C James

ACK! Now, now, be nice!! What have I done to deserve such a thing?? If ya'll object to Brandon's little predicament in Ch 9, and the other things, then why aren't you planning on roasting Shadowgod? Benji!! You know that a goat would never have anything to do with a cliff!

Tiger, Tiger, Tiger.. To answer your first question, let's look at the logic. By that reasoning, something 100% evil would be, by definition, in error 100% of the time, correct? Therefor, I can disprove your theory simply by mentioning that, while he is often in error, Shadowgod is not in error 100% of the time. Ipso facto, evil does not equate with error. ACK!! Now, now, no harming of ppor, innocent goats!! ERic... What is this list, that apparently has turned you to the dark side? E tu, Tim?!?!?! Benji!! But, but, you know that a goat would never have anything to do with a cliff, right?

Wonderful. A touching story, and due to my late arrival (I've been away for a month) I wasn't thinking about the theme. I didn't suspect at all. Brilliantly done, Steve. That's a poignant and astonishing twist, superbly executed. I loved it. When I read about the suicide attempt, I too found the inability to move Josh odd, but my initial thought was that he was resisting. At first, I thought he was dead, but the inability to move him made me think Josh was alive. Once the reveal occurred, though, it still made perfect sense, just in a very different way. Very cleverly done, Steve. Bravo.

See, even if Steve did add an evil cliffhanger, it is still your fault. This evidence would even hold up in a court of law. Thus, one can only conclude that you are guilty of using evil cliffhangers. By the way, how could I be under anyone's evil influence? I'm a sweet and innocent tiger. Everybody knows that. Ahhh, but please read the quited line, now I've highlighted the relevant bit. Are cliffhangers errors? I don't think so. Therefor, they are, clearly, shadowgod's fault and not mine. I do, quite rightly IMHO, take full responsibility for any and all errors, but Cliffhangers are, of course, Shadowgod's responsibility. As for you being sweet and innocent? BUAHAHAHAHA!!!! You can't be: you use eeevil cliffhangers! See above.

Be nice to Eric! (See, Eric, you were right the first time!) As for Cody's suitors... I think that counts as a SPOILER!!! Echidna? Oh, Echidna? A SPOILER has occurred!! Please, introduce His Shadowyness to your anti-spoiler spines!!!

Yes, indeed he is! And he is doing a masterful job of it, and I predict a clear and decisive victory by His Shadowyness! He's already far ahead in the race. He's already dazzled us with several spectacular cliffhangers in Dreams and Cliffed Wings so far, and it's early in the story yet! Zack is new, sort of. He and Cody have a past. That makes him interesting indeed. There can of course be others we haven't yet met, as it's still early in the story. I think the fact that we don't yet have any idea who, if anyone, Cody will settle on is indeed one of the subtlest, yet most devious, cliffhangers ever!

Happy Birthday, Sacha!! :king:

TIGER!!! Here we are, in the very lair of the evil one himself, and you say that about me, of all people? Always remember and never forget: LiS 26!!! Hrmmm, I notice that Jacob is still riding, and now Cody is thinking of a motorcycle... What does Zach drive?!?! (other than Cody, that is.)

ACK!! ERIC!!! What happened to "Shadowgod's Evil, don't trust him!"??? That had such a sweet sound to it! And me? I'd never influence anyone. I do agree with you about Zach, though. However, I have to wonder... Why an Air Force guy? What is his tasking? What does he have access to? More to the point, what sort of danger is Shadowgod about to expose Cody too? Intregue? War? Disaster?

But, but, but... That was the fault of His Shadowyness... Thanks Edward!! I can't answer the questions without giving spoilers, but, The Scar wasn't hurt by a nuke: Just some plastic explosive in the base of a massive six-axis lathe. But, but, but... No cliffhangers, unless Shadowgod added them. Hi Peter! I had to do something regarding the bikers. They were okay before Brandon and Chase came out, but a lot of bikers don't like gays. It made sense to me that, even with the money they are paid, some might have a few.. issues. I can say this for sure: When I'm around bikers, I do not let on that I'm gay. Only one biker that I know, knows.

