#COMMENTS

[aroclan]

my mom just "so much for global warming huh? 😏" at me this week (about the last polar vortex event) so i printed out this xkcd

So many people do not understand the relationship between climate change and cold weather.

[mysticdragon3md3]

[beadyeyes]

[allwaswell16]

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.

[flawssy-227]

Thank you for reading and commenting! Glad you loved it!💖💖💖

All I Do - Joel Miller x f!reader

summary: All Joel does, is think about you OR Joel asks you to move in.

pairing: Joel miller x f!reader

word count: 1.4k

warnings: no outbreak au, Sarah mentioned, kissing, established relationship. fluff

note: 18+, I will always do my best to leave the reader description as vague as possible (albeit female, but I am a woc, so will also always have woc in mind in my writing) lmk what you think

masterlist

Joel wasn’t sure when he had fallen head over heels in love with you, but lately it was all he could think about. How wholly, deeply, and emphatically he was in love with you. Looking over at your sleeping form, you were damn near angelic. Your lashes brushed against your cheekbones and your lips made the sweetest shape while you dozed. How did he get so lucky? He’s even more surprised you feel the same way about him. That you’ve practically moved in with him and Sarah. That was something he needed to make permanent, he thought. Why were you even keeping your place if you were here every weekend. He wasn’t a religious man, but he had considered lighting a candle to pray you would always feel that way.

He wasn’t even looking for a relationship when he met you. After things with Sarah’s mom ended years ago, he had tried to date, mostly from Tommy and Maria’s urging, but things never felt right. Usually, if anything, his dates would end up with hollow and empty sex. But he never felt an emotional connection. He would never admit it to Sarah or Tommy or his mom, but late at night, he would crave intimacy, connection, another person to just do life with. And then he met you.

It was Sunday morning and Joel was up, watching as the sun made its ascent to the top of the sky. He watched as blocks of light danced across your skin, the heat from the sun causing you to wake up slowly. The little full body cat stretch you did when you woke up naturally was the most endearing thing Joel had seen, something that made his heart flutter when he thought of you. At this point, all he did was think about you.

You finally opened your eyes when you were done stretching, humming when you saw Joel was still in bed with you. Usually he was up before you, showering or helping Sarah with breakfast. You pushed to sit up with him, shifting so you could shift your weight against his and placing a small kiss against his shoulder.

“Good morning, handsome,” you offered, voice cracking from hours of sleep.

Another thing he loved, he thought. How you sound when you first wake up.

Joel instinctively reached for your hand, bringing it up to his lips for a light peck.

“Missed you.”

Now you were laughing, the sound making Joel smile widely and the feeling waking you up a bit more.

“You missed me?” you question, wondering how he could miss you when you literally hadn’t left his side for the last 8 hours in bed, and the 5 or so before that when you had watched a movie and had dinner with him and Sarah. “We’ve been together for the past 12 hours, babe.”

Joel just looks at you and shrugs. “Doesn’t count if you were sleeping for most of it.”

You hum softly at the notion of him missing while you were sleeping. “Joel Miller. The big sap.”

The grunt Joel makes is his attempt at sounding unlike the big sap he definitely is. He couldn’t help it though, outside of Sarah, you were all that mattered to him. And frankly, he was tired of spending so much damn time apart.

“Can ya blame me?” Joel asks, shifting his body so he’s leaning over you, effectively caging you in between his strong arms.

You playfully roll your eyes at him despite that familiar pull in your lower belly. “You’re ridiculous, Joel.” You both knew you didn’t mean it, even if he was being a little ridiculous, it still made your heart warm. You started to let your hands trail up and down the arms that were still caging your body in, sighing dreamily. 

“Not bein’ ridiculous,” he huffed. “We spend far too much time apart, darlin’.” Joel looked into your eyes, nothing but devotion between the two of you, and leaned down to let his lips meet yours. The kiss was sweet and gentle and Joel made a delighted noise at the way you tasted. Even first thing in the morning you were heavenly. Add it to the list.

