#ao3 comments

[allthingswhumpyandangsty]

"I didn't comment on a fic I liked because I don't think the author would care or remember my comment anyway". fanfic writer here, I still remember comments I got on my fics from seven years ago. I still think about them and they still make me smile. your kind comments are what motivates us and what helps us keep writing.

I personally know writers who take screenshot and print out comments they got from their readers.

TL;DR comments matter to us writers more than you think. if you like a fanfic, never be shy to let the author know ♡

[lislemons]

new favorite AO3 comment dropped. short, simple, to the point. made me laugh so hard my stomach hurt.

[bonnibelleangelica]

Promise I’ll update my fics soon. I’ve been debut novelling my ass off.

[jamiemoonymarks]

Normalize leaving unhinged comments on ao3 fics you like. I'm tired of being the only one brave enough to write "I am chewing on this fic" in the comment section. Be weird. Authors will love you for it

[advocateforinterestingoddities]

I promise, as someone formerly scared of commenting, authors love it.

Even just hearts as second kudos, even spam comments because you keep getting excited every other chapter, even hey rereading thanks for sharing

My favorite thing to add to a comment is 'Thanks for sharing' because honestly that's what most of my comments can be boiled down to. Thank you for sharing the world building, poetic prose, fun words I had to Google, cool metaphors, and everything else that brought me joy

I wouldn't have gotten to experience any of it if the author hadn't chosen to share their work (which also from experience can be scary), so I like to say thanks and you can too if you'd like!

a feel like the new generation of fanfic readers NEED to understand that clicking on a fic (interaction) does nothing. ao3 has no algorithm. your private discord discussions of fic do not reach the authors. if you do not actively engage with writers they will stop posting. this isn’t social media this is community.

[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.

[nightshine72]

I need you to understand that when I say "comments are appreciated!" I mean that I will reply to every one of them. I mean that an email with an ao3 notification has a higher priority than a message from my mother. I mean that I will have entire discussions in the comment section if you're up for it. Message me on tumblr and I will have the same discussions on an even more unhinged level. I will dissect entire personalities and ships and fictional political structures and worldbuilding with you. I will become your new best friend. You already ARE my new best friend. At the last battle, I would raise Anduril and say "For my ao3 readers" while a single tears rolls down my cheek, and dive into the fray. I would upload from beyond the grave if someone asked about the next chapter

[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.

[ollieofthebeholder]

I have received comments that are so long the commenter had to add a second post. I love them.

I have received comments that are just strings of heart emojis. I love them.

I have received comments that consist mostly of incoherent screaming interspersed with demands for my psych history, my head on a platter, and/or my location they just wanna talk. I love them.

I have received comments simply telling me that a person needs 3-5 business days to recover. I love them.

Just comment. As long as you're not trying to tell the author how to write their own fic, I promise, they're going to love it.

"i don't comment on ao3 because i don't wanna be annoying or weird" skill issue + you greatly underestimate the power dynamic here, writing multi paragraph comments is like feeding a bunch of deeply insane and possibly starved ducks at the park and watch them go completely mad over having received a piece of bread

[allthingswhumpyandangsty]

Re: this post

AO3 writers, apparently spam bots are now reaching the new low by leaving negative comments on authors' works (that are most likely copied and pasted, mass posted on random fics), meant to discourage and make authors delete their works. Holy shit.

Writers, if you receive mean/rude/negative comments on your fics, please always know that — with the new wave of bots — there are high chances of these comments being spam meant to try to get you to delete your works (so far, the only reason I can think of as to why they want writers to delete their works off AO3 is because, once the works have been deleted, it's nearly impossible for authors to claim ownership of their works in case of the works being stolen, used or re-uploaded without authors' permission).

Know that these negative comments from spam bots do not mean your works are "bad" in any way! They leave the same copy and paste script on various fics, because they want authors to feel discouraged, they want you to delete your works so they can maybe steal your works later without you being able to strike them with copyright violation once the original fics have been deleted.

How to tell if a comment is spam? These bots are always vague with their comments. They never include details from your fic (such as characters' names or specific scenes from your work) in their comment. They're being vague because they're leaving the same comments on various writers' works, various fics, various fandoms without reading the actual works.

Report these comments and move on.

I know how much a rude comment can affect an author. But please always remember that they just copied and pasted the same comment, same script onto your fic like they did dozens (if not hundreds or thousands) of other writers. They never even read your works. They're bots. They just want you to delete your fics so they can safely steal them.

Don't give them what they want.

[divinefics]

Everytime I get those bot looking hate comments on AO3 I have to convince myself that I’m not actually horrible.

[mxtthewberry]

You shot off sparks of freedom

So I mistook you for home

Through ashes and silence

You kissed me like I was gone

This evening I saw the paper

“A supposed dead man asks for a smoke”

When I reach for my bleeding wounds

Every room, your voice echos

Love like this has a blessed undertone

One that’s dripping blood

Love like this let’s you know

You’re still alone

[imekitty]

[ao3legendarium]

don't be peer pressured into drugs

[ratunderneathahat]

"Ao3 should allow multiple kudos" "I want to be able to leave more than one kudos"

COMMENT ON THE FUCKING FIC

I SWEAR TO GOD NO ONE COMMENTS MUCH NOW WHEN THE ONLY WAY TO SHOW APPRECIATION FOR A SINGLE CHAPTER IS COMMENTING AND I AM NOT HAVING THIS BULLSHIT BE LIKE TIKTOK WHERE NO ONE EVER COMMENTS POSITIVITY

FOR FUCKS SAKE JUST COMMENT ON THE FUCKING FIC YOU DON'T NEED A MULTIPLE KUDOS BUTTON YOU NEED ACTUAL WORDS

TRUST ME ON ANY WEBSITE OR APP I POST COMMENTS AND WORDS ARE 10X BETTER THAN ANY PLAIN LIKE AND WORDLESS REBLOG IF YOU LIKE SOMETHING LEAVE WORDS

COMMENT

ON

THE

FUCKING

FICS

[fanfictionfesta]

Don't like, any read!!

But if you DO like a fic, don't forget to leave comments! Let the authors know how much you loved their fics 💛💛💛💛 Need some motivation??

Then join us as we go commenting on fics in August as a community!

More info in our pinned post

'ao3 needs a like and dislike button'

what you need, my algorithm-rotten minded friend, is a grip