ladymatt

[ladymatt]

A Simple Guide to Not Being Afraid to Write Comments to Fic You Read

I've seen a lot of posts about the current state of fanfiction comments. Writers, especially writers who have been in fandom for a decade or more, are frustrated by the lack of comments, and have noticed a definite decline in comments (and all other forms of reader interaction) in the past ten years or so. Many readers feel daunted by the expectation of leaving comments, afraid they'll do something wrong. As a fandom old maid, the latter confused me for a while, until I realized that most of the people who feel that way probably have not been taught this form of communication.

But your loving fandom elders are here for you. Come along as your auntie tumblr user icemankazansky makes this shit easy.

The easiest way to think of fanfiction comment etiquette is to compare it to something you likely already know: Gift Receiving Etiquette.

Fanfiction began as largely a gift economy. And a lot of it still is! You'll see authors participate in exchanges like Yuletide and Id Pro Quo; those are ficswaps in which authors write for a specific person to specific prompts. And even outside that, fanfiction is not written for money; authors write and post it simply for the joy of creation and community with fellow fans. Fic is posted free for anyone to enjoy. Is that not a gift?

So. When you as a reader finish the chapter or story you're reading and you are faced with the comment box, try to follow the same etiquette you would when receiving a gift. (And even if you didn't love this gift and it's not your favorite gift ever, we already know that it's more useful than the products from your cousin's MLM that they're passing off as gifts, because you read the story. At the very least, it entertained you for the time you took to read it.)

The big rule of gift receiving etiquette is not to insult the person who gave you the gift, either directly or indirectly. That's it. Full stop.

I've been seeing a lot of comments lately that are just along the lines of, "Thank you for writing this story and sharing it with us." A+, top of the class, full marks, you're doing amazing. If you don't feel comfortable commenting on the story itself, that is perfect feedback. And that's the most basic way you respond to a gift, yes? Thank you for the gift. Thank you for thinking of me. Thank you for sharing.

Does this rule mean that you cannot say anything at all that might be negative about anything? No, absolutely not. What you want to avoid is saying something that is, at its core, a negative evaluation of the author or their work. Let's do some examples.

Character A's obliviousness about Character B's MASSIVE crush on them made me so frustrated! I was tearing my hair out internally screaming, "JUST LET HIM LOVE YOU."

✔️ Excellent comment! You're allowed to have all sorts of feelings about things that happen in the story, and in fact authors LOVE to hear about any emotions they made you feel. Yes, frustration is not a positive emotion, but the thing you are expressing frustration about is not the author themselves or their shortcomings.

Contrast that to:

I was really frustrated that it took you so long to post this chapter. The cliffhanger at the end of the previous chapter had me tearing my hair out, and then you just left us hanging FOREVER!

❌ Nope! Here what you are expressing is frustration with the author and how fast they come out with new chapters. Imagine your sister buys you a gift for your birthday, but she isn't able to give it to you until the next week, and you respond with: "What took you so long?" I think Emily Post would frown on that.

Reframing

The way you say something and the point of view from which you give feedback can have a HUGE impact on the message you're sending. Let's take the last comment (the one about wanting an update) and see what happens when we reframe the same sentiment as a positive:

I was SO EXCITED to see that you updated this story! I have really been looking forward to seeing what happened after the cliffhanger in the last chapter.

✔️ Now it's not an insult. The author will be happy to know that you are happy to see new work from them.

This idea extends beyond the story itself: to the fandom, the characters, the pairing, the tropes, etc. Let's do some examples.

I looooove reading about these sexy boys SO IN LOVE even though the movie you're writing about is SOOOOO problematic.

❌ Nope! Assume that the author enjoys the canon, characters, pairing, etc. in the stories they write. This comment is insulting to the author because it basically says, "That thing you love is not great, and you should probably feel bad for liking it." Imagine your aunt gifts you a sweater from a popular retailer, and you respond with, "This is so cute, I love it! It's a shame that it was made in a sweatshop." Do you have a valid point about the canon or the retailer's business practices? You very well might. Is this the proper time and place to talk about it? Absolutely not.

Let's do a reframing exercise. You should be very careful about how you approach commenting negatively on anything in the story that appears in the tags list, but you can make it a compliment and good feedback if you have the right perspective. See the difference with these two approaches:

I kind of think frottage is disgusting, but I liked it in this story.

❌ Nope! You just told the author you think their kink is disgusting. That's like telling your poor aunt who is just trying to keep you warm this winter that she has awful taste in knitwear. Try again.

Frottage normally isn't my kink, but I love your other stories with this pairing, so I decided to give it a try, and I'm SOOOOO GLAD that I did! This story was 🔥🔥🔥

✔️ "This normally isn't my thing, but you made me expand my horizons!" Authors love to hear that. That's like telling your aunt, "I never thought this color looked good on me, but I look so cute in this sweater! I'm so glad you helped me step outside my comfort zone, because I'm the better for it."

thank u, next

The last thing I want to address is this new trend I've seen in commenting lately: placing an order. If your mom surprises you with new headphones, you don't respond with, "I wanted the white ones 🙁," or, "You should get me a new phone, too." It's easy to see why that isn't appropriate in a gifting situation, and it's also not appropriate when commenting on fanfiction.

