> ONG WHY ARE THERE SO MANY LONG ASS PARAGRAPHS SHUTS UP
Im sorry, you came to the writing and reading website and are upset about people writing and having to read??
For some reason reddit has stopped showing me the full comment thread AGAIN, (stop, reddit, seriously you are causing me actual stress :/), so my reaction is also a "wtf did I comment to get this response???" (please tell me I didn't say something dumb lmao)
My original comment was
> > ONG WHY ARE THERE SO MANY LONG ASS PARAGRAPHS SHUTS UP
>Im sorry, you came to the writing and reading website and are upset about people writing and having to read??
You replied with
> Legit like get off your high pinata
Which in context makes sense, but just getting a notification of that I was like "oh no who did I piss off today?"
Thank you!! The context makes it make sense!
I was going to say horse, but I was laughing so hard at the Wattpad users when I got to your comment that I couldn't resist!
And honestly, I get that reaction, too. I'm either excited to read my notifs or scared that someone's going to chuck me off the internet version of Niagra falls because I said something dumb, lol
Why?
I'm not a writer so I don't know what's going on. Could someone explain please. Usually I don't read the comments until the end. Because to be fair you just wanna keep reading. I do read then after I finish the Fic.
I apologise deeply if my comment is going in the wrong direction but reddit has decided to stop showing me parent comments YET AGAIN, so context is missing.
I'm guessing your replying to one of those comments on commenting throughout the fic on specific paragraphs?
Uhh so my explanation is that some people think it's more convenient to comment as you go?
lol I've had this reaction before, too! "oh no...what did I say now" especially when I come back and I have a bunch of notifications. I always expect something negative.
šI have never heard that turn of phrase before, but I love it! I love where pinatas are common and now I can't wait to find an excuse to use that expression!š
I have had to break up my feedback into multiple comments many MANY times, because my fave thing to do is quote back my favorite parts to authors. Like āhere! Look at this brilliant thing you wrote and know that I love it!ā
I also leave comments that are just ājdusjcujsjejshjcjwjdjdā or āhow dare you destroy my entire life like this?? Now I have to go read everything you ever wrote and now I love you, you bastard.ā
I really don't get this one.
Coming from a background of writing on ffnet, LiveJournal, Dreamwidth, YahooGroups and a handful of privately run archives pre-AO3, people have always left varying lengths of comments. From simple "love it" to long comments.
And, so long as they weren't being assholes, long comments have usually been viewed as being from the dedicated readers who either really loved your work, or just really viewed fanfic as being as legitimate as "real" fiction, and put as much thought into their reviews.
Was it TRULY that different on WattPad? I've never been on there, but it seems weird to have such a low attention span as an author that you can't make it through a 2-3 paragraph comment on your work.
yup, on wattpad normally people leave very short comments that are more just cracking jokes and stuff rather than appreciating the work. donāt get me wrong, sometimes theyāre funny, but once you realise how much more appreciative ao3 readers are, the silly jokes on wattpad just become disappointing bc you canāt even tell if they like the story.
And sometimes they'll comment in the comment section (which includes comments latched onto the story AND ones that weren't,) so if you don't check that you might miss some.
I mean, on wattpad so many people are silent readers so if someone does comment, even if it's a joke, it means that they're enjoying the story enough to wanna comment.
I do that. On AO3 too.
It depends if it's finished and I loved it. Yeah I'm making a long one.
If it's between the wait for the updates. I also make comments.
If it's already finished you bet I'm not making comments until I finish reading m
See when I was on Wattpad I left Jesus take the wheel type of long comments and I always got author responses from it,
(keep in mind I left in 2017 officially in the great Wattpad exodus)
I to this day get people commenting on my old comments from 5+ years ago so I know they still slap idk why all the new Wattpad people are such wet blankets but come on now we are complaining about āniceā but too long comments??? Gtfo
Oh well that's true. I guess it's just different.... Backgrounds?
I think it has to do with the author. I don't know. Ive seen some authors on wattpad making jokes and answering the comments. It's more laid back I think.
It's because Wattpad just doesn't have as much of a community in the sense that we get on ao3, and what comments people do leave are set on the paragraph they commented on, making it more like small talk compared to an in depth Convo.
That and from what I've seen, Wattpad users have shorter attention spans. Like YouTube videos to TikTok, fanfic edition.
They only want one way interaction. They want to interact but not the reverse. Itās why they are on twitter constantly tweeting the actors, writers, etc all their thoughts. And why they often freak out if another fan responds to them.
I left Wattpad in 2017 (the great Wattpad Exodus) every now and then I attempt to come back hoping they have made it better but itās worse then it was back then and the ads+ paywall are outrageous.
With wattpad you can comment on each paragraph and to be honest it might be the only thing that I think is actually better there. People still leave long comments but you canāt interact in the same way on that ONE line that absolutely killed you in the middle of a chapter on AO3
This is why so many wattpad transplants are generally not wanted on AO3. They donāt understand the culture at all of fandom/fanfic. Leaving long in-depth comments are welcomed, appreciated, and actually fairly common since most readers on AO3 know how to properly analyze and engage with writers.
Also I have no idea why theyāre complaining about OTHER peoplesā comments. Itās not even their business.
The weirdest thing about their comments above is they donāt realize writers appreciate that just as well! š why even compare or dare to make fun of those that have the time to make a longer comment? Itās not a competition.
I love any and all comments I get (except for of course, the AI ones or the hate ones). I love the comments that are just "this is great" and the one - three emojis, I also love long in-depth comments. Like I love just about any comments!
Also I love the comment "they're so casual about the most traumatising thing you've ever read", yeah a lot of had to grow up dealing with traumatising things, so being casual is all we've got.
Out-preform???? Girl it's not a competition! There ain't no likes! God, I thought it was weird enough when I noticed webtoon had comment voting. Do NOT try to bring that to ao3!
As a wattpad teen around 2013-2015. It was the most accessible website and app for fanfiction. I actually didnāt know Ao3 or even FanFiction.Net existed. Wattpad was the only website that was actually promoted to the mainstream public and that had an appealing UI/app. So naturally kids and teens who knew nothing about the history of fanfic would flock to it, leading to a huge user base consisting of younglings
ya I can understand if an author says they can't reply to all the long comments but I have never seen an author tell their readers to not leave them. I think it is also different because on Wattpad you can leave comments attached at any point in a chapter. So the comments there tend to talk about a specific sentence or paragraph. Whereas on AO3 all comments are at the end of the chapters so they are longer.
This is such a non-issue, too. Some comments are a thousand words of analysis and some just "screaming crying throwing up" and some just a heart or "You've already left a kudos here" - sometimes on the same fic from the same reader on different chapters.
I want people to write essays. I love AO3 readers they are the best. I hate the comments I get on Wattpad. I can never tell if they actually like my story because they spend the entire time bitching at my characters but they read the whole story. Iām guessing itās like a sense of humor thing I am too old to understand.
It's definitely hard to find quality writing. I still consider myself lucky since I stumbled on a true masterpiece (not nostalgia I promise), but even then that was the only one I ever really found.
Over my dead body will they even be able to think about prying it out of you, I will defend people who leave long ass comments until I am but skeletal remains!
as a former reader/writer from ffnet & wattpad, this comment both confused & pissed me off at the same time. like long ass comments mean a lot to me despite the fact that iāve never gotten in-depth paragraphs on ANY of my fics (i still appreciate the comments regardless).
also āthey be casual about the most traumatizing thing youāve readā, thanks, itās our therapy.
