#commenting resources

[st-fanfic-bookclub]

Comment resources

Receiving comments means so much to fic authors so we’d love to encourage people to leave more. But we appreciate that leaving comments can be a bit daunting or draining, especially on days when we are tired or already stressed. So here are a few resources to hopefully encourage us all to leave more and to make doing so easier.

Archive of Our Own floating comment boxes

There are a couple of versions of these out there and they can be helpful. They are browser extensions that allow you to keep the comment box on the screen whenever you like so that you can easily comment as you read, rather than getting to the end and panicking about what to say.

Here are two different versions:

AO3 Floating Comment Box by ScriptMouse

Floaty Review Box by ravenel ← I use this one and think it’s great - Squid 💕

Feed The Fandom Fest

Have you heard of the @feedthefandomfest bingo cards? Because if you’re participating in these, maybe one of the recs on this blog could be the perfect way to tick off a square on these cards. Or, if you’ve not started one yet, why not pick one to encourage yourself to comment more and have some fun while doing so?

Here are the different cards:

Original Card

For Beginners

Fluff Edition

Angst Edition

Smut Edition

Old Fic Edition

Billy Hargrove Edition

Or put your own together!

I’d also just recommend having a look through the Feed The Fandom Fest blog in general, it’s such a wonderful resource 💖

Additional AO3 Kudos

Here’s some images of additional kudos for when you’re longing to mash that button again but all it greets you with is that mocking red smiley face. These are complete with the html to easily put them in!

AO3 Random Nice Comments

This browser extension will give you a short, nice comment from a list at the press of a button. It may be useful for beginner commenters who want to say something nice but are unsure what.

Comment prompts

If you want to craft your own comments but are unsure what to say, here’s a few starting points:

What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think back on the fic? I’m sure the author would love to know

Who was your favourite character in the fic? 

Where are you reading the fic?

Speculate on what could happen after the end of the fic

How did you react emotionally? Did you laugh? Cry? Smile? Scream?

Or there’s the simple but ever loved:

Keyboard smash

String of emojis

‘Loved this!’

Here’s some more lists of prompts:

Good and easy comment ideas by ao3-shenanigans

Some more easy comment suggestions by ao3-shenanigans

Unhinged fic comment ideas by magpie-murder 

Our comment stickers

Here’s a few stickers we made to use in place of comments if you want to leave something but still don’t know what to type out yourself:

html for the above, in order:

<img src="https://i.postimg.cc/yYRJxJ8C/readforbookclub-sticker.png" alt="sticker with stars and text reading: I READ THIS FIC FOR FANFIC BOOK CLUB AND LOVED IT" width=45% />

<img src="https://i.postimg.cc/yxgDFxh9/greatwork-sticker.png" alt="sticker with stars and text reading: I ADORE THIS FIC GREAT WORK" width=45% />

<img src="https://i.postimg.cc/c12gd7Zc/howtheactualheck-sticker.png" alt="sticker with stars and text reading: HOW THE ACTUAL HECK IS THIS SO GOOD?" width=45% />

<img src="https://i.postimg.cc/V6HSrntm/amazingwriting-star-sticker.png" alt="star-shaped sticker with text reading: AMAZING WRITING!" width=45% />

<img src="https://i.postimg.cc/RZzWHMW6/screamingcryingthrowingup-star-sticker.png" alt="star-shaped sticker with text reading: SCREAMING CRYING THROWING UP" width=45% />

<img src="https://i.postimg.cc/1XkfMSMd/mayiofferyoumyfirstborn-star-sticker.png" alt="star-shaped sticker with text reading: MAY I OFFER YOU MY FIRSTBORN? OR PERHAPS MY SOUL?" width=45% />

[batcavescolony]

Katniss is such an unreliable narrator. She says "Then something unexpected happens. At least, I don't expect it because I don't think of District 12 as a place that cares about me" girl you deliver strawberries to the Mayor, you hunt and trade for the district, when you fell at Prim being chosen someone caught you, when you went to Prim people parted for you, when you volunteered EVERYONE stopped. Idk how to tell you but I think you're a pillar of the community.

[justleaveacommentfest]

FRIENDS DON'T LET FRIENDS MAKE COMMENT EXCUSES!!! VISIT OUR PINNED POST FOR TONS OF COMMENT RESOURCES AND REMEMBER-

NO EXCUSES JUST RESULTS!!!

