Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 18, 2020 11:37:56 GMT -6
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Post by The Doc on Jun 23, 2020 20:04:17 GMT -6
Shame the author's abandoned it.
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pg64
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Post by pg64 on Jun 23, 2020 22:01:00 GMT -6
I wish that this was finished. Man my favorite part is still with her rubbing the ointment all over her body.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 23, 2020 22:08:54 GMT -6
Mine was when we learned she got hooked on romance novels targeted for mature women. That, and when she thinks her old dress is trampy. Oh, and when she referred to the people on the bus as "a sweet, young couple." It was the little things that got me going. ❤️
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Post by The Doc on Jun 24, 2020 4:16:14 GMT -6
If it was just Maggie adapting and moving on that would be okay. But theres a bigger picture, her family. It's clearly killing her parents and Aunt. And it's not fair for them to deal with the fact that they're going to bury their own child after watching her fade away, even if she lives to 100. Plus there seems to be character death going on as Maggie's original mind is fading away. Plus it looks like her relationship with Billy is over and she will never be able to achieve her dream of fashion design. Sure she's adapting, but if she loses her love and her dreams, that's not living. That's just existing. And she's also worried about getting older.
Sure the stories here generally end with the stuck character dismayed at being old forever. But in all those cases we aren't as in depth with them as deeply as this story is. We generally don't get to see the day to day consequences in such intimate detail. It almost borders on misery porn if you look at Maggie's mom and Aunt.
And all of that actually saddens me. People are clearly suffering with no hint at resolution. I'm actually worried about that. If the story actually kept going somewhere it wouldn't be as bad. But as it is we're stuck in kind of a bad place with the characters uncertain about what fate has in store next and the palpable level of worry they are feeling. And for God's sake I don't wanna pester the author. But I really wish he knew
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Post by The Doc on Jun 24, 2020 4:18:01 GMT -6
Mine was when we learned she got hooked on romance novels targeted for mature women. That, and when she thinks her old dress is trampy. Oh, and when she referred to the people on the bus as "a sweet, young couple." It was the little things that got me going. ❤️ That stuff is all good. Well, save from the actual death of who she really is going on
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 24, 2020 9:02:00 GMT -6
Gonna go on a rant, because I really like this conversation. You put a lot of thought into your responses. I like that. ❤️
Doc, you have a very interesting perspective. 👍🏽
And I get what you're saying. However, I feel like there's another way you could interpret this story.
1) Maggie represents the inevitability of getting older. We can interpret her character as the difficulty and struggle that is time. Inevitably, in life, you have to adapt, you have to change and you have to accept that the things around you are as well changing. And that goes in tandem with mortality and what not. If we don't die, we'll get old, regardless, we'll die sooner or later.
The story is an extreme, blended with an ap fetish, but, overall, embracing life where it is, accepting life isn't where it was, to live in a new chapter, seems to be a common theme. And that's human.
2) Maggie questions what identity is.
A college sophomore isn't a sophomore forever. They won't always be a sorority girl, a lover of wine coolers, a fan of pop music. Their physical facade is going to change with time.
With Maggie, it had to change much sooner than most. But, under normal circumstances, I consider that normal.
My mom was literally a skate shop punk rock chick when she was a teenager. I once met a middle aged woman she ran over with her buggy. The poor thing ran off in terror and sweat. Point is, 16 year old mom would never be caught dead baking rice crispies for her grandkids. 50? Where's the marshmallows?! 🤣
And that was an exploration I felt was going on. Who is Maggie, really? Who are any of us? When life changes so drastically, and this identity you built up is altered, what is left? Who are you?
And, in lot of ways, I feel like what Maggie's Mom is feeling is super relatable. I'm not a parent, but I'm certain it's shocking at times to see your kid become completely different from what they were. And as for the fear of her daughter getting older and frail? Well, if you replace child with parent, it's super relatable. Over the course of 11 years, I saw my grandfather deteriorate physically and mentality. It was tough, but it was inescapable and common.
I feel like the author did a good job incorporating that level of realism into their tf story. And I don't know what they're going through in real life, I don't know if it in anyway parallels, and I might even be reading more than they intended. But yeah, it's sad, I agree with you, but so's life. Take away the whole magical curse element, a lot of it's pretty grounded and relatable.
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Post by The Doc on Jun 24, 2020 19:18:16 GMT -6
Just because life may be sad, doesn't mean fiction HAS to be. If life was so great we wouldn't HAVE fiction in the first place. Sure your moms not the same now as when she was 16, but was your mom instantly changed to become what she is now? Did she have 4 whole decades of life cruelly ripped away from her? Was her lifespan drastically cut short? Your mom isn't suffering character death here.
