paleverse

@Viora_115 thank you, and of course all the best the book sounds cool

@Viora_115 
            Oh hi, you caught me still at home, good.
            
            That's a surprisingly difficult question. I was going for the general vibe and didn't really think this through (the lines I particularly like are spread around). Let's see what would be most representative....
            
            In priority order -- the chapters are long, so take as much as you can/want. 
            
            Chapter 16. Campfire (a lot going on under the surface, the scene has some Tarantino vibes, or at least it was supposed to have them, my favourite chapter in general), 
            
            Chapter 10. Games (most representative for the whole middle arc),
            
            Chapter 1. Basically, because the way the characters are introduced sets the tone for the book. 
            
            The grand finale (18th chapter + epilogue) also has its advantages... but this is like 1/4th of the book already, so I doubt you'd have that much time for it, given all the submissions.
            
            Thank you for your hard work and happy reading!

@mmdaesatra 
            
            Oh thank you so much, I needed to hear this.
            
            Yes, this much good may come out of it, that I will leave behind my doubts about what I am 'allowed' to write -- seems literally nobody else has those anymore. I'll just write what I want and put it out and stop caring about anything else...
            
            Well, I probably won't.
            
            But I should :).
            
            See you in a couple of weeks, can't wait to finish your book!

@nadzzsam 
            Thank you so much! 
            
            The doubt in my writing is not even the worst, more like the doubt in ... humanity?
            
            Well, I'm not pearl clutching... ok, I am, but not about the smut or the violence per se, I could delete the first two chapters of my story and get a similarly strong opening [might be a good idea? Dunno]. In that book over there, a girl woke up after being drugged and raped while unconscious, and got blackmailed by a guy with some photos he had taken of her into more sex, and pretending to be his girlfriend from now on. Nothing brutal -- I have written worse (published worse, written much worse).
            
            The problem is the framing. When I see this kind of scene and think of a happy ending for that guy, it involves a flamethrower, a woodchipper, or at very least a pair of rusty shears. I just can't wrap my head around the number of people who read something like that and go "yes, I'd like to see them happy ever after, they seem like such an interesting couple".
            
            Reveling in your helplessness, not even imagining overcoming it (by seeing yourself in a stronger character) and taking responsibility for your life -- and at the same time fawning over pure evil, not even the cool, complex kind, just selfish, narcissistic and dumb. "Oh, but he really wants her." A crocodile really wants to eat you, go fawn over that. I just don't get it.
            
            I think that this form of 'romance' might simply be my trigger, and I never ever expected myself even to have one, since I actually enjoy reading really nasty stuff -- I just don't like bad people being presented as attractive. At the very least, I think I'll give up on labeling my things as dark romance (-ish) and stick to erotic horror, because in horror, at least a monster is a monster.
            
            Ok, rant off.

@paleverse 
            
            Hey, I just wanted to say, I read this and felt so much of it in my chest.
            
            You are allowed to rant. You’re allowed to feel insecure and disillusioned and lost sometimes. That doesn’t make your story any less valuable. It makes you human.
            
            The work you’ve created matters. Even if algorithms bury it. Even if it doesn’t explode overnight. Even if you question yourself every day. Writing something dark, raw, that doesn’t pander is harder and braver. I hope you give yourself credit for that.
            
            It hurts to see other stories soar when yours feels invisible. But the truth is, no amount of engagement can measure the depth of what you’ve written. 
            
            Also… your story doesn’t sound like a failure. It sounds like a knife in the right hands. It’s sharp, it doesn’t follow trends or tropes that make you cringe, and honestly? That’s rare. 
            
            I hope when you come back, you remember that you are not your stats. You’re a storyteller. And you’re doing beautifully.
            
            (And selfishly? I want more.)

@-Untactful_Criminal 
            No problem, I just finished it, it's really well written.

@jannelynch Thx!

Good luck !!

@MiliWilson Np :) I always do that, unless the account appears to be a spammer.

Or maybe... The Burning Void? It was in the prequel and has similar form to the first title.

@nadzzsam 
            Nice one!

Lol I have no idea... 

@paleverse ooooohhhhhhhh I might! I might! But at night.... It's broad daylight over here

@nadzzsam 
            Thx! Added to a list.
            Yep, it's this one. 
            
            https://www.wattpad.com/story/392994116-buried-dreams-18%2B
            
            It has two parallel POVs, and Sam's one starts in 3. Melting chapter, if you just want to check what happened directly after the Epilogue of Bright Room.

@paleverse You started the sequel too? I'm so left behind because of judging contests.FML!
            
            here is the link.... Read the TW!
            https://www.wattpad.com/story/392842733