In a comeback tale like one from Harry Potter battling back his nemesis or a “Heated Rivalry” hockey hero rebounding from injury, a top global fandom site that was sidelined by a security incident is now on the mend.
The activist group behind the popular Archive of Our Own, or AO3, platform, a collaborative online space which serves up fans’ spinoff narratives derived from well-known published stories, says it’s undergoing a limited return after a shutdown on Oct. 29.
“AO3 is now up!” said a status page for the Organization for Transformative Works, an activist group behind the platform, on Sunday.
The outage sent fans of the platform — readers and authors alike — into a desperate void for the past two weeks with a “Bad Gateway” message stirring frustration. The return drew many expressions of joy Sunday.
The organization, in a summary it posted on Instagram of its 2025 results, said nearly 2.6 million AO3 works were created, with nearly 40 billion page views. Nearly 2 million accounts have been created, it said.
AO3 hasn't been without its critics, who have warned about sexual content that could be available to minors and fandom racism through the platform.
The group said some features like user icons have been disabled and importing of external work isn’t available, while downloads are currently only possible in the web-language HTML format. It promised those features will ultimately return.
The team predicted that the security incident would take up to four weeks for AO3 to get back up, while floating the prospect of a partial revival “in a degraded state” — which appears to be what was taking place on Sunday.
The organization said contributors’ “works, bookmarks, kudos, etc., are still safe” and that no drafts were deleted during the outage — but it couldn’t rule out that the user database might have been compromised.
“We understand that the wait and uncertainty surrounding AO3’s return have been difficult, and we apologize for the inconvenience,” the status update said.
AO3 is a hub of content from fans who have produced content that riffs off fiction, art and other culture and entertainment: Imagine a repository of sequels, prequels and derivatives dreamt up by adoring aficionados of some of the world’s best-known titles.
The result is catchy products like “fanfic” — fiction from fans — and similar fanart, as well as “podfics,” readings of narratives shared in audio form.
A recent listing of “ship stats” — or the number of references to relationships of stars from literature — shows that pairings of characters featured in the Harry Potter, Heated Rivalry and anime fandoms were the most prominent this summer.
The reaction from fans of the fandom platform was swift and exuberant.
“So, we've all agreed we don't need to sleep tonight, now that AO3 is finally back, right? Right!?” quipped yet.another.loon on the Threads social media site.
User Verkielos gushed: “Just got email from AO3 about a fic update. The world is healing!”
Associated Press writer Stefanie Dazio in Berlin contributed to this report.
The AO3 website displays a message welcoming readers and stating that the site is back online and no data has been deleted, in Berlin, Sunday, Nov. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/David Keyton) Photo taken with a smartphone.
The AO3 website displays a message welcoming readers and stating that the site is back online and no data has been deleted, in Berlin, Sunday, Nov. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/David Keyton) Photo taken with a smartphone.
Cape Verde was holding a presidential election on Sunday, a vote that could see the Atlantic island nation off the coast of West Africa elect its first woman president since independence from Portugal in 1975.
Former Justice Minister Joana Rosa is challenging incumbent José Maria Neves, who is seeking a second term. Six candidates are in the running and if no candidate receives more than half the votes, a runoff would be held on Nov. 29.
Rosa is running with the support of the opposition Movement for Democracy, a party that ruled the country for 10 years before losing in the parliamentary elections in May. Women have held senior Cabinet posts, but Cape Verde has never had a female prime minister or president.
In Cape Verde’s parliamentary system, the prime minister directs government policy and holds most executive authority. The president’s role is largely symbolic, although the directly elected head of state can veto legislation.
The country is home to about half a million people and has a record of peaceful transfers of power and competitive elections in a region where that is rare. Nearly 77,000 Cape Verdeans abroad are registered to vote, almost a fifth of the total electorate.
Roselma Évora, a professor of political science and gender studies at the University of Cabo Verde, said that limited economic prospects have been driving young people to seek opportunities abroad. Also, she said, many voters feel distant from their leaders and want a president who understands their daily difficulties.
Neves, who won in 2021 with about 52% of the vote, has pledged to build cross-party support to improve housing, healthcare and education, create jobs and raise wages.
His incumbency has given Neves greater visibility in the race, including among overseas voters, Évora said, adding that Rosa’s candidacy challenges traditional expectations of women’s roles in a society that remains “very patriarchal."
Rosa has centered her campaign on maintaining a balance of power, arguing that the country needs a counterweight to the African Party for the Independence of Cape Verde, which backs Neves and controls the government and most municipalities.
Known as PAICV, the party won a parliamentary majority in May, ending a decade of government led by the Movement for Democracy. A Rosa victory would again put the presidency and government in rival political camps.
Rosário Luz, a Cape Verde-based writer, said party loyalties mattered more than Rosa’s gender.
“We have a lot of women in politics, but we don’t have the policies for women that we should have,” she said.
Women carry much of the financial responsibility for their households in Cape Verde, but government policies have failed to address that burden, Luz said.
A vehicle drives past electoral banners for presidential candidates Joana Rosa and José Maria Neves, ahead of the presidential elections in Praia, Cape Verde, Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Cristiano Barbosa)
Cape Verde president José Maria Neves speaks during a rally ahead of the presidential elections, in Praia, Cape Verde, Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Cristiano Barbosa)
Supporters of Cape Verde president José Maria Neves cheer during a rally ahead of the presidential elections, in Praia, Cape Verde, Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Cristiano Barbosa)
People walk past an electoral banner for Cape Verde president José Maria Neves, ahead of the presidential elections, in Praia, Cape Verde, Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Cristiano Barbosa)
Electoral banners showing presidential candidates Joana Rosa and José Maria Neves, ahead of the presidential elections in Praia, Cape Verde, Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Cristiano Barbosa)
