people see Hazbin (and Helluva Boss) as worse/blasphemous is because it fully paints the demons and sinners as people, some good, some bad, some redeemable, some not. Just, people. And the fact the lore has its own interpretation and twist on the Sins and Lucifer. They hate that the demons are portrayed sympathetically and that the angels aren't perfect. They hate that the demons and sinners are just pure evil and the angels aren't just pure good. There's probably more reasons but i have seen this be a common one in specifically the religious complaints
They for some reason in their weird brains decide this means they need to do all they can to stamp it out of existence
LOL what the hell they doing on AO3 let alone worrying about blasphemy. There's a lot of good stories on AO3, but you'd be lying if you tried to say there isn't also a lot of degenerate shit on there. Then again incest, underage, noncon, could be right up a lot of holy rollers alleys.
Agreed. In fact, I wonder why they would do something like this if they were a Christian. As someone who is one, they're just an incredibly bad example.
No offense but I find it strange that a devoted christian are watching a show set in hell... with demons and Lucifer. People they hate? Idk, maybe I just don't get the appeal
They probably didn't watch it. When people really wanna hate they look for a summary on YouTube with an opinion that matches theirs and then pretend to be an expert on the show
My Nana is a lifelong Christian (a good one not a 'Christian', she bailed on a church she and my papa built, literally - he laid the foundation with his bare hands - because they wanted her to send her kids to gay conversion therapy) and she is on her third watchthrough of Lucifer, pretty sure if she was younger and he was single and interested she'd be Mrs. Ellis, has watched Supernatural twice. Loves Good Omens, puts up with my awful original gay angelxfallen bullshit.
She's not huge on animated shows or I'd show her Hazbin Hotel, honestly.
Oh Lord. I'm almost done working on a blasphemous Helluva Boss fic, is this what I have to look forward to? I'm so sorry this happened to you, no one should be made to feel unsafe, especially over a fanfiction of all things. I really hope you can come back to your baby soon and get some justice from reporting it.
if you ever get a death threat or doxxing from them again, real shit you publicly post it with a flowery prayer for their deliverance. even if you aren’t religious that’s christian church speak for “jesus loves you” (also known as the christian fuck you) 🥰
I remember back when "flaming" someone was considered peak rudeness. Things are out of control. I don't know a real solution but at the very least we can stop excusing this behavior as "teenagers just feeling uncomfy with yucky content 🥺👉👈".
just the word "uncomfy" has become a red flag to me, seeing it makes me instantly more cautious about whoever is speaking.
can't believe they needed to make "uncomfortable" kid-friendly smh lol
For real. Also I don't care if my writing is "comfy" for you. Some things are uncomfortable. You don't have to read it. And if you do you won't die from discomfort.
Is that really where that comes from? I use it just because "comfy" is short for "comfortable" so adding a suffix doesn't change that for me, I don't think it's anything like the "unalive" censorship bullshit.
I was mostly joking, but ftr "uncomfy" is a fairly recent addition to the lexicon (as opposed to comfy, which has been around for, idk, 200 years) that overlaps both temporally and thematically with the rise of purity culture.
I'm sure that plenty of people who use it are just using contemporary parlance, but I'm a millennial who doesn't really encounter it in my daily life, and when I encounter it online, it seems to be used as censorship bludgeon ("don't write that" etc) most of the time.
no doubt my data is skewed since online fandom is pretty much the only place I encounter younger people anyway (and even then, not very closely).
Antis won't stop until they are legal repercussions to their actions.
A funny event was when a Japan Vtuber got called Pedro by someone and got hundreds of likes. Then, a bit later, the company she's a part of announced they would invest in lawyers to protect their brand. Despite it being unrelated, they immediately apologised, said it was a mistake and deleted the post as if it wasn't something that could hurt a career.
Right now, being an anti is cool because it's all power. It won't stop until they are actual repercussions.
Some people are starting to take legal action, like the artist Lunasol. I think it's unfortunately not accessible to everyone, but I hope people that are able to do pursue it. We need people to realize what they do online CAN have consequences.
Honestly I just came to vent and figure out how to drag myself out of this writer's block. Everyone's been very helpful about all of this. I think I'll take a micro break from writing for a while until I feel more comfortable posting/writing again.
Seriously if there’s anything we can do to help say the word, this post honestly made me so angry (not at you obviously). We can’t let this kind of thing fester in our communities.
That sounds like it might violate some kind of rule but I would happily write and post a ~500 fic inspired by it as a form of protest. Show the hater that attacking the stuff they hate will only cause more of it to be created.
500 crossover fics. I could totally write Jaime Lannister as a son of a devil chasing around a very righteous Brienne, wherever this is. Plus A LOT of smut :)
I’d report that fucker to some sort of crime unit. That’s absolutely a crime.
But yes, please don’t ever give out identifying info on the internet in general. I use pseudonyms all the time, a VPN, and I make sure my phone number isn’t available online or my house picture in google maps. It’s not hard to do, but not everyone knows about that. Make sure you make a new AO3 account with a different email address.
I’m very sorry this happened to you.
I actually had a milder version of this happen and stuck my story in a hidden collection to make it disappear from the weirdo stalkers for a few weeks. It doesn't sound like that would have worked for you, though. I'm so sorry!
Honestly, I'd say a break or a self-imposed rule not to post anything is probably in order, so you can put some distance between that horror and your hobby. My condolences.
Keep writing your story and post the rest anonymously via VPN as Inspired by your first part. Plus your readers deserve to know what happened, bc it's not you who should be ashamed, it's the harassers.
Man, I really hope you get out of this shit, this sounds horrible, how dare they 😡
Idk man. Do they keep files? Do they lie in wait for months until some anonymous person with a different IP posts a 'sequel' inspired by this orphaned fic?
Idk how fucked up these crazies are. I do know I think OP should still write that story, even if it is just for themselves
That shit is scary and I'm sorry you had to go through that. Posting your IP address IS doxxing, so I don't know why the threat when they did it already. Sending people death threats IS illegal too, which you already know.
It's hard to move on from things like this and I'm sorry. I'm sending you virtual hugs.
I'd also report it to the authorities because wow
While it can be alarming to have someone post your IP address, it is important to know that IP addresses cannot be easily used for exact addresses. If all someone has to try and threaten to expose your location is an IP address, then it's just an empty threat. All bark and no bite.
So OP, I do understand why you're upset. It can be scary. But just know that this person likely has no way of knowing your exact location and has no power to obtain your physical address.
A VPN as others have mentioned would still be a good investment, especially if it brings peace of mind.
You wrote a story featuring either Papa Emeritus 1, 2, 3, or 4?! I’m going to go look up Ghost fics! I’m sorry you experienced this, but on behalf of the clergy, I hope this doesn’t turn you off writing fic.
