Shadowknight12

Pen Name: BronxWench
Story Link: Bad Dreams
Review Replies: Review Replies for AFF Prompt/Bad Dreams
Type of Fic: FlashFic
Rating: Adult
Fandom: Dragon Age: Origins
Pairing: N/A
Warnings: AFFO, ChallengeFic, Complete, NoSex, OC

Pen Name: Apollo
Story link: Prompt: Evergreen
Review Reply Thread: http://www2.adultfan...r-affs-prompts/
Type of fic: Flash Fic
Rating: Adult
Fandom: Original
Pairing: N/A
Warnings: One Shot, COMPLETE, No Sex, ChallengeFic

Pen Name: Asexual Biped
Story Link: Evergreen Sceneted Oaks
Type of Fic: Flashfic
Rating: Adult
Fandom: N/A
Pairing: N/A
Warnings: NoSex, Challengefic, COMPLETE

Pen Name: BronxWench
Story Link: Story: The Gift
Review Replies: Review Replies for AFF Prompt/Gifts - AFF Community Forums
Type of Fic: FlashFic
Rating: Adult
Fandom: Dragon Age: Origins
Pairing: N/A
Warnings: AFFO, ChallengeFic, Complete, NoSex

Well, an opinion as a reader is welcome too! I'm actually more surprised by the positive reactions of the readers than by the fact that assholes are being written. I mean, the writer knows why the character is an asshole, but the readers don't, hence their liking surprises me.
Hmmm, possibly. I agree with you on that, the typical yaoi seme needs a good punch in the face 99% of the time. Though I can't comment on Japanese culture since I'm woefully unfamiliar with it. I currently have two pet theories, neither of which is completely satisfying. One, that people are shallow (since IRL asshole personalities are usually associated with good looks) and seeing a douchebag character triggers social conditioning, therefore perceiving the character as attractive and likeable; and/or two, that people are spineless, and that bitch/asshole personalities make relationships easy for those who just want sex and/or someone who makes all the decisions for them and demands little in return but submission.
Interesting point. I had heard of that, yes, but it's thankfully rare where I come from. Here, if a guy is a douche but hot, the girl will put up with him because she wants to get laid (and the relationship will continue only until she gets bored of him), or he's going to have to toe the line between charmingly cocky and disgustingly arrogant to keep her around. I think that this might stem from the fact that women aren't encouraged to being pursuers in a relationship, because although nowadays women KNOW that sex is pleasurable, society discourages them from actively going out to get some (calling them sluts and whores if they do so) and the asshole preys upon this to get laid (in that blog you linked, just from looking at the first few articles, you can tell that the guy is using basic exploitative psychology). Or that's what I believe, anyway.

I have noticed, in some stories, a tendency for readers to praise the appearance of a complete asshole as a character. And I'm not saying that they enjoy seeing him/her get their just desserts, I'm saying that they recognize that the character is an utter douchebag and they like the story *because* of this and not *in spite* of it. You know the kind of character I mean, the one we all know couldn't get laid IRL even you gave them a handful of roofies, but in stories everyone falls head over heels for them. I fail to understand how being mistreated and considered inferior is a turn on in any way. Or, for example, how an allegedly sane, normal character suddenly goes 'hey, I should totally fuck this person who's totally disrespecting me!' Or, the trite excuse that is only a smidgen more plausible than the others: 'sure, she might be a bitch, but she's really hot and awesome in bed.' Seriously? That's their excuse for putting up with her? Wow. Here, random character, have a nickel and go buy yourself a spine. And what's worse, some people seem to genuinely think that this attitude is actually 'confidence' and praise it as a good thing. I'm not going to go into details on that, because it's a whole other can of worms.
I'll be honest: This disturbs me. It disturbs me in the same way people filming a train wreck or car crash, instead of rushing to help or calling 911, disturb me. It's the kind of behavior I cannot wrap my mind around. My lack of comprehension needs to be remedied.
So here I am, in the forums, asking any kind passer-bys to please explain to me how these people's brains work. Do tell me, I'm all eyes and ears. What makes you interested in this kind of people? How do you feel about this behavior, what parts of it appeal to you? Do you feel personally attracted to them or do you simply find it amusing/original/refreshing/daring/other? Do you believe that a story is automatically improved by the addition of a character such as this one?
Anything at all that you feel can shed some light into this puzzling phenomenon will be more than welcome.

