sorgbarn

This time I made sure it was the right chapter before I began reading. Now, I like slow paced stories in general (as long as it's getting there, and I trust you to make sure it does), and I like your attention to detail in particular. In this chapter Elyran and Maraki revealing their relationship to their hosts and Elyran teaching the children to read, although in this chapter they were taught how to write. The overall calm and love in this chapter also has me wondering/worrying about a few things: How did Elyran and Maraki end up at this farm in this land? I believe Maraki has promised to tell Elyran about it, hasn't he? Wouldn't Feida and Greiff be afraid of an Ogrushkai (sorry if the spelling is wrong) warrior, or did he already know them somehow? And how long will they be able to stay undetected here?

I like the way you - intended to - postpone the meeting between Elyran and Maraki (of course it doesn't work when the reader reads ch 13 first ). And in the meantime we get to know Feida and Greiff's family a little more. They are a lovely couple and a sweet family. The way Feida and her husband acts together is a delight to read about, it's easy to tell they truly care and respect one another, despite Feida's threat to ban Greiff to the barn. I doubt she will actually do it, for more than a very short time, and I doubt Greiff will intentionally do anything to upset his wife. And Elyran is going to teach the children how to read and write - does it mean they will stay for some time at this farm? I also liked the way Elyran turned Dunir's uninterest for reading by appealing to his fascination for war/battle related things. It reminds me of another little boy I know.

I had no problems reading this chapter. Must be the emperor's way of expression I'm having trouble with, and 'no', I haven't seen Dune - is it sci-fi/fantasy? Sorry, I have way too little experience of those genres, whether it is film or literature doesn't matter. Now for this chapter - this is the meeting I missed in the former. You, Hasimir, are just a too good to put it up so soon, the weekend is not even over yet. It was emotional, sweet, genuine and it left me emotionally melting, smiling and elated. Maraki is like a child with his feelings, the way he is expressing them to Elyran laying them bare for him to see. It is as if he is not used to be loved back, as if he has encountered hatred or disgust for his feelings in the past, and then of course he is devastated of having hurt Elyran. In his actions and partly in his words he is expressing what all people want - to be loved for whom they are, not only for the good things but even more so for their wrongs and mistakes. I hope Maraki can grow a little more confident in himself and truly feel he is worth being loved. Elyran is already doing a good job of it though.

Now you are making it difficult for me again. I really had to concentrate when reading the first part of this chapter, and I'm not sure whether it's my English that isn't sufficient enough or whether it's just plain hard for me to understand the world of the Nur Zuhl Empire - maybe it's a combination of both. The councilor and the Mogul emperor (or his subordinates) are controlling with mind reading/control but for some reason they can't read Elyran - is that correct? Neither Elyran nor Maraki are aware of this however, right? I understand that they believe Elyran will eventually lead them to the whereabouts of the trinket. But why must the wife and children of the (failing) Nuzr die - or did I misunderstand that part? Just to put fear in the other Nuzrs? Still it was a most interesting chapter contributing to the worldsbuilding, and it's not always a bad thing to have to concentrate on one's reading. On the contrary actually. And Elyran will make a full recovery it seems. Good for him (you got me bit worried there for a moment) - and for Maraki as well, if he can get over his guilt, he must be devastated by it right now. I would have liked to see a meeting between the two of them in this chapter, they are usually so sweet together - and Maraki is my favorite character so far. More of him - please!

I was looking for something light hearted with grown up characters and found this. Despite the characters being quite young, in their early twenties, it turned out to be an amusing read. The tone is humorous and entertaining from the beginning, when Aaron tells the reader about Bmad and his gang, and almost all the way to the end. The actual end though is a little melancholic. The open end feels a little frustrating. I've seen there is a sequel, but it seems to be unfinished. Aarons' reflection on his relations with the two men in his life, the love he feels for Mick and how he is in love with Ben and how he resonates around it is interesting to read. Of course it is important to feel in love with a possible partner, but it could also be worth remembering that the feeling of being 'in love' wanes with time and if you are lucky 'love' replaces that feeling and remains. I would like to get to know the other characters, Ben's friends, a little more. Maybe I should just look into the sequel after all.

An alternative telling of the tale of Gilgamesh. After 4700 years Gilgamesh is still looking for his long lost love to be reborn, and one night in Vienna he is there. This is a great retelling of the old tale with a clear homoerotic POV. The layers of the old tale, history and the modern day blend very well together. What does immortality mean? How can you manage long term relationships? But above all this is a story about sorrow, longing and love told in a poetic sounding language.