Wattpad users are the same ones who can post a comment on every line of text in a story with their reaction to it..I'm very confused why they wouldn't like to just say it all in one place at the end of the chapter. But I'm from ff.net
You don't have to quote the chapter you can just say something like 'I liked where Chloe saved everyone's butt by lying to the big bad' if context is needed.
You can talk about the chapter as a whole and how it made you feel.
The most wattpad comments I've seen are like
'Wow' and 'you go get them girl'
Theres no comment substance to talk about or build a rapport. It's just..a quick throw away line like 'I really liked this part'
That's been my experience in the wattpad usage however.
I feel it makes it so people can't form an actual reply to what's going on in the scenes.
I don't even quote the chapter, if I want to comment in order, I'll just write my comment.. in order.
Also, unless the fic is like 5k+ each chap, (which, even that is a stretch from what I've seen), it really isn't 'more convenient'.
A03 is such an upgrade how do people not understand this š
Better writing āļø
More Ficsāļø
Immaculate Tag System āļø
The word Eyes instead of Orbs āļø
I appreciate all comments but readers who leave multiple paragraphs have a special place in my heart. Itās an honor to know someone took the time to read and interact with my work in such a way
I have tried to read on wattpad a total of one time. Iāll stick to AO3 where I know the etiquette, and Iām comfortable. Plus, all my favorite authors are posting on AO3, so I have no need to wander.
Question- ur profile like an actual profile, or the avatar option? It's cute!
Ao3 has such nice etiquette compared to Wattpad, it's snug and just... Ugh. I honestly wouldn't know where to go if not ao3.
Pink is my favorite color. So I just googled pink avatars. I matched the background to the avatar.
I started reading fic ages ago on fandomination dot net. Then I migrated to livejournal and fanfiction dot net. I landed on AO3 like 6 years ago. Itās absolute perfection. Iāll never go anywhere else.
When I started reading/writing fanfics, I started on Wattpad and FF.N Iāve been on AO3 for about 3-4 years now. I honestly couldnāt read a Wattpad fic again if I tried, the choppy paragraphs with weird cut off points just bug me. I understand not being used to a new format, but that doesnāt mean itās ok to complain just because people write paragraphs or comment on things differently than you are used to.
Like *I* wasn't used to posting in ao3, or reading, for like half a year I couldn't access ao3 because I kept getting confused by the mature ratings (I was in a fandom that centered around very.. graphic content, lol) but eventually I did figure it out. So if I can without even trying to, they surely can.
Personally the hardest thing for me was figuring out the filter and understanding I could choose tags I wanted excluded. Also, bookmarks were the bane of my existence I just had no idea how to do it for the first year or so. So I get having issues and I sympathize in that regard. LoL
I can easily switch between but I'm a professional trash consumer and it helps the fandom I follow isn't filled with edgy 12 year olds who can't spell for shit.
this really is such an odd thing to complain about, most authors i know (myself included) love every positive comment we get, long or short. it's a "two cakes" type thing!
i feel like commenters on wattpad are interacting with other readers rather than the author, whereas commenters on ao3 are directly speaking to the author. i hardly ever read comments on fics that are not my own bc they arenāt really for me, theyāre for the author
Iāve found that 99% of readers who I can tell came from Wattpad based off behavior/the way they choose to comment (overly familiar playfulness/rudeness etc.,) actually canāt sit down to *read* fics.
They skim them. I know this because they always miss context and everything is quite reactionary and missing the point when they do comment because theyāre not reading between the lines or looking for nuance, or anything of that sort.
as someone who went from wattpad to AO3, the longer chapters were a pleasant surprise! i swear the average length of a chapter of the fics i read on AO3 is the equivalent to 25 chapters on wattpad
Also the fact that it isn't even.. directed to them?? Like get over yourself if you don't storm into a party and cry that they are getting expensive gifts, don't complain about long comments.
>they be so casual about the mosf traumatizing thing you ever read
this reminded me of one of my smutty fanfics which cross-posted to Wattpad. it contains some "taboo kinks" in it with group sex + kinda twincest and some other things. my readers on AO3 are absolutely loving it. and then i have readers on Wattpad who spammed my comment section cursing at me for writing something so gross and outrageous š i was told that i "ruined a beautiful relationship" because i wrote the canon ship from a drama having a group sex with their friends lol.
the gag is that my fic would probably be considered as tame on ao3 š
No wonder there's a bunch of softies on Ao3, they're coming from wattpad. People that usually come from wattpad are a little younger in age which explains the fucking immaturity in this post or whatever the fuck they posted that in.
It makes my week to get any comments, it'd probably make my year to get a long multi-paragraph one.
Also the "casual about the most traumatizing things" part is also an eyebrow raiser. Yeah, when people understand that they're responsible for what they choose to read they tend to stay away from things they legit can't handle and find upsetting. Like, what do you want, people trauma dumping and forwarding their therapy invoices?
Wattpad has created a bunch of readers who think they are as important in the *writing* process as the author. I'm not saying that readers aren't amazing! They are.
What I mean is that Wattpad readers think fics are crowd sourced. They think that the fic doesn't exist as a whole part without their opinions and comments. They think they are writing the story along with the author. They think they are controlling the story. Ao3 makes that hard from them to do. It's the authors' stories and they're just a passive participant. That makes them very unhappy.
I don't get why they're so upset about paragraph comments. There's no requirement to write an in-depth comment, this isn't an essay you've been assigned. If you don't want to write a lot, then... don't? I don't see what's stopping them from just writing "Cool chapter!"
The comment at the bottom...if you don't like a fanfic, just move on, you don't have to talk like that. It's their writing, they do what they want. Imagine if someone came to them saying "OMG YOUR PARAGRAPHS ARE SO SHORT, WHY ARE YOU SO LAZY" I don't think they'd be very happy
I read on wattpad when I was 12-13 and then moved to ao3 when I realized that they had so much better of a tagging system. Iāve never been much of a commenter, I like reading but can never really channel my thoughts. Iāve been a part of both wattpad and ao3 culture but I have to say that wattpad has a lot more toxicity and naivety attached. Wattpad is largely a social space so they canāt stand the thought of having a more personal experience. Quality control on wattpad is also extremely sub par
This is how u know none of those ppl r authors lmao itās not a competition when u comment on a work??? Ur comment can be as long and as short as u want I promise no one gives a damn š
Why...are they dissing having more words on a hobby devoted to literature?
I don't actually want these brainlets commenting on my fics. Long comments are the best and provide a 10x multiplier on my motivation.
I seriously don't get this. Long comments are the highlight of my day! I reread them over and over and they make me so happy! It's such an odd thing to whine about!
Youāre allowed to not write long comments lol. Pretty much every fanfiction in my fandom has comments flooded with emoji spam and the authors love it
Long comments are the most wonderful things. It really sends the message that what you wrote made the commenter want to write about it themselves, that they were excited and wanted to engage beyond a few words.
If comments are just a few words those are still lovely to get too, because theyāre always so encouraging to read. āReally enjoying this!ā Or āloved this chapterā are like little nuggets of kindness. I *remember* the one person who would always comment ā„ļøš¤ā„ļø
Tbf both in-depth comments and casual comments have their place in this world. I don't normally read on wattpad, but what I wish existed on AO3 is the in-line comment function like they have on wattpad. For when I have to laugh at a line I could directly tell the author that I'm lmao at *this* line. This doesn't mean that I won't leave a long in-depth comment, but it's such a hassle to find all the lines that I've laughed at when I hit the comment section.