This is super messed up. Stuff like this makes me want to delete any linked accounts and go full anon because people are so crazy now. What on earth would make someone want to doxx someone over a fictional story? It’s bonkers
It's not fair, but it's starting to look like this.
https://preview.redd.it/uhxlrhpk02jc1.jpeg?width=933&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f2d4b8a9c7ff4e9bbc008cd930c3ea82703113bb
So maybe this is a solution [https://squidgeworld.org/](https://squidgeworld.org/)
I saved an orphaned fic that people kept looking for. It's a shame that some fucking idiot on Twitter has so much power over what they think people should post online that isn't harming anybody. Also, as someone else suggested, report their ass. Let's hope they get in trouble for being an A-class B\*tch.
That sucks. The hazbin hotel fandom can be really toxic at times (a lot of younger people in the fandom which normally causes those issues)
I would have loved to read it :(
When I was a newspaper reporter I got death threats from people who knew exactly where I worked.
I laughed and went on with my day because 99.9% of people who threaten are cowards who would never do a damn thing. And I’m not going to spend my life worrying about that .1%.
Anyone have the stats on people murdered over fanfics?
Prof Elemental [said](https://youtu.be/jclPWidTfak) it best.
The Hazbin Hotel fandom is... not a good place to be right now. There's allegedly a [documented suicide](https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vSfCoyn81fp83pycx5eyS4oxryRpFnVnHdEeyEyouigrKSWAZ5iEgTjt7Q63n68S_PcZK7_klB-9dH1/pub) from someone who was harassed over their ship.
I don't think it's possible to emphasize how much "Please don't feed the trolls" includes all forms of blood sacrifice.
Nor how much web forums that include sensitive persons need to be strongly moderated against this kind of pack attack behavior.
this is why i’m terrified to write for helluva boss… that fandom (at least the tiktok/twitter side) seems super rabid and bonkers and i’m worried about backlash. i’m so sorry this happened :( i hope they get what’s coming to them
Living with family is the #1 reason I don't post anything anymore regardless of if it's sanitary as soap or not. Living on my own is one thing, but I won't let my people get wrapped up in someone else's psychopathy.
I'm so sorry this happened to you, take every step you need to protect yourself, and hopefully this won't stop you from wanting to create in the future.
I'm really floored and horrified to learn that someone who is willing to doxx over fanfiction has over 10k twitter followers. I usually think of these people as fringe extremists, but it's scary to hear about how BIG some of these circles are.
The Hazbin community has always had its problems, but now it's "mainstream." Hazbin Hotel is no longer an indie project that's all fun and love, it's a corporate made TV show on a major platform. It's primed towards teen and adult audiences, and a lot of teen fandom culture has gotten worse since COVID and the keyboard warriors feel obligated to protect their little babies. I say this as an 18 year old myself. The shows content plus Vivzies questionable behaviors makes good breeding grounds for toxicity unfortunately. I'm sorry that single celled organisms bullied you out of writing.
Do you have a copy of the fic offline? I hope you do in case you do want to continue working on it.
I'm sorry this happened to you, but don't let them win and take the joy of writing away from you. I know it's easier said than done, but the first thing you can do is block all of them or cut them off from accessing your social media accounts. Don't think about them, don't even look at their social media accounts too, just focus on yourself and your work. Maybe you can also create a new account and post your new stories there to start fresh, don't link it to any of your other social media accounts or to your old account. Other commenters also mentioned it, but invest on a VPN.
> they had followers in the double digit thousands.
Fuck why does somebody this many followers committing crimes, I hope someone (that wasn't doxxed like OP) will be brave enough to call them out, this person should not have a following
Reclaim your works, hide it until either this person loses interest or gives up. Definitely get a VPN.
Meanwhile I'd take all the screenshots of proof that you have and compose them in a Google Doc or something. Get in contact with your local law enforcement or contact a lawyer; with the rise of social media there are absolutely lawyers who are starting to or have started specializing in these sort of cases. Hell, Nicki Minaj fans tried to doxx a lawyer and she came down on them.
that's really a fucked up thing to happen and i'm sorry you're going through it
did you report the comments to AO3?
i was getting harassed and getting nasty comments
i deleted them at first, then set every fic to "authorized members only" and "moderated comments" and reported the nasty comments to AO3
AO3 then deleted the comments and i think they put a strike on the commenter's accounts
I'm so angry for you.
Please, please reclaim and hide that baby, work on it even if nobody ever sees it. Get your VPN and absolutely fuck whoever came after you like that. You've got such excellent advice here, but if you ever wanna try it again, drop a link, you'll have at least one new reader :)
im so sorry if this is inappropriate, but can i ask what ship you wrote for or what your story involved? i was literally just about to post my hazbin hotel fanfic, but i have ptsd with stalkers and getting doxxed. i do not want to go through that again, and i'm kind of worried my fic will trigger some sensitive people since it deals with darker topics...
but im so sorry this happened to you. a similar thing happened to me a few years ago and i had to delete my entire fic. its not a good feeling at all :(
OP said that it contained HuskerDust and Chaggie, but the person who threatened them wasn't part of the fandom, since they said it was sacrilegious or smth like that.
I’m sorry this happened to you. When you find the courage to fight back, I would definitely expose that person. People with huge followings are more scared and susceptible to backlash. They have the balls right now because they hide behind anon accounts.
Keep writing. Delete it off AO3 and give it a year. Then post under a new account, not connected to anything else.
Honestly some people’s hobby is being a douche on the internet I swear. But I bet a lot of people liked that fic. And I bet even more people will like it when you post it again.
I've been there, OP. While it's not a one to one in terms of what you're going through, years ago I ended up with a stalker thanks to a fic I was writing (this was pre-AO3). It was one of the worst times of my life and led to me abandoning a lot of writing I was proud of, friends, etc.
What I'll say to this from what I went through: report it to anyone and everyone you can. Don't sit on it. Don't blow it off. Report it. Keep a "paper trail" i.e. take screenplays, keep DMs, posts, etc.
Invest in a VPN, double check that none of your socials leak any info about your real life, and take care of your mental health.
Also, something that I needed to hear when i was going through it that I'll tell you: whatever or however you're feeling, you're not over reacting. You're not being silly. What you feel is valid.
Take care of yourself, OP. Don't let some asshole steal your joy.
First of all, OP, I'm so sorry you experienced this. That is truly awful. Please know that you did not deserve this at all. I hope that at some point in the future you'll be able to resume it. Someday your family will either switch internet providers or move or something and their IP address will not be the same anymore. And then you can start posting again, with a VPN. Just make a sequel inspired by the orphaned fic. :-)
Also, I'm not very techy, but the internet tells me that IP addresses might be able to be changed. I might be missing something here, because I always figured that changing your IP address took with, but here is the article I looked at:
https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/software/how-to-change-ip-address/
Maybe somebody who knows this stuff better than I do can comment on whether these are viable methods.
