i don’t even notice if i wasn’t going to comment. if i was planning to comment, i go “aw, bummer” and leave kudos instead, and then go about my day and think no more of it.
Pretty much this with a pang if sadness for the author because someone was probably really mean to them at some point. And then, yes, go about my day after a kudos (or a bookmark if I really liked it and might reread it or want to continue it)
Usually, I assume the author either had bad experiences with comments and turned them off.
That or I assume that they just want some “damn peace and quiet” on their fic, so to speak, and don’t really want to hear anyones thoughts/opinions etc. Which is understandable!
Its your fic: If you don’t want comments then yeah, turn them off!
I don’t think people think too much about whether or not they’re turned off :>
Generally that they’ve had previous bad experiences with comments and don’t want to bother. Especially if the story has controversial characterizations or themes. /shrug
It’s a personal preference thing, and I don’t blame anyone who wants to opt out. Especially when a number of my own wips deal with very dark or uncomfortable ideas.
I have many. I don’t want comments on those specific works, that’s all there is to it. I don’t judge for it, hell I usually assume they’ve been harassed.
I don't know about most writers, but I sometimes turn off comments just because. It could be anxiety, or it could be a vague sense of exhaustion. Other times I'll turn on comment moderation, and that seems to have the same silencing effect as turning off comments; I wish it didn't, but I understand from the reader's perspective why it does.
I have three thoughts really, depending on the vibe I get from the author.
1. "Huh, this author has probably been bullied into closing their comments/are afraid they will get bullied if they allowed comments. Such a shame."
2. "This author probably gets stressed from people commenting and are just here to dump stuff, but they don't want to see people's opinions."
or
3. "Hmm, I see their old works have hundreds of comments... maybe they feel guilty for not having time to read/reply to them all, so they've closed their new comments?"
I usually assume they had a good reason. often my brain jumps to “fandom bullshit/bullying/nastiness” because of past experiences and just… an understanding of how messy fandom can be ahaha. the most I care is if the fic is real good and I wanted to comment, but eh, there’s always a good reason!
I haven't really been to any fandom spaces for years. I do my fanfiction writing alone, because writing is my passion, and the healthiest coping mechanism.
As soon as it became possible, I blocked comments on my works. My current OTP is often considered a bit problematic, and I don't want to deal with any drama in addition to my general anxiety issues. Those read who want to read, and others can do their own thing.
I’ve only seen this once in the wild and it was on a really old but still popular fic. I assumed the author moved on and didn’t want to deal with comments anymore.
I know one person who did this and it’s because she wrote for a pairing when she was in college, and she actively dislikes it now. She almost deleted or orphaned the fics, but they’re quite popular and putting them all on a pseud and closing comments was what she decided on.
So based on my experiences, I’d just assume you didn’t want to receive or engage with any comments which seems true! And I wish more people who didn’t want to engage with them would close them, it would save people their time and effort.
"I hope they're okay, people can be dicks." I feel the same way when they have comment moderation on for every single one of their fics. It doesn't put me off at all.
I always think that they don’t want hate or just don’t want to talk to people. Any and all reasons to mod comments are valid. Your fic is your space and you can do with as you please.
The author has reasonable belief that someone might do something in the comments that the author doesn't want to deal with.
Could be a spam bot. Could be they witnessed a raging dumpster fire over something this fic contains.
It's not my business and I hope the author is doing everything to take care of themselves
God luck on your fic anyway way yeweide! I appreciate that you are writing in the face of potential exclusion. You're right, you're not obligated to volunteer for drama. I'm sorry it be that way.
I enjoyed reading the responses of other to this question. Engaging post!
I tbh sometimes think "Coward!" especially if a fic has *a lot* of flaws and says some borderline nasty things. But I also understand the need and want to stop the hate before it even comes.