[junabuggy]

[pendulouspuppyudders]

i think we'd do a lot better in collectively understanding privilege if we stopped thinking about it as some evil aura people have and start thinking about it as a resource that those of a privileged class or those who are accepted by that privileged class can gain access to by performing acts that reinforce the strength of that privilege i.e. bigotry

[sugaredrhubarb]

A QUICK GUIDE TO AO3 CUSTOMIZATION FROM SOMEONE WHO KNOWS NOTHING ABOUT CODING

ft adding pink to everything and my secret to writing long comments

note: I originally posted this to twt but if that place burns in a fiery pit I spent too long on this for it to disappear, so I'm putting it here too :)

so many people know way more about this than I do, but this is a step-by-step walkthrough of the changes *I've* made, and hopefully it works as an introduction people can build from for whatever they'd like to do

There are a lot of images in this post! (click to enlarge)

to start, AO3 skins

site skins change how the AO3 website appears when logged in (even on mobile), mine is pink and blue!

I'll have my skin turned off throughout the post so the guides appear as they will for you

to create, edit, and view skins, go to the "skins" tab from the left-hand menu. you can also view public site skins from there or from the button in the preferences.

public site skins are made by other users. i would really encourage previewing and exploring them to become familiar with the possibilities (maybe you just want to use one of them and now you're done!)

to create your own skin

on the skins page, click "create site skin"

if you don't know CSS (same), use the wizard! clicking on the "?" will give more information about each option

I only use the colours section you'll see a link right there for hex codes I use pink as a header colour and bue for accent but lots of people change the background colour and that looks really cool!

submit

The next step (optional!!!) is to add CSS from a public skin to your own. I use "ByLine" by Branch. this separates the tag categories and adds spacing to make them easier to read.

here is a before and after using the fic "Landslide" by @roosterbruiser as an example

to see the CSS of a skin, click the title

copy all the text below the CSS heading

in the skin creator/editor press the custom CSS option and paste all the text into the CSS box

you can have both wizard and custom CSS settings, in mine you can see the header and accent colours as well as the CSS

level up: USERSCRIPTS

userscripts are small pieces of code that modify a website. for AO3, this may involve adding shortcuts and buttons or even advanced tagging functions (computer people, I'm so sorry if this is wrong, I'm trying). I use Greasy Fork and Tampermonkey.

This is how I write long and formatted comments!

Greasy Fork is an archive of userscripts and Tampermonkey is a browser extension and userscript manager. You don't need to use these two in particular. please use your common sense when downloading anything or adding permissions to your browser.

Greasy Fork guide on installing scripts

Install Tampermonkey on Chrome

there are TONS of user scripts for AO3. This is another good opportunity to explore all the possibilities. there are lots of more complicated options I haven't explored.

scripts for AO3

i use this floaty review box

and this comment formatting

EDIT: if you use chrome you might need to turn on developer mode in your chrome extension manager - you can google "tampermonkey developer mode" and it should explain that :)

to install (once you have Tampermonkey installed):

open the script you want in Greasy Fork and press install

Tampermonkey will open, press install again

clicking the Tampermonkey extension will let you toggle scripts on and off, and opening the dashboard will let you view, edit, and delete scripts

i find i can only have a few turned on at a time before they cancel each other out, but that depends on which ones you're using and someone more savvy might be able to fix that

how to use the floaty review box - write more comments!

there will now be a "floaty review box" button at the top of the work, it will open a floating text box you can move anywhere on the page. highlighting any text and pressing the insert button will paste the text with italics into the box

anything you type in the review box will appear in your comment at the bottom of the page!

if you have also installed the comment formatting script, you'll be able to highlight any text in your comment and use the new buttons above the comment box to format it

thats all ive got! Hopefully this is a good starting point to get familiar with some of the terms and basics for skins and scripts <3

if you want some inspo for how to comment on fics i made a whole fic rec list on twitter based on comments I've left, it's here. i have a masterlist of recs there mostly for darklina/reylo and similar ships.

the tag #reading with ru has cod recs and me talking about books

:)

[ask-whitepearl-and-steven]

Hey, so I'm not gonna answer this question with your username out, because I don't want you getting dogpiled.