Replying to Robin because she sums up the latest points in the thread. Also, don't take my rant personally. I'm not lambasting anyone in particular.
That is not a nice guy. That is a wuss. A pussy. A spineless weakling. It is a grave and most unfortunate mistake to confuse disgusting meekness and cowardice with "niceness." It is very possible to have a nice person that donates to charity, helps old ladies, loves dogs, cats and children, and snarks the fuck out of you if you provoke him. You merely need to use good old fashioned logic. After all, a complete doormat does not get through life with such an attitude unless he makes friends who take care of him, or suffers a nervous breakdown. Why? Because people will use and abuse doormats until there is nothing left of them but a empty, soulless husk. That is simply the way the world works. If the doormat does not have a solid circle of friends, family and loved ones to shelter him from the worst parts of the world, then people WILL drain every single drop of humanity from them. Because, again, that's what most people do.
Now, logic tells us that either the doormat had a breakdown and hardened (learns how to say no, develops a way to get rid of moochers, learns to avoid toxic relationships, etc.), or we get a cast of people who swing between trying to help the doormat help himself, using him for their own ends, and coddling him all the time because he's just so sweet and they don't want that good-natured innocence to fade or be tarnished by the cruel outside world.
And guess what? All of this? STORY FODDER. A FUCKING PLOT THAT COULD SPAN CHAPTERS.
And this just a take on your average doormat. Like I said earlier, you can have a nice person with a dark side, or just someone who has steel-hard ethics and will NOT take crap from you or anyone else. He will help you in your darkest hour and if you so much dare to be an ungrateful bitch or bastard to him, he will verbally smack you down so hard your ass will end up facing the goddamn sun.
To sum up: THINK, BITCHES. Don't take the lazy way out and write some random douchebag because you can't be bothered to come up with a real person. Fucking mother of shit.
As an aside that really doesn't concern the thread, but might prove to be mildly interesting food for thought for anyone, I have been mulling over why people are so attracted to villains and assholes. I think that it all comes down to most people being... how do I put this mildly... "cowardly," I think, is the least insulting term for it. There's a vast amount of people who have enormous fear of peer pressure and social repercussions, so they spend a lot of time censoring themselves and repressing their less savoury impulses. The problem is that they don't do this because they realize that they are morally wrong (and I mean 'morally wrong' with an actual logical thought process that leads the person to understand why it is wrong, not just an empty label), but because they fear the consequences of their actions. Therefore, they are in reality quite frustrated at their inability to express their deepest desires, which leads to them living vicariously through those who do. Which are, of course, villains and assholes.
To me, evil is banal and mind-numbingly boring. Not to mention that 99.9999% of villains are actually very, very stupid. If a random peasant schmuck can defeat them, they are not very smart in the first place. A smart person does not wave their hand scornfully at the notion of the Power of Love, much less when there is actual evidence of its existence! A smart person says "All right, this is worth investigating. How may I use this new resource to achieve my ends?" And even if we take a "genius" (and fucking shit, do I ever use that term loosely when referring to villains...) whose methods are intelligent and pragmatic, there is always the logical massacre that is their set of goals. Truly, for people who are allegedly super smart, they sure seem to forget very basic things, like sociology, biology, psychology and who knows what else. I mean, really. Killing people to make a point? Sure, that will go over well with the public. Blowing shit up? That will get you ADORING FANS (and yes, I am aware that they do get adoring fans at times. Those people are retards. I am talking about the general populace). World domination? My god, pick up ANY history book and read about the HUNDREDS of leaders who have tried that. Revenge? That one is especially good, since apparently thinking about the consequences of one's actions is a lost art. Screwing over everyone to get some selfish goal? Right, society will get very far with people like that. You BETTER not complain about other people being assholes, with the example you're setting.
But I think that the point that grates on me the most about villains is how they go against the very nature of biology itself. Life wants one thing, and one thing only: to survive. How does it achieve this? By two means: it multiplies and it improves. The last bit is the one that most villains seem to ignore. Improving means becoming better, overcoming one's flaws to develop new strengths. Selfishness, and its manifestations thereof (screwing over others, hoarding resources, etc.), is actually detrimental to the survival of the species. It might do wonders for the survival of the individual (and that is why all individuals are innately selfish, to give them a strong survival tool), but it is very detrimental to the improvement of society. The reason we have ethics and morals in the first place is because we must curb down the selfish impulse (and the anomalies, such as psychopaths and the like) so that we can improve as a species. Villains, assholes and idiots are hindrances to society. They must be reeducated or removed from a position in which they can do harm.
Of course, I'm not saying that villains are useless! Far from it. What I am saying is that liking villains is akin to liking the big piece of lead that's making you row extra harder. It provides conflict to the story and it is most interesting when villains are actually intelligent (though I am personally a fan of mindless, nigh unstoppable forces as antagonists), and not drooling imbeciles. But that's just my take on this issue.
That is all. Class dismissed.
EDIT: And there goes the ninja wench, summing up my entire point with such elegance!

