DrunkenScotsman

Good point. I guess maybe I was shooting for psychological thriller, maybe? Like I said, this story is so far afield from what I normally write that I have no idea what I'm doing.

Thanks for the feedback, gents! Guest: Damn, that would've been a good idea for Kurumu. I kinda wish I'd gone that route now. Outer Moka's is coming soon, so I won't reveal too much about it. Aysha: I will tell you that Tsukune does get his own chapter, but it's not to do w/ getting caught by Mom. That woulda been pretty damn funny, actually, so maybe it's better that I didn't go that route?

Opening review reply thread for the story "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" in the Rosario+Vampire section. Feel free to chime in with your thoughts and speculations about the story, and I'll answer questions and reply to reviews as well. Link to story: http://anime.adult-fanfiction.org/story.php?no=600055343

Ego Killer: Glad you were surprised by the Kurumu/Mizore chapter! Inspired by one of the most famous single panels in the manga.

Another week, another chapter, another set of reviews! SpectralTime: Welcome aboard! I'm glad you got the 10 Things reference; I think I'd just rewatched the movie while writing the chapter, and it just seemed to fit. I'm a bit curious, though - what do you mean by "not really the target audience"? EgoKiller: Welcome back, good sir or madam! I'm sorry to disappoint with the lack of bloodplay, but that's not something I find erotic, nor something I'd be comfortable writing, nor (I think) even remotely fitting the tone of R+V overall or my light and fluffy take on it. I agree - and my beta reader said so as well - that the inner Moka chapter was much stronger than the previous two. Yukari's earlier solo chapter was repurposed from a chapter for one of the earlier stories, wherein she and outer Moka would actually make out and such; my beta said it felt way too OOC for outer Moka, and I ultimately agreed. Rather than let my work go totally to waste, I decided to recycle it as a masturbatory fantasy for Yukari in this story. Outer Moka's chapter was something of an experiment: dialogue-free fiction. I wasn't terribly happy with it overall b/c it felt rather... bland. That blandness fit outer Moka in general, I thought, so it wasn't an unmitigated failure, at least. (For more on inner Moka's chapter, see next paragraph.) Aysha: Thanks again for your kind words and thoughtful feedback. Inner Moka is a lot of fun for me to write, which is especially surprising since I usually can't stand Tsundere characters (I think it's an overused, lazy character archetype in anime). So I decided to pull somewhat from the manga's characterization, which tends more towards "defrosting ice queen"; and, as you pointed out, I wanted to get into her head and try to explore why she's so aloof. Aristocratic upbringing, vampires' sense of their own superiority, a general lack of social skills, and having been sealed away for several years suggest, to me, that inner Moka doesn't really know who she is or what she wants (aside from Tsukune) or how to be around other people (who aren't vampires) or how to navigate everyday social situations that don't involve kicking people in the face. Some of Kokoa's angst stems from similar issues, minus the rosary. For inner Moka, the addition of the rosary is key: it's like she's been in prison, solitary confinement even; or maybe like those feral children who are occasionally found in the jungles and, when brought into civilization, just have absolutely no idea how to be around people (if old enough, they can barely learn how to talk). Throw in what I see as vampires' inherently violent temperaments, plus her utterly alien feelings of attraction, plus an inherently good nature, and we have an exceedingly potent swirl of conflicting motives and desires for our silver-haired heroine to wrestle with. Since she's also the strongest monster at school (and one of the strongest anywhere), there's also a poetic irony in making inner Moka her own greatest challenge - though I think that's just as true for us "puny humans."

For those who have been following my Rosario+Vampire series, the newest installment is up; for those who haven't, please give the others a read first (since this is the most recent in a series). Author: DrunkenScotsman Title: Sharing is Caring Summary: Life goes on for Tsukune's harem as they learn how to take turns and play nice. Easier said than done. Feedback: Rating, review, PM (much like Kurumu lives on love, I live on insightful critique!) Fandom: Rosario+Vampire Pairing: Multiple - Harem Warnings: AU, Angst, Bi, M/F, Minor2, WAFF; More warnings within. Solo story or chaptered story: chaptered URL: http://anime.adult-fanfiction.org/story.php?no=600055161 First paragraph teaser: As autumn progressed and transmuted day by day into winter, the members of the Newspaper Club settled into their new roles and routines. They negotiated a schedule in which each girl in turn became Tsukune’s girlfriend for a week at a time, with all the attendant privileges and responsibilities, with which the others promised not to interfere. The girls also arranged to trade with each other in the event they could not “perform their womanly duties” (as Kurumu termed it). For simplicity’s sake, Tsukune recommended the cycle follow the order in which he met them: the Mokas, Kurumu, Yukari, Mizore. The latter two objected, instead arguing in favor of the previously-established order – Yukari, the Mokas, Mizore, Kurumu – but they were outvoted. Thus began their new lives as a true harem.