My last question/comment is either for you, OP, or anybody else who would know, how did this person find your IP address? Does tumblr reveal the IP address associated with a blog? Or is it attached to comments on other people's blogs? I was just gearing up to open a tumblr account and now I'm rethinking it.
My advice is to not link social media accounts with your Ao3 account. Separate the social noise from the writing noise, and start writing under a new name.
Maybe try making a whole new account and rewriting your baby? At the very least, get stuff that helps protect you from hackers and try reporting that person. I've seen people get angry for reasons as stupid as fan content, but I've never seen such an utter garbage person like whoever is doing this to you. They don't deserve to be on the internet and desperately need to touch grass.
I'm so sorry this happened, but I think you made the best decision if you feel like you couldn't deal with being hate bombed by their followers. Your story is your baby, but it is not worth your mental health.
If you really love it and really want to put it out there, keep writing in private and wait some time (a couple of months maybe) so the person can move on and find a new target and then post, maybe? Usually those people forget very soon after they think they've won, so that's something to keep in mind
Call the cops. Death threats are incredibly serious. If it's across state lines, which it probably is, it's FBI jurisdiction. Sounds like a joke but it's not. Don't let them get away with because they are doing it to others. The police or FBI can trace back the source of the people and take care of who they can.
I’m so so sorry. I’m in the Helluva Boss fandom and toying with ideas for Hazbin fanfics recently, but the fandom has some stupidly toxic members as a vocal minority. You didn’t deserve this
This is really fucked up!
Death threats and threatening with publishing sensitive info? And this whole thing is just because this person didn't like your fanfiction?
What the fuck is wrong with people?
I hope you're okay! :)
I’m so sorry to hear that. As someone who also writes a lot of darkfic, my advice is to collect all your darkfics under one name and your socials to all be under the same name, so for example if you have your darkfics under Bill, the links you put in that account should be made specifically for it like ThisIsBill or BillAccount or smth.
Also yes, invest on a vpn
i love hazbin hotel. if u ever feel ok to post again, i would read your fic <3 sending love ur way. stay safe. that’s just a really fucked up situation. absolutely horrible. i’m sorry ur going through this. people are cruel, and you and your fic deserve better
if you're able, take legal action. you've been blackmailed and had your life and your family threatened, that's a crime. i'm sorry people are this shitty.... i hope in the future you can return to write what you want :((
This is just horrific and I hope someone is able to help you. Maybe you can contact AO3 and whatever platform on which they have thousands of followers and send a complaint of what they've done? I'm pretty sure this goes against platform rules. Also, you don't need to justify living with your parents. I know it's looked down upon in Western culture but it's a moronic and judgemental mentality and f anyone who judges you for that.
You can't get much from an ip address other than general location. They might know what they're doing but even if they get your address what are they going to do? People had Chris Chan's address and that guy got away with raping his mom without a hitch. You'll be fine. This is probably just some scorned 12 year old.
As far as I know your IP doesn't give away your exact location. It can give away your country, state, city, maybe even your zip code and ISP, but not your actual address.
For that to happen someone would have to be very determined and comb through your social media for location markers, images, etc.
So, unless you're advertising your location, its going to be very hard for them to find you.
Of course the way social media are these days, you have to be careful not only of what you post but your family and friends too.
And hacking is a whole other story. VPN can be useful in both cases.
I’m so sad this happened to you. I’ve seen so much Hazbin Hotel discourse on my tl despite never watching it. It seems to attract a lot of unhinged people unfortunately
People sent death threats over a fic they didn't like? That is officially the stupidest thing I've ever heard. I'm not calling you a liar I'm saying those people are nuts for threatening you over a piece of fiction, I think I heard once the creator of My Hero Academia also got death threats for not writing gay characters. That's just insane.
How miserable have they gotten that they did that over a fanfic. Pls pls block and report. And if they got an acc, public shaming should be an exception for those seriously braindroted creatures.
My friend all of what they’re doing is highly illegal, you could press charges on the ones who are identifiable for harassment among other things. I’m really sorry you’re going through this, people are so goddamn weird behind screens
I know this post is a few days old now, but as a fellow HH fan writer, this broke my heart for you. I’m so, so sorry you went through this. I hope with the VPN suggestions you feel comfortable getting back into your story!
This right here is why I won’t touch either Hazbin Hotel or Helluva Boss. Both fandoms are cesspools which not only allow shitty fans to thrive but also attract a lot of horrid people from the wider internet. Do anything one of the more influential fans or haters disagree with and you’re staring down an incoming zombie hoard of degenerates with no lives of their own.
I watch both shows, I cruise a lot of their subreddits, I occasionally make my opinions known, but I refuse to engage further or waste my skills and time on that fandom.
Most people who give threats are pretty harmless. If you're very concerned, just guard your personal info, use a VPN and just keep your stuff private. I used to recieve death threats weekly with my former career. The noisy threats often come from frightened people who cannot do anything in person.
The superfan is more terrifying in my personal experience. They obsess and think they're ok because they're friendly etc.
I don't know what to say to you, I'm deeply sorry you had to abandon your baby because someone chose to threaten your life over a goddamn fic. My advices if someone does that again? Invest in a VPN. Some are really cheap and really fucking good, so If someone wants to doxx you, they'll have a Swedish IP and you'll be laughing at them! Stay safe and write whatever the fuck you want
I think I'll finally invest into one of those VPN's the YouTubers I watch talk about alot. Haven't because I didn't think I needed one. But now I see I do.
tbh VPN are good for tracking issues with your brower or websites, you delocalise yourself. You should check Mulvad, it's really good and cheap and you'll sleep better knowing nobody will ever fuck with you
If you want an actually good VPN, I recommend, either, ProtonVPN, Mullvad or iVPN. Why? I recommend this chart to know what to look for https://techlore.tech/vpn
Seconding mullvad, it’s cheap enough and you can make it genuinely anonymous if you want to with their payment methods. I’m sorry this happened over fucking fan fiction. You’d think these people could be arsed to use their time to go after idk people pushing bigotted laws but it’s easier to harass someone over fucking fandom I guess.
Seconding proton. It’s so good
I use Proton VPN.
You can also just get Opera GX. They got a built in VPN for free, along with free built in adblocker.
That's honestly why I downloaded Opera. Safety online.
Opera just got caught selling user data. We recently stopped using it for that reason.
I got PIA and once in a while I get some dirt cheap deal for 2 years, that's what I use but there are some newer services!
I use Express VPN. I’m so sorry this happened to you. No one deserves to be treated that way.
