CloverReef

when in the series does it take place? I wanna read it, but haven’t watched the newest season yet so I’ve been avoiding spoilers like the plague.

How I would describe it would depend largely on the type of character it is. Like George said, I’d probably start with disbelief or denial. Like something like that would take a while to sink in, if it ever sinks in at all. (which it might not if they have no memory of it) I would play with a lot of confusion, disbelief, numbness, not wanting to hear what they’re being told. Maybe anger at people telling them they would do such a thing. Maybe anger at themselves for not remembering or if they do remember, obviously for that. Over the next few hours or days or weeks, lashing out at small things, pulling away from people they love, acting cold, or uninterested, or even actively hostile. Or you could go another way and make them totally weepy and needy or even catatonic with guilt. I think with that level of guilt, a person could easily and quickly become pretty self destructive. On a bit of a longer term, drug use and/or promiscuity, shift in personality towards things more reckless and spontaneous, even death defying. That kinda thing. Sounds like you’re gonna have fun with it!

Cold Snap Chapter 9 Hi Mevumi! Sorry it took me a couple days to respond to this. Getting used to a new job. Hmm... The feral beast god story would make an interesting back story for Nathan. I didn't even think of that. You certainly do think like a writer, don't you! You're giving me a lot to think about too. I want to say more but Chrome doesn't seem to like me today! Thanks for the review!

Cold Snap Chapter 8 Thank you, Anon! Since you didn’t give your name, I’m gonna name you. And since I’ve been around cats all day, it’s probably gonna be a weird cat name… Pineapple? Thelma? Greg? Acorn? Thank you for the review, Acorn. It gives me a tingly feeling that my story is giving someone a tingly feeling. I’m so glad you’re enjoying it! New Chapter will be up on the 25th! Hmm, maybe I should put that in an author’s note… Thank you, Missy! A simple yet encouraging review; I appreciate it! Have a great week LOL Thanks anon-ish. Your review made me laugh and I sorely needed that. “I’m kinda digging the politeness of the monster” that was awesome. I’m glad you’re enjoying it. And the name you signed with amused me as well. I like you. Hi Mevumi! I'm tickled that you like the characters. It's such a huuuuge compliment that they seem like real people to you. That's what we strive for when we write, right? I will be updating soon! Tomorrow in fact! Hope to hear from you soon, and not just because you stroked my ego in all the right places…

Chapter 8 is up! Ben finds something the beast left behind and Iddy spends a night in the spa.

If there are any mods hanging around, I have a question. Since the archive has changed to allow co-authors, should I just add whoever takes over my story as a co-author, or do we do this the original way: putting our links up here so DG can transfer the story from one account to the other?

Awesome. I'll send you an email sometime tomorrow and we can work it out.

Chapter 7 is up! Will be busy this week/weekend starting a new job (fingers crossed), so chapter 8 won’t be posted until Friday the 18th.

Cold Snap Chapter 7 Jaja: Normally I would have written out every traumatizing little detail of Iddy’s ordeal, but I decided this wouldn’t be that kinda story. And I didn’t want Iddy to be defined by one trauma rather than the bunch of everyday traumas combined, if that makes sense. So I’m super glad you’re enjoying it as it is Thank you for the review, Jaja. Athenaa: Yay! Hi! I can't say much, because the forums are giving me a million year delay at the moment (slight exaggeration), but I'm glad you're enjoying the story and I appreciate the review so much! (and it's totally Ben. Just kidding!... Or am I?) Gslinger: Heeey I remember your name! Now it’s gonna drive me crazy all day trying to remember where I know your name from. I’m glad the story is sexy! I worried it wouldn’t be sexy enough! LOL I’m used to writing stories that get fired off, chapter one, scene one, with gratuitous sex. As for writing for a living (thank you for stroking my ego, I needed that today!) I have thought about it, yes. Many, many, many times. Still haven’t decided one way or another. I was thinking about trying to get short stories published first and then move up from there. But while I was trying to come up with short story plots, I got inspired for this. So I guess we’ll see what happens! Thank you for the review!

Cold Snap, Chapter 6 SchattenSpringer: Yeah, that pimp asshole really fucked him over. I appreciate you not spoiling what happens! That was very thoughtful <3 Thank you so much for the review! I’m glad you’re enjoying it.

**Update** I have removed this story from the archive. Pen Name in Archive: CloverReef Story Title: Blackbird Genre: Drama Pairing: Original M/M Summary: Blackbird will do anything to snuff out the criminals that raped his brother. Problem is, his best opportunity involves the notorious Malti Arvika. The one man he can neither resist nor trust. Warnings: 3Plus Anal DP M/M MiCD Oral Rape S&M Violence How many chapters posted/written: 16 written. Basic plot: There’s a gang who target straight guys and minorities for their snuff porn websites and human trafficking. One of their victims is Blackbird’s brother. He’s raped by seven men, and Blackbird intends to kill every one of them. In his first attempt, he meets a man named Malti, who is a major player in a rival gang, and the two of them develop a tenuous relationship. Blackbird is a very flawed character. He’s pretty jaded about the world in general because it’s treated him like shit. He’s masochistic, self-destructive, and vulgar, but incredibly cocky, relentless, and when he loves, he loves hard. How you would like to be contacted: Here or in a private message.

