Ao3 Comments - Tumblr Posts
I just posted the first chap of my ValGrace fic on Ao3.
I won’t post it on tumblr till i have all the chaps done.
Excruciating. Detail.
Fanfiction writers only want one* thing and it’s disgusting
*Comments where you explain in excruciating detail how each line made you feel
It takes so very little to please most authors. We are typically very needy and just elated to know you were here and enjoyed yourself. 😅
Here’s some good and easy comment ideas for those who feel shy or don’t know what to say but would like to leave something:
1. A classic: keyboard smash such as
Nrbdbsbbkigq or fhbdboejwbakwjev
2. THEM <3
(Fill in pronouns as needed or refer to a pairing)
3. Screaming, crying, throwing up, ect
Or it’s cousin:
4. Kicking my feet, giggling
5. [Block of copy-pasted text] I like/love this bit in particular; I like how you phrased this
6. I keep rotating [character/section of text] in my head
7. I read this while [insert what you were doing; ie: procrastinating a test, waiting for the bus, ect]
8. Extra Kudos!
9. Encore! Bravo! Magnificent!
10. [character name] my beloved
11. I relate to this so hard
Optional, include [line of text] or situation you relate to
12. Thank you for sharing!
13. 💖💖💖
14. I love how you’ve written [x character trait]
15. I love this kind of AU so much!!
16. I’m so excited to see what happens next! I hope [random story prediction here]
17. I will commit atrocities for this character!
18. This is some hella good soup!
19. This is my favorite [trope, paring, au]!
20. AAAAAA They are so [soft/traumatized/attractive]!!!
Feel free to mix and match these for an extra special comment!
Additionally, if you have some favorite go-to comments, feel free to share!
There's this weird vibe I've always noticed/felt in fandom, where creators aren't supposed to explicitly want/solicit comments, like it's greedy or something. Maybe it goes back to ye olden days when fic writers would sort of hold their WIPs to ransom by making updates contingent on a certain amount of comments? I'm trying to scrutinise how I feel about that in hindsight and I'm not sure. I know I hated it back then, but I was a literal kid who had never written and shared anything. Hm.
With my last fic/s, although they were complete, I posted chapters weekly, and explicitly admitted that I was doing so in hopes of seeing more engagement and more comments throughout the story instead of one comment at the end of 140,000 words (which is still wonderful and I treasure every one, don't get me the least bit wrong). Can I tell you how much I agonised over that decision, and how vulnerable I felt to criticism for it, whether anyone said anything to my face or not?
There's this real sense of shaming of creators who aren't just morally above it all somehow; who don't just create for the lofty pursuit of the craft itself; who don't simply share as an afterthought and care not for how the masses respond.
That ain't me. I write because I want to share. Sharing is at least 50% of the reason I write at all. At least. I write because I'm giddy at the thought of someone else (maybe multiple someones, holy shit!) enjoying the themes and scenes and imagery as much as I do. The thought of an excited comment (or maybe multiple comments, holy shit!) telling me I did good is why I bother taking the idea from my head and slaving it out onto digital paper at all.
So I suppose I understand that old "next chapter when I get X comments" even if that's not how I'd do it. I don't read WIPs anymore (burned too many times by abandoned fics back in the day; probably why I refuse to post unfinished works myself), but I guess it was just another way of saying what I often do: "Please comment. The author lives for comments. Validate meee!"
People used to comment on web comics.
People used to comment on fanfiction.
People used to comment on fanart.
People used to comment on OCs.
I hate "content" culture.
I hate "consuming content" and scrolling immediately to the next thing.
People used to be excited about the art that other people created.
People used to want to share that excitement with creators.
I hate this future.
My mistake is always in thinking I'll be able to stop myself at a reasonable point of tiredness, go to sleep, and continue the next day.
The lie detector test determined (over and over and over again)... that was a lie.
Also, while I'm here, to every reader, please please please comment (if you don't usually). What takes you one exhausted night to read can take an author months or even years to labour into the world, and we are SO FUCKING NEEDY FOR VALIDATION. A single comment. A single “I loved this!” Or, even if you didn't, a “thanks for sharing!”