No, I still like him, Maraki that is. Though in this chapter he showed us an other side of himself, a more brutal side. The coldness with which he killed the Nuzr surprised me a little, but then of course he is a warrior, and they who kept him imprisoned intended to kill him. So yeah, he did the right thing. I also felt sorry for him when he discovered he had after all hurt Elyran. I don't know, but it seems as if both of them actually were surprised to find out about the blood and the damage. Hopefully it's not a ruptured sphincter but something that will heal without too much complication or permanent damage. Also, they might want to re-evaluate their roles in an eventual future relationship. Oh, and now they have escaped the prison, and what an escape to that. I'm so looking forward to what will happen next.

This is great! Especially after having read The knife that twists within and its sequels, because a few characters from those stories make brief announcements in this short story. Of course one can read this story without the experience of the novels. It is a classical Christmas tale. the main character is reevaluating his life and more importantly his seven year long relationship, while wandering around Berlin on December the 24.

You evil man - leaving us hanging like that! The reversed roles, the smaller and weaker helping the bigger and stronger, you have been using in the last tow chapters are working very well for me when reading it. The scenes you have built are loaded with tension and emotions, the washing scene working as - maybe - the culmination of that. Beautiful and romantic. Maraki's concern and worry for hurting Elyran is heartbreaking. Of course it's the worst thing possible to harm the person(s) you love, when it is really your responsibility to protect them and keep them safe. I feel with him, and I've really come to like him. I hope I'll still like him after the next chapter?

I meant to comment on this when I read it Saturday, but since it was on my phone I forgot about it when I got home. Then I thought I should get back to it when I had the time, and now you've posted another chapter! So - This went well, didn't it? Everyone's pride is still intact, though it took some persuasion from Elyran's part, and no one got physically hurt. Good! Apart from this being a delicate and utterly sweet scene, there is something about your language I find appealing. I'm not sure exactly what it is - something about your choice of words and the way you put it together, maybe it's the fact that you have an other first language - but whatever it is I like it. It gives a nice tone to the story, and think it is fitting as well. In this chapter I also liked the inner monologue of Elyran, how he is so concerned about Maraki and his feelings about the situation - touching. But something is definitely happening with Elyran here and his own feelings towards Maraki. I've also come to like Maraki more and more by each chapter. I'm not big on size differences in general, but it's hard not to like him. Still difficult to picture him green, but I can imagine the feel of his skin the way you described it, leather or suede. Hmm, nicely done.

This story is somewhat different from the other longer stories I have already read by Stefan. First it has two main characters, compared to the other stories multiple characters, Luca and Alessandro. Secondly it has a more melancholic tone to it. Already from the start one knows things won't just work out for the best. This darker tone is repeated at the beginning of part two and three. Thirdly, a lot of this story is location and art. It would be the best possible reading material for anyone going to Florence on vacation, and it probably helps the understanding of the story if one is at least a tiny bit familiar with the setting. All the references about Renaissance art required more or less constant use of google, so that I could see for myself what the statues and paintings looks like, not to mention the old buildings. But then again that's what is so wonderful about Stefan's writing, the setting is all for real from the corner of the street to the clubs and the churches and palazzos. And then of course there is a story within the story, a made up diary written by Masolino about his relationship with another contemporary artist Masaccio and what really happened when the latter vanished from history.

The pace at which you are adding chapters is surprisingly quick. I become equally surprised each time, but it's great because it doesn't let you forget what happened in the last chapter. I'm still enjoying their language lessons. In Swedish we have a rhyme of sorts like the one you're using in this chapter - sju sjösjuka sjömän, sköttes av sju sköna sjuksköterskor - the beginning of the words all sounding the same, like blowing out a candle, a sound many foreigners don't seem to have (for instance I don't think it occurs in German or English for that matter). Again I might not be the brightest reader (I blame it on the relatively late hour and a long day), but the poisoning came as a surprise to me. I think I had expected the captivators to remove Maraki from the cell before harming him, not to use him like this. And, oh no! What are you thinking - stopping here?!

