#fic comments

[not-freyja]

My personal thoughts on the whole “what if I’m being annoying” comment anxiety I see readers talking about on Ao3:

You’re not.

I read every comment with a smile. I re read every comment when I need motivation to write. I answer every single comment not out of obligation but out of a heartfelt feeling of joy that a person not only read my writing, but liked it enough to tell me about it!?

To my regular commenters: I know you on sight, I remember what it is you talked about in the last chapter, I am keeping track of the things you like and am actually posting the next chapter thinking oh so-and-so it going to love this bit, can’t wait to see what they say!

You aren’t obligated to comment. But know that 99.9% of fic authors will be overjoyed if you do 💖

#freyja writes fic #fandom #fandom culture #ao3 author #fic comments

[chainofclovers]

I'm curious: How do you perceive kudos? As the person whom you reblogged put it, I have comment anxiety, so I often stay silent. But kudos ... when I press that button I do so because I found the writing excellent, the story wonderfully crafted, it made me feel feelings (happy, sad, or everything in between), I thought about it for days/weeks after, etc. Do they mean the same to you as a recipient?

Hi anon! It makes me happy to see my email with kudos I received during the prior day, and I love seeing familiar usernames, kudos from friends, kudos from people whose usernames are entirely unfamiliar to me, kudos from one person on multiple stories. I don't believe I am owed comments or that anyone is owed comments, and it means a lot when someone takes the time to read one of my stories. That little gesture of pressing that kudos button is always appreciated.

But no, kudos don't mean the same thing to me as a comment does. Not because kudos isn't great, but because a comment feels so personal, like a gift. It's an immediate endorphin rush to read even a very short comment expressing what someone felt about a story. As a writer, nothing really beats someone taking the time to leave some written thoughts on my work. Whether it's a single line or a multi-paragraph deep dive, a comment notification makes my heart beat faster, simply put.

(And I'll add that I know that as a commenter, I sometimes leave those long multi-paragraph deep dives out of sheer enthusiasm. Other times, my comments are much shorter. I try not to get too in my head about that, hoping that authors appreciate a comment regardless of what kind of time I have. Also, the length of my own comments is NEVER something I'd want people reading my work to feel self-conscious about when choosing what to say about my stories...I love all comments, short and long, general and detailed!)

Some people are just not into leaving comments, and that's okay. I would never want leaving me a comment to feel like a chore, and as I said before, no one creating anything is owed a particular type of feedback. But since you said you have comment anxiety, that makes me infer that perhaps you want to be leaving comments, and would do so if it didn't make you feel anxious. So let me just say that in your ask to me, you constructed an absolutely perfect format for your comments:

"I found this writing excellent. It made me happy and I'm going to think about this for days."

"Your story was wonderfully crafted. I felt happy, sad, and every emotion in-between. I thought about it for *weeks* and now I'm back let you know!"

"Your writing is excellent. I'm so sad about [character] now, and just had to tell you."

You could always add something specific about what that person's writing was doing that felt so wonderfully crafted, or pull out a line or two that really stuck out to you as great, but there's certainly no obligation. The above comments, built out of your own words, would make my day to receive and I think I can speak for most writers here in saying it's hard to think of a writer who wouldn't feel the same. And in terms of the anxiety of having an interaction online...after leaving a comment like that, the "worst" thing that would happen is the writer feels happy about your comment but doesn't answer. (Which, again, their prerogative. No questions asked. Everyone interacts differently.) The best thing that could happen is that you'll hear back from a writer and be affirmed that your feedback made a real difference in their day. And either way, you'll know you made someone happy.

