C James

I figured that I'd make this a separate thread, due to their being some unfathomable resistance to the idea that Shadowgod was the cause of Eric's interest in Motorcycles. Here, I shall offer my proof, and decisively defeat all counter-claims! :2hands: But Your Shadowyness, I only endeavor to (literally) give the Devil is Due and see you honored for your prowess at the Evvvil Cliffhanger! Oh.. Might I point out that there haven't even been any cliffhangers in Changing Lanes yet, though that's certainly not the case for Dreams and Clipped Wings? And now we get the the real proof of the issue... Yes, Shady 1. Here's the relevant passage from CL 3...

Oh crap!!! ACK! I looked... I didn't believe it, so I looked. I typed it it. And that's what comes up first. I then checked what Cuil is, and it's a search engine, a new one. Here's what they say as a description.

Ahhh, but, Changing Lanes is indeed set two or more years in the future. That much we agree on. However, that dark rider in Ch 3 was unarguably shadowgod, right down to the vanity license plate. So, was Eric having a flashback, or is this something Shadowgod is going to do in a couple of years time? Or, more likely, does Shadowgod, being Satan, have the ability to change his temporal location?? Whatever the answer is, it's obvious that this is indeed all Shadowgod's fault; he deliberately lured Eric into an interest in motorcycles! As proof, I offer this indisputable fact: I have, loudly and often, decried the way motorcycles put Shadowgod's characters in danger. Eric is my favorite character; why on earth would I ever let him anywhere near a motorcycle? Your Shadowyness, might I point out that I have never claimed that LTMP or CL are fiction? I mentioned that it had to be set in the future because Toowoomba hasn't dissapeared in a blinding flash, yet... That would not be the case for fiction. Therefor, if it is a recount of future events, you most ceertainly can be the dark rider (and don't forget the vanity plates... everyone knows that there can be only one set of California plates with that name, so therefor, it's gotta be you). Therefor, you have a conundrum... If it's fiction, you're at fault becuaseyou kept boosting the motorcycle idea, including for Eric... (You've oft said how hot he'd be on a motorcycle...) Or, if non-fiction, then you're to blame for tearing throguh traffic in front of Eric, and leading him to decide to get a motorcycle. Agreed Benji! I'm glad that I'm not the only one who can see through the Shadowy One's attempts as dissembling. Now, if only he would admit his rile, all would be well. RALLY SPiCE! SAVE ERIC!!

I just wanted to let everyone know that I'll be leaving on vacation on Aug 30th, and getting back in the first week of October. I should have occasional internet access for part of the trip, but for at least two weeks in the middle of it I'll have none at all. (I'm going to Alaska). Also, my laptop battery issue from last year still applies; a new battery would have cost me nearly $200, which is insane for a nine year old clunker of a laptop. I just haven't had the time or funds to shop for a new one. So, it's plug-in only. However, My team and I are working hard to get some chapters ready for posting while I'm away. The way it's looking, at worst we might end up with a bi weekly instead of a weekly posting. I'll post all trip news and reports in this thread. CJ

Shadowgod!!! Now this is stretching things, even for you!!! It's true that the type of bike in the graphic is not your style, but I needed a silhouette and thats all I could some up with. HOWEVER, as for the rest, you should be ashamed of yourself! Part of it is true (the fact that you have remarked, often, that Eric on a motorcycle = HOT). However, you totally gloss over the fact that it was your daredevil riding through traffic that inspired Eric to think of getting a motorcycle! If you hadn't have been riding like that, it wouldn't have happened! I gues this is partially my fault for setting this part of the story where you live, but still, you could have stayed away! Those notorious vanity plates of yours are proof conclusive; it was you. BTW, I hope you don't mind me blabbing your liscence plate all over the internet, but it's a bit late now.. So, this is indeed all your doing!!! And BTW, that makes any possible tension regarding Eric, motorcycle, and tequila all your fault! And thus, any cliffhangers in Changing Lanes are all your doing! (I do hope all you readers will bear this fact in mind when it's time to vote for the King of Cliffhangers in the 2008 reader's choice awards). Ahh, but if Shadowgod hadn't been riding in front of Eric, this never would have happened! I said to him, at the time, that he really should learn to obey traffic laws. That was both hazardous, and a bad influence on Eric. So it really is all Shadowgod's fault. BTW, the title for Chapter 4 is Islands in the Sea. CJ

I thought it would be fun to hide clues in the graphics. The left-hand side is similar to the old LTMP graphic (stage lighting at a concert). Thanks Tim!! See? Shadowgod's EEEvil influence is right there for all to see. Thanks for posting this!! I haven't seen that, but I wonder if they took stress into account? In a simulator you know you won't die. The hard thing about landing is lining up so that you touch down at the right place, direction, and speed. The runway is very confining. Brandon in LTMP had the advantage of not having to worry about the runway; he had a virtually infinite one. On the other hand, he was also dealing with a badly damaged aircraft, plus no flaps. Thanks!! CJ

His Shadowyness, of course, so therefor he's at fault if The Scar starts making mischief again.

