#I don't know what's the etiquette when reviewing fics here on tumblr

[babbeldumpsterfire]

My top 10 gomens fics

I decided to do this too, so here’s my fav fics from 2023 (but probably also 2022, this post has been in the drafts for a loong time), so here we are:

In mixed company, or the corporate retreat of Heaven and Hell (M) by Theoldaquarian

Probably my favorite fanfic ever: it’s not just the getting together story that is fun and entertaining to read, but it’s the world building surrounding them that almost feels like I’m reading the book all over again. From the inner workings of Heaven and Hell to the various secondary characters, it felt like I was reading a spin off written by the authors (and now that s2 is out and the two Ineffable Dumbasses kissed, even more so).

A few more rescues (T) by poetic_nonsense

I am a big fan of anything that sees these two dorks navigating history with all their quirks and problems and pining. This story is one of the best I’ve read on the theme, it offers some more rescues courtesy of Dashing Hero Crowley, with Swooning Maiden Aziraphale (mostly) grudgingly participating. It’s super soft, pine-y and also very funny.  Time Flies (When You're Having Fun) (E) by Mussimm

This is very much like a bodice ripper but with much better writing. The mistery is not the centre of the narrative, it’s not just “how will Azira stop the time loop”, but how he and Crowley will meet every time, how things change in slightly different scenarios, but in all of them they’re just so soft for each other. 

A Winding Path (T) by ZehWulf

The cutest retelling of Red Riding Hood. Amazing atmosphere, world building and interactions between all the characters. You can read the relationship between Azi and Crow how you want, friendship or more, it’s perfect whichever way you spin it. It’s eerie and soft at the same time, the fairytale tone is still very much present and it’s not disney-an in the slightest, it’s more like an old-fashioned grimm tales. 

Temptation (E) by TawnyOwl95

Vampire fic which veered from what I expected and I was so happy with it. Funny and with just the right dose of adventure and pining. 

The rose and the serpent (T) by Atalan

Probably one of my favourite fics ever. It has fairytale elements to the nines, but also a strong plot, splendid side characters and a love story that’s so soft and beautiful. 

The rose thief and the Priest (T) by Improbabledreams900

This wins the cake for random-est plot ever, but it’s super soft and a nice love story over all, Aziraphale is a little shit and I loved him for it, Crowley is your usual “wiley” mess. They sort it out beautifully in the end.

In the house we remain (M) by Commodorecliche

I’m not a fan of romances between a ghost and a living person but this was written in such a convincing, realistic, intriguing way that I was hooked from start to finish. It doesn’t shy away from the dark themes/gore-y details that such a love story entails and I can’t recommend it more.

So You Need To Get Into A.Z. Fell & Co.; Now What? (A Guide For Unfortunate Bookworms) (G) by C4llistrad

I love outsider pov’s anything. Fics like this one, where we get to see our fav characters through the eyes of strangers (who could as well be us), and we piece together bits of information here and there. It’s super fun. 

The Penthouse (G) by Worseomens

Another outsider pov, where we see the friendship between Crowley and one of his neighbors. Super funny.

#babe wake up new drinking game just dropped #take a sip anytime I say 'soft' #and die of alchool poisoning lmao #hope this is ok #I don't know what's the etiquette when reviewing fics here on tumblr #fanfiction #fanfic #fic recs #my fic recs #babbelbabbles

[consistentsquash]

Hi CS, I love reading your meta comments on fics and the healthy conversations they start. Can you share some tips for writing comments like those or longer comments in general?

Hiya! <3 Sorry for the seriously late answer. Real Life things and not much time for fandom now.

Really great to hear you like my meta comments!

I get psyched out if I am thinking about writing a long comment because analysis paralysis. I just need to set a timer for like 30 min, start quoting lines from a fic and then it kind of works out. Writing meta comments or longer comments is a lot of work. So it helps me a lot if I can break it down into some parts.

Loving the fic - Of course you can write long comments for fics you don't really vibe with. But for me personally I need to love something a lot to get into the zone. I don't really write long comments on fics I don't 100% love. Of course you can love something and find flaws with it when you analyze it.

