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English
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Published:
2026-11-10
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240
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4/4
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A Field Guide to AO3 Tags

Summary:

What the four squares on an AO3 blurb mean, and how the tags under them are organized.

Work Text:

Chapter 1: The four squares

Chapter Text

This page is a sample saved web page for the demo shelf. The archive keeps the article and drops the site's menus, scripts and footer.

Every blurb on the Archive of Our Own starts with a small grid of four symbols. Together they give the rating, the archive warnings, the category, and whether the work is finished.

The rating is one of General Audiences, Teen And Up Audiences, Mature, Explicit, or Not Rated. The warnings square says whether the creator applied any of the archive's required warnings, applied none, or chose not to use them.