#fandom things #fandom #comment culture #fic comments #fanfic #asks #anon #this kinda stuff is one of the reasons why tl comment-a-thons have been one of my absolute favorite fandom things i've ever gotten to do #feedback is so great and keeping comment culture alive in fandoms is a huge part of fandom longevity

[sundrop-writes]

the new chapter of careful was so good! i really want to know the story behind their break up. cant wait for more <3

thank you so much!!! I'm so glad that you liked it <3

the story of their breaking up is coming in the next chapter. so the waiting to know what happened between them will finally be over lmao

I am most excited to post that chapter and see what everyone thinks of the break-up scene because it's such a highly anticipated part

Read It Here: Careful - Dad!Spencer Reid x Mom!Fem!Reader

#anonymous #fic comments #sundrop answers #spencer reid x reader #criminal minds fanfiction

[ae-azile]

Question: How do other fic writers who follow me on here feel about anonymous criticism?

For me, I got a comment today that was delivered mostly respectfully, but came from a guest account that has never commented before (to my knowledge). In the review itself, it was more heavy on me derailing my story, rather than touching upon the chapter itself. It wasn't necessarily trolling, and other days I would be fine with it, but I'm not having the greatest week, have a lot of stress, and felt the work I have put into the story/chapter went undervalued after getting 10k+ chapters out week after week. I really don't think that was this person's intent, but anonymous reviews and I haven't always had the best history.

At this point, I usually handle neutral or respectful criticism fine due to the extreme trolls my first fic attracted in a different fandom. However, I did delete that comment today. It was just the wrong day to read a comment that normally would bother me very little. I answered it pretty respectfully, but ended up deleting the thread after a few hours. I feel like this is mainly because I have had experiences with a reader criticizing certain plot points in the past (genuinely and not in necessarily in a mean way) only for the comment to attract hate from other anon users on that particular story.

Anyway, I have mixed feelings about deleting it and really hate silencing people, but some anon reviews expressing criticism make me paranoid that it will just attract an argument or a thread of hatred

So to the anon person that wrote it, it really isn't you. Your criticism wasn't out of line and you weren't harsh with your words at all. It was just something preventative I needed to do for myself on a bad mental health day because bad experiences make me question the intent or potential outcome.

#personal #kimchay fic writing #fic writers #kimchay fic #kinnporsche fic #fic comments #fic criticism

[elialys]

My favorite kind of comment in response to me calling out my readers for being more passive than ever is being told writing is most enjoyable when done for myself and that this is no paid gig.

Groundbreaking.

It never occured to me in the 20 years I have spent doing this and the +2,000,000 words I've written and published online that I was actually doing all of this for free and that the only thing I got for it was dopamine from my readers exchanging with me. I've actually had paid writing gigs, the only feedback I cared about was my editors'. Never felt bad about my writing while paid for it, it was a gig and I knew it.

I write fanfics for myself, I post them online for people. I enjoy the writing process for myself, what makes me feel like crap is the aftermath when I realize 99% of my readers don't bother with the community aspect of fic sharing anymore.

#love passive aggressive comments #still not making me want to go back to that fic honestly #Ii'll stick to my helendale readers #writing #fic writing #fic comments #ao3

[ask-the-prose]

Hi there!

I’m starting a new Anne of green gables fan fiction story. I want to make a good strong opening for the first chapter. I want to get readers on fan fiction hooked from the start. How can I do that? I would love to get as many reviews on this story as I can. I have written other Anne of green gables fan fiction and I just don’t seem to get reviews and I can’t understand why. I want people to enjoy my stories. I have the summary written up and the beginning of the first chapter written up if you would like to see it.

Thank you!

Hey! Thanks for the ask :) apologies for the delay. I’ve been sick with a nasty cold! That said, this is a great question and one that I regularly play around with, and because of that, I have A LOT to say. This got long. Sorry!

Fanfiction is a great way to build your storytelling skills, and I personally love writing fanfiction myself! Writing fanfiction and writing original fiction has a lot in common, and so a lot of advice can be applied either way. But there are some things that fanfiction does differently that original fiction just doesn't have the same pre-ready audience for! So let's look at fanfiction a little closer, and I'll use this ask as a basis for a quick little fanfiction guide!

The Differences Between Original Fiction and Fanfiction

If you're writing fanfiction you probably already know the difference between original fiction and fanfiction, but for those looking to use this guide for their own purposes, I want to talk a little more at length about how fanfiction and original fiction really differ beyond just the dictionary definition.