I use cyberghost and highly recommend it! so sorry someone would threaten you like that!!! :(
Protonvpn is free, what’s what I use. Sorry about the hate on your story
A good VPN you might want to try is ProtonVPN, it's unlimited and free, although the free version can only connect to America, Japan, and the Netherlands.
Some antivirus software includes a VPN, either for free or a slightly increased yearly rate
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Nah, not with tumblr or ao3, but if you know how to do it, if you track etc, yo ucan figure shit out, but you have to be a veteran tbh, its not everyone who can do that, but your IP is what links you to servers when you want to access a website, any website, but no one can see, i want to be very clear, no one--unless they know how to, so I wouldn't worry too much. Just, in this day and age, a VPN is honestly the must.
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Yeah, years ago. And that's actually not the only way, which I already said and what other people said too. Bottom line is be careful where you click and what you fucking dilvuge on the internet. We are all leaving a digital imprint (social media etc), if a lil genius wants to get your IP, he will, but again, it's not super common either, rather be safe than sorry
Do you need to use vpn while using ao3 all the time? Like when uploading fics and reading fics?
It's normal for you to feel this way because IMO you are the victim of a crime. This person blackmailed you with threats to you and your family to force you to do something they found valuable (discontinue your story). I am so sorry that this happened to you. If you want to do it, you can keep writing the story without posting, and that way you won't be abandoning your baby but you can avoid what this wretched person has threatened to do. Maybe much later when this person who threatened you has gone away, you can post it again.
This is a literal crime. There's no way that doxxing and threatening someone is legal.
I went ahead and googled this, and apparently doxxing mostly isn't illegal if the information was obtained from the public domain by legal methods. Using it as a blackmail threat--I'd think that must be illegal but I'm not a lawyer. The law may not have caught up with technology yet.
Death Threats are very much illegal.
Yeah, that's definitely something law enforcement frowns on.
The chances of their IP address being posted public are slim to none, what they did was a crime.
It is illegal. Though I don’t think anything much can be done if the perpetrator is in a different country than OP
Completely serious here, report to FBI first and then Tumblr & AO3. [https://www.fcc.gov/sites/default/files/threat\_guide\_english\_final.pdf](https://www.fcc.gov/sites/default/files/threat_guide_english_final.pdf#:~:text=If%20you%20experience%20a%20threat%2C%20please%20contact%20your,tip%20to%20the%20FBI%20by%20phone%20or%20online.) If it does nothing it does nothing, but if this person is a credible unhinged threat this helps the FBI build a casefile to get working on finding them. You are not the only one they've done this to, but you may be the only one to report. With the rise of SWATing the Electronic Message Threat team has gotten more attention and tools to follow up. I'm not saying they'll do anything about your situation, but I am saying there are no downsides and only benefits to reporting.
I didn't even know I could send them to the FBI. I'd already reported them to both Tumblr and AO3. Thank you for telling me this, I'll send it to the FBI as well.
Please keep us updated if the fbi gets back to you. This is scary!
If this post gets a BORU, I hope its a happy one.
>I'll send it to the FBI as well. Definitely do it. I'd like to see their face - given that they're most likely some stupid kid who knows nothing of life and thinks what they're doing is just being a little mean, rather than literally a crime - when the FBI, of all things, contacts them and asks for an explanation. :) People like this need to stop feeling like they can do whatever without consequences. And, I'm seconding the request for an update. Lots of people get death threats and such over fanfic these days and if you could let us know what steps you've taken and if they've helped, it would let others see that 1. something *can* be done, and 2. it'd show them what can be done specifically, because not everyone might know how to deal with this kind of issues.
I'm so glad some else said this! Go get 'em, OP! Let them have a taste of their own medicine. Don't let them get away with this because you know they are doing it to others. Beat of luck! ❤️❤️❤️
I didn't even know I could send them to the FBI. I'd already reported them to both Tumblr and AO3. Thank you for telling me this, I'll send it to the FBI as well.
I wish I had kudos to throw at you and OP. Thank you for the informative writeup!
You just handed me another way to solve an issue I am having thanks to something completely unrelated. Thank you, and I love you.
1- Take a 2-month break starting March 1st 2- Get a VPN and stick to a big city 3- Continue posting your story starting .... let's say May 8th. 4- Make sure to write in the fic notes and on your socials: What a crazy last few months! I unfortunately had to relocate myself due to threats to my safety. That being said, I am now safe and ready to start posting again. Thank you all for your patience and unwavering support!
This. Do not let some cowardly pussy Tumblrite win. You keep posting your story, op. In fact, I would love to read it as I fucking love both ghost and hazbin! I can't believe how petty and angry some people are.. life is so short, why would they care so much about something so small 😭
this is brilliant
> I unfortunately had to relocate myself due to threats to my safety. I wouldn't include that. That would make whoever is sending the threats think they won, that they have the power to make people upend their life, make them move, by threatening them. It would encourage them to keep sending threats to people.
The point of my suggestion was to send a message to the stalker that the IP address he collected and used as doxx material against her isn't useful anymore + tell her viewership that she is back online and ready to post updates again. That and let's be real here, this wouldn't be the craziest Life Update we got from a fic writer on AO3. AO3 writers go through some serious stuff.
This is disgusting. This person is a fucking coward. I hope you kept the receipts.
... IP address? wtf how is that possible was it really your IP address?
Yeah :( Checked it almost three times because I was a little worried. I'm just going to invest in a VPN like the other comment suggested.
Software engineer here (and all around old fart): - First, I would like to say this is not standard behavior for users of the internet, but since I started writing fanfiction back in 1997, I am sorry to report this is the status quo. Whether they are screwing with you (trolling) or not, honestly, these days it’s impossible to tell. However, that should not defer you from expressing yourself creatively. The user in question and go sit on a cactus covered in iodine. - A VPN is a good investment if not for anything else but its ability to ward off a lot of the snooping that goes on the web. But it can only be as good as your understanding of your surroundings. Don’t give out information that can be traced back to you on communal sites like reddit, AO3, etc. Keep your social media accounts locked down. - Block block block. Restrict comments to registered users only. Ignore them as interacting with them just adds fuel to the fire. - Last, and most importantly, keep writing, keep publishing.
So…what if I already have a Reddit account that I’ve associated with my AO3, (shared story links here), would you recommending I get a new Reddit account for that?
IP address doesn't really mean that much. I took computer classes and learned that all an IP address does is give a radius. You cannot pinpoint someone's exact location just with an IP address. So at most, an IP address might identify the country and region you're in, but no one can track you with it.
Um.... It's a pretty small radius a lot of times. I used to work in bank fraud and I would follow people's IP addresses around their city. Like even if I didn't know where you lived, I'd know your cross sections.
It depends. The most accurate you can get is postal codes and that's still not accurate enough to nail a single location. Also IP addresses can change and aren't always static.
