Even Angels have Scars -- Complete

Post by **HoodedMan** » Sat Jan 08, 2005 11:57 pm

I'd actually like to see Number One, but I'm probably a bit unique in this respect.

CurlyyHairGirl · Post by **CurlyyHairGirl** » Sun Jan 09, 2005 4:17 am

I say number one. That way we can read the ending so there will be no stray strings dangling, that would drive me to the brink of sanity...heh:D

Then if, AND ONLY IF, you are up to writing the whole swashbuckling adventure in heck, (don't get me wrong I'd love to read it) as long as it doesn't interfere with school or anything important, no pressure(at least not from me...

)

Post by **Rowena** » Tue Jan 11, 2005 4:46 am

Although I'd really, really love to read the swashbuckling story, I'm going to vote for number one as well. I'm itching to see what happens next with Kurt's circus and his friends, and I agree with CurlyyHairGirl about the dangling strings.

Post by **Saint Kurt** » Tue Jan 11, 2005 11:29 pm

Unfortunately, as exciting as it is, the stuff with Amanda and Kurt having an adventure happens very very late in the story - and while I have the benefit of omnipotence in this particular instance, everyone else would be like "Wait, who ARE all these other people? What the hell happened to Circus Gehlhaar?" etc. etc.

So, it would kind of suck.

The truth is, for me it doesn't matter since I don't write chronologically. I have a tendency to write the beginning and then start writing the end and sort of join them.

So my goal is to give myself an hour of writing time every day at school. Sometimes it won't be possible, but most days it will be. I've already figured out that any kind of creative endeavor that requires setup and cleanup is impossible during vet school, but creative writing doesn't take up any extra room or make a mess. So I'm looking forward to having a project that is portable and possible.

And I don't like dangling strings either.

-e

Post by **Saint Kurt** » Fri Jan 14, 2005 12:36 am

So - since my rhetorical musing about which story would I rather write started an unexpected poll, I thought I would ask your opinions on something for real.

I really am interested - Did you like how I pulled a quote from every story and put it at the top? As I'm writing the next chapters I'm trying to decide if I want to go with that treatment again or perhaps something different. And since I am in the unique position of being able to communicate directly to my entire audience, I thought I'd ask.

So, what did you think about those quotes? Did you like them? Or did you not even bother with them and go right into the chapter?

Perhaps what might have been fun was if I had posted the quote a few days before posting the chapter... That could have been very interesting.

Thanks
-e

Post by **HoodedMan** » Fri Jan 14, 2005 2:03 pm

I did like that a lot; I like fanfics that do that. Sneak previews are also nice. :p

CurlyyHairGirl · Post by **CurlyyHairGirl** » Fri Jan 14, 2005 3:08 pm

I think that if you posted the quotes a few days ahead of the chapter, it would keep us in suspense and ripping out our hair to be able to read the new chapter ( 'T is a good idea).

I loved the quotes, I made sure to read them before the chapter, plus, after reading a chapter I liked ( I liked them all) it helped identify the chapters better for me when I wanted to reread them.
Quotes should stay!:nodyes

Post by **Saint Kurt** » Sun Feb 13, 2005 3:02 am

So I put this up on Fan Fiction.net but it's not getting much love. I figured I'd make a shameless plug here in case someone feels like adding a review.

http://www.fanfiction.net/~bluefrodo

One thing, I'm having terrible trouble with the formatting. I actually had a few chapters up there before and cleared them away in an attempt to start fresh due to the fact that the story was rendered nonsensical by their "anti-formatting".

It's a little better this time because I knew what to expect, but if anybody has some advice like how to make a line break stay a line break or an asterick remain in place, I'd appreciate that too.

Oh - And Bluefooted - can I link to your illustration on Deviant? That would be all cool and collaborative.

Thanks!
-e

Post by **Rowena** » Mon Feb 14, 2005 12:36 pm

At Fanfiction.net there's a line-break symbol at the top of the preview page after the Bold, Italic, and Underlined symbols. Astericks don't seem to work anymore, and nor do brackets, percent signs, number symbols, etc. I really have no idea why, but it changes all the time. A few days ago, exclamation points and question marks didn't turn up at the end of sentences, but they're working now. As long as your punctuation shows up when you save the changes you make in the preview box, they'll show up when when the chapter's posted.