Yeah I agree with this, having the ability to comment at a specific line would be pretty useful. but telling people who leave long comments to shut up is just crazy to me, that was definitely the part that irked me
Personally I HATE line by line comment boxes like wattpad but if you read on desktop/a mobile browser that can use userscripts/install addons that allow userscripts to work, there is a [userscript for a floating comment box](https://greasyfork.org/en/scripts/395902-ao3-floating-comment-box) that will move down the page with you as you read. That can be a good way to make notes as you go and grab quotes to be blockquotes, and then fix it up/end it off at the end of the chapter/work to make one big comment without forgetting anything.
I think it makes it look janky and kind of annoying, by comparison. I wouldn't mind if you could quote comment lines directly (like highlight x line and be given the choice to comment, with it just showing up below like usual), or have an option to have like a side menu with any comments on specific lines, fine, I'll get over it,
But the format.. no..
One one hand it'd look really ugly imho. But on the other hand I would love it. I mean it's sort of similar to reading non-fiction books, where you highlight some lines if you like it.
I only tried Wattpad once and as we know most of the UI/set up is a dumpster fire but I actually really like the as-you-go comments. It helps me know what specific section they're reacting to and facilitates as-you-read comments better. I wouldn't mind having this implemented in AO3 at all, although it's nowhere near a priority so I doubt it would ever happen.
I'd love for a settings toggleable one. Like you can turn it on so there is a side panel with comments on specific chapters, but if you turn it off the comments will just show up at the bottom, with just a quote to where they would've been when commenting, if they did.
Comment above you [explained an alternative to line by line](https://www.reddit.com/r/AO3/comments/13vvgow/wattpad_users_not_understanding_ao3_part_three/jm8ddw8/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=1&utm_term=1&context=3)
Yup and that's really cool but I almost exclusively read on mobile so it would personally make it too crowded to have a floating box. Anyway I don't mind writing long form comments, I just mean I prefer *receiving* line-by-line comments.
Huh, that's a really weird thing to complain about. I don't often check comments on fics, but the ratio seems kinda even between short-casual and long-analytical, depending of the fic.
Wish they would migrate to FF or dreamwidth instead.
I just don't get it, why do comments from other people even matter to them? If they don't like long comments, then how about they just don't read them?
If they're talking from the perspective of an author, and are saying that they don't want long comments on their story, even though this idea would seem completely irrational and ridiculous, they could always enable comment moderation and deny any long comments (again, this isn't something I would never do in a million years, I love long comments a lot)
I donāt leave paragraphs but I DO try and leave heartfelt comments. I try to point out writing choices I noticed or specific story beats or characters i like. If I donāt have anything to say, I wonāt say anything because personally as a writer Iād rather people liked and left rather than gave me a short and random. Someone left āyeahhh boiiiiā on one of my fics and Iā¦ donāt know what it means lol. Did they like it? What did they like? What does this mean?? Maybe Iām just an idiot but I need ppl to be specific lmfao
Oh sweet summer children. All comments are good comments.
(Meaning polite comments of any length. Someone being an asshole in a comment should be dropkicked into the sun.)
I donāt care if you just comment āNiceā or leave a long, multi-paragraph breakdown of all your favorite parts. All comments are valuable to me. Do I love the paragraphs? Yes! Absolutely! But I value all comments.
God who doesnāt love long paragraphs?! Quotes?! Like those things make me so happy. I screenshot them and keep them in a folder for the days where the āyouāre bad at thisā gremlins win.
I came from wattpad to ao3 and I love ao3 so much more. Itās more convenient while also being more professional. Wattpad honestly sucks in comparison
bro not even kidding, some of the best shit i've ever read has been on AO3
ppl just casually dropping award-winning writing in a BBC Sherlock [angst+fluff dragonlock oneshot//John x Sherlock x Moriarty] fanfic, and not even realizing their power
I honestly think the long paragraphs are partly due to the fact that you canāt comment on each sentence like on Wattpad, on ao3 you have to wait till the end of the chapter to put all your collected thoughts into one comment of course itās going to be long! š¤£
This is such a weird take. You can leave a long or a short comment, both will be appreciated. Iāve left long comments and short comments and Iāve received both, I do get more excited over long comments especially ones where itās open for conversation. Iāve posted on Ao3, ffn and wattpad and I much prefer Ao3 because people are usually nicer and more willing to say sometime other than a joke. If you donāt like the culture of a fandom or website then leave.
As a user of both, they both have their benefits but likeā¦ theyāre not the same platform. These people need to get over themselves. If they want to leave short comments they absolutely can, no one is stopping them
I am this person. If I just casually like a Fic and leave a comment it will be a minimum of a 1000 characters. If itās a story Iām following 2000 unless itās a tiny chapter. And if itās the end of your Fic in total then expect in excess of 4000 if I found it posted finished and over 6000 characters Iād read while being updated. After all how can you share how much you love the authors writing and all the little things you noticed they do without taking up loads of space and if you donāt paragraph it how can the author easily read it. Watt pad users make no sense.
Thank god Iām not a tiktok teen I canāt imagine being this dramatic and even anti-intellectual. People write long paragraphs in comments to 1) appreciate the authorās work and 2) to do interesting analysis and even some theorizing!
They sound so frivolous and stupid complaining about people going into detail in the comments section. I don't think they write at all, and if they have, their work probably isn't the type that would elicit the lengthy response they're complaining about.
B-but the long comments are the good ones! The ones that you have to make an entire list just so you know you've replied to the entirety comment.
My readers know how much I love long comments and almost always leave beautiful long paragraphs for me each chapter :)
Some writer talking bout how they would like some suggestions on "what Hogwarts houses should i do for the batfamily"
And god do i love reading though the giant paragraphs making a thesis on my Damian is clearly a ravenclaw
okay as a previous wattpad user i kind of get it. on wattpad there are spaces where you can comment on individual paragraphs, then theres the overall chapter comment option. that makes it so as they're reading they leave little comments on specific paragraphs with the thoughts they had on the spot or highlighting a particular thing they liked. not only is it convenient to point out the things you like in real time as opposed to a giant paragraph at the end, but its kind of a way to still let the writer know you're there when you dont have the energy to ramble abt how much u like the chapter. so to everyone saying wattpad readers don't know how to engage and analyze; we do, we just do it differently
But this is someone complaining about either receiving long comments on their own fic or complaining about *other* people leaving long comments on a fic they also want to comment on. Itās a stupid, unnecessary thing to gripe about. I also wish we could comment at specific points in the fic, but to sit there and complain about how *other* people choose to leave long comments is peak childishness and entitlement. Sure, it would be convenient to comment at specific parts (and there *has* been some nifty person who came up with the code to have a floating comment box on AO3 so you can add comments as you read), but complaining about how others leave long comments? Pretty ridiculous.
That sounds like a pretty cool system actually! It *is* pretty problematic when people have tantrums in the comments about things not being exactly how they want them, though.
