|
|
Post by manche on Feb 10, 2019 13:08:17 GMT -5
There is no pressure, dear MJ. I would prefer reading of stories before some of my duties anytime, but I must care about my duties in the first place.
|
|
|
|
Post by manche on Mar 4, 2019 13:43:16 GMT -5
I started to read your last story today, I will need more time for whole reading, but the beginning was impressive. Poor Maeve, I would not wish her anything like this, I wanted to hug her. Good job, dear MJ.
|
|
|
|
Post by Doubar on Mar 9, 2019 10:27:21 GMT -5
Oh MJ, I cannot even express how sorry I am!  And I absolutely baffled to see that a month has passed already since you told me of this fic!!!  Just like you I don't really get around to reading much anymore. My days mainly consist of working and not trying to go nuts, but I haven't forgotten about this new work of yours (and thanks for making me aware of Kriss having released a new one, too!!!) and will read it as soon as I can. You are an amazing writer and I know this newest work of yours will be a brilliant read!!  |
|
|
|
Post by manche on Mar 9, 2019 10:43:27 GMT -5
I must say that I do not have much time for reading at the present time, but I still follow a few nice stories. This looks amazingly. I also continue with my own writing, I have more written than I published there, but I also sometimes wish that there would be more reading of my story, sometimes my motivation for writing is shaky.
|
|
|
|
Post by Doubar on Mar 9, 2019 10:53:02 GMT -5
Sadly, for the biggest part I had to give up on both - reading and writing.  I haven't read any fanfiction for months now and haven't written anything for over a year. I miss this hobby of mine so much but when getting home in the evening I just don't have the energy anymore to invent new worlds and play with them, and during weekends I mostly try to re-charge and see to stuff I didn't get done during the week. That makes taking the time to read and review somewhat difficult, too, and I really think this is a shame. |
|
|
|
Post by manche on Mar 9, 2019 12:57:49 GMT -5
Sadly, for the biggest part I had to give up on both - reading and writing. I haven't read any fanfiction for months now and haven't written anything for over a year. I miss this hobby of mine so much but when getting home in the evening I just don't have the energy anymore to invent new worlds and play with them, and during weekends I mostly try to re-charge and see to stuff I didn't get done during the week. That makes taking the time to read and review somewhat difficult, too, and I really think this is a shame. Dear Doubar, I am sorry that you do not have time for this your hobby.  You were my best reader together with Firouz and I was curious if you will like my story as I love your story about Phoenix. |
|
|
|
Post by MJ on Mar 10, 2019 14:30:21 GMT -5
I started to read your last story today, I will need more time for whole reading, but the beginning was impressive. Poor Maeve, I would not wish her anything like this, I wanted to hug her. Good job, dear MJ. Thank you so much for starting to read Manche! And yeah, some really terrible things happen to Maeve, and without the crew, she doesn't have a whole lot of supportive peple around her to help her cope Doubs, you're honestly worrying me. The way you're going is towards a burn-out. You're such a caring person, taking care of everyone (and every hammie!) around you, please take as good care of yourself as you do those around you. You can renogiate your contract to work fewer hours if you need. Think about it: your patients and colleagues deserve the best version of you they can get, and a well-rested, well-rounded you is so much better than a spread-too-thin, precipe-of-a-burnout you. Don't worry about reading my fic. I'm fine. And I get what it feels like not to have time, or space in your head to write and read. Writing these 20000 words took me two years! So don't think I am admonishing you. I'm genuinely worried. If I could I'd come over with a cooked meal once a week or something! Feel free to shoo me away if I'm completely off the mark, it is well-intended but I recognise I am being a busybody too! ETA: I was just going through my fic folder and found some bits and bobs I had once intended to go into a larger story but that never happened so I posted them under my Flotsam collection on FF.N, so chapter 9 and 10 in that collection are new as of today (but actually several years old!) |
|
|
|
Post by manche on Mar 11, 2019 14:28:58 GMT -5
I started to read your last story today, I will need more time for whole reading, but the beginning was impressive. Poor Maeve, I would not wish her anything like this, I wanted to hug her. Good job, dear MJ. Thank you so much for starting to read Manche! And yeah, some really terrible things happen to Maeve, and without the crew, she doesn't have a whole lot of supportive peple around her to help her cope Oh, the poor girl. She did not have the most pleasant life even before this event and really sad is that she is alone again. This is why I always wished her happyend in the TV series so much - free her brother, defeat Rumina, return to the Nomad and settle with Sinbad one day. But I am very curious of your story - in real life happyends are so rare and this approach in writing is also important. |
|
|
|
Post by Kriss on Mar 12, 2019 14:56:19 GMT -5
MJ
I have read your story.
