wanderingaddict

hee, well with anal stimulation, it kind of depends on what the guy likes, and where he's most sensitive. there are a lot of nerve endings in and around the anus opening, so some guys like the simple act of penetration by itself, or even just external touches (like the straight guy who appreciates a little rimming once in a while, but nothing more). some guys actually like the pressure-feel of having something inside them, and for them it's that whole "the bigger the better!" while other guys can't stand anything more than a finger because (and this is the most reasonable response I've ever heard) "they can feel their organs moving inside them." this can be true for gay or straight dudes, of course. anal stimulation is only gay by association oh, and if you ever look at an internal diagram of male anatomy in that area, you'll see exactly what the prostate does (and why it does it, lawls). the clenching a man experiences during orgasm stimulates it regardless, and for guys who focus on the feel of that versus the sensation they receive from their penis, simply striking it with any blunt object can be tantamount to that "clench" of orgasm, even when they're not actually climaxing. if the stimulation of the penis is the "external" half of climax, the prostate is pretty much what makes up the "internal" half. and, again, these aren't mutually exclusive. some guys love plowing a girl, and being penetrated in the middle of that is like a sudden short-circuit of the brain.
as for like, physically being inside someone, well... haha, Snight got it right when he said it's different for everyone. well, maybe "different" in what they like, but that's a sort of too-broad preference question. what it actually *feels* like to be in someone is... lawlz, god... it's hard to describe! okay, if the dude is like, actually into having sex (and not resistant or resentful) then it just feels divine. like, the entirety of the conscious mind is suddenly engulfed, and there's nothing else in the world except for your dick and that person. like, it's easy to loose track of arms and legs and everything in/around your body. there's only the blood in your penis, the tightness in your balls, a warm, engulfing pleasure that makes you drool and want to just collapse.
lawlz, of course it varies in degree and intensity. a blushing farmboy could be easily overwhelmed and feel just like I wrote above, while a hardcore demonlord or whatever would be able to handle it (lol prolly?). I honestly, again, can't think of a better analogy than the tongue. just imagine plunging your tongue into something that's warm- really warm- and moist and gooey. something you enjoy eating. that pleasure is somewhat akin to it, a little? only now imagine that magnified a thousandfold, and placed at the pulsing epicenter of your brain. that's what a good experience inside someone is like. heh, a bad one is.... well, for example, I heard one guy complaining about loose girls say it's like "being inside a warm swimming pool" which is probably just about the most boring thing a guy could possibly get from sex XD

haha, I don't know... I can honestly say that I have never had an erection sneak up on me. at least, not in the last in the last ten years since puberty. some of the other guys might have to comment otherwise, but personally I've never experienced it, sorry I might have to burst the mystique surrounding the morning wood too- hah, most of the time it's hard more as a means of bladder control, rather actual arousal (as it is very hard for the internal mechanisms for urination to activate when a man is hard). sure there are some really awesome days when morning wood is more like a real erection, but a lot of the time it's just an annoying obstacle (and almost insurmountable challenge!) when trying to aim it at the toilet. hah, that was probably a lot more than what you wanted to know though.

lawlz, a man ALWAYS knows when he's "getting hard." a lotta girls may not even have the slightest idea about this, but there's actually a long, long, LONG time where the guy's not hard at all (depending on the situation of course).
assuming all things equal (no pressing urgency, etc), a guy sorta starts getting "tingly" let's say. it's a shift in his breathing, in the flow of his blood. usually, he'll do a sorta half-shift, a reposition of sorts, because his dick is getting "twitchy" and he doesn't want it to show through his pants. any man who's finished puberty is EXCELLENT at controlling and concealing his erections. it's sort of a "trial by fire" if you will. after a few years of suffering from rock-hard erections that come and go in a flash, at incredibly inoppertune times, we kinda learn to deal.
but more to your original question, the best analogy I've ever been able to come up with is this: all men have a penis. a penis he likes very, very much. easiest explanation? girls, think about your tongue. think about how often you move it around in your mouth, outside of talking or eating. think about how sensitive it is, how often you accidentally burn or bite it. how generally aware of it you are at all times.
now put that between your legs. that is a penis. men are ALWAYS generally aware of their penis. it's a protruding object in a very inconvenient place. god, I can even think of the number of times I accidentally sit on my balls and flinch in pain every day. hah, well it's probably not even one or two times a week, but still, those few times I do I remember it (ow!).
when I stand up, I feel it drop and shift. if I switch positions, sometimes I have to adjust it because otherwise it will look REALLY FREAKING OBVIOUS where it is. I am aware of it at all times. I am on constant alert for flying/falling object that seek to harm it, because GOD does that hurt. it's like getting knifed in the kidneys, even with just a glancing blow. all men know this, all men fear this (well, maybe not the weird, creepy guys who like to pay hot women to knee them in the balls, but you're probably not writing about those in slash are you? ).
anyways, does that kind of give you some background information about the penis itself? the whole tongue-thing should sort of be kept in mind when trying to explain an erection. I don't know how in-depth of an explanation you want though.
I mean, it's really kind of two-part system. the guy started feeling aroused first. like I mentioned earlier, it's just... a shift in the blood. his lips part maybe, or his interest increases. it's very subtle. basically though, his body's just being like "hey! hey dude! if we're gonna get hard, I'm ready! just lettin' you know!"
his dick's not even hard at all at this point. it probably hasn't even swelled, to the naked eye. it's kind of... poised, though. on the precipice. then, depending on whether there's going to be more sexually stimulating stuff going on, it might get harder, it might soften, depending on how anxious he feels about it. like, if he's kinda into what's going on, it'll slowly inflate as he gets more into it. if he's turned on, but he knows he's not getting any or it's not "stimulating" enough, or if he simply has a great deal of self-control, he'll stay in a semi-hard state for a bit before his body realizes nothing fun is gonna happen and gives up. he may be still *aroused* for a good while, but his erection is not into it. his body has better things to do (and, of course that doesn't preclude him from getting hard later).
physically, there's ALWAYS readjustment. depending on the position his penis is in, getting hard could be a fucking *bitch*. if like, the penis is tucked downward, alongside the crease of the hip and leg, getting hard is fine. pleasant, even! the resistence gives a bit of friction with each pulse of blood and the guy's kind of "safe" because his dick's tucked away in an unnoticable spot. if it's along the length of the leg though, fuck! that shit sucks! you either have this obvious tube arcing over one leg, or it starts to get REALLY hard and slides up to nuzzle your waistband! then the guy has to shift position, or readjust somehow to either relieve the tightness of his stomach pushing against his dick pushing against his waistband, or to conceal the obvious boner he has.
and then for the actual penis, that really depends on the guy. some dudes have a high pain tolerance, and can jerk off with just their hand. others just require spit, and then some guys (usually uncut) won't let you even think about touching their dick without a handful of lotion or lather. uncut is different too, because it's like a tight ring of skin sliding out over a very sensetive tip. purse your lips tightly and then slide your tongue through them. it's kind of like that, depending on the tightness of the guy's foreskin (ranging from hella tight to really loose).
then, depending on how horny the guy is, his dick could be a mere shadow of its real self (if he's not interested, anxious, bored) or it could pack on exxxxtra inches like no tomorrow, surprising even the dude who owns it (if he's SUPER-ULTRA-MEGA turned on!).
of course, neither case is necessarily a garauntee of climax. erections can be so hard the dude's willing to drive it through a brick if he has to, and then other times he's going great and suddenly he feels the blood returning to the rest of his body and he's like "no no no stay hard please stay hard!" only now he's super worried and the hot babe looking at him is making him feel emasculated and weak and that's only making it worse and now his erection has turned into a limp droop
but short answer is: a man might be surprised by his erection on the rare occasion that something has captured 99% (NINETY NINE PERCENT) of his attention/is so unbelievably erotic that his brain is on overload and he can't hardly think, but generally no. guys know when they're going to get one, whether to stop it from happening, and how to shift, adjust, and sit so that no one around them has a clue.

