Ao3 Truths - Tumblr Posts
Absolutely my fic slogan.
Maybe if he was a little less fuckable we wouldn’t be in this mess
Did not have a praise kink until I started posting on AO3. 😭
lords know I try not to be thirsty on Ao3, but, hoo-boy, commenters and regular kudos givers are just ::chef’s kiss::
That shot of serotonin from a comment is the fuel that keeps writers going.
I try to leave something wherever I go to practice what I preach. 😘
Fanfiction Comments: Why Bother?
Genuine question: If ya’ll like a story, why not comment?
This question, born out of previous discussions and Discord chats, is one writers have been dealing with for a long time. Feedback/reblogs on art tends to be more common than on fics. Yet writers continue to beg for comments on stories. So what's stopping people?
Don't know what to say/an emoji/script feels too impersonal
Forgot to comment
Read everything and how do you pick out one part?
Rather give feedback personally
Feels like an expectation/I owe them
Send me a string of emojis? I love it. Send a single heart? I love it. Keyboard smash? I love it. Copy/paste a "thank you for writing"? I still love it. "I don't know what to comment or how to put my feelings into words." Then put that! That's a compliment! Can't think of anything to say, then "I don't know what to write but asgfdhgf I liked it." is fine!
Seriously, I don't care WHAT you put, because it shows me you cared enough to take a few second to show that love. I recognize and look for my regular commenters, even the ones who leave just a heart or "extra kudos".
Forgot to comment? Leave the fic open on your phone or get in the habit of dropping SOMETHING right as you finish. If you had time to make it through the last 100 words, you can probably tap an emoji. It's likely more of a habit to build up than anything.
Read it in one go and it's all a blur? "I read this all in one go and it's a blur, but I loved it!" We don't need specifics; just tell us you loved it on the chapter you stopped on. That in itself is a compliment because Hey! You loved it so much you had to keep reading!
Personal feedback? Well, I'll never say no to friends gushing about stories to me! And it might not be the same for everyone, but if you stop commenting on AO3 and only tell me personally...my assumption is you don't like it enough to say it publicly. I've spent many a time wondering why people stopped giving that support and what I should do better. If it's a friend, try asking them which they prefer! We can go back and reread (and do!) AO3 comments. Much harder on discord/dms/etc.
Owing authors? Look, we put a lot of time and work into writing and providing content for free. Hours of idea planning, actual writing, editing, catering to requests, etc. My partner once said I have a second job, writing, but I don't get paid. If you read and enjoyed something that someone put a lot of work into, it's nice to take a few seconds and tell them that.
You don't owe authors comments. They also don't owe you free writing. Sometimes, you forget there is an author at all when you're reading. But there is. A real person put out a story hoping you'd love it, or connect to it. You'd see yourself in the writing and feel less alone, or cheered up when you have a bad day.
Writing is art, and all we want to do is connect with you. Comments help bridge that gap.
Not only do I kudos and comment on everything I read, I look at the profiles of people who do the same for me, and if they’ve got something short I can read, I do and leave kudos and a comment.
if there’s nothing short, I bookmark or subscribe for later. I’ve got to be the change I want to see in the AO3 world.
Is leaving kudos on fanfics not common courtesy anymore?
Something I've noticed on AO3 in the last two years is the lack of kudos and comments left on fanfics.
Fanfics have an increasing number of hits, but their kudos and comments remain minimal.
I understand that leaving comments is daunting, but kudos is the easiest thing you can do to show support and appreciation for an author.
Part of me wants to blame BookTok and the commercialized consumption of books.
Readers are more demanding and impatient for content, but they're quick to move on once a book is published. It's a constant demand for 'More, more, more' without appreciating and/or supporting authors. And these readers are now getting into fanfic.
I don't want to complain because it's not productive. But if you're new and getting into fanfic: Support writers.
Support means leaving kudos on AO3, and if you're able, leaving a comment. It's simple courtesy.
