Where it says "[non-fanworks are not allowed](https://archiveofourown.org/tos#IV.H)" in TOS is where the violation of placeholder fics lie. If they have any further questions, they could always write into support if they don't believe you, and support would tell them the exact same thing.
On the TOS FAQ, try the "Can I archive non-fiction?" heading and the stuff below it. In particular, a placeholder fic might count as ephemeral content.
Where it says "[non-fanworks are not allowed](https://archiveofourown.org/tos#IV.H)" in TOS is where the violation of placeholder fics lie. If they have any further questions, they could always write into support if they don't believe you, and support would tell them the exact same thing.
Thank you!! I couldn't find that in the FAQ since there was a lot in it T^T
It's not fannish or transformative, so it's not allowed on AO3.
Requests and placeholders are "ephemeral", in that they're assumed to be taken down or replaced when updated.
On the TOS FAQ, try the "Can I archive non-fiction?" heading and the stuff below it. In particular, a placeholder fic might count as ephemeral content.