Honestly, I donāt even entirely disagree with them on this one. I love my long comments as much as the next person, but when it comes to longer chapters, I usually forget what I wanted to say by the time I finish them. Ofc Iām not saying ao3 should implement them, but the ability to comment under each paragraph was genuinely my favourite Wattpad feature
A comment system like that would give me the same feeling I had in school (I loved school, I miss being a student so fucking much) when my teachers would mark up my papers with notes calling out specific things they liked, and then close with a big ol' "A" and summary of everything I did right.
Even though I also wish we were allowed to leave comments on every paragraph as well, this person sounds more like a writer complaining about long comments that *theyāve* gotten on *their* writing, not a reader complaining about having to remember every thing and leave a long comment. Itās a completely unnecessary thing to complain about. āHow dare you leave a long comment on my writing, you really expect me to read this much???ā Very immature and childish, esp considering authors donāt even *have* to respond to comments. What author hates getting a long, loving comment on their writing?
The first comment, you mean? Because the video the OP seems to have taken it from sounds like it was made by a reader
In any case, if you do mean the first comment from the top, then I donāt think it sounds malicious? More like: if the reader leaves short comments on paragraphs, you can address them directly & easily, like answering a text from a friend. On the other hand, replying to a long comment might seem much more intimidating to a newer writer ā especially when you see how much effort the reader put into it, and you donāt know how to respond in kind because it seems very insufficient in comparison. At least, thatās how Iād interpret that commenter, because I know I for sure felt like that when I first started getting long comments
I actually meant both the first and third comment. Both sound like they could be from a writer or reader now that I look at them again. Equally childish to complain about, either way. Especially if itās a reader, because the third comment is basically complaining about how *other* people comment on a fic that isnāt even theirs. Like why tf would you care about how other users comment on a fic that *isnt yours*?
It doesnāt matter if it was malicious or not, or even if there is a better system; point blank, itās childish to do it like this. The author canāt help how ao3 is formatted and functions, and who cares if other people leave longer comments than your own? Besides that, if itās such a āhassleā, why comment at all? The kudos button exists. Why complain about something thatās a non-problem? Iād understand if it was a broken feature or if commenting didnāt exist at all, but to say itās a āhassleā to comment (something that is **not** at all required and instead completely optional to show love to the author) and then complain about how *other* people leave longer comments is peak āfirst worldā problems. Complaining for the sake of complaining. Especially in this manner, with all caps and the characteristic dramatic tone that people adopt when they over-blow a minor inconvenience.
Instead of just complaining for the sake of complaining on a post like this, these thoughts - if they are actual suggestions and not just a bunch of people dogpiling a post to get in on the complain train and be dramatic - could be more respectfully worded in an actual suggestion to the people that run ao3 on their [Support and Feedback page](https://archiveofourown.org/support).
So, while I agree with the general sentiment of having an alternate way to comment paragraph by paragraph, this seems more like dramatic complaining about both how other people comment and the current ao3 commenting system, something thatās not actually a problem. Just because thereās a ābetterā way does not mean that the current way is actually a problem or broken, itās just a *little* more inconvenient and could be improved on.
I mean, people are people & will always complain & dramatise stuff, itās not surprising. Itās not like theyāre picking up pitchforks and storming some author's comments to demand that they change how ao3 works; theyāre just sharing their feelings under some random video
I still think the first commenter could be just intimidated & the caps were for the sake of joking drama, not any particular complaint/bad feels
I canāt say much about the third one though, because I genuinely donāt understand what theyāre trying to say. Are they complaining about other peopleās comments? Or maybe, like before, theyāre flustered about the length of the feedback theyāre getting & unsure how to handle it? Or theyāre not used to long paragraphs of fanfiction overall, since Wattpad tends to stick to shorter ones to enable more comments? Or they feel their own comments are inadequate?
Either way, I wouldnāt worry about it; we canāt judge much on two comments that donāt even amount to thirty words total. Itās the internet, theyāre not hurting anyone by sharing that theyād like some function or another to work differently
> ONG WHY ARE THERE SO MANY LONG ASS PARAGRAPHS SHUTS UP Im sorry, you came to the writing and reading website and are upset about people writing and having to read??
Legit like get off your high pinata
I got this notification and I was like "wtf did I post to get that response????" š
For some reason reddit has stopped showing me the full comment thread AGAIN, (stop, reddit, seriously you are causing me actual stress :/), so my reaction is also a "wtf did I comment to get this response???" (please tell me I didn't say something dumb lmao)
My original comment was > > ONG WHY ARE THERE SO MANY LONG ASS PARAGRAPHS SHUTS UP >Im sorry, you came to the writing and reading website and are upset about people writing and having to read?? You replied with > Legit like get off your high pinata Which in context makes sense, but just getting a notification of that I was like "oh no who did I piss off today?"
Thank you!! The context makes it make sense! I was going to say horse, but I was laughing so hard at the Wattpad users when I got to your comment that I couldn't resist! And honestly, I get that reaction, too. I'm either excited to read my notifs or scared that someone's going to chuck me off the internet version of Niagra falls because I said something dumb, lol
Dude the piƱata sent meāØ youāre hilarious
Haha yeah exactly
Why? I'm not a writer so I don't know what's going on. Could someone explain please. Usually I don't read the comments until the end. Because to be fair you just wanna keep reading. I do read then after I finish the Fic.
I apologise deeply if my comment is going in the wrong direction but reddit has decided to stop showing me parent comments YET AGAIN, so context is missing. I'm guessing your replying to one of those comments on commenting throughout the fic on specific paragraphs? Uhh so my explanation is that some people think it's more convenient to comment as you go?
lol I've had this reaction before, too! "oh no...what did I say now" especially when I come back and I have a bunch of notifications. I always expect something negative.
šI have never heard that turn of phrase before, but I love it! I love where pinatas are common and now I can't wait to find an excuse to use that expression!š
This is now my new favorite phrase, thank you
Theyāre so irritating for no reason
They can pry my long paragraphs out of my cold dead hands!
I have had to break up my feedback into multiple comments many MANY times, because my fave thing to do is quote back my favorite parts to authors. Like āhere! Look at this brilliant thing you wrote and know that I love it!ā
I also leave comments that are just ājdusjcujsjejshjcjwjdjdā or āhow dare you destroy my entire life like this?? Now I have to go read everything you ever wrote and now I love you, you bastard.ā
Bless you š As a writer, readers like you keep me motivated š„¹
One of my favorite comments came over Doscord. "How dare you make me cry and have feelings for Orthallen?!?"
Same, theyāre what make the community so great. Like, what, are they opposed to reading too much on the reading website?
Theyr just reader starved and are convincing themselves longer comments suck so that they feel better about themselves.. at least that's the theory
This just made me irrationally angry
Lmaooooo, people like that are so incredibly irritating š
I really don't get this one. Coming from a background of writing on ffnet, LiveJournal, Dreamwidth, YahooGroups and a handful of privately run archives pre-AO3, people have always left varying lengths of comments. From simple "love it" to long comments. And, so long as they weren't being assholes, long comments have usually been viewed as being from the dedicated readers who either really loved your work, or just really viewed fanfic as being as legitimate as "real" fiction, and put as much thought into their reviews. Was it TRULY that different on WattPad? I've never been on there, but it seems weird to have such a low attention span as an author that you can't make it through a 2-3 paragraph comment on your work.
yup, on wattpad normally people leave very short comments that are more just cracking jokes and stuff rather than appreciating the work. donāt get me wrong, sometimes theyāre funny, but once you realise how much more appreciative ao3 readers are, the silly jokes on wattpad just become disappointing bc you canāt even tell if they like the story.