I hope this helps, and that your wonderful story starts getting the attention there that it deserves!

Nightmare · Post by **Nightmare** » Thu Mar 03, 2005 6:33 pm

Wow, you invoked my name a lot in this story...

I just found this a week ago when I popped in to update my thread... I've been reading it on and off for days while I've been working on SATK and giving in to an evil bunny on another Kurt story.

I have to say, your writing is excellent and I'm very impressed with your story. /Bows before you.

Please continue?

Post by **Saint Kurt** » Wed Mar 09, 2005 4:28 pm

Thanks. It's cool to find new readers picking this up and discovering it so long after I finished it.

I love feedback so I'll be interested in hearing what you'll have to say once you've read to the end. Speaking of feedback, I've posted up to Chapter 32 on Fan Fiction.Net and I've still only gotten 10 reviews. Those FF.N folks are a tough room!

I am working on a sequel, albeit very slowly.

thanks again,
-e

Maelstrom · Post by **Maelstrom** » Mon Mar 21, 2005 4:54 pm

Don't feel too bad about not getting feedback at FF.net. I think I might have gotten 11 comments on Talons, which is my longest to date. This latest one, Sinister Motives, has something like 5 comments, and it's been going for months as well. I think some of the people who have 20 and 30 comments get them from their friends...

John Doe · Post by **John Doe** » Fri Jun 24, 2005 7:21 pm

I have absolutely no idea how long this took me to read, but it bridged one of the dozens of gaps I've had in being here. Which means it's probably a few months, off and on, and honestly there was a long period of time that separates your story, at least for me, into two halves- right around the event in Brighton and then everything after, there's a hard split. So that may somehow affect my mentality in critiquing it.

Nevertheless, this may be the most entertaining, gripping prose I've ever read, and there's no hyperbole intended at all there. If I've read a book that kept me more on edge, I don't know what it is. And that, I'd say, is the most powerful thing about this story- the grip of it and the fact that when I was intending, for the sake of giving myself time to study for finals, to read one chapter per night, I ended up reading four or five and then begrudgingly going off to bed. So superb job with that part of the story- easily the most important part.

There were times, though, when I got a little confused by your wordings and your imagery. For example, in the hospital scene with Dr. Mallory, Wolfgang, and Kurt, anytime a masculine pronoun was used, I was a bit thrown off because I tended not to be able to trace it to its owner. This may have something to do with the fact that you have a lot of characters, thus in an equally distributive interactive story it makes sense that sometimes scenes will be unigender.

There were a lot of characters, though, and that sometimes got confusing, despite the “Dramatis Personae” list that I vaguely remember you posting, especially because some of these characters fall into the same function, i.e. Lars and Wolfgang are both very good friends of Kurt; James and Wolfgang are both from “out of town” and are somewhat eccentric organizers who have girlfriends who come to live with them, etc. This is probably something that is simply unavoidable for the purposes of the story, and I’m probably missing out on details that draw distinctions between these characters.

Overall, I’ve been racking my brain thinking of things to critique, but I’m coming up quite short on replies in that field. If I think of anything urgent, I’ll post again, but for the time being, this story was remarkable and innovative. I’m impressed by your ability to contain an entire story arc, from start to finish, within a microcosm of your entire actual arc, and by your ability to carefully put together his history while maintaining that development of the plot. You constructed a history of his life quietly and gracefully and most importantly realistically: I could believe in this Nightcrawler, as a human being simply surrounded by the paranormal. You set the rules of his universe and then obeyed them, which is excellent. Fantastic piece, Zam- better than I could do and better than I can express here.

--John

(PS: I’ll be sure to see Until Death Do Us Part, as well.)

Post by **Saint Kurt** » Mon Jun 27, 2005 6:37 pm

Thanks for the critique - it's really appreciated.

You guys have no idea how much these long critiques and even the short comments affect my writing. They make a huge difference - especially right now because even though I'm writing Until Death Do Us Part - I'm doing all the plotting for Ceremony of Innocence which I am trying desperately to shoe horn the entire rest of the outline into.

