Jashley13

@Joe Long Regarding the dates and whatnot, I kinda did that to myself early in the story. I selected a date and, because I'm kinda anal about the whole timeline thing, decided I'd just stick with those dates in regards to the story's continuity (I didn't plan on making it an actual year, technically; they'll never actually say what year it is). However, I quickly found that they were reacting to modern events and whatnot so I just kinda stuck with it. I guess my explanation is that they exist in our real-time, just the dates are on different days. In regards to talking about Age of Ultron, though, they don't say that they've just seen it; just that they had seen it.

Hey everyone! Time for Reality Check! - The cabin the gang stays at is modeled after one I stayed at with my family when I was younger. We didn't own it but I always remembered the oddity of its design. - Everything involving ranch is pretty much, word-for-word and action-for-action, exactly how my wife introduced me to it. One of a few things she's gotten me addicted to. - Jack's thoughts on the hike very much reflect my own whenever I go walking in the woods. I live in an area that doesn't really allow free-roaming through woods (they prefer we use paths, but I've been on more than a few walks in the woods themselves and it's always a very 'poetic' experience for me. - Jack's thoughts and reactions to The Golden Compass were exactly my own. The trilogy itself, His Dark Materials, are my favorite books of all time and I've lost count of the number of times I've read them. (side note: hugely disappointed with the movie. I understand they wanted to avoid the controversy of the book but they really missed the mark on what made the story so unique). - I was very disappointed with Avengers: Age of Ultron. One of the most disappointing theater-going experiences of my life. Probably not as bad as Prometheus and Les Miserables (which I couldn't wait to see and which ended up being horrendous) but still a massive disappointment to me. Thankfully, I saw Mad Max: Fury Road a couple weeks later, which more than made up for it (seriously, if you haven't seen it yet, go do so ASAP) - While my wife and I have not have a threesome yet, Jack's thoughts are very much the thoughts that have gone through my head when my wife and I have talked about it in the past. Don't know how I would react in real life (since it hasn't happened yet) but I imagine I'd be thinking very much as he did if presented with a surprise like that. And, since I wanted to add a bit to these posts, my Bad Idea Confessional: - I had originally planned to have Kayla break up with Craig at the end of Chapter 2, her having caught on very quick to his act and dumping him. I realized fairly quickly that such an act would render her going out with him and becoming his girlfriend almost completely pointless. Yes, she does eventually dump him, but only after enough time to get wise to him and realize that Jack is a better choice in a more realistic way. I think I was just so eager to get them together that I forgot that proper development was required. I actually was in the process of writing the section when I stopped, thought about it, then redid it. I think it ended up working well, since Jack and Kayla actually had some time to get to know each other first and for Craig's actually douchiness to present itself; as douchey as he was, he would make an effort to keep it a bit more downplayed, at least at first. Gonna start Chapter 33 soon. Got plenty of ideas in my head for how it should go so hopefully it should be quick, but not so quick that I have to sacrifice quality. See you soon!

Chapter 32 is finally up Sorry for the delay. I wanted to wait until the forums were done being upgraded and, by the time they were, I was busy helping my neighbors move so that took up a few more hours. However, all is well, and the chapter is up for you to enjoy And, since I will be out of town and unable to post tomorrow, I hope you all have a wonderful Memorial Day. Whether you're serving in the armed forces, have a relative who does, or are a civilian, I hope that you spend the day with the ones you love and remember the bravery and sacrifice of those who've passed in service of our country. My family is almost entirely military (I have a family member in every branch of the military) so it means a lot to us but I don't think you're required to be a military-child or anything else to fully appreciate it. To all those who serve or who have served, thank you so much for your courage and know that I keep you in my thoughts and prayers every day that I'm able to live happy and free. Hope you all enjoy the chapter and I'll see you again soon

Gonna make a huge effort to get the chapter finished tonight and out by tomorrow. If not, it will definitely be up by Monday. As for the recommendations for time off, I really appreciate it. Seriously, it makes me feel good that my readers are more concerned about me staying healthy and sane than getting the next chapter. However, because of personal compulsive tendencies, I kinda have to keep writing, especially since, at this point, I'm kind of surprising myself. I've got stuff for the next school year planned, but summer vacation in the story is still being thought up as I go. So I'm just as eager to see what happens in the next chapter, especially with how this chapter ends. The end is in sight for the chapter but I've found myself deleting and rewriting passages, just to make sure it's the best it can be. Hopefully it will be up by tomorrow but, if not, Monday definitely. See you soon!

