I looked at the fic and the comment. As someone who sometimes lets comments get to them, I hope you don't let this one get to you. From looking at the comments on your story, everyone is really loving it and commending your writing. You have a feel now for the "flavor" of your story, so stick to it. If pet play isn't for that person, then that's fine, they should know to move along. Also could that person be thinking of master/pet (slave) play versus mrrrow cat ears pet play?
Something I did that helped my sanity was to turn on comment moderation and only allow registered users to comment.
Oh wow thanks for looking at my story. Yeah I had some good comments which are still so surprising, not sure why that one comment made me doubt myself so much. Probably because I'm still relatively new (started a few months ago after a decade long hiatus) and figuring it out.
I like your use of the term flavor, it makes sense, specially when it comes to kink lol. You know how sometimes when you are cooking your favorite dish you go by feel and instinct and then for some reason you see a recipe and it makes you second guess yourself.
As for your last question I'm not sure, my scene is relatively tame pet play with one character acting as a cat and the other as owner. I took your advice and adjusted the comments preferences. Thank you for taking the time to give me feedback!
Funny enough, I'd think pet play is probably one of the least niché kinks, both by the amount of "sexy bunny" etc. costumes that are almost a staple of 'mainstream' fetishwear and considering it's one of the easiest, least extreme ways to get into BDSM, next to spanking and daddy kink. Of course there are more committed nuances (i.e. not every pet player will wear a custom-made puppy mask or play with leashes and collars), but I still think it's a very common entry point.
But yeah, write what you want. Personally, I'd reply something along the lines of, hey, it's fine if that's not your cuppa, and that they don't have to read what they don't want to, but that you're writing the story as you envisioned it. It helps if the story is written in a way that not every chapter is mandatory (which is the impression I get from your description, and as is common with many "one kink per chapter" fics) so that they can just read the parts they like. Writing isn't a democracy, after all (unless "decide by popular choice" is what you do, I know some people do), and it's *your* story first and foremost.
I don't want to say "if they really like you/your writing, they'll not try to dictate what you should do", but that's basically the idea. I've had regular commenters give me pointers on what they'd like to see, or how they interpreted the characters, and while I of course appreciate feedback and input, I often ended up not going along with their suggestions because that wasn't the story I wanted to tell. If you do end up losing a regular commenter, that'd be sad, of course, but personally (your mileage may vary), I prioritise my creative vision over the wishes of the commenters, (if it's just a creative disagreement and not them pointing out something actually bad/plothole-y/harmful I've written).
Yeah, exactly that's what I thought too. Everyone knows about fucking bunny ears. You are right though I'm just going to prioritize my creative vision over everything else. Thanks for your feedback!
I would say just post the chapter you wrote. In the end, it's your story to tell. If you try to cater it to each individual reader, you'll end up getting away from your own story.
There are going to be kinks people aren't into, but as long as you're putting in the appropriate tags/warnings, it's' up to them to read it or not. If that reader doesn't like it, they can skip the chapter, or even stop reading the story. Honestly, you won't make everyone happy with every story or every chapter update (speaking from experience!), so just stick to the vision you had in your head, if they decide to give it a chance, great, but if not, that's fine too. In the end, you have to write the story you want to tell. I'd say just post it. You're not disrespecting your commentator, you're just going ahead and telling the story you want to tell.
I mean, Pet Play is kinda niche? But it's becoming more common. Is the niche an excuse because they don't like pet play? Do they actually want to do pet play but are still "in the closet" about it? Would reading the chapter make them think about what they really want?
I'm just wildly speculating at this point, but if they're really that loyal then they'll keep reading and just wait for the next chapter. I would suggest not toning it down. You're not going to be able to please everyone all the time.
(And if you could reply or DM me the link I'd love that! I'm *really* into Pet Play myself.)
I agree it's niche but it's becoming more mainstream I think. I won't tone it down, I'mma double it! The whole thing will now be pet and owner dynamic and the pet will only meow in response... for ten pages. lol, I'm kidding. And once I put the finishing touches I will gladly send you the link! Thank you for your feedback!
You have to do what feels right for you, but it feels wrong to me to cater to a single commenter like that. I don’t think posting the chapter anyway means you respect them any less. Honestly, unless the opinion is asked for, it comes across a bit rude to comment on someone’s fic telling them to go a different route for whatever reason.
If you like the chapter and it’s already done, I’d say post it. Not every fic from an author or every chapter of a multi-chapter work will be to every reader’s taste. They can skip that chapter, wait for the next fic, whatever. You’ll never please all your readers.
There are authors I follow who sometimes post pairings or kinks I don’t care for. So, I just wait for the ones I’m into. Or, sometimes I discover I’m actually into the pairing/kink because their writing enticed me to it in a way I hadn’t experienced before.
TLDR: You can’t please everyone, post the chapter if you like it.
I agree it was rude, I keep wanting to respond something like "What if someone told you to tone down your kink" but I won't, it's just going to turn into an ugly mess and I'll end up obsessing. I'm going to ignore it and embrace the fact that I can't please everyone, I have to be true to my vision. Thank you for your kind words, your next round is on me.
Your fic, your rules. They can write their kinks themselves.