The questions/issues you just posed will be explored in later chapters, at minimum. Great minds think alike. Also, welcome aboard, Jesusv! Thank you for your kind words in your review. I too am an avid member of the Kurumu Kurono fan-club (I'm just not a fat blob-guy who likes to stalk her and take pictures of her). I earnestly believe that she's the most deserving of the haremettes to have Tsukune's love (assuming he picks only one): she's sweet and kind and badass when she has to be; her personality is "lady on the streets" but as a succubus she's guaranteed to be a "freak in the sheets" - i.e., the best of both worlds.

Opening thread for discussion of DrunkenScotsman's increasingly-AU series of stories (in chronological order): 1) "The Witching Hour" 2) "Moondance" 3) "Study Date" 4) "Cut the Crap, Tsukune!" 5) "Living for Love" 6) "Sharing is Caring"

Thanks for the encouragement! Due to summer employment, my writing time has been strongly curtailed, meaning that the next R+V installment will be the most time-efficient writing task for me. Lucky you, Aysha!

Fair point about Arcade. I know exactly which story you're talking about. I don't have it in me to write anything _that_ brutal. If you're only familiar with "First Times," there's an easy solution: go read all my other work! After some deliberation, I've come to a decision: I'll probably work on my R+V stuff next, since I'm in the middle of a story arc. I'll also expand "Unwrapped," probably in time for the holidays. After that, who knows? I've also been considering that maybe it's about time for me to hang 'em up - I've been writing fanfic for about six years now, a total of over 240K words by this point. I've learned the crucial writerly skill of "sitting down and writing a lot, even when I don't feel like it." "First Times" felt like a magnum opus to me, since it required sustained focus and dedication to complete over the course of two whole years; the R+V stuff has helped and is helping me create a sustained story arc. "March Madness" has been a revelation as well, since it's forced me to knock out ~2500 word chapters in a week or less, something I couldn't or didn't think I could do before. I've been thinking more and more that I should try to take all these experiences and skills and put them towards writing original stories, that maybe I've got a shot at doing this writing thing professionally. But that means writing fanfic, fun as it is, would need to fall by the wayside so I could focus on writing stuff I could publish and make money from. (shrug) I don't know yet, but that's what's on my mind.

I'm not sure, though I have some ideas: I still have my ongoing R+V fics - the storyline there still needs development and resolution. I've had an Avatar: The Last Airbender story idea that I've been wanting to work on, but given its scope it'd be a massive time-sink. As for X-fics, I discussed with Daye an idea late last year, based on the celebrities whose pictures got hacked en masse: that Arcade hacks into the Mansion's systems and spies on the various girls dressing/undressing, etc. I was thinking to set this story in XME, since its version of Arcade is more explicitly a hacker; though I could see it still working for the more mainstream version. I've also considered expanding "Unwrapped," taking it from a one-shot to a two- or three-chapter affair between Scott and Rogue over that Christmas break. In similar vein to "Solo Shots" and "First Times," I've also recently had an idea for a story called "Sirens' Shame" (or something to that effect), wherein each of the Bayville Sirens (Amara, Jean, Kitty, Rogue, Tabby) gets a chapter focusing on an incident where she does something she's ashamed of or that she later regrets. If the premise seems familiar, that might be due to another story I read a long time ago - the title of which escapes me - that dealt with all the characters doing something kinda messed up, usually to another character; for example, Kitty got Kurt drunk to try to sleep with him, but he passed out, but she acted like they did it anyway to wreck his relationship with Amanda. A few of the chapters were a little lame, but the good ones were excellent. Outside of XME - which, as you might have guessed, has sparked a lot of story ideas for me - I've also thought that a Scarlet Witch-centric story might be fun, but I don't really have a premise beyond that. Likewise with Polaris or Psylocke - some of the less-used characters in fanfic.

I realized that I haven't been responding to your replies, for which I apologize. It's been a rough, crazy couple of weeks for me here lately. So I'll respond now, while I've got a chance to breathe. In general, it seems like everyone's enjoyed the other girls' brief roles in the story. I wanted to make their scenes fun, funny, and memorable without detracting from the overall Bobby-Jubilee narrative; Amara's subplot comes a little close, I think. In particular, Daye, it continually amazes me how you're able to almost read my mind in terms of where a particular story is going. You definitely called in advance that Jubilee had arranged for the other girls to tease Bobby during his month of no wanking. Well done! I appreciate all the positive feedback everyone has given me on this story. It struck me as a bit of a gamble, structurally, so I'm glad it's paying off. Speaking of payoffs, the next chapter will be up a little later this weekend, with one more to wrap up by the end of the month or the first week of June. At most, I might wait until the NBA Finals wrap up around mid-June so I can incorporate its results into it; I haven't decided yet. Thanks again for reading and enjoying my stories!

