fmerommel Voting was weird on the last chapter. It's the lowest-rated in the series, yet as you say everyone seems to like it. I think it was hit with some vote bombing when it was at the top of the new list. It's recovering slowly.
I kinda wish Alex hadn't dropped out at the end of Mentor. I'd love to write more about her. She was fun.
This week I posted the first chapter of Rider since it overlaps the end of Mentor. I'll post the final Mentor chapter next week.
I'm currently working on a story about Fi. She deserved a better ending than she got, even though i consider her problems mostly her own fault.
One thing that really has surprised me is the feedback claiming Kayla is a predator. Everyone understands a story in their own way, of course, but I really don't see that. She's not much older than most of the Gabby's patrons. She's only a year out of college herself. She should relate well to them. There's no age range at Gabby's - it's alcohol-free so that 18-20 can attend, but it isn't aimed at 18-20, it just includes 18-20. Kayla has never made any secret of being out of college and at work; Fi called her a "corporate drone." And early on Anita said living alone and not in student housing would appeal to the girls. She isn't hiding who she is.
I also can't see her and the other girls as "sluts." That's such a negative term for girls who are not in relationships or don't have relationship expectations placed on them. I could see the term applying to someone who sleeps around on their girlfriend/boyfriend, but not to free spirits who know what they're getting into. I mean, okay, it's not exactly realistic, there would be more relationship drama at a place like Gabby's, but in the fictional situation relationship-free sex works. Drama isn't caused by sex, it's by manipulating expectations, like Fi did, and in a different way Michelle.
Danielle wasn't preying on Kayla. She made it very clear that she intended to seduce her, and Kayla consented fully. And Kayla wasn't preying on Kennedy. Kennedy was the one initiating and consenting to sex. I guess that's my takeaway from Gabby's - that it's all about consent. It's when consent is violated that you can talk about the participants being "slutty" or dramatic.
I'm not saying the comments are wrong, because it isn't really my story when someone else reads it, just that they're unexpected. Other comments have made me think about how I could have written Kayla differently, and I think they've influenced the newer stories. It's been great feedback.