Very rarely will someone think of themselves as bad guys. Why? Because even a little genre savviness would tell them that their chances of success are pretty damn low. And this ruins morale like a frying pan to the face. Better to think off yourself as something that can be cast on a positive light, if only to fight less people on your way to the top.
Me? Ripping on the site owner? Dear girl, I'm not that stupid...
I wouldn't have a problem dissecting your reasoning to show you just how impractical it is to want something so rare, but if one removes the technical terms and adorns it a bit, you'll actually find yourself with the age-old speech of what women want in a man. Dissecting THAT would give me a headache and it's just too damn early in the day for me to hit the booze, Apollo. I will only say that I hope your search is fruitful.
I'll comment on the side that "asshole" qualities might be all well and good for sex, but if you take that out of the equation, you get more problems in the relationship than the attitudes are worth.
Social conditioning. It's far more acceptable for a man to be a total asshole than a woman to be a complete bitch. On the other hand, we have the apologists, who are more than willing to be guilt-tripped into accepting a bitch's bitchiness because of all the boohoohoo subjugation men have imposed on women for millennia. And this is about the SMART ones. The rest will just think "pussy = good, must have more" and take whatever she throws his way if she's sufficiently hot. In fact, one could say that a woman's Allowed Bitchiness is directly proportional to her hotness. And if she cultivates an image of being positively excellent in the sack but hard to get (and we assume she has the looks to pull this off), she's going to be allowed to disembowel a guy on the street before anyone objects.
The problem with women is that very few of them are satisfied with sex the way a man their age is. Most women want a deeper connection, emotions and all that crap. Bitchiness sabotages relationships in the vast majority of cases. So a woman learns to exempt her loved one from her assholeness or become a master of subtlety. Men have no problem being assholes because this trait is very rarely an obstacle when it comes to getting sex. Look at Apollo and the way she so blatantly admits that this ridiculous behaviour actually has a positive effect on her. It is because of women like HER that this trait thrives (*points finger and glares* ). A woman who wants an emotional connection with her man will either have to settle for someone older (sacrificing looks) or keep trying until she finds the right person. Which, if one thinks about it, becomes highly ironic if a lot of time has passed and she has to settle for an older man... only now SHE is older too, and with a lot of baggage.
So, to sum up: women aren't as prone to overt assholeness as men because they have different priorities and this trait usually becomes an obstacle in the path to achieving them. There are exceptions, of course, and I dare say the exceptions are slowly becoming the norm as time passes.