[quote]
There were a lot of characters, though, and that sometimes got confusing, despite the “Dramatis Personae” list that I vaguely remember you posting, especially because some of these characters fall into the same function, i.e. Lars and Wolfgang are both very good friends of Kurt; James and Wolfgang are both from “out of town” and are somewhat eccentric organizers who have girlfriends who come to live with them, etc. This is probably something that is simply unavoidable for the purposes of the story, and I’m probably missing out on details that draw distinctions between these characters.[/quote]

In some cases a bit, maybe, in others the distinction isn't truly made until later. (except maybe in the case of Wolfgang who has a true character development arc during this story - he should truly be distinguished from some of Kurt's other friends.)

As for the other characters, 2 things are going on: the first is that it's a circus and there are a lot of people so it follows that there are a lot of characters, the second is that this story is like the tip of the iceburg - by the time it gets to the end of my outline, all the major named characters have stories of their own and very different parts they play in Kurt's life. So in this story some of them, such as James and Christian, have just barely been introduced. In Until Death Do Us Part you'll notice that Christian is finally getting some real character development beyond "the silly California guy with the bikes who used to tease Kurt", which was the sum total of his role in this story.

James and Brin have very key roles they play much much later, but they need to be there now to establish their relationship to Kurt. Wolfgang of course has already shown himself to be more than just Kurt's friend - he's been a mentor and role model. And think about how much he changed in this story. Wolfgang came to the circus as an artist and raconteur who was also single and quite a womanizer. By the end of the story he has been through a transformation that parallels Kurt's and is quite a different person. And it should be quite obvious that when Kurt grows up the person who he's going to be the most like will be Wolfgang, only his own idealized version of him.

But, I did recognise that the one thing that is tough about this story is following the lives of so many original characters, because even though the characters are part of Kurt's life, he's the one everyone wants to read about. It's probably the one thing that I hear the most complaints about (or the only complaints really) though I must say it would be impossible to write a story of this level of complexity without them. For instance, part of the fun of having Martuska come back and play such a key role is that she was mentioned way way early in the story. Think about it, if at the end I just announced, "oh by the way, Margali's got a sister don't you know and I'm going to introduce her right now and then have her do the climax of the plot, okay, done" that wouldn't have been compelling at all.

So, some of these characters must exist because they are doing things and setting up for the roles they will play in Kurt's life later on. However, it was the fact that people found the characters so confusing that made me decide to be wary of introducing others unless it was absolutely necessary. The result of that decision was some experimental whittling of the outline to see if I could remove a plot point that introduces almost a whole new circus without changing the plot too much. There's a reason for it, but maybe Kurt doesn't need to meet quite so many new people. Perhaps I can acheive the same end - so that's something I'm playing with now.

So, thanks John Doe (and everyone else) I know this is long, but I just wanted to show you that your feedback really does make a huge difference in how the story gets written.

Thanks!
-e

Confizzle · Post by **Confizzle** » Wed Dec 21, 2005 8:58 pm

This is one of the best stories I've ever read.

Post by **Saint Kurt** » Fri Dec 23, 2005 4:10 pm

Wow. Thanks.

I'm still working on the sequel: Until Death Do Us Part, which is down below in the unfinished stories.

-e

NachtcGleiskette · Post by **NachtcGleiskette** » Fri Jan 06, 2006 12:04 am

I can never get over how muchn I love this fic...can't wait to read more of the sequel!

Post by **Saint Kurt** » Mon Nov 13, 2006 5:52 pm

10,015 views.

I have no idea why this is, but I have always wanted this fic to have over 10,000 views. Now it does.

I can die happy now.

-e

Jolinare · Post by **Jolinare** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 9:05 pm

i think i've burbled about this story quite enough, in another post and in reviews on ff, but still: this story is so good it transcends the world of fanfiction.

Feuerstein · Post by **Feuerstein** » Tue Sep 04, 2007 10:30 pm

It took me a few days to get through this, but I was absolutely itching to continue reading every time I was forced to stop (classes, sleeping, food, who needs those things??). This is INCREDIBLE. I can't believe how much thought and effort you put into it. Plus the writing is superb, characterization spot on, and plot? (what plot?) It can't be topped! You definitely deserve the Most Diligent Deviant award!

