Acedias

Hi Jwolf, I came across your story after a long break from gayauthors and I wanted to let you know how much I have enjoyed reading it these last few weeks. The setting is really interesting. There is no frat culture where I come from so I find this background engaging if a little crazy - I mean I drank and smoked plenty at law school but these guys are friggen nuts! How do they pass? I love learning all these strange concepts like rushing and pregaming and tailgaiting and i still am not even sure what beer pong is - I try to picture the table and the cups and the ball ... but how is this a game? Why would one play this? The characters are fantastic too, I find them flawed, but realistic and 3 dimensional. I'm still not really sure what I make of the protagonist. He really can be quite awful and I find myself putting down my iPad and shaking my head in dismay at his antics. He is clever and cunning, but lacks emotional intelligence, reacting without thinking and often in a stupid self-defeating way. His own worse enemy. I feel like I have met his type before, actually he reminds me a bit of an ex of mine - himself a victim of bullying and homophobia in school and developing into adulthood a need to overcompensate, to perceive threats that are exaggerated and to react to even mildly aggressive behaviour from others with all out war, fighting shadows. I keep thinking: if only Corbin would use his powers for good!! But, on the other hand, I still find myself rooting for him, happy for his highs and sad for his lows. And even though Dom is probably more the victim and Corbin the perpetrator i still hate that dick and I really want Corbin to wipe the floor with him. The Brit is similarly infuriating. If I'd known 314,230 words ago that I would STILL not have an answer about him I might not have started this story! Yet I've thoroughly enjoyed the way you've managed to drag this out without it ever feeling like filler to me. I guess I gotta remember Pete is still only 20 or so - I dunno if I had figured out my sexuality at that stage either though it was obvious to other people. Mike though, ergh that guy is just dumb. At least I knew I was gay after I had sex with a dude, Mike is still in doubt? He reminds me of a family friend of my best friend who is 'not gay' he's just never had a girlfriend and sometimes shows up in my Grindr list when I visit her. I hope Mike doesn't win Corbin in the end. Surely you cannot have named this story after the Brit and then have him end up with someone else?? I mean Nick is fine, I guess ... but come on. 314,230 words!! Its got to be Pete. Anyway, I know this is completely hypocritical of me since I haven't updated my own story A New Life in like half a decade, but please please please write more quickly. And make it Pete not any of the others. Acedias

Nah you didnt come off as rude man! I am just overly sensitive maybe you related to blake in a way you didn't like they say we dislike in other people what we see reflected about ourselves ... or something like that. Definitely more drama to come hey ... the storm is brewing. Thanks for reviewing again.

I would definitely recommend it! Words don't do this country justice

Hey there Damon, thanks for reviewing. I'm always glad to hear from fanatic readers hehe ... yeah finally get somewhere in this relationship hey? As for the next chapter, I have to confess I havent been very productive lately had a lot of real life problems getting in the way, but im still progressing. Anyway, thanks for reviewing!

Hmmm that's a rather thought provoking review, thank you At first I was thinking to myself: how can this guy not like my central character! But actually you are right in your assessment of him as a character and I guess that's more important you just don't like those types of guys I guess, which is cool. In his defence I'd point out that most of what you read is what he thinks ... hes never really been anything but nice to people (leaving aside a drunken rampage at poor Derrick). Then again, maybe just cause he thinks it is no excuse? In my opinion its okay to think stuff so long as you dont say it aloud or do it but maybe I am wrong on that and it just comes out in my writing. Maybe I am more mental than I think and can't even represent normal in my writing hehe hmmm ... anyway, glad you are still reading and thanks for the review!

A movie huh? That would be cool. Then I could quit my day job ....

Hello there ... was wondering when you'd get round to reading this chapter! I am glad you liked it It was a bit light and fluffy I thought, maybe thats the way you like if you think its the best chapter I will get to that storm eventually ...

Hey didn't see your review there buddy ... site's changed and I don't seem to get the pop-ups anymore. Anywayz, thanks for writing me! I know I don't update that quickly but it takes ages to write something and only an hour or so to read remember Glad you can relate to my characters and you're enjoying the story. More soon ...