Let's do some examples:

This fic was soooo cute, but it would have been a million times better if Character A had been with Character C instead of Character B.

❌ There are a few things going on here. Number one, you're telling your mom you wanted the white headphones, not the ones she actually bought you. You're also disparaging the A/B pairing that the author chose to write about, and as we discussed, we can assume that the author wrote the pairing because they liked it. Even if it's not their favorite and/or they also write A/C, they made a choice for this story to be A/B, and the comments section of a fic is not the place to question choices the author made in their own work.

You should write a story where Character Z who is not even in this story does [thing that is vaguely referenced in the B plot].

❌ "You should get me a new phone, too."

I want a sequel. 😞

❌ "Thank you, next!"

You can reframe this kind of sentiment if you are careful about it, and it's not all you say.

I really loved this story. I would be so interested to see these ideas explored further if you ever decide to write more in this universe.

✔️ Not "gimme." Not "more." This is, "If you build it, I will come." It is a HUGE difference.

You already know how to do this. You know how to graciously accept a gift; just use that same etiquette, and boom! Now you know how to fearlessly write a comment to fic you read. You're doing amazing. Go forth and comment.

[ladymatt]

Keep your priorities straight: post fic.

[ladymatt]

see i think it is 100% normal and fine and whatever to be annoyed by other people's terrible takes on your favourite lil guys like god knows i'm a hater when it comes to people being wrong having different opinions than me, but at the end of the day you do gotta remember that this is not a moral issue and simply not that deep. like yeah yeah the horrors but also this is all made up and not real and literally fine and people smashing dolls in a way you personally don't like is nothing to start throwing sand about. in fact starting to throw sand is how you lose

[ladymatt]

Okay, you know what? After reading this post, I jokingly said we should all just make a pact to reblog it five times a day forever. So I'm gonna do this louder for the people in the back:

AO3 WAS CREATED BY FANS, FOR FANS

AO3 IS RUN BY FANS (VOLUNTEERS, NO LESS)

AO3 IS PART OF THE NON-PROFIT, ORGANIZATION FOR TRANSFORMATIVE WORKS

AO3 IS NOT OWNED BY ANY COMPANIES AND DOES NOT EARN REVENUE

AO3 OPERATES ON DONATIONS FROM FANS

again:

AO3 WAS CREATED BY FANS, FOR FANS

[ladymatt]

We’re back!!

In case you haven’t heard of Malectober, here’s a quick introduction!

As you can see, I’ve decided to switch up some things. Now, there’s 15 days instead of 31, and I’ve also included a set of dialogue prompts.

Now, some rules -

Anything goes. Fics, art, poetry, playlists, edits, anything.

Posting starts from the 1st of October, and you can keep going even after October ends.

Tag all your tumblr posts with #malectober and #malectober2024 and tag this account (@malectober). It will be much easier to find your posts and reblog them to this account if I’m tagged.

If you’re posting on Ao3, make sure to add your fic to the Malectober collection!

AI work is strictly not allowed.

There is no limit on nsfw works. Make the dirtiest nastiest things you can if you want to. Just make sure to put them under a “readmore”!

You can do only dialogue prompts or word prompts, or for an extra challenge combine both! Either combine one dialogue and one word or do one fic per prompt for both lists.

If you have any questions, send them to my askbox

Most importantly, have fun! 🥰

Prompt list in text below the cut:

Dialogue Prompts:

“Are you flirting with me?”

“Save me from this hell.”

“I’ll take care of that.”

“Who are you again?”

“Please, stop.”

“I want to run away.”

“I love you, but-“

“Why is this so tight?”

“You look awful.”

“Can I talk to you? In private?”

“This is so boring.”

“Why don’t you ask him out?”

“I love this song!”

“I do love a good workout.”

“How did you know?”

Word Prompts

Danger

Holster

Chess

Smoke

Liar

Lipstick

Rappel

Eight

Suits

Fist

Ropes

Cut

Bullet

Seduce

Blood

[ladymatt]

Chapters: 4/12 Fandom: Shadowhunters (TV), Final Fantasy X Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood Characters: Magnus Bane, Alec Lightwood, Catarina Loss, Dorothea "Dot" Rollins, Background & Cameo Characters Additional Tags: Action/Adventure, Action & Romance, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Final Fantasy Fusion, Battle Couple, Road Trips, Hurt/Comfort, Bodyguard Romance, Alec As a Paladin Archetype, No Canon Knowledge Required, Fictional Religion & Theology, Summons & Summoning Meta Summary:

This is the story: in the holy heart of the world, a heretic kneels down, and entreats the exalted dead for power.

Magnus knows he's good for one thing: he's the most gifted summoner seen in a generation. He can save the world, which is besieged by an ancient terror. In the first steps of his quest, he runs into the one man who might see him safe through it: Alec, a warrior sworn to the faith but put before an impossible choice by his family.

The journey will bind them together in ways neither of them could have imagined.