Fanfiction is creative content using characters or setting from an already established piece of work that you did not create yourself. Whereas original fiction is original to yourself.

This difference is important to understand because when writing your work, you do need to understand your audience and why things work the way that they do. For original fiction, you're working with an audience that you have to connect with. But with fanfiction, the audience is pre-made, already invested in the characters, the setting, and sometimes the plot as well.

With fanfiction you have some leeway with how to write your story because readers are coming to the fanfiction already knowing that you are not the original author. That being said, there are a lot of FF readers who expect your fic to resemble the canon work, and so with all fiction, you will need to choose your audience and who you are gearing your work for. Your work will not appeal to everybody, even if your audience is pre-built. Everybody has different tastes, so what works for some won't work for everyone.

Take Advantage of Canon

You're an experienced fic writer, from what you've said, so you are familiar with canon and I'm betting you've read other fics within your fandom, right? This can be used to your advantage.

Some of the most successful fics I've seen, and some that I've found are most appealing to me, are the ones that incorporate canon into the fic in new and reimagined ways. One way to do this is to match your writing style, which is a fun challenge if you're ever up to it. Another is to use symbols, motifs, and other aspects of the story in new ways or settings. One most relevant to your question, though, is to reference canon in your own fic.

It can be assumed most of the time that if a fan is reading your fic, there was something about the canon source that appealed to them. So if you're unsure how to start your fic with a hook, take a look closer at the canon. Really pick it apart, and take a look at what appeals to you and why.

Does the source start in media res (starting the story "in the middle")? Then you know that in media res would be an effective hook on this audience. If canon starts with a dream or another cliche, then using a cliche yourself may be forgiven at the least or even appealing to your audience. You know your fandom better than I do.

You don't HAVE to use whatever tool canon uses if you don't want to, but it is an excellent place to look first when making creative decisions about your fic.

The key to the hook involves tension. A good hook gets the reader engaged in the story by asking questions and making them wait for the answers. Your reader wants to know what's going to happen next, and the best way to do that is to read the rest! Tension is created using stakes, so you don't necessarily want to wait to give your reader a reason to care, but a little mystery goes a long, long way.

Getting Comments

This is where my personal advice may get disappointing.

Getting comments and reviews on your work is something that the writing community has always had a problem with in regard to how to get them and how to get more of them. I tend to stay away from this part of the discourse myself because my opinions tend to be unpopular, especially with newer writers. But the best thing I can say on this topic is this: comments and reviews are completely outside your control.

There isn't a magic system or style or process or cheat code that will get you more comments or reviews. And believe me, I've tried. I've written since I was literally 12, and in fandom, you will find the most engaged readers across any platform and any media. Original fiction is infinitely harder to get engagement with (you might see writers on tumblr talk about this at length) than fanfiction. And so when it comes to engagement, you have 1 point going in your direction by simply what media you've chosen.

Fanfiction, by its nature, is designed around a pre-built, already excited, and already engaged fan base. The people reading your fic already love the original source and are also probably discussing canon with others, searching for and enjoying fan art, memes, meta, whatever. So these people are already engaged. I've found that no matter how well you write and how interesting your fic idea is if your already-engaged audience doesn't leave comments in general, it's going to be hard to get them to do that differently.

I'm not familiar with Anne of Green Gables myself, so I'm not familiar with the fandom. But I've been in a large number of fandoms over the years across many different platforms. Comments on ao3 are not as common as comments on, say, ff.net. Wattpad is difficult to get readers on, let alone commenters. Royal Road and others have very specific user bases that engage with some content more than others. So comments can depend upon where you are posting your fic.

Comments can also depend on how large your fandom is and the specific fandom-wide attitude toward comments and discussion. I write fic in a small fandom right now, and while my views and kudos are pretty low compared to my larger fandoms, my comments are higher because there are fewer of us, and we all recognize each other's URL. Big fandoms may result in people being more comfortable with anonymity and choosing to lurk instead. That doesn't mean people don't like your work. They, for whatever reason, just don't want to say anything to anybody.

