Uniform Stealing Board

It's always a pleasant surprise to see a new chapter of this story posted. I know it's been a few months, but that just makes me more excited to return to this world and catch up with these characters.

It's interesting in that, when the Pakal saga began two years ago, I had some reservations, as I wasn't a great fan of fantasy elements or shapeshifters. But this series has really proven to be a fun and fascinating adventure, with memorable characters (both heroic and villainous) and some terrific USB scenes.

This latest epilogue does a good job bringing Chapter 6 to a close, and overcoming some daunting challenges. Losing Safiye and Tsuki - the main villains who drove a lot of the conflict for the bulk of the series - worried me in part because without concrete villains, the story risked losing some of its stakes and urgency. But this chapter wisely keeps the story moving and the heroines hopping from one locale and disguise to the next, so there's very little concern about lack of action. (And as an epilogue, I guess it makes sense that it's a bit less suspenseful than what came before. Plus, I confess that the lack of Tsuki may have helped the epilogue from feeling overly dark, which I appreciated.)

I really like how the group of heroes has grown over the course of the series, with Nahid a welcome addition to the team. Having new characters join the main team is a good way to keep the USB scenes and banter fresh - and of course, to maintain a certain paradigm.

Speaking of which, the USB scenes were entertaining as always. They followed a pretty routine pattern - Azeneth and her friends mug their way from one set of disguises to another, changing clothes constantly in order to keep themselves safely undercover - but with some creative twists. For example, I loved the little moment of Azeneth preparing to mug the priestess - only for it to be revealed to her (and us) that her potential is in fact Yuka, who has already mugged the real priestess. Nice way to keep readers on their toes.

The opening with Ixchel was also a highlight. Any chapter that opens with a security guard on patrol, only for that patrol to be swiftly cut short, is a winner in my book. And I always like it when the muggers are "ahead of the game" - Ixchel appears to be the last guard of her contingent to be mugged, which means her coworkers were all taken out while she unsuspectingly continued her patrol.

I feel a bit sorry for the patrol of soldiers, though - they were barely an afterthought, only given a single paragraph to highlight their mugging. Those poor women...

Yuka saw a strange vessel made of steel being sent to explore the stars. Yuka saw a metal ship being assaulted by pirates.

Ah, this sounds interesting... Wonder if anyone will write any stories about this...

In any event, another fun end to another strong chapter. I'm sad that there's only one chapter left to the series, but I look forward to seeing how it all draws to a close.

To meditions:

To esercito sconfitto: I've actually never heard of that series before. Never even saw one cover or one image of it. Though I may try to look at it at some point. My two sources of inspiration are: the real pre-Colombian civilizations (I studied History - and this is one of my favorite period); and the second edition of the pen-and-paper role-playing game called 7th Sea. It features an extension book called The New World which uses, you guessed it, a fantasy version of said pre-Colombian civilizations for its setting.

To tirepanted:

It's interesting in that, when the Pakal saga began two years ago, I had some reservations, as I wasn't a great fan of fantasy elements or shapeshifters. But this series has really proven to be a fun and fascinating adventure, with memorable characters (both heroic and villainous) and some terrific USB scenes.

The idea was indeed a risky bet. But I was getting tired of always using the same 'contemporary setting' with the same 'contemporary clothes'. I didn't know if it would be good, but at least I knew it would be something new and different from almost every other USB story. In retrospect, this saga was very useful to give me the motivation to keep on writing the past two years. It's a bit sad that now I'm feeling the opposite, as if this saga has become too big to handle and has overstayed its welcome, but that's an other story...

This latest epilogue does a good job bringing Chapter 6 to a close, and overcoming some daunting challenges. Losing Safiye and Tsuki - the main villains who drove a lot of the conflict for the bulk of the series - worried me in part because without concrete villains, the story risked losing some of its stakes and urgency. But this chapter wisely keeps the story moving and the heroines hopping from one locale and disguise to the next, so there's very little concern about lack of action.

Tsuki and Safiye brought a lot of interesting moments, and a lot of character development. However, as far as narration is concerned, I don't think they ever truly drove the conflit. With the exception of Tsuki at the end, they've always been mere agents of the Mages, who are the real antagonists - as in, the ones whose defeat is the ultimate goal of the protagonists. That's why I never feared Safiye's and Tsuki's disappearances would make the story lose its urgency. On the contrary, it was a necessary step to show it was time for the final climax - and to cement these two as memorable characters.

