#comments guide

[coline7373]

How to comment 101

A fandom is the subculture inherent to a group of fans. It touches anything related to the field of predilection of such a group of people and is organized or created by these same people. And, like everything that comes from people, it is alive and requires exchanges to continue to exists.

People who receive no comments have often and at length express how lonely it can feel to be shouting alone in the void and how discouraging such silence can be.

I have found after asking around that readers aren’t unwilling to comment, but mainly don’t have the energy or know what to say.

Some readers have also expressed a fear of annoying the author, as they are clumsy with words, or feeling intimidated in front of an author who has such a talent with words that the reader's own words feel too embarrassing. Or not feeling that their own five word sentence is worth the bother.

Every word matters.

Every comment is worth its writing to the author.

I refer you to this post if you doubt the importance and impact of comments on fanfics.

To help those willing to comment, I have done a very modest survey of roughly 20 persons, writers and readers alike, and here is what I have come up with.

For writers:

Write in your notes, at the end of the fic, clearly what type of comment you do not want. 

Clearly stating your limits and preferences helps readers who are uncertain or not very verbose to write in a relaxed way.

If they do not have the anxiety of offending, vexing or annoying the author, they will be more comfortable and therefore more inclined to write.

If you have repeated commenters, try to reply to their comments, even with just a few words. Some people who do not receive replies to any of their comments take the lack of response to mean the author is not reading comments at all, feel discouraged and stop commenting in turn.

If you do read the comments, but don’t want to reply for whatever reason, do say so at the end of the fic, in the notes, so that readers know what to expect and not be disappointed.

For readers:

Do:

About the story: 

You can write about a particular line that you liked, the themes, parallels with canon or within the story, the characterisation, a character’s exploration, a/several character’s motivation, a/several character’s mindset/thinking/emotional reaction, a/several characters’ interaction, the plot, the action happening, the worldbuilding, emotions within the fic, subtext, pacing...

If you liked everything and are overwhelmed on how to narrow it down, you can just say exactly that. “I loved everything!”

You can also focus on pointing out just one moment, one line, one specific thing and why you liked them, specifically. What matters is not that you wrote a novel but that you communicated to the author what made you happy, what you enjoyed.

About you: 

What emotions the fic made you feel, what you think is going on in a wip or what you (think you have) figure(d) out, what you are doing in real life while reading the story, afterward, because of it, and/or how the fic impacted your life (yay! motivation to make art!), how the fic is meaningful on a personal level because x, y, z, what it made you think of, like another fic, a book, a song, a movie, what subject/fact it prompted you to discover more of…

How: 

You can write an essay, a prose, or some serious, meaningful, impactful words but you can also joke with the author as long as you stay mindful or polite. A lot of authors have said they love when people make jokes or break the fourth wall. 

Unsure about your sense of humor? Here is an example: do not write "I hate you! How could you do this to me!” Write "How could you do this? The betrayal! die offscreen.”

Making a parody of what is going on with the characters with a few lines can be funny! Keep it positive. Not everyone has the same degree of sarcasm. But levity and good humor are always welcomed.

Small fics vs longer fics:

Emojis, keysmashing and incoherent yelling are very often correct comments for small fics or drabbles. (Unless otherwise specified.)

They are also loved in longer fics, (unless otherwise specified,) but people who have been writing a story for literal years appreciate you taking at least five minutes to say a bit more than that.

Try to go through all the “about the fic” and “about you” points above, methodically, and choose just two or three of them. Then write just one sentence per point.

If you really don't know what to say, look at other people's comments. Sometimes, you will recognise something you liked too or that you thought was really good. It can help and be the starting point of your own comment.

Long WIPs:

For long fics that you follow while they are being written, people have said they have at first a lot of enthusiasm for commenting, but find it harder and harder to know what to say as the number of chapters accumulate, and so does the number of comments they feel obligated to give in turn.

Please, keep commenting! Love keeps the writers motivated and helps creativity. It’s like shouting in the void and getting a high five back.

Even one line about something specific (a dialogue bit, a reaction, a plot maneuver) can make an author happy.

Writers are not really looking for length or details. They are looking for care. If you read something you liked, just point out what you enjoyed. That's engagement enough. 

Comments aren't really about the act of a compliment. They are about the shared joy of a fandom or a ship or a character. 

Example: “'X character diving headfirst into the sea like that is so like him!”

