Finished another Strokes story!

[tarotgal]

I don't know how many people are actually interested in reading it, but I just had to share my happy :-)
I finished another story in my Strokes 'verse. It's Marty & Coyote (again) and I've been working on it since last June. But now it's finally finished! Whoohoo!

It does have some sneezing in it, and the majority is rated G or PG but there are a few R moments for language and a quick bit of sexual content.
Summary: Tragedy strikes Coyote and he needs some help getting through it.
Link: http://tgsrealm.beastlet.com/StrokesAlone.html

Strokes stories listing: http://tgsrealm.beastlet.com/Strokes.html

Anyhoo... if you read it, I'd love comments, of course. I was just going to include this in my next update but I found I couldn't wait that long. heehee! Just another 11 to go before I can work on stories set during "this year's" saga

Comments

[tinadp.livejournal.com]

I'm interested!!! I've started reading them but haven't had time to give you any fb yet(except for the challenge fics). I really like them so far.

[tarotgal]

Yay! I look forward to your fb when you have the time. It's the first time original characters have really held my attention in a long time, and I love them so. So it's really good to know they're being read (and, hopefully, enjoyed!). I'm sooo in love with Coyote and tend to focus on him a lot. But I have big plans for him and for a few other characters in future fics... I just need to write the "before" fics before I get to those or readers will be bombarded with massive amounts of spoilers :-)

Anyway, my point is YAY! Thank you for reading them!!!!!! It means a lot :-)

[vatergrrl.livejournal.com]

I can see why Coyote is a favorite character to write about! He has, in your writing, a tremendous depth of feeling, as well as the integrity to do what's "right" even when he's faced with the dastardly step-siblings. The bits later on about his childhood in the Carolinas (can't recall if you specified NC or SC) add to that feeling of adhering to a certain code of behavior, the "Southern hospitality" which, as a Northerner, I guess I find kind of charming and a little bit odd (but, still falling more on the side of charming!).

I think I'll probably have to write out a long e-mail to do your story justice in more detailed comments/feedback, but a few things which stood out for me I'll mention right away:

*The graveyard scene, especialy those three small Confederate flags, seemed spot-on to me. It comes across as a good, high-end resting place, which fits with Yo's mother's social position. And your having Coyote be the one to press the button to lower the casket into the ground -- what he says is just sweet and chokes one up, especially as it allows him to be a child again, in some small way.

*All the flowers at the house -- ;D Of course, it leaves room for all sorts of fetishy goodness, but on a second reading, the aptness of it and the Southernness struck me more. As with the graveyard, I'd expect a certain level of formality and grandeur to commemorate the passing of a woman who (I assume) was a pillar of the community and an economic leader. The bouquets, then, probably came from every other socially prominent family in the area. Very good of Marty to have thought ahead and packed a few extra handkerchiefs for Coyote -- I just kind of *squee!* at that sort of stuff... And then when Marty too such care to take the flowers away then ext morning, so they wouldn't bother his sweetie -- that was so nice.

Oh, yeh, the milk in the cream of mushroom soup -- excellent choice! I go with cream of chicken, m'self (hate mushrooms -- oooh, ick!), but I always use milk rather than water,. Just makes a creamier, more substantial and *comforting* soup.

More in an e-mail, but dang, I am so glad that you posted this! Very well-written and heartfelt.

VG

[tarotgal]

*reads your icon and tries not to scream with happiness at getting your fb* Really, thank you *so* much for such great fb- and teasing me with the possibility of getting more! Squee! I admire your writing and your thoughts so much that it's great to get this.

I can see why Coyote is a favorite character to write about!
The fact that he's dead sexy and allergic to everything certainly doesn't hurt ;-) But I am very glad his character came through so well to you. He's a good guy and it was hard to put him through this fic, especially knowing what I'm going to be putting him through during 'Moving On' as well

even when he's faced with the dastardly step-siblings
I had a hard time with them. Yo was certainly more tasteful than I would have been. I, like Marty, have a VERY hard time forgiving them for certain things. I didn't want them to be characatures and completely evil... but I had a hard time writing them otherwise and I'm not sure how that all came out to the reader

The bits later on about his childhood in the Carolinas (can't recall if you specified NC or SC) add to that feeling of adhering to a certain code of behavior, the "Southern hospitality"
I consider myself a Northerner, so I know what you mean- odd and charming is spot-on for me as well. I think it's NC, but I didn't explicitly say. If you drive south from Southern Maryland for 6-7 hours it lands you in North Carolina. But I spent 5-6 years of my childhood in NC and I didn't want Coyote's past to be the same as mine in that respect. In a perfect world, I'd have set it in Georgia. But that would require way too much driving and I know more about both the Carolinas. Still, I'm not 100% decided on NC... if Marty drives really fast it's possible he made it into SC *shrug* Haven't decided yet

The graveyard scene seemed spot-on to me
BIGTIME thank you. That was one part I *really* wasn't sure about, having never been to a funeral in my (a few informal services, but not an actual funeral). I'm glad you liked the setting, though. I wanted to go into more detail about Coyote's family's plot (which was why he knew just where to go) but I couldn't fit it in. I'm glad you felt it fit her social standing. And I'm glad you were touched by Coyote's words. I didn't want them to be too cheesy but he told me he had to say *something*. And, given what his step-siblings put him through to get there, I'm glad he was bold and took up his position

All the flowers at the house-- ;D Of course, it leaves room for all sorts of fetishy goodness, but on a second reading, the aptness of it and the Southernness struck me more
Exactly. I wanted very much to slip in some social commentary as well, but only the briefest hints of it came through (and even then I think it showed up more as sibling tension). Yo's mother was old money (and the man she married & his kids was/were new money). But I can imagine many of the other socially prominent new-money families buying the most extravagent arrangements in an attempt at outdoing each other and having their arrangement noticed during the reception. So, even though none of this made it in, you're exactly correct about the flowers and I'm very glad you read with such thoughtfulness

Very good of Marty to have thought ahead and packed a few extra handkerchiefs for Coyote... And then when Marty too such care to take the flowers away then ext morning, so they wouldn't bother his sweetie
Thanks. That was a bit of a nod towards my story 'Lunch Date' where Marty, faced with Coyote's allergies, decides to start carrying handkerchiefs just in case. He's such a nice guy (and gets a bit Mary-Stu-ish, I'm afraid) but I'm really glad you found him to be so sweet... especially when it comes to Yo's allergies.

I go with cream of chicken, m'self (hate mushrooms -- oooh, ick!), but I always use milk rather than water,. Just makes a creamier, more substantial and *comforting* soup.
I'm ALL about mushrooms ;-) But I'm so glad you're down with the added milk-comforting is exactly right!

I look forward to your thoughts in e-mail when you have a chance, but thank you so much for your fb here. I spent so much time on this story and it's great to know it's been read!