lawlz, a man ALWAYS knows when he's "getting hard." a lotta girls may not even have the slightest idea about this, but there's actually a long, long, LONG time where the guy's not hard at all (depending on the situation of course).
assuming all things equal (no pressing urgency, etc), a guy sorta starts getting "tingly" let's say. it's a shift in his breathing, in the flow of his blood. usually, he'll do a sorta half-shift, a reposition of sorts, because his dick is getting "twitchy" and he doesn't want it to show through his pants. any man who's finished puberty is EXCELLENT at controlling and concealing his erections. it's sort of a "trial by fire" if you will. after a few years of suffering from rock-hard erections that come and go in a flash, at incredibly inoppertune times, we kinda learn to deal.
but more to your original question, the best analogy I've ever been able to come up with is this: all men have a penis. a penis he likes very, very much. easiest explanation? girls, think about your tongue. think about how often you move it around in your mouth, outside of talking or eating. think about how sensitive it is, how often you accidentally burn or bite it. how generally aware of it you are at all times.
now put that between your legs. that is a penis. men are ALWAYS generally aware of their penis. it's a protruding object in a very inconvenient place. god, I can even think of the number of times I accidentally sit on my balls and flinch in pain every day. hah, well it's probably not even one or two times a week, but still, those few times I do I remember it (ow!).
when I stand up, I feel it drop and shift. if I switch positions, sometimes I have to adjust it because otherwise it will look REALLY FREAKING OBVIOUS where it is. I am aware of it at all times. I am on constant alert for flying/falling object that seek to harm it, because GOD does that hurt. it's like getting knifed in the kidneys, even with just a glancing blow. all men know this, all men fear this (well, maybe not the weird, creepy guys who like to pay hot women to knee them in the balls, but you're probably not writing about those in slash are you? ).
anyways, does that kind of give you some background information about the penis itself? the whole tongue-thing should sort of be kept in mind when trying to explain an erection. I don't know how in-depth of an explanation you want though.
I mean, it's really kind of two-part system. the guy started feeling aroused first. like I mentioned earlier, it's just... a shift in the blood. his lips part maybe, or his interest increases. it's very subtle. basically though, his body's just being like "hey! hey dude! if we're gonna get hard, I'm ready! just lettin' you know!"
his dick's not even hard at all at this point. it probably hasn't even swelled, to the naked eye. it's kind of... poised, though. on the precipice. then, depending on whether there's going to be more sexually stimulating stuff going on, it might get harder, it might soften, depending on how anxious he feels about it. like, if he's kinda into what's going on, it'll slowly inflate as he gets more into it. if he's turned on, but he knows he's not getting any or it's not "stimulating" enough, or if he simply has a great deal of self-control, he'll stay in a semi-hard state for a bit before his body realizes nothing fun is gonna happen and gives up. he may be still *aroused* for a good while, but his erection is not into it. his body has better things to do (and, of course that doesn't preclude him from getting hard later).
physically, there's ALWAYS readjustment. depending on the position his penis is in, getting hard could be a fucking *bitch*. if like, the penis is tucked downward, alongside the crease of the hip and leg, getting hard is fine. pleasant, even! the resistence gives a bit of friction with each pulse of blood and the guy's kind of "safe" because his dick's tucked away in an unnoticable spot. if it's along the length of the leg though, fuck! that shit sucks! you either have this obvious tube arcing over one leg, or it starts to get REALLY hard and slides up to nuzzle your waistband! then the guy has to shift position, or readjust somehow to either relieve the tightness of his stomach pushing against his dick pushing against his waistband, or to conceal the obvious boner he has.
and then for the actual penis, that really depends on the guy. some dudes have a high pain tolerance, and can jerk off with just their hand. others just require spit, and then some guys (usually uncut) won't let you even think about touching their dick without a handful of lotion or lather. uncut is different too, because it's like a tight ring of skin sliding out over a very sensetive tip. purse your lips tightly and then slide your tongue through them. it's kind of like that, depending on the tightness of the guy's foreskin (ranging from hella tight to really loose).
then, depending on how horny the guy is, his dick could be a mere shadow of its real self (if he's not interested, anxious, bored) or it could pack on exxxxtra inches like no tomorrow, surprising even the dude who owns it (if he's SUPER-ULTRA-MEGA turned on!).
of course, neither case is necessarily a garauntee of climax. erections can be so hard the dude's willing to drive it through a brick if he has to, and then other times he's going great and suddenly he feels the blood returning to the rest of his body and he's like "no no no stay hard please stay hard!" only now he's super worried and the hot babe looking at him is making him feel emasculated and weak and that's only making it worse and now his erection has turned into a limp droop
but short answer is: a man might be surprised by his erection on the rare occasion that something has captured 99% (NINETY NINE PERCENT) of his attention/is so unbelievably erotic that his brain is on overload and he can't hardly think, but generally no. guys know when they're going to get one, whether to stop it from happening, and how to shift, adjust, and sit so that no one around them has a clue.

lawlz, a man ALWAYS knows when he's "getting hard." a lotta girls may not even have the slightest idea about this, but there's actually a long, long, LONG time where the guy's not hard at all (depending on the situation of course).
assuming all things equal (no pressing urgency, etc), a guy sorta starts getting "tingly" let's say. it's a shift in his breathing, in the flow of his blood. usually, he'll do a sorta half-shift, a reposition of sorts, because his dick is getting "twitchy" and he doesn't want it to show through his pants. any man who's finished puberty is EXCELLENT at controlling and concealing his erections. it's sort of a "trial by fire" if you will. after a few years of suffering from rock-hard erections that come and go in a flash, at incredibly inoppertune times, we kinda learn to deal.
but more to your original question, the best analogy I've ever been able to come up with is this: all men have a penis. a penis he likes very, very much. easiest explanation? girls, think about your tongue. think about how often you move it around in your mouth, outside of talking or eating. think about how sensitive it is, how often you accidentally burn or bite it. how generally aware of it you are at all times.
now put that between your legs. that is a penis. men are ALWAYS generally aware of their penis. it's a protruding object in a very inconvenient place. god, I can even think of the number of times I accidentally sit on my balls and flinch in pain every day. hah, well it's probably not even one or two times a week, but still, those few times I do I remember it (ow!).
when I stand up, I feel it drop and shift. if I switch positions, sometimes I have to adjust it because otherwise it will look REALLY FREAKING OBVIOUS where it is. I am aware of it at all times. I am on constant alert for flying/falling object that seek to harm it, because GOD does that hurt. it's like getting knifed in the kidneys, even with just a glancing blow. all men know this, all men fear this (well, maybe not the weird, creepy guys who like to pay hot women to knee them in the balls, but you're probably not writing about those in slash are you? ).
anyways, does that kind of give you some background information about the penis itself? the whole tongue-thing should sort of be kept in mind when trying to explain an erection. I don't know how in-depth of an explanation you want though.
I mean, it's really kind of two-part system. the guy started feeling aroused first. like I mentioned earlier, it's just... a shift in the blood. his lips part maybe, or his interest increases. it's very subtle. basically though, his body's just being like "hey! hey dude! if we're gonna get hard, I'm ready! just lettin' you know!"
his dick's not even hard at all at this point. it probably hasn't even swelled, to the naked eye. it's kind of... poised, though. on the precipice. then, depending on whether there's going to be more sexually stimulating stuff going on, it might get harder, it might soften, depending on how anxious he feels about it. like, if he's kinda into what's going on, it'll slowly inflate as he gets more into it. if he's turned on, but he knows he's not getting any or it's not "stimulating" enough, or if he simply has a great deal of self-control, he'll stay in a semi-hard state for a bit before his body realizes nothing fun is gonna happen and gives up. he may be still *aroused* for a good while, but his erection is not into it. his body has better things to do (and, of course that doesn't preclude him from getting hard later).
physically, there's ALWAYS readjustment. depending on the position his penis is in, getting hard could be a fucking *bitch*. if like, the penis is tucked downward, alongside the crease of the hip and leg, getting hard is fine. pleasant, even! the resistence gives a bit of friction with each pulse of blood and the guy's kind of "safe" because his dick's tucked away in an unnoticable spot. if it's along the length of the leg though, fuck! that shit sucks! you either have this obvious tube arcing over one leg, or it starts to get REALLY hard and slides up to nuzzle your waistband! then the guy has to shift position, or readjust somehow to either relieve the tightness of his stomach pushing against his dick pushing against his waistband, or to conceal the obvious boner he has.
and then for the actual penis, that really depends on the guy. some dudes have a high pain tolerance, and can jerk off with just their hand. others just require spit, and then some guys (usually uncut) won't let you even think about touching their dick without a handful of lotion or lather. uncut is different too, because it's like a tight ring of skin sliding out over a very sensetive tip. purse your lips tightly and then slide your tongue through them. it's kind of like that, depending on the tightness of the guy's foreskin (ranging from hella tight to really loose).
then, depending on how horny the guy is, his dick could be a mere shadow of its real self (if he's not interested, anxious, bored) or it could pack on exxxxtra inches like no tomorrow, surprising even the dude who owns it (if he's SUPER-ULTRA-MEGA turned on!).
of course, neither case is necessarily a garauntee of climax. erections can be so hard the dude's willing to drive it through a brick if he has to, and then other times he's going great and suddenly he feels the blood returning to the rest of his body and he's like "no no no stay hard please stay hard!" only now he's super worried and the hot babe looking at him is making him feel emasculated and weak and that's only making it worse and now his erection has turned into a limp droop
but short answer is: a man might be surprised by his erection on the rare occasion that something has captured 99% (NINETY NINE PERCENT) of his attention/is so unbelievably erotic that his brain is on overload and he can't hardly think, but generally no. guys know when they're going to get one, whether to stop it from happening, and how to shift, adjust, and sit so that no one around them has a clue.

