Cane23

I wonder sometimes... do you ever sleep? 😄

Anton helping Bastien carry a heater to 'Cinderella's tower'!? If I was surprised by the heated sandwich in the previous chapter... I'm even more surprised now. 😄 Sure, maybe Anton just can't say no to Bastien, but... it feels like there's something more going on. Anton might not be the easiest character to love right now, but he's definitely one of the most intriguing. And I really like that he's so much "less sugar" than Bastien! 😁

Remember The Martian, where Matt Damon gets stranded alone on Mars for months and has to survive with nothing but disco music?

Tough choice - five hours of Wagner hell or five hours of disco hell? 😜

Whenever @CasualWanderer82 starts a new story, I know I'm in for something that is anything but casual. The Futile Devices is no exception. Once again, the author effortlessly brings together mythology, theology, philosophy, and deeply human emotion into a story that feels both intimate and epic. What makes this story special is that even its complex metaphysics always serve the people at its heart. The Creator, Mr. D, and Mr. Mezenga are not simply fascinating pieces of a grand cosmology - they illuminate Luka and Devin's choices, sacrifices, and unwavering devotion to each other. Like Dante's cor meum, their hearts become the true compass of the journey, carrying them through darkness until love itself becomes paradise. For me, The Futile Devices is ultimately a story about hope. Love here is not a reward - it is a choice, made again and again, even when everything seems lost. In the end, it reminds me of Andersen's The Snow Queen: only a love willing to cross every distance, endure every trial, and refuse to let another soul be lost can finally melt the shards of ice and lead both hearts home. It's an original story, yet unmistakably @CasualWanderer82's - layered in philosophy, grounded in psychology, and carried by characters whose emotional journeys are its true heart.

YES!!! Thank you, I thought it was something about me again! 🤪

Oh yes, teenage boys... probably impressed by the masculinity and shiny armor of that bastard Tomas! 🤪 But I like Prince Casimir. History has often been ruthless to scholarly kings who weren't great warriors. The truth is, they brought far more progress to their countries than their more warlike royal brothers ever did. Casimir definitely noticed Atreus, but he also saw the mechanics of his movements. He recognized the danger of the "water" technique - something his own knights would almost certainly underestimate.

Oh my... nothing less than a prince! The Hascals are aiming high! 😉

And drive on the left side! 😜

There are different driver's licenses in different U.S. states?!? ¡Dios mío!

But why did he stay so close? With his experience, he could have found a job anywhere. This is practically the same neighborhood - and a direct competitor. Unless he'd already heard good things about Nasser's team...

Over and over again, I'm pleasantly surprised by how accepting these guys are. The conversation never fixates on sexuality; it's always about emotions and feelings. Gender simply isn't important.

Since the chapters we now know as Book Two began, I found myself wondering which path Devin's journey would take. A descent into darkness - a kind of katabasis...felt inevitable. I kept asking myself whether this would become another tale of Orpheus and Eurydice, perhaps one that dared to imagine a different ending. In the end, within this beautiful tapestry of religion, mythology, and romance, the answer came not from Greek myth but from a fairy tale. It was Gerda's journey to rescue Kay in Hans Christian Andersen's The Snow Queen that revealed itself as the true spiritual counterpart - a story whose symbolism celebrates love as the force that conquers all. Andersen wrote that "love is the most powerful magic of all, capable of breaking any curse." Devin's journey embodies that same truth. It reminds us that only those who refuse to surrender can overcome the snowstorm of life, and that true friendship becomes the lantern that guides us through its darkest nights. What your story ultimately shows, @CasualWanderer82 is that love - unconditional love, freely chosen and worthy of sacrifice - is a force that transcends every law we think governs the world. We witnessed something almost unimaginable - first Luka's unconditional sacrifice for Devin, and then Devin's unconditional sacrifice for Luka. There is no doctrine, no sacred text, that can fully account for such reciprocity. It exists beyond obligation, beyond justice, beyond reward. And perhaps that is why resurrection here is not merely a theological idea. If mass and energy can neither be created nor destroyed, then love, once freely given in its purest form, cannot simply cease to exist either. In The Futile Devices, resurrection becomes not only an act of grace but a law of the universe itself.

Oh, he's one cocky bastard... but he'll be seeing a lot when he meets Ser Loyd (as mentioned above)! As I recall, Dr. Stephen has some pretty impressive "medicine" too... and if young Lord Hascal takes after his father... yes, this visit is going to be a lot! 😉

Thanx @weinerdog , I know...but, there's some problem with...oh, never mind...long story... 🤪

Now I HAVE TO see it! @Topher Lydon please send me the photo! 🙏

Unfortunately, I can't see it again...but, after this: He is a novelty," Tomas corrected smoothly, sitting back on the bench and stretching his long legs out. "The entire Vanguard is a novelty. A pack of traumatized, scarred mercenaries squatting in a ruined castle, pretending they understand the nuances of high nobility because the King threw a title at their Warlord out of pity. They lack refinement. They lack culture. They lack... breeding." ...I'll enjoy watching him squirm in the mud!

If I remember well, @Topher Lydon said no Ibelins in this story!

Your questions are all spot on... I actually have to think about the answers! 😊 1) What made me come back to a story? Mostly recommendations from fellow readers, or comments from members whose literary taste I know is similar to mine. I'll admit it - sometimes I even check the comments on the last chapter (shame on me! 😄). 2) As for @Topher Lydon, how did I end up reading his stories? He's been one of the most prolific active authors on GA for quite some time. It was impossible to miss his daily chapter updates, so I'd been meaning to start reading his work for a while. I read his first story, Return of the Sun, some time ago and loved his English humor so much that I decided I wanted to read more. But with so many stories and new chapters appearing every day, I never knew where to start. The opportunity finally came with his new series, Charlie Vs.... A brand-new story, great humor, and although it's not my favorite genre, it captivated me immediately. So now I'm hooked on his Silver Boar saga... and I'm hoping it never ends. 3) At the beginning of my GA membership, I spent a lot of time "surfing" around, looking for new stories. It was mostly binge-reading. I generally don't read unfinished stories or those that have been on hiatus for a long time. These days, I'm following so many authors that, unfortunately, I don't have much time to discover older stories and binge-read them. I had to check my reviews to see what the last one was. It turned out to be Blame It on the Eggnog, a Christmas tale by @andy cannon. I was drawn to it because it was a funny, modern gay take on A Christmas Carol by Dickens. Before that, I read The Luxorian Fugitive by @Mann Ramblings. Two things came together there - my sci-fi phase and my Premium membership! 😊 Finally, one of the best ways to discover new authors and stories is the annual SA competition. It's a wonderful opportunity to enjoy works by authors I might not have chosen to read otherwise. As for your last question - yes, that has happened to me. Sometimes I start reading a story because the summary sounds really promising, but I just can't get into it and end up stopping. On the other hand, there have also been times when a story wasn't really my thing, but I kept reading until the end to support the author.

I suppose it's both good and bad. On one hand, the recognition has put Atreus in the spotlight, but on the other, it's reassuring that Lord Hascal now has a legitimate heir.