gabrielsknife

Thank you! I guess it's because I've been writing in the Stars universe; I never noticed about the showing concepts thing lol! This is probably the...third or fourth story that I've written that details some part of Maa'rish culture/life. Hell, I was doing dishes one afternoon when the idea hit me about the whole Maa'rish justice system. This was going to be a Gladiator story! Lol!

Thank you for reading it! I'm so happy you liked it. My other stories are mostly based in this same universe. They take place on other planets, but yeah, they're kinda similar . I hope you enjoy them as much as you enjoyed this one. Thanks again for reading .

Wow lol! Thanks! Really needed that laugh !

According to the rules I was taught, numbers one through ten you write out. Anything greater then ten, you're free to just input the symbol (i.e. 12 for twelve). There's also Roman numerals, but no body seems to use those anymore (Ligua Roma est mortus ;_; ) The only thing that was really stressed was consistency. If you decide to use symbols for your numbers, then don't just randomly write out twenty-four in the middle of a sentence. Other then that, go nuts with your bad, number writing self lol!

No problem! Always happy to help.

...smell like mayonnaise?" He had no recourse but to point to the half open jar, sitting on the counter top next to his box. "Maybe because you left the mayo out again! How many times - " And for that, he received the damp punishment of a water-balloon to the face. Claire flounced her way back outside, to the cheerful sounds of children screaming and balloons splashing. Jake scooted towards the papertowel rack, over the sink, when the phone suddenly rang.

Interesting to say the least! It was a bit difficult to digest in the beginning. I'm still not quite sure what Iswirl looks like, but the note at the bottom really helped piece everything together. I'm not sure if I'm going in the right direction with this, but I'm somewhat reminded of Species 8(whatever the rest of the number was lol) from Star Trek Voyager. The ending was unexpected and rather quaint; I've pulled the same thing once before with a fantasy story. At the same time, it was a little jarring and left me a little dazed. One thing I would recommend would be to go easy on the techno-jargon. It was a little disorienting, trying to piece Iswirl's description from such phrases as "three smaller manipulative arms at the top of his body to lift a piece of biological material to his olfactory organ, and then to his consumption orifice." Now, while this is so increadibly in character for Iswirl, getting sentences like this was like getting a jab to the face. "Boom! Process this, useless carbon-based humanoid!" You defiantly require a re-read to process all the information. And you did catch my attention at the beginning. When you mentioned the "aural bond", I kinda had a feeling of where the story was going. But that's okay, because the result of the bond and the ending make up for that. This obviously isn't your first story, but is this your first exploration into sci-fi? If so, what was your inspiration for Iswirl's race? Did you mean to make him as alien (I don't want to compare him Vulcans but the mind-set is kinda there) as you could? (Sorry, I'm always curious on how other people make their alien races ).

Hi there everyone! Thank you all for taking your time to read this little glimpse into my Stars universe . I can't tell you how much it means to me. I'd like to take the time to personally thank Tarin for not only prompting me to send this in, but handling all the HTML. And to Graeme for accepting it at the *very* last minute. Without them, this story would have probably stayed locked on my hard drive. If you'd like to learn a little more about the Maa'rish people or were confused by any of their language, here's a page of notes devoted to them. Notes located here. There are also more stories involving them on my lj. As soon as I figure out how, I'll be uploading several onto the GA e-fic...thing. You can also find some of my works on Shousetu Bang*Bang, under the pseudonym "Aoime Kouchou." I'll also be submitting another Stars/Maa'rish story to SSBB's up-coming issue. (*ends shameless self-promoting* lol) Anyway, thank you everyone for reading. I hope you enjoyed it and please feel free to tell me, either here or on my profile or in chat what you liked or didn't like about the story. I love input of any kind -- Gabe

Wow! Thank you so much for liking this! I was so nervous about sending it in . Thank you!

Oh heavens, I can die a happy man. Thank you so much for liking this. I was terrified it wouldn't be well received b/c of all the violence. I even cut some stuff out b/c I wanted to try and keep it a little tame. (You get a cookie if you can tell where I did some trimming.) At the moment, all of my stories are on my LJ. You can also find a few on Shousetsu Bang*Bang (under the pseudonym "Aoimei Kouchou"). This setting has to be my favorite because of the characters and their interactions. I hope to upload a few of my stories into the GA archives soon (I'm just a little confused on how, as it seems to be a little more in-depth then uploading on lj.) Thank you for liking this story!

