C James

I don't know, I get the feeling that Cody is tormented by his inner demons, or more specifically some dark deity. Seriously though, Cody has some definite real issues. He isn't seeing a phrink for the fun of it. He also displays plenty of signs of inner damage. Here's my guess; its a combination of self-loathing (made clear in the convo with the phrink in Ch 1) that he is angry for himself for not standing up for Jacob. The second factor is his mother; having someone like that as a parent can leave a kid an emotional wreck. Cody has major defensive traits AND self-destructive traits (the "date" he's on, for one) he keeps everyone out and away. I think he's got a long way to go. My hunch is that this now-infamous letter will be the trigger of a chain of events that demonstrate these problems all too well.

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.

OOps! I missed that bit! Ok, one per post... Doctor Stangegoat; stop worrying and learn to love the bomb.

Graeme raises excellent points; What was Benjamin trying to IM about?? My take on Cody is that Graeme is largely right; he's afraid of commitment, and tormented by guilt over his past actions. He has a low self-image as a result, and his mother's actions can only make things worse. Cody is tormented by a darkness... I have a hunch that things will get worse before they get better.

Movie and literary titles; A Goat to Remember All Quiet on the Goat Front Superman III The Quest for Goats The Winds of Goats Sleepless in Goat.

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.

I loved this chapter... Damon's ordering of the bagle turned out to be a very, very skillfully done character development. I've never seen better. I also found Damon's friend Brandon intriguing; Clearly, Brandon knows Daemon is interested in guys, and seems totally supportive. And yes, the interest in Eric Carlisle... Could that lead to... something? Only The Shadow knows.... Now, let's get to the letter. AAAARRRGGHH!! I hereby predict that this letter will soon, and forever, be known as THE letter. Yes, it shall be infamous... And deservedly so! ARGH! And the thourougly evil Cliffhangers. Yes, plural! Cody is going off to engage in something very risky! And then there's the letter, he's cut off. That's a double-barreled cliffhanger! And then there's Joe... That line about "do more than share an apartment" means what, exactly??? That's a cliffhanger too! So, we therefor have at least three. Cody's mother is an irredeemable cast-iron bitch! She even admits that some of the money is his to begin with! I think she might just be your most vile antagnoist yet... (and Catherin Harris is a tough act to beat). It was great seeing Val again!!!! However, this sets up something veeeery interesting. Val knows about Cody via Jacob. However, she does not appear to be aware that this Cody (if they've even met) is Jacob's Cody. I predict fireworks when she finds out! Will Cody start singing soprano!??!

Sasha, I loved it! Sorry it took me so long to read it, I've had a very hectic couple of weeks. I loved the humor, and the portrayal of a guy getting another guy pregnanat as an everyday event was both hilarious and poignant. CJ

Well, of course! Speaking of EEEvil cliffhangers, I'm looking forward to the continuation of SC!

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?

I was just thinking that, been as this is Shadowgod's forum, it would would be impolite to mention my stories, so therefor we should have the poll choices for Mother of All Cliffhangers be limited to Shadowgod's stories.

ACK! I've been EDITED!! Shadowgod is being mean to me!!!! He's EEEvil!!! Oh, and BTW, rumor has it that we may have good news sooner than expected.

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.

Who? Me? Now, have I ever done such a thing as that? BTW, breaking news! Shadowgod has a new nickname! Just call him "sexy beast". Now, as for what may occur in the future, ohhh, I'd love to say, but then the Echidna would get me. As for Dreams & Cliffed Wings, you entitled a chapter "eating Crow", and I was the one cou8ghing up feathers!

Ahhh, yes, I see your point! I think I agree! And of course, LiS 27 did not resolve the issue until about the halfway point, as i recall, so I can wholeheartedly affirm that LiS 26 does not fit that description! This seems to confirm that LiS 26 is, indeed, the Mother of all Cliffhangers. ROFL! Well, hmmm, while I, of course, don't use cliffhangers myself, I do know a bit about them (I've been studying Shadowgod for a while). Come now, how can you doubt that LiS 26 was the Mother of All Cliffhangers? Just how many cliffhangers have prompted you to make death threats against the author? A poll? Hmmm... Well, if we limit it to Shadowgod's stories.. Maybe in this forum? What do you say, Shadowgod? How about multiple choice; which of Shadowgod's cliffhangers would you rate as the Mother of All Cliffhangers, and list the cliffies. I posted a detailed list of the LiS cliffhangers here in this forum, but Shadowgod has cliffies in other stories too; Shot of Bourbon, Prelude to Destiny, and also Dreams & Cliffed Wings (just chapter 2 out of those posted so far). I could even be helpful and compose the poll... Impartially, of course.

One option is to write a love scene, but in such a way so that you don't need to reference the anatomical bits that seem contentious.

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

What? Not a cliffhanger? Awww, but I was so enjoying declaring one! It's my hobby, you know. BTW, another of Jack's stories that I particularly enjoyed was Domes and Teaposts. I love politics, and this was very well done!

Congratulations Krista, and welcome aboard!

Yes indeed! LiS 26 is the Mother of All Cliffhangers! The unknowns at the end of the chapter were raised early in the chapter, BUT, that made it even more diabolical; the author concealed the facts for most of the chapter! EEvil!!

NOOOO!!!! No, no, and NO!!! No more motorcycles, please!! And shame on you tring to blame me for it, that's just EEEvil!! I'll say one bit more about it; it's damn good! Giving the DEVIL his due?!!?!? Ohhh, you just wait...