Welcome Back Benji!!

Happy Birthday, Francois!! I hope you had a GREAT day, and have a wonderful year!!

Not so! Eric is my favorite character... It's Shadowgod who is mean to his characters... (think of all the mean things he's done to them!) And of course, now he's riding through Changing Lanes on his motorcycle, being a bad influence on Eric!!

Ahh, The Scar... All I'll say is that the key is in the final reference to him...

Good points about the timeframe... I felt that it had to be set in the near future, otherwise it has to be an alternate universe (Unless Toowoomba went missing recently?) For an approximate timeframe, figure a few, though not many, years in the future. Less than 5. And yes, Conner, I knew you'd love the pool party idea. Yes, one of the Shadows (Steve, the leader of the shadows) had a motorcycle in LTMP. However, that's not who the Dark Rider was... the true villain of this story: Shadowgod.. Ok, we've seen Eric head off to get his M1 (That's a motorcycle driver's liscence in California) due to spotting the DARK rider with the "shady-1" vanity plate tearing through traffic. "Shadow-1" would have alluded to The Shadows from LTMP, so that wouldn't have fit. Besides, Shadowgod picks out his own vanity plates for his motercycle, nothing I can do about it... It fits though, he's often called "the Shady One". Had it been up to me, I'd have had the plate just say "shadowgod" but hey, it's his plate, so his choice. BTW, if you look in the title graphic, you'll see a motorcycle, just to the right of center. When I made the graphics I already knew that Shadowgod was planning on leading Eric into the two-wheeled-death-machine world, so I made that as a hint. I still think SPiCE needs to act, SAVE ERIC!! (Protect him from Shadowgod!!)

Yep, that was the Shady One (shadowgod) himself. So, of course, it's his fault for being a bad influence on Eric. So, can't we roast his Shadowyness? BTW, those vacation pics might be joined by some more recent ones soon. LoL. One of the reasons I've been so busy (and absent) lately is getting ready for a trip. I'll be leaving at the end of this month and will be away for five weeks. I'll be leaving some chapters behind for posting, though, and I should be able to check in from time to time.

You're 100% right about the guys, and that's kind of what I was alluding to; Helen is needed for Changing Lanes. If I'd been ending it with LTMP, it might have been different, but due to the continuation of the story, I felt that they still need her. Jon will be seen as a little more complex in some soon-upcoming chapters. As for Eric... Well, he's definitly got his wild side. He's also prone to being rash and not thinking things though (which is why SPiCE should be so incensed that Shadowgod put him on a motorcycle!!). Ob, BTW, that means that any cliffhangers involving motorcycles are, by definition, shadowgod cliffhangers... But I digress... The guys do have some growing up yet to do, and that's part of what "changing Lanes" means.

Thanks Tim! And my belated thanks to both you and Kevin for pointing out last week's typos. I can't comment on who eric will or will not end up with (You're in no danger posting what you did above, but I surely would be, from the Echidna, if I blabbed! He'd make me into a pincushion! All those spines!! Yipes!!) As for what Eric is... He's Eric.

OOPS!!! Thanks Jan! I fixed it!! BTW, my sincere thanks to any and all who point out errors. I REALLY appreciate that, and be it public or private (your choice) it helps me greatly. Not only does it get rid of errors in the posted text, but it also points out to me things I need to look for. That was a typo, but I never caught it, due to "noting" being a word. CJ

ACK! It wasn't a spoiler! And Shhh, we don't want to get the Echidna involved! And, ummm, Bondwriter, that bit you quoted wasn't written by me! It's attributed to me in your post, but it wasn't mine. Eric may or may not drink tequila again, but there was this line in Ch 3...

