FIFTY-TWO CARD PICK UP

Introductory Notes
"Never bet more than you are willing to lose."
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ALTER-EGO . IX NOCTURNE . ROMY RECLIST . HOUSE OF CARDS . AT THE GAMBIT GUILD . TWITTER

"...Whether or not you want to admit it - and certainly whether or not you care to embrace it - there is an inescapable part of us that rages and wails and capers on the graves of those who try to do us wrong. It doesn't even need a reason. It's ready to go. It'll do it just for fun. There's also a part of us that knows and understands this, and is constantly under the whip. It is restrained by the part of us that bristles at the recoil; that does not love the pain; that knows that payback is a bitch. It is kept back by the leash and the threat of tenfold retribution... But is that all that holds us back? No. That is not all there is. Because there are many other reasons for not getting lost in the beast within. There are many other reasons for decency above and beyond the norm. And chief among them is the understanding that true coolness, true decency, comes from staring down that impulse at the core of your being, and then fighting it down in your actual life. So that you don't become a monster. So that you're not a total dick. You make your peace. You come to terms. But you do not let it win."

- John Mason Skipp, Dark Destiny

Lucia de'Medici is a fictitious extension of someone who wishes to remain anonymous. Simply put, it's a nom de plume and an accorded writing style that revels in context, content, subversive narration, staccato shifts in points of view, and the visceral and vibrant: I like description. I like atmosphere. I like literotica and that old dark stuff so many frequently shy away from - that's not to say that I don't dabble elsewhere. I've got a penchant for crude humour, bawdy romance and the palpable tension that frequently characterizes my absolute favourites from the Marvel universe: Rogue and Gambit.

I am a diehard ROMY shipper, but I'll take a side order of the unusual and the profane where possible. (In the end, its all about the subtext.)

How does all this pretense concern you, you might ask? Well, let's see. You're here, taking the time to read this self-indulgent introductory note, aren't you? Heh.

It is my humblest hope that, if you were so inclined to read anything I've written, I'm doing my job right by eliciting a chuckle, a snort, a loud curse at your monitor, or maybe a tear or two. More importantly, if that's the case, you've got to let me know. If only for the fact that I've pissed you off somehow and you feel like threatening me, by all means - any reaction is better than none at all.

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A Brief FAQ (As of June 2009):
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Q: Are you alive?
A: Yes. Still have a pulse, anyhow.

Q: Are you still writing?
A: I am.

Q: Are you abandoning "The Ante"?
A: Lord, no. No no no. No!

Q: Can you tell me how you planned to finish it (if you don't plan on finishing it)?
A: I could, but then I'd have to kill you.

Q: When's the next update?
A: Soonish?

Q: Who the hell is Carmine?
A: Pfff. Beats the hell out of me. (eyeroll)

Q: Will you marry me?
A: If you're six foot, well-muscled, Cajun, with red on black eyes and an ass that could crack walnuts... certainly!

See you soon, kids. ;)