Big themes - Any fic has got themes. Sometimes they are really easy to identify as a trope. Some authors work with the same themes in their fics. Tbh I don't really know how to identify these if I haven't read the author's longer works. But once you get those you can use them to write your comment.

Interesting things - a lot of times you can point out something the fic does which is pretty different from what the fandom trend is. It doesn't need to be a big thing. It can be just omg you made Crozier taller than Fitzjames. Noticing something outside the normal pattern helps a lot to write longer comments.

Google Docs- AO3 doesn't really have a lot of good tools for folks who want to bookmark lines in a fic. So if I want to write a long comment a lot of times I copy the fic into Google Docs to help me quote lines. This is a lot of work. Reason for my next point :D

Motivation - One thing that really helps me with writing longer comments is understanding my motivation. Because motivation is everything for me when I don't have the spoons. For me I am more likely to write meta comments if the fic is seriously underrated. I am talking <20 kudos here because there are lot of fics like that which are far more brilliant compared to the fics which get the most recs/most kudos and I really want those authors to stay in fandom because they are writing new/creative fics I love. HP fandom and a lot of other fandoms really dont love those fics like they deserve. But anyway, that's my motivation. I want there to be interesting movies outside the big three studios so I support movies outside those three way more and write reviews for them. Same logic for fic with me. I want there to be new/interesting/creative/experimental fics and I don't want those authors to be discouraged by fandom trends so I save my longest comments for those.

Fandom etiquette - Also one more thing. I don't do meta comments if I don't know for sure the author's preference on that type of comment. I feel like a lot of times folks can get super critical for no reason in fic comments and think they are doing the right thing but that's kind of missing the whole point of fanfic as a fun activity/fandom as a fun community. Of course there are folks who want to use this as experience for profic or get better at writing in general but unless the author is soliciting it I don't really go there. You are on Tumblr so you probably either write yourself or get to see a lot of author blogs. So maybe you already know how sensitive folks can be because fic writing is a seriously creative activity and whenever you are doing anything creative and sharing them with other people it makes you feel super vulnerable. Anything you are sharing with the world can make you feel vulnerable. So definitely respect the author's boundaries. They are not AI they are just another person with emotions and lots of creativity they are sharing <3

Get the vibe - you know the thing about lurking before participating? You don't really need to do that. But for me I am super self-conscious so I generally lurk on a couple of fics to get the vibe of an author before commenting. Some authors are going to totally nerd out with you if you identify themes in their works. Others probably not so much. People like different things.

Burnout - Of course this isn't something I can do for every fic I read so I just save it for the most underrated fics which profoundly changed my life and that type of thing. It can be pretty hard because sometimes writers can get sad if readers don't comment on their new fic after commenting on their old fic or readers comment longer comments on other authors fics and that type of thing. Of course that's totally valid. But I need my own boundaries to motivate me without feeling burned out. This part is kind of hard for me because people pleasing and guilt problems but the boundaries are important because it's not my job to make everybody feel valued for the amazing fics they write. Other commenters are going to do that.

Do it for yourself - Anything you do in fandom you got to do it for yourself. Write for yourself is the big one. But same goes for comments. Sometimes you write the best comment of your life and you don't get a reply or you get a reply which really gives you the vibe they didn't like something you said. It happens! But you got to write comments for yourself which means you have to accept that happens and move on. You know what I mean?

Sorry about long answer but it's amazing that you want to write longer comments. Go for it <3 Hope you have lots of fun with commenting. Definitely lmk how it's going <3

#asks #asks answered #comments

[myheadsgonenumb]

So - this is what I want to post to a reader on Ao3...

... but I won't. Because it feels like it would be a dick move. I'll just scream into the abyss on tumblr instead. (maybe it's more of a dick move to stick it on tumblr - but at least here people can't see it linked to their username).

⚡

So I notice from your profile you only joined Ao3 2 days ago, have only 2 bookmarks and no works to your name. I'm assuming you are a good faith reader who just doesn't know the etiquette due to newness and not a troll, but - and this is meant kindly - if you behave like you have on my fic on a lot of others you will run the risk of irritating (and hurting) a lot of writers, receiving some very nasty responses from those writers and/ or getting yourself blocked by some writers.

