Jashley13

@guest_Alexander Don't worry. There is always a plan In fact, there are hints of it in the chapter if you read deeply enough. But don't worry. There's a good reason I want to get this next chapter out soon

Chapter 57 is finally posted sorry about the late posting time but it was my last day of work and they decided to hold me over as a final act of vengeance. Oh well. Time for a good night's rest and then on to Chapter 58, which I REALLY want done before I leave. Hope you all enjoy the chapter

New chapter should be up by tomorrow

Hey guys! I know I'm a little late getting to the Reality Check but better late than never, right? - I don't have two siblings like Jack does. I have one brother, but on more than one occasion, he's completely shut himself off from the family to bury himself in his social life via his phone. Trying to drag him away from it was an unbelievable chore. - Jack's conversation with Joe mirrored a few I had with friends before my first year of college. I feel bad that I was nowhere near as compassionate as Jack was (I was ready to get to college, come Hell or high water) but it was a real surreal feeling to realize how I was living my life would be changed. - Jack's feelings about Arthur and his place in Tara's life are basically my own with my cousin's most recent relationship. We do not live close together so I don't have quite as strong a feeling of 'jealousy' as he does, but it does hurt a little knowing that we don't talk as much as we do, mainly because she's got another guy in her life. Though I did give him 'the talk'. Chapter 57 is progressing well and, at this rate, I should have it done in the next few days. And while I'm enjoying writing this one, I really, really, REALLY want to get the next chapter out before I leave. I have my last day of work coming up in a couple days so I should have all the time I need to sit down and write it. You'll understand why once it comes out. Hope you all are doing well and I'll see you soon

Hey everyone! Chapter 56 is up So glad I was able to keep my promise and post it before the end of the day. Hope you all enjoy it!

Next chapter should be up tomorrow Just in time for my wife and mine's 3 year anniversary

I am planning on applying for OCS while in A School after boot camp. Unless you are in ROTC in college, it's difficult to hop directly into OCS.

Hey guys! Sorry this took a little bit but time for the Reality Check - My family and I actually never got a personalized tour of Iowa State. That actually happened at my second college (I went two years to one, two years to the other). However, my parents were so familiar with Iowa State that they were able to provide just as good of a tour on the multiple occassions we went there. Actually...holy crap, I just realized that that was pretty much all I needed to say. Little bits here and there in the tour were made up or spun up a bit to fit the story, but otherwise that was all the truth. And since that was the main thrust of the chapter...there you go. I do realize that this last chapter was a bit single-minded in terms of its goal. I completely understand if there was a little bit of impatience with it, especially since not much actually happened. Part of me wants to say that it probably works better once taken in context with the chapters that follow but I think that's a bit unfair. It should work on its own and if you don't think it did, I apologize. This is something that BashfulScribe and I have talked about a lot in terms of our story structure. He prefers the episodic vignettes while I look more at the story overall. Both are valid and if one suits your taste more than the other, I completely understand. That said, I really enjoyed writing this last chapter. It got me nostalgic for my old college, especially since my wife and I took a tour of it back in December. So many memories...It honestly makes me wish I could go back and relive all of it, even knowing it wouldn't be for very long. I think everyone wishes that at some point in their life for some other point in their life. Unfortunately, we don't have time machines yet. Actually, that's not true. We do have time machines. Those that take us back: our memories. Those that take us forward: our dreams. And on that philosophical what's-it, I shall leave you for now. Work is progressing well on the next chapter and I hope to have it up soon

Chapter 55 is up

Thanks for the birthday wishes everyone It really means a lot to me. In other news, the next chapter should be up this weekend

Hey guys! I was hoping to have the next chapter out tomorrow as my birthday gift to you, but...unfortunately that will not be the case. I'll be posting it in the next couple of days though! Never fear