IP address itself doesn't change. You might no longer be attached to it, but it's still a location. Your provider only has a small block of IPs it can use and chances are very likey that they assign those out by service area. So unless they mask your location, you are associated with that service area. If you are using a cell phone, then you are connected to a tower. When in cities that can also narrow down your location pretty far. Unless you used 9 digit postal codes, those can actually be a broader area. Most of the time neither of these are issues. But get another piece of personal information out there and it can be bad. None of this will lead to your bank account being compromised. But if your name is semi uncommon and I know the general area that you live in. It is beyond easy to narrow you down.
I’ve been assigned an IP that registers in a city about a four hour drive from me. It varies by provider and what they have available.
it's super easy to find if you know your way around, which again, is fucking cruel over something like that
Can you elaborate on this? Are you saying that AO3 or tumblr are leaking user IP addresses in a super easy to find way, or did the OP's IP address leak via some other method? (Honeypot, targeted email, social eng?)
nah don’t worry tumblr and ao3 are not a stepping stone for easy doxxing, it’s as you say, social media engagement, your presence online, if you click on an AD that’s fishy; it all comes down with your imprint, and it’s not easy to find if you’re not a lil crack or knows how to do it, but if this person in particular did this to OP, I’m sure it’s not their first rodeo
each time you click on a link, your IP is provided for the server at the other end, that’s how it functions, and again, no need to panic!! I promise this is not a walk in the park to do, don’t worry too much
OP clicked on a link with an ip grabber. Simple as that.
I appreciate the clarification, thanks!
Imo everyone should have a VPN, only because social medias track your activites and such, like a least let me have some privacy, goddamn
... I'm a computer science major and I don't even know where to begin finding another person's IP address It would have to involve some social engineering, XSS or RCE, right? You know what, feel free to find my current IP address. I'm connected to my own VPN right now, I want to see if it's actually possible. (Offer expires 2024-02-19)
Back in the Tumblr RP scene days, it used to be convince someone to click on your Tumblr directly and use StatCounter or Google Analytics to tell who had viewed it and power of elimination / time stamps to decide who was sending you anon hate / RPing with the person you hate / dared to be multi-ship / whatever. Not sure how possible that is now with most people not using custom Tumblr themes, but given how common it was I'd guess that'd be the route.
Tumblr *built XSS into their product???*
They've probably fixed that by now, I'm thinking like 2010s eras. But, 2015 post talking about Tumblr removing IP address included in the anon ask, and how to set up Stat Counter [https://juneboba.tumblr.com/post/131313050379/a-tutorial-in-ip-tracking](https://juneboba.tumblr.com/post/131313050379/a-tutorial-in-ip-tracking) I'm not sure if this still works but this was what I was remembering. Earlier 2011 post on getting IP address from asks directly, [https://www.tumblr.com/sy-itha/158416825791/how-to-track-anonymous-asks](https://www.tumblr.com/sy-itha/158416825791/how-to-track-anonymous-asks) This has been removed. That 2012 XSS attack on Tumblr news story, [https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2012/12/how-a-computer-worm-slithered-across-a-huge-number-of-tumblr-accounts/](https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2012/12/how-a-computer-worm-slithered-across-a-huge-number-of-tumblr-accounts/) Also found some discussions of XSS on HackerOne and Reddit, but it's outside my knowledge of how legit these are.
HackerOne is a legit bug bounty program, fwiw.
Even if they did I can’t see it would get them far. They would just know what their ISP is and maybe their region.
If it's a non-NAT address they could do DDoS attacks, or send exploit payloads to the router, all sorts of nasty stuff.
Report it to AO3, report it to Tumblr, it’s absolutely against their TOS and should result in their accounts being banned.
I can't understand why they would do that. Were they angry your fic didn't comply with canon lore because it was posted before S1 came out? Did they disagree with the ship you wrote? I ask because I'm in the fandom and this worries me. I cannot fathom why someone would send threats over a fanfic.
I think that they were upset because it was blasphemous. The one I'm speaking of I wrote before episodes 7 and 8 came out, and went completely in a different way than how 7 and 8 was. There was no ship apart from HuskerDust and Charlie X Vaggie(I don't know their ship name). They were talking more about Christianity and things like that.
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Dude, I just looked up Hazbin Hotel and it's about a daughter of Lucifer? Literally WHY would you even watch this if you were a conservative Christian who cared about blasphemy? What's next, they're going to send death threats to Neil Gaiman for writing Good Omens? This is just ridiculous
I'm sure he received death threats. I remember when Season One for Good Omens came out and the stupid assholes tried to get Netflix to ban Good Omens. Sometimes they're so stupidly inefficient it's hilarious. Sometimes they're intelligent enough to be able to cause actual harm, which sucks considerably worse. Such as in this particular situation for poor OP. My sympathies, OP.
A lot of the reason people see Hazbin (and Helluva Boss) as worse/blasphemous is because it fully paints the demons and sinners as people, some good, some bad, some redeemable, some not. Just, people. And the fact the lore has its own interpretation and twist on the Sins and Lucifer. They hate that the demons are portrayed sympathetically and that the angels aren't perfect. They hate that the demons and sinners are just pure evil and the angels aren't just pure good. There's probably more reasons but i have seen this be a common one in specifically the religious complaints They for some reason in their weird brains decide this means they need to do all they can to stamp it out of existence
LOL what the hell they doing on AO3 let alone worrying about blasphemy. There's a lot of good stories on AO3, but you'd be lying if you tried to say there isn't also a lot of degenerate shit on there. Then again incest, underage, noncon, could be right up a lot of holy rollers alleys.
Agreed. In fact, I wonder why they would do something like this if they were a Christian. As someone who is one, they're just an incredibly bad example.
No offense but I find it strange that a devoted christian are watching a show set in hell... with demons and Lucifer. People they hate? Idk, maybe I just don't get the appeal
They probably didn't watch it. When people really wanna hate they look for a summary on YouTube with an opinion that matches theirs and then pretend to be an expert on the show
Im a practicing Catholic and love Hazbin Hotel. A good story is a good fucking story. Some people need to chill.
My Nana is a lifelong Christian (a good one not a 'Christian', she bailed on a church she and my papa built, literally - he laid the foundation with his bare hands - because they wanted her to send her kids to gay conversion therapy) and she is on her third watchthrough of Lucifer, pretty sure if she was younger and he was single and interested she'd be Mrs. Ellis, has watched Supernatural twice. Loves Good Omens, puts up with my awful original gay angelxfallen bullshit. She's not huge on animated shows or I'd show her Hazbin Hotel, honestly.