Replying to Robin because she sums up the latest points in the thread. Also, don't take my rant personally. I'm not lambasting anyone in particular.
That is not a nice guy. That is a wuss. A pussy. A spineless weakling. It is a grave and most unfortunate mistake to confuse disgusting meekness and cowardice with "niceness." It is very possible to have a nice person that donates to charity, helps old ladies, loves dogs, cats and children, and snarks the fuck out of you if you provoke him. You merely need to use good old fashioned logic. After all, a complete doormat does not get through life with such an attitude unless he makes friends who take care of him, or suffers a nervous breakdown. Why? Because people will use and abuse doormats until there is nothing left of them but a empty, soulless husk. That is simply the way the world works. If the doormat does not have a solid circle of friends, family and loved ones to shelter him from the worst parts of the world, then people WILL drain every single drop of humanity from them. Because, again, that's what most people do.
Now, logic tells us that either the doormat had a breakdown and hardened (learns how to say no, develops a way to get rid of moochers, learns to avoid toxic relationships, etc.), or we get a cast of people who swing between trying to help the doormat help himself, using him for their own ends, and coddling him all the time because he's just so sweet and they don't want that good-natured innocence to fade or be tarnished by the cruel outside world.
And guess what? All of this? STORY FODDER. A FUCKING PLOT THAT COULD SPAN CHAPTERS.
And this just a take on your average doormat. Like I said earlier, you can have a nice person with a dark side, or just someone who has steel-hard ethics and will NOT take crap from you or anyone else. He will help you in your darkest hour and if you so much dare to be an ungrateful bitch or bastard to him, he will verbally smack you down so hard your ass will end up facing the goddamn sun.
To sum up: THINK, BITCHES. Don't take the lazy way out and write some random douchebag because you can't be bothered to come up with a real person. Fucking mother of shit.
As an aside that really doesn't concern the thread, but might prove to be mildly interesting food for thought for anyone, I have been mulling over why people are so attracted to villains and assholes. I think that it all comes down to most people being... how do I put this mildly... "cowardly," I think, is the least insulting term for it. There's a vast amount of people who have enormous fear of peer pressure and social repercussions, so they spend a lot of time censoring themselves and repressing their less savoury impulses. The problem is that they don't do this because they realize that they are morally wrong (and I mean 'morally wrong' with an actual logical thought process that leads the person to understand why it is wrong, not just an empty label), but because they fear the consequences of their actions. Therefore, they are in reality quite frustrated at their inability to express their deepest desires, which leads to them living vicariously through those who do. Which are, of course, villains and assholes.
To me, evil is banal and mind-numbingly boring. Not to mention that 99.9999% of villains are actually very, very stupid. If a random peasant schmuck can defeat them, they are not very smart in the first place. A smart person does not wave their hand scornfully at the notion of the Power of Love, much less when there is actual evidence of its existence! A smart person says "All right, this is worth investigating. How may I use this new resource to achieve my ends?" And even if we take a "genius" (and fucking shit, do I ever use that term loosely when referring to villains...) whose methods are intelligent and pragmatic, there is always the logical massacre that is their set of goals. Truly, for people who are allegedly super smart, they sure seem to forget very basic things, like sociology, biology, psychology and who knows what else. I mean, really. Killing people to make a point? Sure, that will go over well with the public. Blowing shit up? That will get you ADORING FANS (and yes, I am aware that they do get adoring fans at times. Those people are retards. I am talking about the general populace). World domination? My god, pick up ANY history book and read about the HUNDREDS of leaders who have tried that. Revenge? That one is especially good, since apparently thinking about the consequences of one's actions is a lost art. Screwing over everyone to get some selfish goal? Right, society will get very far with people like that. You BETTER not complain about other people being assholes, with the example you're setting.
But I think that the point that grates on me the most about villains is how they go against the very nature of biology itself. Life wants one thing, and one thing only: to survive. How does it achieve this? By two means: it multiplies and it improves. The last bit is the one that most villains seem to ignore. Improving means becoming better, overcoming one's flaws to develop new strengths. Selfishness, and its manifestations thereof (screwing over others, hoarding resources, etc.), is actually detrimental to the survival of the species. It might do wonders for the survival of the individual (and that is why all individuals are innately selfish, to give them a strong survival tool), but it is very detrimental to the improvement of society. The reason we have ethics and morals in the first place is because we must curb down the selfish impulse (and the anomalies, such as psychopaths and the like) so that we can improve as a species. Villains, assholes and idiots are hindrances to society. They must be reeducated or removed from a position in which they can do harm.
Of course, I'm not saying that villains are useless! Far from it. What I am saying is that liking villains is akin to liking the big piece of lead that's making you row extra harder. It provides conflict to the story and it is most interesting when villains are actually intelligent (though I am personally a fan of mindless, nigh unstoppable forces as antagonists), and not drooling imbeciles. But that's just my take on this issue.
That is all. Class dismissed.
EDIT: And there goes the ninja wench, summing up my entire point with such elegance!

Pen Name: Shadow Knight.
Story link: AFF Prompt - Evergreen.
Review replies link: Review Replies For AFF Prompt - Evergreen.
Type of fic: FlashFic.
Rating: Adult.
Fandom: World Of Warcraft.
Pairing: N/A
Warnings: AFFO, ChallengeFic, COMPLETE, D/A, NoSex, OC.