A cliff? Would I ever do such a thing as that? There are, admittedly, a few perhaps-slightly-tense bits... More along the lines of concerns, really. Brandon has a bit of a problem with the two bikers.... and the General's arms dealer/mercinary turning out to be The Scar, who has a grudge or three... and the seeds of doubt poisoning Brandon and Chase's relationship... Eric just having had a few big chugs of Tequila (Eric on Tequila at a biker party; what could possibly go wrong?) ... The General's offhand thought that he needs Eric's cooperation regarding the insertion into the Cape Verde Islands (ah, Eric and Jerry, together again...) Why cheezy? I never said The Scar was dead. I alluded that he wasn't: Vladimir getting a measure of revenge. I set up the final scene in the warehouse carefully: If you count the bodies vs. the people I have there, you'll see that Yuri is unaccounted for, and The Scar accounted for only by an arm. Therefor, Yuri has been the General's contact all along. I've been leaving clues from the begining: one of them is his hearing problem: damage from the bomb. The Scar was, in my view, perfect for the role. He has a past as an arms dealer, so it makes sense he'd return to it. He also had 5 million dollars remaining at the end of LTMP, for that reason. Now, he's an arms dealer, recovering from his injuries and badly scarred. There aren't many international arms dealers at that level in the real world: about 11 at the moment. So, I figured that, given his past, and the General needing such services, it wasn't much of a stretch that they'd cross paths, especially if The Scar has an interest in the General for some reason. Anyway, that was my view of it, and i freely admit I might be wrong. Sorry if it came across as cheezy. Yep, several did figure it out, due to the clues. ACK, now now, I never use cliffies! We must blame Shadowgod for those. I'd be very interested to hear about the biker show on FX! I've never seen it. (I watch almost zero TV...) My biker "facts" are based only on a few bikers I know, and a few biker parties I've attended. (For those that are familiar with my short story "Three for Jake", you know I wrote that while drunk on Tequila: I was doing tequila shots at a biker party). I must stress that I don't presently know any fully active hells angles members that I am aware of. Not all bikers are HA's (or 81's, as they often say). So, please don't take me as any sort of expert on the HA: I'm not. There are surely gaps in my knowledge. (and I appreciate it if anyone points out an error so i can fix it. ) I also bend the truth regarding some things, such as the Biker's chapter locations. Most of the detail I use is quite real. For example, the fact that Bikers take it as an insult if you lock your vehicle outside of their club or gathering place. They never do, and very often leave the keys in their Harleys.

Uhoh.... Umm, Tiger, I think you might perhaps be under the eeeevil influence of a certain Shadowy sort... I'd never put Brandon, or any character, in danger! I'll have to go read Ch9 and see what Shadowgod has added. One of his patented tense bits, no doubt? I'm innocent, of course. But... Aren't we all in danger, each and every day? Crossing the street, walking down the sidewalk, etc, all carry risk.

AHHA!! Yes indeed, A Cliffhanger post by Shadowgod! We cannot expect less! Either it's a Cliffhanger, OR, it's a *SPOILER*!!! If the latter, I think we must call upon the Anti-spoiler Echidna!!! ACK! Now, now, who says Eric is in danger? Eric, on tequila, at a biker party... What could possibly go wrong? But, maybe dear old Jerry has a sense of humor?

ACK, but Drewbie, we all know that I never use cliffhangers! Hrmmm, do bear in mind; this was written before I left for my trip, so Shadowgod had over a month to add any possible tense bits... He's evil like that, you know. But, but, but... Shadowgod is Evil!! He must be, if y'all are seeing cliffies in this chapter...

Thanks on the reassurances everyone. I very much appreciate it. Should be within the hour.. Sorry, there's been some major overhauls to 10 and 11, and I need to make sure 9 isn't affected.

Well, hrmmm.. This is still a dilemma... Zach is indeed interesting. I'll also opine that there are some.. shall we say aspects, of Cody's romp with Zack that that are VERY telling. (Such as... What is Cody doing differently that he doesn't do with others? I think the reason why will be important.) Yes, thank you Eric!! I'm glad that I'm no longer alone in seeing this particular truth... Hrmmm... After the CLiffhanger His Shadowyness left us with, can his evilness be doubted? Now, now, your Shadowyness... We know you're evil, is all.

That was exactly the problem; as in real life, their options are limited in such a circumstance without making themselves the bad guys. BTW, CH 9, Train Wreck [/b, ]posts in 24 hours or less.

Yes, of course, that's why you moved away. It's your hometown after all, and you can't choose those. But, you are always part of where you are from, and you, your Shadowyness, are from the cliffs of Cliff Dwellers.

Thank you everyone! I do freely admit, I tend to be a little on the self-doubting side when it comes to my writing, so I do have a penchant for worry. I'll keep going with CL as-is. Interestingly, a few points raised here are in the written but as-yet unposted chapters. BTW Ch 9, Train Wreck, will post sometime... Not quite sure when, still working on it, but it will be before noon on Tuesday, AZ time, so less than 24 hours from now. CJ

ACK! Tiger!! Bad Tiger!! Surely you don't think that I could have put any cliffies in LTMP and FTL, now do you? Therefor, they must be the work of Shadowgod... (and/or Graeme... Or Bondwriter, or Emoe...) And as for the spoiler-spaced bit, I disagree; let's forget that. It's so much better that way. Good one, Sphen_dehan! And BTW, welcome to the forums! But, been as you are new, I must let you in on a known fact... A goat (such as me) would never have anything to do with a cliff. Bondwriter, my journey was, in part, a quest to seek the truth! Did I not return with photos of a geyser named in Shadowgod's honor? Did I not return with pictures of his hometown (cliff dwellers)? And, let anyone think I'm making anything up, Tiger has already linked to Cliff Dwellers, so here's a link to Cliff Geyser. See? I brought back not only truth, but proof!! Further proof shall follow. CJ