But I feel the need to address this because it comes up now and then.

First of all: Thank you for liking my comic and wanting it to come faster! I'm psyched to hear that you like it that much.

And while I fully understand the feeling of "why can't the thing I want just HAPPEN", this is... unfortunately... not a very kind thing to send to an artist. Or a writer. Or any creator.

Not the way it's worded, anyway.

So, let's discuss:

Why can't the comic be weekly again?

Well, if you can understand why THIS is irrational:

Then you can understand why the comic can't be weekly just because you REALLY REALLY want it to be.

Resources like money and time aren't just something that drops into my hands. I'm an adult. I work. I have a life outside of this. I have a dog! I get up at 6am to walk her. I drive to work an hour each way. I try to help my spouse out around the house.

And I daresay, even though I once posted weekly, the quality and length of my comics has gone up quite a bit and it now requires twice the amount of time to make them without burning out.

Look, to make it 100% clear, when I'm pushing the comics to be two weeks apart, this is NOT what is happening:

This magical contraption does not exist. It's not effortless, it's not immediate.

It takes me the full two weeks, if not more, to create these comics.

Yes, they're spaced out quite far apart, but that's how far apart they gotta be in order for me to be able to bring them to you.

And yes, I know the comic is already made. But I am making them at a pace of two per month on Patreon, and just because I post them faster doesn't mean I'll make them faster!

Basically your options are:

Regular updates that are two weeks apart

Semi-regular updates that are sometimes less than two weeks apart, but with multiple month-long hiatuses between them.

I've chosen regular updates. For me AND for you guys.

And man, there are MANY better ways to tell an artist or a creator you love "hey, I can't wait to see more of your content!".

For example:

"Hey, I can't wait to see more of your content!"

You can also try:

"I look forward to every update!"

and

"Every time you put out a new comic, I'm eager to read what comes next!"

It'll go a long way, I promise!

[writers-potion]

Welcome to Writing Tea & Tips!: Tumblr Community𓂃🖊

Heya there, I'm Writer's Potion, your writing neighbor :)

Did you know that Tumblr recently rolled out COMMUNITIES? Well they have, and I simply could not not create a writers' community where we:

Post memes about writing

Rant about our WIPs

Ask/give out advice and tips

Force the little people residing in our heads PAY RENT.

Currently, you can only join a community on an invite-basis, so PLEASE COMMENT BELOW IF YOU'D LIKE TO JOIN!

limit: 500 members (looking for 499 more of you!!!)

It’s currently only possible to join and participate in communities using your primary blog. You won’t be able to join, post, or reply using a secondary blog.

If you're wondering what communities are, look here.

[inaconstantstateofchange]

BG3 Narrative Changes Post-Full Release

An update on the project I have been working on over the past weeks, to compile a record of all the narrative changes Larian has made to Baldur's Gate 3 post-Full Release — particularly those changes that have affected characterization. There are many of these changes that are not common knowledge, even among dedicated fans, simply due to the size of the game and the varied narrative pathways one can take.

As stated in my original post, this is a neutral project not meant to be either inherently supportive or critical of said changes, but merely to act as a record and reference for those who would like to be aware of them. Particularly with new fans always entering the fandom, I want them to be able to understand aspects of the story that are no longer present in the game, but might still be referenced and impactful to fandom discussions.

I will continue to update the log as I receive new submissions via the report form, and have the opportunity to verify to the best of my ability that the material in question was truly changed, as opposed to potentially bugged in some playthroughs, etc. If you are aware of any changes that you do not see on the spreadsheet, please submit a report form, as I am only one person, and cannot happen across all of the potential changes – especially with so many unannounced – on my own.

[hyperions-light]

How Do You Write a Long/In Depth Fic Comment?

First of all, let me say-- there's no 'wrong' way to write a fic comment (unless you are being rude or offering unsolicited concrit). Short comments are good, emojis are good-- all of it's good! Don't take me making this explainer to mean you have to write long, analytical comments. Express yourself however you want! Authors love hearing about how much you liked their work no matter how you choose to tell them.

This is meant to be a guide for people who want to do this, but don't really know how, because they find it difficult to express themselves, or don't know what authors like to hear. If that's you, let's continue below the cut!

