#AO3 comment culture

[theliteraryluggage]

Had to share this here because you're right and you should say it. It's incredible how many people came out of the woodwork as soon as AO3 was down and suddenly had no compunctions at all about screaming how much they love and need fanfic--on the AO3 twitter. Is it so much harder to do in the comment section?

At this point I don't care anymore if people call me entitled or think I'm out of line. If fanfic is so meaningful to you that you cannot go half an hour without, let alone 24h, then you can get over yourself long enough to write a fucking comment. No excuses.

"writing comments is hard and scary" yeah well GUESS WHAT so is writing fanfics. fandom as a community is dying, because it is instead treated as a COMMODITY, a CONSUMER PRODUCT. We're not asking for much. We're asking for a CONNECTION. We don't want to sell, we want to share.

You've shown your hand. You've admitted you cannot live without us. Now ACT LIKE IT. Go write a fucking comment.

[magpie-murder]

okay we need to have an intervention.

i've noticed that people don't leave the same kind of unhinged compliments under fanfics that visual artists usually receive (eg, "i want to eat your art"), so i've come up with a list that you need to start employing when your friends send you their WIPs and when your favorites update on ao3 but you're having a hard time commenting something that sounds intelligent and you still want to support them

"you're like if [famos author] (eg, Victor Hugo if the fic is angst) was into [fandom]"

"well THIS has been added to my pre-sleep daydream schedule"

"this fic invaded my mind and consumed my brain like a spore"

"I'M LOSING SLEEP OVER THIS ONE, FOLKS"

"yOu'Ve AlReAdY lEfT kUdOs HeRe"

"this fic has me scratching at my yellow wallpaper, it's so good"

"this fic has me checking under my floorboards for the heart of a kind man i murdered, it's so good"

"i'm making my parents read this"

"i know only one chapter is out so far, but i'm going to print this out, staple it together, and put it on my bookshelf next to the canon material"

"this fic gave me another mental illness"

(you can only do this one once) "i made an ao3 account specifically to bookmark this"

"i'm going to print this out so i can eat the words on the paper"

and a couple that are just nice (without the feral nature):

"i made a custom playlist to listen to while i read this fic"

"this fic reminds me of [song]"

"i really liked the part where [x], it really stuck with me"

"i really liked this line, [quote the line,] it was so well-written!"

artists: draw fanart of the fic!! it doesn't matter if you think your art skills are good and it doesnt matter if it's just a sketch!! let the author see it!!

make a moodboard!! for the fic!! let the author see it!!

[fiora-miriel]

People who leave comments on fanfics that are weeks, months, or even years old?

You are the salt of the earth and deserve everything good in life.

[not-freyja]

My personal thoughts on the whole “what if I’m being annoying” comment anxiety I see readers talking about on Ao3:

You’re not.

I read every comment with a smile. I re read every comment when I need motivation to write. I answer every single comment not out of obligation but out of a heartfelt feeling of joy that a person not only read my writing, but liked it enough to tell me about it!?

To my regular commenters: I know you on sight, I remember what it is you talked about in the last chapter, I am keeping track of the things you like and am actually posting the next chapter thinking oh so-and-so it going to love this bit, can’t wait to see what they say!

You aren’t obligated to comment. But know that 99.9% of fic authors will be overjoyed if you do 💖

[luulapants]

What a safe space for concrit looks like and why the comments section will never be that

I'm in an IRL group for songwriters who want help developing and polishing their work. It's an incredible space, very effective, and no one ever leaves feeling bad about their songs. I'm going to share a few of the things that work really well about this group and compare those to online environments, particularly comment sections:

Group settings create accountability. If someone is a dick, it has real social consequences, not just from the person being critiqued but from everyone in the room who saw it happen. Online spaces, while very public, are paradoxically intimate. It's unlikely that third parties will scour comments on someone else's work, and if they do - what are the consequences? The critic probably doesn't know them.

We know our critics. We know the critic's level of expertise in different areas, if they have different styles and preferences from ours, and can weight their opinions accordingly. The opinion of a random stranger online cannot be weighed or evaluated and is therefore worthless.

We know our performers. We know the proficiency of the person we're critiquing, if they're new or shy or young, if they're branching into a type of music they're not familiar with. We adjust the type of feedback we give based on who's receiving it. Typically, commenters online have no idea if they're critiquing a professional artist or a literal child just starting out.

Everyone needs to bring something to group. If you don't have a song (or even part of a song) to share, you can't come this week. This puts everyone on equal footing: we're all being vulnerable, we're all going through critique today. It's easy to hand out judgments when you have nothing at stake, but you're a lot more careful handling someone's work when you know they'll be handling yours, too. Commenters online have nothing at stake, no reciprocal vulnerability, which creates an unfair power dynamic.

"What kind of feedback do you want?" We ask this question before every performance. People are able to draw specific boundaries, point out areas where they're confused or conflicted ("This chord sounds wrong to me but I'm not sure what to use.") and areas that are too sensitive for critique ("This is a personal story, so I don't want to change the narrative.") Going in blind online, you have no idea if you're addressing a personal landmine or a deliberate creative choice.