I don't want to engage in a theoretical discussion about gender roles, since it is practically impossible to explain what is biological and what is learnt behavior. From the very moment a child is born it will inevitably be affected by its surroundings, parents, siblings, extended family, teachers, friends and so on. On a population as a whole you can surely see differences concerning gender (for instance research has shown women score better on linguistic tests where as men score better on mathematical tests) but I strongly believe the individual differences can be and often are stronger than any typical gender traits considered typically male of female. But ... I have three children, two girls and a boy, the boy is the middle child. When he and his older sister where pre schoolers they both played a lot with toy cars. When she was playing with them the cars drove from the office to the grocery store to the home of the car's owner, when he played with the cars he often had them going at full speed crashing into each other. During those early years my children weren't allowed any toy guns or weapons, still as soon as we came out doors my son picked up any size stick and pretended it was a gun, aiming at everyone and everything. My oldest daughter never did that. Since then our household has gained a number of toy guns and weapons, so - with the influence of her brother? the new access? or individual preferences? - my youngest daughter is often playing with his toy rifle and dueling with her brother with one of the plastic swords, but she also loves dress up in pink princess dresses and that's what she's playing with the neighbor girl (coming from a family with four girls, only). My son had unlimited access to dolls and barbies and cute little toy pets and played a lot with them before he started school, now he usually sticks with the more typical boy toys - as a result of peer pressure or new awareness of what boys should play with or individual choice? See its impossible to say which is which, biological gender traits or cultural influence? I think most parents with children of different genders would say boys and girls are different; boys are louder, their games often require more space, its more competitive; girls' play is often communication oriented, it requires dexterity (use of hands and fingers), it is less competitive. A lot of those traits, if not all of them can be explained by the different expectations and early practice parents and society have on them. Earlier on someone mentioned something about little boys not being shy about showing their gender, I just want to state that little girls are exactly the same. If they are acting any differently its because of cultural influence. all my children have loved walking around naked when little, and have had no problem bathing naked at the beach till the age of five/six (we're Swedish, so it's OK most of the time, though it's becoming more and more 'correct' to cover up even the youngest babies now a days). Little children are most comfortable in their bodies and with whom they are unless someone tells them differently.

The intrigue is thickening (can you say that in English?) - great. Is Maraki's life in danger? So it seems. They better come up with a cunning plan to escape. Elyran's magic ability came as a surprise to me, but a nice one. Maybe it can help him when Maraki is in full ardor, if his wrestling skills aren't enough, and somehow I doubt they will be. The dialogue between the two of them is just wonderful and makes me smile the whole time. So he called his uncle a green donkey ... hehehe. Yeah, learning a new language can cause some funny mistakes, and embarrassing too, when the words you are using are similar. And all along you think you are sounding completely sensible, only you're not, to the amusement of those who know the language better.

I would really like to see Stefan Schmidt's Made in Heaven because of: It's Berlin setting, the film would of course have to be shot on location and extra points if they could speak in German. The subject its handling, mental and domestic abuse. And the well-rounded and very interesting characters, the bad guy is especially fascinating. It's also a thrilling story in which the excitement doesn't loses its grip on the reader/viewer and the story until the very last scene. If it was finished I would have said Acedias' A New Life. Imagine the wonderful underwater pictures along with the slowly evolving plot. It has romance and mystery and interesting characters, good guys as well as bad guys - as it is now it would be a film with an open end - still worth watching I believe.

The thing I like the most about your writing is how it makes me feel good, like heartwarming good. It was like that when I read your two other stories and this one,despite its fantasy elements (and I think I'm really getting a hang of the vocabulary now), is no exception to that. It's something about the down to the bones good about your main characters, how they are striving for doing good (and for love) and one really wishes them the best. Right now I'm sitting here with a delighted grin on my face. The wrestling lesson was fun to read, and Marakis' concern about Elyran is moving. It's obvious he sees the ardor as a curse, is there any way possible it's effect might be dampened, or turned into something more useful? it was a gift from the gods/the god once upon a time, maybe the god mentioned in the summary can help with this? Or you have something else entirely in mind ... probably.

This story had a somewhat slow build-up, but the pacing eventually caught up, the tension with me as the reader growing with each paragraph and increased until it ended in a climactic turning point. Relief, sadness and joy are all words that come to mind. Relief because what might have happened never did, sadness because of Christians poor fate (even if he is the villain, and a really bad one to that, my heart aches for his loveless life, incapable of feeling love and hence gaining love too, really what was his life but pain?) and joy for Maxim's and Tim's very sane love to and for each other. And the story within the story, funny and thought provoking as well.

OMG! I've changed my opinion on Christian again - he is totally out of control. Yes, I feel sorry for him still, but somehow I start to believe not everything is what it might look like. Christian is indeed an unreliable narrator - it's almost impossible to say what has actually happened, what has he told his (ex-)lovers and what has his mind conjured up in order to make his life acceptable (as defense mechanisms)? Most intriguing, and it all makes me want to keep reading in order to get some answers. Poor Gregor, and poor Maxim, and what on earth is going to happen to Philipp? And what is Christian going to do now? I fear for the worst.

