#fandominteractions

For anyone reading The Last Time, you’ve probably noticed some ambiguity around the secondary relationships/characters. I promise there is method to my madness and it’s all going somewhere. I’ve spoken a lot about how I want readers to go through the same journey as Arya does in the story and that means not knowing all the facts and learning it as she does. As a result, I’ve been intentional with how I tag this story. I also recognize that tags are crucial guiding principle for readers choosing what content they consume.

Still, I know that’s not everyone’s cup of tea and I’ve had quite a few people comment that they won’t be reading, which is totally fine, even if disheartening at times. Nobody has been especially rude or anything, but I’ve still been on a bit of a defensive streak, because the story is so special to me.

Imagine my surprise then when I had an anon reader say they won’t be reading, and when I responded to them, they actually replied in the sweetest, most respectful way possible.

I’m paraphrasing here, but they thanked me for responding to them in the first place, and then acknowledging that the story wasn’t for them, still thanked me for my contribution to the fandom and sharing my *blush* talent...

I can’t tell you how happy that made me. There can be so much toxicity in fandoms, but this interaction reminded me that humans are inherently good and that we *can* have a difference of opinion and treat each other with respect and understanding.