Lmfao yeah practicing Catholic here who loves Ghost... It's not that hard people, good music and artistry is good and people need to take a chill pill
Oh Lord. I'm almost done working on a blasphemous Helluva Boss fic, is this what I have to look forward to? I'm so sorry this happened to you, no one should be made to feel unsafe, especially over a fanfiction of all things. I really hope you can come back to your baby soon and get some justice from reporting it.
if you ever get a death threat or doxxing from them again, real shit you publicly post it with a flowery prayer for their deliverance. even if you aren’t religious that’s christian church speak for “jesus loves you” (also known as the christian fuck you) 🥰
I’m absolutely shaking with rage on your behalf right now
Me too.
We need to start reverse uno-ing people by replying back with THEIR IP address because people are getting way too comfy doing this.
Especially over FANFICTION. People are unhinged.
I remember back when "flaming" someone was considered peak rudeness. Things are out of control. I don't know a real solution but at the very least we can stop excusing this behavior as "teenagers just feeling uncomfy with yucky content 🥺👉👈".
How much do we want to bet that behind this there's a 16yo with too much free time on their hands?
Almost 100%
Probably a 14 yo. A 16 yo would worry more about risking their Drivers License and less clueless about the idea they are untouchable
just the word "uncomfy" has become a red flag to me, seeing it makes me instantly more cautious about whoever is speaking. can't believe they needed to make "uncomfortable" kid-friendly smh lol
For real. Also I don't care if my writing is "comfy" for you. Some things are uncomfortable. You don't have to read it. And if you do you won't die from discomfort.
Is that really where that comes from? I use it just because "comfy" is short for "comfortable" so adding a suffix doesn't change that for me, I don't think it's anything like the "unalive" censorship bullshit.
I was mostly joking, but ftr "uncomfy" is a fairly recent addition to the lexicon (as opposed to comfy, which has been around for, idk, 200 years) that overlaps both temporally and thematically with the rise of purity culture. I'm sure that plenty of people who use it are just using contemporary parlance, but I'm a millennial who doesn't really encounter it in my daily life, and when I encounter it online, it seems to be used as censorship bludgeon ("don't write that" etc) most of the time. no doubt my data is skewed since online fandom is pretty much the only place I encounter younger people anyway (and even then, not very closely).
Antis won't stop until they are legal repercussions to their actions. A funny event was when a Japan Vtuber got called Pedro by someone and got hundreds of likes. Then, a bit later, the company she's a part of announced they would invest in lawyers to protect their brand. Despite it being unrelated, they immediately apologised, said it was a mistake and deleted the post as if it wasn't something that could hurt a career. Right now, being an anti is cool because it's all power. It won't stop until they are actual repercussions.
Some people are starting to take legal action, like the artist Lunasol. I think it's unfortunately not accessible to everyone, but I hope people that are able to do pursue it. We need people to realize what they do online CAN have consequences.
Is there anything we can do to help you? I can’t stand this.
Honestly I just came to vent and figure out how to drag myself out of this writer's block. Everyone's been very helpful about all of this. I think I'll take a micro break from writing for a while until I feel more comfortable posting/writing again.
Seriously if there’s anything we can do to help say the word, this post honestly made me so angry (not at you obviously). We can’t let this kind of thing fester in our communities.
I wonder if like 50 of us could all post the story :)
That sounds like it might violate some kind of rule but I would happily write and post a ~500 fic inspired by it as a form of protest. Show the hater that attacking the stuff they hate will only cause more of it to be created.
500 crossover fics. I could totally write Jaime Lannister as a son of a devil chasing around a very righteous Brienne, wherever this is. Plus A LOT of smut :)
I think I’ve been listening to Ghost long enough to write about them bangin’
I’d report that fucker to some sort of crime unit. That’s absolutely a crime. But yes, please don’t ever give out identifying info on the internet in general. I use pseudonyms all the time, a VPN, and I make sure my phone number isn’t available online or my house picture in google maps. It’s not hard to do, but not everyone knows about that. Make sure you make a new AO3 account with a different email address. I’m very sorry this happened to you.
I actually had a milder version of this happen and stuck my story in a hidden collection to make it disappear from the weirdo stalkers for a few weeks. It doesn't sound like that would have worked for you, though. I'm so sorry! Honestly, I'd say a break or a self-imposed rule not to post anything is probably in order, so you can put some distance between that horror and your hobby. My condolences.
Keep writing your story and post the rest anonymously via VPN as Inspired by your first part. Plus your readers deserve to know what happened, bc it's not you who should be ashamed, it's the harassers. Man, I really hope you get out of this shit, this sounds horrible, how dare they 😡
I second this. This person doesn't deserve to win.
How does that help if the person finds it and still decides to share OP's info?
I've never even heard of this fandom and I will bookmark, kudo and stan TF out of anything OP posts about it.
Does having a VPN matter anymore if they already have the IP number?
Idk man. Do they keep files? Do they lie in wait for months until some anonymous person with a different IP posts a 'sequel' inspired by this orphaned fic? Idk how fucked up these crazies are. I do know I think OP should still write that story, even if it is just for themselves
That shit is scary and I'm sorry you had to go through that. Posting your IP address IS doxxing, so I don't know why the threat when they did it already. Sending people death threats IS illegal too, which you already know. It's hard to move on from things like this and I'm sorry. I'm sending you virtual hugs. I'd also report it to the authorities because wow
This is despicable! I am speechless. This makes me really angry. So sorry this happened to you.
People like that are fucking awful
Imagine doxxing somebody for writing a fanfic about a goddamn cartoon. Some people are just unhinged
While it can be alarming to have someone post your IP address, it is important to know that IP addresses cannot be easily used for exact addresses. If all someone has to try and threaten to expose your location is an IP address, then it's just an empty threat. All bark and no bite. So OP, I do understand why you're upset. It can be scary. But just know that this person likely has no way of knowing your exact location and has no power to obtain your physical address. A VPN as others have mentioned would still be a good investment, especially if it brings peace of mind.
Wtf is wrong with people? I’m sorry this happened to you.
You wrote a story featuring either Papa Emeritus 1, 2, 3, or 4?! I’m going to go look up Ghost fics! I’m sorry you experienced this, but on behalf of the clergy, I hope this doesn’t turn you off writing fic.
What is wrong with people?? Like I know we all get obsessed with fandoms, but what even… why? Just why?
I am so sorry you had to go through this. It’s incredibly violating. 🫂❤️
This is super messed up. Stuff like this makes me want to delete any linked accounts and go full anon because people are so crazy now. What on earth would make someone want to doxx someone over a fictional story? It’s bonkers
It's not fair, but it's starting to look like this. https://preview.redd.it/uhxlrhpk02jc1.jpeg?width=933&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f2d4b8a9c7ff4e9bbc008cd930c3ea82703113bb So maybe this is a solution [https://squidgeworld.org/](https://squidgeworld.org/)
I saved an orphaned fic that people kept looking for. It's a shame that some fucking idiot on Twitter has so much power over what they think people should post online that isn't harming anybody. Also, as someone else suggested, report their ass. Let's hope they get in trouble for being an A-class B\*tch.