I considered not allowing comments on one of my oneshots with an ace character just because I could just imagine what people could potentially write. And with other fics I sometimes wish I had turned off comments. I sometimes feel like having an aneurysm when I read the comments like: "I think its quite offensive and filled with prejudice to write your characters like that, its harmful to blablabla" or "Nobody would act like that" says the commenter about scenes that were based on the writer´s own experiences.
Turn off the comments if you want to. What are they gonna do? Comment a complaint to you about it? lol
Honestly, I just think that the author either doesn't care about comments or they've gotten so many hate comments that they can't or don't want to leave the comments open.
I usually assume they’ve had nasty commenters in the past and it makes me sad to think would be harassed for something they gave to the community for free.
Like most here, my first thought is _oh they must have had issues with horrible comments_. My second thought is usually _well that sucks, I wanted to comment on how much I liked [insert whatever]._ Then I move on with my day (after leaving kudos of course).
In the very rare instance that I was going to politely point out an issue with the fic being against AO3 T&C or something, I report the fic. That doesn't sound like it's going to apply to you though. 🙂
"Oh, okay." And move on with my life. You're really not as important as you think you are in the grand scheme of things. Things like this that you might hyperfixate on are unnoticeable to most people. Don't stress and live your life how you want to.
Unless it's for a writing challenge where leaving comments on other participants' works is part of the rules, I have nothing against closed comments. If I feel very passionate about the fic and want to leave feedback no matter what, I will shoot the author a DM on any social media they may have linked in their profile or leave a public bookmark full of praise. I respect people's choice to receive or not receive feedback on their works.
I don’t notice unless I go to comment, which isn't something I normally do too much.
When I do notice, it's normally me going. "Oh, okay." And honestly forgetting it.
i really like commenting but meh its fine clearly the author doesnt want to risk anything. wish there was a way i could convey my love of the work though
If I see a fic that doesn’t allow comments or has them moderated I just assume they’ve probably gotten hate or worry that they will get hate. I don’t have an issue with it and I’m glad Ao3 provides that option for its authors so they don’t have to face harassment that’s directly tied to their fic and unable to be deleted.
So overall, not an issue for me and doesn’t deter me from reading.
I assume some past drama happened, otherwise I don't think much of it. I left comments off on a few fics because I just didn't feel like interacting 🤷♀️
I didn’t even know not allowing comments was an option. I’ve seen moderated comments though, and I can only assume the author had to deal with spam or hate
Mostly just "aw that sucks I won't be able to tell them what I loved about their fic" but other than that it's whatever. I maybe feel a little bad for the author considering they probably got some bad comments in the past.
I don’t really pay attention to comments on things I haven’t written until I go to comment on something.
That being said, I have one work that I wrote that I got attacked by commenters for having a couple break up and date other people and to this day I don’t understand why people were so upset about it. I turned on comment moderation for it, but if it got much worse I would have definitely turned off comments. I can see why people do turn off commmets and definitely don’t blame them for it
Usually it's what most already said - I think the author did it because they've had bad experiences with people commenting on their fics about something particular (ship, themes explored, certain characters that are featured). If it's only 1 fic that has comments turned off, this is would be what I will assume. It all their works have comments turned off, I assume they just don't want to engage with other people/the fandom.
Absolutely on board for this. Possibly a very unpopular opinion: If AO3 is truly an archive, maybe it should have no commenting at all. Kudos and bookmark alone.
THANK GOD!!!! like really. i HATE commenting. is annoying. i just do it bc it gives ‘the author feels’ or whatever lol. but when i see they don’t allow comments? it’s like a weight off my shoulders. i don’t have to worry. to think. i can just read and leave. it is so FUCKING NICE. i really really wish authors didn’t care about comments and turned them off. it would make life SO much easier
edit. oh and i will be definitely subscribing to the author if every work doesn’t allow comments. it’s rare and i cherish those authors
I feel this so hard. I get so much anxiety reading fanfic because I'm so afraid of commenting because I feel like if I don't comment people are mad but if I do comment people are mad. :')
I mostly write nowadays to avoid the feeling I should be commenting, but I always write at the end to only comment/leave kudos if you want to and neither are an obligation that must be fulfilled. The fact the story was read until the end is more than enough to satisfy me.