Hey everyone! Sorry the forum's been so quiet, especially in regards to updates. I've been plowing away at the chapter and I hope to get it out by this weekend. I've just found myself so exhausted recently (maybe overnight shift is finally catching up to me). My days have literally been writing, eating, sleeping, and working, not necessarily always in that order. I'm shooting for Sunday at the latest but it's hard for me to tell at this point. The end of the chapter is in sight, but the path to it may be longer than I think; often what I think may take only a page or two to describe ends up needing a bit more. Still, it's progressing smoothly and hopefully you will all be able to enjoy it this weekend Updates to follow!

Welcome back to the forum, Nicholle We've missed you around here. Hope the newer chapters live up to your expectations

Halfway point! And in regards to how Jack, Alan, and Amanda came to be...all I can say is that I am not ignoring how odd something like that is. Not to give anything away but the logistics of how it works will be addressed in the future. Much like the pipe bomb, Chinese Water Torture, and the drunken tumble.

Hey everyone! So, back from my mini vacation and caught up on rest so it's Reality Check Time: - Actually, this one is a complete coincidence: Kayla's surprise for Jack was something I had written literally a day before my wife did the exact same thing. I didn't even tell her about the chapter. How about that? - My buddies and I have a Dude's Day once a month, where we do, in fact, get together at a bar for drinks and wings and general tom-boyishness. The one Jack and his friends went on is very reminiscent of the first one we had, where we were basically asking ourselves, "So what the hell do we do on one of these? - Rhona's attitude is heavily based on the work attitudes and ethics of several people I've worked with, one in particular. I now count them as one of my closest friends so don't be too annoyed with her; trust me, we've just begun to get to know her. - Frank's attitude towards Rhona and holding her spot is also based off the same friend; I don't know how legal it is but there you go. - The tension between the Hannigans is very heavily based on tension I've seen between my parents and my wife's parents. Never a good experience. Now, because we're getting so far in and the story has gone through so many twists and turns, I figure it would be interesting to take a look back on some of the bad ideas I've had regarding the story. Many people wonder at what's going on behind the scene in the story and others wonder what happened and when to make what happen, etc. Obviously, I can't reveal spoilers or stuff that needs to be highlighted for future installments for fear of spoilers (Rhona's brother, for example), but it would be interesting for you and kind of cathartic for me to share the bad ideas that, thankfully, I scrapped before putting them in the story. I'll probably do one per Reality Check, since there aren't as many of them and it's based on past chapters, not the ones that just came out. Occasionally I might put more than one, like if the Reality Check is especially short, but for now it'll be just one. Let's call this segment...Bad Idea Confessional. So, here we go. First Bad Idea Confessional: - It was originally my intention to have Jack force a kiss on Kayla in the first chapter. Well, 'force' may be a bit strong. He was going to surprise her with it. I was planning on having Kayla come home late while he was still up and have him run over to her to check on how she was. She'd reply that she was fine, that the date went great, and that she thinks Craig is a swell guy and all that. Jack, jealous, would then plant a kiss on her so he could claim to have kissed her before Craig did. For obvious reasons, I scrapped it pretty quickly: it made Jack seem like a stalker and would not really lead to a romantic connection, at least not in the way the story needed; not without making it very contrived and rapey. So, yeah, thank God I saw that as the bad idea that it was before it was too late. Have started work on Chapter 32 so hopefully it will be out soon. See you guys soon!

Hey everyone! Chapter 31 actually made it up! This has been an...interesting week, to say the least. There was all the prepping for travelling to my brother's college, getting that squared away with work, finding out Avengers: Age of Ultron was a crushing disappointment, finding out that there's a Taylor Swift song I actually like ("Blank Space", in case you were wondering), fighting off sickness, and, of course, trying to get this chapter finished up before leaving. I'm really happy I was able to so now I don't feel guilty about leaving you guys hanging while I go off-the-radar for a couple days. Reality Check when I get back and hope you all enjoy the chapter

Hey guys! So I'm coming down to the wire on Chapter 31 and honestly have no clue if I'm gonna be able to finish it before I go to my brother's graduation. I'll be gone tomorrow through Sunday morning so if I get it done tonight, it'll be up tomorrow morning before me and my wife leave. If not, then I will be finishing it as soon as I get back and it should be up Monday morning. It all depends on how quickly I can get the last part of the story written. Just had a nice big chunk of the chapter with Rhona in it which I was able to breeze through no problem so hopefully this last section shouldn't take too long but I don't want to make any promises. Fingers-crossed!