Forgiveness is a major issue, both in the Japanese religion(s) and in their personal philosophies. I haven't done a very though examination of the topic, but from what I can gather through my own observations is that it's centralized around the Japanese code of honor. Not attaining forgiveness is a slight against the other person's (the villain's) honor. Not attaining forgiveness for a misdeed would be in direct conflict with several tenets of Bushidou, including but not limited to: honor, benevolence, and courtesy. Another way of thinking of it would be "I will remember the wrong you've done unto me". This sort of vendetta-like thinking follows through families and can (if one believes such things) possibly risk one's entrance into Heaven. Depending on the era, it could also involve a vassal's lord into the issue, for the one who is slighted would have full right to seek reparations from (the villain's lord). Wars have been fought over the issue of forgiveness (among other things, of course.) I hope that helps somewhat.

Now, I've not read the Fountainhead, but I have read Anthem. I was rather young when I read it too (middle school); when I finished it, my home-room teacher began reading "The Giver" (a tame, children's book that ended up freaking me out *because* of the similar theme it shared with "Anthem".) I had a copy of Atlas Shrugged, but I was too lazy to read it. Ayn Rand is a bit of a handful, in terms of...well, everything! Theme, rationale, etc. Anthem blew my young mind up, scattered the pieces on the floor, then put a blindfold around my eyes and said "pick up the pieces". I haven't read another Rand book since. Now, that's not to say she's a bad writer. I think many people should read her works! If nothing else, to gain the glimpse of another person's perspective. But my frontal lobe seizes up when I come near one of her books. Good writer, deep thinker, I'm just still trying to digest the first book ten years later. (I believe there was a Simpson's spoof of the Fountainhead. This is just about all I personally know about Fountainhead: uniformity is bad, but we're going to take all the creative people away to show how much worse the world can get. Or, am I confusing this for Atlas Shrugged?)

In my humble opinion, if the artist/writer doesn't feel any emotion when writing, how can he expect a reader to feel anything? It shows that there's real emotion in a piece, you know? Not just the sniffles, but everything; the humor, the anger, the sex (if that's what you're writing ^_-). I've gotten a little teary-eyed while writing a real touching scene. When I write my fighting scenes, I'm either so into the action or I'm...just a tiny bit pissed off. Just like everything, I try to work myself into the *mood* of what the characters are producing. Usually, I can help this process with music. I think it's the sign of a good piece and a good writer to get emotional over what you're writing.

Wow, what a loaded question. Everyone has their own opinion in regards to sex in writing. How much is too much? When does a "sex scene" overload the story? Is it really necessary to have one at all? I've written quite a few sex scenes in my writing career. I started off with "curtain drops", then gradually made my way to full blown erotic scenes. It all depended with what I was comfortable with at the time. When I started, I wasn't comfortable with sex. Curious and interested about it, sure, but not brave enough or knowledgeable to describe the...ahem, ins-and-outs of the act. When I became comfortable with what I was writing, I became brave enough to explore the hidden aspect of the sex scene. I think, once you're comfortable with it as a person, then you could begin to explore it as a writer if that's what you want. There's nothing worse then trying to force yourself to write what you don't want to write. It reflects back on you and could tarnish what you have worked so hard on. That said, not all stories need sex. Sure, it's a pretty/fun/attention-getting icing, but you don't need it to top everything. The sex could get in the way of the main plotline and make your cake-story loose its flavor. The sex-icing could overwhelm the natural flavors of the story and make it more sexually driven then you meant it to be. Or, the sex-icing could be just what you need to make your story-cake go from ordinarily to eye-catching and brilliant. In the end, it's you as the writer who needs to make this choice. If you didn't like writing sex in the past, then those lingering feelings might tarnish what you wish to right now. If you're not confident or if you just plain don't like it, don't do it! Curtain-drop, and let your reader imagine everything . No shame in making your readers stretch their brains lol. Don't force yourself and don't think that all good stories require sex to make them good or whatever. You just listen to your characters; they're who really matter, imho .

Creepy? I dunno. I have kinda a hard time with facial expressions. Like, I have to concentrate to make them. Most of the time, when I'm just sitting around and thinking, I have this hard/angry expression on my face. Once, when a professor was looking over my shoulder at something I was doodling, he said I glared at him when I thought I was giving a shocked expression. My pops will often say 'you look like you lost your best friend' when I'm just real deep in thought. I also have eczema, so I have to scratch my skin a lot. Back, chest, arms and head; makes me fidget if I don't ;_;. Sucks, but there's not much I can do about it.