For better and for worst, the final chapter will be very classic and straightforward, reminiscent of my old stories. No personal foe or direct confrontation with a rival. In many aspects, the Mages are like the totalitarian government of my old stories. They are great tools to make the story move on, but can't be part of the infiltrations. Though since they are more personal antagonists due to what they did to Coulter, the redhead's ultimate confrontation with them should hopefully be satisfying. That's the only scene whose draft is more or less finished as of this writing - bringing it to life is my main motivation to keep on writing, I'm not gonna lie. Well, that and the epilogue.

I really like how the group of heroes has grown over the course of the series, with Nahid a welcome addition to the team. Having new characters join the main team is a good way to keep the USB scenes and banter fresh - and of course, to maintain a certain paradigm.

Writing their interactions is certainly the main thing that makes me keep on writing their adventures. They are my favorite group as far as writing interactions is concerned. I really love their dynamic. Nahid wasn't supposed to join the team at first, but it just felt natural. That's a thing I like about writing: you give characters their personalities, then write the story by figuring out what they would do in a given situation. I admit I didn't think of the Paradigm when I wrote Nahid's parts... So it means that the Paradigm has reached a new level. It is now part of my subconscious.

I appreciate a lot all your compliments about the various uniform stealings. Returning to a more 'conventional' scenario with a straightforward infiltration, an easy narration to follow, felt like a breath of fresh air.

I feel a bit sorry for the patrol of soldiers, though - they were barely an afterthought, only given a single paragraph to highlight their mugging. Those poor women...

The saddest thing is that they were also barely an afterthought during the writing process - an idea found at the last minute to give readers a little 'USB dessert'.

h, this sounds interesting... Wonder if anyone will write any stories about this...

Did Yuka just binge-read all the stories of the Board? I wish I could have been subtler, but at least it pleased you, and that's all that counts when I do these references. It was more or less the last occasion to do such references. The last chapter will be pretty straightforward. I haven't had the courage to give your story a thorough read and review, I confess. I just looked at the broad lines to see the general pitch and the main characters. Depending on when the final part is released, I'm wondering if I shouldn't just wait until it's done to read it all in one go... (Just admire my subtle way to try to hear a release date from you. )

I'm sad that there's only one chapter left to the series, but I look forward to seeing how it all draws to a close.

Trust me, I share your feeling. But at the same time, I clearly see that I'm reaching the limits of my motivation. So I want to avoid the risk of leaving this series on an indefinite hiatus because I pushed too far.

Did Yuka just binge-read all the stories of the Board? I wish I could have been subtler, but at least it pleased you, and that's all that counts when I do these references. It was more or less the last occasion to do such references. The last chapter will be pretty straightforward. I haven't had the courage to give your story a thorough read and review, I confess. I just looked at the broad lines to see the general pitch and the main characters. Depending on when the final part is released, I'm wondering if I shouldn't just wait until it's done to read it all in one go... (Just admire my subtle way to try to hear a release date from you. )

Ah, very clever. I have no clear release date at the moment - like yourself, I need to work up the motivation to write each chapter. But I hope to have it ready sooner rather than later. That's about all I can commit at the moment...

Trust me, I share your feeling. But at the same time, I clearly see that I'm reaching the limits of my motivation. So I want to avoid the risk of leaving this series on an indefinite hiatus because I pushed too far.

Fully understandable. Write as much as you wish, to the best of your ability. That's all any of us can do. And I also understand the need to "end on a high note" (which is why I'm also somewhat hesitant when it comes to continuing my own series).

Ah, very clever. I have no clear release date at the moment - like yourself, I need to work up the motivation to write each chapter. But I hope to have it ready sooner rather than later. That's about all I can commit at the moment...

At least I tried.

Though I don't know if you or someone else share the feeling, but am I the only one who feels that 2022 is a slow year when it comes to writing compared to the few previous ones?

And I also understand the need to "end on a high note".

More like the need to "end" the story period, actually.

Also, meditions, apologies but I just realized I actually forgot to copy-paste my answer to your comment. While I regularly use my phone to check the board, I don't spend much time on my computer, so I wrote the answer in several times (and not the same day). Anyway, the parts with Ixchel and the vestales were the ones I put the most time and efforts in, and the ones I spent the most time writing, so of course I'm happy to see they worked.

I'm sorry I haven't posted many stories or comics due to the fact I'm taking care of my mother.
This is the same reason I haven't been reading or commenting on the stories posted by the other members here.

Though I don't know if you or someone else share the feeling, but am I the only one who feels that 2022 is a slow year when it comes to writing compared to the few previous ones?

