Darkalley_Muse

Well, with so much rambling going on I guess I should poke my head in too, heh. Not a lot to be said that hasn’t been more eloquently covereded, so I’ll just share a little personal axiom I try to remind myself of often when I write: this is art, an ultimately formless creation incapable of perfection thus forever containing the potential of being more perfect. Basically, my way of over-thinking advise I got back when I used to draw (terribly). You can tweak something all day, but part of the skill is learning when you must let your creation go and let it simply be. As for feedback … yeah, that is the bottomless hunger of the creative soul. I’m sure we all feel you there. -_-; I’ve been fairly lucky with feedback working on an original story, but there’s always that doubt, that uncertainty that the work was worthwhile. Honestly, I think that point of self doubt is part of the very basis of creativity. If any of us could throw together a few paragraphs and feel content, we wouldn’t build worlds and fictional lives that, if we can just get it to work blast it, communicate to a stranger something they can feel just as attached to as we do. So … keeping pounding your head into the wall, I guess. In my experience, there is usually candy on the other side. Addictive, self-replicating candy you can only hope to gobble up as much as you can as the new pages fly by, all before the mountain of sweets goes poof and another wall hiding even more candy waits. Annnd on a side note… … yeah, I did the spreadsheet shuffle too and it did help. I might not have known what readers were thinking chapter to chapter, but by golly some of them had to be returning again and again to keep thinking it. There is some real value in that. (Now I must wander off again to fret over getting a big head after only one story. )

And a review from Mona! Thanks again for reviewing my (not so) little work! Yeah, had a fun/gut-wrenching time writing this one. I hoped most people were gearing themselves for another Azuren-style, rapey chapter and hopefully this was a nice plot turn for folks. What can I say, I can’t have Azuren have it all easy. That would be boring. -snicker- That said, this one for obvious reasons is right behind ch17 in stuff I’ve written that always brings a tear to my eye.As the story has unfolded, I imagine folks have adjusted themselves to how each of the characters think a bit so now we get a peek from another perceptive more familiar with how they used to be. Nightmare, oh my is that a nightmare. As for Sherry’s badassery … oh my is she, but first she’s going to have to learn to control that runaway power of hers. Stay tuned for more details on that in the next chapter. Minor spoiler: there will be a bath. No real surprise, if you’ve picked up on Azuren’s … post-battle tendencies. -snicker-

A review from a new reviewer, JenJen! -does a little happy jig- Also kinda long (makes me happy, to be clear ^^), so I think I'll try something new and break it up a bit... ugh, to very, very true. Sadly, been learning about a few previously unknown forms of those horrible things of late. The things people do to each other in the name of being 'moral'.... -shudder- But anyway, yeah there are far more edgier things out there, but this one chapter... I guess hit closer to home for me than others thus my extra warning. -shrug- I kinda got a similar reaction from a friend about it, but I guess my own reaction was strong enough to it that I felt a bit cautious. Trust me, my own bias and experiences lead to that punishment as well. Wasn't originally going to be so ... bloody, but then I arrived at that point and Azuren kinda became the tool of my own rage. Not sure what it says about me as an writer, but there you have it. Then again, thinking about it more, we all view things through the lens of experience so really, we all gotta salt our intellectual food plenty anyway. >_> -blush- well, I don't know how well I've actually shined a light on anything, but I'll take the praise anyway. ^^; Honestly, I couldn't agree more on not running away from the evils of the world. To do so only makes you more susceptible to them. To my mind, stories inherently serve a purpose no matter their content. Stories entertain, educate, and so many more things. Stories like this, at least I hope, are kind of like a simulation on morality. You don't have to agree with the plot or the characters, but they give the reader an idea of how someone (or something) might think and act. It's up to the reader interpret and draw a benefit from that, based on their own experience and the world they survive in. Ok, might have rambled a bit there. Well, it's all just my opinion anyway and not saying I actually accomplish that. ugh, there is some UN reports floating up in my mind. Yup, no matter how much we dance our fingers across the keyboard, somebody is waltzing about in reality far more sinister than our figments darkest whims. The puzzle I find is which is worse, their actions or the mental gymnastics they explain them away with? I suppose it's those questions that lead me to write like I do. >_> holy hell, I didn't think I was unique by any means but I didn't know me and King had anything in common really. ...maybe I shouldn't have put off reading him quite so much. -pokes around his bookshelf- ohhh, that dark tower shortstory, I haven't reread this in ages -drool- But yeah, as I mentioned earlier, all stories serve a purpose. All naysayers are doing is saying they can't figure out a benefit to their mind. That is by no means an indication that there isn't one for others. Luckily, I don't get too many negative reviews (god bless you, AFF readers) so I just have to defend against the ones in my own head. Disclaimer: I really don't think I'm somehow imitating the quality of Stephen King. The reference just surprises me, pleasantly, is all. You know, nothing makes me happier than hearing a reader confirm that I did one of my jobs right, that I actually communicated what I wanted too. Yeah, I never intended this story to be mainstream (or originally to even have an audience), but then again I'm not really a mainstream kind of person. -snicker- I just wanted to tell a tale with some bad things happen cause of something that thinks somewhat alien to us. -looks up- Ok, might have rambled more than was necessary. Honestly, just super happy to get a review after so long. Also, about to go to bed and brain is rebelling anyway it can. ; So thank you JenJen, hope you continue to find my little tale interesting!