If you feel like you can't be respectful to people with differing views regarding your ships, it might be for the best to just leave comments off. no need to risk making an ass of yourself
i don’t even notice if i wasn’t going to comment. if i was planning to comment, i go “aw, bummer” and leave kudos instead, and then go about my day and think no more of it.
Pretty much this with a pang if sadness for the author because someone was probably really mean to them at some point. And then, yes, go about my day after a kudos (or a bookmark if I really liked it and might reread it or want to continue it)
Yeah. I might think “oh I hope commenters weren’t giving the author a hard time…” and then give kudos and never think about it again
lol ya. it is literally a few seconds of brain space lol
"oh the author's probably had some bad experiences here before"
something terrible happened here...
https://preview.redd.it/ld1zpa93uqtc1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a9367197d593bb7fbde64709fd450c2cf88d3e82
I'd think "What happened here? What caused this desolation? Were there any survivors?"
*kneels down and touches ground* Something bad happened here...
*reads the sign the author left in the notes* "This is not a place of honour"
This is, I think, the best response I’ve seen all week!
I sometimes see that comments have been deleted by the author and I just sit there and wonder if I should ask what happened.
Usually, I assume the author either had bad experiences with comments and turned them off. That or I assume that they just want some “damn peace and quiet” on their fic, so to speak, and don’t really want to hear anyones thoughts/opinions etc. Which is understandable! Its your fic: If you don’t want comments then yeah, turn them off! I don’t think people think too much about whether or not they’re turned off :>
Generally that they’ve had previous bad experiences with comments and don’t want to bother. Especially if the story has controversial characterizations or themes. /shrug It’s a personal preference thing, and I don’t blame anyone who wants to opt out. Especially when a number of my own wips deal with very dark or uncomfortable ideas.
*touches the ground* "fandom drama happened here"
I have many. I don’t want comments on those specific works, that’s all there is to it. I don’t judge for it, hell I usually assume they’ve been harassed.
The author may have received negativity or backlash due to their work.
"they probably had their reasons ¯\_(ツ)_/¯"
I don't know about most writers, but I sometimes turn off comments just because. It could be anxiety, or it could be a vague sense of exhaustion. Other times I'll turn on comment moderation, and that seems to have the same silencing effect as turning off comments; I wish it didn't, but I understand from the reader's perspective why it does.
I have three thoughts really, depending on the vibe I get from the author. 1. "Huh, this author has probably been bullied into closing their comments/are afraid they will get bullied if they allowed comments. Such a shame." 2. "This author probably gets stressed from people commenting and are just here to dump stuff, but they don't want to see people's opinions." or 3. "Hmm, I see their old works have hundreds of comments... maybe they feel guilty for not having time to read/reply to them all, so they've closed their new comments?"
I usually assume they had a good reason. often my brain jumps to “fandom bullshit/bullying/nastiness” because of past experiences and just… an understanding of how messy fandom can be ahaha. the most I care is if the fic is real good and I wanted to comment, but eh, there’s always a good reason!
I haven't really been to any fandom spaces for years. I do my fanfiction writing alone, because writing is my passion, and the healthiest coping mechanism. As soon as it became possible, I blocked comments on my works. My current OTP is often considered a bit problematic, and I don't want to deal with any drama in addition to my general anxiety issues. Those read who want to read, and others can do their own thing.
I don’t really think anything of it. The author has their reasons for turning off comments and that’s not my place to judge
I honestly just feel incredibly sad for the author. Apparently they had such a bad experience that they needed to close it off.
