C James

I agree about spoilers... They can ruin things. For example, if I were to say that in Ch 30 of LTMP, there is an alien invasion from Alpha Centuari that destroys all life on earth, and every character in the story dies, that would ruin the story for those reading it. It would also result in a certain Echidana turning me into a pincushion; he hates spoilers, and has very sharp spines... I have, however, on a couple of occasions almost given spoilers accidentally. There was a discussion a while back, and I thought "Ahha, the answer has been in the posted text!" so I found the paragraph I needed, and was about to post it when I realized, "Duh, that hasn't been posted yet!" OOps. BTW, I forgot to mention that the upcoming chapter. 30, is entitled Unfortunate Circumstances.

Please don't read anything plotwise into what I'm about to say. I'm being very careful not to give hints or spoilers. You raise a good point, but one factor is the origin of the scars. Burn scars can be quite different from scars caused by contusion. Wilde's are mentioned as being very faint even with his ghostly white skin. In other words, just a slight variance in coloration. Dark Lord!?!?! But, Shadowgod is the Dark Lord! Bondwriter even said so!!! Think about it... His name basically means Dark Lord! And we all know he's evil! Just look at the devastating cliffhanger he used in Dreams & Cliffed Wings 3: Spreading Wings which he posted today! I'm still suffering vertigo from reading that one! I'll give a tiny little spoiler.. Something vaguely related to this may, or may not, occur in an upcoming chapter.

Vladimir and Dimitri aren't modled on those two, not quite. However, Dimitri has a lot in common with Vladimir Putin. The backstory is similar, Both came out of the KGB First Chief Directorate (Mainly HUMINT foreign ops) but I gave Dimitri a background of second chief directorate (counter-intel) as well. Putin came up out of the St. Petersburg KGB hierarchy, and is largely personally responsible for the culture of corruption in Russia today. During the failed coup attempt, the KGB mainly sat on the fence. They basically cut a deal with the democracy movement; KGB's perogatives (including wholesale graft and corruption) would go unchallenged, in return for their non-interference. KGB's role was critical; under the Soviet system, the KGB controlled the access codes for nuclear weapons (theirs use a PAL (PErmisive Action Link) system similar to our own); none could be detonated without their connivance. The military had essentially split on the issue, with some nuclear forces on each side. Therefor, the KGB was in the catbird seat, and Putin played a key role. Ever since, Russia has been beset by massive corruption and graft, and the old KGB are the primary culprits. So, you're right, I detest putin. As for Medvedev, I really don't know, he's a bit of an enigma.

Thank you Kevin!!! OOps on "insured" I have a lot of problems with sound-alike words! The "suspecting" had a different origin; I often play around with sentence structure, moving bits around, etc, and I changed the sentence and didn't notice that I needed to change "Suspecting" to "suspected". OOps. I've edited my copy of the chapter, and it will be uploaded with Ch 30. It will also have a thank-you to you in the credits! BTW, if anyone points out typos, from now on I'll try and add that person them to the credits when I upload the fixed chapter. Thanks! Lol, Helen did make a point of barging in on Eric while he was having sex, but who knows if she'll think up some additional payback?

Thanks Conner! I was thinking that you might like that. BTW, as a humorous aside, in the original draft (I only discovered it later) Chase had his left hand on Brandon't shoulder, his right hand running through Brandon's hair, and his other hand on Brandon's stomach. That would be three. OOps. Thanks!! I'm dyslexic, so I'm very prone to typos (I'm also a rotten typist) resulting in look-alike words. Fortunately, I have an absolutely superb team, because I utterly stink at proofing my own work. Sometimes, goofs do get through. But in that case, they are mine alone; I have a statement in the credits that any remaining errors are mine alone. And they are. BTW, whenever anyone sees a goof in a chapter, I am very greatful if you point it out so I can fix it. Either public or private is fine. For a none-GA story, in fact several, both completed novels and a big selection of short stories, I most highly recommend Graeme His story site is here. Thanks!!! CJ

The truly surprising thing here is that I used the correct version of the word; Principal instead of principle. Lol!

