that’s weird. I never thought of Zach as weak, just that he was coping in a very internalizing way, which is something I DEF identify with. I think some people, esp those of us who deal with abandonment issues, tend to just buckle down try to get through hard things because counting on someone else is both unexpected and terrifying. That’s likely why Bleary appeals to me personally so much.
Thanks, Suede. I certainly never meant to portray him as weak (quite the contrary). But if you look at the comments on that chapter, a lot of people read it as Chris saving the day and Zach being soft and sort of needing rescuing. I’m hoping by the time the multi-chapter arc was over, people didn’t see it that way, but the fact that some readers had that interpretation showed me that my intent and what was “on the page” so to speak didn’t quite match up. Your read is much more of what I intended, but it wasn’t universal. Which I guess I can’t expect. But still, I love Bleary!Zach and he’s not weak, so I was unhappy I wrote him in a way that he could be seen that way.
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