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Riposté – Changelings


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After being confronted with his parents' deaths, Robby goes a little nuts.  Not every story has a happy ending, and ending seems to be where Robby is headed.   Riposte - Changelings  Chapter 8 - Bedlam Rising    is next.

 

Crazy is as crazy... Undoes?

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  • 4 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

Even laying your lost loved ones to rest doesn't end the effects they have on your life.  Being the center of attention in such times of sadness can make even the most truculent extrovert take a knee and re-evaluate.  What is to become of a changeling warrior when he's also a teenaged orphan?   Riposte - Changelings  Chapter 10- Oracles, Whispers & Echoes    is next.

 

Reality can be a pain in the ass sometimes.

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There were a couple of heavy chapters in a row between Werewolves and Changelings.  Loved ones are buried, but the tone I got from this last chapter leads me to believe that things could get dicey again when they go after Korbesh.  Nick surprised me at the funeral when he tried some "tough love" to get Robby back in the right frame of mind.  I was also surprised to see him willing to take on Juan.

I know I've mentioned your writing style before, especially in "Educating Max."  At times what you write is almost poetic, and then at other times you slip into a more casual style that just seems almost conversational.  There were many places in this chapter where Robby kinda steps out of the story and speaks directly to the reader.  I like the way you slip between the two. 

Ready for more!  Thanks for another great chapter.

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  • 6 months later...

When things get darkest for you, it is always good to know exactly where your friends stand.  Robby tries to get back to what he does best, even with the shadow of his personal tragedies making themselves still felt.  But will new challenges come from within to try and take him down?

Riposte - Changelings  Chapter 11 - Class Warfare    is next.

 

For those times when you really DON'T want to poke the... bear?

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While reading the latest installment, I have an inkling where the cliffhanger was going to be. Alas, as I worked my way into the chapter, my inkling became confirmed, much to my chagrin.

I can only hope that the wait for Chapter K will not be as long as the wait for the last two, since it should really be a crime to cliffhang your readers like this...  Truly, that is cruel and unusual punishment to deprive eager readers of the next installment :(

 

P.S. Somehow I fear this is the last we'll see of the troll, and probably the wayward son as well. Oh well, hope they go heroically!

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While reading the latest installment, I have an inkling where the cliffhanger was going to be. Alas, as I worked my way into the chapter, my inkling became confirmed, much to my chagrin.

I can only hope that the wait for Chapter K will not be as long as the wait for the last two, since it should really be a crime to cliffhang your readers like this...  Truly, that is cruel and unusual punishment to deprive eager readers of the next installment :(

 

P.S. Somehow I fear this is the last we'll see of the troll, and probably the wayward son as well. Oh well, hope they go heroically!

Well, i can honestly say that Chapters K, 12, L, and 13 are all in the works at once.  It's a weird synthesis in this case, since the story arc all seems to fit in at once, so I'm trying to get all the various voices for this part of the story to land at about the same time.

Also in something weird, there is a funky twist to how at least chapters K and 12 will appear.  I just had a strange perspective idea on the events to come and decided that it needed a slightly fuller view to get the whole story straight.  A little more cinematic, you might say.  We'll see how well it plays, station to station.

Not sure what you think will be happening to the Troll (I imagine you mean Caspian/Master Mitch) or the Wayward Son (which I think you mean Croaker/Juan).  I will say that even before your post here there were already clear plot points regarding both of them, although to say what those points are here, now, would be premature.  There is a plan.  Without giving anything away, I will say that, quoting a fellow author, "not all stories have happy endings."  If the heroes went throughout the story without adversity, loss, or opposition that could defeat them, in whatever form of literary conflict, it would be a dull, boring story. 

Imagine Harry Potter without Voldermort and the Death Eaters, or even that little bitch Draco Malfoy.  Imagine Luke Skywalker without the Empire and Darth Vader.  Imagine Xavier without Magneto.  They all had followers and supporting cast members that also struggled, some of them dying or being permanently harmed by their struggle.  But the struggle has to happen, the losses have to pile up, and the 'villains" have to be at least as capable as the heroes, else it's a cakewalk.  The loss gives the struggle meaning, and makes the story, no matter how out of place things in the story are compared to real life, something that readers can connect to.

 

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I do have one question to ask of the readers.  A bit of feedback, if you will.

I used a lot of fencing terms and descriptions in the fight scene between Magnus and Robby.  Was it too much?  Did the terms help at all?  Is it starting to get too technical?  I want to be accurate as well as theatrical in how such scenes play out, as well as give a sense of realism.  There is a strong difference between the sport of fencing and actual sword fighting styles, but there is a connection as well, and I want to bring both into the story where appropriate, but I don't want to lose the reader in endless minutia and jargon.  So, please, if you have an opinion on this question, let it rock here!

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Not sure what you think will be happening to the Troll (I imagine you mean Caspian/Master Mitch) or the Wayward Son (which I think you mean Croaker/Juan).  I will say that even before your post here there were already clear plot points regarding both of them, although to say what those points are here, now, would be premature.  There is a plan.  Without giving anything away, I will say that, quoting a fellow author, "not all stories have happy endings."  If the heroes went throughout the story without adversity, loss, or opposition that could defeat them, in whatever form of literary conflict, it would be a dull, boring story. 