Fairy Slayer: Oh, man, now that is some seriously amazing concrit! I can't really thank you enough for taking the time to do all that! Heh, you caught me, I used the evergreen thing twice, in the ending and in the branch Auran was twirling. I didn't really know how to work it into the story, so I just went with that. Heh, yeah, I wanted to use the same stylistic resource for both cold and warmth. Ah, good catch! Replaced "to keep" with "keeping." Not pedantic at all! Fixed the "usually cheerfulness" thing too.
I do indeed use a very formulaic style when I write. I am definitely making mental notes to use all of these wonderful suggestions. Conjunctions, Inversions, Tightening, I'm going to try to use more of those. And yeah, trimming is particularly hard. I had a whole paragraph on the hangover thing he was drinking that I had to eliminate completely. Ah, well, such are the skills we learn with prompts!
No, no, not at all, this is DEFINITELY the kind of technical detail I want! And if you want more, go ahead! I devour this sort of thing like Strawberry Shortcake devours... strawberry shortcakes? LOL, I don't even know. Anyway, glad to hear you liked it, I'm definitely having fun writing these two. Thanks again!
Asexual Biped: Hahahah, the wyvern gets a line or two in the next prompt as well, I think. And hah, I'm glad Auran comes off as likeable instead of just plain annoying. Thank you, glad you enjoyed it!

Apollo: Mwahahah, yes. Sixteen times Jeddek has arduously climbed a peak to find... nothing. It's hardly a wonder he went straight for the booze when he was finally in the encampment! Heh, yeah, it was a bit tricky to find the connection to Evergreen, lol. Next prompt will be easier, since I'm pre-emptively planning for it. And heh, in the next instalment, we'll actually see why poor Jeddek has been so patient.

BronxWench: Heheh, that's great to hear! Jeddek is actually rapidly approaching the point where he won't take any more of the elf's silliness. Which, considering they're about to walk into the death-trap-filled prison of an Old God, is really just about to get pretty zany. I honestly can't wait for next week.

"He set off on his mission with renewed prepuce."
(found in a chapter I was proofreading for a friend)

As I said in the shoutbox, that was pure gold. Some I've made myself:
"I am a neutered side in all of this."
"I like the way you simile."
"Your eyes are like pools of crisis water."
"What the hall is going on here?!"
"You move with such grape..."
These are very old, since I started getting so many of these I turned off the autocorrect option.

Dear Imasuky Lomae,
Mo, being his usual dreamy self, suggests they both flee to another city where nobody knows them, to start a life anew. I, Lester, being far more realistic, suggest that they both become addicted to the secrecy of their affair and escalate the outrageousness of their acts. Preferably with us watching.
Yours perversely,
Uncles Mo and Lester Tightbottom.

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!

Solved.

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.

So I'm watching a movie I had recorded off TNT Saturday and an ad for James Patterson's newest book. I've always enjoyed his Alex Cross series to I actually watched it instead of fast forwarding only to hear the following words from his mouth: "Buy this book or I'll have to kill off Alex Cross. Its very good by the way..."
*head thunks* Really Mr. Patterson? You are a New York Times Bestselling author! Do you really need to sales whore to sell books???
So with out further ado, here is the letter I wrote to conform to the 600 character count. Feel free to use it for your own letter!
Contact Link for J.P
Mr. Patterson,
I saw the commercial today for your new book & I am very disappointed in you! You, a NYT Bestseller, resorted to the lowest of behaviors – “If you don’t buy my book I’ll kill off the main character.” I lost respect for you after seeing that. It doesn’t matter if you meant it in jest, that type of behavior is unacceptable from a published author like yourself. It’s not accepted on major amateur fiction sites, so why should it be acceptable for you? Shame, shame, shame. I’m going to have to truly consider if I want to even bother reading any more of your books.
Sincerely,

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

Pen Name: Shadow Knight.
Story link: AFF Prompt - Turkey.
Type of fic: FlashFic
Rating: Adult +
Fandom: Original.
Pairing: N/A.
Warnings: Abuse, AFFO, Angst, Bond, ChallengeFic, COMPLETE, Contro, Humil, Language, M/s, NoSex, OC, Oneshot, SH, Slave, Tort.

Pen Name: Shadow Knight.
Story link: AFF Prompt - Turkey.
Type of fic: FlashFic
Rating: Adult +
Fandom: Original.
Pairing: N/A.
Warnings: Abuse, AFFO, Angst, Bond, ChallengeFic, COMPLETE, Contro, Humil, Language, M/s, NoSex, OC, Oneshot, SH, Slave, Tort.

Dear Imasuky Lomae,
YES! We both reply with a sincere, resounding yes! Let them embrace and rejoice in their sisterly love!
Remember to tape the whole thing.
Yours perversely,
Uncles Mo and Lester.