Okay, truth time: I'm sure to get some hateful reactions for this one, but I'm going to suggest that it might've worked better in LTMP if Helen hadn't come through. I'm not usually one for killing off sympathetic characters, mind you, and I like Helen, but in this case, I can make two arguments for it: 1) It would fit with the character growth that all the main characters show. Symbolically, Helen as their mother figure needs to step aside (so to speak) in order to allow the boys to grow up. 2) I think it would've rung a little truer... you basically set it up so that everyone assumed Helen was dead, and when it turned out she was fine, it came across as a bit too happily-ever-after, not very realistic. Okay, I know you were going for the happy ending, but I just didn't buy it for whatever reason that she'd make it through almost perfectly unharmed. (Mind you, maybe I shouldn't talk about suspension of disbelief in a story about nuclear weapons being manufactured in Queensland...) Anyway, the point's moot, it's ancient history now, and I'm sure it will be useful having Helen as a character in Changing Lanes. Especially when she tries to de-tequila the Eric. You raise good points... I did consider those very issues. The "growth" issue was, indeed, the very reason she died in the original outline of LTMP. However... For there to be a Changing Lanes, she had to live. She's still recovering in Ch 1 of Changing lanes, months later. You're right though; I should have posted more medical detail, to show that that sort of a wound is indeed survivable. My only quibble is on the nukes in Queensland. Okay, the location was a bit unorthodox, but think about the issues The Scar faced. He needed a place where he could work undisturbed, and one had to be a in a very remote area. He needed easy access to shipping, and he also (most critically) needed to get his workforce (russian and middle eastern) to his worksites. Australia is a place where there are existing human smuggling operations, operating on large scale, from those regions. Australia just looked like the best "fit" for his needs, based on the opportunities the situation provided. South America was my second option, for similar reasons. As for the nuke fabrication itself, I challenge anyone to poke any holes in it. I researched it, very carefully, and I also went into this already having a detailed knowledge on the workings of nuclear weapons. CJ

ACK! Noo!! Don't say that, or our resident anti-spoiler Echidna will get me! (I live in fear of his very sharp spines!!) All I meant was that LTMP was more focused on Brandon. Changing Lanes is focused on Eric. I didn't mean to imply they were heading for the same ending. BTW, "Let The Music Play" turned out to be one of The Scar's lines, but Changing Lanes is more complex. We already know it's the title of Instinct's new album, but, it has other meanings too, and will be used several times, in different contexts, throughout the story. CJ

The evil culprit is, as always, Shadowgod!

Darn good call! Yes. You're in large part right about Eric's beginnings. He was supposed to be a secondary character, like Jon, just with a few... quirks. The first ten chapters of Changing Lanes were written years ago. That's why the character development is rather lacking in those chapters, plus they have some rough edges on the writing side. I did some reworking of it, but not enough. Eric... Yes indeed, you have him pegged, spot-on. He really came into his own at the party at Jerry's house, where we saw, for the first time, his love of Tequila. You're right, he grew, very much so and very quickly, and soon he was not only my favorite character, but also he was taking on a far larger role. As for Eric and Chase, the way I see it is that in SOME ways they are very much alike, but in other ways, they are opposite, or at least different. For example, Chase isn't into "playing the field" but Eric has shown that he is. They share a similar sense of humor, but Eric is the more extreem. Indeed, Eric does love life, and meets it head-on, full-force. He loves it, as well he should. I had no intentions of doing a sequel to LTMP until about halfway through LTMP, when I realized that the planned ending (Helen originally died, though the ending was similar) left Eric as a loose end (and there were others.). I considered some plot changes in LTMP, but nothing seemed to work, so Changing Lanes was born, with Eric as the central character. LTMP was about Brandon, mainly, and his road from joining the band as a deeply closeted roadie to walking out on stage, to an assembled press corps, hand in hand with his boyfriend, as one of the most famous people on the planet. That was Brandon's road. Changing Lanes is Eric's.

General Bradson is a man with a dilemma. He's trying to save his son's life. Desperate times sometimes call for desperate measures. As for Shadowgod, it really is all his fault!! If he hadn't gone racing through that scene on his motorcycle (complete with vanity plates! He's not only evil, but vain, too!) Eric wouldn't have gotten the idea... So, let us put6 the blame squarely where it belongs... on Shadowgod!! As for Tequila... Surely Eric has learned his lesson and will avoid that particular liquor?

Yes... Shadowyness does have as his realm the firey pit, and that's the lowest of the low... But how can we protect Eric from this truly (and literally!) Satanic influence? Rally SPiCE!

No Tequila involved... It's just the Shady One barging in and leading Eric into dire peril!!! So, rally SPICE! Save Eric (from the Shady One's eeevil influence!)

SPICE ALERT! SPICE ALERT!! Eric is in peril, and if you've read chapter 3 of Changing Lanes, you know that the culprit is Shadowgod!!! I am hereby rallying SPiCE to Eric's aid, and calling for a campaign against the Shady One!! He must stop leading Eric astray!! :sword: :fire: :axeman: :sword: :chris: :2hands: