I've just decided to catch up on some reading today. I have some anxiety that keeps me away from this place most of the time but I'd really like to start getting over it, as there is an engagement problem and a readership problem on the platform and as a mostly inactive user I am part of that problem. Plus, I miss the place.
I read this and the first part just now. I notice you've not received any human comments for either part and that it's been four months since it was written. I imagine that must have been discouraging and it must feel like it fell upon deaf ears (blind eyes?).
Well anyway, for what it is worth, four months later, I've read it, and enjoyed it. It's interesting that each person has their own assigned fate-being in this universe; I don't think I've seen that before... the closest thing is the "guardian angel" concept but this is different.
There's some good dissonance here; we feel an impulse to root for Zuen since we, as humans who value our free will (or whatever illusion of it we have), identify with Caleb and the idea of being sacrificed because we think too independently doesn't really vibe with us. Besides, it's always a good time to root for the rebels. At the same time, though, how many other humans are going to die as Ishtar and the other fate-beings relentlessly pursue Caleb's death? I certainly would not want to be Zuen in this situation, feeling that guilt. But then again, why should they feel guilty? They're not the one doing the killing, after all... though it is unavoidable that if they just allowed Caleb to die, fewer lives would be lost in the whole mess.
Good story; would like to see what happens next.
Thanks for the feedback!
You're right, it's hard to write when it feels like nobody cares, so I've kinda dropped this story. Doesn't help that creativity is difficult on a covid brain, and short stories are a lot easier than longer series.
I'll see if I continue at some point, I do already know the ending...
I understand the feeling. I think a majority of content creators on this platform do, to an extent. There's just not the audience there used to be and it's depressing. But it's also self-fulfilling, because here, our content creators are largely each others' audiences. So as time goes on and people disappear, it gets worse... and worse...
I hope to somehow help to change this, but I can't do that if I've disappeared the same as everyone else. Hypocrisy drive, engage... So, hopefully I will be paying a bit more attention from now on. We'll see what happens...
At any rate, I'm always happy to read something you've written, short or not. So if you find short stories a more suitable medium to work in, I'll be glad to read them... hopefully more promptly henceforth...
Thanks for the reply!
Poor Caleb. Or Zuen. Or Ishtar. Or all of humanity. Or whichever combination of them you've seen fit to kill painfully, because I know it's someone...
Why do you think anyone has to die? They could all live happily ever after, for eternity...
On and on and on and on...
The only way you'll allow that is if they're in a state of constant anguish, begging pathetically, fruitlessly, for the eternally unachievable release of death. That's even worse.
(well, for them; it's actually better for me)