It’s good. It’s fun. It’s nice.

Some people have said to “save” a chapter, give a kudo and say “looking forward to reading this when I have time!” and wait until they do have time and energy to comment more at length, sometimes two or three chapters at the same time.

It let the writers know their fic is still being read. You just have to be mindful to not let months go by, otherwise, it goes back to leaving the author the impression they invested hours, weeks, months, into something no one interacts with. You can alternate strategies, lengthy comments, short comments, and commenting on several chapters saved.

If all else fails, go back to the tried and true. Choose one of the points above, choose just two or three of them and then write just one sentence per point.

If you are not a native speaker:

Google can help with the bare minimum. It's not great, but it lays the foundations. Write what you think in google translate and the translation will help guide your answer. You can always ask for help from someone else or warn the author that the fic’s language is not your native language, if you are unsure if your words come off in a tone not intended.

At the start of your comment, say “I am not a native speaker”.

Do not apologize. It’s not necessary. Just provide context. Use your words. Be clear.

Remember: 

The writer isn't what they write. They do not necessarily headcanon what they write, nor do they necessarily approve of it in real life. Be mindful to not approve or disprove of x, y, z going on in the fic as if they do. You do not know that.

It’s not about the length or the wording or the quality of your comments. Of course authors love that. But what they love most of all is to hold hands, jump up and down with you and squee and gush about the fandom, ship or character.

It’s about the sharing of the joy.

Don’t:

Do not ask for another chapter and for the author to finish a fic.

Do not threaten the author to put their fics in an AI if they do not finish the fic.

Do not say "I didn't like it" or "I liked but not that" or "It would have been better if x, y, z." If you want to talk about what you didn’t like, whether it’s part or all of the story, discuss it with willing friends. The author is not responsible for you reading something you didn’t enjoy (how it made you feel) and persevering.

Do not “offer” to correct typos, grammar, vocabulary, facts, canon facts, characterisation, ect. unless you know the author and know they are fine with it or they say so explicitly in the notes. 

Do not make demands. Do not.

Like that tumblr op said, “this is not the bespoke zone.” This is off-the rack. If the free suit is not to your liking, look for another free suit rather than demand to speak to the manager for "adjustments."

Tags are not owed to you. Ao3 is not a safe zone. Not everyone agrees on what degree of content merits each tag. Or what qualifies for a tag. So, if you found a fic that was more angsty than you expected and it broke your heart, comment on a part that was good and didn't make you sad, without saying you want a happy ending to the angst fic that was written for angst purpose. Off-the rack, remember?

Exemple:

"I found x,y,z to be upsetting. Would you consider tagging it?"

Vs "Your work is totally x,y,z triggery. You ought to tag it."

Vs "Hey, you do know some people find x,y,z, triggery, right?!? Because they do! So tag it!"

One of those answers is correct. The others aren't. No demands in the comments.

Your emotional well being while reading fic is your responsibility. If your expectations have been disappointed, do not say so. Talk about a point that was positive for you. If your expectations have been exceeded, do share!

Also, if you're mad, I have found that it helps to write your comment, leave it to decant, and wait a week or so to see what it looks like when you're in a different emotional mindset.

Some elements of fics can be very upsetting unexpectedly. It is not the responsibility of the writer to answer that. Nor comments are the place for it.

Once some time has passed, if you still want to talk about it, try to communicate in a way that is neither demanding nor negative. If you can't, talk about it with someone who is not the author.

My own personal opinion:

It can be so easy to focus on the fic and your own inner imaginary garden/cinema, that we sometimes forget to switch from "inner life" to "outer life" and exchange actively with people on both sides of the fence.

But it can also add so much more to the experience <3

Clear communication is always good. Even if you disagree. At least you know where you stand.

Say thank you. Fanfics are a gift. You have been given one. Say thank you. 

[humming-fly]

I love how Gerald was trying to keep Shadow from spoiling anything about the future meanwhile literally everything Shadow says and does around Maria is the biggest death flag ever

[gracefireheart]

Whoops, wrong Stanley

I know I'm not the first one that have thought about Gravity Falls x the Stanley Parable, but I wanted to draw something too 💃 Also, I think the banter between Stanley and the Narrator would be fun.

