I started reading this just before the final chapter was released. I think it was suggested a few times in the blurry background, but it takes how long it takes until one is ready, right? I’m working my way through a second time reading the comments as I go (I never do the first time, because..
spoilers). I’ll comment at the end on A03, but I just wanted to say: even though the comments on Circe were kind of uncalled for, I’m grateful for the tiny insight into your process. I’m not a writer, but I do work in other mediums and am fascinated by process. I’m also no stranger to uncalled for
comments. I turned off comments on IG because I was so tired of having to pay attention, and delete. Not because I can’t handle it, but because it ruins other peoples’ experiences of my work. People are almost always positive, but those few who are just..Your writing is amazing; I love it so much.
Thank you, you're very sweet. ❤️ Ah yes, the Circe comments. 🤣 The situation is ironic for two reasons: one, in the initial draft, HC had started off by saying 'I know it's not the classic version of the myth, but this one makes more sense to me' and then I cut it for excessive dialogue. I figured
that either the readers would be familiar with the myth and therefore wouldn't need my pointers to distinguish them, or they wouldn't know it and therefore wouldn't care, since this wasn't the point anyway. The second part of irony was that I was going to put 'Yes, my HC is a Madeline Miller fan,
why do you ask?' in the author's notes, but then decided against it not to distract from the actual plot. 🤣 I normally don't argue with readers, as I said, the work speaks for itself, and if it's insufficient, too bad for me. However, this time, two things bugged me. One, it's a personal pet peeve
of mine when someone implies I'm unintelligent or didn't think before I spoke/wrote something. Two, that particular parallel wrote itself in and it became one of my favorite things about this fic. I felt that the witch/tiger thing suited hualian immensely and I was quite enamoured with it. So when
someone attacked it, I couldn't let it go. I would have probably swallowed the implication that I'm stupid alone, but together with this, it was too much. 🤣 I especially didn't like the interpretation that HC was some kind of 'good abuser' and XL was his victim. And as you said, I didn't want other
readers to see that comment and think that that was my intention. To me, it was a beautiful moment of HC handing over all power to XL, and to have it interpreted as a 'r*pe victim lashing out' was painful. I didn't want anyone else thinking that, so I felt the necessity to budge in. Alas, lol, it
went about how it always goes. I guess, to some people it would look like 'oh, she can't handle a word of criticism.' Which is far from true, I usually have a good grip on the instinct to defend myself. But this was about the guys, so I couldn't let it be. Anyway, thanks for reaching out! I'm not
actually anti-social, I just don't normally reply to comments for the aforementioned reasons, but I'm always happy to answer questions and chat. I'm glad you liked the fic! ❤️🦊❤️
I normally wouldn’t have commented, but it was just so mean spirited to tell an author of *fiction* that they were wrong. I suppose it triggered something in me, because they don’t even realise how absolutely insulting they are being. I’ve been so tempted to write a zine of “How to Talk to Artists.”
It works consist of two pieces of advice: Say “I like your work.” Not I love what you do, but I’d never wear that. Or you should.. And if you don’t like it, don’t say anything within hearing distance of the artist. Or just ask yourself why you need to say something negative so badly.