Hey guys! Halfway point! I'm really plowing through this one, hoping to get it done by Thursday. I'm going to be out of town Friday-Sunday since it's my brother's college graduation and I would love to get the chapter out before then but we will see. Updates to come.

Hey guys! So, as you know, I took a rather nasty swipe at Cher Lloyd and her abysmal single 'Want U Back' in the last chapter. While I think it was wholly deserved (seriously, the song is so bad I almost want to recommend you listen to it...but I love you guys too much), I don't want to give the impression that I'm some jaded snob about music so I figured I might as well share my Top Ten Favorite Songs, just so you get an idea of what I like and where I come from when I judge music. Wholly subjective of course. Why Top Ten? Well, it's just easier for me to do. I have a Top Ten Favorite Video Games, Top Ten Favorite TV Shows, make a Top Ten Best and Worst Films list each year, etc. Only exception is favorite movies; being a huge film buff, I have a Top Fifty. Yes, I'm that insane. So, for your pleasure, here are my Top Ten Favorite Songs of all time: 1. "Under Pressure"- Queen with David Bowie 2. "Lose Yourself"- Eminem 3. "American Pie"- Don McLean 4. "What About Everything"- Carbon Leaf 5. "Into The West"- Annie Lennox 6. "The Times They Are A-Changin'"- Bob Dylan 7. "The End"- The Doors 8. "Hallelujah"- Rufus Wainwright (I know he didn't technically write the song but his cover is my favorite) 9. "Citizen Soldier"- 3 Doors Down 10. "All Downhill From Here"- A New Found Glory Plenty of Honorable Mentions but those are my personal top ten favorites. Started working on Chapter 31. Have the whole chapter outlined but it's the details that with require the most attention. Hope to get it out quickly but we shall see. Updates to follow!

Hey everyone! Reality Check time - The move-in of Tara's family is almost exactly like how most moves within my family went. My dad was in the Navy, on subs, so we moved quite a bit so I have many memories of moving around with help from the family. - There are not words powerful to describe how much I loathe 'Want U Back' by Cher Lloyd. I think she's an absolutely despicable artist, not just for the song...although the song itself is pretty heinous in ways that get my blood boiling. - Jack's talk with his dad is very similar to how talks with my dad usually go: we both admit that we know we're not going to change the other's mind but at the very least, we can come to a middle ground of understanding. - Jack's talk with Paul about Man of Steel mirrors almost every conversation I've had with people about the film (I love the movie, think it's just as good as The Avengers, and I don't really get a lot of the criticisms against it...but that's just me). - Rhona...I don't wanna say too much about her but she's drawn from two girls I've known in my life, both of whom did not know each other but who were eerily similar. Again, don't wanna give too much away, but I'm actually kind of excited to have her in the story. That's all for right now. Starting Chapter 31 soon so hopefully that should move right along Provided life cooperates, of course

Hey everyone! Chapter 30 is up Hard to believe it's been half as long again since the big fight with Brad. My, how time flies. Thankfully, there seems to be a bit more of a set schedule now so I'm happy to be churning these out on the regular. Another non-sex, establishing chapter so if you wanted some hot-and-heavy action, unfortunately you're going to have to wait. I realize that's two chapters in a row with no sex but I couldn't find a good way to insert it without having it seem forced. Trust me, this will earn its title of 'erotica' back soon so if you really wanted some intimacy, please be patient. Hope you all enjoy the chapter and I'll see you soon for the Reality Check

Welcome back, Chester! Don't give up on the nurse! Pursue that love, man!

@ Guest_Dark_ Yes I have. Enjoyed the first game, though it didn't hold up to multiple playthroughs like Mass Effect. Hated the second one and LOVED Inquisition.

Presque fini. Si tout va bien de ce dimanche

Hey guys! Halfway update Sorry I've been kind of absent from the forums but I've been basically bed-ridden whenever I'm not at work. No clue what it is but I've just been so sore and exhausted that I can barely force myself to move. I'm kind of hoping it's just a change-of-weather bug but it kinda cranked me over the head out of nowhere and laid me out. Even at work I've been having to almost stab myself with pens to keep myself focused. Just a weird time. Anyway, halfway through the chapter so hopefully should have it out within the next week

