does this directly apply to me or…? because if it does, then yeah, i’m guilty. god, this feels like i’m coaxing an upset partner.

i’m sorry, baby. i love you, and i definitely never mean to keep you waiting. i really don’t intentionally leave people on read or delivered for so long. usually i just… forget. which sounds terrible, i know, but i’ve lived with the whole ‘out of sight, out of mind’ thing for years now. once a message gets buried, it’s basically gone until i’m reminded. it’s not that i don’t care; i just have a lot going on and tend to stick to my notifications. the people i’m close with and talk to often already know how i am—they usually just send another message to poke me and i always get back to them.

but i do hate knowing it makes you anxious. c’mere, let me kiss it better? you’re always allowed to double text, spam, or nag me until i answer. i promise i care about you. don’t be too upset with me, please? : (

i can say it simply because, to me, the book was objectively poorly written. criticism and personal opinion can coexist with respect, no?

there is also a massive difference between RR and me. she is a published, well-established mainstream author whose work is a commercial product sold on a massive scale. when readers are literally paying for a product, it naturally invites a higher level of scrutiny. i have every right to voice my opinion, especially considering i bought both the kindle edition and a physical paperback copy.

in short: i paid for the book, so of course i’m going to have honest thoughts about the quality and the experience i had.

meanwhile, i’m not selling my work; i don’t get a single dime. i’m just a fanfic writer posting stories for free, asking for nothing in return but the enjoyment of the fandom.

that being said, i actually do welcome constructive criticism—it’s how we grow as writers anyway. however, conflating a paid commercial product with free hobbyist writing is a huge stretch, don’t you think?