Iām going to have a get off my lawn moment, but: be kind to your local creatives. Please be loud about what you love but also be kind.
yet another friend got a ālove this, when is it updating? Are you even continuing?ā After three days. Three days. And when I responded (having been given permission first, Iām not trying to start fights in anyoneās comment section but someone needs to remind people this shit isnāt cool and I donāt mind being that guy) pointing out how to check for last updates and that is an insanely short time to be worried about updates or abandoned work and that writing takes time, which is as politely as I can respond without bluntly telling someone youāre being kind of rude, this person doubled down with āIāve been here for four years, I know how ao3 works. I love the fic but I donāt want to get my hopes up about more.ā
The last chapter was posted three days before. Taking two seconds to check the profile would have shown a shit ton of more longfic, nearly all of it completed. Over months. Writing āI love this ficā before the rude question does not cancel out the fact youāre demanding updates after three days. I have seen work update after three years, and youāre worried about three days? Enough to go to the author and ask if theyāre intending to continue?
This person is also an author. My mind is frankly boggled at the inability to see how upsetting this kind of comment can be to receive.
Maybe itās the back to back of it all but Iām throwing my hands up about it at the moment. You donāt eat all of your gifted candy and then go up to your friend and ask when theyāre getting you more. Can we please remember to be kind to each other. Especially in this era of shitty bot comments. Both friends were very disheartened about these kinds of comments. Theyāre not encouraging comments, theyāre just making people feel used and gross.
The old school, kinder way to angle for more of a fic is to leave a real comment: tell the author what you loved about the chapter or the fic, and tell them youāre excited about what comes next. This tells the author they have someone whoās engaged with the story and someone whoās thinking about future parts. This is literally the easiest way to get someone to hop into their docs when they have time, which I know bc it works on me and every other writer Iāve spoken to. Excitement, not entitlement. Comments that feel gross are going to stop people from writing. And please remember ficsāespecially LONGFICātakes time, and we as readers need to be patient.
And those of us who write should have each otherās backs.