Heh, I just want to say first off that I’m only doing this because Snight said I wouldn’t. so there.
1. How about a brief introduction of yourself?
sup, my handle’s wanderingaddict. It’s a name that came up on whim when I first started getting into the fanfiction some years ago, but never really wanted to make the effort to be a part of any community.
2. Fabulous! And what got you into fanfiction to begin with?
fact that I’m bi and I love reading stories about awesomer, cooler things that SHOULD have happened when the normal writers failed.
3. I see, so what kind of fanfiction do you like to write?
um… what kind? Genre-wise I suppose I really like videogame fiction, because it usually adds another layer of depth to the existing universe. Or maybe I should answer “slash” because I do really like well-done slash, or maybe I should answer porn-slash because I like a romance/sex element to my stories? Super vague. So really though, “action/adventure-slash-romance based on existing universes” is what I like to write.
4. Do you tend to write the same pairings/characters? Or are you a fandom whore?
lawlz, videogames are all about OCs. They don’t really give you much to work with, most of the time, so it usually takes a lot with what little is there in the first place. Really not much of a whore though- I suppose I honestly usually just look and see one “most likely” couple and dismiss ALL other pairings as unable to compare based on that alone.
5. What is your more popular fanfic and why do you think people like it so?
Ceald Amothein by far, and… god because it’s cheesy, girl, and full of some real hardcore sex and emotional turmoil, and chicks just eat that up, and it’s got a ton of action and hardcore sex and guys just eat that up? lawlz I don’t know, I mean, that’s why *I* like it at least.
6. Forget other people, what is the fanfic you've written you're most proud of?
My personal triumph is Dyad: Kreshjur and Kajin because there’s a lotta really subtle research that’s gone into that one, plus it’s like 30k words and written all in the span of one month and I look at it and am just like “holy balls how the hell did I do that much”
7. Do you find writing easy? Hard? What are the most difficult aspects of writing you struggle with?
Not particularly, no. It’s mostly a matter of time, like JayDee said. There’s so much to do, all the time, with movies and games and drawing and blah blah blah, it’s like, holy fuck it takes a lot to just dump all that and sit down and write.
8. Write a few sentences of so of your favorite pairing or character.
“You a fag?” Grimmjaw asked, after a moment.
Ichigo’s cheeks burned. “So what if I am?” he asked demandingly, his shoulders tense.
Grimmjaw shrugged a shoulder. “Doesn’t really matter. Just wondering.”
9. Are there any fanfiction trends/clichés you can't stand or are just sick of?
I really, really, really hate… nothing I guess. Everything maybe. Lawlz I can’t decide. I could say mary sues that just get the world on a platter, or complain about wimpy bottoms that get raped and raped and raped, and…. Well okay, I suppose as common as it is to complain about that, I’ll complain about it some more. I am *really* tired of how people (re: girls) seem to think that a whiney, useless little cum-rag is at all, in any way shape or form, attractive. Blech.
10. Are you guilty of any of the fanfiction trends/clichés you now hate? Or any other ones?
lol, *sigh* yes. And they shall remain so nameless, buried so deep, that I will never, ever mention them here.
11. What was the first fandom you wrote for? Do you still like/participate in it?
honestly, I swear to god it was Inuyasha, and it was an Inuyasha/Kagome sex fic. And god no, I don’t. that show is so baaaad and the only thing good it ever had was Kouga and Sesshoumaru, except Kouga became pointless and dumb and Sesshourmaru stopped murdering everything and everyone he ever met which made me
12. Name your OTPs or most frequently written pairings/characters and explain what it is about them you love to write.
My OTP is Grimmjaw/Ichigo, if it wasn’t apparent already. I’ve never written about them, but jesus Christ I don’t understand how anyone at *all* familiar with the show couldn’t have looked at the action between the two of them and just be like “holy crap does Grimmjaw want to fuck that!” I mean, good god Grimmjaw is the only person in the entire show who actually seems to be even remotely like Ichigo. I mean, Renji *kind* of is, but Renji’s also a poor man’s Grimmjaw. Like, even Inuoe who claims to “understand him soooo much” doesn’t grasp the fact that Ichigo LIKES to fight!
Unfortunately, most people also fail to grasp that in a Grim/Ichi relationship, Ichigo might not top, but he’s *always* dom.
lol you know what, okay, so the pick that I've written about the most *personally* are Fawnheart's Erandil and Eraik, and even though I love the fact that they're best friends and would (almost) never, ever do each other in cannon, I... I still can't help writing loads of dirty porn for her where all her straight men just suddenly go gay.
13. What would you call your writing "style"?
I don’t really think I have a “style” per se. General fantasy style maybe? There’s nothing noteworthy about it to me.
14. Do you read other people's fanfic? If so, what do you find yourself reading the most?
yes I do! Recently it’s only been WoW stuff because I’ve been so busy, but from time to time I dip my toe back into Bleach looking for an awesome Grim/Ichi fic. The good ones usually never get finished though so sadface
15. Name one thing you'd LOVE to write, but have been too afraid or shy to do.
I’m not “shy” about writing it, so much, but it works well enough so yes: A grim/ichi fic of my own, one which will stand head and shoulders above all other grim/ichi fics and make half of the Bleach slash section bow their heads in shame is something I’d LOVE to do.
16. Do you have trouble taking criticism? Or worse yet, do you have the dreaded bloated ego?
lawlz, no. I wish I could get criticism (meaningful criticism of course) but it’s pretty rare, and like few times I do it usually consists of “well if I were writing I’d do this!” which is just like “??? Yeah but you’re not? Also, “because it’s cool” isn’t really much of a reason??” so whatever, more sadfaces I guess :(
17. When you write, is there anything that helps? Music? Quiet room? Repairing toaster ovens?
naw. I don’t believe in any of that stuff. Just sit down and do it or don’t.
18. What inspires you?
READING GOOD FIC OMG. I fucking LOVE good fics, I mean, jesus Christ, if I read about some chick getting the absolute shit pounded outta her (and I find that hetero is usually better written than slash) I’m like HOLY FUCK I GOTTA TRANSFER THIS TO M/M and then it’s a fun, exciting race to see how I can capture something like that myself, in my own words, because God Damn does M/M need some quality sex. And quality romance, only I also just enjoy that because most of my fics are built around sex for one reason or another, despite how “low key” some of the might be? Maybe other people disagree with me about that. or like, non-porn wise I’m always like “woooah, this was fun to read AND there’s no sex??? How is this possible???” and then it’s ANOTHER fun race to figure out what they did and why and how all the threads tied together into one awesome overarching plot and it’s so gorgeous and I start to drool a little and if I met the author in real life I’d have no qualms about breaking both their legs and tying them to a chair and having a personal write-slave forever and ever and ever and ever and ever and
19. Lastly, how would you sum up your fanfiction experiences and yourself as a writer?
holy shit. I dunno, I’m so much more irreverent now that I ever was before. Hah, I hardly even think of writing as an art anymore. Well, I mean, I “know” in my head that good stuff, really GOOD stuff totally is. It’s someone who’s taken a million and a half special threads and lovingly sewn each one together
But… at the same time I’ve reached the point where it’s just kinda like “this is all a bunch of BS anyways so lawlz whateves!” and I just do whatever and go my merry way and be happy instead of mad or preachy or whatever else all the time. So yeah mostly I treat this as something fun to do in my spare time, a way to be a little creative, and let most things just slide off my back without much care. This is probably due to this magical woman named Fawnheart who I am super-awesome-ultra buddies with and I'm all like "Rawr rawr!" and she's all like "lawlz whatever wonderboy" only in an aussie accent and she's so goofy and I am not at ALL ashamed to say I heart her something fierce and want her back at this site and not being abducted by wallabies or whatever the fuck she complains about happening to her in Aussieland.
20. Tag some friends, because they'll have you for it.
Go Fawnikins, I choose you! (it'll be a while though, I know, what with kangaroos climbing the powerlines or whatever).