For the most part, I try to be as versatile as I can be when I write. I'll either start out with the first "section" or I'll jump around and type up three to five wide "sections" before my muse tires out. However, with my larger stories/pre-novels, I've written up rather elaborate outlines to fit the chapters together. I'm bad about jumping around, even with the big stories lol. What I'll do is write out the chapter name/number, then give a brief detail of the action. If I've already written it, it looks like this: Chapter One -Michael Derringer is dying somewhere in the Alaskan wilderness - After leaving his [pimp] / ex in [Virginia], he hops the first, one-way flight to Alaska, the farthest place he could afford that still spoke English - [He had no money, and only a suitcase full of clothes] ⁃ His plane crashed in the [brooks Mountain Range] - [he was trapped between seats on the left-hand side of the plane - Survivors had to pull him free to save him - Both of his legs are fragmented and slightly burned - his left arm is burned and torn - he maintains cuts along his left side from where the seats clamped down on him] ⁃ While Miki's waiting to die, Night and Elder [Day's bearer] have left the valley and slowly head down the mountain slope - [Elder senses his successor is near - Night doesn't realize what's going on until Elder puts the Day Stone inside Miki's chest] - Night refuses to leave his alpha with the humans until Elder demands it ⁃ Night takes Miki to the valley I have it colour coded with symbols and brackets telling me what I should know (as the writer) and what the audience should think or what they'll find out later. The parts I haven't yet written generally look more like this: - - Miki sees Night sleeping in puppy form - Miki pulls a blanket over him and cuddles a bit to keep him warm - When Night wakes up, he sees how close Miki is and is very, very happy - They're very...uh...broad, in case there's more action between what I have here and what ends up happening in the chapter. I have enough room where I can put more chapters in if I need to, or I can take potential chapters out. Depending on how large your story/novel is, this might or might not work for you. Unless it's a multi-chapter novel, I find it much easier to keep all my notes in my head. For "Gone Hunting", my largest single story, most of my story notes are in my head. I write down things like language or racial notes - but the action is pretty well kept between my ears. With that in mind, I have to go back and re-read "sections" so I don't repeat information. I also lean on my readers a little and ask them to tell me if they see any flaws in the work. Some things you might want to try are: - Check-list: write up a check-list of "scenes" or ideas that you want a certain idea to possess - Example: - Intro Miki (tell about accident) - Intro Night and Elder (stay general, desc. Night more then Elder) - May (helper), priest (voice of reason), doctor (desc. wounds, temptation) - Desc. Miki's love of dogs/animals and *something* of BG, not all - Summary: take a paragraph to describe story action (this is best for short stories instead of novels, given the size difference between the two) - Example: Top Hat's finally gotten into Black Talon's Hideout. He debilitates the master computer (with many sexual innuendos here). When Black Talon wakes up and finds himself handcuffed to the table, Top Hat attempts to "break him down". This only works so much before Black Talon throws it back at Top Hat. Verbal debate becomes physical; sex ensues and leads to a happy? ending. All in all, I'm a strong believer in the "just do it" philosophy. If you write in "chunks" like I do, then there's not much helping that. Trying to fit yourself into a more organized way of writing, then you might end up frustrating yourself in the long run. Just let yourself tickle your fingers across the keyboard and let the ideas/characters/setting come to you. Not every story was meant to be thrown into a single cookie-cutter frame.

Kittens are so cute, but puppies are too. I can't stand little yappy dogs, though; I'm an akita/doberman/*big dog* kinda guy. I root for both, because I love petting both . ....I hear both taste great with shrimp sauce lol!

I have a question for all you fellow writers out there. Besides here and places like Nifty or Fiction Press, where else do you post your stories? Also, are there any other anthologies out there looking for submissions? I'm constantly on the look out for more and more places to submit work to and google isn't coming up with any helpful information. Thanks for any help you can give me .

I just tried to google the site name, and I got nothing. This does not sound cool to me at all. Am I reading this right: this place will let other users take *your* story to post other places, just as long as they give you credit for it? I dunno about ya'll, but that's a big fat *no* in my book. I like to know where my stories are going and who's reading them.