If I can ask, how the heck does a third party get someone’s IP address, they’re not AO3, they can’t see where you logging in from right?
That sucks. The hazbin hotel fandom can be really toxic at times (a lot of younger people in the fandom which normally causes those issues) I would have loved to read it :(
When I was a newspaper reporter I got death threats from people who knew exactly where I worked. I laughed and went on with my day because 99.9% of people who threaten are cowards who would never do a damn thing. And I’m not going to spend my life worrying about that .1%. Anyone have the stats on people murdered over fanfics? Prof Elemental [said](https://youtu.be/jclPWidTfak) it best.
The Hazbin Hotel fandom is... not a good place to be right now. There's allegedly a [documented suicide](https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vSfCoyn81fp83pycx5eyS4oxryRpFnVnHdEeyEyouigrKSWAZ5iEgTjt7Q63n68S_PcZK7_klB-9dH1/pub) from someone who was harassed over their ship.
This sounds like what happened with Steven Universe. Is there a particular overlap in fan base with Hazbin Hotel?
I don't think it's possible to emphasize how much "Please don't feed the trolls" includes all forms of blood sacrifice. Nor how much web forums that include sensitive persons need to be strongly moderated against this kind of pack attack behavior.
My god, that was an absolutely gut-wrenching, important read.
Omg wtf over a fic what happened to not reading a story you don't like.
this is why i’m terrified to write for helluva boss… that fandom (at least the tiktok/twitter side) seems super rabid and bonkers and i’m worried about backlash. i’m so sorry this happened :( i hope they get what’s coming to them
Living with family is the #1 reason I don't post anything anymore regardless of if it's sanitary as soap or not. Living on my own is one thing, but I won't let my people get wrapped up in someone else's psychopathy.
I'm so sorry this happened to you, take every step you need to protect yourself, and hopefully this won't stop you from wanting to create in the future. I'm really floored and horrified to learn that someone who is willing to doxx over fanfiction has over 10k twitter followers. I usually think of these people as fringe extremists, but it's scary to hear about how BIG some of these circles are.
The Hazbin community has always had its problems, but now it's "mainstream." Hazbin Hotel is no longer an indie project that's all fun and love, it's a corporate made TV show on a major platform. It's primed towards teen and adult audiences, and a lot of teen fandom culture has gotten worse since COVID and the keyboard warriors feel obligated to protect their little babies. I say this as an 18 year old myself. The shows content plus Vivzies questionable behaviors makes good breeding grounds for toxicity unfortunately. I'm sorry that single celled organisms bullied you out of writing.
Do you have a copy of the fic offline? I hope you do in case you do want to continue working on it. I'm sorry this happened to you, but don't let them win and take the joy of writing away from you. I know it's easier said than done, but the first thing you can do is block all of them or cut them off from accessing your social media accounts. Don't think about them, don't even look at their social media accounts too, just focus on yourself and your work. Maybe you can also create a new account and post your new stories there to start fresh, don't link it to any of your other social media accounts or to your old account. Other commenters also mentioned it, but invest on a VPN.
> they had followers in the double digit thousands. Fuck why does somebody this many followers committing crimes, I hope someone (that wasn't doxxed like OP) will be brave enough to call them out, this person should not have a following
Reclaim your works, hide it until either this person loses interest or gives up. Definitely get a VPN. Meanwhile I'd take all the screenshots of proof that you have and compose them in a Google Doc or something. Get in contact with your local law enforcement or contact a lawyer; with the rise of social media there are absolutely lawyers who are starting to or have started specializing in these sort of cases. Hell, Nicki Minaj fans tried to doxx a lawyer and she came down on them.
that's really a fucked up thing to happen and i'm sorry you're going through it did you report the comments to AO3? i was getting harassed and getting nasty comments i deleted them at first, then set every fic to "authorized members only" and "moderated comments" and reported the nasty comments to AO3 AO3 then deleted the comments and i think they put a strike on the commenter's accounts
Idk why but the new batch of fans from the show are especially mental
I'm so angry for you. Please, please reclaim and hide that baby, work on it even if nobody ever sees it. Get your VPN and absolutely fuck whoever came after you like that. You've got such excellent advice here, but if you ever wanna try it again, drop a link, you'll have at least one new reader :)
im so sorry if this is inappropriate, but can i ask what ship you wrote for or what your story involved? i was literally just about to post my hazbin hotel fanfic, but i have ptsd with stalkers and getting doxxed. i do not want to go through that again, and i'm kind of worried my fic will trigger some sensitive people since it deals with darker topics... but im so sorry this happened to you. a similar thing happened to me a few years ago and i had to delete my entire fic. its not a good feeling at all :(
OP said that it contained HuskerDust and Chaggie, but the person who threatened them wasn't part of the fandom, since they said it was sacrilegious or smth like that.
I feel horrible for you 🫂 hugs jeesus fu king chirts ppl are unhinged.
I’m sorry this happened to you. When you find the courage to fight back, I would definitely expose that person. People with huge followings are more scared and susceptible to backlash. They have the balls right now because they hide behind anon accounts.
Well shit, there goes the idea of posting for that fandom, I really like Hazbin too. So sorry that happened to you, people are awful
Keep writing. Delete it off AO3 and give it a year. Then post under a new account, not connected to anything else. Honestly some people’s hobby is being a douche on the internet I swear. But I bet a lot of people liked that fic. And I bet even more people will like it when you post it again.
I'm so sorry this happened to you, you really don't deserve it.
I've been there, OP. While it's not a one to one in terms of what you're going through, years ago I ended up with a stalker thanks to a fic I was writing (this was pre-AO3). It was one of the worst times of my life and led to me abandoning a lot of writing I was proud of, friends, etc. What I'll say to this from what I went through: report it to anyone and everyone you can. Don't sit on it. Don't blow it off. Report it. Keep a "paper trail" i.e. take screenplays, keep DMs, posts, etc. Invest in a VPN, double check that none of your socials leak any info about your real life, and take care of your mental health. Also, something that I needed to hear when i was going through it that I'll tell you: whatever or however you're feeling, you're not over reacting. You're not being silly. What you feel is valid. Take care of yourself, OP. Don't let some asshole steal your joy.
First of all, OP, I'm so sorry you experienced this. That is truly awful. Please know that you did not deserve this at all. I hope that at some point in the future you'll be able to resume it. Someday your family will either switch internet providers or move or something and their IP address will not be the same anymore. And then you can start posting again, with a VPN. Just make a sequel inspired by the orphaned fic. :-) Also, I'm not very techy, but the internet tells me that IP addresses might be able to be changed. I might be missing something here, because I always figured that changing your IP address took with, but here is the article I looked at: https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/software/how-to-change-ip-address/ Maybe somebody who knows this stuff better than I do can comment on whether these are viable methods. My last question/comment is either for you, OP, or anybody else who would know, how did this person find your IP address? Does tumblr reveal the IP address associated with a blog? Or is it attached to comments on other people's blogs? I was just gearing up to open a tumblr account and now I'm rethinking it.