Yeah, I really enjoyed that one; it was pretty cleverly executed. Also, next chapter is up! Enjoy yourself, Harbinger.

Ultimately, if I'm going to include any kinds of specific measurements, it's in service of the story's imagery or it helps define the character. Like, if the guy's significantly taller than his partner, when they hug he can rest his chin on her head, and it's a sweet image; at least, I think so, since I'm significantly taller than my other half. I recently had two female characters try to explain bra measuring to a boy, which he found more confusing than helpful, for the comedy value, especially when they then flashed him so he could compare them visually. If a guy in one of my stories has measured his junk, it's been out of either curiosity or vanity; in a few instances, the curiosity belonged to the partner. (For what it's worth, magus, I've never measured mine either.)

I think there is one, somewhere deep in the archives. I remember reading one, a long time ago. I think the title of it was "Good Girls Don't Get Caught." Edit: Also, new chapter posted, everyone! Enjoy!

After a fashion. You'll have to wait and see.

Though I think I know more or less where your train of thought is headed, why don't you ask so I can answer?

Next chapter should be up late tonight or tomorrow morning. Putting the finishing touches on it.

I saw the news and reproductions of the pertinent pages. I've never really followed comics all that closely - too much to catch up on, plus the continual expenditures, not to mention the sheer number of other things I have to read at any given time. Your post says a lot of what I felt/feel, for whatever that's worth. To wit: - Doesn't make a ton of sense for this particular character, based on what I know of character's history - Exciting that a fairly iconic character is out as LGBT... sort of...? (due to the time-wimey ball thing going on - I thought that whole plotline was/is dumb, having read about it) - Frustrated that the character was outed by another character, rather than by the gay character's own choice - Frustrated that a character ostensibly from the 60's would accept such a pronouncement so calmly, even from a friend - Frustrated that said friend, also from 60's, would be so accepting (not impossible, but it was a very, very different time; as much static as LGBT folks get now, they're way more accepted than they were even 20 years ago, much less 50) I also wonder, based on the examples you gave... are ALL of Marvel's gay characters gay men? Northstar, Iceman, Ultimate Colossus... I don't know the rest that you listed, so I'm curious about who the lesbians and bisexuals (male and female) are, if there are any. (There's Mystique, I guess, though sexuality for a shapeshifter is even more fluid than for most people.) TL;DR I don't really know what to make of it, exactly. I'm still processing.

Thanks once more to my reviewers for your thoughtful feedback! MM616: Nice pun. Rest assured, there will be a sexy finale. Daye: You're quite right about your little loophole. Now to see if Bobby's smart enough to realize that. (Probably not.) I was really on the fence about whether a straightforward scenario (Bobby won the bet and Jubilee puts out) would be more or less interesting than what I got (Bobby's self-inflicted frustration); glad to know you're enjoying this outcome! Aysha: It would suck to lose a bet like that. As Jubilee warned him beforehand, though, big risk for a big reward (getting into her pants). Discord: Welcome aboard, sir or madam! I'm glad you too are enjoying this story's direction. As a native North Carolinian, I know all too well the depth and intensity of the loyalty of college hoops fans, particularly regarding the teams based in the Triangle (Duke, UNC, NC State). Therefore, I recognize that your comment, that this situation would make a life-long Duke fan such as yourself hate your team, is high praise indeed. My humblest thanks!

Chapter 4 is now posted in its entirety! Enjoy! I won't be doing a partial chapter again; I promise.

MarvelMaster, thanks for your review! As soon as last night's game ended, I started writing. Rest assured that the story isn't over just because the tournament is... but that's all I'll say.

That's a good question. I know that, regarding het romances, Jubilee/Bobby is a go-to because they had chemistry in the one episode of the 90s cartoon where Iceman showed up. And they had a few ship-worthy moments in Evo. I guess that, in general, their goofy-teenager personalities go well together? (shrug) As for the slash pairings, your guess is good as mine. I don't see the appeal of dude-slash (yaoi) as a rule, though.

That's an interesting idea for a story! You're quite right that there aren't many Bobby/Jean stories out there. I'll add this idea to my (lengthy) list of stories to write. In the interim, I'll give you this sneak peek for "March Madness": Bobby and Jean will get a short scene in a future full chapter.

I've written a few comic-based stories; I stick with Evo primarily b/c I've seen the whole series. I've only read a handful of stories from the early to mid 90s - my X-Men fandom was caused by the 90s cartoon, which distilled a few of the major storylines into season-long or half-season arcs. So the X-Men roster from that show is who I think of as the "main cast" (plus Colossus and Nightcrawler), and I'd need to (and be willing to) research anyone outside that. TL;DR Go right ahead, but if you pick obscure characters I won't know who they are.