The idea is very orginal one and it is very interesting point of view.
I promise I will try to leave a proper comment on FF soon.
And taking the opporuity thank you very much for your comments :*
|
|
|
|
Post by manche on Mar 23, 2019 14:27:50 GMT -5
Dear MJ, I read the first part of your story today. I left the review for you at fanfiction. Great written story, but so sad. I so feel for poor Maeve in such a state.
I do not know when I will read the second part, but after reading the first, I was so curious and I looked at the end of the second part. I almost had tears in my eyes when I read these goodbyes of crewmembers with Maeve.
Despite the fact, how sad the story is, it shows how a talented writer you are. An amazing job done there.
|
|
|
|
Post by MJ on Apr 4, 2019 3:34:09 GMT -5
Well, after being super dramatic about asking for readers I have found very little time to actually respond to those who left reviews! So I will do this now. Doubar wrote: Review of Demon Hunter Ch 1: Yeah, it's dark. I felt it was important to show how the world was reacting to Maeve from the very beginning. For me, one of the most harrowing moments is when Maeve opens up about being almost raped and instead of getting comforted she gets "explained" to that the guy had the right to. And as much as Maeve wants to, she cannot defend her rights because she needs this woman's help. That is the moment Maeve starts to realise how isolated she is. Review of Demon Hunter Ch 2 (+addendum) Oh no, that was never my intention! The love of the crew did make a difference for Maeve. They've got a standing appointment to meet up. And leaving them is now a mutual agreement instead of an abandonment. It was the constraint of the challenge I set for myself- following this idea that Maeve was a Demon Hunter now who they could run into sometimes but who wouldn't rejoin that really made me wrestle with how to keep them apart! Yeah, finding a way to make it make even a little sense was hard! Like, the only reason Maeve would not remain at the VERY least with Dermott is if she knew she would cause his death. But I had to make Dim-Dim a terrible person to do that to her. I tried to make him unmindful of her feelings and needs rather than mean but... Wasn't it in Courting of Bryn where in her cabin blooms always stay alive, so if she wants to dry some herbs she has to hang them up elsewhere? I really like this idea that Bryn's magic is incredibly life-giving and kind. As for Doubar... I feel like I kind of updated him out of 90's sensibilities. He was writted a bit of a boor (No Women On Ships!) sometimes but you could see the deep kindness between the lines. I had plenty of examples of toxic masculinity in the story. I really wanted Doubar to be just as caring as he wanted to be. So you noticed that completely right! I think maybe I have adopted your versions of the characters a bit through writing Courting of Bryn with you back in the day! I too prefer happy endings, both writing and reading them. For this one, this was as happy as it was possible to get without breaking the rules. If you ever need to digest in conversation you know where to find me! Aw yeah, that was nice! I struggled to find a way to reunite them in a way that would give them all enough time. So I started with Bryn, that way they could get to know each other without the context of the "replacement" situation. That made them able to both be fully fleshed out instead of shoving one of the other to the background. And then it had to be Rongar who could help her through her first shock of seeing someone from her past. Because he would be the only one who could do it without demanding anything of her. Doubar and Firouz were next because Doubar could envelop her in his love and Firouz could comfort her with his presence. Because she had to be built up a little before meeting Sinbad or thei habitual head-butting would have shattered her. Instead their misunderstanding lead them to find a way to help each other. (Because girl is touch-starved and deeply lonely). Thank you so much for you review Doubar . It really means the world to me. Next up is manche! He reviewed Demon Hunter Chapter 1: Yes! And can you imagine what she had gone through BEFORE joining master Dim-Dim? Because her situation is so unique, there has to be a story behind it and it's going to be a hard one. I have this image of her just curling around him on that beach, using her body to protect him from the lapping waves. And as the tide comes up, they are both unconcious as the waves start to drag her away, still they reach for each other even as she slips away. As for not wanting Sinbad to see her like this. It's more to do with her own insecurity about her looks than about him. She can pull out the big brave mask with