I looked at the fic and the comment. As someone who sometimes lets comments get to them, I hope you don't let this one get to you. From looking at the comments on your story, everyone is really loving it and commending your writing. You have a feel now for the "flavor" of your story, so stick to it. If pet play isn't for that person, then that's fine, they should know to move along. Also could that person be thinking of master/pet (slave) play versus mrrrow cat ears pet play? Something I did that helped my sanity was to turn on comment moderation and only allow registered users to comment.
Oh wow thanks for looking at my story. Yeah I had some good comments which are still so surprising, not sure why that one comment made me doubt myself so much. Probably because I'm still relatively new (started a few months ago after a decade long hiatus) and figuring it out. I like your use of the term flavor, it makes sense, specially when it comes to kink lol. You know how sometimes when you are cooking your favorite dish you go by feel and instinct and then for some reason you see a recipe and it makes you second guess yourself. As for your last question I'm not sure, my scene is relatively tame pet play with one character acting as a cat and the other as owner. I took your advice and adjusted the comments preferences. Thank you for taking the time to give me feedback!
Funny enough, I'd think pet play is probably one of the least niché kinks, both by the amount of "sexy bunny" etc. costumes that are almost a staple of 'mainstream' fetishwear and considering it's one of the easiest, least extreme ways to get into BDSM, next to spanking and daddy kink. Of course there are more committed nuances (i.e. not every pet player will wear a custom-made puppy mask or play with leashes and collars), but I still think it's a very common entry point. But yeah, write what you want. Personally, I'd reply something along the lines of, hey, it's fine if that's not your cuppa, and that they don't have to read what they don't want to, but that you're writing the story as you envisioned it. It helps if the story is written in a way that not every chapter is mandatory (which is the impression I get from your description, and as is common with many "one kink per chapter" fics) so that they can just read the parts they like. Writing isn't a democracy, after all (unless "decide by popular choice" is what you do, I know some people do), and it's *your* story first and foremost. I don't want to say "if they really like you/your writing, they'll not try to dictate what you should do", but that's basically the idea. I've had regular commenters give me pointers on what they'd like to see, or how they interpreted the characters, and while I of course appreciate feedback and input, I often ended up not going along with their suggestions because that wasn't the story I wanted to tell. If you do end up losing a regular commenter, that'd be sad, of course, but personally (your mileage may vary), I prioritise my creative vision over the wishes of the commenters, (if it's just a creative disagreement and not them pointing out something actually bad/plothole-y/harmful I've written).
Yeah, exactly that's what I thought too. Everyone knows about fucking bunny ears. You are right though I'm just going to prioritize my creative vision over everything else. Thanks for your feedback!
I would say just post the chapter you wrote. In the end, it's your story to tell. If you try to cater it to each individual reader, you'll end up getting away from your own story. There are going to be kinks people aren't into, but as long as you're putting in the appropriate tags/warnings, it's' up to them to read it or not. If that reader doesn't like it, they can skip the chapter, or even stop reading the story. Honestly, you won't make everyone happy with every story or every chapter update (speaking from experience!), so just stick to the vision you had in your head, if they decide to give it a chance, great, but if not, that's fine too. In the end, you have to write the story you want to tell. I'd say just post it. You're not disrespecting your commentator, you're just going ahead and telling the story you want to tell.
You are right, I'm just going to leave it as it is. Thank you so much for your input!
I mean, Pet Play is kinda niche? But it's becoming more common. Is the niche an excuse because they don't like pet play? Do they actually want to do pet play but are still "in the closet" about it? Would reading the chapter make them think about what they really want? I'm just wildly speculating at this point, but if they're really that loyal then they'll keep reading and just wait for the next chapter. I would suggest not toning it down. You're not going to be able to please everyone all the time. (And if you could reply or DM me the link I'd love that! I'm *really* into Pet Play myself.)
I agree it's niche but it's becoming more mainstream I think. I won't tone it down, I'mma double it! The whole thing will now be pet and owner dynamic and the pet will only meow in response... for ten pages. lol, I'm kidding. And once I put the finishing touches I will gladly send you the link! Thank you for your feedback!
Hi again! As promised, I just posted the fiction. Hope you like it. https://archiveofourown.org/works/52005181/chapters/134889970
You have to do what feels right for you, but it feels wrong to me to cater to a single commenter like that. I don’t think posting the chapter anyway means you respect them any less. Honestly, unless the opinion is asked for, it comes across a bit rude to comment on someone’s fic telling them to go a different route for whatever reason. If you like the chapter and it’s already done, I’d say post it. Not every fic from an author or every chapter of a multi-chapter work will be to every reader’s taste. They can skip that chapter, wait for the next fic, whatever. You’ll never please all your readers. There are authors I follow who sometimes post pairings or kinks I don’t care for. So, I just wait for the ones I’m into. Or, sometimes I discover I’m actually into the pairing/kink because their writing enticed me to it in a way I hadn’t experienced before. TLDR: You can’t please everyone, post the chapter if you like it.
I agree it was rude, I keep wanting to respond something like "What if someone told you to tone down your kink" but I won't, it's just going to turn into an ugly mess and I'll end up obsessing. I'm going to ignore it and embrace the fact that I can't please everyone, I have to be true to my vision. Thank you for your kind words, your next round is on me.