@Joe Long It's an interesting discussion to have. Frankly, and I know this sounds cliché, it all depends on the person. In the eyes of the law, eighteen is the limit because, as a general consensus within the eyes of commonplace emotional-maturity as it pertains to society, that is a generally agreed-upon limit of maturity after which one may be considered 'adult' enough to make such a decision, at least as it pertains to people older than them. As far as I know, if two sixteen-year-olds or whatever have sex with each other, the law doesn't care. I mean, I'm sure the parents care, but I don't think the police actually get involved unless it's public or one of the participants is over eighteen (unless we consider the rather confusing Romeo-and-Juliet laws, but that's another discussion). Frankly, I knew a LOT more people having sex in high-school and college-years than I do in the 'real world'. You could make the argument that real life and everything is getting in the way, but I'd say part of what makes younger folks so sex-happy is the newness and 'mystery' of it. I hold that no beer or cigarette ever tastes better than when you're too young to have it. Now, of course, with experience comes appreciation so I think that the abundance of sex in younger generations is not a bad thing, but what I will certainly caution my children on is, well, excess. You dull yourself to sex too quickly, how's it gonna be when you meet The One? Don't wanna kill the charm too quickly. There's a fantastic movie with Joseph Gordon-Lovitt called Don Jon that's about that very subject. So...like I said, it's all on the individual. As long as they're being smart and understand what they're doing, I say let them do it, as long as they understand moderation and consequences. And, honestly, I don't think there should be a restriction with stories. As long as the story explains why the characters are doing what they're doing, rather than sex for the sake of sex, then I think it's perfectly fine. As long as the story acknowledges that stuff like that isn't necessarily right or even that common, then whatever happens happens and to deny that something like that has or could happen seems rather dishonest and needlessly restrictive. Also, I must make the point that I made on the blue site: how can loving, consensual sex between slightly younger kids be completely taboo and yet rape, torture, and murder porn be perfectly fine just because the characters are slightly older?

Hey everyone! First of all, before the Reality Check, a couple things. First, a big, enthusiastic welcome-back to DarkRomantics to the forums. Missed having you! Second, congratulations to JohnnyBanana on his official account Welcome aboard. All right, time for the Reality Check! - Jack's tossing of all his old materials is exactly what I did at the end of every school year. Nothing felt better than my heavy-ass backpack now light as a feather and not needing to be filled for several months. - A lot of Kayla's dialogue comes directly from my wife, including most of the zingers. Verbatim. I made sure to ask her permission before I used them. - The pool party was an amalgamation of several pool parties I've had over the years, mostly drawn from one in particular at the end of my Junior year. The conversations and the pool they were at are drawn from that, while other finer details come from other parties. - The description of Tara's house is based very much on the area where my cousin's family used to live, mixed with some of my ideal features of homes I would like to live in once we move. That's all I got for now. I've started work on Chapter 30 and hopefully it should clip along at a nice pace. We shall see. Hope you all are well and see you soon!

Chapter 29 is up!!! Just got off work and couldn't wait to post it before I lay down for a while. Glad I was able to get it up on my wife's birthday too, especially since it's the kind of relaxing, non-angsty chapter I kinda miss writing from around the beginning of the story. Hope it was worth the wait Thank you guys again so much for reading and I'll see you all again soon for the Reality Check and updates on Chapter 30!

Worromot retpahc txen!

Update time! New chapter will definitely be up this weekend Also, no sex this time. Plenty of flirting and teasing but no sex. As someone mentioned a little bit ago, there's really no need for me to keep putting sex scenes into the chapters, especially if I'm just doing it to have them. I've started to realize that I have a lot more freedom here than on xnxx with writing, i.e. a story can just be a story, with the occasional erotic scene. Honestly, it's kind of liberating. Don't worry, I have plenty of plans for stuff coming up, but that's the way it's standing now. And I should also mention this is kind of a 'break' chapter, as in there's not a whole lot of plot development. Basically, it's just Jack and the gang relaxing and taking a moment to breathe. I need it and they need it. Plenty to come but this will be a fairly light chapter in terms of story but it's what I think they need right now. The saga proper will begin the next chapter and even then, since it'll be the Summer Saga, major plot isn't going to be a huge focus, but there will be plenty going on. See you guys soon

@Guest_brokenforever She still wears them. I've just stopped mentioning them as much. Also, almost finished hopefully, should be up by this weekend

@JohnnyBanana I'm so glad to hear that. My prayers and my wife's prayers are still with you and your family If everyone reading this forum can shoot some support and prayers to Johnny and Chester, that would be fantastic. Help them through this tough time and let them know we support them.