Fanfiction also has a lot of differences in engagement when talking about tropes or kinks. When tagging your fic, always tag it appropriately, but there will be a portion of your readers who clicked on your fic because of one or more of your tags. If you're writing explicit fic, people specifically looking for the kink you're writing for will be more engaged and more likely to comment because they want to see more of their chosen kink. The same goes for tropes like "enemies to lovers," "soulmate au," or "coffee shop au."

An 18-chapter soulmate au I wrote 5 years ago in a huge fandom got 68k views and 300+ comments. So looking at those metrics, you can say, large fandom +1, popular trope +1, it was a popular ship +1, and it was on ao3 +1, and 18 chapters = 18 times I was on the first page of the "recently posted" dashboard. Those boosted my chances of getting comments. On the other hand, let's look at what really matters here: ratios. If you count all of those comments, which about a third to half were response comments from me, then out of all of my viewers, .4% of them left a comment. Less than half a percent of my readers said anything to me. And that number goes down when you take out the comments that were mine. Taking out my responses and dividing them by chapters, that's about 8 unique comments per chapter. Not much when 68k pairs of eyes saw the fic, right?

Now if we look at a more recent example, I have a current fic that is in a small but engaged fandom, arranged marriage au (related to canon), and that one had about 20 comments and 500 views. That's 4% of people who clicked on the fic and left me a comment. I didn't respond to many of those comments this time around, so that ratio doesn't go down all that much depending on how we filter comments.

I've played around with trying to engage my audience. Things like asking a question in the author's note to spark conversation in the comments worked somewhat but not all the time. Responding to comments doesn't seem to affect that number either. People aren't really looking at whether you've talked to others in your comment section before leaving a comment themselves. Simply saying, "I'd love to hear your thoughts!" Tends to do enough for my taste, but ultimately that won't always work.

In general, engagement on fics has gone down in recent years. I don't have the numbers to back it up. I've been around a while, enough to have lost original documents for my works at least three times. From my experience, though, fandom has changed its culture from what it used to be. I don't have the answers, but I do know that there are clever ways to engage your audience that can still make fandom a fun place for you.

Ultimately this is a long-winded way of saying that you can't control other people's actions. Even some of the most incredible writers I've seen have struggled with the comment conundrum. It has nothing to do with you or your writing and everything to do with the other person and the millions of unpredictable factors that go into why they made the decision to leave or not to leave a comment. Believe me; it's hard not to let reader engagement affect your sense of pride in your own writing. And I've found the "write for yourself!" advice mostly useless.

The best you can do is the little things that drive clicks and increase eyes on your work. Everything else is up to the reader.

– Indy

#writing advice #writing tips #writing resources #writeblr #amwriting #writers of tumblr #writers on tumblr #writblr #writing help #writing guide #reader engagement #fanfiction #fanfics #fic writing #writing fanfic #ask answered #fic comments

[rainbowsuitcase]

What to comment on a fic when you don't know what to comment

Tips from a reader-writer who more than understands both sides of it

Point out your favorite parts "The confession scene was so cute" "I loved the fight scene" "The ending was amazing" (coming up with non-specific examples is hard LOL, but you get the point, right?)

Point out your emotions/what you're doing "OMG I'm crying" "Can't stop laughing HELP" "I'm laughing so hard and it's the middle of the night" "SCREAMING" "I should be sleeping but I'm screaming over this fic instead" "Screaming crying throwing up"

Literally anything As a writer, sure, it's nice to get long, superdetailed comments praising my characterization or foreshadowing or every single one of their favorite scenes, but it's just as nice to get the short ones. "This is awesome" "I love this" *a string of emojis* "Adorable!" "This is so sweet" "SO SOFT" "Thank you for sharing/writing/posting this story"

I think most writers will agree with me that a big part of why we love getting comments so much, is simply "Wow, you liked this story so much that you took a moment after finishing it to tell me that in words??" so even if you feel like you don't have much to say, it still feels like a lot to us.