That's where the crack is for us.
I just knocked back a 70k wincest fic over the course of an evening. You know what else is 70k words? The fucking novel on my desk I've been wanting to read for weeks that makes me go "ohh no that's a lotta pages :(" every time i look at it
@yoaticas
dont judge me for using reddit but this comment is killing me. dean does not deserve a home or loved ones
Sometimes when I'm struggling with my mental health, or real life is sapping my already-limited energy more than usual, I will drop the ball and not reply to comments for a while. But please know that they mean no less to me during those times. I will still read them the moment they appear in my inbox. I will read and re-read and smile and cry and screenshot to show my best friend so they can be happy for me too. In fact, during those times, comments mean even more.
Those who don't comment on fics you like, you've got no idea the joy you could be supplying to someone. Consider that just because it took you 15-30 minutes to read doesn't mean that's how long it took the author to write. I'm seven months in on my current fic. Having that effort validated? And all it would take is a few words? As little as a thanks? Please, just a minute more of your time.
We're not big business. We're not mass producers. We're sitting at our computers or on our phones watching the hit counter go up in single figures. Your acknowledgement is oxygen. Your engagement is everything.
The sharing of fanfiction was a two-way street once. It's got quiet on the readers' side of the road lately. We miss you.
people who let me wake up to this get a special place in heaven. firefly_fox how does it feel to hold my life in ur hands....
I just want to talk about the power of commenting on fics for a minute.
I have my main fandom, but when I read in other fandoms, I don't know many of the writers. So I usually just find fics by looking through the tag I want. And if it's a tag I'm really interested in, I'll read every fic in the tag. And if there's a fic I really liked in there, I'll start reading everything by that writer.
So what this means is I'm sometimes reading fics or writers that don't have tons of hits/kudos/comments on their fics, but I found them through some obscure tag I wanted to read. And so I'll get back some really incredibly sweet replies to my comments.
But then, something even more incredible started happening. I'd be reading WIPs by some of these writers and they'd literally start writing the rest of the fic for me. They started asking me what I hoped to see happen or if I had any requests. And when the fic was finished, one of them said the only reason they kept writing the fic was for me.
Sometimes there can be such a lovely connection between the writer and the reader just because you decided to leave a comment. And sometimes you as the commenting reader can become the lone reason why a fic makes its way into the world for all the other readers who come after you.
I love getting comments on Ao3. One of my favorites is someone saying that they love that I'm giving attention to the background staff and characters that don't ever get attention.
My heart flutters every time.
(Little did the commenter know that those background characters in book one are important in book five)
My Heart still does the flutter flutter and it only increases with each comment.
Comments from the same person make me even more happy because that let's me know they're sticking through with my shit.
Comments spur me to write more. Tell me your favorite parts. What parts did you not like? What are your theories? Please, communicate with me. Do you want a beach episode?
I love getting comments on Ao3. One of my favorites is someone saying that they love that I'm giving attention to the background staff and characters that don't ever get attention.
My heart flutters every time.
(Little did the commenter know that those background characters in book one are important in book five)
IMPORTANT PSA
I told ao3, so now I'm here to tell you all.
I do see your comments and your reblogs, but I don't always respond. I try, but sometimes life just gets in the way or I completely forget for days or weeks. Sometimes, by the time I actually remember or see the comment, it's disrespectful to even respond because it's so late.
There is no such time as too late to respond to comments and reblogs. It may take a while, but most people, I've found, are pretty understanding. At least, that's what I've seen while reading comments on other stories.
Fandom culture is, for some reason, falling back onto this theory that everyone just knows what everyone else is thinking and it's sad. Interaction between everyone who creates and consumes is falling quickly and steadily.
Artists of all kinds are getting kicked in the ass because of the rise of AI creations. We're being kicked while we're down because people are seeing our stuff, we know they are, but they're not communicating with us.
I can guarantee that commenting and rebloging and tagging will motivate artists much more than you think.