dude I'm so glad you just have the brains to figure out for yourself that Arthas just made a freakin' surgical strike. I mean, the dude's on a goddamn timetable here, you know? he's got a motherfuckin' ARCHdaemon to summon, and he can't dick around in Silvermoon! much less, I mean, fucking A, it's the race of the oldest, wisest, most powerful magic users in the entire world (save for perhaps the friggen' naga and/or blue dragonflight). really? a bunch of bones and rotmonsters just steamrolled them all? ALL of them? much less the logistical fallout of having an ENTIRE RACE of the said most powerful magic users in the world suddenly at ones beck and call! I mean, god damn, NO ONE would have survived! every elf that dies gets risen, and even the ones that explode themselves or torch their bodies could just get called back as ghosts! I mean, geez, by that point they should have enough troops to just form a solid line and march through the woods and catch every single safehold and straggler left!
no, I mean, to me the idea of a fast-ass surgical strike is just so cool. Sylvanas is floored by the traitors that opened the elfgates/gave Arthas the crystals, so instead of the guerrilla war she was planning she suddenly has to race her entire army ahead of a force that never needs to rest, never needs to stop or get tired. the elves simply aren't prepared to fight an enemy who's sole tactic is "just ball up and roll over everything" so Arthas is able to get right to the Sunwell, birth Kel'Thuzad, and then before the huge line of elves behind him closes ranks and cuts him off, he races back to Lorderan. sooo cool! so smart! so like, full of tactics and a BRAIN instead of "DERP A DERR, I'm AWthas, I'm a bwoody woooody bitch!"
ugh yeah, you do have a point though. lawlz, blizz really is, well, stupidly fond of that kind of bullshit. and the fucking high elves, god. you know, I really wish they'd get someone, just anyone with a brain, to go back to the OLD stuff, where there were factions within factions, you know? like, back to that "we don't hate Theramore, they're alright, but we do hate Stormwind, and we don't like the night elves but the tauren do" kinda stuff. I was reaally disappointed with Quel'lithen though, dude. I loved that place when it was one little bit of green and sweetness in the gross blight-zone of EPL, but now everything else is greener, healthier, prettier than that place, and then to boot they fucked it up. and honestly, you know I was going to enter the writing contest this year, after seeing how fucking cool the one from last year was, but like... after seeing what they did to Quel'lithin, AFTER this person put such a fucking shitload of effort into make the place rock, it was... it just seemed to me like it was slap right across the face. you know what I mean? hah, for me, I'd be like "look, fuck your shitty collecter's Frostmourne sword and the tour, just don't shit on the creative effort I put forth for you guys."
there's not bad blood between the elves and the dwarves, but it states like, everywhere, that the two races are not at all fond of each other. the elves like the wildhammer, because the wildhammer are naturalistic like they are, but for the most part the just don't particularly care for them (at least, the ironforge/dark iron ones, which are the ones that make up the alliance and alliance enemies, anyways). there's no first war enmity for the orcs, and while there should be a LOT of second war enmity, apparently it's all just "they burned some forests and attacked Windrunner Spire" now so like... ? who knows how much that deserves to still be around. and I really wish they'd show the huge number of elves that should be a part of the Forsaken too. like, actually using more banshee models, more male undead elves, for magic trainers, for... for well, everything appropriate! but especially for the forsaken in the Ghostlands, but that would just be bomb-all cool.
it doesn't say anything like that about elven rangers though? not at that link. the first lines are even like "Many dark rangers are former banshees. The difference is dark rangers have regained their physical bodies, thus possessing greater powers" with the one "known" exception being Nathanos, who never entered that incorporeal state (maybe because he's human, and it's harder for the not-very-spiritual humans to become ghosts, compared to elves?). haha, anyways, a nitpicky point I think that there are "hunters" and there are "rangers" and a Ranger is a Hero Class, whereas a hunter is just a dude with a gun or a bow. they don't actually have any plant skills, no wilderness lore. they can survive well, and interact well with animals, and have an excellent shot, BUT they also have melee skills and can't like, say, glide through the forest with ease because every tree is telling them where to go and what to do. know what I mean? so then like, a ranger if they die, will become a dark ranger. a hunter is just a boring ol' hunter. or... yeah...
haha anywho. yeah, the whole like the dreadlords say about "her heart is still elven" is SO COOL. I mean, like, god damn you know? she's smart. she's dead, not retarded. she can still think for herself. but, you know, sera sera. Blizz can't write a strong woman without turning her into a psychotic bitch so what do you expect.
and Garrosh... *shudders in revulsion* ish. ish, ish, eww. god, his head looks like his shoulders blew a bubble dude. I can't imagine how anyone could possibly think that drooling nancyboy little bitch is at all attractive. you first meet him in Outlands and he's too busy suckin' dick to speak, and then you see him in Northrend where he has single-handedly failed the entire horde advance. and then he throws a tantrum about it! a little tantrum! where he runs all over his stupid little map and smashes the scourge figurines! gah. what a pussy. a sobbing, whiney pussy. he's honestly as gross to me as any of the whiney cuntboy ukes in the ten-thousand yaoi stories out there. blech.
Thrall and Jaina needed to happen so freakin' badly though. and now it never will, because Blizz has their heads up their butts and thinks that people will take to this stupid orc bitch who wants Thrall to change his name because "that's his slave name" and they totally don't like each other but oh they come to like each other eventually.
ugh. I hate it when they just introduce characters like that, you know, to like, tie up loose ends and shit. Lor'themer? coulda been badass, but no appearances in the game, doesn't do anything, and the one time he doesn't he acts like an absolute tard. or, at least is treated like one. pfft, god. and I really like to think of Satyrs as the slutty striperific version of those female-only races. a better idea would to be to make males as sexy, pretty, and interesting as the slutty females that are in the game already!
anyways, actual point we were discussing: I can see what you mean too. to me it just reeks too much of that blood elf ideology bullshit, which I just toss out the window because it makes no sense (and i mean, really, mind control is a CHANNELED spell! it doesn't work like that!). to me, there's no reason to assume that there would be derision between the nature side of the elves and the magic side (just as there's no reason to assume that the Blood Knights, martial and militaristic, would look with derision on the ranks of their own army when the point is that they're at least serving as opposed to either not serving or else being wretched or something. I mean, there's a point where, when you have the rest of the world to look down upon because no other race is so pretty, so perfect, so enlightened as you, there's no real point in frowning at one of your own, you know? because at least they're an elf, and not a filthy, mongrel human/dwarf/goblin/troll/etc
haha or not. whatever. anyways for the druidic thing, you should look up the article on the high-elf druid-magi. I dunno if it's still up, or where it is even (what with the split in the wowpedia versus wowwiki bullshit) but I thought that painted a much more appropriate picture of the high elf view, that being any force is just natural, acceptable part of the world, no better or worse than any other. and the whole point of the rangers having going and still staying with the high elves in the first place is that magic is an accepted, loved, and totally awesome part of their society. I dunno, I'm not saying scrap the idea I just like debating it with you!

