Cynus

Well, I'm not making any promises, but I have room for continuing this story. I fell in love with Aaron/Arawn while I was writing him, and I want to build an entire series for him. The problem I run into is that I have so many projects to work on already. I'm glad the sense of longing came across, and that you appreciated the lore. I researched it as well as I could in the time i had. Thank you for the review. It's good to see you around again.

Beautiful chapter. I admit that, because of my own sexuality, I tend to skim over the lovemaking scenes. (Though I have read a few of them and appreciate that they are very well written. I'm just not a very sexually charged person) I find chapters like this, where the romance and drama is the main guiding force, to be my favorite chapters. Also, Colleen is still my hero in this story. She reminds me of my paternal grandmother, who is so accepting of her family and their struggles, and so willing to boost them up whenever it's needed. Too bad Colleen hadn't been living in the same area as the boys, or she might have helped them avert the whole crisis in the first place!

I wouldn't play them if I didn't.

I'm actually not much of a gamer myself. There's very little I play, but the Souls series in question is one which speaks to me and the way I think. I enjoy the constant betterment of self, which is present in the games. I've learned a great deal about certain elements of storytelling as well, such as atmosphere and creating a strong background for characters to navigate through without giving away too much too quickly.

Hey, if my codependent housemate and I didn't share everything, I wouldn't play either. He's the one with the consoles. Maybe some day you'll get the chance.

It's difficult, but rewarding.

Right on!

That can inspire stories, right there.

A very merry existence day to you.

Beautifully heart-wrenching. I'm reminded of every betrayal I've ever suffered, and brought back to my most sacred personal edict, what I call the Rogue's Code, but which many know as The Golden Rule: "Do unto others as ye would have them do unto you". I abide by this code as well as I can, and it means that I go into friendships, relationships, everything I can expecting to get back what I put in. No more. No less. Sometimes, there are those who take advantage, willing to show you the other edge of the sword, and it's heartbreaking when they do. But we live and we learn. All we can do is persevere and hope the betrayal doesn't break us. As long as we retain our own humanity, and remember that there are those worthy of our love and loyalty, we have won in the end, for we have something that our betrayers do not. Integrity.

Only with my siblings. The problem was that we all liked the same things! Wish I would have had you to trade with. I would give away my kit-kats and almond joys for reese's any day.

Thank you, Alex, you totally made my day. I think people underestimate the power of these games. It's not just that you're getting pulverized, it's that you're learning to overcome obstacles. You grow as a player, and it makes you strive for excellence rather than simply getting some powerful item which allows you to beat the game (like most games). The game is about tenacity, and facing difficult challenges which can often feel impossible at first, but once you've trained to get past them, you look back at them and can say, "I did that, and I could do it again. I have become better, stronger, and I can face anything you throw at me. I will overcome." It's a beautiful parallel to success in life, I think. Thanks again, buddy. If I wasn't out of likes still, I'd give you one.

Can we forget Tom Daley?

I think I can squeeze a few action-packed lives into that time frame.

Hah, I don't worry too much about what day it is. Soon would have sufficed.

I'm sure, haha! I have searched for some things like the layouts to certain buildings, and whether or not certain things were particularly flammable. Had to find out which melted first, stone or Iron. That was fascinating for a lot of reasons, but probably didn't draw any attention to me. I'm sure the most attention I've received would have been when I was researching what would happen if a nuclear bomb hit Seattle, because it was important to a post apocalyptic scenario I was working on. I'v researched a lot of Japanese culture, and I find it mesmerizing. Actually, I've been doing a great deal of it recently as well, because of the current story i'm working on.

“Impressive.” Hayden spun around at the voice, recognizing it but unable to place it, but there was no one there. The sudden movement was enough to send his head spinning, and he reached up to his eye expecting to see blood again. When he pulled his hand away there was no blood. It was as absent as the speaker. He began to doubt if he had in fact heard a voice at all when he heard it again, again from behind him. “Very impressive indeed.” This time when Hayden turned around there was

The darkness before the dawn, I'm afraid. There is a reason for everything, and sometimes that reason is simply because it was time. In matters of war, neither side generally comes out unscathed, and they've been tempting fate for a long time. I suppose that part of the meaning behind the story is whether those who continue after can build something from the ashes?

There's an awful lot going on here, and I hope the answers to your questions will be adequately addressed in Episode 12, which I'm going to post ahead of schedule for those of you waiting anxiously. Your analysis of what's going on, however... Thank you for the review.

Peter still has a lot to go through, but he's definitely on the right track, now. Thank you for the review.

Yes, Tristan did play his cards right, didn't he? He had to, in order to help everyone else. Have you noticed the way Micah keeps on receiving opportunities to grow, but they're all hidden? He ended up becoming the second main character, and I love him so much. It makes me glad Peter was there. As to who is going to guide Tris, well... Thank you for the review.

I'm glad you have questions. This episode was created to generate those questions, hoping to get you psyched up for the next episode. I'm glad you're sticking around, though you might have some issues with chapter 11... Thank you for the review.

Yeah, you probably don't want to do that, though. You'd be alienating all these lovely women.

I have an ongoing discussion with an author buddy of mine about the strangest things we've researched for stories. Right now my two favorites of my own are "Russian mafia tattoos" which I searched at work and ended up with a bunch of Russian guys in their underwear... and "Pygmy maturation rate". I'll leave that one to your own imagination. What are some of the strangest things you've researched, either for writing or something else?