I've heard stories (one of them my own) of people giving up on stories or whole art pieces because people weren't communicating or interacting with them.
I've heard stories where people have picked up pieces that they hadn't touched in years because someone commented on their work.
Fandom Culture has become less of a community and more of a consumer base. It's disappointing, to say the least.
I was born in 2004 and raised on old fandoms and fandom culture. I didn't jump into it until 2017, but even then was so much better to post and write because people were leaving comments about their favorite parts or compliments and keyboard smashes.
New people coming into fandom culture aren't getting the true experience that a lot of us grew up on and in. They're coming into a place closer to window shopping than an actual library.
2020 was largely the cause of this when huge amounts of people entered fandom culture because there was nothing else for them to do. But they're not all to blame. We didn't do a good enough job teaching them the proper etiquette. But it's not too late.
Lesson number one is to comment. Never post a hate comment and never give critique unless it's asked for.
I love getting comments that say something along the lines of "I'm excited to find out what happens!" or "I'm excited to find out how this change effects canon events!"
Same. I'm excited to find out, too. Shall we continue our journey together, my friend?
I have a new story idea!! (Kinda)
How many musical references can I fit into a single fic?
Extra challenge: Only one (1) musical per chapter and I have to add a line or title from every song. If I don't get every song, I have to choose a single WIP to work on for the rest of the day. If I do get every song, I get to add 500 words to every WIP. (I'll work on it)
It'll be like a fun game I can play with my readers!
Especially if I'm given musical recommendations. It'll only grow my Musical Playlist on Spotify (122.3 ish hours so far)
How I gain points (⭐)
+1 ⭐ for every song reference
+3 ⭐ for every dialogue reference
+5 ⭐ if I can sneak in the name of the musical without it being unnatural or obvious
+10 ⭐ if no one can guess the musical within a week of the chapter going up
How I lose points (⭐)
-3 ⭐ for every song I miss
-10 ⭐ if someone guesses the musical within a week of the chapter going up
Punishments for losing points (for every -- points lost)
-3 ⭐ Must add 500 words to every WIP
-10 ⭐ Only allowed to work on one (1) other WIP until the next chapter goes up
Rewards for gaining points (for every -- points gained)
+3 ⭐ Gets candy
+10 ⭐ Allowed to jump between WIPs for the week between chapters
I'll have to keep track here on Tumblr, but that shouldn't be too hard. I might completely redo my Storyboard, though...🤔
Problem for after the sun has risen.
Idk if I'm supposed to be clearing out my inbox on Ao3 or not, but I don't. I keep every single comment the goblins bring me and add them to my hoard
I went to sleep with 0 comments, and I woke up with 31????
HuhI????
Guys, guys!
I grinned the entire time I read and answered them! I love talking to people. I love that you like talking to me.
31 comments on a single chapter is the most I've gotten in such a short amount of time.
You have no idea how happy I am right now
And it makes my day. It makes me feel like all the times I spend on that chapter, on that entire fanfic was well worth it!😭❤️
To my readers:
If your comment is long and rambling and full of quotes you enjoyed, I will love it.
If your comment is full of story related questions, I will love it.
If your comment is a single sentence, I will love it.
If your comment is a single emoji, or a string of them, I will love it.
If you comment, I will love it. It's that simple.
I do this. I do this frequently. I have a separate folder in my emails so I can look at the comments and kudos I've received when I'm down.
God bless those people honestly, I think there've been times they've actually saved my life.
Not sure about anyone else but I re-read all my favourite AO3 comments when I’ve had a rough day so if you’ve ever taken the time to write a deep, funny, or just kind comment, thank-you.
An Ao3 author seconding the last comment. Sometimes authors will write more when they know their story was loved. Sometimes they won't but they'll feel validated all the same. Share your love with people while they are still alive to receive it. Don't treat your appreciation like it's a dirty secret you couldn't possibly share with the source.
me, quietly whispering to the ao3 page of an author who doesn’t even know I exist: I am obsessed with you