lawlz, I'm glad you're someone who just already agrees with the bullshit blood elf magic addiction crap. I mean, aside from everything else, even just calling it "addiction" is bullshit, as if they could possibly be "weaned" off it or something. I mean, what the fuck? "only the very young and very old die without it, everyone else can handle it." so like, all newborns, and all of the oldest and wisest die. yeah, okay, that's tooootally something that they can handle right? pfft, they don't need to find a replacement or anything. oh, you mean all elves experience debilitating headaches for the rest of their life? pfft! they just need to sweat it out!
gah. and the overnight change from "stalwart, honorable denizens of nature" to "bloodthirsty psychos" is bullshit too. so much bullshit all around! haha I mean, I think the biggest piece that I have trouble swallowing is the absolutely retarded idea Blizz had to just like... what, wipe out the entire race with Arthas's undead campaign? I mean, it's one fucking line of "and not a single elf survived" and it... what? what purpose did it serve? to erase one of the most iconic of the Warcraft races? much less instead of just retconning it themselves to be like "oh not a single elf that faced Arthas at the Sunwell survived" they're instead like "oh only 10% of the entire race survived!" which is just like, insanely low! I mean jesus christ! you'd think that, after that, they'd be even more batshit-crazy protective of every single elf left, regardless of whether they were Alliance or Horde. much less the high elves cutting ties and shit. some places make sense- I mean, the Quel'Lithin elves are all super-buds with the wildhammer, and they're two infested plaguelands away from Quel'thalas so really they'd stay neutral. the EPL lodge though? what the hell blizz? why too lazy to just change their models? to make up 1 or 2 new quests, or even turn it into a cool quest hub that actually explores the entire zone right before Strath?
ah well. anyways. the bullshit with Garithos, fuck, let's not forget that either. everyone all writes about how the blood elves "betrayed" the alliance, but I mean, FUCK COME ON. the humans were going to execute Prince Kael'thas, the only leader left. the human prince lead an assault on their kingdom, after the humans failed to do absolutely anything to stop it. and I mean, seriously, god damn! if anything, the elves had to choose between two bowls of shit for their alliance, and honestly, it makes a shit-ton more sense for them to be like "well okay, at least this side has a powerful hero that likes us slash actually does something to try and help us rather than just piss and moan and be a little bitch like Varien Wrynn." hah, I mean, I was a little "erm" about them joining the Horde too, but really, if you think about it, their animosity of the dwarves and night elves, hatred of the humans, irritation with the whole group and then utter horror at them all for allying with "blue-skinned demons" would make them be like "well, okay, the orcs were bad, but they at least were possessed by evil. we don't like trolls, but these aren't stupid forest trolls, so meh on them, and at least the tauren seem cool so whatever."
haha or at least that's how it makes sense to me. the forsaken, if don't right, to me would actually make the most sense for being buddy-buddy with the elves, as like, fucking half of them SHOULD BE ELVES. you know, what with Sylvanas being an elf, and "her heart is still elven" or whatever, so you know... yeah. Sylvanas. character derailment. but, (speaking of dark rangers) a dark ranger IS a banshee dude, it's just one with a corpse attached and yeah, I know that dudes can be banshees, but even if they couldn't, dudes can still be shades, which is basically a banshee anyways so it totally stands to reason that there could be a male dark ranger.
and I wouldn't even mind losing Kael'thas and Illidan (which I can't believe they didn't just make gay for each other, that woulda netted them some attention) if they had just done cool things with them you know? like, instead of just being all like WOOO I"MA CAAAARAAAZZY NOW MOODLE DOODLE DOO! they could have done, oh I dunno, like fucking anything else. gah.
anyways, enough about elves. on to the parts actually related to your fic!
edit okay actually the other thing could go better here. this is just for fun debate.
so like, I'd argue that nothing the high elves do is a rejection of nature (and by extension, of rangers). it seems to me that, based on the plethora of "the high elves love nature" stuff that's pretty much everywhere, there wouldn't be any particular animosity between the mages and rangers. if anything, the high elf approach of "if it's useful and gives power, pursue it" to training would have them simply be as open and accepting of ranger/druidic approaches as they would be to just about anything else. part of it to me stems from the fact that they'd essentially be doing what their kaldorei cousins did to them before, i.e. being smarmy bitches for no reason, but another part of me is like "well what the fuck happened to all the druids who went with those exiled elves?" I mean, there were brothers and sisters, husbands and wives, parents and children who had druidic training/talent/spark who would have left with their loved ones when the exile came. druids should exist among high/blood elves, though with exceptional rarity perhaps (certainly not enough to just be an "adventurer class). anyways.
yeah, I can see what you mean in that the mages of Silvermoon would look down on rangers in the walls, while the reverse would be true outside. it just seems to me that the whole threat of annihilation from the trolls, the "unity in the face of adversity" thing, (the ability to look down on all other races ) would serve as a powerful uniting factor for the elves, by and large preventing "animosity" from developing, especially when the rangers provide such a basic and necessary function (i.e. keeping back the angry, angry, angry trolls!). I mean, it's just something that strikes me as a little bit truer to their new blood elf ideology (and I'm not saying that's anything that should be included, blech) and since you seem to actually a thought or two in your head I'd like to hear some more of your thinking is all.

