#llf asks

Not sure how long this ask has been sitting in my inbox, but...here's something to start you off perhaps, Nonny?

That was hot 🥵🌶️🔥

The way you wrote them was so amazing! X is so good at ABC! 🫣😍

I enjoyed reading this so much!

The way X takes care of Y made me melt

The way you kept up the excitement/anticipation had me hooked and the payoff was spectacular!

This fic had me asldkfhjwldkvnlkc-ing I love it so much

👏👌🙌🫶

Or use the ACD method that has just come to my attention 😅😂

However, an interesting thing I just noticed is that if you blank out the word "smut" from your ask, the example comments I listed could be used in any other kind of fic. So...since you're already comfortable with commenting, I think the root of your problem is that it is your perception and mentality around smut fic specifically.

For some reason, you may view smut fic differently from other types of fic and put it in a different category in your mind. I'm not going to tell you that you have to get over yourself or view smut fic differently (and to some extent, I suspect that smut fic writers understand and perhaps even expect the social/personal shyness of their readers), but if you really have it in your heart to comment, I would say try leaving a short, generic comment first, and once you feel like smut fics are a safe space, then have at it :)

(And I'm not even sure if this is a question just you could answer but)

Would telling an author you got off reading their smut fic be a good comment or a wildly inappropriate one?

It probably would depend on the author and how your comment comes across, but let's hear from some authors:

I am an author, and if I see multiple comments picking up what I’m putting down, I know that I should keep doing what I’m doing. On the other hand, if I see comments misinterpreting the story/details in the story, that tells me that I should switch some things up.

Not to mention the amount of times a reader has suggested something that I end up incorporating into the story!

To sum this all up: especially especially in fanfic, your comments MATTER. A LOT. That is how authors get feedback, how we get ideas, how we form general connections through shared headcanons or opinions! Your comment is never just Lost To The Void; it will always have an impact.

Now if this happens on my fics- I typically let the commenter know that this is unmotivating to see that they only reason anyone comments on my labor is solely for more labor.

My question is, is it rude to reply to an 'update please' comment when it is on another author's story? It annoys me to see this happen to my fellow authors, but also it doesn't involve me.

Hello thank you for your ask and apologies for taking a while to respond.

My personal opinion is no, it is not rude, since fandom is all about community and it take a village to raise a child sometimes... I feel like maybe, it might even make the author's life a bit easier if they felt the same as you ('update please' comments are rude), to see that they are not alone in that view and not the only one shouldering the burden of telling off/educating commenters. However, this is of course subject to personal opinion, so I'll add a poll for the community to air their views (reblogs and additional commentary on this subject is always welcome of course).

Hello,

Just to clarify, you can only post anonymous comments if you are the author of a work and the work is in an anonymous collection. If you are not the author, you can post as a guest, but it is not the same as an anonymous comment, I believe.

With that premise, here's what my experiment to answer this ask revealed:

If you (as the creator of a work) respond to comments anonymously, the person you are responding to will get a mail in their inbox from "Anonymous Creator."

2. If you turn off anon by removing your work from the anonymous collection, the message in the original commenter's inbox reveals your name.

3. If you delete your replies, the message disappears from the original commenter's inbox.

4. Emails do not get updated, resent, or deleted.

No taboo that I'm aware of! In fact, receivers seem to love any response to comments, regardless of how long they took to arrive!

Hi!

As always, context is king, but I personally think that "can't wait for the next chapter" sounds fine, especially provided that it's not the only thing you say.

My read on your ask is that you're asking how to express interest and eagerness to read more of a story, and honestly? That's really flattering to a writer. My advice on how to express that interest without coming across entitled is to be more specific on

What are you looking forward to?

Why are you looking forward to it?

1. What are you looking forward to?

What about the next chapter has you on tenterhooks? Did the plot leave off on a cliffhanger? Are you looking forward to more delicious angst? Is the protagonist finally going on a date with their crush?

By being specific:-

"Can't wait to see what happens next!"

"Can't wait for X to finally have their first kiss!"

"I will be waiting patiently for more of your delicious heartrending angst."

"Can't wait for the heartbreak in the next chapter. It's coming. I can smell it 🥲"

-you're more likely to convey to the author that you noticed the thing in their story, you're a fan of the particular thing in their story, and the reason you want more of the thing is because they've done their writer job in leaving you wanting more of the thing.

A lot of praise and appreciation for what you already have (i.e. what's already been posted) before asking for more also doesn't hurt.

2. Why are you looking forward to it?

"The suspense is killing me! I need to know what happens to X!"

"You have ruined me. I shall not be able to spend one waking moment in peace now until X is resolved."

"I am heartbroken. Please put me out of my misery in the next chapter!"

Basically, the idea here is to convey to the author that your need for the next chapter is not just born of selfish greed for more more more, but that they've accomplished invoking the (hopefully intended) emotional response in you with their writing and yes, can you have more, please?

TLDR; details on what and/or why you need more of an author's writing will help convey that you're thoroughly engaged with their story and are not just being demanding.

🤔