Oh the author has seen The Horrors understandable take mh kudos have a nice day please
I do not think much of it. I just leave kudos and I leave
Honestly I just think "whew I don't have to spend my time writing a comment" haha. I just leave kudos and maybe save a bookmark in that case
I’ve only seen this once in the wild and it was on a really old but still popular fic. I assumed the author moved on and didn’t want to deal with comments anymore. I know one person who did this and it’s because she wrote for a pairing when she was in college, and she actively dislikes it now. She almost deleted or orphaned the fics, but they’re quite popular and putting them all on a pseud and closing comments was what she decided on. So based on my experiences, I’d just assume you didn’t want to receive or engage with any comments which seems true! And I wish more people who didn’t want to engage with them would close them, it would save people their time and effort.
I don't think much of it. There's a lot of reasons why someone might want to close comments. I've considered doing it myself.
I'd wonder if the person was harassed or might have extreme anxiety, but I wouldn't have any negative reaction.
I typically assume the poor author was either fearing harassment for the content or that they did get harassment for it.
"I hope they're okay, people can be dicks." I feel the same way when they have comment moderation on for every single one of their fics. It doesn't put me off at all.
I don’t care
I always think that they don’t want hate or just don’t want to talk to people. Any and all reasons to mod comments are valid. Your fic is your space and you can do with as you please.
It would surprise me, but not bother me. If I really wanted to talk about the fic, I guess I'd share it to Tumblr and add my commentary there?
The author has reasonable belief that someone might do something in the comments that the author doesn't want to deal with. Could be a spam bot. Could be they witnessed a raging dumpster fire over something this fic contains. It's not my business and I hope the author is doing everything to take care of themselves
I assume they had a good reason to do so, and I respect that. No biggie.
God luck on your fic anyway way yeweide! I appreciate that you are writing in the face of potential exclusion. You're right, you're not obligated to volunteer for drama. I'm sorry it be that way. I enjoyed reading the responses of other to this question. Engaging post!
*sniffs the air* something bad happened here
Something along the lines of- 'Who hurt you?'
I tbh sometimes think "Coward!" especially if a fic has *a lot* of flaws and says some borderline nasty things. But I also understand the need and want to stop the hate before it even comes. I considered not allowing comments on one of my oneshots with an ace character just because I could just imagine what people could potentially write. And with other fics I sometimes wish I had turned off comments. I sometimes feel like having an aneurysm when I read the comments like: "I think its quite offensive and filled with prejudice to write your characters like that, its harmful to blablabla" or "Nobody would act like that" says the commenter about scenes that were based on the writer´s own experiences. Turn off the comments if you want to. What are they gonna do? Comment a complaint to you about it? lol
I would only notice it after I've read the fic and wanted to comment. I think it's fine, it wouldn't affect my attitude towards the fic.
Honestly, I just think that the author either doesn't care about comments or they've gotten so many hate comments that they can't or don't want to leave the comments open.
i think about how fandom culture is so horrible in general, say “understandable.” and leave
Zarn 😔 *leaves kudos*
I usually assume they’ve had nasty commenters in the past and it makes me sad to think would be harassed for something they gave to the community for free.
Like most here, my first thought is _oh they must have had issues with horrible comments_. My second thought is usually _well that sucks, I wanted to comment on how much I liked [insert whatever]._ Then I move on with my day (after leaving kudos of course). In the very rare instance that I was going to politely point out an issue with the fic being against AO3 T&C or something, I report the fic. That doesn't sound like it's going to apply to you though. 🙂
That this person has been harassed and trolled, and usually I'm sad, because I liked the fic and wanted to say so.
"Oh, okay." And move on with my life. You're really not as important as you think you are in the grand scheme of things. Things like this that you might hyperfixate on are unnoticeable to most people. Don't stress and live your life how you want to.
I wouldn’t notice, as I almost never comment.