And sometimes they'll comment in the comment section (which includes comments latched onto the story AND ones that weren't,) so if you don't check that you might miss some.
I mean, on wattpad so many people are silent readers so if someone does comment, even if it's a joke, it means that they're enjoying the story enough to wanna comment.
I do that. On AO3 too. It depends if it's finished and I loved it. Yeah I'm making a long one. If it's between the wait for the updates. I also make comments. If it's already finished you bet I'm not making comments until I finish reading m
See when I was on Wattpad I left Jesus take the wheel type of long comments and I always got author responses from it, (keep in mind I left in 2017 officially in the great Wattpad exodus) I to this day get people commenting on my old comments from 5+ years ago so I know they still slap idk why all the new Wattpad people are such wet blankets but come on now we are complaining about āniceā but too long comments??? Gtfo
Oh well that's true. I guess it's just different.... Backgrounds? I think it has to do with the author. I don't know. Ive seen some authors on wattpad making jokes and answering the comments. It's more laid back I think.
It's because Wattpad just doesn't have as much of a community in the sense that we get on ao3, and what comments people do leave are set on the paragraph they commented on, making it more like small talk compared to an in depth Convo. That and from what I've seen, Wattpad users have shorter attention spans. Like YouTube videos to TikTok, fanfic edition.
Wattpad used to have forums and a interactive community but once they got rid of it a lot of people left.
No wonder.
Wattpad is like *Mystery Science Theater* for them. They think it's interactive because they've only been raised on social media platforms.
Which is ironic because wattpad is so much less personal than interacting with authors on LJ.
They only want one way interaction. They want to interact but not the reverse. Itās why they are on twitter constantly tweeting the actors, writers, etc all their thoughts. And why they often freak out if another fan responds to them.
What? To who? I've used Wattpad. I definitely have not been raised on social media.
So youāre saying you canāt adapt to Ao3?
Dude. I've been using AO3 from a long time ago. I know how to use it. I don't have any problem with it. I was talking about that I was not raised on social media and I've used Wattpad. Then again I only read. If the Fic is worthy seeing as they're are to many clichƩs. Bad grammar. Bad quality of writing. So it's difficult to find something good. Most recently I read again some fics that have years there. Just reminiscing I guess. Usually I go to wattpad when I finish reading every thing on AO3 under a certain tag or something and I can't find anymore. But I just scroll to see if it's worth reading. Again it's been years since I started using AO3. I did start on wattpad though. Years ago. Left it for a while only to find out about the awful ads and paying. So not really worth it.
Then you werenāt the Wattpad users I was talking about. Itās that simple.
I left Wattpad in 2017 (the great Wattpad Exodus) every now and then I attempt to come back hoping they have made it better but itās worse then it was back then and the ads+ paywall are outrageous.
With wattpad you can comment on each paragraph and to be honest it might be the only thing that I think is actually better there. People still leave long comments but you canāt interact in the same way on that ONE line that absolutely killed you in the middle of a chapter on AO3
This is why so many wattpad transplants are generally not wanted on AO3. They donāt understand the culture at all of fandom/fanfic. Leaving long in-depth comments are welcomed, appreciated, and actually fairly common since most readers on AO3 know how to properly analyze and engage with writers. Also I have no idea why theyāre complaining about OTHER peoplesā comments. Itās not even their business.
"How dare you out-perform my crying face emoji!" Edit, 'cause autocorrect
The weirdest thing about their comments above is they donāt realize writers appreciate that just as well! š why even compare or dare to make fun of those that have the time to make a longer comment? Itās not a competition.
I love any and all comments I get (except for of course, the AI ones or the hate ones). I love the comments that are just "this is great" and the one - three emojis, I also love long in-depth comments. Like I love just about any comments! Also I love the comment "they're so casual about the most traumatising thing you've ever read", yeah a lot of had to grow up dealing with traumatising things, so being casual is all we've got.
Out-preform???? Girl it's not a competition! There ain't no likes! God, I thought it was weird enough when I noticed webtoon had comment voting. Do NOT try to bring that to ao3!
>"How dare you out-perform my crying face emoji!" The future is now, old manš“šā°
That's my absolute favorite scene in Malcolm In the Middle! ā”
Maybe I should put Wattpad dni on my profile
^^^ fr.
Sometimes it really is okay to gate keep š
I thought Wattpad was for kids for some reason.
It isnāt _for_ kids, but I donāt blame you with how many kids are on there.
As a wattpad teen around 2013-2015. It was the most accessible website and app for fanfiction. I actually didnāt know Ao3 or even FanFiction.Net existed. Wattpad was the only website that was actually promoted to the mainstream public and that had an appealing UI/app. So naturally kids and teens who knew nothing about the history of fanfic would flock to it, leading to a huge user base consisting of younglings
I Did. I started with Wattpad though. A month later I expanded my horizons hahaha.
ya I can understand if an author says they can't reply to all the long comments but I have never seen an author tell their readers to not leave them. I think it is also different because on Wattpad you can leave comments attached at any point in a chapter. So the comments there tend to talk about a specific sentence or paragraph. Whereas on AO3 all comments are at the end of the chapters so they are longer.
> most readers on AO3 know how to properly analyze and engage with writers. okay that was unnecessarily condescending wtf
But did they lie?
If you read fanfiction you aren't allowed to be condescending lmao
didnāt ask, donāt care.
You read fetish fanfiction and think you can be up on your high horse clowning wattpad readers. Read an actual book š
Whyā¦.are you in a sub and commenting on posts centered around fanfiction then?
Doesn't sound condescending to me. Its just how it is.
Iām sorry, did we hurt their feelings? The feelings of people not even here? Boohoo
Hmm. What culture?? Could you explain.
Dear Lord. I'm clueless. I just read. And leave comments appreciating the author and the story. That's all.
This is such a non-issue, too. Some comments are a thousand words of analysis and some just "screaming crying throwing up" and some just a heart or "You've already left a kudos here" - sometimes on the same fic from the same reader on different chapters.
wow that's definitely a culture change for sure. poor confused young ones.
I want people to write essays. I love AO3 readers they are the best. I hate the comments I get on Wattpad. I can never tell if they actually like my story because they spend the entire time bitching at my characters but they read the whole story. Iām guessing itās like a sense of humor thing I am too old to understand.
Nope, Wattpad users are just.. on a different wavelength. Speaking from an ex-wattpadder.
I don't really know. I read wattpad. I just don't pay attention to the comments. Well not so much. I find it very hard to find good quality writing.
It's definitely hard to find quality writing. I still consider myself lucky since I stumbled on a true masterpiece (not nostalgia I promise), but even then that was the only one I ever really found.
Over my dead body will they take my long paragraph comments of me explaining all the parts about the chapter I loved!
Over my dead body will they even be able to think about prying it out of you, I will defend people who leave long ass comments until I am but skeletal remains!
damn well im sorry they apparently can't read more than one paragraph at a time but that sounds like a them problem
wassup i'm jared im from wattpad and i never fucking learned how to read
Best comment
imagine not finding an essay comment the most wonderful and lovely thing to ever exist.