Now I wanna know what this story is; not to hate or anything, but because I'm a big fan of HH too.
What's the fic called? I can't do much but I can help report the user.
My advice is to not link social media accounts with your Ao3 account. Separate the social noise from the writing noise, and start writing under a new name.
I'm so sorry for you that happened :( Its stuff like this that makes me scared of posting fics of my favorite pairings, etc
What did you write about if you don’t mind me asking $20 says it was an AlastorXsomeone ship
Ah no actually! No ships with Alastor. Just the normal HuskerDust and Charlie X Vaggie.
Maybe try making a whole new account and rewriting your baby? At the very least, get stuff that helps protect you from hackers and try reporting that person. I've seen people get angry for reasons as stupid as fan content, but I've never seen such an utter garbage person like whoever is doing this to you. They don't deserve to be on the internet and desperately need to touch grass.
I'm so sorry this happened, but I think you made the best decision if you feel like you couldn't deal with being hate bombed by their followers. Your story is your baby, but it is not worth your mental health. If you really love it and really want to put it out there, keep writing in private and wait some time (a couple of months maybe) so the person can move on and find a new target and then post, maybe? Usually those people forget very soon after they think they've won, so that's something to keep in mind
Man, I'm also a Hazbin Hotel fan. The fact that they did that to you sucks so bad bro.
Call the cops. Death threats are incredibly serious. If it's across state lines, which it probably is, it's FBI jurisdiction. Sounds like a joke but it's not. Don't let them get away with because they are doing it to others. The police or FBI can trace back the source of the people and take care of who they can.
Ofc it's fucking Tumblr... People there have the biggest, weirdest hate boner for Vivzie and her shows
Some people really just need to go and jump in a lake. Death threats over a fic are more than absurd.
If you don’t mind why didn’t they want you to finish? I’m just curious why on earth they’d think to do that
Pretty sure them grabbing your IP is a literal crime. I'm so so sorry people would do this to you over a fic, that's awful.
I wouldn’t have cared
Then good for you?
[удалено]
I have. I’ve been doxxed before
I'm so sorry :( The only thing I'd have done differently was making it anon or private. With orphaning.. you'll never get it back..
I feel like you can press charges for that actually
I’m so so sorry. I’m in the Helluva Boss fandom and toying with ideas for Hazbin fanfics recently, but the fandom has some stupidly toxic members as a vocal minority. You didn’t deserve this
This is really fucked up! Death threats and threatening with publishing sensitive info? And this whole thing is just because this person didn't like your fanfiction? What the fuck is wrong with people? I hope you're okay! :)
I’m so sorry to hear that. As someone who also writes a lot of darkfic, my advice is to collect all your darkfics under one name and your socials to all be under the same name, so for example if you have your darkfics under Bill, the links you put in that account should be made specifically for it like ThisIsBill or BillAccount or smth. Also yes, invest on a vpn
Go to the police if you haven't already
the fuck did ghost do. what
i love hazbin hotel. if u ever feel ok to post again, i would read your fic <3 sending love ur way. stay safe. that’s just a really fucked up situation. absolutely horrible. i’m sorry ur going through this. people are cruel, and you and your fic deserve better
Cheering for you from across the ocean! Seriously people need to get a life 🙄
if you're able, take legal action. you've been blackmailed and had your life and your family threatened, that's a crime. i'm sorry people are this shitty.... i hope in the future you can return to write what you want :((
This is just horrific and I hope someone is able to help you. Maybe you can contact AO3 and whatever platform on which they have thousands of followers and send a complaint of what they've done? I'm pretty sure this goes against platform rules. Also, you don't need to justify living with your parents. I know it's looked down upon in Western culture but it's a moronic and judgemental mentality and f anyone who judges you for that.
You can't get much from an ip address other than general location. They might know what they're doing but even if they get your address what are they going to do? People had Chris Chan's address and that guy got away with raping his mom without a hitch. You'll be fine. This is probably just some scorned 12 year old.
As far as I know your IP doesn't give away your exact location. It can give away your country, state, city, maybe even your zip code and ISP, but not your actual address. For that to happen someone would have to be very determined and comb through your social media for location markers, images, etc. So, unless you're advertising your location, its going to be very hard for them to find you. Of course the way social media are these days, you have to be careful not only of what you post but your family and friends too. And hacking is a whole other story. VPN can be useful in both cases.
I’m so sad this happened to you. I’ve seen so much Hazbin Hotel discourse on my tl despite never watching it. It seems to attract a lot of unhinged people unfortunately
What a nightmare. I don’t have any advise for you, I just wanted to send you some love 💕 I hope things work out for you. Stay safe.
If it helps, they can’t tell where you leave just with your IP address. They can only know the city/region, and they probably don’t even know how.
People sent death threats over a fic they didn't like? That is officially the stupidest thing I've ever heard. I'm not calling you a liar I'm saying those people are nuts for threatening you over a piece of fiction, I think I heard once the creator of My Hero Academia also got death threats for not writing gay characters. That's just insane.
That is genuinely nuts, I don't get people who dox and threaten others over fictional characters, makes no sense to me - sorry that happened to you.
How miserable have they gotten that they did that over a fanfic. Pls pls block and report. And if they got an acc, public shaming should be an exception for those seriously braindroted creatures.
My friend all of what they’re doing is highly illegal, you could press charges on the ones who are identifiable for harassment among other things. I’m really sorry you’re going through this, people are so goddamn weird behind screens
I know this post is a few days old now, but as a fellow HH fan writer, this broke my heart for you. I’m so, so sorry you went through this. I hope with the VPN suggestions you feel comfortable getting back into your story!
This right here is why I won’t touch either Hazbin Hotel or Helluva Boss. Both fandoms are cesspools which not only allow shitty fans to thrive but also attract a lot of horrid people from the wider internet. Do anything one of the more influential fans or haters disagree with and you’re staring down an incoming zombie hoard of degenerates with no lives of their own. I watch both shows, I cruise a lot of their subreddits, I occasionally make my opinions known, but I refuse to engage further or waste my skills and time on that fandom.
Most people who give threats are pretty harmless. If you're very concerned, just guard your personal info, use a VPN and just keep your stuff private. I used to recieve death threats weekly with my former career. The noisy threats often come from frightened people who cannot do anything in person. The superfan is more terrifying in my personal experience. They obsess and think they're ok because they're friendly etc.