I do have a schedule as long as I have a back log of chapters ready to go. Currently, 12 chapters are written, so I plan to be posting every monday until I run out. Though I was thinking of switching to friday (If you have a preference, I’d love a tie breaker, lol.). I’m thrilled you’re enjoying it Maya, and I love it when my stories make people think. Thank you for the encouragement <3

Yeah, I could totally dig a rock with a face drawn on it. I’m not being sarcastic either. The underdog (underrock?) is an amazingly sympathetic concept, made all the cuter by things that aren’t supposed to have emotions to begin with. Wall-E anyone? (I mostly just watch animated movies and horror movies so I don’t know any adult examples...) But to make a heinous character ‘redeemable’, you’d need to consider your audience. Some audiences would be more likely to accept a character who raped their ex-girlfriend/boyfriend, while other reader bases would flip out if a writer tried to redeem that character. And maybe that first audience would condemn a murderer while the second audience would totally forgive a murderer who murdered for a horrible selfish reason if he, say, saved a litter of puppies or was a really awesome big brother. I think there are unredeemable characters, but I think what constitutes ‘unredeemable’ varies from group to group and person to person. Hell, some writers might have a reader base that could forgive just about anything when the characters are done right. I used to watch Breaking Bad with my mom. She started out liking Walt but after he betrayed a couple people she liked, she hated him, and the rest of the series, she stayed hating him no matter what he did. I loved him! There were a few things he did that made me cringe and go “aw, Walt! What the fuck?!” but I rooted for him until the very end. Course it wouldn’t help much if your whole audience was mixed like that, as some are, but I think knowing a little about your readers, if at all possible, helps with plotting out the flaws of your villains and heroes. I know, I’m rambling. I do that when I’m half asleep. But I’d like to hear more about these plenty of ways to make characters awful!

Cold Snap chapter 6 MonaMina! IKR, that Pimp fuck and Calaca are assholes. Or worse. What’s worse than an asshole? … An asshat? Anyway, for what it’s worth, you’re not wrong. That monster’s perfectly capable of killing in a split second if that’s what it wants to do. I’m glad you’re enjoying it! Thanks for the review <3

Chapter 6 is up! Iddy has a date! With destiny! No, I’m kidding. Well, he does have a date, but his date’s name is definitely not Destiny. Enjoy!

Cold Snap Chapter 5 Thank you Carmenlo! It shouldn’t be a short read. I’ve got about 20 chapters planned, and 11 written so far. You’re pretty sharp to pick up on all those hints! I will neither confirm nor deny them of course, but I get a little excited about it when readers notice the little details like that. You made my day, thanks!

Chapter 5 is up! Finally, some naughty stuff!

Yeah, I get it. The dude who does the voice of the grandma in squidbillies does it well like that too, by not making it a big joke about a man’s voice on a woman. (My sentence structure ran away on me there, hope it still makes sense lol.)

Oh I definitely agree (maybe for different reasons lol). Though I’m fond of the character… What’s her name? Dr. Girlfriend or something? On the Venture Bros. I just find her kinda hot with that deep ass voice. I have strong feelings about that kinda thing in general: using trans identities or implied transness as the butt of a joke, though I tend to put my feelings about social issues and human rights aside with cartoons that go out of their way to be offensive towards all groups, marginalized and otherwise, such as Family Guy. But even when I am putting those feelings aside, things like that just seem… I don’t know. Boring? Does Bob’s Burgers have a character like that too?

I don’t think I really gave Bob’s Burgers a chance. I watched maybe two episodes. I found it pretty bland too and I haaate the animation, which was pretty disappointing because I’m actually a big fan of the voice actors. Loved Benjamin in every other show I’ve heard him in, and Schaal I just wanna do naughty things to… I prefer Family guy, anything by the Archer/sealab people, and any weird shit Tim and Eric do (I’m counting them as cartoon because of the ‘goes to the mayor’ series lol)

Oh yeah, that is definitely a brutal little slice of limbo to be stuck in. I won’t lie, I’ve dropped and pulled way more stories because of silence than I have because of crit. Tried to read the minds of the readers and it turns out my imagination is an asshat. Hell, I even pulled stories that got tepid responses that I would now kill to receive lol.

LOL… See, I usually think of unattractive flaws as things that wouldn’t attract other characters to them, but I really like the idea of a character with a really gross habit and another character getting uncontrollably attracted to that gross habit/trait.

When I get harsh criticism, I get angry. What I consider a healthy anger. I vent to people I trust, I write angry letters I will never send, and I don’t allow myself to direct that anger at myself. After a healthy dose of venting, I find it easier to move on. By move on, I mean I can focus on other things, not that I forgive and/or forget, because I definitely don’t do that lol. I hold grudges… lol. I like to think I’m confident in my writing. I have very specific standards for myself that might get me frustrated and upset at times, but I’m confident of what those standards produce. But criticism does get to me. Of course, the silence gets to me. I question myself and tear myself apart when I produce something that is received with silence. And my healthy anger can quickly turn unhealthy when harsh criticism starts coming from all directions and the people I try to vent to, as you’ve been experiencing. I think it’s natural to spiral. It’s natural to want to pull everything and hide from the anonymous and not-so-anonymous assholes and friends that made you look at the work you used to love with panic and discomfort. Some writers allow it to crush them, and I think it’s so heartbreaking when that happens. I think sometimes it helps to analyze the opposition to death. To slather it in a thick layer of logic until you see it all as rudimentary shapes and you can pick and choose what advice will help you grow and what advice is only meant to sabotage you, and what advice was just someone else projecting their own insecurities. Or, if you can’t fathom creating that emotional distance, you could physically distance yourself from the things and/or people who are hurting you the most. Block them, take a week break from the story you’re feeling icky about until the ickiness fades a little: make changes that make you feel better about the situation. Whatever you decide to do, I got your back. Edit: Oh and “Invective” is now my word of the week.

I updated this thread in my head, then forgot to do it in practice! Anyhoo, Chapter 4 is up! Chapter 5 will go up next Monday! Hope y’all like it