Reviews VS Readers And The Ultra Scary R Word

Hello, your friendly neighborhood REN here.

Recently I've noticed that I have 3 reviews VS a 4.0 overall on this fiction.

Realistically, reviews don't do very much on a site like this.... BUT

I find most of ones I have received to be biased.

For example, I've mentioned that I don't write rape fiction. I have also mentioned (and explained) that regardless of how people feel about Abeni -- the acts between her and Agni were consensual. I've also mentioned that I will no longer defend that and actively delete comments that suggest otherwise from here on out. And yet.....

I have people trying to explain to me the text book definition of consent as if I don't understand. Pointing out technicalities and so on. It's tiring, frankly. There's many of you and just one of me. I'd rather spend my time creating. If I stopped to address everyone that rehashes the same tired drama --it would be endless. So I flat out told everyone, it's already been discussed and from here on out any comments relating to it will be deleted. Yet, people still continue to test me on this point---like I won't follow through.

Yesterday I received one such comment and deleted it. In response, the  person then left a review and blocked me (not unexpected, and honestly it doesn't bother me). The thing is... any of you who have read up until now firmly understand that this fiction doesn't carry any rape elements in it.  It's also worth noting that this is literally the only forum or website where anyone has ever mentioned or uttered the word rape in reference to this fiction. Not even on Royal Road , the most judgy of all forums in existence, did anyone ever mention the R word. Not.a.single.time.

In fact, I find it even more strange that people are choosing this hill to die on. Exactly how many ecchi stories contain scenes where people pull out contracts to legally express consent? I haven't even read a ecchi / eroge / dojo where even verbal consent is used. Not a single one.  The same logic that is being used to paint one instance in a web fic that is over 144 chapters long is the same logic that doesn't make sense by any other means or stretch. And therein lies the problem.

My issue isn't the fact that people think or feel this way, my issue is that people who latch onto this idea are hypocrites. I'd be fine with your ideas -- if you were going around to every other web fic claiming that characters were being raped left and right solely on the basis that written /verbal consent wasn't given during rough sex.  Or every time a character is choked, pinned down or face sat.

But that doesn't seem to be the case at all (and trust me...I check these people's reading habits , comments and profiles.) If this is the stance you want to choose, I need you to apply the same energy to the countless animes, mangas, web fics, light novels that even so much as utter the word "N-No. *shy face*" or "S-stop. I'm in the mood... WAH --where are you touching!?" "W-wait, it's going inside." Etc etc. you get my drift. So why does this matter?

Well, at current ALL of my reviews mention rape. I have an inkling that it's done purposely by people who have their own reasons but still... I'm not going to add a rape tag, because there are no instances of rape in my fiction. It doesn't matter if you 1 rate me into oblivion. It's not going to happen.

Please, don't get your feelings hurt by testing the waters. I love you as readers, truly, but by the same token there isn't a single person who's comment won't get deleted if they mention Abeni + Rape again. Period.

Discussing anything else is fair game though! ^_^  Now onto the real reason I'm writing this!

I find it weird that the people who have continued reading further into the fiction haven't left reviews at all! Your input matters much more, I would argue. That being said--

If you could, take a moment and just tell me what you enjoy about the fiction as well as what you feel could be improved in a review. It could be as short or long as you like. The important thing is I would like a better representation of my work out there. One that doesn't rate me 3-4 stars while simultaneously claiming they love my work in order to conceal their "true intentions". 

It would be greatly appreciated.  I value the people who value me.

- Ren

Btw, this happened almost immediately after I made this post (just in case some of you thought I was embellishing), downrated to 3.9 from 4.0, just for asking more readers to leave accurate reviews...