BronxWench

ShadowKnight: I really don't know what else to say except thank you, for reading, for reviewing, and most of all for being so incredibly supportive and just helpful as I got my feet wet here! You make me think, you make me laugh, and you make me want to push that little bit harder. I'm glad the end worked, and especially the sex! I had way too much fun writing that, mind you, so yay! I'm also glad my twisted take on Gend worked. His backstory has stuck in my head for so long, and I've wanted to incorporate it somehow, somewhere. I'm also glad the bond worked, and yes, Sand is enough of an inner romantic to think that he'd found the one in Vale... And thanks again for sticking around for the ride!

ShadowKnight: Let me start by saying that I adore your reviews, seriously, because you always make me look at my fic in a clearer light! So, thank you! It was a melodramatic chapter, indeed! And I admit I really did go to town on Vale's reaction. I'll have to play with Beredir a bit. What I had intended, and obviously didn't get across properly, was that Beredir is walking a fine line between being Sand's friend from his youth, and having become Vale's friend as well. Whenever you're caught in the middle between friends ending a relationship, it can be gruesome, as I've learned first-hand. I was hoping to convey that Beredir might know things that Sand has told him, but that he won't tell Vale, and vice versa. I'm going to ponder, and may bounce a few ideas off of you! The timeskip was another tough part for me to write. I wanted to highlight the major events without getting into too much detail, especially since this is leapfrogging past the events of the fic with the genasi. I can probably add a bit more to that without making the chapter turn into a fic of its own... And in case I don't say it enough, thank you.

pittwitch: Thank you! I was dancing fast to get Yule in there!

You know what? That's probably the biggest compliment and best praise anyone could ask for, so thank you again! You've made my day!

Fairy Slayer: Thank you so much for the review! Yes, I am such a geek when it comes to the lore and background stuff, but it makes it easier to write in a world when I understand it thoroughly. I'm especially glad that the bits of elvish aren't too jarring, since it seems Wraith would certainly think in what little elvish he knows. Alistair is sort of opening up a bit, but I'm not quite sure he's going to be ready for Wraith... But these two will be back!

First of all, thank you! They are pretty sweet, but I blame it all on Alistair's influence. But you hit squarely on what was bugging me with this fic. The time lapse isn't clear when you're hopping from flash fic to flash fic like I'm doing, and it's hard to squeeze enough backstory in to make the progression of their relationship make sense. I think, depending on the next prompt, I can either make it clearer or somehow get enough backstory in there to make it more logical, and therefore believable. I get lost in other descriptions... and then I forget that not everyone is actually living inside my head with me! (Gods, I hope not -- it's a mess in here!) But I do like this pair, and I will be writing more of them!

Techno-Ninja: Thank you! This series is supposed to be more about the emotion, so I'm glad it's coming through. Things will heat up... soon! Apollo: Thank you! The Chantry boy is a little slow to get going, but once he warms up, oh, yes! And of course I had to slip the elf geekdom in there somewhere!

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

You know, I don't think I could choose, either!

JayDee: Ah, yes... romance is germinating, at the very least! I'm glad you liked Alistair's reaction. I'm finding him surprisingly fun to write, and there will be more of these two.

In the holiday spirit... YouTube - Dirty Sleigh Ride

Poor Jeddek isn't going to know what hit hit when Auran decides to pounce, I think...

I love this... five spammers spleens! Brilliant!

Oh, I love this! I'm telling you, we are a creative bunch, aren't we? :clap:

On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me Twelve horny cookies, Eleven whips a-cracking, Ten lords a-cumming, Nine ladies stripping, Eight maids a-spanking, Seven hot men in kilts, Six big leaf blowers, Five cock rings, Four paladins, Three French maids, Two cattle prods, And a climax 'neath a pear tree!

This is so true, AB. I dealt with a lot of Japanese clients, and the protocols and almost ritualistic behaviors involved in the simplest phone call can be extraordinary. Japanese media is so far removed from reality as to be almost from another planet, but it IS the only outlet they have. My mother's cousin married a Japanese man, and he was disowned at his mother's insistence. She would not have a son who was married to a gaijin, period. This would be the same woman who paid for a condo in Tokyo for her husband's mistress, by the way. There is a schizophrenia in that culture that is staggering to the Western mind... SK: That's a rant for another thread, another time...

One thing you don't cover is timeframe. I came of age, sexually speaking, in the early 70s, when sex was not yet lethal, and the worst thing that could happen could be cured by a few days of penicillin. Women in my age group, who were open to exploration, probably displayed more than a few asshole traits of their own. It didn't make me less likely to be drawn to the bad boys, but I certainly gave them a run for their money...

I was reading this, and noticed something rather interesting, and let me state in advance that I'm poking myself more than anyone else... Why is it that we automatically assume, when we discuss assholes, douchebags and arrogant twits, that we are referring to males? I do acknowledge that there is an inherent gender bias in the English language, with the male pronoun being the default, but dear gods... As a woman, I can categorically state that we are equally prone to all of the personality traits that go into being a total and utter feckwit. And honestly, I really don't know if I'm mentioning this from a sense of offended gender pride (Yes, we too are assholes!) or simply because I am having a nice moment of my own...

Sometimes nice guys are boring, until you hit them with something that pushes them past their limits. No one's ever nice all the time. Everyone has triggers, and if you can realistically portray how they react to those, nice guys can be a hell of a lot of fun to write. Having said that, I prefer a little edge to my male characters. I find snark incredibly sexy, and a battle of wits amuses the hells out of me. I don't like men that are doormats, and I can't write men that are doormats, unless they are slated to die horribly in the very near future. But total bastards amuse me even less, unless I'm allowed to use them for target practice. Honestly, it's even harder to make a complete gobshite's redemption believable than it is to write a nice guy with limits. But that's just me...

pittwitch: Thank you! This was a fun prompt for me, and I'm glad you enjoyed my take on it!

FairySlayer: Thank you! You have no idea how much I love having people who normally wouldn't dip into my fandom actually read my flash fics, and enjoy them! I really am trying to focus more on the characters than the storyline itself, and I want to give a little insight into Wraith's head, outsider that he feels he is. Tolerance there is, along with a deepening friendship, and it is the best gift of all!

ApolloImperium: I'm glad the underlying theme came through, even though this one was a bit more heavily into the fandom. I'm trying to keep these more about the characters and less about the actual game, and it's a fine line! But I'm glad you enjoyed it!