Firstly, it is not considered good etiquette to read 100 000+ words but only comment to say negative things (it is absolutely fine not to comment at all, however). Some writers specifically have notes up saying they don't want negative feedback. I don't - I don't mind you telling me something didn't work for you. But if you're continuing to read then either a) you're a masochist or b) there are things you did like really. If you don't like a fic at all, drop it - that's fine. You don't have to tell the author. If there are things you like but you do have some quibbles, it is polite to at least tell the writer what you did like before you get into what you didn't.

You have left four negative comments and nothing else across 100 000 words you didn't have to read (but which you did read - apparently in one sitting, if the timestamps are anything to go by). One day, if you stick around the fanfic community and especially if you take up writing yourself and learn how much work and effort and heart goes into creating, you will look back on your behaviour and cringe. So I'm not telling you this to have a go, but to spare future you from having to crawl into a deep hole and wish for death because that is better than living with the memory of what a dick you were. You have sat and read 24 chapters of my work, for free, across many hours… and you have only got in contact to tell me negative things. I'm sure you're not a bad person, that you don't mean to be cruel and that you didn't really think about the impact of complaining at the person providing you with free entertainment as to why this free entertainment wasn't good enough for you. But going forward, please remember the human behind the stories. All fics are created by real people and you are talking directly to them when you leave a comment, in a way that you don't talk directly to a real author if you leave an online amazon review.

Leaving positive comments will make a writer's day - guaranteed. But you don't know how vulnerable the writer might be, how bad a day they're having, what's going on in their life - and your unsolicited negative comments can make their day just that much worse.

The general etiquette of Ao3 is to leave positive comments only, unless the writers asks for "concrit". I haven't asked. Now - as it happens - I don't mind getting it, but I'm not interested in hearing how a random person on the internet, who has possibly never even written a story themselves, thinks I can improve my work, so I don't solicit it. But as the general consensus is no concrit unless asked for, leaving critical comments on a fic that doesn't signal the writer is open to it means you could have a really negative impact on the writer and damage their confidence and discourage them from writing. This is a community - we don't try to damage and discourage each other.

Having said that, what you have written isn't concrit, which gives tips on how to improve, it's just "I don't like this" - and again, I am old enough and confident enough that I can walk it off, you've mildly pissed me off with your entitlement but not ruined my day. I can accept not everyone likes my work and has a right to comment as such, even if it is a bit of a faux pas (I'm only telling you it's a faux pas because you're new and I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt, before I knew you were new to Ao3 I just thought you were a dickhead - and my comments back to you reflect that). But once again, there are writers out there who are anxious or depressed, whose pet has just died, whose mum has just died... and here you are sending negative vibes into their inbox despite spending hours reading their stuff. You could have just not read it. You could have left without saying anything. Instead you chose to contact a stranger to make them feel bad. And without even the veneer of helping them via concrit, but just to give them crit: 'The characters are one note', 'this needs more nuance', 'this is a bad choice'. That is a definite no no on Ao3.

And not just because writers are real people, with real feelings doing a hobby in their spare time and sharing it for free, but to keep yourself safe as well. This is a community, but as with every community there are bad people in it, and they can make your life very miserable if you piss them off. To avoid falling foul of them it's best to stick by the agreed rules.

And if you don't know the agreed rules because you're new, it's best to stay quiet and watch what everyone else does until you're sure.

When you leave unsolicited criticism you also run the risk of the writer just blocking you, and then you won't be able to access their work. You don't want to cut yourself off from fics - perhaps fics you were enjoying - just because you said something negative on a day when the writer couldn't be bothered dealing with that shit. The more you get blocked, the smaller the pool of fanfics you have to read will be.

I don't want to discourage you from reading and commenting, but as you appear to be so new here, this is just a friendly reminder to read the room. When you read a page of comments with only positive feedback, it's not because none of those readers didn't have any quibbles at all with anything in the chapter, it's because the rules of the community are you keep those to yourself and, if you dislike something that much, you just stop reading. We're here to build each other up, not tear each other down.

