So, yes, enjoyable pain. Who can say no to that?

Commentary: This was really interesting, because we don’t read often about those two years between Jack’s overdose and his first year at Samwell, how was the healing process, how he decided to go to uni. It was a bit angsty (because, well… it’s about Jack), but also adorable. I loved how we see Jack learning to love hockey again. Oh, and I personally liked how the author played a bit with time tenses :)

Commentary: This fic is exactly what I’ve wanted to read for a while. It follows Bitty’s life before going to Samwell, told in the second person (which I’ve discovered works incredibly well for me in this kind of angsty fic). I’ve said it before, but we often forget Bitty’s life back in Georgia can’t have been easy, and I loved reading about how he found solace in ice skating, how and why he left it and how he ended up being the captain of the hockey team. It made me think a lot about cheerful little Bitty and it broke my heart in many ways, but the end reminds the reader that our boy found a family in Samwell, so I couldn’t be happier with this :)

Commentary: This is short, but it’s so good to see a fic about the start of Jack and Parse’s relationship before everything got complicated. Parse initially disliking Jack and competing to be better than him felt very in character for him, and I liked that Jack was the one to reach out to Parse first. They both managed to break down each other’s barriers through playing together which is something I can imagine happening. Reading about young Jack genuinely enjoying playing was also a nice change from the angst that fics tend to focus on.

Commentary: This fic hurt. It made me sad and uncomfortable. But being inside of Jack’s head in those times is not supposed to be easy, so I loved how it was written. I’ll be forever heartbroken by Jack worrying about those kittens. It’s not a happy cute fic, and please read the additional tags and warnings (I’d add dubious consent due to alcohol and drugs).

Commentary: I just really love fics exploring Jack and Shitty’s friendship and the idea of Jack giving Shitty his nickname (because of course the B has to stand for something weird! Or not. Man, I’d pay to know…).

Commentary: This. Was. Amazing. As the summary says, it covers the month between Jack and Parse’s team winning the Memorial Cup and the draft, from Parse’s pov, and it’s really interesting to read about what’s happening to Jack (what we know he’s going through, what we know it’s going to happen) through Kent’s eyes. Kent was, in my opinion, perfectly in character with what we know so far, I really loved how he was written (even if what we know comes from unreliable narrators, so, who knows…). This fic made me cry several times, especially when they were happy (their teenage romance had my heart clenched all the time I spent reading), so have your tissue paper ready for this.

Commentary: This fic is beautifully written. And it’s terribly sad, too. Angst all the way through, especially since, as it’s pre-canon, we know what happens in the end. It’s a great fic, but do read the warnings before reading! Besides the usual warnings you could expect in a fic that deals with Jack's breakdown (such as substance abuse and anxiety) there's some dubious consent and alcohol.