anyone else, but with those she loves she knows she will be vulnerable and that is incredibly scary for her. Sadly, this was the more realistic scene. Sorol was praying for a wife because no one in the village would give him one of their daughters because they knew he was bad (and not rich enough to buy one anyway). The women in the village were relieved when he "caught" a wife because it meant they were no longer at risk. The women, all alone in the village with their menfolk gone to sea, had seen what Maeve had done to Sorol (in self-defence!) and were mad at her for it. Because, oddly, Sorol, creep as he is, was one of them. Rachel, for all her kindness, can't admit that Sorol's actions were wrong because that would mean her own husband would not have the right either. She has been taught from birth that she, and all women, are secondary to men. So in her mind, if Maeve had just submitted to Sorol like a good wife nothing bad would have happened. - Except that it totally would have because of what happened to Sorol's first wife, but Rachel can't place that into her narrative so leaves it out. There is some deep and terrible psychology going on here to keep everything as it is. Thank you. It made me a little sad too. That's why it was so important to me to talk about it with people who read it. So we could all process it together. If that makes sense. Thank you manche for reviewing! Next up is KrissReview for Demon Hunter: I never saw that fic. I'm curious! Have you got a link? Oh, I am so with you on that one! I couldn't have them not be together at all! Through the love of the crew and Sinbad in particular she can find herself again. She's gone through so much and is so so lonely and touch-starved she basically gives all her money to the first person to be kind to her (the bath attendant) and immediately invites Bryn along for scouting. You know I am crying now, right? To have shared this one and have you lovely people respond to it is so nice! Inbid also review Ch 10 The Proposal of the Flotsam Bwahaha. This is what I felt too! I wrote this ages ago when I had read some bad, schmalzy fic of Sinbad going down on one knee and presenting Maeve with a diamond engagement ring and she cried and said yes. I was like: There are SO many things wrong with this! So I gleefully got into how an actual proposal might go. Cause from Maeve's POV this is how it goes: S: Can I own you? M: No! S: I could pay your nearest male relative! M: No! Would you like it if I owned you? S: That's just stupid M: You're stupid! And then she has to painstakingly explain to him just WHY it's stupid. I laughed when I read this in my file of random AoS docs. I think at some point I wanted this to be part of a larger fic, but that is never going to happen, and it stood on its own well enough. Thank you for reviewing Kriss It means a lot! |
|
|
|
Post by manche on Apr 4, 2019 11:06:58 GMT -5
Next up is manche! He reviewed Demon Hunter Chapter 1: Yes! And can you imagine what she had gone through BEFORE joining master Dim-Dim? Because her situation is so unique, there has to be a story behind it and it's going to be a hard one. I have this image of her just curling around him on that beach, using her body to protect him from the lapping waves. And as the tide comes up, they are both unconcious as the waves start to drag her away, still they reach for each other even as she slips away. As for not wanting Sinbad to see her like this. It's more to do with her own insecurity about her looks than about him. She can pull out the big brave mask with anyone else, but with those she loves she knows she will be vulnerable and that is incredibly scary for her. Sadly, this was the more realistic scene. Sorol was praying for a wife because no one in the village would give him one of their daughters because they knew he was bad (and not rich enough to buy one anyway). The women in the village were relieved when he "caught" a wife because it meant they were no longer at risk. The women, all alone in the village with their menfolk gone to sea, had seen what Maeve had done to Sorol (in self-defence!) and were mad at her for it. Because, oddly, Sorol, creep as he is, was one of them. Rachel, for all her kindness, can't admit that Sorol's actions were wrong because that would mean her own husband would not have the right either. She has been taught from birth that she, and all women, are secondary to men. So in her mind, if Maeve had just submitted to Sorol like a good wife nothing bad would have happened. - Except that it totally would have because of what happened to Sorol's first wife, but Rachel can't place that into her narrative so leaves it out. There is some deep and terrible psychology going on here to keep everything as it is. Thank you. It made