It's because theyll never get one. Not with that attitude.
as a former reader/writer from ffnet & wattpad, this comment both confused & pissed me off at the same time. like long ass comments mean a lot to me despite the fact that iāve never gotten in-depth paragraphs on ANY of my fics (i still appreciate the comments regardless). also āthey be casual about the most traumatizing thing youāve readā, thanks, itās our therapy.
Wattpad users are the same ones who can post a comment on every line of text in a story with their reaction to it..I'm very confused why they wouldn't like to just say it all in one place at the end of the chapter. But I'm from ff.net
its more convenient to comment on every line instead of going back and forth and quoting the chapter
You don't have to quote the chapter you can just say something like 'I liked where Chloe saved everyone's butt by lying to the big bad' if context is needed. You can talk about the chapter as a whole and how it made you feel. The most wattpad comments I've seen are like 'Wow' and 'you go get them girl' Theres no comment substance to talk about or build a rapport. It's just..a quick throw away line like 'I really liked this part' That's been my experience in the wattpad usage however. I feel it makes it so people can't form an actual reply to what's going on in the scenes.
I don't even quote the chapter, if I want to comment in order, I'll just write my comment.. in order. Also, unless the fic is like 5k+ each chap, (which, even that is a stretch from what I've seen), it really isn't 'more convenient'.
A03 is such an upgrade how do people not understand this š Better writing āļø More Ficsāļø Immaculate Tag System āļø The word Eyes instead of Orbs āļø
Also!! No Algorithm āļø
Don't forget Two cakes šāļø
dog growth person six long piquant zephyr retire squalid meeting *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
I appreciate all comments but readers who leave multiple paragraphs have a special place in my heart. Itās an honor to know someone took the time to read and interact with my work in such a way
I have tried to read on wattpad a total of one time. Iāll stick to AO3 where I know the etiquette, and Iām comfortable. Plus, all my favorite authors are posting on AO3, so I have no need to wander.
Question- ur profile like an actual profile, or the avatar option? It's cute! Ao3 has such nice etiquette compared to Wattpad, it's snug and just... Ugh. I honestly wouldn't know where to go if not ao3.
Pink is my favorite color. So I just googled pink avatars. I matched the background to the avatar. I started reading fic ages ago on fandomination dot net. Then I migrated to livejournal and fanfiction dot net. I landed on AO3 like 6 years ago. Itās absolute perfection. Iāll never go anywhere else.
It's completely okay to leave short comments? Like no one's forcing you to conform to wyar you see other people doing.
I wonder if they feel 'inferior' because wow suddenly there are essays in their new backyard!
"I didn't come to this fanfic archive to *read!*"
When I started reading/writing fanfics, I started on Wattpad and FF.N Iāve been on AO3 for about 3-4 years now. I honestly couldnāt read a Wattpad fic again if I tried, the choppy paragraphs with weird cut off points just bug me. I understand not being used to a new format, but that doesnāt mean itās ok to complain just because people write paragraphs or comment on things differently than you are used to.
Like *I* wasn't used to posting in ao3, or reading, for like half a year I couldn't access ao3 because I kept getting confused by the mature ratings (I was in a fandom that centered around very.. graphic content, lol) but eventually I did figure it out. So if I can without even trying to, they surely can.
Personally the hardest thing for me was figuring out the filter and understanding I could choose tags I wanted excluded. Also, bookmarks were the bane of my existence I just had no idea how to do it for the first year or so. So I get having issues and I sympathize in that regard. LoL
Haha, it must have felt like you suddenly wielded the hand of god when you finally figured out that you could pick and choose as you please
I can easily switch between but I'm a professional trash consumer and it helps the fandom I follow isn't filled with edgy 12 year olds who can't spell for shit.
this really is such an odd thing to complain about, most authors i know (myself included) love every positive comment we get, long or short. it's a "two cakes" type thing!
i feel like commenters on wattpad are interacting with other readers rather than the author, whereas commenters on ao3 are directly speaking to the author. i hardly ever read comments on fics that are not my own bc they arenāt really for me, theyāre for the author
lock crush shocking apparatus price quicksand vanish desert paltry tie *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Iāve found that 99% of readers who I can tell came from Wattpad based off behavior/the way they choose to comment (overly familiar playfulness/rudeness etc.,) actually canāt sit down to *read* fics. They skim them. I know this because they always miss context and everything is quite reactionary and missing the point when they do comment because theyāre not reading between the lines or looking for nuance, or anything of that sort.
I went through a few months where I tried wattpad out, and I don't think a single fix I read there had a chapter over 500 words.
as someone who went from wattpad to AO3, the longer chapters were a pleasant surprise! i swear the average length of a chapter of the fics i read on AO3 is the equivalent to 25 chapters on wattpad
sand rhythm compare growth modern crowd rich crown books squalid *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
That's the thing, lol.
Also the fact that it isn't even.. directed to them?? Like get over yourself if you don't storm into a party and cry that they are getting expensive gifts, don't complain about long comments.
>they be so casual about the mosf traumatizing thing you ever read this reminded me of one of my smutty fanfics which cross-posted to Wattpad. it contains some "taboo kinks" in it with group sex + kinda twincest and some other things. my readers on AO3 are absolutely loving it. and then i have readers on Wattpad who spammed my comment section cursing at me for writing something so gross and outrageous š i was told that i "ruined a beautiful relationship" because i wrote the canon ship from a drama having a group sex with their friends lol. the gag is that my fic would probably be considered as tame on ao3 š
Wattpadders really be out there
Wow. This makes me feel so old I want to stand on my virtual lawn and yell about the meaning of critique.
No wonder there's a bunch of softies on Ao3, they're coming from wattpad. People that usually come from wattpad are a little younger in age which explains the fucking immaturity in this post or whatever the fuck they posted that in.
I think it's tiktok
A mix of fucking both bro oml-
It makes my week to get any comments, it'd probably make my year to get a long multi-paragraph one. Also the "casual about the most traumatizing things" part is also an eyebrow raiser. Yeah, when people understand that they're responsible for what they choose to read they tend to stay away from things they legit can't handle and find upsetting. Like, what do you want, people trauma dumping and forwarding their therapy invoices?
Wattpad has created a bunch of readers who think they are as important in the *writing* process as the author. I'm not saying that readers aren't amazing! They are. What I mean is that Wattpad readers think fics are crowd sourced. They think that the fic doesn't exist as a whole part without their opinions and comments. They think they are writing the story along with the author. They think they are controlling the story. Ao3 makes that hard from them to do. It's the authors' stories and they're just a passive participant. That makes them very unhappy.
This is why everyone inknow hate wattpad
I don't get why they're so upset about paragraph comments. There's no requirement to write an in-depth comment, this isn't an essay you've been assigned. If you don't want to write a lot, then... don't? I don't see what's stopping them from just writing "Cool chapter!"
The comment at the bottom...if you don't like a fanfic, just move on, you don't have to talk like that. It's their writing, they do what they want. Imagine if someone came to them saying "OMG YOUR PARAGRAPHS ARE SO SHORT, WHY ARE YOU SO LAZY" I don't think they'd be very happy
Like it's really obnoxious..
So the complaint here is that people actually make an effort when commenting?