Mmmn, non-fiction's going to be hard, as I rarely read any. But in terms of fiction: Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin - If you've never read it, you're missing out! Great description of characters, setting, plot; medieval-style setting, only without heavy magic. Every chapter is taken from a single character's perspective, and it's interesting to see who comes up. Dragons Dawn series by Anne McCafrey - I like the beginning books more then her later ones, because they dealt with colonization and genetics; actually building the dragons, not just impressing and moving on. Dolphins of Pern was cool too. I jumped around a lot on her novels, so I never did get the whole linear story. And the harpers annoyed me. Dune by Frank Herbert - One of the few books I can put down for weeks/months at a time, then pick it back up and remember everything. Good story, setting, plot; I just need to sit down and *finish* the damn thing before the pages dry up lol. Foreigner series by CJ Cherryh - An awesome series where the humans are the invaders. This one helped me shape my own sci-fi settings; it's a combo of space opera (with the politics and character development) as well as hard science fiction (due to the technology descript.s and such.) Worth the read, as are the other books that follow. In fact, if you like sci-fi, CJ Cherryh needs to be on your bookshelf lol . Some other good hits are: American Gods by Neil Gaiman Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman Animal Farm by George Orwell Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury Blade Runner (or Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep) by Phillip K. Dick Watership Down by Richard Adams There are others, certainly, but those are the ones I could think of off the top of my head.

Talents? Well, I doodle, and I take photos sometimes. Here's a doodle And here's a photo I can do some cool tattoo designs too; here, let me show you . Other then that, I write . I think I'm a better writer though. I used to play flue, but I quit. I just lost the drive to make music. So, I sing off-key to monster ballads and Japanese punk-rock songs, while I cook . Somehow, as if by magic, I can delve into an empty pantry and whip up a pretty decent dinner for three people.

It depends. If it's the angry sort of stress, then I turn on the PS2 and play a little Soul Calibur. Bash some virtual heads around, snarl really loud if I loose a round or something. It helps me to calm down after a few bouts. If it's the upset/depressing stress, I try to sleep it off. Or I'll divert my attentions on a book or writing. When I was upset and had a pet, I'd usually try to pet them to help cheer me up. Animals are good for that; no matter what's happened to me, my pets usually have the ability to make me feel better.

Well, since the crazy '70s people who put the tiny bathtub/shower in my old house had to be so bloody small, I have to shower no matter what. But, if I had the opportunity to bathe, I would. It's so much more relaxing and I don't mind laying around in my own dirty water lol. Add a little music, that certain some one, and it could be the best time of your life .

I'm the person you wish never discovered this poll! (total lolz) I'm a rather dominant transgender with dreams of topping. And one day my dreams will be realized, hens why I voted for male/top. And that whole thing on "closet bottoms" is total bs. Of the guys I know, they say it depends on the partner. One I know says point blank that he'll top, but can play either side if he's in the mood and depending on the partner. And I gotta agree with him. It would all depend on how I felt at that moment. It's always good to be flexible .

Check ebay! They've got great deals on awesome computers. I got my $500+ iBook G4 lappy for $200 flat ($20 shipping.) What is this person gonna be doing with their laptop, because that can really mean everything. If they're an artist, or have a lot of artsy needs, go with a mac. If you're going to do business things or be using word processor a lot, go with a PC. In terms of OS, Mac is much more stable then Windows 7, Vista or XP. Toshiba is a good, durable laptop. I'm personally iffy about HP or Compaqs; I've got an old Win 98 Compaq tower-tank and it's never let me down, but it's a dinosaur. I've also had custom PCs, and while they're good, you have to have a computer expert on call the *moment* anything happens or needs to be replaced. Unless, of course, *you* built your custom lol. All in all, go bargan hunting. Online shopping offers you the best deals. If I'm understanding you right, you said the budget was $1 thousand plus? If you get a PC, don't forget all the software you'll need. Virus scanners, windows os disks, Office/Word/Works and the like; you'll have to do the same with a mac too. There are some free programs you can download, like GUMP instead of Photoshop or Bean/Open Office instead of Word. Oh! Here's some good specs for you! 512 or higher ram, 52X CD Rom OR 8/12X DVD (I think there are 12s now, not sure on that one) - nothing under 20 gigs! If you do any serious downloading, you'll have to start rationing memory and that sucks! >.< I had to do that for my custom at 24 gig. Ung, *shudder*. Also, don't forget screen size. 12 is rather small, but good for something you wanna hold on your lap. 14/15 is good for tabletop. In my opinion, anything bigger then 15, you might as well get a tower/tv screen lol . I hope some of that helped. I had to go something similar when I got my little lappy. I used to be pure Windows, but now I try to point people towards Macs. Secure OS and *no* viruses; you do get a freeze ever now and then, but only because I'm seriously overclocking my ram >.<. I hope you find what you're looking for .