Al Norris

Knowing full well the holders attitude towards Dragonriders at the start of the 9th Pass, the holder of the fish hold is no surprise. The only real surprise was that they forgot what a Dragon does best. LOL! The holders here, are acting in typical fashion, from what I remember in reading the originals. Here, Here!

Finally! Now I see where the ending of 'Threadfall' came from. I'm actually thrilled that I have read the stories in a chronological order. I really did like reading the novelette from Zalna's point of view. Now I get to read the 'first' of Mawgrim's Pern stories.

Very well told, Mawgrim. Very well indeed! Now on to 'Gone Away, Gone Ahead.'

Oh, I just love me some time paradoxes!!!

Finally! I can stop the tears. I have to say that those last two chapters really got to me. Excellent writing. It doesn't have to be their whole lives. Just the most traumatic part of their lives. Some things just can't be unseen. They haunt you. Sometimes it may be something seen. Something heard. More often, something you have smelled. Even 50 or more years ago. Anyway, glad this is coming to an end, so I can read 'Gone Away.'

The only surprise to me was that it was M'rell that S'brin stayed with. Thinking back, I probably should have seen it, but I didn't. Even so, J'rud is so much in love with D'gar, he will take what he can get. Just like in real life, sex can help to overcome grief... Of any kind. Been there, done that.

Not having read 'Gone Away' yet (yes, I'm late to the party and reading the story in a chronological order), I can only speculate that when ever D'gar returns to Fort Weyr, he finds another Drogonrider ensconced in 'his' Weyr. Not knowing when, exactly, D'gar would return, I actually think S'brin would be that foolhardy (as opposed to just plain being bold). Regardless, S'brin would not even think that D'gar would go without sex, 'cause he sure wouldn't. Especially when S'brin wouldn't know how long D'gar would be at Telgar or if D'gar would even make it back! That would be S'brin's reasoning. In some ways it is a shame that D'gar is such an honorable man. He simply can't believe others can be less. Much less.

While I have yet to read Gone Away, there have been enough hints... Okay, outright statements that S'brin will die. So yeah, I agree that this is a foreshadowing. Apparently our esteemed author agrees!... Oh yeah, he wrote all of this! LOL! Mawgrim, before I forget to say it, this is a wonderful tale and very true to Anne Macffrey's world of Pern. I applaud your writing skill.

I feel there's more going on with S'brin than we want to acknowledge. Remember how jealous he got when he thought Herebeth might mate and it was D'gar who might get caught up in the mating? This same jealousy has risen more than once. Remember also that S'brin doesn't think it odd at all when his green rises. Fact is, he puts down the feelings that D'gar has about S'brin having sex with another. To me, it boils down to S'brin feeling he owns D'gar but is okay with himself having sex with others (albeit when his green rises). But not when D'gar is in the frenzy because of Herebeth. This is a destructive form of love and it is too bad D'gar doesn't see this.

Silence for this kinda crap is NEVER, EVER justified. It is never good. It always allows the perpetrators to get away with it. Worse, it emboldens them to get you again, and/or some other poor schmuck. I do wonder about 2 things, though: How did Derrick leave the school without anyone seeing him? How did he get on a bus and no one reported the battered boy? Hmm, best not to ponder on things Comsie doesn't want us to think about...

Well, now we know why Mitch is really doing what Chris wants. Unrequited love is always a sad thing. The beating? Saw that coming, sad to say. Even though it is an often used trope, in gay writing, It has to be used. If only because it happens all to often in real life.

This is like watching a twenty car & truck pile-up on an icy interstate! On YouTube!! Ya just can't look away. sigh.

Hmm... I don't think Mr. Murphy is quite finished, yet.

Calling Mr. Murphy!

OK, I know I'm late to the party. I know there are a bunch of chapters after this one (that I have yet to read), but... I can see Chris figuring out Derrick and Tanner and wanting a three-way, just to get to Derrick! ...or... I can also see this as a put-up job by Chris to really humiliate both Tanner and (most especially) Derrick. I don't trust the dude further than Ricky can throw him!

Chris? I didn't see that coming... I suppose I should have, what with your little cupid running around! LOL!!!