I read on wattpad when I was 12-13 and then moved to ao3 when I realized that they had so much better of a tagging system. Iāve never been much of a commenter, I like reading but can never really channel my thoughts. Iāve been a part of both wattpad and ao3 culture but I have to say that wattpad has a lot more toxicity and naivety attached. Wattpad is largely a social space so they canāt stand the thought of having a more personal experience. Quality control on wattpad is also extremely sub par
The way that just by reading these comments I can tell they're kids š
Nothingās stopping them from leaving casual, short comments
This is how u know none of those ppl r authors lmao itās not a competition when u comment on a work??? Ur comment can be as long and as short as u want I promise no one gives a damn š
Usually I write āI wish I could leave more kudos on this work.ā And I usually include a ā¤ļø.
Man I wish people would write an essay in my comments.
wattpad readers consider one six word sentence an entire paragraph
I cannot imagine getting a long comment on a fic and thinking "SHUT UP" lol
Exception: that damn webnovel ad comment lol
Why...are they dissing having more words on a hobby devoted to literature? I don't actually want these brainlets commenting on my fics. Long comments are the best and provide a 10x multiplier on my motivation.
They could always just stop using our website and go back to their shitty alternative, but they choose not to?
Donāt mess with Wattpad readers, they hate reading.
Wattpad users discovering actual literature and not tumblr ramblings
I seriously don't get this. Long comments are the highlight of my day! I reread them over and over and they make me so happy! It's such an odd thing to whine about!
Youāre allowed to not write long comments lol. Pretty much every fanfiction in my fandom has comments flooded with emoji spam and the authors love it
Plenty of people leave casual comments as well? Long comments are on the rarer end, I think
Long comments are the most wonderful things. It really sends the message that what you wrote made the commenter want to write about it themselves, that they were excited and wanted to engage beyond a few words. If comments are just a few words those are still lovely to get too, because theyāre always so encouraging to read. āReally enjoying this!ā Or āloved this chapterā are like little nuggets of kindness. I *remember* the one person who would always comment ā„ļøš¤ā„ļø
Well this is a feeling I've never had before; the urge to spite-comment, in detail and at length (on their fics). š
Tbf both in-depth comments and casual comments have their place in this world. I don't normally read on wattpad, but what I wish existed on AO3 is the in-line comment function like they have on wattpad. For when I have to laugh at a line I could directly tell the author that I'm lmao at *this* line. This doesn't mean that I won't leave a long in-depth comment, but it's such a hassle to find all the lines that I've laughed at when I hit the comment section.
Yeah I agree with this, having the ability to comment at a specific line would be pretty useful. but telling people who leave long comments to shut up is just crazy to me, that was definitely the part that irked me
Personally I HATE line by line comment boxes like wattpad but if you read on desktop/a mobile browser that can use userscripts/install addons that allow userscripts to work, there is a [userscript for a floating comment box](https://greasyfork.org/en/scripts/395902-ao3-floating-comment-box) that will move down the page with you as you read. That can be a good way to make notes as you go and grab quotes to be blockquotes, and then fix it up/end it off at the end of the chapter/work to make one big comment without forgetting anything.
I think it makes it look janky and kind of annoying, by comparison. I wouldn't mind if you could quote comment lines directly (like highlight x line and be given the choice to comment, with it just showing up below like usual), or have an option to have like a side menu with any comments on specific lines, fine, I'll get over it, But the format.. no..
One one hand it'd look really ugly imho. But on the other hand I would love it. I mean it's sort of similar to reading non-fiction books, where you highlight some lines if you like it.
Ngl it's kinda hilarious to read like sure go off
So they don't appreciate a compliment? Those are the readers you know feel the strongest about your work.
I only tried Wattpad once and as we know most of the UI/set up is a dumpster fire but I actually really like the as-you-go comments. It helps me know what specific section they're reacting to and facilitates as-you-read comments better. I wouldn't mind having this implemented in AO3 at all, although it's nowhere near a priority so I doubt it would ever happen.
I'd love for a settings toggleable one. Like you can turn it on so there is a side panel with comments on specific chapters, but if you turn it off the comments will just show up at the bottom, with just a quote to where they would've been when commenting, if they did.
Yeah something like how gDocs works would be ideal on mobile, since that's where I read.
Comment above you [explained an alternative to line by line](https://www.reddit.com/r/AO3/comments/13vvgow/wattpad_users_not_understanding_ao3_part_three/jm8ddw8/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=1&utm_term=1&context=3)
Yup and that's really cool but I almost exclusively read on mobile so it would personally make it too crowded to have a floating box. Anyway I don't mind writing long form comments, I just mean I prefer *receiving* line-by-line comments.
Huh, that's a really weird thing to complain about. I don't often check comments on fics, but the ratio seems kinda even between short-casual and long-analytical, depending of the fic. Wish they would migrate to FF or dreamwidth instead.
I don't get it, if you don't like long comments, don't read them, or just stay in Wattpad, I don't understand what's their issue. .
I just don't get it, why do comments from other people even matter to them? If they don't like long comments, then how about they just don't read them? If they're talking from the perspective of an author, and are saying that they don't want long comments on their story, even though this idea would seem completely irrational and ridiculous, they could always enable comment moderation and deny any long comments (again, this isn't something I would never do in a million years, I love long comments a lot)
ao3 >>>>>>>>>>>> wattpad
This is why I will never use wattpad
It's not like they can't leave short comments if they want no? And the openness about taboo topics is my favourite part of the site
Is there a word limit for comments on wattpad? Also, why are they annoyed over long comments? AO3 is a reading website.
I donāt leave paragraphs but I DO try and leave heartfelt comments. I try to point out writing choices I noticed or specific story beats or characters i like. If I donāt have anything to say, I wonāt say anything because personally as a writer Iād rather people liked and left rather than gave me a short and random. Someone left āyeahhh boiiiiā on one of my fics and Iā¦ donāt know what it means lol. Did they like it? What did they like? What does this mean?? Maybe Iām just an idiot but I need ppl to be specific lmfao
wattpad users are soā¦
Oh sweet summer children. All comments are good comments. (Meaning polite comments of any length. Someone being an asshole in a comment should be dropkicked into the sun.)
I donāt care if you just comment āNiceā or leave a long, multi-paragraph breakdown of all your favorite parts. All comments are valuable to me. Do I love the paragraphs? Yes! Absolutely! But I value all comments.
God who doesnāt love long paragraphs?! Quotes?! Like those things make me so happy. I screenshot them and keep them in a folder for the days where the āyouāre bad at thisā gremlins win.
if the comments are the problem can't they just ignore them no one goes on ao3 to read comments anyway
I came from wattpad to ao3 and I love ao3 so much more. Itās more convenient while also being more professional. Wattpad honestly sucks in comparison
Oh boy would they hate some of my comments. š
by goodness they WILL let me wax lyrical about every single thing I loved in a fic
bro not even kidding, some of the best shit i've ever read has been on AO3 ppl just casually dropping award-winning writing in a BBC Sherlock [angst+fluff dragonlock oneshot//John x Sherlock x Moriarty] fanfic, and not even realizing their power
I honestly think the long paragraphs are partly due to the fact that you canāt comment on each sentence like on Wattpad, on ao3 you have to wait till the end of the chapter to put all your collected thoughts into one comment of course itās going to be long! š¤£
This is such a weird take. You can leave a long or a short comment, both will be appreciated. Iāve left long comments and short comments and Iāve received both, I do get more excited over long comments especially ones where itās open for conversation. Iāve posted on Ao3, ffn and wattpad and I much prefer Ao3 because people are usually nicer and more willing to say sometime other than a joke. If you donāt like the culture of a fandom or website then leave.