He pulled away and cleared his throat, moving to sit back next to you. He scratched his jaw and looked out his bedroom window, the sun continuing to rise. You frowned, noticing the shift in his mood and leaned to face him.

“What’s wrong?”

His eyes met yours again, softening slightly which made your heart beat faster, those subtle changes you couldn’t help but notice every time he looked at you.

“Just thinkin’.”

“Uh-oh.”

Joel grunted and rolled his eyes at that. “Hilarious darlin’.” He looked deep in thought, but you just grinned, loving to tease your boyfriend just a bit. When he was silent for a beat too long, you figured maybe this wasn’t a teasing occasion.

You smiled softly, reaching over to cradle his face. He leaned in closer, letting his hand trace down your waist to lay possessively on your hip. You breathed him in, loving the way your scent and his intermingled while you slept, heavily mixed in the sheets and surrounding the both of you.

You kissed him gently again, unable to help yourself but forcing yourself not to get distracted by his lips. “Seriously Joel, what’s on your mind?” you pressed, always wanting you and him to have open communication. He could come to you for anything without fear of judgement.

You could tell he was nervous but you stayed patient, knowing whatever it was, he would open up when he was ready.

“I really did miss you,” Joel whispered, tightening his grip around you. “I miss you all the time. I was- I was thinking you should go ahead and move in here, if you want.” He looked in your eyes, trying to gauge your reaction. You met him with silence, wanting him to continue.

“We just… talk everyday, all day, and you have your place so I get that you wanna be there, and you should if you’re still payin’ rent. But I figure we’re already in love and even though you spend every weekend here, it ain’t enough for me anymore. All I do is think about you. When I wake up I wish you were here. When I come home from a long day at a site, I just want to curl up with you on the couch.”

Your eyes shined with unshed tears. You wanted to melt into a puddle at Joel’s words. You knew he was in love with you, it only took a few weeks of dating for him to confess, much to your glee. You also knew that over the last few months, the love you two shared had grown into something much deeper and intimate. It was something you had never felt before with anyone else. You knew it was special. You were ready for more in your relationship, but you didn’t want to push him too fast. He never really said it, but you could tell he still had some leftover trauma and trust issues from Sarah’s mom–who could blame him?

You were still silent while thinking about how damn in love with him you were, making him shake his head with regret. “Or-or not. Is it too soon?”

You shook your head no, smiling against wet tears that you couldn’t contain. “No, not at all, baby,” your grin completely took over your face. “Not too soon. I just can’t believe you’re so obsessed with me.” Tears were still escaping your eyes, but your teasing tone was back, making Joel huff out a sigh of relief. “I would love to move in with you, Joel. My lease is up next month, anyway.”

He let out a displeased sound at that. “Really? I don’t remember you mentionin’ that.”

“Didn’t wanna put too much pressure on us,” you shrugged. “It’s still so early.”

Joel held you a little bit tighter. “It’s early, but it’s different with us, yeah? Wanting to be with each other more isn’t a bad thing.”

You nodded at that, falling into a comfortable silence as you remained cuddled in each other's arms.

Joel groaned, shifting to get out of bed, mumbling something about starting a pot of coffee before you reached for him, leaning up to press another delicate kiss to his lips. He dreamt of this, having someone like you in his bed, in his heart; someone who he could share life with. He nuzzled into your neck, breathing you in as if he hadn’t spent hours as close as humanly possible next to you.

“Joel,” you sighed, pressing your lips to his neck. “I missed you too.”

[silence-between-seconds]

the next time you hesitate to leave a comment on a fic remember that I go back and read all the comments I get on my fic whenever I'm feeling down and it makes me feel so much better

if you leave nice comments on ao3 i love you

[buginateacup]

Every single fic update there is an author trying frantically to find the right balance between a nonchalant aside of "leave a comment if you enjoyed =)" and clinging desperately to the coat tails of a random stranger, dragging along behind them on the street wailing "Please, please! I have to know what you thought! I'm desperate to talk to people about this! Ask me about the alliterative repetition! Ask me about the symbolism!"

