Wow! Great background and great graphic affects in your story! You have a skill for humor that actually fits your scenes and plot. Subscribed and yes, definitely reading! I may take a bit from post to post because I'm currently scheduling my own, but I'm so there!
My story about my story:
This isn't the first thing I've written but it's the first I'm brave enough to publish. I have severe social anxiety, so it isn't failure I fear but success. I'll let friends read my work but that's as far as I go, even when they beg me to publish.
I've been writing my entire life. I practically lived at the library when I was a kid. I wasn't popular in school and I don't have the kind of family I want to talk about. My support came from the strangest of places: my bullies.
No matter how much they tormented me all week, when it was Friday -- creative writing day, they begged for my story first and would sacrifice their own sharing time to let me go over. After class, they would stay and ask me questions about what I wrote, like how I came up with the idea and how long it took me to write. In high school, the bullies weren't there but I still wasn't popular, until again, creative writing class. I was known as the story teller in school. I was still treated like I was worthless by my family, but their treatment was tolerable because of these classmates who made me feel like I was worth something, even when they were mean to me every other day.
I never stopped writing. It was the one thing I had that no one could take from me. When it came to sharing my work, though, that's where I drew the line. I was too afraid. I don't know why, exactly. It's just always been a thing for me, this social anxiety and fear of attention. Publishing on Tapas, my first time ever doing this anywhere, was my daughter's idea. She's pushed me out of my shell time and time again. She's been my biggest supporter.
I don't know why I'm finally ready after all this time, or why I feel so close to this one. I've written a 3 part saga based on my own heritage, and it wasn't close to being this deeply impactful to me. I dreamed this one but that's nothing new. Most of my stories come from my dreams, which aren't as chaotic as "normal" dreams. This one, though, seems to come from somewhere deep and at the same time, far away.
Because of my daughter, I became obsessed with Asian cinema. C-Dramas and K-Dramas, mostly. I don't even watch anything out of Hollywood anymore. This could be what has influenced my dreams, but my stories are always my own. I researched the h*ll out of Ancient China for this novel, like medicine, warfare, Daoism, even natural landmarks and horticulture. I have an enormous bookmark list and have even consulted content creators on YouTube located in China. I'm kind of OCD when it comes to historical accuracy lol.
I think if there was something that is a personal pet peeve, it would be the yin and yang theme. Yang is traditionally the masculine (white) while yin is the feminine (black). In my story, however, the female lead is represented with white while he is with black. It was necessary for their personalities and characteristics, and it's nothing that interferes with the story. It will, actually, make perfect sense as the story progresses.
Thank you for sharing your story's backstory and inviting others to do the same. I found some interesting shares on here and have subbed a few. It's nice to meet you! 
The Tale of The Butterfly And The Crane
