Bleu

*sigh* So sad. And yet, I can understand his reaction, which seems to indicate that he has accepted what is to come. Denial is worse, I think.

I am re-reading Hidden Sunlight to understand Veil of Shadow better. Your chapters are so packed with descriptive information! I realise how much I've either missed or overlooked when I first read your story. Anyway, it's just as enjoyable the second time round.

Yay, politics! with some geo-strategic elements. That is a good recipe for me. And I love the way you're slowly defining Yugan's character too. How do you enjoy writing from a non-Shay/Mira perspective?

Sorry to hear about this. Hugs to your mum and to yourself and Paya.

Where the heck is Shay? Where is Mira? What the *CENSORED* is going on?! Sorry, but I had to ask. Thank you so much for this sequel. I already know I'm going to love it. The scenery is now moving way beyond Lucere and is full of promises. I agree with Steven that you do special people/characters very well. Personally, I didn't see the Dagenith as insectoids, probably because of the ears. They felt more feline to me, not unlike the sharpelings. I humbly request Shay's presence in the next chapter.

But...but... you don't usually go for cliffhangers! What happened this time? What surprised me most was that David didn't understand what was going on before Dan.

Happy birthday, Mark!! Make it special

Happy birthday from Jian and I

Congratulations! Much deserved!

I lived in London at the time and I was at home that day. I was working on my thesis in the office and I went to get something in the kitchen. On my way there I glanced at the tv in the living-room. It was on, but muted. Day-time tv is notoriously bad everywhere, and what I saw looked at first like an early-afternoon second-rate American made-for-tv drama. The image I saw was the second plane hitting the tower, and I remember thinking "God, this movie is terrible. The special effects are so bad they made smoke come out of the tower before the plane actually hit". And then I realised that there were two towers, and I noticed the headlines. I spent the next hours watching tv and calling my brothers in France. We discussed the options put forward by journalists as to the groups responsible for this (Serbian nationalists, Muslim Brotherhood and some Palestinian militant groups...). It took some time before some specialist suggested Al-Qaida.

Stellar, thank you so much for this fantastic story. I enjoyed every aspect of it, from the plot and characters, to the morals and the writing. Definitely the best-written story I have read on here for a couple of years. Please please please, let there be more!

How did it go? Where's the report?

Happy birthday, Stu!

Good luck, John!

Sorry but I won't make it on those dates. Hope all of you have lots of fun

I saw this announcement 2 days ago but didn't manage to post a comment untl now. I am very sorry and sad to hear of these news. While I can't claim to have known Vic very well, I chatted quite a few times with him over the past 3 years. His presence always boosted chat conversation and he gave his attention to everyone. I will remember several conversations about long-distance running and roller-blading (something that we had in common), and how he teased me a bit about dating a Filipino. Rest in peace, Vic

Cia, sending you a pm about Jian's story

Hehe, I love the new direction this is taking. The chat conversation is quite realistic, and if Dan doesn't meet his boyfriend online, at least he should be able to make a few friends. Also I like the mise en abyme. I feel quite priviledged to have met the real person who hides behind Circle, who hides behind Dan, who hides behind Byron

Billy, I just read 21 and 22. Both great chapters, with new characters, some good and others less so. The political angle is a new element which brings yet another dimension to the story. As usual, there are great lessons to be learned from your story, particularly about resilience, compassion, love, mourning, forgiveness, and also something I am less familiar with: faith. I am glad that your story didn't turn into an expose about religion and I find the way you're evoking Andy's and Joey's faith quite interesting. Again, keep up the good work.

There is one week-end in that period when I'll be unavailable, but otherwise I will try to come.

Still interested by this. Just like Andy, June is a no no for me. August might be a possibility unless I have to take that business trip to Asia (unlikely at this date). The location (London/Birmingham/Manchester) doesn't much matter to me, since it will be quite a trip whatever the destination

It's a great plan, Yettie! Thanks for volunteering to organise this. I'm not in the UK but I've been to the Manchester and the London meetups. I would hate to miss this one

Orangina is known here for their outlandish, weird and provocative ads. We've had quite a bunch of gay-themed ads recently, and generally much better than this one.

Happy birthday Joey Enjoy the day!

Thanks guys and ladies! I had a white birthday for the first time in my life. The wildest thing I did was go out and shovel out some snow... so I didn't get naked. I am flourishing, just like Mike said, but I don't think I'm a wallflower. My current avatar is actually a close-up of a blue mug with white flowers.