EDIT: Also, here's a post by bourbon-ontherocks about how to add a floating comment box to AO3, in case you want to grab quotations you like as you go! Thank you @flowersforthemachines for finding it <3

Why should you do this?

because it's fun!

because you really like someone's work!

because it's motivating for an author, and can sometimes inspire them to post more, or re-post old stuff!

because it's usually a great conversation starter! Some of my best fandom friends have been made in comment threads on AO3!

What do authors want to hear about in long comments?

Many things, but primarily:

What you liked about their work

Why you liked it

You can show them what you liked by quoting their work back at them (I find it useful to put quoted text in an indented section; the html code for this is <blockquote>text</blockquote>), talking generally about which events or characters you enjoyed most, or, if you have thoughts about it, what you liked about the structural parts of their work-- i.e. plot, pacing, sentence structure, etc.

As for telling them why you liked something, getting into emotional reactions is great for this-- you can tell them where you laughed, or cried, or where you felt moved by something they said. If you found the way they had the characters talk or think realistic or relatable, tell them that! If you want to, authors love hearing that people noticed them foreshadowing events, or planting clues within the text.

You can also tell them where you were when you read it, or your overall experience -- did you read at 3 am? Do you have school or work tomorrow, but you just had to finish reading? Did you read their fic in the club? Tell them! And if you're feeling especially brave or you want to share, feel free to tell authors how or why you related to the text. If it makes you uncomfortable, don't worry about it, but those are some of my favorite comments to reread.

How do I comment on specific parts/lines of a fic?

Okay, a demonstration! I am going to pretend to analyze my own work here, for convenience:

He dreams of it, ceaselessly. It seems to echo throughout his days; he cannot let his mind drift too far, lest he fall back into it. He has to cling to this world, like a drowning man to a raft, though it rarely feels worth the effort.

Okay, so let's pretend I read this section and I really liked it. If you want to talk about that, stop and consider what about it was special, for you. Maybe I thought that the third sentence really captured what it felt like to be depressed, or the second reminded me of something that happened in my own life. I might say:

"I really loved this part! I found the way you wrote about [the character's] feelings in this paragraph so relatable; I think you captured exactly what it feels like to feel consistently hopeless."

You can also take a look at the way the author has written the sentences-- try reading them out loud. If I think the last line has a nice sound, I might say something like:

"I liked how you chose to structure the last sentence! The grammar you used gave it a really nice combination of phrases and stops. I loved how it sounded, and the rhythm the punctuation created."

Another thing you could talk about was how the sentence or paragraph made you feel about the character. If that section made me feel particularly sorry for them, or if this was the point in the story where I connected strongly with them, I might say:

I think this part worked really well to demonstrate how [character] felt! You communicated the pain they were in really effectively, and I was very connected to them, during this part.

You can also just express your excitement! I love great writing, and sometimes I just keysmash, or put a million exclamation points, or say AHHHHHHH!!!

Okay, that's all the advice I have for writing long comments, for now! If you have any questions, or would like to talk about similar things with me, please feel free to ask or DM me at any time! Thanks for reading, and happy commenting!

[scoldingdarjeeling]

Deleting Dissent won't delete The Conversation

Being 'called out' for having a thin skin (intended as a gotcha) is an accomplishment. It's a valued skill and tool for many artists and writers.

Deleting comments for rubbing you the wrong way, labeling them as haters or trolls simply because they challenge the status quo or don't shower you with compliments, is on you. By doing so, you not only dismiss their time and serious engagement. But also deny yourself the opportunity to grow and learn.

That approach will come back to bite you. It impacts your reputation as a blogger because maintaining a blog isn't just about broadcasting—it's about interaction. If you can't practice what you preach, that inconsistency will become evident quickly. Most especially when the comments are thoughtful, analytical, and contribute to the discussion.

As long as they adhere to guidelines and aren't rude or threatening, your reasons for silencing them don't hold water.

Citing mental health as a blanket justification doesn't align with therapeutic practices; no CBT therapist advocates for avoiding challenging discussions. They emphasize doing the work, facing discomfort, and consistent self-exposure.

And to be clear: I'm not impeding anyone's right to manage their comment section. That's their prerogative. But they can't expect to control the broader conversation or demand my silence on social media.

So let’s collectively agree to keep hypocrisy in the exception percentile — and not mistake it for the rule.