My heart is aching for Christian. I know he is supposed to be this story's bad gay, but I truly feel sorry for him. All he wants is to be loved and to feel secure/safe. And I would like to get my hands on his father - how come he didn't help his son when it all happened. Christian should have received psychological help then, not wait fifteen years, now the scares seems too big to be healed. Everything so far is pointing to the direction that this will end in disaster, so maybe my sympathy for Christian will come to an end, but not yet. It is however interesting to see the pattern; how Maxim is slowly deprived his freedom, and how he willingly accustoms himself to Christians wishes. It's like he is sensing what is going on, but can't quite grasp it long enough to actually realize it. And the excuses he is already making up to explain his lover's actions and behavior. Classic! but at least he has friends who cares about him. I wonder whether Christian will manage to exclude them from Maxim too - if so he'll be in real danger.

"Does this technique consist of lying flat down on the ground and praying to the gods that it will be over soon?" Maraki might not find it funny but I definitely do . And of course you were right - I have to be more patient and the answers will reveal themselves in due time. So it was a bad dream - something that might happen in the future, or something that has happened already? I guess I'll have to wait and see, right? This chapter answered some of the questions I had about Maraki. It's actually really interesting to learn about the world you are building, the different species and their societies (now remember, this genre is practically all new to me, and I'm kind of glad you're keeping a pace which allows me to follow and understand what's going on). Still it is a really sweet relationship that is developing between the two. And the next chapter will give us wrestling - yes, or yes? Yeah, yeah, I know, I'll have to wait and see for myself. But oh, the things that can happen while wrestling - not that I would actually know anything about it since I much rather prefer the sofa and something nice to read - but still ... I'm looking forward to the next chapter.

Oh my god, the story within the story made me laugh so hard. And it's so true a granted wish only feeds other new wishes - because humans are greedy? Also be careful for what you wish, it might come true. So many wise words in this chapter packaged with humor. Christian is creepy, and what's with the scarring? It's an interesting and probably important subject, domestic violence and domination/control. And one I have not read about in gay fiction up till now. I believe the subject can be even more problematic and hush-hush than it is in straight relationships. Tim is a darling - how can the reader not like him?

So this chapter gave a little more information about Elyran. i'm glad you managed to get a description in as well, because I had began to imagine him as dark haired, but he's fair haired and blue eyed - good to know. Still we know almost nothing personal about Maraki, that I'm looking forward to in the chapters to come. There is also the feeling of growing attraction and maybe fascination from Elyran's part towards Maraki - it will be interesting to see how you'll work that out - if you choose to do so - practically. The final scene - was that a dream or a flashback? Will the next chapter start where this ended? And we get to follow Elyran's way to how he ended up in the prison cell? Also I think I'm starting to understand some of the made up measurements you are using. Thanks for sharing!

So I've finished the trilogy and traveled from Berlin, to London to Prague and finally to Rome. The characters have been many - both the good guys and the bad guys have been enjoyable to read about, In fact no character has been completely black, nor completely white, they were various degrees of flawed. Even though I wished the cardinal had died I feel a bit sad for him and the horrors he lived through as a child. I think some of this story's content has touched the subject of abused children, by the church's priests, by parents, sexually as well as emotionally. It has also been a story about the longing for true love, and for our guys it turned out just fine. Prospects for he future looks good and the message is clear real people and their love is more important than things (even if its invaluable pieces of art) and the excitement of casual hook ups. I will miss these characters - it's been a long time since I read fiction with multiple characters like this and still found more than one or two of them really fascinating, and here I felt that way about them all. Still I'm glad this is a story with an end, glad to have a closure before I tire of the story.

Stefan obviously knows how to combine romance with drama and action, and this chapter was all action (and suspense). The adventure in the tunnels and catacombs are exciting, and the author stops and changes scenes at just the right places to prolong the suspense. The finding of George was unexpected to me at this moment of the story. The set up at the club took a turn of events which I had not foreseen either (maybe I'm a totally clueless and oblivious reader, but I like when being surprised in this way). Please let the cardinal be dead, or he might just be sent elsewhere by his church rather than face the punishment for what he has done.

Out of the three stories about these characters (Nick, Sebastian, Marcus etc.) I think this is the rawest of them. It's still very much a plot driven story, but the sex scenes have increased in number and gotten rawer as well - of course that only applies to the villains. that George was a sick bastard stood clear already in the prequel, when he destroyed the screen and got turned on by that, and in this story his perversion is further explored. And then we have the cardinal ... ewww. At least both men have gotten some sort of explanation as to why they have become what they are - but they are indeed sick people. Still I can't help feeling a tiny bit sorry for George. As for the other characters, sex between them is still gentle, caring and erotic and romantic at the same time. And it's very well done indeed.