Are you talking specifically about Aphrodite or more generally about all TG fiction? I find it hard to debate the merits of other stories I probably haven't read.
In Aphrodite we're often seeing the world through Elena's eyes. We know what she's thinking when she's undergoing some feminisation procedures. Andrew complains about the full body waxing as the most painful experience of his life, he's complaining about the gaff and the tightness of the corset. Later he complains about finding it difficult to walk in high heels. The fact he doesn't complain about those things later on any more implies he's gotten used to it. I feel the same goes if he would have complained about wearing a bra, enjoys the sensation of air flowing through his legs when wearing a skirt or about dangling earrings against his face when turning his head.
I don't see acrylic nails as a Chekov's gun. It's proof of en embrace of femininity, a conformity to what's expected. The lack of complaining implies resignation. I don't think it's a lack of craftsmanship, not in this story. But again, it may apply to other stories. In this story
Generally I'm a fan of pulp stories. Stories like those of Raymond Chandler have straight action and not a lot of filler. I think there is place in a story for someone getting used to their nails, but I don't think it's really the core of the story. I feel the adjustment to the new social life is more the core of AM than the physicality of Elena getting used to bra straps. That's what Melissa is focusing more on. Not deviating from it by having a second set of leg waxing to show Elena is getting used to her new situation I feel wouldn't be really necessary.
I'm a fan of time jumps in transformation stories as the adjustment to the feminine reality don't really need to be addressed directly. I think it works really well. Though AM doesn't have too many massive time jumps, I feel it's still clear.
I was speaking generally about writing, but all of my comments apply in how I analyze Aphrodite's Mirror. Some of what I'm looking for from a literary standpoint (in particular, how that analysis applies to feminization stories) is present in AM, some is not. Elena repeatedly
does complain and acknowledge parts of the feminization. After the timeskip, she reflects about how nice stockings feel on her hairless skin
and notices when her hair is longer.
She still complains about high heels, and notes the different feeling of her body.
All this makes perfect sense because someone
should be reacting to these changes. So I don't have any complaints about these aspects because they were actually addressed and make sense given what we know about Andrew, his lack of previous crossdressing, and the suddenly altered body he currently is in. Which is why, given all this attention to how alien these changes feel, the lack of attention given to the longer nails is a notable omission (both right at the beginning, and now after the timeskip). I'm not saying "oh no, story is ruined". Just pointing out an omission that was perfectly inline with other changes of the same level that
were given attention to.
Speaking more generally, and not AM or Melissa specific, I do get why people may not realize some of these things. If you're a woman writing TG fiction, you might have gotten used to longer nails, longer hair, or how clothes feel/putting them on, and therefore gloss over that. There was a (I think it might have been a behind the scenes) scene in a body swap porn by Reya Fet that really illustrated that. One of the actresses is pretending to be a guy possessing the girl, and goes to get dressed. The actress effortlessly takes off her bra, where the person on the camera cuts, and points out, "hey, maybe struggle with it a bit".
On the flip side, I'm sure there are male writers that haven't researched or tried a lot of the clothing/makeup that they're attempting to describe. I grew out my hair for the first time after having it short for decades, and one of the first things I struggled with was "how the fuck do you tie your hair into a pony tail"? If it's not a practiced motion, it really does feel freaking weird. Writers often talk about how smooth the underwear feels, but they rarely point out how thin the fabric that is there feels. Especially comparing underwear with a fly, and panties that don't.
Again, if you miss a few things, choose to gloss over a few things, or are just a bit sparse with details in general, it's not the end of the world. But I think those are areas of improvement, especially in the genre of long, slow, "realistic", and deliberate feminization stories.
Generally I'm a fan of pulp stories. Stories like those of Raymond Chandler have straight action and not a lot of filler.
Oh yeah, I'm a fan of pulp fiction and light novels as well. Not using this term derisively, but I love a good "trashy" read. But a core aspect of these stories is that they're generally pretty short. I think a fair comparison is to Melissa's non "long story" works. Like "All He Wants For Christmas" or "Dress For Success", I think these short comics are great in a very "pulpy" sort of way. You see the progression of the feminization, you get a taste of the changes in relationship/status, and the story doesn't overstay its welcome. The characters are just developed enough so you know where they start and where they end.
But as a story gets longer, and especially when a writer
does spend the time to go over aspects of the transformation in detail, I do expect the characters to react to those individual changes. The story is longer and has the time to, and those descriptions can serve multiple useful functions for the reader:
1) They can be erotic as part of the feminization. Getting some details on how it feels to wear those clothes or have those body modifications is part of the fantasy.
2) They can be useful to understand how the character is feeling about their feminization. Is it still pure resentment? Mild irritation? Secretly discovering a feminine side?
3) It can be used to contrast
later attitudes to those changes.