Hello everyone... it has been a while. I've been away from this story for a bit, and honestly, every time I see it in my library, it leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. I have to confess that I regret the way I handled the direction of this narrative.
I have a natural tendency to create my own plots, characters, and worlds. But while reading other fanfics recently, I realized something important: people read fanfiction to experience something unfamiliar inside a setting that is inherently familiar. I think I lost sight of that. By introducing so many unfamiliar elements from the Krakoa arcs to the long-winded X-Men flashbacks, I likely alienated a lot of readers and patrons.
The truth is, I'm not really suited for heavily pre-planned, rigid narratives. I'm the "forever DM" for my DnD group, and I usually thrive when I let my players drive the story while I subtly guide them. Lately, this story has felt less like a fanfic and more like me awkwardly patching my own rules on top of Marvel's established universe. I ended up mashing two different realities into one big, tangled mess.
Because I want to do this right, I need your honest feedback. I would love to hear your thoughts on a few things:
What do you actually like about this fic?
Is Jack Hou a solid enough main character?
What is not working for you?
Am I introducing too many original characters?
Is the pacing dragging?
And more.
As I look toward rewriting and fixing this, I want to know what direction you'd like to see the story take. Please drop a vote in the paragraph comment below:
🗳️ VOTE ON THE REWRITE DIRECTION:
[ 1️⃣ ] Classic Marvel: Stick to the comics and focus heavily on the established, famous characters.
[ 2️⃣ ] The MCU Route: Shift the narrative to align more closely with the movie universe.
[ 3️⃣ ] The Prime Amalgamation: Take the best parts of both the comics and the MCU to create a blended prime Marvel storyline.
[ 4️⃣ ] All above not good enough, write the recommendation here. :)
Lastly, thank you. Thank you to everyone who has been patient with me and stuck around. I really do not want to abandon this fic. In another life, I know I would have done better right out of the gate. But for now, I'm ready to fix this one. :)