Claire stayed in my head
I’m from Mexico, and I recently went to America. Every time I saw one of those motels, I kept thinking about Claire.
Not because of the motels themselves, but because Claire was in places like that. She became a prostitute to pay her father’s bills, and nobody knew, not even Jane. That part stayed in my head.
Then I ended up staying in one of those motels myself. I saw the bathtub and thought, “Damn, Claire probably cried in a place like this.” And then, because life is stupid, I slipped in the bathtub and hit myself badly, spinning around like an egg on Teflon.
It hurt, but it also made the whole thing feel weirdly emotional. Your story changed how I see places like that now. I can’t look at those motels or hotels without thinking about Claire and the loneliness she must have carried.
Just wanted to share that. Claire stayed in my head more than I expected. Grim story, but it hit me hard.
I'm so sorry to hear you slipped in the bathtub. That sounds painful. I hope you get well soon. Please be sure to be careful next time, I am currently in the acute phase of a back pain flare-up, so I have to be extremely cautious with every step I take. If you are young, I believe you will recover quickly; if not, please get plenty of rest. Wishing you a speedy recovery.
As for Claire—I think, just as you said, she might be crying all alone in that motel.
Yet, she is resilient at heart—crying, releasing, reflecting, and always standing back up to forge ahead.
Thank you so much for replying. I really didn’t expect you yourself to answer, so I’m still kind of freaking out in a good way.
Also, I’m sorry about your back pain flare-up. Back pain is awful, so I really hope it calms down soon and you can rest.
And yeah, I hope I never end up in Midport haha, but I love it as a setting. It’s grim, painful, and messed up, but that’s exactly why it stays in my head. China Nightmares is awesome too. You created something so great that I honestly don’t have the right words to express it.
Your stories hit me so hard that I couldn’t take it anymore and started imagining my own fan version, where maybe everyone gets to leave a little happier in the end. Kind of, haha.
Thanks again for creating this universe. Anne forever. 🤘
I’m trying this thing where I get up and stretch every 30 minutes, just hoping to stop my back pain from getting any worse.
Honestly, seeing you so invested in my work warms my heart! I actually saw your other post too—my husband and I are both so glad that our comic is being fully appreciated and understood by you. Thank you so much. Having readers like you makes all the grinding we do for the plot, character designs, and art totally worth it!
About Midport—we absolutely love setting stories there. Aside from the dark side, it’s full of vibrant colors and so much energy. We’ve actually always wanted to do a 'blue' story, and its main character is that very first girl from the forum header image—she actually dates back even earlier than Sofia Harris，the white pony. It was an unsold piece of work, but after tons of rewrites and back-and-forth worldbuilding, the story has snowballed into this massive project. It’s become such a behemoth that, honestly, it’s a bit intimidating to even start. But it really is the absolute core of Midport.