Raven-Haired Angel

the authors note of all time

Writers suffer from tinker bell brain they need constant applause or they start believing everything they’ve written is horseshit

Is it just me, or are there less comments being written on fics nowadays? I get to a fic on AO3 that was posted weeks ago, and it has like 30 kudos but no comments yet. It happens more and more now. Why is that?

I don't like it.

I don't know how to comment without giving feedback and apparently loads of people don't want that. Yes, I know, I could just say sth like "loved it" (and I know first hand the warm and fuzzy feeling that gives the receiver). But that doesn't express what I'm thinking because what I'm thinking is "I thought this bit was very good because reason, I thought this other bit was maybe too long, this third bit confused me, and that twist was really well prepared". And it seems that many people don't want to hear that which is very VERY confusing to me. So the only thing to do is leave kudos.

i want all the feedback. give me it.

Actually I think that is a good place to start, when writing a comment, maybe just skip the not-so-positive stuff? So "this bit was good because reason" and "this twist was really well prepared" are good things to put in a comment. Just skip the things you DIDN'T like so much - keep them to yourself. And then you have a good comment.

When it comes to comments, always concentrate on the positive (unless someone has outright stated that they're looking for constructive feedback).

Agreed. In my early fandom days people would outright state "concrit welcome," which I would say is the only time it's appropriate to offer criticism on the technical aspects of the story. Rarely do I see authors looking for that kind of thing currently.

Fandom is not a creative writing class. This is not a workshop. Fics can be posted in varying degrees of polished/finished draft, from "no beta we die like x" to fics that have been painstakingly edited before posting. Some fics are written to completion before posting, some are posted bit by bit as the author figures the story out.

The role of commenter is far more fan and cheerleader than critic. Positive comments on the technical aspects of a story are always welcome, obviously, but once a fic is posted, it's generally more discouraging and even hurtful to have someone point out what didn't work for them. If what doesn't work grated enough that you feel the urge to comment on it, better to just stop reading.

One exception I can think of is if there's an easily fixed factual error or glaring typo? And even then, I usually state clearly in the notes that I'm open to corrections on that kind of thing (ex: I got the name of the frontman wrong when writing about characters attending a concert, and I was SUPER grateful to have that pointed out).

In general, unless the author has made it clear that they want constructive criticism or corrections, stick to the positive. Asking about an author's thought process behind certain choices is fine, so long as it comes from a place of curiosity rather than complaint.

I'm sure there are authors out there who don't mind critical comments, but in my experience, they're in the minority. If you are one of those authors, make that clear in the notes or tags of your story. Otherwise, readers should assume the default preference is positive/encouraging comments.

Skyrim npc: Pretty fancy robes. You a wizard or something?

Me: No, I stole these off a dead body after escaping from death row.

Skyrim npc: Okay.

Skyrim guard: Who’d you have to kill to get a blade like that?

Me: Silus Vesuius. From Dawnstar.

Skyrim guard: Okay.

Not people saying “Fandom has always been like this” in that vent post I made. No. It hasn’t always been like this. Fandom has NEVER been like this until recently and if you were in fandom pre-tumblr purge, pre-twitter, pre-netflix boom, pre-tiktok….then you would fucking know it was nothing like this.

We still had the drive to create. We still sold prints and charms and made zines…but it was never like this.

The introduction of streaming, binge shows that drop all at once, tiktok and vine RIP i still love u vine but you were the beginning of a particularly ugly era) creating this bite sized, quick paced ‘content’ era of creation and it bled out into fucking everything else.

Fandoms didn’t die down when the show ended or the season was over. You didn’t mass unfollow artist, writers or moots just because they changed fandoms. There wasn’t this need to please the algorithm in order for your posts to get seen by people and enjoyed.

Fandoms used to last YEARS. Star Trek is literally the oldest running fandom out there and you got people in there that could care less about the new stuff and still have been happily prancing through their fucking fifty year old fandom today. Hell, even SPN after all it’s fuckups and shitshows has a dedicated fanbase STILL creating tons of art and fic.

There is no patience anymore. No calm feeling of taking in fandom and friends at a pace that which doesn’t make you stressed and is still fun.

Do I blame fandom for this? Of course not, but people are complacent with it and start changing their vocab to accommodate and end up making the situation so deep it cant be fixed.

We call Art & Fic Content now, completely stripping the value of what it is to a level of consumerism instead of personal entertainment & community bonding.

Let OP talk, they’re absolutely right.

Much is said about supporting creators (fanartists, editors, fanfic authors and original art/writing creators) but in the especiffic context of tumblr it’s always important to remember. Reblog. This is the reblogging site. For reblogging.

Fandom (and art) in this website thrive on the fact that posts circle around the blogs in a net. There is no ‘algorythm’. It’s mostly organic engagement that keeps the posts circulating.

Also, it is always morally correct to comment and like on old fic. Fic websites are archives, not social media platforms. They are the web equivalent of a book on a shelf. With the bonus that you can place a cute little note on it at any time.

Support your favorite creators!

Hahaha.. *pinch, pinch, pinch, pinch* - eUë

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“omg im so happy for you guys! can i see the wedding pics?” “yea sure check this out”

Hahaha.. *pinch, pinch, pinch, pinch* - eUë

Hahaha.. *pinch, pinch, pinch, pinch* - eUë

that reminds me of a couple years ago when my dumbass stupid bee post was going around and someone was trying to argue w me abt how unethical beekeeping for honey was so i was like “ahaha what? i don’t beekeep for the honey i throw that nasty goop out! i eat the bees. crunchy” and i thought they were going to try and kill me in real life

OP I want you to know that you are a hero.

I really have to admire how open Klobuchar is about hating Pete Buttigieg’s guts

Nobody hates Midwestern Americans like "people from a slightly different part of the Midwest".

does anyone know what species this is i like its :3 face

having done a bit of looking around it is apparently a AC44C6M locomotive hope that helps

thank you for identifying this animal