#fanfiction #fandom #ao3 #fic writing #fandom culture #fic comments

[sotwk]

I love your TAKEN Story <3

I´m a Fan now :D please write a Sequel <3 <3 <3

My darling new friend,

It is so kind of you to take the time to send me Ask. ❤️ It is so rare these days (at least in my experience), but simple comments like these are such powerful motivation!

The sequel for "Taken" is definitely in the works, although still currently in the plotting stage. Honestly, I had been stuck on choosing which scene to open the all-important Chapter One with. But thanks to your comment, the wheels started turning, and now I know how I'm gonna do it! 😊

So thank you again! I'm so happy you loved the story. I hope you will enjoy the continuation just as much. Have a wonderful week!

(Let's have a little more Eomer just because.)

#sotwk answers #kind asks #reader appreciation #fic comments #sotwk fanfic: taken #eomer #eomer x reader #eomer fanfiction

[sourlemonsz]

One of my favorite commenters on my fic is this person that always criticizes either Bruce or Vance in their decisions they make and my favorite one was this:

Which translates to “What an […] teacher

In my old school they would have already put a chair in her back”

Which is soooo😭😭☠️ it’s so funny I look forward to their comments all the time

#I love them so much #the black phone #black phone #tbp fandom #robin arellano #movies #finney blake #tbp robin #brance #tbp fanart #bruce yamada #vance tbp #vance hopper black phone #brance fics #fics #ao3 #fic writers #fic comments

[kald-dal-write]

it makes so more sense why Maureen’s relationship with Blight is complicated, with all their interactions and how they both act I thought they would getting along or like each other, I wanna know whether he knew he threw the rock at Sam’s direction or not tho, or his reaction in the replay when he kinda killed her, gotta love background characters 👍👍

Feel like Blight didn't know at the moment. He was frozen in fear and was just thinking how to get the mutts away from him.

Think he realised what he done when he heard the echoing of screaming and the canon that followed afterwards. He didn't know who it was until the recaps though. Probably understanding why Maureen acted really weird around him afterwards.

But yeah probably right that Maureen and Blight could have gotten along very well outside of the context of the games.

Like Maureen is probably well aware that he didn't mean anything bad, so she just feels bad being around him :')

#tofs tag #tofs questions #fic comments #character: blight larson #character: maureen trevi

[sundrop-writes]

Hi, I just wanted to let you know that I love your writing, especially your series ‘Careful’. I just found it yesterday and binged all of it that is currently up and I seriously can’t say enough good about it! I hope you keep writing and updating the series as I am eager to see where you take things 💙🩵💙

thank you so much! comments like these really keep me going <3

I am excited to show everyone the climax and the ending of the series, and hopefully everyone likes where I have to take it

#anonymous #fic comments #sundrop answers #careful

[aela-targaryen]

Woke up to this weird comment on my fic with absolutely ZERO context. It mentions Webnovel so I’m a lil sus. Is this spam?

#psa #fanfic #fanfiction #oc #writing things #aela-targaryen #naruto oc #ao3 fanfic #ao3 writer #ao3 author #ao3 #ao3 stuff #archive of our own #fic comments #fanfiction.net #naruto fanfic #fic #comments #send help #mutuals assemblie #desert flowers #weird

[elialys]

nothing quite like receiving a mean comment in the morning

like, you're entitled to dislike what i write, i've been doing this long enough to know my particular brand of drama really pisses off some people, but i just don't see the point of reading THIS far into the fic, and then taking the time to let me know you think I'm "artificially generating angst"??

#the fuck is wrong with readers #don't like? STOP READING #anyway definitely still not making me want to continue my tess & ellie au #apparently my tess is shit haha #(i know she's not) #(i actually like that i've given her trauma and the ability to feel emotions) #fic comments #the not so nice kind

[youchangedmedestiel]

This night I dreamt I had 3 comments in my AO3 inbox, and then I woke up.