And if there's something you didn't like that you really really want to say, like you'll explode if you don't, then how you deliver it is key - and usually best done in a positive sandwich e.g 'I laughed so much when xyz happened 😂 😂, I'm not sure how I feel about abc - I've always though jkl. Anyway - thanks for sharing, looking forward to the next chapter.' This way you still make your feelings known without hurting those of the writer and are more likely to get an explanation and maybe even a good discussion about the choices they made rather than a 'piss off' or a straight block, which you risk getting just by writing 'I don't like this.'

Also don't make demands (especially on a fic long since published which won't be changed). Jumping straight in with a first comment of 'I hope you're not going to follow this trope…' (a trope which then isn't used in the fic anyway FYI - as is actually demonstrated in the chapter you left the comment on) is just rude. You think it to yourself, keep it to yourself, and prepare to drop the fic if the trope you dislike comes up. But you don't comment it. Even if the writer does use that trope, maybe they like it - it's their story and they can write what they want.

Also also, don't argue back with what other readers have said about the fic. They are entitled to their own interpretation of what they read. Don't be trying to create drama in my comments section. (As annoying as you have been, I hope no one else replies to you to disagree with you. You too are entitled to your interpretation - I have commented back to you, and that is enough). Besides, the comment you answered was nearly eighteen months old. That reader is just going to be baffled when they see your comment in their inbox. Pro-tip, look at the dates of comments and remember anything more than a month old is probably not worth replying to.

(also also also - you're not just reading the fic, you're taking the time to read the comments too - otherwise you wouldn't have replied to one... you're putting in all this time and energy and you're still only saying negative things? Are you OK?)

Like I said, I mean this kindly - you're new and, frustrating as your behaviour has been, you weren't to know. Try to be more community minded, don't expect fics to include your headcanons and don't criticise them when they don't, and always remember the human when you comment on someone's work. They gave you entertainment for free, only telling them what you DIDN'T like about that entertainment is very poor payment indeed.

#Ao3 #fanfic #be community minded #concrit and crit are not the same thing #'I didn't like this' isn't even crit - it's just complaining #don't complain at authors #remember the human #don't be entitled #your headcanons are not actual canon - other people don't have to use them #I don't mind you telling me what you didn't love - but remember to tell me what you did love first #And if you don't love anything - just don't read it #but don't read over 100 000 words and write nothing but complaints #because that's on you #all my other readers are wonderful #and I love them

[astraldepths]

I posted 2,566 times in 2022

10 posts created (0%)

2,556 posts reblogged (100%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@sherlockholmesmypiratesociopath

@in-mutual-weirdness

@vaspider

@knitmeapony

@actualaster

I tagged 179 of my posts in 2022

#personal stuff - 13 posts

#nd - 13 posts

#leverage - 11 posts

#xd - 9 posts

#wonderbound - 6 posts

#long post - 6 posts

#goncharov - 6 posts

#dnd - 6 posts

#asks - 5 posts

#yes - 4 posts

Longest Tag: 127 characters

#this is traffic hell and hannibal and will would be spending a significant portion of their lives stuck staring at brake lights

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Hello, my name is Rocco and I'm part of Tumblr staff. I'm sorry something went wrong with your crab gift. Here's an other one! if anything goes wrong with this one, send us a detailed bug report. It will help us a lot as we try to fix any bugs with crabs.

thank you!

2 notes - Posted July 22, 2022

#4

hey, what's the etiquette when it comes to commenting on old livejournal posts?

there's this fic I love that's about 13 years old, and the community it's in hasn't had any new posts in over a decade...is it still cool if I go comment on that fic?

I know with ao3 and ff.n it's always good to comment on fic of any age, but I haven't been active on LJ in a while, and I don't remember what the general rule is on there re: commenting.

help? :s

2 notes - Posted June 23, 2022

#3

Send this to ten blogs you think are lovely and deserve a boop on the nose ❤️💛💚💙💜🤗🥰 😎👉👉

aww thank you! :D

2 notes - Posted May 26, 2022

#2

hey, question about your tags on the braille post: wouldn't you have to get braille books to do that? why didn't that tip your mom off that you were reading at night

oh! I got them from the library, which was close enough geographically that I could go there by myself, and my mom didn't really notice what books I was checking out.

