#its sad
I think it’s funny that it’s gone from theatre roles being played by exclusively men and ladies being forbidden from being in productions to having half the male roles in shows being filled by ladies because so few men do theatre anymore.
first time in years I actually want to go play but do I have the time for it? no.
an incomplete list based on observations via this blog
- enjoyed the fic but didn’t have anything to say
- worried that a general “I love this!” wasn’t a good enough comment
- not a native speaker of the author’s language
- so overcome by emotions after reading that words were impossible
- reading on a device where commenting is difficult
- intended to come back later and didn’t
- intends to come back later and hasn’t yet
- doesn’t have an AO3 account (+ doesn’t know about the guest option or isn’t comfortable using it)
- was going to say something but another reader already commented it
- not enough mental/emotional energy to try to craft a ‘good enough’ comment
- worry about bothering the author
- shy / social anxiety
- reading fic before bed and fall asleep
- reading fic while sick and in a haze
- interrupted while reading the fic and thought they finished it/commented but whoops!
- didn’t like the fic / didn’t finish reading
Just to be clear, this was in no way meant to be a call-out post on readers. It was intended to explain to writers that there are dozens of reasons why people don’t/can’t comment. Writers tend to assume commenting is a binary: if you like the fic, you comment and if you don’t, you don’t. I wanted to show that there’s a lot more to it than that.
Listen I know how important comments are. As a writer I adore comments with my life and I will always welcome them and cherish them. But PLEASE don’t guilt-trip a reader into commenting. I’ve been in both places (writer and reader) and I can assure you it sucks-especially if you have social anxiety like me.
So like, definitely comment if you feel like it. But if you don’t it’s cool, no pressure. I’m still overjoyed by the views on my fics, and I honestly love every single one of my readers. <3
Reasons I, a writer, haven’t commented:
- Didn’t have time when I read it and forgot later.
- Read it on my tablet, where typing is a pain. Intended to come back later, forgot.
- Enjoyed it, but didn’t have much to say other than “good chapter!”
- Read the fic before falling asleep and was delirious when I finished and commenting was all a blur, idk.
Because this happens to writers plenty, too.
And if you want to comment ‘I love it!’ but you feel like it will get lost in the cloud of comments, still do it! Every ao3 email I get makes my day!
And if you don’t have any words, you can always just comment ‘urnghhh’ or similar. Most likely all fic writers are also fic readers so we speak the language.
This is all very true and valid, and I absolutely understand there are lots of reasons people don’t comment. But if you read a fic you enjoy, and you want the writer to keep doing their thing, please consider leaving them some feedback if it’s possible for you to do so.
It would be lovely if we could say that fan writers don’t require validation, and write exclusively for their own enjoyment, but fandom is a community. Fic is one way that fan writers engage with the community. It’s a form of communication. And when you try to communicate and get little or no response, it’s disheartening. Eventually it can make people want to stop communicating. If nobody’s engaging, why bother?
I’m aware I sound entitled here, give me feedback waah, and I’m very aware that this is fandom, we’re all doing this for enjoyment, nobody owes anybody comments. And if you don’t care about fanfiction, I’m not talking to you. But for people who do like fic, please remember that fan writers are not fic generating automata. They are trying to communicate with other members of fandom - with you - and if you want them to keep being motivated to do so, please consider letting them know that.
Even if you don’t think you have anything original or clever to say, even if you’re worried your comment won’t be fluent enough, even if you only have time for a few quick words or a keyboard smash, I promise it means somuch.
FFS, people not feeling like/being able to/etc etc leave comments is why kudos exist. Seriously, try accepting every kudo you get as a “I loved this and I wish I could say something sensible about it, but I can’t.”
problem with that is, that’s not what kudos mean, across the board. ppl give kudos for many reasons, some give it to mean they loved it, some give it to mean they liked it, some give it to mean they read it (could be cause they ran out of fics in that fandom and they’re scraping the bottom of the barrel). some ppl literally use it to say that “they were there”. kudos, to many writers just means “accurate reader count”. so, even tho it’s absolutely nice to know someone read your story, and didn’t just click out of it after reading the first paragraph, it doesn’t say much beyond that. If your kudos means “I love this and i wish i could say something sensible about it, but i can’t”, then literally write that in a comment. copy and paste it in every story that you love if you have to, because authors do not know that this is how you feel unless you actually say it.
This is very accurate. Kudoses are generic and ambiguous. I want specifics. I want to hear human words.
I have a better shot of dating a famous band member than I do actually getting financial aid for college
i do think it’s interesting that in less than a decade after reviving both the jurassic park movies and star wars franchises, universal and disney, respectively, have fucked up what could have been never-ending theatrical cash cows to the point where the jurassic franchise is ending in critical disgrace and star wars has been relegated almost exclusively to disney’s streaming platform. how badly do you have to fumble bags that are mostly just “people and aliens in a far off galaxy and space” and “dinosaurs! what would happen if dinosaurs?” that the franchises became so devoid of any redeemable value that people are eh about seeing a cultural icon like darth vader wield his lightsaber or a website like rotten tomatoes, which grades on a heavy curve, especially for nostalgic projects, has your film at a 37% critical favorability and is being accused of making dinosaurs “uncool”. it’s fascinating. i hope the bubble bursts for marvel next.
skijumping.pl says that other Germans decide to end careers
Kilian Maerkl, Claudio Haas i Cedrik Weigel
