Former Member

Like he respects the office?

He’s a conman. That’s how he made his money. He started with a little million dollar loan from daddy – the kind we all get! Then he managed to convince a bunch of rich people that he’s a ‘self-made’ millionaire! Then he bullied his way into prominence. Filing for bankruptcy only six times – just like we all do. He’s a huge failure with miraculously good publicity people.

You were exceedingly kind to the pompous fool!

I guess travel sized items tend not to have problematic things like pump tops! ;-) I was thinking in terms of toothpaste that isn’t a whole lot larger in full size. What would be nice would be if some of these organizations donated large pump-type shampoo containers to agencies that assist the homeless so they could provide refills of those tiny containers. But I remember donating empty liquid soap pump containers and a large container of liquid soap to the local LGBTQ Community Center in the ‘90s – people stole the pump containers! ;-)

I only realized now what the chapter title meant. Teddy is trying to treat Ryder as (just) another patient! I had been pondering who the other patient was! ;-) I’m kind of slow sometimes! ;-)

Sorry, that’s what I meant! ;-)

Too bad there’s not a Thank You emoticon available! ;-)

I think your experiences as writers is a lot like my experience as Sales Clerk/Sales Associate/Team Member in retail. Most customers do not seem to recognize that an actual person with feelings is helping them. There are customers who do not engage verbally when asked questions, although in some cases there could be a language barrier. (When I worked in a department store jewelry department, customers would sometimes get angry when we told them we didn’t have larger diamonds in stock. I used to wonder to my coworkers if they expected us to go down to the basement to mine one for them?) ;-)

I think Aaru is very glad to be out of his prison and into the city. I think he is beginning to realize he feels at least a little bit of loyalty to Tristan. Tristan has shown him unbelievable trust by not only taking him out of the mansion, but arming him and relying on his protection in the Old City! ;-)

In my quest to write something interesting in my Comments, I have been asked by one author to limit my tangental conversations with other Commenters. That made me feel less inclined to Comment in the future. Sometimes the tangents are the things that make continuing to Comment fun! ;-) The tone of the story and especially the specific chapter affect the mood of the Comments. But occasionally, the mood needs to be broken before it becomes too overwhelming. And I sometimes relate my own experiences to the actions in the chapter. It’s always related to what the chapter stirred up for me.

An interesting time for Tristan to contemplate defying his mother! ;-)

Lots of interesting texture in the interactions between the various characters! ;-)

I’m surprised Tristan's scheming mother hasn’t already arranged a marriage to a ‘suitable’ young lady! ;-)

If that was cheese that Aaru was served, he might be lactose-intolerant – if it wasn’t cheese, it could be a similar food allergy!

As a fan of Tolkien, I enjoy all the detailed descriptions. ;-)

As any proper warrior knows, you take advantage of the resources available to you, building your strength so you are prepared to fight or flee when the opportunity presents itself.

Now we know they can communicate. And Aaru is getting a bath! Maybe a meal is next? ;-)

So we get a glimpse of Aaru’s experience even though we still haven’t been officially informed of his name yet.

Ryder’s descent into drug addiction froze his emotional growth and he hasn’t progressed from where he was as a teenager.

Especially if the allegation came from the teacher herself, they would certainly investigate and ask questions. They let in such a small percentage of applicants that they can afford to be choosy! Its exclusivity is part of what attracts famous students like Chelsea Clinton.

I see quite a few familiar faces here! I hope their presence is a recommendation for me. As was mentioned above, the text was much better than is common for a new writer. And this chapter hold the promise of additional interesting and unusual chapters in the future! ;-)

I try to not only Like, but also Comment on almost all the stories I read on GA. I try to email authors I read on other sites when either a chapter really moves me or when I finish reading the whole story. There are a few stories I've read where the author really does not want to hear what I think of the story! ;-) There have even been a few stories where I enjoy the author, but object to the direction of the story arc. Even in those cases I try to leave some sort of feedback. When it’s clear that the characters aren’t paying attention to my advice, I comment on other things including other people’s comments! I try to make sure the author knows I appreciate her (or his) skills even if I don’t like the character’s choices (I still don’t trust Alek). ;-) And I think I’ve been very consistent in Liking and Commenting on all the stories I’ve read by @Ronyx, @Timothy M., @Wesley8890, and @Caz Pedroso (and thank you to the authors who I see listed so far on this page). ;-) This is the only way I can afford to ‘pay’ for the stories I’ve read! ;-)

The immense, but not unbridgeable, gap between Eric and Andy reminds me of my experiences when I was homeless. The preconceptions of those who preached at the captive audiences at the Rescue Mission’s nightly religious services (that everyone there was an alcoholic crack or meth user). The preconceptions of the other homeless people (I heard there was a rumor that I was an undercover cop and I was sometimes misidentified as staff rather than a resident at shelters). The preconceptions of what homeless people need or want by naïve suburban do-gooders who think they have never met a homeless person before (most assume that somehow a travel sized handful of hygiene products will last an entire year, that once a year is all the help that’s necessary, and that homelessness only happens in big urban cities outside their county and never their own towns). Of course there were lots of strange priorities by some of the homeless people I encountered that exasperated their situations. The guys who had very fancy smart phones with expensive plans, but could not afford to buy food. The Vet with a severe case of PTSD who would sell his CalFresh (aka SNAP or ‘food stamps’) benefits at the standard 50¢ on the dollar – then turn around and buy snacks (that are covered by CalFresh) from a vending machine! The guy who feeds feral cats and adopted one kitten as his pet (pets aren’t allowed in most homeless shelters), refuses to sign up for Covered California (aka Affordable Care Act or ObamaCare) or CalFresh, rejects almost all offers of assistance, and is just waiting for a job and housing to magically drop out of the sky! The guy who gets Social Security benefits spending almost all of it staying in a motel for a week and the rest on his daily visits to McDonalds, sleeping in an outdoor stairwell the rest of the time (over his beer belly, he’s got great pecs because he carries all of his worldly possessions in large shopping bags everywhere he goes).

Hmmm. I notice you didn’t really comment on my suggestion about Stanford in the W.A.R. topic… ;-)

He’s the one I want Vlad to talk to! ;-)