Imagine Harry Potter without Voldermort and the Death Eaters, or even that little bitch Draco Malfoy.  Imagine Luke Skywalker without the Empire and Darth Vader.  Imagine Xavier without Magneto.  They all had followers and supporting cast members that also struggled, some of them dying or being permanently harmed by their struggle.  But the struggle has to happen, the losses have to pile up, and the 'villains" have to be at least as capable as the heroes, else it's a cakewalk.  The loss gives the struggle meaning, and makes the story, no matter how out of place things in the story are compared to real life, something that readers can connect to.

I was being coy to avoid spoilers, especially to those who get automatic notifications through e-mail but didn't have the opportunity to read.

But yes, I think the ones you named will be among the casualties. I don't see the other main protagonists (main 2 changelings, main 2 werewolves, mutant boy and robot boy) to be in danger of dying... yet! I also feel that Sven may not make it out in one piece as well, to push Magnus further along in development.

I am not expecting you to either confirm nor deny the suppositions. I'm just airing my view of who's next on the "to die" list... :P

I do have one question to ask of the readers.  A bit of feedback, if you will.

I used a lot of fencing terms and descriptions in the fight scene between Magnus and Robby.  Was it too much?  Did the terms help at all?  Is it starting to get too technical?  I want to be accurate as well as theatrical in how such scenes play out, as well as give a sense of realism.  There is a strong difference between the sport of fencing and actual sword fighting styles, but there is a connection as well, and I want to bring both into the story where appropriate, but I don't want to lose the reader in endless minutia and jargon.  So, please, if you have an opinion on this question, let it rock here!

I'll be honest - I have absolutely no idea of the fencing terms, so I simply disregarded all the technical terms and skimmed through the passages. All in all, I got the sense that Robby got knocked around real good, but managed to outfox Magnus in the end with a maneuver I can't quite picture in my head. All that matters is that we all understand he won in the end, so it's all good... :ph34r:

Probably not what you want to hear, but hey, we all appreciate being "shown their work" especially if it's good!

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Zergrinch wrote:  "Probably not what you want to hear, but hey, we all appreciate being "shown their work" especially if it's good!"

 

After following that link, not sure if that's an insult, a compliment, a comment or just a clever use of inverted negative reinforcement through subliminal suggestive association.  Gee whiz, that psychology based teaching degree seems to have brought out the big words again.  I better stop that.  People with think there's a brain in amongst all the cobwebs betwixt my ears.

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  • 8 months later...

D'Artagnon,

    I love all the fencing terms used myself ! It helps in building the characters actions/ thoughts in the readers mind . I just spent the last two evenings taking this adventurious story in and enjoying every moment shared with us . I hope to see a new chapter soon as the suspense is killing me , Keep up the great work & Thank you for sharing all that you do 

.                   John C 

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Thanks John C. 

Some sad family events have taken a lot of my time, lately.  Other stories have forced their way to the front of the line in recent months.  The Halloween story and the soon to be released Christmas story among them.  But Robby and the boys WILL make a return very soon.  something I've been working on for a while is just about done.  I'm juggling a lot of story lines here so that one event doesn't spoil another.  But Riposte will be my top priority in the coming months.  I hope to have it finished well before summer (because my boyfriend is tired of me talking about it and never getting to it, LOL). 

Watch this space.  It's about to get... interesting.

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  • 3 months later...

I'm up to date!  Woot (and all that).  I really am loving this story.  The switch between the two seperate voices is a great way to get the "whole" story.  I've read as suggested, flipping from changeling to werewolf and can't imagine reading it any other way.  It's great to see all the characters come together, especially nice to see frankenboy and the super soldier again.  The interplay between the woofers and the fairies is sweet and feels very real - I'm particularly enamoured with the Juan/Nick dynamic.  (Jeez Nick is so cool :wub:)  Of the new additions Magnus is a charmer huh? haha. 

Of the story itself - it's been quite the ride so far.  Robby dealing with the loss of his parents felt very real and despite knowing that there were chapters ahead I really thought that he might take take his own life.  Man Korbesh is despicable. (Great Villainy by the way - even more so than in his first appearance back in Coupe). The mysteries of the boys in the hotel and JJ has certainly got me hooked on that story line and feels darker? grittier? than the Changeling threat.  Congrats (I guess?) are in order for creating truly vile specimens of humanity (even though we now know that they're not quite human).  And Rolf's funeral was a heartbreaker.  I was reading that on a bus and welling up.  Not good for the super masculine public image I've been cultivating with my fellow commuters.

That it is still in progress is both very exciting and super annoying. hahaha. I'm really looking forward to reading more.  Guess that I'll need to nip into your new story now.  At least I'll be able to comment on a current one. 

You asked about our feelings regarding the fencing terms.  None of it means a thing to me but is well explained and lends a sense of urgency and indeed artistry to the fight sequences so keep them in I would say.

Excellent work D'Artagnon.

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After much cranium shrinkage (the water was cold, i swear!  Don't judge!), and having to replace a car battery that was spitting acid like trying to feed a 18 month old (aren't nieces so cute when they're dirty... at other peoples houses), I have discovered enough brain left to make appropriate replies.

Al... find some grits, call them mine and kiss them.  so there.  (nuhhhh!)

Ellio - thanks.  I hope to have a few new chapters of Riposte out soon.  I'm nearly done with a whole bunch of them at once so there will be new stuff soon.  As for the other stories, they are coming along in fits and starts.  That's the trouble when new ideas spark in your head all the time.  You wind up with more than one project always wanting your attention.

More to come.  Watch this space.

No seriously.  Watch this space.  it's lack of movement will distract you while i panic and scamper about getting things closer to done.

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