or when I’m exhausted, sad or similar as a way to cheer me up; in both situations I usually don’t have the means (either technically or mentally) to finish my reading with leaving a comment on the fic...the phases of “energy so low I can just read fic” vs. “energy high enough that I can write comments on them” are absolutely not distributed evenly
This is definitely an interesting perspective to me as someone who reads differently.
because at some point I just don’t have the time and energy anymore to sit down and write another 3-4 hours long reply, no matter how much I enjoy the conversation
Oh my gosh! I don't blame you--3-4 hours is SO long!
Right now I’m still trying to internalise and apply the belief that “a small comment, even if what you want to leave is a 1k-praise and dissection of the story, is better than no comment at all”,
Yeah, I'm a big believer in the small-comment-is-better-than-none philosophy, because what I want as a writer is some sort of...acknowledgment that people actually engaged with the fic enough to bother to reply. Kudos just don't do this for me (probably because kudos/likes are a very new invention in the grand scheme of my internet life). Whereas even if someone just says "I enjoyed this story a lot!" I feel like I'm being treated as a person and not a content-provider. I don't want to feel like I'm yelling into the void, and only actual words, no matter how few, from an actual person makes me feel that I'm actually reaching actual people. Does that make sense?
But… over time, such experiences regarding comments just add up, making one in turn wary about how and where to spend one’s time and energy (especially if those are really limited goods).
Yes, I can see this.
I do think that you're right that there aren't really solid norms in place for how to interact on AO3 in the same way that there were on LJ. This is something I'll need to pick apart more.
if everyone can just do fandom the way they want to without being bothered by those who do it differently, everything’s fine and peachy. Where spaces are shared, expectations differ wildly, and it feels like one’s the sore thumb sticking out in a landscape that’s totally different from everything you envision, is when the disappointment starts to happen…
no subject
or when I’m exhausted, sad or similar as a way to cheer me up; in both situations I usually don’t have the means (either technically or mentally) to finish my reading with leaving a comment on the fic...the phases of “energy so low I can just read fic” vs. “energy high enough that I can write comments on them” are absolutely not distributed evenly
This is definitely an interesting perspective to me as someone who reads differently.
because at some point I just don’t have the time and energy anymore to sit down and write another 3-4 hours long reply, no matter how much I enjoy the conversation
Oh my gosh! I don't blame you--3-4 hours is SO long!
Right now I’m still trying to internalise and apply the belief that “a small comment, even if what you want to leave is a 1k-praise and dissection of the story, is better than no comment at all”,
Yeah, I'm a big believer in the small-comment-is-better-than-none philosophy, because what I want as a writer is some sort of...acknowledgment that people actually engaged with the fic enough to bother to reply. Kudos just don't do this for me (probably because kudos/likes are a very new invention in the grand scheme of my internet life). Whereas even if someone just says "I enjoyed this story a lot!" I feel like I'm being treated as a person and not a content-provider. I don't want to feel like I'm yelling into the void, and only actual words, no matter how few, from an actual person makes me feel that I'm actually reaching actual people. Does that make sense?
But… over time, such experiences regarding comments just add up, making one in turn wary about how and where to spend one’s time and energy (especially if those are really limited goods).
Yes, I can see this.
I do think that you're right that there aren't really solid norms in place for how to interact on AO3 in the same way that there were on LJ. This is something I'll need to pick apart more.
if everyone can just do fandom the way they want to without being bothered by those who do it differently, everything’s fine and peachy. Where spaces are shared, expectations differ wildly, and it feels like one’s the sore thumb sticking out in a landscape that’s totally different from everything you envision, is when the disappointment starts to happen…
Absolutely!