Source: Should bloggers delete comments that disagree with them?

[justleaveacommentfest]

ANNOUNCING THE THEMES FOR THIS SUMMER'S COMMENT FEST!!!

[drgrlfriend]

Comments versus Bookmarks on AO3

A few people seemed appreciative of my post about how to use AO3's Marked for Later feature, so I thought I'd follow up with another tip about comments versus bookmarks. As part of the amazing @justleaveacommentfest I noticed a few people mentioned leaving nice comments in bookmarks, and I thought it might help to have a little info about how comments are different from bookmarks, and why it's better to send a comment if you want to make an author happy or make fandom friends or have an interesting discussion.

Bookmarks *are* viewable by everyone, unless you make them private. If you plan to say anything negative in your bookmark, please make it private. It's not really the flip side, however, that leaving positive statements in your bookmarks will reach the author, though.

Most authors are alerted when they get new comments, either through their dashboard or via email if they choose, or both. Yay! Serotonin boost, and also the ability to reply back and start a conversation! Plus, readers can have great discussions with each *other* in the comments section of a fic! If you're super into a fic you can read comments on the chapter even years later, and sometimes find the author adding additional thoughts or discussing their thought process while writing! It's like DVD extras for fanfic! (Do kids these days know what DVD extras are any more? Damned if I know).

You don't really know, as an author, when someone bookmarks one of your fics. Some authors, particularly when they are feeling low (cough cough) may also look at bookmarks to see if there are nice things there. This would basically just involve clicking on the bookmarks for each of your fics individually to see if there's anything a.) new and b.) nice in them.

This is an act of desperation. It's not really a wise thing to do, as 99% of bookmarks have no comments, or just list the title and author in fear of the fic being deleted some day and not knowing what you're missing. Even worse, if you, as an author, get desperate enough to cruise your bookmarks, you are as likely to see someone say something like "Meh" or "This got boring so I stopped reading at Chapter 5" or "Too many werewolves 3/10" in a werewolf fic than you are to see a nice compliment.

So, if you loved a fic and want to memorialize your love in a bookmark, be an extra super-duper sweetheart and cut and paste that into a comment for the author! Make the AO3 environment enriching for both authors and fellow readers in the comments section, and protect your friendly local author by not providing intermittent positive reinforcement for the negative behavior of scrolling through bookmarks!

I still recommend bookmarking fics. Bookmark those favorite fics you want to come back and read later, or use bookmarks to leave yourself little reminders if they are nice or in private bookmarks if they are not nice. Bookmark good resources, like how to code things in html or how to use AO3 filters most effectively. Find awesome new things to read by looking through the bookmarks of your favorite authors, because if you vibe with someone's writing you may also vibe with their favorite fics to read!

[didalexiabreakupwitholgaisback]

genuine question surrounding the base level of football knowledge in the women’s game. since a lot of fans have come into the game having not grown up watching/playing and their only experience with football is the women’s game (which ofc is in no way a bad thing!)

how do we help these people develop a base level of knowledge? it’s so common to see people making wildly incorrect statement about basic tactics, squad management, play calls etc and so much of it clearly stems from the lack of in depth discussion around the actual football aspect of the game

most women’s games do not have the pre/post/half time analysis that help people understand a whole host of things about the game.

so you bring up a lot of good points, anon. first and foremost, we need more media covering women's football. period. and i don't mean influencer content for clicks, but i'm talking more in depth journalism and talking heads and tactical analysis and breakdown like they have with men's football.

i do not expect the average fan to go do a ton of research on their own and learn tactics and formations and strategy. that's just not realistic.

rather, if we had better media coverage that made people want to watch and learn, then that would be way more effective. you see the type of commentators and media personalities they have for women's football and it's pretty abysmal across the board. it's just not good enough.

frankly, i'm sure a lot of people don't care to know more than the basics, but if you build in that commentary and analysis into what they are already watching, then the learning happens in a more organic way. we need more vero boquetes and fewer dazn clueless personalities. 🙏

so this is another point i want to add to my answer from above, and that's quantity isn't necessarily the answer but quality. if dazn is going to be the worldwide face of women's football, then they need to act like it and hire the qualified personalities that know what they are talking about. the same goes for any major news outlet.

as for podcasts, there's a huge discrepancy in what's out there. some are better than others and some are better for certain leagues than others.

listen, if i could start a podcast tomorrow, i would. but we what we can do is push the existing media outlets to do a better job. period.