#destiel #deancas #dean winchester #castiel #fanfiction #ao3 writer #fic comments #I was so happy #and then I woke up #my destiel fanfic

[river-muse]

Wall-of-text comment, coming right up!

Okay I think I forgot to mention this before, but I love the Mundus powerscaling you've settled on, and the story of Vergil running away after dmc3!

I think the dmc3 novel or smth gave fans the impression that a 'rested' dmc3 single twin could have defeated Mundus, which, while truly tragic as so much trouble could have been avoided, I think it's also very underwhelming. I guess you upscaled Mundus even higher than dmc1 Dante (30-smth yo) + DS Sparda? Anyway, I really love this. Mundus is a very dangerous and tangible threat, and it's a great pressure point on the twins to figure out their bullshit faster.

And the story you've come up with for post-dmc3 Vergil is very true to him, or at least, I think it is very true for him. Vergil's been on the run from his issues for the last decade, and the ending of the last twin fight just showed him that...all that growth was still enough. His newly awakened little brother was able to defeat him, then what chance does he stand against Mundus? As painful as it looks, that defeat was be a significant blow to him, and Dante's attempts to help would not be able to remedy that, if anything they would only aggravate Vergil's wounds. So yeah, it makes total sense Vergil ran into the night one after that.

Birthday chapters commentary:

(regarding the notes at the beginning of the chapter - I Am Looking Forward To Seeing Your Older Nero)

My best guess is that Vergil was thinking of his 'hiding' habits and how they affected Nero, so, berating himself in front of his mom, before the beginning of the chapter. Then, Dante mentioning that Eva would be proud of Vergil's parenting (which she would) triggered him and he bolted.

Lemme just quickly say here that the frustration Dante feels when Vergil runs? So. Goddamn. Relatable. To. The. Reader.

Love the twins' strategy of constantly picking Nero up, adorable))) Also love that Nero came up to his uncle for the support there (I am weak for Uncle Dante), be clearly needed some support there to tell his dad. That entire scene is great and I love it. The moment Nero interprets Vergil leaving wrong is small but heartbreaking all the same.

The description of the uncle-nephew nap had me crackling in tears xDDD So accurate too!

The scene of Dante waking up automatically looking for a gun is another sneaky, yet powerful heartbreak. I guess he anticipated something like this before and started keeping his girls away when family visits occur? Also wonder why didn't Nero run and jump full speed on his newly-awakened uncle. Missed opportunity, birthday boy!

Twins almost starting another fight, but wrapping it and tossing it away just as quickly in front of Nero is definitely progress, and another prime example of 'forcing the dogs to lie'. Perfectly in sync, even if their actual opinion on the topic are opposites, and the question before them is in dire need of discussing.

Car space for legs being too short is just. Pure torture. All-too relatable, sadly. Poor bois, they did nothing to deserve this(

Nero&Dante teaming up in 'zebra is a horse' arguement is everything to me. Vergil was laughing at his favourite idiots, no doubt xD

My live reaction at little Nero trying to get Dante involved in zoo activities (follow your own advice for your brother, loser): 😭😭😭

Surprisingly accurate common zoo layout description! Very well done there.

"Lizards are not crying aside- [topic switch]" demons? Was that a Devil May Cry reference? What next, a fic Featuring Dante???

I love every single one animal interaction. Like, you could have easily glassed over those, they don't affect the plot or character interactions between each other. Yet, they are all so detailed and lively, I adore those. It's clear you've had a lot of experience with animals, OR your research is obsessively-crazy good. I bet both.

My live reaction at Nero holding hands with twins: 😭😭😭

"I can't Birthday Boy out of this one" - snorted out loud at this one xDDD I feel like the zebra debate is based on personal experience xD

UNCLE DANTE SHOULDER RIDE UNCLE DANTE SHOULDER RIDE UNCLE DANTE SHOULDER RIDE (Vergil absolutely got jealous, and it was his own fault)

Kyrie is a certified otter lover. Love Vergil's little queue to not bring her up and how quickly Dante adapts to his advice.

The plushie naming scene is precious.