Only bring things that are unfinished and open to change. The purpose of bringing a song to group is to get edits and suggestions. The purpose of posting your work online is to share it and have it be enjoyed by others. You should assume that, by the time someone is posting something on their Tumblr or AO3 etc., that it is a finished product no longer open for changes.

[longlivefeedback]

If you comment on some fanfics and not others, pick an answer that applies most commonly to when you don't comment.

[luckydragon10]

AO3 Reader Reminder: Authors generally tag in good faith

Most authors DO NOT maliciously leave off tags.

If you, as a reader, feel triggered by something and believe it was not adequately tagged or warned, please try to resist any knee-jerk reaction you might have to pop off at the author in retaliation in comments.

If you respectfully comment with

"Can I suggest adding a tag/warning tag for 'xyz'?"

then just about any author is going to respond favorably.

If, instead, your first course of action is to pop off at the author, then bless your little heart, you're the one acting in bad faith.

In general, when you're a reader, I recommend you approach the situation from the assumption that the author wrote their tags/warnings in good faith and is likely to listen to your suggestion and interact with you respectfully... but you need to approach them respectfully to open the dialogue.

(Note: This wasn't about a situation that happened to me personally, but rather a situation I'm aware of.)

[wren-of-the-woods]

I've been seeing a lot of posts lately talking about how no one comments/reblogs/replies/etc anymore, and, as someone who comments regularly on a lot of fanworks, it sometimes makes me wonder if my efforts are worth anything. Then I remember how much happiness I get from comments on my own work/posts and how much the community of fandom can matter, and I remember the power that can be found in spreading joy instead of disappointment.

So -- to everyone who comments on fanfiction: thank you. You make the writing process worthwhile and so very rewarding. You make people happy every day.

To all the people who reblog art and gifsets and meta and anything else with enthusiastic tags: thank you. You make people smile and promote interesting conversations and make being on Tumblr so much more fun.

To anyone who sends people asks about their works, whether it's unprompted or part of an ask game: thank you. You give people reasons to talk about things they love and feel like a part of a community.

To the people who makes reclists: thank you. You give us more to read while showing the author how much their work is loved and appreciated, benefitting so many people.

To everyone who organizes events and groups and blogs and dedicated to fandom: thank you. You build community and love and excitement so effectively and it's wonderful.

To all the authors and artists who respond to comments and build community: thank you. You make people smile with your work and then again with your response.

To everyone who contributes to fandom and community in all the other beautiful, varied ways that I can't even begin to list: thank you. You are why we're here.

And, finally, to every writer, visual artist, gifmaker, cosplayer, maker of edits, writer of meta, or creator of art in any other form: thank you. Your work is wonderful and you make fandom what it is, regardless of who sees your art or how much response you recieve.

Keep going, everyone. You are a part of something beautiful.

[heavenlyraindrops]

what? the hell? did someone just ask me if they could take my own writing, which i wrote for my own fic and no one else, and put it in their own fanfic? brother eughhh i’m sorry brother eughhhhhhhhhh i mean at least they asked ig?? ☠️☠️

[kakushigotofanclub]

Hey has anyone else noticed a drastic shift in internet culture as a whole over the last couple of years where the frequency of people interacting with each other online has just taken a nosedive and nobody really talks to each other anymore or leaves comments on fanfic or sends asks or anything and fandom spaces feel less welcoming or is that just me lol

[gorgonzolatown]

getting comments on fanfic like 'omg im sobbing' feel so good, because I felt unjustified getting upset about the fake scenarios that I MADE UP and only existed in my mind, but now that I've written it out and put it where other people can see it, they're upset with me, it feels like I won the justified emotions lottery

[the-bar-sinister]

The reviews are in! *authorial cackling noise*

[thefabledpheasant]

(Ex: coffee shop, no powers, coworkers, college, etc)

[bcbdrums]

Genuine question. Why are people more than happy to interact with nsfw/smut fic (comments, kudos, reblogs, likes) but not as eager to interact with nsfw/smut art? Even the mildly nsfw art. Thoughts?

[catgirl-catboy]

Ways to show love to your favorite authors on ao3 that don't involve writing comments, because social anxiety is a bitch and some days you just don't have the fucking spoons:

(people saying that comments are important will be blocked for their lack of reading comprehension.)

Draw a piece of fanart to send when you feel better!

Slap together a playlist of songs that remind you of this fic

Make a TVtropes page for it, and rec it on the TVtropes page for the fandom.

Rec it to some close friends/discord servers. Sometimes its easier to talk to people you know, and you're still helping the fic get traction.

Look at some of the favorite comments you've gotten, if you write. Do any of the things that meant so much to you also apply to this fic? If so, copy and paste that (edit context so it makes sense) to tell the author!

The next time you feel confident/verbose, write some nice things you frequently imagine yourself saying to authors, but leave blanks to fill in with fic specific details. I'll start: X's characterization is such a breath of fresh air. You've really added something new to the character. The line [XXXX] hit me like a fucking truck.

Make a bookmark tag of "Fics I need to comment on later", so you'll remember to come back to it.

[msnihilist]

Got a hate comment from someone who made an AO3 account just to bitch at me 🥺💕 And they say romance is dead.