ROFL! Yes... If he had to miss the concert, well.. LoL! Principal is not a principle (such as a moral belief). The word means "First" or "Chief" in this context. It is the norm for people in the security buisness to refer to their protectees as their principals. For example, in this case Brandon and Instinct are his principals. Sorry, I kind of forgot that the term was professional parlance and might not be clear. I should have made it clear in the narration. It is a term that gunter would use naturally in this context, but I forgot that not everyone would know what it means. I'll see if I can address the issue in a coming chapter somehow.

Graeme is just cranky... Rumor has it that he missed a concert due to being locked in a suitcase, and he was hungry.... Well, Eric has, in the past, shown a penchant for pranking Helen by putting a cane toad in her suitcase. At least this time he made sure the critter wasn't poisonous.

Happy Birthday, Dan! I hope you have a great day, and a wonderful year.

I'm very fond of foreshadowing, and in some cases it can be blatant, and in others it can be far less so. But Tiger, I'd never use a clifhanger!

Lol! Well, yes. Dimitri's background is very, very similar to that of Valdimer Putin; former KGB, though different directorates. Read into that what you will, but know that I consider Putin to be a tyrant. (I'm not saying that Dimitri is, though) Also, if you think some of the events in my story are far-fetched, just look at things like the use of polonium to poison a man in London. Pollonium is produced in nuclear reactors and it's main use has been as the initiator in early nuclear weapons! What? But I'm sweet and nice, and never do evil things! Yep! Actually, I considered a name change for Eric, be he was already "Eric" in my mind, and so I stayed with what I had. But yes, the first draft of the first eight chapters of LTMP was written a few years ago, before the first draft of FTL, but I re-wrote both. BTW, I forgot to give the name of the new chapter in advance! It's "Preparations"

Happy Birthday, Frosty!!! I hope you have a great day, and a lot of fun.

ACK! Echidna! Can't you let me get away with anything? But i don't! Who? Sweet, quiet, innocent me? Whoa! Shadowgod is the Dark Lord! Bondwriter even said so!!!

You've got a deal! Now, look closely at your own words; you agreed to make THE SAME admission I do. Okay, here goes; I hereby admit that TL The Writing Tiger uses EEEvil Cliffhangers! Ok, TL, now it's your turn to admit the exact same line above.

I'm loving this thread. I can't comment on plot points for the future, but I did want to adress the excelent points on bisexuality; It's mentioned in the text that Wilde and Steve are doing the after-concert "hook ups" with female fans, just like Jon, Eric, and Zeke. They aren't in any kind of committed relationship with the girls. Therefor, my feeling about what they are doing is that its not cheating; no one is hiding anything from anyone, and they both approve of their "rules". Would an ipen relationship of any kind be my thing? Nope, but that's just me. They are also very new to all this, so their "comfort zone" might be more easily accommodated in this manner. All I can say is, not everything stays the same.

ACK! Bondwriter!!! You seek to tarnish my precious reputation as a quiet and shy forum lurker?!?!?! For Shame!! BTW, hmmm, I think we already had a 6666 around here. Ahh, it's the number of the FTL thread.

Speaking of threats, has anyone noticed the Shadowy one's new member title??? Take a wild guess which goat he's threatening to turn into a nanny! Besides, all fears over Eric's well-being are unfounded; nothing bad ever happens in my stories, it's all sweetness and light.

Hrmmm, at his current posting rate, he'll likely reach 5k before the end of this month. (it's a leap year, so that gives him an extra day!)

Ha! No, you use cliffhangers, and evil ones at that!

Congratulations to FrenchCanadian! Congratulations, Sasha, on joining the Millennium Club! Your posts always bring a smile, and thank you for all that you do to keep our forums active with your insight and wit.

This is Sasha's 1000th post! And thank you Sasha!!! Ok, I'm off to start his lounge thread!

Yes indeed! Everyone knows I never use cliffhangers, so of course, it is unfair that I have that award.

Well, one reason it's longer is I did add the scene about the video, as I promised. So, let's see what else I can say... Hrmmm... Uhoh, I think the Echidna just logged, on, I better shut up now. Who? Me?

Happy Birthday, Rick!!!!

Awww, come now, I'd never use a cliffhanger, and especially not on Christmas Eve! But yes indeed, that's a record time for a thousand by my guess! Thanks very much for contributing as much as you do. It's very much appreciated.