I am but a lowly smut-let writer, but I hold my regular readers and commenters gently to my heart, and think about them constantly as I conjure new positions for my blorbos to fuck. 🤔
someone I follow on the bird app just announced they're starting a very exclusive private fic server because they and a bunch of other people want to talk about how much they love the fics they're reading, and as an author can I just say that a really great place to talk about a fic you love is in the comments for that fic
I understand that people are trying to create safe spaces, but as the number of comments that I get on my fics dwindles with each passing year, knowing these spaces exist where my fics are being discussed, places that I am excluded from, makes me want to write fic LESS
I mean I guess who cares, right, because if I stop writing, there's 10,000 other people that will continue...but if you participate in a fic "book club" server and you say nice things there about a fic you loved, maybe copy and paste that into a comment on AO3?
the only thing fanfic writers are asking for in return for hours of hard work is attention. please don't rob us of the one thing that we hope for when we hit "post"
No one would read my fic based on OP’s metrics. I think I calculated my kudo rate at 5% of hits…But the hits keep coming.
Another AO3 thing I’m curious about, how do yall decide if something is good enough to read? Usually I follow a rule of 1 kudos for every 10 hits. One because it’s easy math and two it’s yet to fail me. Thoughts? Do you just go for it and pray it’s good?
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I didn’t have a praise kink until I started posting on AO3.
if you ever wonder whether your ao3 comments make a difference know that i frequently go back and read old comments on my fics to get a dose of happy rainbow sunshine
The way I get angry if I’m too tired to write the smut I want.
So true
I have written unexpected smut for my commenters. Comments feed creativity. It’s just facts.
people who let me wake up to this get a special place in heaven. firefly_fox how does it feel to hold my life in ur hands....
I want you to know that if you’re commenting on fic, those writers are holding you close to their hearts.
I cherish every comment I get (though I’ve yet to get anything mean, so that helps), and, as a fic writer, I try to be the change I want to see, and I go and comment on other people’s work. I definitely see other authors not practicing what they’re preaching.
I also have a small, sweet group of appreciators of my smut series, and their encouragement keeps me fueled.
You know who you are! Thank you!
not to be That Person but when people are like “why isn’t there a big fandom culture anymore?” umm…
maybe this is why???? That an author can spend hours (if not days or weeks or months) on something, have 1,800 people read it, and only have THREE people willing to take a few extra seconds out of their day to comment. Not even something as simple as “thanks for sharing” or “second kudos” or “❤️”
I’m not the internet police. You decide what you do with your time. Just don’t be surprised if the result is that creators leave your fandoms. I’m not writing to scream into the void. If that’s what I wanted, I wouldn’t bother posting. Fandom is a community. It’s an exchange of enthusiasm over this thing we all love. And who’s gonna keep showing up at your house with a goodie basket if all you do is take the basket, slam the door, and leave them outside to watch through the window while you eat?
Hard stop for me in fic: Use of Y/N
I just can’t get my brain to process it past yes/no. 🤷🏻♀️ Ruins perfectly good smut for me. 😫
Same. SAME. 🤣
every time one of my fics has 69 of something like hits or kudos or whatever I make sure to whisper 'nice' to myself
I keep seeing bigger writers/artists on Tumblr complain about not getting reblogs or how kudos and likes are garbage and comments are the only way to encourage a writer/artist.
Look, I love a comment as much as the next person. They are wonderful! But I know it’s sometimes hard to know what to say. Sometimes it feels silly to write “Loved this!” or leave a key smash, but you don’t have the mental energy to write something longer. So you leave a kudo or a like, and then you see someone on here telling you that kudos and likes are almost as bad as doing nothing. And that makes you even less interested in interacting with someone’s work.
But let me tell you, I am small fry and, yes, I love a comment or a reblog, but I absolutely also love a kudo and a like.
“Someone read my smut and liked it! Yay!” I know who leaves me regular kudos on AO3. I love knowing I have regular readers! It’s great encouragement!
In the end, I guess this is an appreciation post for anyone who reads fic (my fic or someone else’s) and interacts with it in someway.
You are cherished. At least by me.
❤️❤️❤️
#artists
This is the most seen I’ve ever felt.
I’ve written over 100,000 words of smut. My Bad Batch, reverse harem, dom!Tech smutlet series is now 50 installments long and still ongoing. It was supposed to be pure porn without plot, but some plot has crept in. (I think each smutlet can still be read standalone.)
But yeah, I started writing Bad Choices because I’m super horny for Tech. 🤷🏻♀️