Hey everyone! Time for the Reality Check: - Pretty much everything about the trip out to Iowa is completely true. I had been there many times before I chose it as my college (my grandparents lived out in Iowa so we had plenty of opportunities) so my trip out to it between my Junior and Senior year was not my first foray onto its grounds. Believe me, I saved you a lot by not going into complete detail about the ennui of the road trip. - Hickory Park, likewise, is a restaurant I had been to many times before. It's a one-of-a-kind so you won't be able to try it unless you really do go to Ames, Iowa. It's worth it, trust me. - Despite having been there a few times before, Jack's drive along the south side of campus and his impressions of it were the same as mine. I saw the college in a completely different light once I knew it was where I was going to go. Not a day goes by where I don't miss the place. I'm already well into the next chapter. I have just a bit more than a month before I go and I would LOVE to finish the Saga before I do...I doubt its going to happen. Still, I will do my best. Oh, and a fun fact that might shed some light on future events: before I decided to do a bit more in-depth stuff at Iowa State for Jack's trip, the saga was originally going to be called the Rhona Saga. I shall say nothing more. Hope you're all well and I will update soon.

Chapter 54 is up Sooner than I thought it would be. Surprising but a welcome surprise And, since I'm on a roll, I'm gonna go start Chapter 55 now. I want to get as many of these done before I leave for boot camp as possible. If I could get to the end of the saga, great! If not, I'll at least get as much of the story out as I can before I go. Talk to you all soon!

Hey guys! Not too much longer on the chapter. Would have been further into it but I worked a 13-hour shift today so that ate up most of my time xP Still hope to get it done by the beginning of next week. Just a heads-up: it's going to be about the same length as the last chapter and features very little in the way of conflict or huge events. That might not be a problem for the readers (and it's not really a problem for me either, to be honest), but it's such a change from the drama-heavy Voyeur Saga that I actually stopped and wondered if I was doing somethiing wrong. So weird once you've moved past the big-time events and gone on to something more...familiar. Relaxed. Casual. Any of those words probably work. Not to say that this is a BORING chapter or anything (I hope), but it's an interesting departure from how I've done things before and yet another reason I'm so glad I moved to AFF. On the blue site, there's a huge demand for each chapter to have sex in some degree. Here, I can go a couple of chapters with sex at ALL and no one bats an eye. It's so liberating and helps me feel like the author I want to BE, rather than the author I feel I HAVE to be. And, of course, this is all thanks to you loyal fans and readers. I know I've thanked you all before but I really can't say it enough. You guys are the best and you have no idea how good it feels to see another comment or review on my story, no matter what it says. Good or bad, like or dislike, I'm glad someone cares enough to make a comment on the story. So thank you all again and I shall continue working hard to reward your loyalty

Boot camp for Navy is up in Great Lakes. After that, A School for the IT field is down in Florida, I think. After that, it's wherever they tell me my duty station is.

Hey everyone! Just past the halfway point of the chapter so should be done soon In regards to the question of serving in the Armed Forces, well...there's several reasons for me. First and foremost is the fact that I was raised in a military household (Navy brat). Thus, I'm somewhat familiar with the lifestyle and found ways to enjoy it. It's something I always felt I would end up doing someday, just because of my familiarity and the values I was brought up to respect. Second, as that-one-guy said, there are major benefits to becoming specialized in certain fields. I have some IT background, but it's more in a Help Desk environment. I feel like I can get a bit more in-depth with my training in the military, which will help me when I leave...IF I leave. Another major factor is that...well, I'm kind of driven to be the best. One of my major personal philosophies has always been that if you can be the best at something, there's not reason NOT to be. My father retired a Commander; therefore, I want to retire at least a Captain. Selfish? Perhaps, but I've never thought it was a weakness to want to be the absolute best at something. And yes, there are all the other usual reasons people list: become a better person, serve my country, etc. etc. I think all of them factor in at some point, but another one that really drives me is security and benefits. My wife and I plan on having a child within a year or so and the benefits of being in the military will certainly help with that. Granted, that comes with having to live wherever they tell me to live, but she and I are perfectly fine with that. And believe me, I will certainly not be stopping this story because of it

I shall be joining the Navy as an IT Specialist. I'm looking to get stationed on submarines (familial tradition and all that) and also looking to make the jump to officer ASAP. I would love love love to get the Travel Saga done before I leave but I don't know how that's going to work out. All I can do is promise to work my absolute hardest.