[housenp]

on house and wilson

[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

:)

[xinyuehui]

Hidden in the final episode's credits 👀

Love Game in Eastern Fantasy · 2024

[lancelotslair]

"Was that a nuke?" - Galvatron

THAT'S RIGHT BITCH, SUPER SEVERE SUNSTORM BLAST 9000!!! TASTE THE POWER OF PRIMUS BITCH!!!!

the scars on Galvatrons face have numerous causes but they're all from when he was oool Megs, the big one on the cheek specifically is from Starscream kicking him once thrusters ON

[tangledinink]

hey gang! me and some of the other creators i talk with have been getting some not-so-fun messages and comments lately, so in wake of both that and the fact that i'm starting my new job soon and will likely be posting less for a bit while i'm adjusting... here's a quick, friendly reminder!

[kissmypoets-hp]

Fanfic Classics Series ⏳🪐🌌 This batch of fanfiction deals with the multiverse!!! Time travel!!! Imminent thoughts about life and death!! Past lives and dreams of a future together — get ready to witness a love for the ages.

the earth from a distance by spqr

A Beginner’s Guide to the Afterlife by mcsyndrome

Us, infinite (unfortunately) by @thecouchsofa

"An Emerald In The Sky" by @corvuscrowned

In Every Universe by @skeptiquewrites

Our Little Life by @tackytigerfic

Dwelling by aideomai

there will be time, there will be time by @amywaterwings

Harry Potter and the Future He Doesn't Really Want, Thanks. by orphan_account

Everything is Relative to You by @thehoneybeet

The Star Splitter by @oflights

art credits + some cover commentary under the cut :)

I had a lot of fun finding/using artworks with circles, lines, and shapes to symbolize different worlds/universes and/or the passage of time...

Artworks used, in order:

"Several Circles" by Wassily Kandinsky (1926)

"To all appearances, it was a hand of flesh and blood just like my own" by Odilon Redon (1896) — A ghostly hand that fits the plot. The artwork's title goes with the fic so well too...

"(#2) (from series, Quantum)" by Garo Antreasian (1966)

"The story of the sun, moon, and stars (1898)" by Agnes Giberne — inspired by the summary "Somewhere along the way, Draco realizes he's been thinking in lines, when he should have been thinking in circles." The original artwork comes with a caption 'Stars whose distances are well-known'... I really feel that it fits since Draco was named after a constellation... Also, the star-circles have numbers on them, which could be interpreted as H/D through different ages...

Max Brückner’s Collection of Polyhedral Models (1900) — Exploring different parallel universe versions of yourself... the more things change, the more they stay the same.

"Construction (SM lg71)" by László Moholy-Nagy (1924) — some mild spoilers for the fic! inspired by the phrases "...plot a path through the many universes such that he would never die." / "flickering through timelines? Just getting glimpses, really" .

"Fish Magic" by Paul Klee (1925)

"The Terrace at Saint-Germain, Spring" by Alfred Sisley (1875)

"Arrival of the Normandy Train, Gare Saint-Lazare" by Claude Monet (1877)

"Charing Cross Bridge: Fog on the Thames" by Claude Monet (1903) — referenced in the fic. i try to pay attention!

"Boy with Kite" by Candido Portinari (1947) — Harry is a precious little lamb. more elaboration here

i’ve been making penguin classics-style covers for fics i have saved on my kindle, as inspired by zeziliazink and bubu0h’s works!

[doctahchang]

Spoilers to Mosaic by Jeri Taylor

She had lost them both.

She stood, numbed, staring at the black pool of water, churning from the upheaval it had endured. It was a long time before she became aware of the pain in her broken leg, and when she did, she began to stamp that tortured leg repeatedly on the ground, trying to create an agony that would surmount the one she wasn't sure she could live with.

When that proved impossible, she'd simply found a way to bury that pain so deeply that she could go on. For over a decade, as she rose through the ranks of Starfleet, as her love for Mark deepened, as she became a captain and her friendship with the remarkable Tuvok flourished, as she took command of Voyager and was swept into their phenomenal adventure in the Delta Quadrant-for all that time, the bitter truth of her failure had lain enclosed in her memory, sealed like a plague bacillus which, if it were unleashed, might destroy her.

How then, to save herself now? The vile truth, bubbling up like acid, could never be banished again; it would eat at her every minute of every day, fouling her mind and corroding her spirit.