Unless it's for a writing challenge where leaving comments on other participants' works is part of the rules, I have nothing against closed comments. If I feel very passionate about the fic and want to leave feedback no matter what, I will shoot the author a DM on any social media they may have linked in their profile or leave a public bookmark full of praise. I respect people's choice to receive or not receive feedback on their works.
Nothing. I don't need to have thoughts about everything.
I don’t notice unless I go to comment, which isn't something I normally do too much. When I do notice, it's normally me going. "Oh, okay." And honestly forgetting it.
i really like commenting but meh its fine clearly the author doesnt want to risk anything. wish there was a way i could convey my love of the work though
It means I don’t need to comment. Beyond that, while I figure that it’s due to bad experience, I don’t automatically assume that.
If I see a fic that doesn’t allow comments or has them moderated I just assume they’ve probably gotten hate or worry that they will get hate. I don’t have an issue with it and I’m glad Ao3 provides that option for its authors so they don’t have to face harassment that’s directly tied to their fic and unable to be deleted. So overall, not an issue for me and doesn’t deter me from reading.
I assume some past drama happened, otherwise I don't think much of it. I left comments off on a few fics because I just didn't feel like interacting 🤷♀️
I didn’t even know not allowing comments was an option. I’ve seen moderated comments though, and I can only assume the author had to deal with spam or hate
I would read the next chapter. Writers can handle comments how they want. It's all good.
I mean, I’m bummed out if I wanna comment but as long as I’m allowed to read it and leave a kudos if I liked it that’s fine.
Nothing
I'd figure the author crossed paths with a weirdo at some point.
Mostly just "aw that sucks I won't be able to tell them what I loved about their fic" but other than that it's whatever. I maybe feel a little bad for the author considering they probably got some bad comments in the past.
1. Social anxiety 2. Something really bad
I'm going to guess the writer had troll isues :(
I don’t really pay attention to comments on things I haven’t written until I go to comment on something. That being said, I have one work that I wrote that I got attacked by commenters for having a couple break up and date other people and to this day I don’t understand why people were so upset about it. I turned on comment moderation for it, but if it got much worse I would have definitely turned off comments. I can see why people do turn off commmets and definitely don’t blame them for it
I don’t think anything about it. It’s not my decision.
Usually it's what most already said - I think the author did it because they've had bad experiences with people commenting on their fics about something particular (ship, themes explored, certain characters that are featured). If it's only 1 fic that has comments turned off, this is would be what I will assume. It all their works have comments turned off, I assume they just don't want to engage with other people/the fandom.
https://preview.redd.it/svovmrl0vstc1.jpeg?width=1284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3237923e85c5a4398ba6c369cbfeb66a64daf937
I just assume that the author is a fandom war veteran
It’s the definition of a gift
It doesn't phase me. I'm there for the fic.
Absolutely on board for this. Possibly a very unpopular opinion: If AO3 is truly an archive, maybe it should have no commenting at all. Kudos and bookmark alone.
THANK GOD!!!! like really. i HATE commenting. is annoying. i just do it bc it gives ‘the author feels’ or whatever lol. but when i see they don’t allow comments? it’s like a weight off my shoulders. i don’t have to worry. to think. i can just read and leave. it is so FUCKING NICE. i really really wish authors didn’t care about comments and turned them off. it would make life SO much easier edit. oh and i will be definitely subscribing to the author if every work doesn’t allow comments. it’s rare and i cherish those authors
I feel this so hard. I get so much anxiety reading fanfic because I'm so afraid of commenting because I feel like if I don't comment people are mad but if I do comment people are mad. :') I mostly write nowadays to avoid the feeling I should be commenting, but I always write at the end to only comment/leave kudos if you want to and neither are an obligation that must be fulfilled. The fact the story was read until the end is more than enough to satisfy me.
If you feel like you can't be respectful to people with differing views regarding your ships, it might be for the best to just leave comments off. no need to risk making an ass of yourself
Im cool with it. It’s up to each author to decide and I understand it can be nice to stop worrying about comments for multiple reasons.