[ladymatt]

@softjimon and anon requested: the biconic vest look in 3x08

[ladymatt]

Just looked at a blog where the header description said 'sometimes I reblog posts I like so I don't forget them'.

And I feel like that, right there, explains so much about how the site has changed in the last few months.

People now think reblogging is an unusual behaviour, rather than a default.

Tumblr newbies, please, for the love of baby Jesus, reblog the posts you like. That is the whole reason the site exists - for you to collect all your shiny fandom objects in a single space. Which you can organize to your heart's content. Or not organize at all, if that's your jam.

Our blogs are intended to be collections of posts, not collections of likes.

[ladymatt]

SHADOWHUNTERS 1.01 – The Mortal Cup

[ladymatt]

decidedly unfriendly reminder that fanfiction is written by real people with real feelings for free in their free time. it's a labour of love and something to cherish. if you come across a fic that you don't enjoy, that's totally fine, but it is your due diligence as a fellow fan and decent human being to click away. leaving mean comments, absurd rating systems or harassing writers in their inbox while hiding behind an anonymous icon is not an acceptable manner to behave in any fandom and online space ever. it's disgustingly entitled, wildly disrespectful and only serves to discourage people from sharing their writing in a community that is meant to be fun and supportive. the next time you read something you don't enjoy, stop reading it and move on with your day. read something you like and leave kudos and a nice comment there instead. have some common sense and don't be a fucking asshole. it's not that fucking difficult.

[ladymatt]

Why does posting for a new fandom feel like walking into a bar and having everyone just stare at you. Like I'm sorry I'm new here pls don't hurt me

[ladymatt]

occasional posts from users

[ladymatt]

Quick question for those of you with sideblogs.

Given the restrictions on what you can do with secondary accounts, such not being able to like/follow/send asks etc., are you ever sorry you didn't just create another primary blog instead?

I'm 99% sure that I'd find the limitations annoying, but I'm curious.

[ladymatt]

Small Fandom Summer 2024!

I did this last year (see: Small Fandom Summer '23) and it was a lot of fun, so I'm planning on doing it this year. You should do it too!

It's real easy to play:

Make a fanwork for something that has fewer than 1000 English-language works on AO3

Post it to AO3

That's all! It's so easy!

Q: The fandom I want to create for has more than 1000 English-language works on AO3, but the specific pairing I want to do doesn't. Does that count? A: Yes! Q: What if it has more than 1000 English-language works on AO3, but, like, just barely? A: Okay! Q: What if it actually has a lot more than 1000 English-language works on AO3, but it still feels small? A: Sure! Q: What if-- A: Just do a thing, friend. Make a thing. Share the thing. Make a stranger happy by appealing to their niche interests. Diversity the fandom ecosystem. Bring joy.

[ladymatt]

Blog Navigation/Housekeeping

Hi! I'm LM. I'm mainly a fic writer but I also do art, video edits, gifsets, and translation.

My fanworks can be found under the following tags:

LM's gifs

LM's vids

LM's art

LM's translations and meta

All my fanfic is on AO3

Fandoms and celebrities I make things about (past and present):

Shadowhunters (TV only)

陈情令 The Untamed/ 魔道祖师 Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation

莲花楼 Mysterious Lotus Casebook

山河令 Word of Honour

张哲瀚 Zhang Zhehan

肖顺尧 Xiao Shunyao

成毅 Cheng Yi

岑勇康 Harry Shum Jr

肖战 Xiao Zhan

You can also find me on:

AO3

Twitter

Bluesky

Please yell about the things we love with me! I also have a tip jar (Kofi)

Last updated: 4 May 2024

[ladymatt]

Chapters: 8/9 Fandom: Shadowhunters (TV) Rating: Explicit Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood Characters: Magnus Bane, Alec Lightwood Additional Tags: Stuff Summary:

“Darling,” Magnus began, wincing painfully, “I don’t think anything is supposed to be that shade of green.” He rubbed Alec’s tense shoulders as he heard a defeated sigh. “How did green end up on the ceiling, my lovely?” he asked, squinting up at the bright green splatter.

“Some bad things may have happened,” Alec allowed, sounding precipitously close to peevish. 

[ladymatt]

Title: chorus to the verse

Fandoms: Shadowhunters (TV)

Warnings: Rated E.

Relationships: Magnus Bane x Alec Lightwood

Summary: Snapshots from Magnus and Alec's relationship, or three times that one of them had to leave, and one time that neither of them had to.

Part three of my Rockstar!Malec AU, "semi-charmed kind of life"

Written for @sweetspicybingo's Sweetheart Bingo 2024 and Finish Your Fucking Fics February.

--

Chapter 4 of 4: something in you I believe in [Read on AO3]

May 8, 1999 — Fire Island, New York: A happy ending for Alec and Magnus in a private ceremony for their friends and loved ones <3

This chapter covers the squares:

Skinny Dip

My Bed Now

and

Finish a recent WIP

This fic is complete at 9,845 words and this chapter also completes my Sweetheart Bingo card!

(bingo cards under cut)