[morverenmaybewrites]

[soeurdelune]

les rp prompts : quézaco? (et pourquoi c'est trop bien) ♡

Si vous me suivez, vous avez déjà du me voir reblogger des billets de ce type. J'en ai déjà parlé dans mon guide du rp sur Tumblr, mais je me permets de faire un autre post consacré entièrement à ces fameux rp prompts, parce que c'est vraiment fun, surtout si vous aimez les one shots, les headcanons, ou juste écrire des petits textes sans prise de tête sur vos personnages. C'est une pratique que l'on trouve généralement sur le rp sur Tumblr, mais j'adorerais voir ça se populariser un peu plus dans la sphère rpgique francophone et les forums !

Les rp prompts (également appelés memes, sentence starters, etc.) sont généralement des listing de phrases/citations/paroles variées, ou alternativement, des énoncés divers, permettant d'approfondir et développer un personnage sur un sujet précis, son lien avec un autre personnage, des événements de son passé, etc.

Quand Personne A reblog un billet de ce type, c'est une invitation à ce que Personne B vienne alors dans sa boîte à ask et lui envoie une phrase de son choix parmi la sélection proposée dans le billet rebloggé (en précisant, si nécessaire, le personnage inrp à qui s'adresse le ask). Personne A pourra alors, si elle en a envie, écrire un one shot, un début de rp, un headcanon etc. inspiré de la fameuse phrase.

Les rp prompts varient souvent les uns des autres et proposent une multitude d'idées et de points de départ qui peuvent être très inspirants en rp. Il n'y a pas de façon unique de procéder, sinon de s'amuser avec !

Prenons par exemple ce billet dont la thématique est rivals (to lovers?) sentence starters. Comme vous pouvez le voir, ce sont des lignes de dialogue, il est donc tout à fait possible de sélectionner une de ces phrases, et de l'envoyer à un·e de ses camarade rpgique en mode “mon personnage dit ça au tien: comment il réagirait ?”

Un autre exemple avec ce billet intitulé For you I would, qui présente cette fois-ci un énoncé avec des mises en situation plus précises, qui permet d'explorer les réactions d'un personnage dans la situation donnée. “Si mon personnage appelle le nom du tien pendant son sommeil, comment ton personnage réagirait-il ?”

Le seul bémol que je trouve aux rp prompts, c'est que la majorité sont en anglais, et susceptibles donc de décourager les personnes qui ne sont pas intéressées par cette langue... Mais si la pratique se popularise un peu, alors peut-être qu'on aura éventuellement des rp prompts francophones (ce serait top).

Dans tous les cas, j'espère que ce petit billet explicatif est clair et qu'il renseignera et intéressera suffisamment d'autres rpgistes pour essayer à leur tour ! ♡

[stump-not-found]

.

i was gonna say "haha the egg fic is why i couldn't write more theseus" but truthfully . truthfully . being a working adult is a blight . dont do it . be unemployed

[abyssruler]

THE LOVE GUIDE

— an interactive fic

SUMMARY

He’s hopeless when it comes to people, much less when it has something to do with you. You’re kind and funny and exactly the type of person who would never look his way twice. It’s a fool’s hope to wish you’d notice him at all, but apparently the gods have heard his prayers.

On the night before the beginning of his second year of college, he finds a mysterious phone in his bag programmed for only one purpose. That purpose? A guide on how to win your heart.

CHARACTER BACKGROUNDS

Scaramouche

He’s never been the kind of person who went out of his way to make friends. People are selfish and arrogant and even when he does something remotely nice for them, they scurry about as though he’ll suddenly go insane and beat them within an inch of their life. It’s a reputation that’s followed him since he was young, and it never bothered him—until you came along, with your kind smile and enviable ease with others. You’re exactly the kind of person he should hate, but an unexpected encounter leaves him feeling as though his world has turned on its axis.

Xiao

He’s quiet, reclusive, and soft-spoken, but people misunderstand his silence and general aloofness for dislike. He can count the number of friends he has with one hand and still have some fingers left over. It doesn’t help that he mostly keeps to himself, hardly socializing with others unless forced to. You’re popular, the resident campus celebrity. Everyone knows your name and making friends comes to you as easy as breathing. The two of you were as opposite as they came, but a chance meeting leaves him off-kilter and unable to think of anything else but the reason for your tears.