I'd love to hear your perspective. I should mention that the Mormons in my area tend to be far more "fundamentalist" than the mainstream LDS. Many are descended from Mormons who left Utah due to feeling that the mainstream LDS was too liberal (I'm in northern Arizona). Like any religion, they have their hardliners and extreemists. However, this surely gives me a warped perspective of the LDS in general. I do however know several gay ex-mormons who were mainstream LDS, and they are plenty opinionated against the mainstream LDS regarding homosexuality. I'm not sure what the mainstream LDS is like on sexisim, but I can say that the extremists here by and large treat women like second class citizens. There are also some heart-wrenching cases of runaway teens from the pologamist enclaves along the Arizona-Utah boarder (mainly on the AZ side). They leave for many reasons, but one is that the teen girls are married off to older men (several each) leaving none for the teen guys. Also, they can become virtual outcasts withing their own community. But, when they leave, they have a hard time adjusting due to the insularity of their communities; they lose all that they ever knew and find themselves alone in a strange world. I've heard this about many, but in one case firsthand: A few years ago one of my employees opened up and told me about his experiences as one of these. There are organizations who sometimes help the runaway teens (of both sexes) from the poligamist sects, but getting them in contact with the runaways is proving hard in too many cases.

I have to agree; this is superb, and as for the twist.. Wow! I know Graeme's work well enough that I knew there would be some kind of massive unexpected angle, and so I was looking for one from the start. All the clues were there, but I missed it until the reveal. Superbly done, Graeme!!

I have a favor to ask... Please be honest with me; are there problems with Changing Lanes? If so, I need to know. I've noticed that the thread activity has been steadily dropping since Changing Lanes began, so I think there is a problem. Part of it is that a sequel has a more limited audience than the original. That much I expected. However, I think this must go deeper than that. Looking back, maybe it's too wordy, not enough happening in the early chapters? Is it lacking in some (or several) areas? Please let me know, and also any suggestions for improving it. CJ

Thanks!! I hope to get back on the weekly posting schedule. Also, my sincere thanks to the special efforts made my Joe, plus my entire team, to get the chapters posted while I was away. You guys are the best!! Who? Me? Tequila the Eric? Never! Besides, a fight at a Hells Angels party? What could possibly go wrong? Train Wreck is Ch 9. My area of AZ has a lot of Mormons, so I've actually seen that occur. Surely, the bikers will keep the Tequila away from Eric. Fear not, Brandon, Chase, and Jon will be integral to this story, and feature often (more than in recent chapters). Actually, I will be starting a new thread about that and other CL issues in a few miniutes. As for the strippers... I can honestly say I've seen an act very much like that, up close and personal, by a very hot stripper who worked at a high-end club. Hot indeed. There are a great many Mormons in my area of AZ. Sadly, the portrayal is not a stretch for many. Please feel free to discuss that religion here in context of the story, as long as we're factual and not merely insulting. Many of the mormans in my area are conservative by Mormon standards. Some are also breakaway sects who are poligamous. I do have some mormon friends, and some Mormon acquaintances I despise. I have serious issues with some of their dogmas, such as the subservient role of women. I can't stand sexisim and Mormon doctrine can be as sexist and degrading as Islamic doctrine in this regard (I abhor sexisim, period, just as I do homophobia and racisim). (speaking in generalities here, of course: Not every adherent of either religion holds the same interpretations, so this is not a blanket condemnation of all, just those that do). The hipocracy is, sadly, all too common in religious hardliners. I detest anyone who tries to apply their religion to others against their will. Thanks Jan! But... your Highness??? Jan! Surely you know that I am so undeserving of any such title. Thanks Eric!! CJ

Yellowstone is FANTASTIC and I highly reccomend it! It's vast, so much to see. For geothermal stuff, it's the best in the world for geysers and thermal pools. I will say that the terraces at Mammoth Hot Springs (near Yellowstone's north entrance) aren't nearly as good as the ones in New Zealand's Rotorua thermal area (Somewhere else I highly6 reccomend seeing), but for Geysers, you can't beat Yellowstone. Also for the scale and natural settings, plus the wildlife, Yellowstone is the best anywhere. Make sure to check out all the Geyser basins; Upper, lower, midway, Norris, and West Thumb. Also, check out some areas that are trail access only, and also go in offseason and off time, such as at Dawn. Seeing these things alone is so much better thasn when there are crowds. ACK! But Tiger, Shadowgod needs his title back! He also deserves it back!!! Always remember and never forget: LiS 26! And don't forget all the other cliffhangers he's given us in LiS, DnCW, FTL, LTMP, etc!!! Remember what he did in LTMP 37, with the inbound missiles? And what about in CLiff, where he made a personal appearance and put Eric in danger? He's just got to have his throne back! Besides, look at the photos of his hometown! Cliffs are his natural domain... Thanks!! All pics were taken by me. I'll be posting more soon. Columbia gorge, Mt. St. Hellens, Alaska and the glaciers, British Columbia, Jasper and the Icefields parkway in Alberta (including some taken on a perhaps-somewhat-less-than-legal climb on Athabasca Glacier... It's roped off due to the danger of the crevases... But, I once climbed the Franz Josef Glacier in New Zealand so a few hundred yards up the Athabasca was easy.. or would have been if I'd remembered to take my dang ice cleats.) Then there's Banff, Montana, Yellowstone, and the Grand Tetons. Thanks!! More coming soon.