Chapter 32 is posted.

Here's the link.

What's up, everybody?  Is anyone still here?  It's been 33 short months since the last installment.  Given that wait, I feel like whatever I cooked up was bound to be underwhelming -- short of Daenerys sitting on the Iron Throne and Jon Snow hooking up with Gendry, which definitely happens.

I've also been avoiding e-mails and comments recently, in order to make sure that any feedback didn't distract from my efforts to hammer this out.  I skimmed through them today, and thankfully no one was too threatening or frustrated.  Sorry if I've left you hanging, but, you know.

The next chapter will be graduation, so I expect a lot to happen.  How much actually gets resolved is harder to say.  I expect three or four more installments altogether.  Thanks as always.

Chapter 31 is posted.

Here's the link.

Chapter 30 will post soon.

It's done and e-mailed in for posting.  I may not be on my laptop for awhile, so can't update with a definite link, but I assume it will be posted at this link within 48 hours.  If not that link, you should be able to find it.

Apparently it's been seven months since my last chapter, and this one will probably seem anti-climactic!  Sorry about that.  It was supposed to be the first half of a longer chapter, but it developed its own story arc that stands alone.

The next chapter is one I've been waiting for years to write, like Chapter 16, Chapter 25 and Chapter 28.  Those chapters almost wrote themselves.  I'm hoping the same will be true here, but I never really know.

Thanks for your patience.  I think that there are only (?) nine chapters left.  If you're digging the story, the waits are probably frustrating, but we're all going to miss this when it's over.

Chapter 29 is posted.

Here it is.

Chapter 28 is posted.

It's available here.

Opposing views on Chris Riis

A couple of different takes on Chris popped up in the comments to my last post.

Opinion A:

Also if Joe and Chris don't end up entwined, you're going to have to write an alternative ending just so I can cope emotionally and continue with my day.

***

I hope, I pray that Chris sees that he loves Joe so much. And I know it's not going to end with Joe and Chris happily ever after- but god I wish I could change it so they could.

Opinion B:

Why anyone would want Joe to end up with a guano-head like Chris is beyond me. The story is about Joe's growth, and it's obviously bringing him to a point at which he's worthy of Andy. Chris - despite the fact that he's a fucked-up child and therefore deserving of sympathy, like the rest of us - is a means to an end.

Judging from the e-mails and comments, Chris and Andy are the two characters that people seem to really, really like -- although Chris also has a lot of detractors.  For me, it's just cool that people have a strong feeling one way or another.  Anybody else feel like giving their opinion?

Myself, I fucking love all of these characters, including Joe's asshole brother Rob.

I also want to mention that Chapter 28 should be done and posted soon-ish.  Not necessarily this weekend, or even the weekend after, but it's around 80% complete and the rest is falling into place.

Chapter 27 is posted.

You can read it here.

Chapter 26 is posted.

You can read it here.

UPDATE, 2/3/14: This is not the last chapter! I'm getting e-mails from people who have that impression! There are probably around 12-15 installments left, not to mention that this would be an incredibly anti-climactic conclusion.

Chapter 25 is posted (updated with DVD extra)

You can read it here.

Updated, 9/22:  I'm starting to sketch out a little of the next chapter.  Moving on from the last one is hard.  Click through for a deleted scene and some director's commentary.

Chapter 25 preview (updated x3)

Chapter 25 will be massive.  I was expecting a range of 15,000-20,000 words, but the section I intended as the set-up for the main story arc already clocks at 6,000 words -- about three times longer than I planned.  That would be enough for a stand-alone chapter, and I thought about posting it that way, but the whole thing ties together thematically, so I'm sticking to my original concept.

In the meantime, here's a small preview.  It won't spoil you on the main arc of the chapter, if you're worried about that kind of thing.  I picked it mainly because it's fairly self-contained, so don't infer too much about which characters show up and how the rest unfolds.  If this goes over well, I might do similar posts in the future, depending on timing and what I'm writing.

Update, 8/18: This chapter is huge. The length of a short novel. Some of the things you've probably been wanting for a long time kind of, sort of happen.  I think every character either appears or is name-checked, but it takes place in its own kind of bubble and is close to being a stand-alone story, the way Chapter 16 was. Is it bloated? Too shaggy? Kind of epic? I'll let you guys decide soon, almost definitely by the end of the month.  Very excited to finish it.

Update, 8/29:  Well, I spoke too soon. Had a night to myself last night for the first time in 10 days, so the new chapter won't post in August. Soon, though. Sorry for the false optimism.

Update, 9/4:  Chapter 25 is done.  I've mailed it in for posting.  32,543 words.  Insane.  Read it slowly, because I might need some recovery time.  I'll write a new post when it's online.