#i'm sorry for being so long winded THIS IS WHY I CANT WRITE SHORT FICS EITHER BESTIES

[fabbyf1]

Are you still responding on comments at AO3?

Besties, 

I want to talk about something that makes me uncomfortable. I hope you’ll allow me to speak my mind, hear what I’m saying, and not jump to any conclusions. Please don’t read any further into this than what it’s actually about. 

I want to talk about comments on AO3. 

Comments on AO3 are so fucking important. If you’ve ever published something on AO3, you know how incredibly special they are. Writing is such a long, lonely process that we all do for free. We challenge ourselves to be creative and to produce content that we want to see in the world. We take time away from our own lives and responsibility to do something that we love to do. 

And sometimes, if you’re lucky, you’ll build up a little following of people that enjoy your stuff. People who will read your fics religiously, even if it’s not something they would have previously clicked on. And that, my friends, is an insane feeling of validation. It’s something I’ve never experienced before, even though I’ve been writing since I was 12. 

F1 RPF is such a special place to be. 

Having you all back me and support me is insane. I love it so much. The fact you have such faith in my writing that you’ll click on a fic and go into it with an open mind simply because I wrote it is mind-blowing to me. I never want that to change, and I never want you all to feel like I’m immune or numb to that. I am so incredibly thankful for your support. 

I’ll never be able to find the words to express how much joy I get from posting a fic and seeing you all freak out over it. It makes it worthwhile. It inspires me to keep going. It builds my confidence and helps me continue to take time out of my personal life to write these things, knowing that I’m not just doing it for myself anymore. 

But that’s where the tricky part comes in, and I’m not sure how to talk about it without sounding like a whining little bitch. I don’t want you to think I’m telling you how to praise me. I never want you to think I’m taking feedback, comments, or praise for granted because I promise you I’m not. 

I still cry and gag and scream over every single comment I receive, no matter how long or short the comment is. I screenshot them and send them off rapid-fire to my little group of besties so that we can all cry over them together. 

But I think it’s important we keep it on the right platform. 

Very recently, I have stopped responding to comments on AO3. It wasn’t an easy decision for me, and I cried actual real-life tears about it because I didn’t want anyone to hate me or think I was a rude, self-absorbed lil bitch. 

Up until this week, I was religiously responding to every single comment I received. Because I wanted you all to know how much they meant to me. But I’ve reached a certain point now where it’s taking too much time out of my day to respond to them all when I feel like I could be using that time for better things. Like producing more content for you. 

But I’ve noticed, particularly this last week since I stopped responding on AO3, that my Tumblr inbox is suddenly full of AO3 comments. I can’t help but think it’s because I still respond to (almost) every Tumblr ask I get but have opted out of responding on AO3. And if that’s the case, I totally get it. Because interaction is important, and we all enjoy talking to each other! 

I don’t want anybody to think I’m asking you not to interact with me. 

I fucking love talking to you guys. You all make me laugh, and cry, and gag, and scream and panic-pace around my apartment with some of our conversations. I never want you to stop sliding into my dm’s or sliding into my asks, on anon or off anon, to scream about things with me. 

But what I’m asking... is that you also leave a comment on AO3. If you only have the time or desire to write on one platform... please make it AO3. Come to my tumblr to talk to me, Kate, about anything you want. Or, copy and paste the AO3 comment into my tumblr ask so I can repost it for everyone to see. But I’d ask that you not skip the AO3 comments to post on my tumblr instead. Because... they belong on AO3. 

I’m so incredibly honored that you would take the time out of your day to leave me a comment (of any size). Seeing them on any platform brings me so much joy, but I think they belong on AO3. Whenever I’m feeling sad or down, I’ll go reread the comments on my AO3 fics. If they’re split between two platforms, comments are more likely to get lost in the mix, and that makes me so sad to think about because I want to reread them. 

Because you took the time to tell me something nice. 

Also... stats matter. And I hope you don’t think I’m being cocky or entitled when I say that. But comments, kudos, and views matter. It’s how your fics get more traction and more attention and how you widen your audience. Stats are an awkward thing to talk about, especially for me, but they really do matter. 

I hope you all can understand where I’m coming from. 

And I truly hope you don’t think I’m complaining or trying to dictate when and how you should praise me. Because I promise you that is not my intention. I’m just... a real person behind a screen, with real feelings and real emotions. I love you all so much, and I’ll never stop crying about how loved and special you all make me feel. 

Thank you for listening, besties. 

[tl;dr I think AO3 comments should stay on AO3, and not go into Tumblr asks. Please don't hate me.]