The last couple years were unusually prosperous when it came to new USB stories - from yourself, Trackman, Btl-special, Torreken, and others. I think it was probably helped by some of the lockdowns, which afforded people more time to write. In any case, we had more stories than usual in 2020 and 2021 - which was certainly great! But I suppose this sort of creativity moves in waves.

I can't speak for anyone else, but personally my lack of writings comes in part from lack of time and motivation, but also (as I previously alluded) from hesitance about telling the stories that may feel repetitive. I've been drafting up ideas for a potential new volume in the "Spacesuit" series, but while I love writing for Bridget, Bobbi, Felicia, and the various other characters in that series, I don't want to tell the stories unless they feel natural and worthwhile. That is, they need to properly service the characters and their developments, have an engaging story, and provide fresh new examples of USB scenes. This of course gets more difficult as the series goes along.

I'm making an effort to have the last chapter of "Terror on the Seas" posted by the end of this month, though I can't make any promises. After that... well, I suppose we'll see what happens. There are a lot of potential directions the series and spinoffs could go, but I want to make sure they are worth the effort.

I'm sorry I haven't posted many stories or comics due to the fact I'm taking care of my mother.

There's no need to apologize or to give a justification. I simply wanted to ask other people if they were sharing the same impression as I was.

Maybe the best way is to see the glass half-full. It's not that 2022 is particularly slow, it's more that 2020 and 2021 were exceptionally productive.

The last couple years were unusually prosperous when it came to new USB stories - from yourself, Trackman, Btl-special, Torreken, and others. I think it was probably helped by some of the lockdowns, which afforded people more time to write. In any case, we had more stories than usual in 2020 and 2021 - which was certainly great! But I suppose this sort of creativity moves in waves.

You're right. The lockdowns must have played a part. However, I like to believe that there was also some sort of positive momentum, with all these stories being posted at the same time. Now, I'm only speaking for myself here, but during this period the fact (and the knowledge) that there was a new installment by someone each couple of weeks - each month at most. helped me motivate myself to keep on writing. The opposite of a vicious cycle: Some sort of virtuous circle.

I can't speak for anyone else, but personally my lack of writings comes in part from lack of time and motivation, but also (as I previously alluded) from hesitance about telling the stories that may feel repetitive. I've been drafting up ideas for a potential new volume in the "Spacesuit" series, but while I love writing for Bridget, Bobbi, Felicia, and the various other characters in that series, I don't want to tell the stories unless they feel natural and worthwhile. That is, they need to properly service the characters and their developments, have an engaging story, and provide fresh new examples of USB scenes. This of course gets more difficult as the series goes along.

I think I see what you mean. When it comes to character development, there seems to be still a lot of things to say - in any way, I really felt like things were left on hold. It clearly looked like these characters hadn't finished their arcs. However, after all these years, it's hard to come up with ideas for new uniform stealing scenes and new scenarios without drastically changing the setting.

I think I see what you mean. When it comes to character development, there seems to be still a lot of things to say - in any way, I really felt like things were left on hold. It clearly looked like these characters hadn't finished their arcs. However, after all these years, it's hard to come up with ideas for new uniform stealing scenes and new scenarios without drastically changing the setting.

Yes, that's a good way of putting it. One of my main motivations for continuing the story would be the characters, since I do want to wrap up their arcs. But I also want to do in a way that stays consistent with the board, which means the stories should continue to find fresh and fun examples of USB scenes. This gets more difficult with time, but it probably could be done if I motivate myself. (Ah, there's that word again. )

Yes, that's a good way of putting it. One of my main motivations for continuing the story would be the characters, since I do want to wrap up their arcs. But I also want to do in a way that stays consistent with the board, which means the stories should continue to find fresh and fun examples of USB scenes. This gets more difficult with time, but it probably could be done if I motivate myself. (Ah, there's that word again. )

If it can reassure you (or motivate you), I will personally be interested to know how Bobbi's, Bridget's and Felicia's character arcs wrap up whether there are USB scenes or not. And Ashley's too, because I can't remain serious for more than one sentence.

I think it's great that the characters have resonated even beyond their USB tactics.

Developing those arcs is a lot of fun for me as well, and the character exploration is what has pushed me to continue the series for the last few years (instead of just telling individual stories with new characters each time). I think it would be great to bring back Bridget, Bobbi, and Felicia (along with Moira, Prema, and others) for more adventures. And I have a few ideas that I've been outlining recently for another big story about these characters. It's all a matter of motivating myself to write. (Perhaps once I finish "Terror on the Seas", I can turn my attention to another big project.)

And there's no need to feel silly about bringing up Ashley. She's obviously a popular character, and should the series continue, you can rest assured she'll be a part of it.