(and don't worry, I only checked out the ones that didn't have a wait list for them. I think I probably confused some librarians, though.)

4 notes - Posted April 29, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Read More

7 notes - Posted May 13, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#tumblr2022 #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review #haha welp #I really don't use this blog as much as I used to #and my top posts are. a strange assortment #rip me

[ineffectualdemon]

I posted 2,994 times in 2022

That's 183 more posts than 2021!

786 posts created (26%)

2,208 posts reblogged (74%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@ineffectualdemon

@adoratato

@vaspider

@linguisticparadox

@cum-villain

I tagged 890 of my posts in 2022

#svsss - 194 posts

#shang qinghua - 103 posts

#not safe for esmes - 82 posts

#moshang - 75 posts

#shen qingqiu - 62 posts

#cumplane - 56 posts

#conversations with my husband - 50 posts

#mdzs - 50 posts

#conversations with my kid - 49 posts

#bingqiu - 44 posts

Longest Tag: 135 characters

#actually i would love a fic where its just mobei and binghe trying to figure out whats haunting their husbands and how to get rid of it

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Another reason I love Tolkien is what he does with character death

When characters die (or are perceived as having died) the others characters grieve their loss

When Gandalf falls in Moria once the rest of the fellowship is safe in Lothlorien they take time to mourn and grieve and remember

When Boromir dies Aragon, Gimli, and Legolas stop to give him as good a funeral as they can before going after Pippin and Merry and even that's not the end of his effect on the narrative.

Denethor allows his grief to destroy him (and nearly allows it to kill his other son) Faramir fights with his grief and his guilt for not going to Rivendell instead

And Frodo, who was betrayed by Boromir, is heart broken to hear of his death

The story of the Eo family is one of a family touched deeply by grief and that's why Eowyn and Faramir bonding in the houses of healing is so important

Because they do heal, by sharing their individual grief and carrying that combined pain between them

Because when death happens in LOTR it is always with intent, with purpose, and it allows for mourning. And while grief can be destructive mostly it's not, because it's shared.

(and I know there are a lot more examples these are just the first that came to mind)

Too many times I have read fantasy novels that don't let characters support each other when a character dies. And often if a character dies it's sad in the moment and then the narrative just stops caring

Tolkien's work is a story about grief and healing from it. People are changed by grief but it doesn't have to be a bad thing, it's just something that happens and that love and mutual support can carry you through

"I will not say, do not weep, for not all tears are an evil."

This is why I love Tolkien

5,418 notes - Posted February 11, 2022

#4

Opening the Tumblr app to find that dark mode is broken:

EDIT: ITS BEEN FIXED

5,675 notes - Posted November 15, 2022

#3

Hey people coming here from Twitter or tiktok?

Tagging your posts with unrelated trending tags doesn't "manipulate the algorithm" or whatever the fuck you do it for

It just clogs the tag with posts people don't care about and pisses them the fuck off

Tagging trending tags onto unrelated posts isn't something we do here and is actually against Tumblr etiquette

So for the love of Christ knock it the fuck off

We have a barely functioning search function. Don't fuck it up more

16,672 notes - Posted October 6, 2022

#2

Me: so apparently Looney tunes Instagram declared that Bugs Bunny and Daffy are canonically a couple

Husband: *long long long pause as they process this*

Me: I mean it makes sense

Husband: well since they're both men I hope Bugs tops because ducks have corkscrew dicks

Me: oh bugs definitely tops

22,598 notes - Posted July 19, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

This lady I follow on tiktok has been creating character designs to encourage people to make fantasy characters who wear a hijab and they are so incredibly cool!

This is a compilation of looks they have done so far and they are all really awesome

Here's the link to her tiktok profile btw

46,559 notes - Posted May 21, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#tumblr2022 #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review #So much of it is svsss #You can really see what my special interest this year is