Lyney

He’s good at putting on a mask to show in front of others. As much as he comes off as an open person, he likes to keep to himself and the few he’s let inside his circle. One too many times, people have made the mistake of putting their trust in him, only for it to backfire in a way that doesn’t implicate him. After all, who would think the nice and dependable Lyney would have it in him to betray someone’s trust? You used to be a distant figure to him, both well-known but not truly operating in similar crowds, but an accidental slip of his mask leads to a strange meeting that leaves him bare for the first time in years.

whoever wins this poll will be the mc of this fic

at the end of every chapter, you get to decide what action he should take. a bit like a reverse otome, but there’s a reason for that :3

reader is gender-neutral

[4dkellysworld]

luvcompass highlights: Surrender

･ ｡ﾟ☆: *. ♡ .* :☆ﾟ.･ ｡ﾟ☆: *. ♡ .* :☆ﾟ.･･ ｡ﾟ☆: *. ♡ .* :☆ﾟ.･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.♡ .* :☆ﾟ

We think that we are our mind/body (identity) and we try desperately to get away from "it" - that leads to questions like "How do I change my awareness?". By society, we're taught to make effort, try harder, do this, do that. But the funny thing is, what's required is "no" effort - the watercourse way - no effort from the side of the mind. Because "trying to change" is the equivalent of trying to fight a shadow. The identity is a shadow, it is not us. Analyze your mind briefly, and you will find that it is nothing but a byproduct of societal conditioning, peer opinions, books, movies, whatever content you've most willingly consumed. The mind is incessantly thinking 24/7, it never stops. It drags you into its each and every thought. It's not really you thinking, you are being thought. "I want to change my awareness" - who does? The mind? It is not even you. You merely believe it to be yourself, and let yourself get dragged away by the thought. How do we stop this? There's only one way: surrender. Stop fighting. You cannot fight a shadow, you will only look like a fool. When you surrender, you go beyond and you re-realize yourself. Surrender. Surrender to however you are, whatever state you are in. Surrender to whatever is going on, whether you believe it to be good or bad, it does not matter, because it is the mind putting these labels on it. Stop chasing, because there is nothing that you need to achieve. Not even awareness, because you already are. There is no need to "go beyond the mind" because you already are beyond it. Do not try to intellectually understand this, just accept it, because it is truth. Your blood is flowing now, but your mind is not controlling that. What is? Awareness. You are already aware. So leave it. You are perfect as you are, perfection, godliness, divine.

Source

[rocketbirdie]

Laid to rest by ten thousand arrows — the fall of Lao-Shan Lung

HE'S FINALLY DEAD.

This oversized infant has been tormenting me ever since his fateful introduction as the Wall Of All Time in rank G2. It's difficult enough to just scare him off, but for months now, I've had my sights set on outright slaying him.

I tried everything. Aerial style great sword to the face for 30 minutes straight. Max dragon attack striker lance dash spam into his gut. Hell, I even tried the infamous weaponless strategy, frantically hauling cannonballs back and forth, calculating every single ballista shot, carefully counting flinches. But alas, Lao-Shan Lung was simply too powerful for one scrawny little hunter. I was faced with the horrible realization, that if I wanted to take him down alone... I was going to have to play a ranged weapon. (GASP!)

Anyway yeah those guides ain't joking lol dragon pierce bow is ridiculously overpowered against this guy. It took me 2 tries because I've literally never used a bow before, but once I got the hang of it, it was a super easy hunt. Here's the set that netted me a 20 minute Lao kill with both fortresses at 100%:

Magnastar Wil (Max upgraded Valstrax bow), Valor style

Neset Armor (Ahtal-Ka), full set

The luckiest fucking talisman of my entire life, Expert +9 and Crit Element +4, no slots

Armor skills: TrueShot, Pierce Up, Crit Element, Critical Eye 3, Tremor Res

Items: Power Coating Lv.2, Element Coatings Lv.1 and Lv.2, and an unholy amount of mega dash juice

A LOT of patience to obtain all of the materials for the armor and weapon. Phew!

Altheos Incanonis (the max Alatreon bow) is technically better, but there is no way in hell I was going to grind G RANK ALATREON solo, fuck that. I got stupid lucky with the Valstrax grind and got 2 mantles and an orb on a single hunt, so I just ran with it; Magnastar is more than capable of getting the job done, even in the hands of a clueless melee main.

THE DREAM IS REAL!!!! WOOOOOO