[so-i-did-this-thing]

Hey! Couldn't send a message so asking instead!

You are by far the most fashionable person I follow (I love seeing all the stuff you make and the kitters!) and wanted to ask your advice. I want to start shifting my wardrobe towards a more modern-wizardly type of vibe but I haven't been super successful in pinning down exactly what that is other than sweaters and a half cloak haha.

Do you have any references or rescoures you could point me to in finding how to accomplish this look? Or if you know any good places with patterns for making what I can't find!

Thank you and keep being amazing!

Heya! To me, the "modern wizard" aesthetic = vintage + anachronistic, ostentatious details. But it could mean something else entirely to other folks.

Make a persona - what kind of wizard are you? What would this wizard study? Do they have a familiar? Are they the sort to have adventures, or stay home or in a library? Are they flashy, or do they like more subtle magic?

I'd suggest you start a pinboard of ideas that spark this persona (doesn't even have to be clothing), and then start looking for common design elements. It could be colors, small details like jewelry, nods to "wizardly" knowledge like astronomy or alchemy, etc.

If part of your aesthetic includes vintage and vintage-adjacent clothing, here's some vendors to check out (mix of masc and femme stuff, dunno your vibe):

www.darcyclothing.com

www.cathcartlondon.com

www.spierandmackay.com

bronsonshop.com

taftclothing.com

www.jobearboots.com

www.freddiesofpinewood.co.uk

revivalvintage.co.uk

www.thehouseoffoxy.com

trashydiva.com Have fun!

[thedoomedhometown]

some disaster writing tips in between

that conversation I had in notes with @mettasing actually reminded me of something you'll probably be seeing a lot here, and that I want to include as its own standalone writing tip/writing advice for writing disasters. In real life, every disaster has central, root causes: for example, pilot error sends a plane into a mountainside or another plane. A tornado (or straightline winds, but let's be honest, non weather people probably don't know or care especially if they've just been hit, and at a certain point the difference is academic) turns a mobilehome park into shreds of what used to be people's lives and possessions. A war breaks out because, in the end, one person or group of people decided that for whatever reason, their neighboring people did not deserve to live in peace. Etcetera.

That said, there is often a lot of contributing causes: the pilot was tired or had bad information from their instruments or the airline was trying to squeeze as much profit as possible and let safety lapse for it. People are living in mobilehomes or other substandard housing in a tornado prone area because it's the only thing they can afford, or their society decided that building earthcovered domes was ugly or not workable or whatever. An extreme rightist regime has taken over the government of the aggressor, and know war is a fairly reliable way to unite their country and shut up dissidents. Then there's mitigating factors and exaggerating factors: the plane only has a near miss rather than a crash because TCAS works and tells the pilot to pull up, or conversely turns into a flaming fireball with no survivors when it crashes because it just fueled up leaving the airport. Instead of hitting a mobilehome park, the tornado hits an empty field and only destroys already-harvested crops, or conversely the tornado hits the mobilehome park at full strength with no warning. The regime's war plans get leaked to such intense public outrage that they find themselves removed in one way or another, or conversely, they win the war with a near-instant crushing defeat and start going on an entire campaign to subjugate every single neighbor into an empire. These are something you need to consider the most when writing a fictional disaster - very few disasters happen in a total vacuum with nothing building up, no evidence of any sort of problem, solely being due to the root cause, and/or having nothing that in any way mitigates or exaggerates their impact. (the only ones that fall under this are typically things that are so overwhelming nothing can change the outcome - e.g. a massive asteroid impact on a society with no space capabilities at all, a black hole forming in close proximity to an inhabited planet whether Earth or your fictional setting, something happening before or after the capacity to understand what causes it or to prepare or warn for it has been developed) Writing these and showing them to some degree (or even just implying them) but just being aware of the geography of your setting, its economies and rich/poor divide, its political status, its level of scientific knowledge, all sorts of small details like that will feed into making a disaster in your story have a degree of depth and meaning to it that goes beyond "oh no, my entire village vanished off the face of the map, who knows and who cares why, on to the next quest!"