The complicated personal rituals of fic-reading

[ratbones]

When I go back to fics I've commented on, I regularly, like probably 50% of the time, discover I never left kudos. I leave kudos-ing to last if I'm planning to comment, because I guess I think the author might notice me leaving kudos and then commenting a couple of days later and think that's weird of me (which, as a writer, I can confirm is not a thing). And then half the time I guess I just close the tab feeling pleased with myself and forget to click the button for some reason. ???

Also, I am almost always on a reread when I leave comments, because I mostly read on my tiny old smartphone which I no longer use as a phone and is solely dedicated to accessing AO3 at this point. So I send tabs to my laptop to leave feedback on, which is not the best system because it requires the extra labor of a reread/re-skim to remember what I wanted to say.

I'd leave more feedback if I had a different system such that I could just comment as soon as I got done reading, but I can't think of one. Typing up comments on a phone is a pain, and I usually don't take my giant laptop to bed, or the kitchen while I'm cooking, or the bathroom. Yes, I read fic in the bathroom, of course I read fic in the bathroom.

Anyone have weird fic-reading habits to share?

Comments

[extrapenguin]

I do the "comment but oops, no kudos" thing, too! Though in my case it happens because I've had the floaty comment box userscript running and I've been typing up my comment as I go, then I reach the end of the fic and press the "post comment" button, which is of course at the very end of the page, so it's the last thing to do; time to close the tab! ...except that then I realize I forgot to leave kudos, reopen the tab, and press the kudos button.

[ratbones]

Ohhh maybe THIS is what happens in the moment when I actually fail to click kudos. I use the floaty box too, but only sometimes...good on you for realizing you forgot right away, unlike Certain People who go back three months later and don't see their name in the kudos list and get confused.