me a little sad too. That's why it was so important to me to talk about it with people who read it. So we could all process it together. If that makes sense. Thank you manche for reviewing! I read some information about the background of Maeve in her bio and I agree that her life was full of unpleasant events long time before meeting with Dym Dim/crew. For this reason, I always wished happyend to her in the end, I read a story where Maeve died in the process of saving Dermott and although it was greatly written, I so do not like such a resolution for her. The poor woman deserves the piece of happiness as everyone else. Yes, I agree that Sinbad would not look at her differently, that it was her own insecurity. I would still wish that she would give him this chance. She knows him and his nature after all, that he is not a shallow person. Oh, you definitely wrote these scenes with villagers realistically. It was disturbing, but greatly written scene for me. I did not even realize that so much psychology was hidden there - do you have more experiences with psychology, MJ? I was glad that I could read this story MJ, I will plan read more of your work in the future. Maybe if you had the interest and I am not asking too much from you, you could read something from story as well in distant future? It is a big story, I am still working on it, but you would make me very happy if you read even a small piece and leave your comment. There was not any comment over 2 years and I would wish to know if someone thinks it is good. I hope that I did not sound too whiny? It definitely was not my intention. |
|
|
|
Post by Kriss on Apr 4, 2019 12:46:09 GMT -5
MJSorry, I don't remember where I could read it and don't think I have saved it anywhere buuttt recently I very often visit some old pages to simply re-discover some old fics. If I get across it, promise I will share the link here.  For the scene of proposal, once again it is epic!  It made my day, really! I so can imagine the scene with these two like that I have recetly been writing their husband-wife-evening-talk-bedroom scene for "This is my idea" and I had so much fun, too. It is gonna be in the same climate like your proposal.
|
|
|
|
Post by Maeve on Apr 5, 2019 10:31:37 GMT -5
Hey MJ! I’m so sorry for the delay but I finally got around to reading your story! Where to begin…I’ve always had some difficulty wrapping my mind around what the producers had planned if Maeve was ever to come back in a third season, that is to have her return as some sort of demon hunter. I think you’re the first writer to actually explore this storyline, and you crafted it beautifully in a very original plot. I’m a sucker for angsty stories so I really liked diving into Maeve’s torment and your talent as a writer is wonderful in that regard. However, I must admit I’m an even bigger sucker for angst + happy ending! Haha! XD Like the others, in my head Maeve always gets to return to the Nomad and live happily ever after, no matter what hell she gets dragged into beforehand, emotional or physical. But even though your story doesn’t give us that happy ending, you still leave the door open for us to imagine that future where she finally is strong enough to return to them without feeling like a threat to their safety. All in all, it was a great original piece to read! Thank you for sharing! 😊
|
|
|
|
Post by MJ on Apr 5, 2019 14:41:02 GMT -5
manche wrote: Yes, the poor woman deserves more. I completely agree (says the woman who made Maeve be a vengeful zombie once until she freed Dermott, then she promptly died). But stories don't always work when people get what they deserve. I've got a BSc in orthopedagogy, which is the youth and developmentally disabled version of psychology (kind of, except it's broader than that). I work two days a week giving Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and play-therapy to 8 to 16yo's. So yeah, I knows my psychology  And in writing I love making people act against their own best interest with their own world-views. It happens a lot in life too, so why does fiction have to make more sense? We're none of us as rational as we'd like to believe. For instance: did you know most of the time we make a decision and THEN think of the reason for that particular choice? Seems like sensible people would do it the other way around and mostly you THINK you've done it the other way around, but it's not. Your gut made the choice and you rationalised it after. Ahum. I should not go off on psychology lectures. They are so good though! But I'll stop. And no, you don't sound whiny when you ask others to read your work. The reason I don't read it is that I don't really like to get invested in stories that aren't complete. I don't like to wait years for the end. The