YOU THERE! YES YOU! FIC READER!
I just read a fic from 2013 and left a comment on the end. The author responded within 3 hours.
Please leave comments on fics. It doesn't matter if you don't know what to say I literally made a joke about a space worm. Please comment on fics it'll make the authors day even if its from 9 years ago.
A few weeks ago I read and commented on a fic that had been posted to AO3 in 2013 but had actually been written in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The fandom itself is for a show from the mid 90s and afaik there is no active presence on Tumblr at all.
Both authors responded to my comment by the next day, beyond thrilled to have received it. Both expressed joy in knowing the fandom still lived on in some form and that my comment reminded them of how much fun they had writing the fic together over two decades ago.
Please please please comment on fics -- especially older ones -- even if it's just to leave a heart emoji or a key smash. Doing so really does mean a hell of a lot to the authors.
All of this. Fanfic and fan art are not like advertizer-focused social media, where posts are eaten up by the void within hours or minutes, and novelty is not only encouraged, but expected. Not even like Tumblr, where old posts that circulate are usually those that have remained popular. Fanfic is a smaller space. Outside of specific foci of popular interest, authors aren’t getting bombarded with messages. Your comment can be seen for what it is--the thoughts of a real, live person who took the time to look at something they created.
And that can really brighten somebody’s day.
I still get comments on Stealing Harry (the bulk of which was written prior to 2005 and is dated as such in AO3) or even my earlier Discworld fic, and it’ll be absolutely delightful and very flattering comments that will start or end with something like “I know this fic is super old and I don’t know what you’re doing now....”
And I’m like *Tony Hawk Voice* “Thank you! I am here. Doing this.”
Absolutely do leave comments on old fics, authors love it!
But also if you love a fic, like, go ahead and click that author name because the dumbass who wrote that fic you like in 2003 is possibly writing gay romance novels you will enjoy in 2023.

