aww look, it's gruffles! ooo who's a good boy gruffles who's a good doggy omg
haha, sorry, I just do that whenever I see a dog. or any animal really. see, that link actually really frustrates me, because instead of just going with the obvious answer, people submit pure speculation. for instance, the Warcraft 2 manual says "the griffon riders hail from Northeron, where they live in a big stone griffon aviary. they only came because the Quel'thalas elves asked them to, and their loyalties lie with them." the mountains separating... silly plains area... from the Hinterlands have A) a giant stone aerie B) wildhammer dwarves C) elves. ergo, those peaks, which have got to have a name, are the Northeron range. even if "some other book" or whatever lists "Aerie Peak" as "something separate from Northeron," then that could mean anything! it could just mean that Aerie Peak is one part, that Aerie Peak is in an offshoot of the Alterac Mountains, that Aerie Peak is just considered its own special peak, while the rest of the range is the Northeron Range. haha, I mean, geez, if they really want to get into speculation, then why not list the huge mountain range separating Quel'thalas from Lorderan? or the range separating Arathi from the Hinterlands? according to their logic, either of those places are perfectly viable candidates for the name too, as they're "nearby" and "part of North Lorderan."
heh, sorry if it seemed like I was just barking at you. the state of the lore just frustrates me to no end, especially when people do things like this (which happens way too often). I mean, it's fine and all to be just totally wrong out the ass if one day Blizz decides to name the unused zone Northeron and retcons some bullshit to make it fit, but until then, it's pretty clear that Northeron is either A) the Hinterlands range or B) not represented in the game at all! haha, I mean, hell, for all any of us know they might just decide to nuke the entire northern kingdoms and have everyone turn into demons or some shit. er, I mean...
can you tell I'm bitter? I'd say it was the bullshit with Kael'thas that broke the camel's back, but honestly the first time I just decided to give the finger to lolore was with the retcon to make Lothar's unhonorable assassination during false parley into a "titanic battle between titans!" pfft, bitch please, I was there! I saw my knights get slaughtered outside Blackrock! you can't retcon the whole point of that battle and the reason for our final victory!

haha oops, pretend that dumb sunglasses smilie is a B and a ). and also apparently I just went off on a rant about how much I hate the Blizz Lore rather than talk about WoaL. anyways.
it's kinda neat that you went with Rivandyr being crazy old. I was actually kind of intrigued by that, good job man. it's very subtle, in that first chapter, when you first introduce him, but there is something of a sense that there's a lot more to him than meets the eye. mostly because it feels pointless to introduce a super placid guy and then be like "he was exiled for his views!" when in reality, they wouldn't really give a shit, unless it actually was someone prominent, someone important, someone with a voice. being the oldest ranger alive probably foots that bill pretty well. if I have one critique about his backstory, it's that his daughter was mad at him (ages ago) for being a ranger? when rangers were revered at that point? I get what you're going at, but it could just be tweaked a little better to make it more of a personal issue for her, rather than a frown on the corps (at that time).
it was a fun read though. personally I would have liked to have seen a little more coaxing of Rivandyr on Aristan's part, meaning like physical seduction tactics (kissing his way down to his breeches, instead of just going for the gold like Ari did ), but then I may be thinking that Aristan's a little more innocent than he actually is so hey. if anything though, more description damnit! I wanna see Aristan flush at the sight of Rivandyr's cock, I wanna see him feel his loins stir and tremble and play with the elf's balls and stomach and look desperately up Rivandyr for encouragement and have the elf maybe slap his cockhead against the human's lips a couple times. hahaha, okay, maybe that was TOO specific. I've approached this story with the idea that Ari's just a desperate bottom waiting to have Rivandyr tear him apart and just leave him a broken wreck, but then, like I said, I may have just been colored by SCN a little too much. haha, lawlz. anyways, it was cool to see them 69, that's used way too little imo nowadays. but again, use more description! little things like the elf slapping his balls against the human's forehead- so awesome! do more of that! only spread out too, because I mean, I know next to nothing about their junk save for that the elf is "slender" and the human is "thick," but what are we comparing that to? like, Ari, looking at the elf, is like "hmm, judging by my own dick, he's kinda thin," which means the elf is still thick enough for any mortal man, with enough length to make him the envy of the entire town, or is it something else? and the biting and savaging of Ari's stomach man, coooome oooon! I mean, I could picture it- that being Ari's shirt twisted up above some fair-sized pecs, a nice bulging six-pack from all that farm work+training+wanting to look pretty for some man (unknown to him? ) and sightless, tear-filled eyes because he doesn't know what to do, but where is that in the stooory dude!!
like, don't get me wrong. I like what's there! it's just that you kinda dive straight into the emotional/intellectual aspect of the sex, rather than just slapping me across the face with raw carnality. and I mean, again, I like what's there! and it's not like you're *not* getting some specifics in, I mean the whole "He was uncovering that expanse of hard muscle and golden fuzz, hands groping harshly and freely. He was leaving red marks behind, and the blond wasn’t fighting back, he was just arching his back and moaning, nipples hard against nimble fingers" is bananas-awesome, and I'm just saying "toss in some specific physical description in there too, stuff that's not colored by perspective but more like simple fact."
know what I mean? yes/no? aah, whateves, it was fun reading it. I really wanna see Rivandyr cockslap Ari across the face a couple times though, lawlz. I'm actually really surprised dude, I'm normally not into such domination kinda stuff (and I mean simply like, pure term of domination, not S&M). I really do wonder how different my reactions would be if I hadn't read SCN first. that kinda stuff is usually something I don't glance twice at, but for that it worked, and so for this I'm colored in that same "raw carnality" vein. of course, I really mean it when I say I like elves topping (elves topping non-elves).
in terms of critiquing, it caught my attention last time and I didn't say anything, but I thought I would bring it up now. the shortened names they have for each other are... or maybe could... could either be changed to imply a more personal touch, or else have a little bit of mention for exactly why they're there. do you know what I mean? like, Rivandyr is a positively ancient dude you know, steeped in wisdom and age, and is also someone Aristan really respects right? so the initial gut reaction is that Aristan, who's super conscious of his place compared to the elf, should be calling him by his full given name (unless of course, the elf is positively insistent, or invites the human otherwise). something to consider would be to show that happening, back in the first chapter (and if you did, heh, sorry. I can remember everything I read, unless I actually need it ). it's mostly notable because they're both doing it to each other. it makes sense for Aristan to just always be called "Ari" you know? like the way Andrew is Andy. it's just his informal name. Rivandyr, not being a young farmboy, just seems a little different, and could use some explanation is all.
also, I am super convinced now that Rivandyr needs to come back as a Dark Ranger. lawlz, and maybe since DKs are kinda overdone (I mean they went from Hero class to basic melee unit for crying out loud) you could just have Ari be one of those super preserved undeads ala the "induction" route or whatever, where they're turned before they die? I dunno the reasoning behind it. I was just musing about if you didn't want to give Ari a bunch of unholy dk abilities when even right now he's just a footman. that way it can be even more of a one-sided battle when Rivandyr goes to rip him from the lich king's grasp! and Ari can maintain his innocence for eternity! or not, whateves. haha, anyways my point I wanna see Rivandyr plow him a few more times

