Thorn Wilde

This too shall pass. In the meantime, existing is enough. Be kind to yourself if you can, and if you can't, just let others be kind to you.

I think just the one will do.

Patrick's really come a long way since the previous year's winter dance, that's for sure. And I liked turning Matt's expectations on their head; he was sure that Nick would fall in love with Brian and Brian wouldn't return his feelings, and instead it's the other way around.

Dave's definitely earned some happiness. Thanks for commenting!

It's not quite over yet, but this is definitely the first big step.

Matt definitely has an important role to play here. So, as you've seen by now, does Stuart. Thanks for commenting!

Haha, thanks! I'm glad you're enjoying it.

Alan and Matt are a great couple and I love them. ❤️ Thanks for commenting!

Aww! It's tomorrow, but thanks, you guys! ❤️ I appreciate it and I appreciate you.

Thank you! I'm glad you like it. I make it a point to write characters who are human. People aren't black and white, and I don't see my characters as heroes and villains. Just people. We're all complex. No one is just good or just bad, and we're all capable of change, I think. Patrick is one of my favourites. I really grew very fond of him as a character, and a person. This just seemed like the natural development of the story. As I've said before, sometimes I just have to go where the characters take me.

It's not the healthiest of relationships, but that isn't really Brian's fault. Though there are things yet to come... I believe you've already read them. lol

Well, the way you're rushing through these chapters, you'll find out soon enough. Thanks for commenting!

Nick is a very complicated person who's been through a lot of trauma. I don't really delve into what happened when his mum had her initial breakdown in the story, but at the time, Zoë was at uni and Nick was lone in the house with her, and only ten years old. Add to that a lack of friends, occasional bullying, witnessing his mother's suicide attempt and finally, only weeks later, what happened with Craig, and he was bound to break at some point. I think a lot of my adult readers forget that Nick is only 17 years old at this point in the story. And he's had to carry a lot more than any 17-year-old should. So I'm glad you feel sympathy for him. He's not a bad person.

Thank you so much for all your comments and kind words! I hope you enjoy the final instalment too. Oh, and I went ahead and made a reading order for the Hubris stories, it's at the bottom of the first post in this topic:

A valid description of this story, yes. Thank you for commenting!

Lucky me, hehe. If it's heartbreak and misery you like, you've come to the right guy. You're right that Dave deserves to know. Nick is cocking this up in absolutely every way imaginable, essentially.

It was. As I said in other comments, it wasn't even the plan. I just got to this point in the story and knew this was what had to happen. It was frustrating af. And this whole development is the second unplanned plot development in the series I lost readers over. lol

Hah, by now you already know you'll have to do some reading before that actually happens.... lol Thank you for continuing to read and comment. I'm dreading a little to see what you have to say of the developments that follow... though the fact that you've kept commenting is a good sign. 😅

For all their differences, Matt and Alan complement each other well, I think. They're a bit yin and yang, and that works for them. You're right, I think, that Alan wouldn't have been a good match for either Dave or Nick. I'm glad you enjoyed this little story. Thanks for commenting!

Dave really is perfect, isn't he? I sometimes worry I made him too perfect... lol Thanks as ever for taking the time to comment!

That's a wonderful quality. I assume it's Stuart's slightly brash personality and tendency to just speak his mind without reservation that made people suspicious of him... I personally found those qualities endearing. His personality is an amalgamation of several neuro-diverse friends of mine. Glad you enjoyed the chapter!

Thank you for your kind words of encouragement. I really appreciate it. ❤️ Hehe, yeah, Nick's not bad at spotting potential matches for the people in his life... He's got a knack there.

Exactly. My comment was more related to the fact that the thing that appears to bother people a lot of the time is the term 'trigger warning' itself, partly because they have a mistaken understanding of what a trigger is, which you explained very well (and which was why I quoted you). The term seems to cause offence more than the concept of placing warnings on content, which is something that has been done on TV, for instance, for years without any significant number of people getting up in arms about it. The term 'trigger warning' seems to carry baggage, which is why a lot of people no longer use it, opting for 'content warning' instead. Given how misused the word 'trigger' has been in the past few years (no doubt related to the misuse of terms related to mental illness as insults or jokes, but that's a bigger discussion), I suppose it's not surprising that people want to distance themselves from it, so as not to provoke offence.

This is a very important point. It's also worth noting that, technically, the word trigger warning isn't used anywhere on this site in an official capacity (as far as I'm aware, anyway). The submission guidelines say stories must 'include written warnings in the story note and each chapter note that contains questionable content so readers sensitive to these subjects will not be unaware of the story's themes.' Trigger isn't mentioned. That's a matter of interpretation. I always call mine content warnings rather than trigger warnings.

I'll never understand the 'yuck' reaction, tbh... It's strange to me. I don't like raw bell pepper, but I don't say 'yuck' when I see other people eating it.