Dante seeing that the gift for Nero is hand-wrapped by a clearly inexperienced Vergil is another sneaky little, but very powerful heartbreak. While Dante would make a truly awesome uncle, I also feel very strongly that he would be jealous of Nero. Dante was never enough for Vergil, but Nero had to just..appear and boom! almost-domesticated Vergil. (this is absolutely Dante's issues speaking and not what actually happened, I can also absolutely see the reverse of this happening - Nero being jealous of Dante's twin-telepathy with his father.

Vergil's little cake admission. OUCH. Bad Dante, you shouldn't deflect your closed-off brother's rare emotional moment, you should encourage those to happen more, Bad Dante, Bad.

Twins pool scene can solve all of reader's mental health problems, guaranteed. Precious. Soul-healing. Very touching.

(why was Vergil shaken after that shoulder pat?...my best guess is touch-starvation, but Nero should have been able to keep that one at bay I think...)

I'm enjoying this reread and note-taking very much)))

I GET TWO IN ONE DAY????? 👀

Ohhh you were CHEWING on this one I can see! For your guess on my knowledge of zoo layouts/animals- I grew up obsessively watching Animal Planet and have been to zoos and aquariums quite a lot before! I LOVE animals even if I don't have the skills/certifications/heart to work closely with them in a professional setting. When I was super little I'd been thinking about pursuing that as a career but set it down because I get way too attached to things. Besides my beloved massive american wirehair cat that roams my house like an overgrown baby I also keep a corn snake I've raised since he was younger than a month old.

Mundus! Yes! I wanted him to be an actual threat that's looming in the background of the narrative because let's be real that guy can create other demons wholesale on a whim and can- well- wait that's spoilers hold on I can't say that 💀 either way I wanted his presence to have actual weight to it rather than just seem like a little speedbump that the twins can take down without issue and have just been avoiding for no reason. He's got his own plans in motion that get hinted at in the narrative but not said outright. He's acting like a persistence predator in that respect. Strategically hunting at random points, cutting off escape routes, and keeping his quarry on edge so their capabilities diminish little by little until they get desperate and tired. :)

I'm not gonna lie I think you even picked up stuff in the narrative I HADN'T PLANNED but it all works so good!!! The case of the writer subconsciously pulling off genius narrative strikes again.

I'm in love with all of this I'm dipping you lowly(platonically) because while I'm going to keep being self-indulgent in this series until it's over it's so exciting to get interactions with it!! I spent a while worried that my method of situational characterization with this divergent AU would be off-putting to anyone else but you're proving me so wrong.

Also yes Older Nero in this AU is going to be fun! I have quite a lot of that content already written or planned. He grows up to have a very similar to canon personality with- a different flavor that you'll see as we progress in the series.

I have a fun question that doesn't need an answer, but is a little extra tidbit to think on because you've made my day:

If the official DMC team said once that Nero wouldn't be who he was without Kyrie- then what do you think Kyrie would be without Nero?

EDIT: No you know what I am NOT DONE TALKING!! I keep dwelling on how you noticed every single moment of action that reveal scars that haven't healed!! The one that still kills me is the description of how Vergil wrapped the gift because if it had been from his perspective we would have just seen him berating himself for not being able to do better but through Dante's eyes we see the MEANING behind the gesture and how significant it is.

Also the zebra argument was by far one of my best things and if I've had that hyper-specific argument before I don't remember but I have FEELINGS about it!

The pool scene. Oh, how soft it makes me feel. Writing it was such a nice breath of fresh air it makes my heart melt and was a sign that with time Vergil can heal and open back up to his family.

#Kat's Dadgil AU #Fic Comments #The Fridge(affectionate) #The very first fic in the series warns in the notes that we're going all the way to the DMC4 events #so I hope you're prepared for a trip through canon events but a few feet to the left!! #i am. so unwell and I regret nothing my mental health has been flourishing from the long-term dopamine release of writing this

[cookies-over-yonder]

cookies I am in shambles

wow

#fic comments