Hey everyone! So there's not gonna be much of a Reality Check this time around. The only bit of real life in the chapter was that my close friend who ran for Council President during my Junior year also lost, but that's about it. Everything else is set-up for the upcoming saga. However, there is a bit of business I need to lay out right now, just so it doesn't come as a shock down the line. Two months from today, I will be joining the Armed Forces. It's something I've kind of always known I would end up doing (my entire family has been military) and...well, it's finally my time. I've gotten all the paperwork signed, gotten my assignment, and got my ship date to boot camp. I'm basically just waiting now. So what does this mean for the story? Nothing. I mean, there's going to be a two-month break between chapters while I'm at boot camp (no access to technology, of course), but as soon as I'm in tech school, I will have my computer back and I will be typing up a storm. This story will continue, come Hell or high water. I've invested over 50 chapters into this story and I have well more than 50 more already in my head. Nothing is going to stop this story, short of my...well, let's not get morbid. Just wanted to give you all a heads-up. I will be giving a message when I am actually leaving, of course, but this way it won't come as quite as much of a shock. Hope you're all doing well and I will post updates on the latest chapter soon.

Chapter 53 is up Hope everyone had a great Fourth of July and hope you all enjoy the chapter. See you guys soon!

Happy Fourth of July everyone! To keep the good news a-rolling, the newest chapter of Being More Social is out In further good news, I'll have the next chapter of She is the One out tomorrow. I'd do it today but since Bashful already posted, I want him to have today

Can't make any promises for Fourth of July but I will try my best This is going to be a shorter chapter, lighter on plot details, but it will set up stuff for the coming Saga. Just kind of a laid-back chapter, which I think we could all use after the Voyeur Saga.

Good news everyone! I'm at the halfway point of Chapter 53 Having a lighter, more relaxed tone is certainly helping the process and I'm hoping to continue that speed through the rest of the chapter. Updates to follow.

Hey everyone! Time for the Reality Check: - The whole prostitution ring, I think I mentioned before, was based on somethiing that actually happened at my school. As far as I know, no one ever got involved the way Jack did and the police were, I assume, quick to act on it, so I had to stretch their inactivity just a little longer. Then again, I have no clue how long it was going on at my school, so...there you go. - The scenario Mr. Owens gave the Philosophy class is the exact same one I got while in the same class. All of Jack's responses were my own and I still believe, to this day, that the guy in the scenario made the wrong choice. Unfortunately, as Jack found, real life ended up bowing to the lucky happenstance. - I was able to go to my Junior Prom but I had a friend who was grounded from it for...actually, I don't remember what he was grounded for. I remember that his siblings were all allowed to go and I remember him saying that he just couldn't be with them in pictures, since it would have made him feel like too much crap. - Jack's conversation with Rhona is basically a compilation of several different conversations I had towards the end of high school, when I was getting myself ready for college. I can't say that I immediately took it to heart (nor, honestly, can I say that it will immediately work for Jack) but it was advice that I carried around with me for a long time and it helped me to become the person I am today. - Rhona's 'pensive song' is also my 'pensive song'. For those of you who don't know, it's called 'Northern Lights' by Jaymes Young. Check it out, it's an amazing song. That's about all I had for the last chapter. Thank goodness that Saga is over. It was really starting to drain me emotionally and helping Jack find something of an equilibrium in his emotional life is as much of a relief as I can get when I write. Just a side-note, I won't be saying when the pipe bomb will be coming into the story but I will say that Rhona is definitely not an older Nicole from Being More Social. Not at all. They are two completely different people and, as of yet, BashfulScribe and I have no plans to further cross our stories other than the one time Carson visited. Sorry if that's a little disappointing but our stories are going in completely different directions (my story is at least a year ahead of his) and it would just be too complicated. Big emotional hurdles have been past and brighter skies are ahead. I can't promise that it will be completely free of drama but I can say that the Travel Saga will certainly be much lighter than the previous few. See you guys soon

Chapter 52 is up and the Voyeur Saga has officially ended A very happy Father's Day to everyone. All fathers or fathers-to-be out there...enjoy your day and I hope it's filled with all the happiness you bring to your children.

Good news! Closing in on the end. I hope to have the next chapter up by Sunday or Monday