Okay let's do this thing: THE GUILT MEME

[ladyfoxxx]

Aahahahaa, okay so we were talking on Twitter about feedback; kudos vs comments and how sometimes you love a story A LOT and really WANT to comment, but don't and then never do and I discovered I'm not the only person who psyches themselves out of commenting like that. So here, have THE GUILT MEME:

We've all done it. That fic that you've read eleventy billion times and never actually commented on. Or maybe you only read it once but it was so good - SO fucking good that you just didn't know how to EXPRESS how good it was so you never actually commented, or you read it on your e-reader and never went back to comment, or you went back to comment and wound up re-reading it and STILL didn't comment, or it's been around forever and you kind of let yourself off the hook without commenting because there were ALREADY so many comments, surely the writer knows it's awesome, right?

Consider this meme a confessional. WHAT FICS ARE THEY?

The fics I never commented on and I SHOULD HAVE:

Conclusions by bexless (MCR, Frank/Gerard)
This is my GO-TO comfort read. And there is a podfic of it that is my GO-TO I-just-want-someone-to-read-to-me podfic by... ummm... *checks iTunes* rosekolodny. This fic, you guys. THIS FIC. Ugh. Just, the pining and how well-drawn the universe is and all the characters and Mikey and Frank's friendship and the PINING and the I DON'T MAKE WINDOW MURALS FOR JUST ANYONE and the SNUGGLING and FRIENDSHIP and general awesomeness and UH. Sorry. I have feelings. Lots of them.

Between The Wish And The Thing by ciel_vert and fleurdeliser (MCR, Frank/Gerard)
If I'm honest, this one is probably a tie for #1 re-read but never commented on fic. I don't even know what it is about two guys living under the same roof and being stupidly in love with each other and not REALISING that works for me but obviously it does because I fucking LOVE this fic SO much that I have considered making a podfic of it that I wouldn't even post, that would be just for ME to listen to, just so that I could have it read to me whenever I WANT. Yeah, okay, I kind of love it a LOT.

All In by fictionalaspect (Panic GSF)
It's RIDICULOUS the number of times I have re-read this fic. I have, hand to god, seriously started drafting an MCR version with this premise in my head because I just LOVE IT THAT MUCH. Four boys in a cabin in the woods putting their kinks in a jar and daring each other push their sexual boundaries. THERE IS NO WRONG HERE. There are kinks in this fic that aren't even my KINKS but the scenes featuring them are so hot I can't see straight. And on top of all that it is hilarious and has awesome banter and I have no idea how something so brilliant came in under 10k. No idea.

King And Country by tabula_x_rasa (MCR, Frank/Gerard)
If there is anyone into MCR who has not read this yet, dear GOD read it now. I totally psyched myself out of leaving feedback for this story because it's just VERY VERY GOOD, plus so many other people managed to express their feelings for this story FAR MORE ELOQUENTLY than I felt able and so somehow I just never commented despite the fact that this story is AMAZING. Incredibly well-researched, in character, well plotted, well written, really engaging and with awesome sexy times to boot. IT DESERVES A MUCH BETTER COMMENT THAN NO COMMENT. /o\

The Kids From Yesterday by tuesdaysgone (MCR, Killjoys, Gerard/Korse)
I still don't even know what to SAY about this except that this is THE Killjoys origin fic, in my humble opinion. I fucking love it to pieces and I kind of have very little urge to read other Killjoys fic in the wake of reading this because it's SO my canon now. And the Gerard/Korse relationship is so fucked up and GREAT and the way it ties into the video just fucking WORKS and all details of the universe and backstory just feel RIGHT to me. IDK, this is another one where I just don't know if I can express my wonder for the fic so I never fucking DID.

Post Modern Cyrano and Hands On Cyrano by littlemousling (Panic, Brendon/Spencer & Ian, Brendon/Spencer/Ian)
I am including these two on here because even though I've "kudos"ed them on AO3, the sheer NUMBER of times I've read them and never left an actual comment is DEVASTATING. This little series of fics hits so many of my kinks so fucking hard - dirty talk, voyeurism, exhibitionism, verbalisation of fantasy etc etc etc and then on top of all that there's awesome humour and banter and characterisation and BOOM! THREESOME. OH and there is PINING TOO. I am just going to keep going back and reading them over and over too. I just know it. MAYBE IF I LEAVE HER PROPER FEEDBACK SHE'LL WRITE ANOTHER SEQUEL.

Okay, I'M STOPPING HERE. These are definitely not all the fics I've ever read and not commented on when I SHOULD HAVE, but these are by far the ones I am carrying the most guilt around for. I'm also pretty sure there are some I am forgetting but I don't have my Kindle with me to check. Sigh.

OKAY, NOW YOU. Let's try and make this a meme!

Speak freely, nothing will get held against you. This doesn't mean you have to go leave comments NOW, like, unless you WANT TO, that's not the point. The point is, CONFESS.

P.S. It's kind of disheartening how every single one of these links was readily available in my browser history. THAT'S how often I reread these. /o\

Comments

[gala-apples.livejournal.com]

I'm doing this new thing for BRBB where I don't let myself click back and open a new story until I comment. If that means I only get to read a story a day because I keep getting distracted from commenting, that's what it means. So far of all the stories I've read (probably the amount posted minus ten?) I've only fucked it up twice; I left placeholder feedback for Suddenly Last Summer by romanticalgirl, and didn't leave anything for halfeatenmoon's Sailor Moon AU. BUT I WILL GO BACK. I've read in order, and I'm on the first page now, so 9 fics left, and one of those is mine.

Also, I still haven't let myself read your Killjoys Mikey/Ray fic, because I haven't fully commented on the first one, and I don't 'deserve' the second until I comment on the first.

I will say though, that when I comment, I tend to leave big, multi paragraph comments. I know this isn't how most people feel, and I'm not saying I'm right, but to me, kudos read as 'well, it was good, I guess. But there was nothing good enough about it to comment on. So I'm just gonna let you know that I read it. Next time try to write something worth commenting on'. If a fic is worth finishing instead of clicking the back button, it's worth saying "Gabe made me laugh" or "it's really cool how you changed the classic trope of __ when you added __". Once I'm commenting, nothing can stop me from gushing and having alllll the feelings.

[ladyfoxxx.livejournal.com]

Oh man I DEFINITELY do not have the self control to not read fic until I've left feedback on other fic. NO WAY. But GO YOU, that's a very brave approach and I hope it continues to work for you!

Also, I still haven't let myself read your Killjoys Mikey/Ray fic, because I haven't fully commented on the first one, and I don't 'deserve' the second until I comment on the first.

OMG, if THAT'S why you haven't read it, then please don't hold back! You've absolutely told me you loved it and enjoyed it, I hate to think of you missing out because you feel you don't deserve to read - you absolutely deserve to read bb! You're awesome!

You clearly have much higher commenting standards than me. I use kudos as a way to say YAY I LIKED THIS when I don't have time/capacity/words to say more. I'd hate for anyone to think me leaving kudos and not a comment meant anything less than that I loved it. But kudos totally means different things to different people and I'm finding it fascinating to hear other peoples takes on it.

YOU ARE PRETTY GREAT BB.

[gala-apples.livejournal.com]

Yay I have permission! Because I totally want to read it, but I've felt too guilty to let myself.

Yeah. I know. My standards are ridiculous. I know no one else thinks that way. *pokes self*

YOU ARE ALSO GREAT.