[superbowlsunday]

comment on the new ghostbusters redlettermedia video

[silver104]

yeah sex is cool I guess

but have you ever had someone leave a comment with a paragraph-long review of your fanfic containing genuine praise, thorough criticism, and an in-depth analysis of all the lore hints you dropped that you spent ages intricately crafting

[starcloudedsky]

[hjbender]

I keep getting comments on WIPs from readers—some who are registered AO3 users—expressing some form of “I like this story and check regularly for updates”. I don’t know if this is a permutation of “I can’t wait for an update” or if people genuinely don’t know about AO3’s Subscribe button.

Subscribing to a story automatically sends an email notification to the subscriber whenever the story is updated.

I don’t want to seem patronizing by mentioning subscriptions, but I also don’t want readers to be working so hard keeping up with a fic when there’s an easier solution. Or am I taking a compliment too literally?

(Please reblog for farther reach)

[cursedpinterest]

[justleaveacommentfest]

THIS IS GOING TO BE A CHALLENGING YEAR FOR MANY OF US! REMEMBER THAT YOU, YES YOU, CAN MAKE IT THAT MUCH BETTER BY CONTINUING TO TEND TO YOUR COMMUNITY, REACH OUT TO FRIENDS, NEIGHBORS, AND LOVED ONES, AND YES, JUST LEAVING THOSE COMMENTS! THIS SKELETON BELIEVES IN ALL OF YOU!

[minionresearch]

[allthingswhumpyandangsty]

how to ask / motivate your favorite fanfic writers to post new works / update a new chapter WITHOUT rushing them or sounding entitled and rude;

don’t comment “when” or “will there be a next chapter” or “will you continue this?” quite frankly, these type of comments can sound like you’re demanding from your favorite writer, even if it may not be your intention.

if you’d love a sequel or are wondering when or if the fic will be updated, try something like “I love this so much!” *bonus if you explain why you love the fic or what you love about it* and then add something along the line of “if there’s a part 2 of this, I would be so excited / would absolutely love to read it!”

the trick is to avoid a blunt question like “will there be a part 2?” or “it’s been so long. when will you update?” etc.

honestly, DON’T ever comment something like “it’s been ___ months, ___ years” or “I don’t think the author will continue this lol” that’s one of the most effective ways to make sure your favorite author doesn’t come back to your favorite fic, and it’s just so… dishearteningly rude.

it doesn’t matter if it’s been months or years since the author’s last update, demanding and rushing them will most likely NOT give you the result you want.

reminder that fanfic authors are humans with lives and jobs outside of writing fanfiction, especially when fanfic is something they do in their free time out of love and passion, and you — the reader — get to read their works for free.

rushing and demanding will only make it sound like ‘a task that needs to get done’ for your favorite author, and it sucks out the joy of writing out of love and passion. it can be so discouraging for the authors.

fanfic authors don’t owe you anything.

even if they completely abandon the fic, it still doesn’t give you the right to be rude to them or to ask why they stopped writing or to coerce them into giving you what you want.

I can never say this enough; fanfic authors write in their free time, FOR FREE, out of love and passion. and you get to read their works FOR FREE because they’re kind enough to share their love for their comfort characters with you.

they don’t owe you anything.

it’s okay if you’re wondering when or if they’ll post something new, but it’s not okay to rush or demand from them.

comments are mostly what motivate authors into writing faster, so if you want your favorite authors to post more, comment about what you love about their works, express your gratitude to them for giving you these amazing fics for free, but don’t be an entitled reader by rushing or directly asking when they’ll update.

let’s keep fandom space safe and comforting for both writers and readers.