I prize my individuality and what makes me what I am. But who Maggie is is being written over instantly like a computer disc. Maggie is literally going to die long before her body does. What we're winding up with is not Maggie. She's just someone with the name Maggie that may or may not have the same memories. She's losing everything that made her her. I don't WANT to see who she is die. Plus she's going to lose her boyfriend and dreams are unattainable. That's unjust. Don't give me "That's life" This ISN'T life here. This is literally a fate worse than death. Without those that's not really living. Despite how she's adapting, Maggie IS suffering. And her family is suffering, too. A young woman who did nothing to anyone has unjustly had her life ruined. She's going to literally die character death. She's denied any chance to achieve her dreams, she'll now never know love. Her family is suffering. None of this is okay. I don't care if things happen with real people. I don't care if that's life. There's plenty of places I can go to read about real life suffering. That doesn't make fictional suffering to such an extent enjoyable. Im sorry about your grand father, I really am. But thats not what' going to happen. This is their CHILD. At least with your grandfather he got to live out his life. How do you think they feel knowing that their child is going to die before them, after having any chance to ever live her life torn away. Ive had relatives waste away too, but that doesn't mean I want to see others watch a loved one die, even in fiction I want to see the hero win. I want to see everything turn out okay.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 24, 2020 20:01:01 GMT -6
I get your point, I genuinely do. And I honestly respect your position on this subject. 👍
I can see why fiction paralleling with the negative aspects of reality can be unappealing... but, personally, I like it, more or less.
Especially in this particular piece. To each their own though. ❤️
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Post by The Doc on Jun 30, 2020 0:32:30 GMT -6
If he doesn't want to continue, that is his right. And I will not insist otherwise.
But if he isn't, considering all the responses to his story, I do feel that outright telling us it's over would be a nice gesture on his part, so people can stop waiting and move on.
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keith943
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Stop your messaging habits, please.
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Post by keith943 on Jun 30, 2020 7:06:05 GMT -6
I agree with both of you with Kappa the exploration of the overall struggles with the more negative side of life however I am also with Doc where by the end of the story the protagonist is able to overcome the struggles with the negative side of life so that there can still be a happy/positive ending.
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Post by The Doc on Jul 6, 2020 16:27:44 GMT -6
So basically Maggie is going to die character death, not get her love of her life or a chance to achieve her dreams. And her parents are going to bury their own child after watch her age even more.
But I guess if someone's enjoying their suffering, that's clearly all that matters. But I'm really, REALLY depressed about it.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 6, 2020 17:08:25 GMT -6
That's life sometimes, you don't always get a happy ending:
And I think that's okay.
I got the writer's direction, and I like it. I get your point too, and I understand that it upsets you.
I genuinely get your underline argument. Fiction is an escape, why go so real and depressing?
But, hey, that's just the direction the writer went. It's their baby, their work, whatever they do is whatever they do. You can be upset about it,and, you're entitled to it. 👍🏽That says a lot about the story that it impacted you so passionately. Regardless of the impact being negative or positive.
Ultimately, your opinion is perfectly fine. It's just not what the writer's going for.
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Post by phoenix10 on Jul 6, 2020 19:49:50 GMT -6
I'm not really a happy ending kind of person when I'm reading "real" fiction. I think it can get campy and unrealistic. I feel like I was one of the few people who actually liked the ending of A Farewell to Arms.
However, when I'm reading things that are basically fetish porn (not necessarily sex related but meant to arouse to some degree) depressing endings are strangely just that: depressing. This conversation has me wondering why that is and I think it's because erotic stories are truly the epitome of escape. We allow ourselves to be vulnerable by reading them and we expect one thing in return: pleasure, joy, excitement. We are searching for something not just to entertain us. We want to feel good.
So, when you're looking for something to make you feel good and you come across something that forces you to face your own mortality, as this story does, you feel cheated -- or, at least, I do. That's not what I was looking for, nor anywhere near what I expected. Any arousal or excitement I had is gone. I'm left feeling particular empty -- even more so than if I had read or watched a "normal" book/movie with tragic elements because at least I expected sorrow and pain there.
I didn't read this story. I couldn't. Just from the comments, I knew it wouldn't put me in a good place. I would feel just as depressed as Doc. AP elements, for me, are an escape. I don't read them to think about grander things. I read them to make myself feel good. Of course, there are tons of people who do enjoy seeing interesting elements in stories like these and that's totally okay. If someone likes writing depressing fetish lit, they should do it. Honestly, the only thing I ask of those writers is to add a disclaimer to the intro. If the story is going to make someone's half an hour of free time at night worse, it's a curtesy to warn them.
I guess I agree with both Doc and Kappa. Writers should always be able to do what they want but, at the same time, fetish writers should be aware that they are writing content for people who have emotional expectations for their work -- expectations that can have painful consequences.
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Post by The Doc on Jul 11, 2020 4:11:37 GMT -6
Pardon me. Ive just been feeling down in recent weeks. And the notion she was going to lose her love struck a chord with my own mounting loneliness.
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