Man I gotta appoint you to like my marketing manager or something, your reviews make me blush and I have to turn away from the screen and read them in bits between a gap in my fingers LOL ... I think you overestimate my genius but hey, I'm not gonna argue too hard Would it disappoint you to know I was just kinda looking at my aquarium and decided to incorporate it into my story? I mean I love your take on what's going on in Haze's head and all the symbolism, but actually I have a fish called Jonah and I just think its cool that I got him to host with an anemone and thats kinda why I wrote it ... But yeah I am trying to form a kinda symbiosis between the leads so I see your point. And you are totally right I think a curve ball is in order next. Its been going to well huh? Too many happy light and fluffy chapters and I will lose my edge! Re Pokey, the real Pokey is a long horn cowfish as one enterprising reviewer pointed out. I put some photos of Pokey and Jonah up on my thread re this story, so you can see what they look like. Anyway Adiel thanks again for your awesome reviews. Acedias.

I never saw that movie, but that quote fits right in with where I think I am going with this ... Thanks for reviewing!

Favourite huh? cool there are a lotta stories here so thats a big call! The scenery exists if you ever come to OZ (west coast)... I was holidaying there about November last year and it inspired me to start writing. The characters arent real obviously. Thanks for the encouragement. And your keen fish spottin skills.

Awesome. Thanks for reading it and especially for lettin me know

Wow I got a full range outta ya then huh? Its always good for an author to get an emotional reaction from the reader so I take that as a huge compliment I posted some pics on my thread of the real Pokey if you wanna see him btw. Thanks for reviewing!

Ha! OMG well done! Can't believe you figured that out from my pretty basic description, notwithstanding it is a distinctive fish but still. I posted some Photos of the real Pokey and the real Jonah on my thread: (http://www.gayauthors.org/forums/topic/30821-a-new-life/page__st__50) So can you guess what Jonah is then smarty pants?

And here is the actual Jonah (I know you'er thinking, does this guy make up anything that isn't already going on in his living room?) He lives in this anemone and another one I got him when he started getting too big for this one. He's not a true clown, but same family as the legendary Nemo, the most famous fish in the world who has done more to educate people about my hobbies than all the world's marine biology departments combined

Cause a few people have asked ... attached is a photo of the real Pokey (yeah I didn't just invent him, I'm not that creative!) He is slow and stupid (or tame and clever) and the other fish eat his food so I have to feed him from a syringe (mushed up brine shrimp) This is actually Pokey the second. The original Pokey died tragically by leaping out of the aquarium when I was at work He's a long horn cow fish as one clever reviewer noted!

Its my moods they change frequently and I disguise as plot development! Glad I keep your attention though. Thanks for the review!

"And the calm before the storm - it´s both literally and figuratively speaking, yes?" Yes exactly! True I didn't think about it until reading your review, but now I think about it, yes, that is exactly what I meant. Hot, calm weather for a hot, calm date and the obvious gathering storm for both the boys and the weather itself. Brilliant. This is why I love feedback ... I get to feel cleverer than I really am I dunno about everyone else, but I definitely do that with my phone (it wasn't imagination ... just normal for me LOL) And yeah the mum is turning out to be pretty twisted. Although maybe she has a story too ...

Oh come on that was never a cliff hanger! That's just ... um ... uncompleted plot. Or something. You can't cry 'cliff hanger' (in capital letters) every time I don't get around to explaining something. I think I have been holding off cliff hangers. Maybe I should give you a REAL cliff hanger next chapter. In case you forget how they go ... Thanks for reviewing though of course!

Ah-ha! You're spot on Now the boys are gettin' on the conflict (all plot has to have conflict after all) has to come from outside their budding relationship. Will it be the mum? The girl friend? The dive shop people who don't know about Haze ... or the storm. Hmmm ... Or maybe something new. That'll be a surprise.

Thanks Nephylim ... I think it was cause I had such a hectic crazy month myself ... every time I sat down to this I was in a different mood, sometimes action, sometimes adventure, lots of time imagining the beach instead of this freezing Sydney winter and of course all the romance I'm not getting Kinda came out in the all over the place mood. Oh well. Glad you liked!

Nephylim! Wondered where you'd gone and here's two reviews at once (and 15 mins apart you don't take long to read 14,000 words do ya? ) I dunno about MORE screwed up but I get your point ... and though it may seem a tad out of character for Blake, I like to think he's personal experience was wot enabled him to get what was going on and act on it ... anyway that was my thinking.