second reason is... from what I remember from reading a few bits years ago, is that you don't use an editor or beta-reader. Which means a lot of mistakes get left in. And I am not patient enough to keep going back on lines trying to discern what you meant. Like, I'm not the perfect example of a fanfic writer by any means, but if I can't find someone to beta-read for me, for the stories I care about (and have time enough for, my Christmas presents have always been too rushed), I read them over time and time again. Not just for basic language mistakes but for pacing, for characterisation. For example: I have a tendency to get too flowery. I like to describe things a TON. But it's super boring to read. Because as writers it is not our job to say everything, but to narrow it down to a compelling narrative. So my suggestion would be: finish you story and get your big red editor's pen out. Fix what needs fixing, and glow with pride on the beauty you unearth! Once you're sure you've written the best thing you can, then I will gladly read it. Which seems like a high bar. But I know you can do it. Of course it is a lot of work, and if you don't want it and just enjoy going on writing as you have been, good for you! It's important to do something creative with your life without striving for excellence. Enjoy the process, not the destination! But then I won't read it because I want to enjoy the process as well. And now I hope I don't seem like a rude know-it-all. I was aiming for supportive and honest. I can write supportive yet honest characters, why can't I hit that tone as well (because I can't control the other person's perception is why, but still)? Kriss wrote: Oh yes, do send it if you ever come across it. And wait, "This is my idea" is actually a fic? I thought it was just a few lines detailing what your idea was. Does someone have a great idea in it? And yay! I love that kind of tongue-in-cheek, humourous tone. I am all for conversations between Maeve and Sinbad being in that climate. And yeah, once it's complete (and edited? I don't know your process, but see above for my feelings on the subject (Insert sweatdrop emoji here) ) I'll gladly read it. Maeve wrote: No worries on the delay. Once one person had reviewed I got over my existantial angst and got on with my life. What can I say, I'm dramatic like that. In defence of my ending: it was as happy as I could make it without returning her to the Nomad (which would be outside the limitations of her being a one- or two episode guest star). I too wish it could have been happier though. I like to think that Maeve spends the time apart healing her inner wounds, meets up with Sinbad and the crew that winter in Baghdad and then at first they find all sorts of excuses why they shouldn't leave Baghdad, then they all leave but the excuse is that they're just giving Maeve a ride, she's not really part of the crew, and then they defeat Rumina and Maeve's like: Awesome, don't need to be stronger anymore! Let's party! And they all live happily ever after. Thanks for leaving your comment. It means a lot to know you read it and liked it!
|
|
And I absolutely baffled to see that a month has passed already since you told me of this fic!!! 
Just like you I don't really get around to reading much anymore. My days mainly consist of working and not trying to go nuts, but I haven't forgotten about this new work of yours (and thanks for making me aware of Kriss having released a new one, too!!!) and will read it as soon as I can. You are an amazing writer and I know this newest work of yours will be a brilliant read!! 
I haven't read any fanfiction for months now and haven't written anything for over a year. I miss this hobby of mine so much but when getting home in the evening I just don't have the energy anymore to invent new worlds and play with them, and during weekends I mostly try to re-charge and see to stuff I didn't get done during the week. That makes taking the time to read and review somewhat difficult, too, and I really think this is a shame. 
You were my best reader together with Firouz and I was curious if you will like my story as I love your story about Phoenix.
It made my day, really! I so can imagine the scene with these two like that 
And in writing I love making people act against their own best interest with their own world-views. It happens a lot in life too, so why does fiction have to make more sense? We're none of us as rational as we'd like to believe. For instance: did you know most of the time we make a decision and THEN think of the reason for that particular choice? Seems like sensible people would do it the other way around and mostly you THINK you've done it the other way around, but it's not. Your gut made the choice and you rationalised it after.