hah, I've found that this pretty much takes place along gender lines. my pal Fawnheart, for instance, is an amazing writer. the characters she creates interact with each other the way real people would, not the way she wants them to or typical archetypes would, or anything else. she is, hands down, one of the best authors I have ever read in terms of character portrayal and development. but...
she has horrible taste in reading (and Fawnikins, if you read this, I'm sorry, but frankly it's true!). I mean, a lot of the stories she recommends to me I just stare at, my face twitching with anger/rage at how much of an asshole the seme/male love interest is.
see, the difference in the two genders is that women tend to look at problems from an emotional-relational perspective, and at the overall whole, whereas men walk into a story and look at the individual details and the individual persons first. to add to that, men and women tend (and I mean this simply as a general tendency) to view sex differently as well, with men "compartmentalizing" sex as a physical act (more often than not) and as something that's relatively separate from love. that's not to say that men do not ever associate sex with love, or use sex as an act of love, but just that they more readily separate the two than women do. women, on the other hand, for a thousand social, evolutionary, and biological reasons, have a tendency to view sex as- while perhaps not the ultimate act- but a very clear act of love and interest. again, that's not to say that they can't separate the two either, or not have casual sex or anything, but more that they will simply tend to associate sex with the implication of love, unlike men.
so my dear friend Fawnikins walks into a story about some mean vampire guy having a lot of sex with his human/wereanimal/whatever slave, and is like "oh look! this ultra hot guy is boning the fuck outta his slave! the author has written several times that they're in love! they MUST be in love! this is awesome and cool!" but then I walk in, look at the story, and I'm just like "... this isn't love. the guy belittles the slave, clearly has no respect for him/her, doesn't care about his/her wishes, and generally is an all around unlikable douche (mostly to the slave, but often to the other characters of the story as well)."
to me, looking at the specific details of the interactions in the story, it's clear that there's no love. there's nothing like mutual respect, or acceptance, or even interest. the asshole doesn't care to get to know the thoughts of the slave, appreciate the slave's nonsexual qualities, acknowledge the slave as an independent person, etc. the slave is nothing but a glorified cum receptacle. "now addict" you caw, shrieking in defense of your vampire story, "you're overgeneralizing! this slave is different! the vampire master knows that if the slave really wanted, the slave could totally win a fight with the vampire so he clearly has respect for the stronger slave here!"
to which I would say "no" and maybe smack you across the face (lightly). the vampire doesn't respect the slave, he respects his strength. as in singular attribute, not the actual person who possesses that attribute. the same is generally true of all asshole stories- the asshole respects the person's looks/ability to turn into a slut once some cock is in them, but they don't actually respect the person themselves.
female readers/writers, in my experience, rarely pull themselves out from the idea of the 'relationship' to examine the story in terms of the two individual characters. they don't realize that the hot guy, the totally super-awesome badass that they all lust over isn't interested in the slave for anything other than the slave's ability to suck his cock. they may try to justify their story later with things like "oooh, but nooo! the vampire totally LOVES the slave's mind and really values the slave's thoughts and opinions!" ... except they don't ever actually show that, so instead the story just goes on some more with lame asshole antics.
so yeah. in my experience, it pretty much falls almost exclusively along gender lines. which is really too bad, because it can be devastating for a male reader who likes strong female characters to get to the end of a story, where the strong and powerful female lead meets the one guy, this one ultra asshole, who even though he's not as smart, interesting, or cool as she is, still sets her vagina afire and reduces her to a quivering mess for no reason other than that... he tells her what to do? haha, I dunno. women like to write about assholes dominating them (partly because it's taboo, etc.) and women like to read about it, which is why some very, very horribly-stupid-on-every-level stories get published. like Twilight.
if anything, it's the equivalent of the way a lotta male stories inevitably involve one or more male characters falling for a utter bitch/gold digger because she's got a nice pair of tits and a cute face. it's just that the media has shown that trope a thousand times over and over and everyone knows that men are stupid and dumb, but it's sometimes jarring to see that women can fall prey to the same traps too.

just 'cause it's cliche hardly means it's bad. cliches are popular for a reason. personally I heart subtle twists to them far, far more than people just being like mwah, night elf druid, so cliche, my druid's a fucking dwarf or something equally retarded. hah!
it's hardly anything bad to rewrite. I often go back and just rewrite entire chapters after I've posted them. most of the time I consider the first post to be nothing more than a first draft, and sometimes it's only after reading it on the AFF page that I actually realize where it could use work. a connection between Daeron and moonlight could be made almost more obvious if you just change the mechanic. all druids cast moonfire-crap spells right? it's hardly anything different for him to use them. if you have his fur glitter when he hits a patch of moonlight, or he can (more or less) teleport/bounce around from patch to patch or something different, etc, then the connection is a LOT more clear, you know? because it's different enough to take note of. obviously nothing game-breaking, but it should be easy enough to combine his kitty form with some good mooney abilities/tricks or something.
hah, I got that Varen is unaware of the shadow-side of being a priest. I meant more that he doesn't have conscious access to shadow-CC so one could hardly expect him to fear the mobs off him. none of that incompetence came through though, if that's what you were trying to get at there. Aero seems super capable, but for the most part it's just kind of random, because even he is just flat-tackled by the felpuppy, when something like being suddenly spell-locked and then tackled, or getting his shield eaten by one while the other attacks is more appropriate, you know? whereas Varen and Daeron just kind attack shit and get attacked randomly, and there's no real clear skill difference. haha, I'm probably just expounding on something you already know though, so I'll shut up. oh and the scene itself is passing tolerable, I mean, not awful or unreadable. my comments were just things to think about if you want to make it better, that's all.

I should probably add some more to my review!
so yeah. that interlude eh? how 'bout that? waaaaas it a GHOSTWOLF?? haha, what throughs it off is the hands and feet comment. and the shield. at first I thought it was going to be a worgen even! but then I remembered that worgen can't be shaman so I was all like hmm. I've been wondering what the new shaman would be too. I figured orc, as that's the most typical archetype and really kinda what's missing from this story so far, but a troll wouldn't be out of place, and hey you could pull sometihng outta thin air and do a goblin or a dwarf on me so I really have no clue! oh, and a tauren I suppose, but you already have a tauren so it'd be all redundant and stuff. anywho.
my comments on the deterioration were just suggestions to make a lttle of what you're getting at more clear, perhaps, since you're interested in that and wanted feedback. I personally never assume the writer is trying to do anything at all so I never really look for that unless it's with clear examples in the writing itself. those were just some examples that would catch me, personally, so make of that what you will! in terms of the action, it felt... hmm, kind of all over the place. what I think a lot of writers fail to do (particularly ones writing spellcasters) is forget that melee ALWAYS trumps mages in close combat. I can't tell you how often I've read some otherwise alright book just fall apart when it comes to a battle, where- for some reason- the footmen stand around with their swords drawn, waiting for a spellcaster to chant a 20-30 second spell instead of just throwing their sword at the dude and interrupting/slowing it altogether.
specifically, they fail to consider that ALL members of hte battle have minds focused on self-preservation. in your case specifically, you have three casters versus a bunch of casters and a handful of melee. caster-versus-caster is the easiest to write, honestly, becuase you can just do whatever the fuck you want, but in caster versus melee, the charging melee must be kept away from the body in some way, shape, or form. this means, however, that the caster cannot cast when they're kiting.
so in your case, the fight kind of stutters, especially with Daeren. what he does during the battle is constantly dodge, right? at the same time he casts? this seems counter to his primary preference (that being his kitty form) for one, and for two his kitty would be much better for melee in the first place. it's the same with Varen- you write him as someone would play in the literal games, that is, aggroing a bunch of mobs and then just standing there while he's hit with a mace over and over. heh, there's kind of a break in reality, you know? a much more appropriate way might be to emphasize either Daeron or Varen handling holding back the melee from one or the other (or both, of course). Daeren does have entangling roots and kitty stuns, and it seems like Varen has zero shadow spells, but at least would have desperate prayer/shields/renews, etc, so he could be the melee tank while Daeren moonfires all the casters or something. anyways, my point is that even if you want to emphasize them not being able to work as a team or something, they still need to act like the mobs charging them are equally intelligent, capable creatures. a priest constantly healing himself when you stab him in the stomach is a nuiscance, but once you smack him in the head with a mace that stops, ya know? or, going back to the not working as a team, they have to be able to work to protect themselves (if that means just running away, LoSing the casters, etc) then so be it. it just gets wonky when a writer says something like "6 men ran up with swords and stabbed at the mage who dodged all of them and then tossed an ice bolt that totally killed them all" when really, it's pretty hard to dodge six swords coming from at LEAST a half-circle direction.
so yeah. just commenting on that. if you want to hear it. if not, sera sera

