if this helps any, i can think of some explanations for why there’s less comments initially. Some people will not post on the exact day it was posted, they might need to reread to refresh their memories and your chapters are long (which is a good thing) so ppl need time to really read it instead of just quickly digesting it. You will likely get more comments over time once people get a chance to read and organize their thoughts. And the fandom has decreased over time :( Loyal fans will stay.

Oh yeah and don’t forget, tumblr just rolled out its new feature where
dashboards aren’t chronological and a lot of people might not even
realize it. Other artists are seeing a decrease in notes on newer stuff
because of this shitty feature that puts newer content with less notes
on the bottom.
 
     
    

Look, anon. I know all of this. I also know that that feature is only on mobile, and that everyone knows about it and hates it. No dice, because I can see the hit count and the reblog number, and people know my chapters are there.

I also know that I do people the courtesy of commenting as soon as I’ve read for this exact purpose, and that my abuser’s fics are still racking up notes like there’s no tomorrow.

I’m allowed to be upset.