To my minds eye, you succeeded in making Mr. Raffe look as if it was simply a grade on the quality of the work and not because of what happened. Afterall, what happened after the paper was submitted, had not yet happened, and we can presume the paper was already graded by then. In my mind, it could have ended something like this: *** And as I sniffled and wiped my eyes, Mr. Raffe said, "Just a 'C', huh? Heh, you did much better than that. But who knows? Maybe you can take the 'C' and make it mean something when you're older. Use it as a pen name on the internet or something. Make it a symbol. Something you can be proud of." He sat back down and started gathering up his stuff too. I guess to go home for the day. "Make it count, Zack. You've got a voice now. Don't take it for granted. "Of course, there's always an ending to this story, for good or ill. Another paper, another teacher, should you ever want to write it." Mr. Raffe then turned back to other papers on his desk. ... I think I missed half of my next class, as the implications of Mr. Raffe's last words to me meant, just crying alone in that bathroom, but it freed up so much energy for me to go on with the rest of my day. It really did. *** Or, something similar. It wouldn't necessarily strike Zack at the moment it was said. He was too thrilled he had gotten over on Mr. Raffe, as to recognize the insinuation. Just a few random thoughts! Al.

Those words right there, have to be the most romantic words I've read by any gay author. Who Knew?!!! 🥰

This story brought back many painful memories. It brought many tears at various points in the story. You captured the emotions of being an abused child. The thoughts running through Zack's mind were spot on! At various points over the last two years, I have tried to do something similar in my own writing. It is exceedingly difficult to put into mere words what I felt, and still do at times, as I grew up. You have succeeded in doing this. So I know how hard it had to be. I am grateful that you were able to do this. It was a story that needed to be told. It is a story that many need to read and take note of. My only real critique is the soliloquy of the teacher, Mr. Raffe. Regardless of how well Zack may have fictionalized his term paper, the teacher should have realized it was drawn from real life. That alone should have sent up many red flags. The character, a teacher, is a mandatory reporter. He failed in his duty. Even had Mr. Raffe read and graded the paper before, or shortly after, the arrest and rescue of Zack, he had evidence of the abuse. He had to have recognized this. Then there is the fact that the author of the piece was absent for at least a week, the local news reports of the incident, and the student returns to school still bearing the marks of the abuse, makes this teacher clueless. Mr. Raffe owed Zack an abject apology for his failure. Other than that small critique, thank you for being able to write this story. Al

When I first started reading Comsie's stories, I was like Lily. The "hehehe" bugged the heck out of me. As time went on I realized that it was his trademark. Slowly, I tended to ignore it and then realized it no longer bothered me at all. It just is. As Bubby said, it wouldn't be a Comsie story without it! This story, in particular, has hit several nerves in me. Growing up, I was never physically abused, to the extent Zach is. But the mental and emotional abuse was just as bad. In some cases, worse. To be told that you were never good enough, you would never amount to anything, is debilitating to the extreme. No matter what you did or how hard you tried. It. Just. Wasn't. Enough. I've started this story several times, over the years. This is the first time I've gotten past Chapter 10. Thanks, Comsie.

Having done editing and beta-reading for several years, I would like to point out that a 'traditional' novel is somewhere between 60K words and 80K words. There are smaller and larger full novels around, but those figures are pretty much the publishing industry standard. That should give you an idea of where this 'chapter' falls. Which is exactly why I call this a 'Tome'. There are other words that could be used, Magnum Opus, is such a word. To my mind, part of the genius of Kyle Aarons, is that he places so many clues of what is going to happen in the future of this story. It is easy to overlook these clues the first or even third time you read a chapter. Yet they are there if one really looks. Another aspect is how he is able to keep track of all his plots and sub-plot lines. The number of reference documents he creates to track this stuff is no small number. Several people have commented that Kyle does not respond to fan mail. This is true, as Kyle writes for himself, not us. Should you really wish to communicate with him, then look at what he writes and give it a very critical look. Tear his chapter(s) apart and give him an honest critique of where he fails in a specific presentation. Should you do this, that will almost guarantee a response of some sort.

Many years ago, in my small town (rural Idaho), five well known attorneys and a magistrate judge were found, arrested and convicted of using and dealing drugs. Cocaine to be precise. Not one of these people spent more time in jail then it took to get bailed out. Their sentencing was the lightest that could be given to first time offenders (rehab and a years probation for plea-bargained misdemeanor offenses - judgement withheld). While it was never made public how the State Drug Enforcement found out about this, the rumor mill was rampant about who it was. That entire family moved out of state before the year was out. Hard to make a living when you get fired on your job (in a right to work state, almost any pretext will do) and no one else will hire you. Yes, small communities are very much like that.

There you go folks. I hope everyone enjoys the read... however long it takes! It has been an extraordinary long time for this to happen. Who knows how long it will be for the next 'tome' to be written!

As I'm reading this story, there's a song that keeps running through my head... Mad World - The original by Tears for Fears.

Somehow, I forgot to leave a comment after I had read this, earlier. Shame on me! Bill, of the three I've read, this was the spookiest, in my opinion... at least I had an easier time connecting to the main character and what was happening to him. All the best, Al Norris