It's an interesting idea. Not that I've tried it, but maybe you could use block quotes (triple " instand of singles) to make it more noticeable. Another idea, not sure how noticeable it might be, would be to have an overall page indent on the right side of the page for 'in-scene' paragraphs, left left side indent for 'meta' paragraphs. Would depend on the editor your putting the story in though. As a friend looking over my shoulder pointed out, citations as done by Terry Prachett or Douglas Adams is also good for this, but sadly doesn't work well posting online I think. Line break - meta bit - line break might work as well, if the meta parts are not happening too often.

Huh, those are pretty nice. Going to give the Soft Murmur a try my next day off, maybe it'll get me out of my funk. 25% Fire/10% Singing Bowl definitely sounds like something that would draw out my muse XD

Wasn't entirely sure where to post this, but I figure the review thread will work. Sadly, I'm going on over a month without updating Sinful. It's not that I haven't taken the time for editing, but ... well, let's say writer's block has struck and apparently also has dominion over basic editing. Apparently. The last few chapters probably has signs of my problems starting (I originally wanted to redo the Mia/Aria thing cause ...well, it's terrible) but I tried to force it to keep to a release schedule. Yeah... didn't work. So, for why I'm making this post. Hopefully anyone waiting for the rest of Sinful also reads the forums so I have a question for those folks. Should I just release the rest of it now or wait till my concentration comes back? My muse will recover (it always does) but it might be another month or two before I can bring myself to edit again. I don't plan to have any major plot changes, but my spelling and grammar is ... pretty rough normally and I do try and refine the presentation of events somewhat so it's a little less confusing. So yeah ... would you folks prefer more rough-Sinful now or waiting for a more edited Sinful later?

Another review from CL! Hrm, might be better said that some are worth saving more than others. Or that some folks end up twisted and broken to the point of being irredeemable. In the end, chapter 6 was written mostly aiming to be horror at having a kid as young as Sue dealing with that level of human villainy ... and then responding in a terrible mix of 8 year old/absolute moralist response. That kind of decision making is one of Sue's regular backdrops later on. The ethics involved are loopy, but then again this is a loopy story ... in a not good way, generally. >_> As for Sharon, Admittedly, I'm getting a little concerned how confusing the story has been for you, but I'm thrilled you gave my humble story a shot. Sadly, I think the sex and plot start getting a little... tangled up moving on. So read on or not, as you decided and thanks for reading regardless!

A review from CL! (Oh god, she keeps dodging those minor1 bits... I'm so sorry for the minefield!) Awww, I was hoping the brief little peek into Azuren's history might get a bit of reaction. I don't get to do those too often. Well, I get more chances in Part 2 so maybe I can redeem myself. But yeah, once it gets to the first POV change, it's mostly all sex... and the first time Azuren loses a game of 'who is more stubborn'. -snicker- Fair warning for the next one: there will be murder. Oh, so much murder. (Just be careful towards the end. It ... gets a little extra dark.)

Ohhh, torture off? Is it limited to the realms of slash or can I join? -puppy eyes- I think I can scare up some competition for Kamal.

A review from Mona! (I swear, I think I'm going to have to write a special Sue chapter or something for dear Mona at this rate. Maybe something to hold folks over between parts. -snicker-) Let's see, sleeping with a smoking hot demon with an insatiable sex drive? Who also gave me the power to keep up with said drive and made it so I didn't have to work so I could write all the time during those rare moments I'm allowed both air and full use of my hands? Oh yes, sign me up too. Dealing with a crazed, feral doppleganger personality might actually be worth it, lol. Course, pacts with demons always cost more than meets the eye, so.... The fact my humor made it in is a surprise, mostly, but the fact it's fucked up is not. This story is just madness front to back. Like I said at the beginning, it's horror even when it doesn't read like it. Oh, Sherry. Yup, that little plot thread is closing in but it'll have a bit more build up than the others so far. What can I say, her sisters tend to drive Azuren to distraction. And let's not forget Sharon (I beat everyone thought I had at this point. -grins evily-) As for his plan, well ... . Interesting factoid maybe, we're now at the beginning of what I've ponderously labeled the longest day in this story. You'll see why. :/ I will say I am curious how the Azuren part will go with readers since I tried something a bit weird this time around. For the confused, he finally started picking up something odd going on on his end of all this and well ... thought to fight it. Sadly for our demon lord, his kind have zero impulse control most of the time. I might not have chosen the best way to represent it, but he is fond of his nicknames for his treats so him trying to put those aside seemed logical at the time. -frets over his strange character and his confusing pronouns-