I read Rowena's kurt-history story and loved it, so I was on a Nightcrawler fanfic binge and went searching for more. I'd actually seen this story a couple times and passed it over (!!) because it was movieverse and I don't usually like movieverse stories. I'm such a moron! This is probably the best piece of Nightcrawler fiction I've ever read. So much of it I would love to see actually become canon. The other interesting thing is I have never liked the idea of Kurt actually having demonic/angelic origins (I'm not in general into stories about demons, vampires, or other definitively evil creatures, even ones where they're "redeemed"). But you pulled it off so fantastically well. I was literally jumping in my seat. My roommate gave me funny looks. I loved how you depicted Azazel. In the latter chapters, I kept wishing someone would punch Margali and Amanda. It was hard to try to look at what had happened from their perspective despite knowing why they feared the ramifications of the magical disturbance. I just kept remembering that Kurt had just had an encounter with not only violent prejudice, but an encounter with death itself, and afterward all they could say was, "forgive me and then we'll be a family again!" But all the stress you dumped on Kurt was great. It made the story so heart-wrenching. You're a master storyteller.

WELL. Now I've exhausted my thoughts, I think, on a story that's a year old or so... who cares if I bump it to the top, EVERYONE SHOULD READ IT!!! From now on, I'm your groupie. I will make t-shirts on cafepress.com and everything.

the_lone_bamf · Post by **the_lone_bamf** » Sun Feb 24, 2008 8:36 pm

I realise this comment is nearly a year after the last one, but I thought I needed to tell you how much I enjoyed your story. To be honest, I've spent the last week complaining to my friends how it seems that when I search for Kurt-centric fics, I can only ever seem to find 'Kuroro' movie fics or literally, the same websites that were around 10 or so years ago and have since falled into disrepair for one reason or another. (Not that I can talk.

Heh.)

The first 'chapter' alone was a great stand alone story and probably my favorite movie-verse writing to date. I lost no time in sharing it with a fellow Marvel fan (and Wolvie lover- who has been lamenting Logan's descent into... well... ape-dom, as of late) and he also really loved the interaction between the two characters. We laughed over several of your lines, especially the bit about weak American beer and firing tailors/barbers.

Of course, I read the story in its entirety, gobbling it up in well under a day- and I just wanted to thank you for writing such a great Nightcrawler fic. I love the way you handled the religious aspects of his character (and joked with a friend that not everyone reads fanfictions that get edited for 'ecclesiastical errors') as well as meshing various bits of comic/movie history.

Thanks again!

DÃƒÂ¤mon · Post by **DÃƒÂ¤mon** » Mon Apr 14, 2008 10:47 pm

I have two reasons to thank you..maybe more.
1. That...was..AWESOME!!! Honestly, it made my life!
2. It inspired me to write again...I was a bit 'off' last month, so it's good to feel the magic flow back in me brain!
3. Thanks to you, I've discovered this site! *squeezes to death* THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!
PLEASE keep working on Until Death Do Us Part! I am irrevocably in love and hooked!

Dedicatedfollower467 · Sun Aug 30, 2009 3:20 am

Okay........ so I only joined a few weeks ago and I had some trouble finding this fic...

I read this in June before I joined in a little less than two days. I've always been a fast reader.

OMG YOU ARE AMAZING!!!

I know how much I love positive feedback, so I thought I'd give you a little of mine. I usually dislike the movieverse and I pretty much HATE the very concept of Azazel... and yet you brought it off so perfectly, so completely, so INCREDIBLY WELL that I couldn't stop reading this. This fanfic has made it to my list of favorite books!

Thank you so much for sharing your talent and your vision with us, Zamweasel/Saint Kurt!

Karl · Post by **Karl** » Sat Jan 16, 2010 8:42 pm

A little over three years after you posted the end of this wonderful story, here's another new reader who truly loved it. Even though my own imagined version of Kurt's history is radically different than yours, you did a marvellous job of including so many things about Nightcrawler into one consistent story line that I stand in awe of your ability, especially if this is your first real attempt at writing. If it happens that you read this comment someday, you're probably just about finished with vet school. I hope your life is going well and I wish you many blessings, St. Kurt.
And now I'm going to look around and try to find the stories you mentioned as future possibilities.

Alice_and_the_Pirates · Mon Aug 09, 2010 11:59 pm

Oh, I just had to write a comment

This story is just amazing. You're absolutly talented.
I just read the part about the drive to Hamburg, which is my hometown ;D I wanted to note: Catholic curches are very very veeeeerrrry rare in north germany xD For example: In my quarter, we have 3 lutheran churches and only one catholic.
Liebe Grüße <3

Nightscrawlers