#Ao3 Comments

[unreadablehandle]

Do you guys know that one story about three frogs in a ditch? :) It goes like this:

Three frogs fall into a ditch.

The first day, after losing a lot of energy on climbing up, one of them falls desperate, gives up and dies because no-one came to help.

The second day, other frogs, who are passing by, come and sit above the ditch. When they measure the situation, they always shout down to the poor fellows in the ditch that they should give up and save themselves from prolonging their suffering, because it is impossible for them to climb up or to be saved.

The second fallen frog listens to these claims, really gives up after a few hours - and dies.

The last frog doesn't, though. It fights for days - despite all the discouragements, until it somehow climbs up. There, one of the frogs from above asks: "How did you do it? We've clearly seen that it was impossible and we've shouted it at you! You didn't listen." "Oh," the other one says, "that's what you've been shouting? I'm half-deaf, so I've thought you guys were cheering me on." ...

I somehow find this story incredibly fitting to explain how much of a difference it makes to comment, whatever you choose to write into the actual note. :)

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.

[kzlatkova]

Just went through my 1953 bookmarks on ao3 and gave kudos to all my fave fics and left comments for all my fave authors. Yeah, it took a few hours, but maybe over xmas break, someone somewhere will get a notification on their email about a fic they wrote years ago and see that it is still being read, that it is still being loved. Hopefully, it will make them smile and remind them that their craft is worthy, and that they should never stop writing, never stop creating, and never stop sharing their art with the world. 🖤

PS. Special thanks to every person who has ever posted a GOs fic. You have single handedly stood as a pillar for my mental health for the last couple of years and I thank you for it. Wish ao3 would let me send you all personalized messages and thank you cards, cuz you guys are heroes and you deserve all the love in the world. 😇😈🩵

[artemisdesari-blog]

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.

[send-up-my-heart-to-you]

i dont think anything compares to the joy of getting asks on tumblr or getting comments on ao3

its like, wow. human communication thru the internet. except it feels personal. but yknow, in a nice way, not in an invasive way

its like, you CLICKED on MY account and read thru MY posts and cared enough to leave me a personal message. smth so cute abt that

[aineran]

Don't mind me, I can't describe my thoughts in short😭

Do commenters mind if the author replies with a response that’s longer than their original comment??? I’m an author that tends to yap in response to comments and I want to know if it’s too much 😭

Don’t mind at all! Honestly it’s exciting to get such a thoughtful answer back!

[jellymellydraws]

AO3 Comments are SO SO SOOOOOOO important because you can only leave Kudos ONCE. You add to the hit count ONCE (every 24 hours).

So whenever someone updates their fic, the ONLY way an author knows who their regular readers are is if they comment on each chapter. And we WANT to know who's still reading.

Believe it or not, some of us think about the name that pops up constantly in the comments and go "omg I can't wait to see what they think of THIS SPECIFIC SCENE cuz I KNOW they'll say something about it!!!"

[pixiemage]

Please, for the love of god, please don’t be this person. No matter how long it’s been since an update, no matter how many unfinished stories are sitting on their account, no matter what - do not be this person.

Not only is it insanely rude, but you also do more damage than you think be being such a self-entitled ass about something someone created for free and for fun. “This author” can see what you say.

RIP decency indeed.

[snugglesquiggle]

people always talk about leaving comments on ao3 like it's a nice thing to do, or the best way to encourage writers to keep writing, or overall like it's how you Do Your Part in fandom

and yeah, all those things are true, but having spent the past few months leaving enthusiastic comments on as many things as i can, i have a different perspective

you should leave comments on fics because it's fun

taking the time to stop and focus on what i like about a story has made me way more aware of what's going on in stories and what i like about them. there's bit more actual comprehension and appreciation and not just beaming content into my eyes to fill time

i like noticing cool little things in fics, or riffing on funny events. i've never been very good at speculating or picking apart characters, but sometimes something clicks and it rocks.

and of course it's pretty nice when you get a response and it's clear you've made another person happy

so yeah, you should leave comments for your own sake, too. it makes reading better!

[scribbledonausednapkin]

[erraticprocrastinator]

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.

[howdidthisevenhappenanyway]

ok I’ve talked before about how, if you don’t want what you’re reading and kudosing on ao3 to be associated with you as an author or whatever that a lot of people have reading accounts that are seperate to the fics they post and I just came across a delightful example. I hope they don’t mind me pointing it out, but when I saw this on a fic today I let out the most delighted laugh

their account just has bookmarks on it, so I’m guessing that they just read on this account, leave reviews that are exactly what the times would say about books and bookmark shit. king shit.

[destiel-wings]

people who leave comments on AO3 I LOVE YOU

[ao3-shenanigans]

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!

[dear-ao3]

[apollo-likes-writing]

Whenever I get an email from ao3 saying "_____ left you Kudos!" or "_____ commented on ______" An extra week is added onto my lifespan. Remember to always give ao3 authors you enjoy kudos and comments to ensure they live forever.

[marsneedstherapy]

"I always give ao3 authors love" this

"ao3 authors are my deities and I worship them" that

one time, I made an ao3 author cry because I complimented their fic too hard.