argh, what the shit?? half my review got cut off, AGAIN.
anyways, after saying that I love Felwood, I went on to say that I like Daeron the most, in part because he's angry and seems proactive and strong, but also because he seems like he's the most active and the one who's trying the hardest to work towards a true goal, which is the meat and potatoes of a hearty story stew! so right now he has some unfair advantages over the others, but still (plus I like night elves, if you didn't know ). Bron I think I could and still do really, really like (almost the most) but he just hasn't had enough show-time. Aero's definitely the most entertaining though, lawlz, his incessent quips and gangsta attitude are bomb. it's not really the sex that does it for in his chapters (though this latest one with Bron really did make me sit up in my chair and take interest!) but more how indomitable his will is. I like strong characters that are self-assured and do not break at the drop of a hat (unlike most of what you see, you know?).
or something to that effect. I'm not sure, I don't really remember. anyways, I ended it by commenting that of the three, I am not at all attached to Vaerun, and that could be because of my natural aversion towards draenei, (so take what I say with a grain of salt), but also there's so little about *him* that it's hard to know where he fits in and what he feels and stuff. I mean, the three characters I think of when I think of this story are D-man, Bron, and Aero, and then I kind of am like "oooh yeah. and Vaerun."
or something to THAT effect. I don't really remember that part either. you should toss in some "pimp" and "baller" remarks around Aero's name, oh! I also remember commenting that I love his quips and the scathing, over the top way he looks down on everybody. but mostly, it was those lines about Vaerun. just to let you know how he's come across- to me- so far.

hee, neat! I didn't know anyone else ever checked the forums. anyways, I wanted to add to my latest review, but didn't feel it was worth taking up another one. I feel I should clarify how I feel about Vaerun- obviously he hasn't had much air time yet, but, also, not nearly so much of his personality, or even who and what he is shows through in his writing, unlike the other three. I mean, he's like a priest I guess, but what does that mean for a race that worships floating windchimes? what has some of his other history been? and then, this probably really is just me, but I always picture draenei as that dumb hypermasculine, super-PUMPED body type (lawlz, and when they run they look like a fat man trying to get to the bathroom XD). is he built like that? and exactly what type of "innocence" does he have? is it the Sunchaser boy's boyish charm, or is it a much more altogether "wholesomeness"?
I dunno, I just can't really get a feel for him. if he's devout or not, his power level, etc. as yet, he really kind of pales in comparison to the other three (not that that's a bad thing, mind. I'm just saying, is all). yeah, just so you know. for future reference, in case you were curious
oh, and yes, I realized I totally forgot to mention that the Alliance accepting BIG BLUE DEMONS into their ranks should be a MAJOR REASON the blood elves left in the first place! haha, LOVE that you're playing Aero with what he'd actually assume! such mad props. mad, mad props.

lawlz, a man ALWAYS knows when he's "getting hard." a lotta girls may not even have the slightest idea about this, but there's actually a long, long, LONG time where the guy's not hard at all (depending on the situation of course).
assuming all things equal (no pressing urgency, etc), a guy sorta starts getting "tingly" let's say. it's a shift in his breathing, in the flow of his blood. usually, he'll do a sorta half-shift, a reposition of sorts, because his dick is getting "twitchy" and he doesn't want it to show through his pants. any man who's finished puberty is EXCELLENT at controlling and concealing his erections. it's sort of a "trial by fire" if you will. after a few years of suffering from rock-hard erections that come and go in a flash, at incredibly inoppertune times, we kinda learn to deal.
but more to your original question, the best analogy I've ever been able to come up with is this: all men have a penis. a penis he likes very, very much. easiest explanation? girls, think about your tongue. think about how often you move it around in your mouth, outside of talking or eating. think about how sensitive it is, how often you accidentally burn or bite it. how generally aware of it you are at all times.
now put that between your legs. that is a penis. men are ALWAYS generally aware of their penis. it's a protruding object in a very inconvenient place. god, I can even think of the number of times I accidentally sit on my balls and flinch in pain every day. hah, well it's probably not even one or two times a week, but still, those few times I do I remember it (ow!).
when I stand up, I feel it drop and shift. if I switch positions, sometimes I have to adjust it because otherwise it will look REALLY FREAKING OBVIOUS where it is. I am aware of it at all times. I am on constant alert for flying/falling object that seek to harm it, because GOD does that hurt. it's like getting knifed in the kidneys, even with just a glancing blow. all men know this, all men fear this (well, maybe not the weird, creepy guys who like to pay hot women to knee them in the balls, but you're probably not writing about those in slash are you? ).
anyways, does that kind of give you some background information about the penis itself? the whole tongue-thing should sort of be kept in mind when trying to explain an erection. I don't know how in-depth of an explanation you want though.
I mean, it's really kind of two-part system. the guy started feeling aroused first. like I mentioned earlier, it's just... a shift in the blood. his lips part maybe, or his interest increases. it's very subtle. basically though, his body's just being like "hey! hey dude! if we're gonna get hard, I'm ready! just lettin' you know!"
his dick's not even hard at all at this point. it probably hasn't even swelled, to the naked eye. it's kind of... poised, though. on the precipice. then, depending on whether there's going to be more sexually stimulating stuff going on, it might get harder, it might soften, depending on how anxious he feels about it. like, if he's kinda into what's going on, it'll slowly inflate as he gets more into it. if he's turned on, but he knows he's not getting any or it's not "stimulating" enough, or if he simply has a great deal of self-control, he'll stay in a semi-hard state for a bit before his body realizes nothing fun is gonna happen and gives up. he may be still *aroused* for a good while, but his erection is not into it. his body has better things to do (and, of course that doesn't preclude him from getting hard later).
physically, there's ALWAYS readjustment. depending on the position his penis is in, getting hard could be a fucking *bitch*. if like, the penis is tucked downward, alongside the crease of the hip and leg, getting hard is fine. pleasant, even! the resistence gives a bit of friction with each pulse of blood and the guy's kind of "safe" because his dick's tucked away in an unnoticable spot. if it's along the length of the leg though, fuck! that shit sucks! you either have this obvious tube arcing over one leg, or it starts to get REALLY hard and slides up to nuzzle your waistband! then the guy has to shift position, or readjust somehow to either relieve the tightness of his stomach pushing against his dick pushing against his waistband, or to conceal the obvious boner he has.
and then for the actual penis, that really depends on the guy. some dudes have a high pain tolerance, and can jerk off with just their hand. others just require spit, and then some guys (usually uncut) won't let you even think about touching their dick without a handful of lotion or lather. uncut is different too, because it's like a tight ring of skin sliding out over a very sensetive tip. purse your lips tightly and then slide your tongue through them. it's kind of like that, depending on the tightness of the guy's foreskin (ranging from hella tight to really loose).
then, depending on how horny the guy is, his dick could be a mere shadow of its real self (if he's not interested, anxious, bored) or it could pack on exxxxtra inches like no tomorrow, surprising even the dude who owns it (if he's SUPER-ULTRA-MEGA turned on!).
of course, neither case is necessarily a garauntee of climax. erections can be so hard the dude's willing to drive it through a brick if he has to, and then other times he's going great and suddenly he feels the blood returning to the rest of his body and he's like "no no no stay hard please stay hard!" only now he's super worried and the hot babe looking at him is making him feel emasculated and weak and that's only making it worse and now his erection has turned into a limp droop
but short answer is: a man might be surprised by his erection on the rare occasion that something has captured 99% (NINETY NINE PERCENT) of his attention/is so unbelievably erotic that his brain is on overload and he can't hardly think, but generally no. guys know when they're going to get one, whether to stop it from happening, and how to shift, adjust, and sit so that no one around them has a clue.