#+ since I'm a small fanfic writer and don't get hundreds or thousands of likes I'd prefer my actual chapters getting these extra likes

[eleni-cherie]

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[sakarrie]

Okay, but I had the realisation about a month ago that I had those weird requirements the OP talked about. I realised I had enjoyed thousands of great fics and rarely left kudos or comments or likes.

That realisation hit hard and, being as obsessed with introspection and shtuff as I am, I immediately started to delve into why I didn't leave feedback. The reason I found was honestly pretty petty.

I didn't want others to see my likes and think "oh wow, she likes THAT? did she not see all the obvious flaws with x, y, and z?" so at some point, I started only leaving feedback on fics that absolutely floored me, which is a far higher bar than simple enjoyment or actual liking of the fic.

After I realised that, I immediately shifted my 'rules' to this:

If I read the fic and enjoyed it enough to finish it, I like/leave kudos AND leave a comment.

This is my base rule and I try to keep it rigid. The only exception I've come across is if there's something that bothered me on a moral level, or it felt at all unethical to support the work. Usually, I would stop reading those fics before the end, but I've read some fics where the author was an absolute jerk in the author's note about not getting comments. In my opinion (and I am a writer), that's the risk of posting fanfiction. The reader doesn't automatically owe the author anything in the same way the authors don't automatically owe the readers anything. As important as us readers giving feedback is, I won't comment if the person is harassing or threatening in the way they request feedback.

Now, I also have an extreme amount of social anxiety and writing comments can make the stress-relieving activity of reading fanfic socially draining, so I adapted further. For one, I have not set a length requirement for my comments. I understand the positive impact long commenrs can have and give them whenever it feels non-draining, but if all I have in either energy or enthusiasm for the fic is a "good job!" then that's better than nothing.

I also have times when I simply cannot comment due to time or energy level, and I've made sure I can still turn to fic during this time by allowing myself to postpone commenting. Personally, I just leave the tab open on my phone and then go back when I have the time (usually after rereading it). I also find this drastically reduces the amount of short comments I give and makes them a lot more genuine.

Further into this process, I found that I wanted a way to separate out the best from the good without taking away from the good. This usually happens naturally via comment length, but I found that collections/bookmarks work excellently for this! Simply create a collection titled something along the lines of "Absolute Favorites" and if your author is anything like I am, they'll look and see that and feel awesome. On ao3, you can also use bookmark tags like that. Tags like "omg this fic is so good" "totally reread worthy" "great characterization" are great ways to help your future self find rereads later as well as giving extra gold stars to the author.

My last note is a little off topic, but I think it's still important to share for all of those who are afraid of the energy aspect of it. Since starting this system, I've left hundreds of comments and have felt my spirits increase a lot. In a world where it's so easy to feel isolated and unable to make a difference, I can vouch that the reminder that you have the power to make someone feel incredible just by sharing your opinion is a game changer. While it isn't going to solve Depression or Anxiety, this experience has given me a greater sense of community as well as feeling better about myself than I have in years. Helping others can help you too, so consider giving it a chance!

To clarify, I don't judge anyone for their style of giving feedback. I absolutely understand how easily mental health struggles can bleed into the small things like this, so if you're seeing this and thinking 'frick, I'm a bad person, but I honestly don't have the energy to do more,' then don't. Don't feel bad and don't push yourself to do more. This is just me sharing something that's worked for me and an invite to anyone who's interested. I'm also constantly looking for better ways to make my feedback more impactful and less anxiety-inducing/energy-draining to give, so I'd love to hear anything anyone else does too! What's your guys' systems?

it’s so intense reading all these rules people have for giving kudos like, “I never leave kudos on the first chapter”/”the story really has to stand out for me to give kudos”/”I only give kudos to stories that are incredible”

meanwhile I’m over here like “yeah, this is kind of a neat idea” KUDOS “I really liked that one joke in the middle” KUDOS “idk it was pretty good I guess” KUDOS like