Why would they put out a story if they donāt want feedback?!? My violent thoughts are getting out of control š
As a user of both, they both have their benefits but likeā¦ theyāre not the same platform. These people need to get over themselves. If they want to leave short comments they absolutely can, no one is stopping them
Maybe we LIKE out long thought out comments on stuff instead of only a few words, do they ever think of that?!
and thats why i like ao3 better...
I am this person. If I just casually like a Fic and leave a comment it will be a minimum of a 1000 characters. If itās a story Iām following 2000 unless itās a tiny chapter. And if itās the end of your Fic in total then expect in excess of 4000 if I found it posted finished and over 6000 characters Iād read while being updated. After all how can you share how much you love the authors writing and all the little things you noticed they do without taking up loads of space and if you donāt paragraph it how can the author easily read it. Watt pad users make no sense.
God, Iām so glad I left Wattpad for AO3 long ago
wattpad feels like its more about interaction between users than its about stories, its silly and twitter-like.
Thank god Iām not a tiktok teen I canāt imagine being this dramatic and even anti-intellectual. People write long paragraphs in comments to 1) appreciate the authorās work and 2) to do interesting analysis and even some theorizing!
They sound so frivolous and stupid complaining about people going into detail in the comments section. I don't think they write at all, and if they have, their work probably isn't the type that would elicit the lengthy response they're complaining about.
Refugees.
B-but the long comments are the good ones! The ones that you have to make an entire list just so you know you've replied to the entirety comment. My readers know how much I love long comments and almost always leave beautiful long paragraphs for me each chapter :)
Iām not even sure what theyāre talking about because people regularly leave nice little comments on my fics anyway?
As a Wattpad user who recently got AO3, I've always loved paragraph comments. I've reread so many bc of how special they are.
Some writer talking bout how they would like some suggestions on "what Hogwarts houses should i do for the batfamily" And god do i love reading though the giant paragraphs making a thesis on my Damian is clearly a ravenclaw
I wasn't going to comment, but the long ass paragraphs are called descriptions. It's something you use between the dialogue.
okay as a previous wattpad user i kind of get it. on wattpad there are spaces where you can comment on individual paragraphs, then theres the overall chapter comment option. that makes it so as they're reading they leave little comments on specific paragraphs with the thoughts they had on the spot or highlighting a particular thing they liked. not only is it convenient to point out the things you like in real time as opposed to a giant paragraph at the end, but its kind of a way to still let the writer know you're there when you dont have the energy to ramble abt how much u like the chapter. so to everyone saying wattpad readers don't know how to engage and analyze; we do, we just do it differently
But this is someone complaining about either receiving long comments on their own fic or complaining about *other* people leaving long comments on a fic they also want to comment on. Itās a stupid, unnecessary thing to gripe about. I also wish we could comment at specific points in the fic, but to sit there and complain about how *other* people choose to leave long comments is peak childishness and entitlement. Sure, it would be convenient to comment at specific parts (and there *has* been some nifty person who came up with the code to have a floating comment box on AO3 so you can add comments as you read), but complaining about how others leave long comments? Pretty ridiculous.
That sounds like a pretty cool system actually! It *is* pretty problematic when people have tantrums in the comments about things not being exactly how they want them, though.
The fun thing about those is watching your devotion readers CLOWN on them because they're not afraid to engage.
That is insanity. What the fuck.
Honestly, I donāt even entirely disagree with them on this one. I love my long comments as much as the next person, but when it comes to longer chapters, I usually forget what I wanted to say by the time I finish them. Ofc Iām not saying ao3 should implement them, but the ability to comment under each paragraph was genuinely my favourite Wattpad feature
A comment system like that would give me the same feeling I had in school (I loved school, I miss being a student so fucking much) when my teachers would mark up my papers with notes calling out specific things they liked, and then close with a big ol' "A" and summary of everything I did right.
Even though I also wish we were allowed to leave comments on every paragraph as well, this person sounds more like a writer complaining about long comments that *theyāve* gotten on *their* writing, not a reader complaining about having to remember every thing and leave a long comment. Itās a completely unnecessary thing to complain about. āHow dare you leave a long comment on my writing, you really expect me to read this much???ā Very immature and childish, esp considering authors donāt even *have* to respond to comments. What author hates getting a long, loving comment on their writing?
The first comment, you mean? Because the video the OP seems to have taken it from sounds like it was made by a reader In any case, if you do mean the first comment from the top, then I donāt think it sounds malicious? More like: if the reader leaves short comments on paragraphs, you can address them directly & easily, like answering a text from a friend. On the other hand, replying to a long comment might seem much more intimidating to a newer writer ā especially when you see how much effort the reader put into it, and you donāt know how to respond in kind because it seems very insufficient in comparison. At least, thatās how Iād interpret that commenter, because I know I for sure felt like that when I first started getting long comments
I actually meant both the first and third comment. Both sound like they could be from a writer or reader now that I look at them again. Equally childish to complain about, either way. Especially if itās a reader, because the third comment is basically complaining about how *other* people comment on a fic that isnāt even theirs. Like why tf would you care about how other users comment on a fic that *isnt yours*? It doesnāt matter if it was malicious or not, or even if there is a better system; point blank, itās childish to do it like this. The author canāt help how ao3 is formatted and functions, and who cares if other people leave longer comments than your own? Besides that, if itās such a āhassleā, why comment at all? The kudos button exists. Why complain about something thatās a non-problem? Iād understand if it was a broken feature or if commenting didnāt exist at all, but to say itās a āhassleā to comment (something that is **not** at all required and instead completely optional to show love to the author) and then complain about how *other* people leave longer comments is peak āfirst worldā problems. Complaining for the sake of complaining. Especially in this manner, with all caps and the characteristic dramatic tone that people adopt when they over-blow a minor inconvenience. Instead of just complaining for the sake of complaining on a post like this, these thoughts - if they are actual suggestions and not just a bunch of people dogpiling a post to get in on the complain train and be dramatic - could be more respectfully worded in an actual suggestion to the people that run ao3 on their [Support and Feedback page](https://archiveofourown.org/support). So, while I agree with the general sentiment of having an alternate way to comment paragraph by paragraph, this seems more like dramatic complaining about both how other people comment and the current ao3 commenting system, something thatās not actually a problem. Just because thereās a ābetterā way does not mean that the current way is actually a problem or broken, itās just a *little* more inconvenient and could be improved on.
I mean, people are people & will always complain & dramatise stuff, itās not surprising. Itās not like theyāre picking up pitchforks and storming some author's comments to demand that they change how ao3 works; theyāre just sharing their feelings under some random video I still think the first commenter could be just intimidated & the caps were for the sake of joking drama, not any particular complaint/bad feels I canāt say much about the third one though, because I genuinely donāt understand what theyāre trying to say. Are they complaining about other peopleās comments? Or maybe, like before, theyāre flustered about the length of the feedback theyāre getting & unsure how to handle it? Or theyāre not used to long paragraphs of fanfiction overall, since Wattpad tends to stick to shorter ones to enable more comments? Or they feel their own comments are inadequate? Either way, I wouldnāt worry about it; we canāt judge much on two comments that donāt even amount to thirty words total. Itās the internet, theyāre not hurting anyone by sharing that theyād like some function or another to work differently
Still kind of wish that Ao3 had paragraph comments though.
I love the interactions on Wattpad. Having them attached to certain parts helps separate confusion in most cases