Author's Notes by the eponymous Mr. D

NEW EDITION 05-14-20

I will be finishing all my open stories over the next six months, including Brother Dearest, Details, Shattered and my Kuroshitsuji stuff as well.

I have been away, but now I'm back once again.

Updates will follow when new chapters are posted to site.

Thank you.

I'd like to start reviewing some of other people's work on this site. Anyone who looks at this profile knows my favourite stories and authors remain a mystery. I do read other works on this site, I just feel like I have little right to criticise them. However, since posting on this site is meant to be an exercise in give and take, it's hypocritical of me to ask for reviews and give none in return.

If anyone has any suggestions for stories or authors I should read and review, PM me and I will. I'll also PM you back with a thank you and my take on the story you recommended. On that note, here is something a fellow writer sent me that may interest those of you who enjoy Shattered:

Hello,

I was glancing at your profile and noticed your desire to be recommended stories. Therefore I have one for you: The Till-Then From The Ever-Since by TrisakAminawn. It bears a certain similarity to your new story Shattered, prompting me to think of it when you asked. Of course, you may have already read it, in which case you may disregard this message!

And if you are looking for more stories, I can recommend pretty much everything written by both dragonprincess1988 and orangesunset12.

Also, it seems like FF.n has at least a bit of conventional etiquette that recommends reviewing the fics of your reviewers. I doubt anyone does it comprehensively--I know I don't--but it can be a nice touch in the give-and-take world of fanfiction, as you said.

Hope you like some of these recommendations!

Blessings,
Sophia the Scribe

I've read the opening three chapters and it is very encouraging. Over 400 reviews also lend it some credence, so thanks for that Sophia. I'll send you my thoughts on it next week.

Moving on...

THE BACKGROUND CHECK:

I am an Englishman currently employed elsewhere. I have always enjoyed writing stories and, although the work showcased on this site will predominantly be Batman orientated, I have several dozen stories based on other popular works in all forms of media.

Kuroshitsuji is my only real anime/manga passion and has four works on here based on the basic premise.

One of my lifelong ambitions is to become a published author and celebrated for my characters and works of fiction. By first publishing my work here, I am already taking first steps to achieving that goal.

Even though I do not explicitly mention it in my works, I appreciate reviews of any kind as it is constructive criticism, not wild praise that improves an author's writing ability. I am only 29 after all and have much to learn. I am particularly sensitive about grammatical accuracy and would greatly appreciate any reader's input in correcting minor mistakes for my own piece of mind.

Due to the nature of my job, I cannot disclose many more details about my personal life due to security. I will say however, that my favourite books are Catcher in the Rye by Salinger and Lord of the Flies by Golding, a man whose glittering literary and teaching career I wish to emulate in later life.

Since I began writing as an eight-year-old, I have amassed a catalogue of well over 10,000 stories of varying length and the majority dealing exclusively with characters and settings of my own creation. They are all stored on my laptop hard drive, with a back-up of all the files located in a safe place.

My final point pertains to support of you readers who take the time to read and review my work: I am forever grateful for your patronage. I do not thank you, my fellow story enthusiasts and writers very often even though as one myself I ought to. So I will take this opportunity to acknowledge your readership and offer thanks from the bottom of my heart. Without you kind people reading my stories, I would never know if what I penned was awful or good, insightful or blunt in its tone, grammar, delivery or presentation. This is my passion and it has remained my passion because of your support. So, once again, thank you very much for humouring me.

EXCERPTS FROM THE ARCHIVE - NEW EDITION: 24/03/15

I will admit to being genuinely stunned. Since I have not written anything new in months, when I glanced at the story stats today, I expected virtually no real numbers to appear. 996? Really? I write nothing new and people still read my stories? February over 1,250. January, over 1300 views? Are they really that good? I open my emails and every week I find new subscribers favoriting my stories, adding me to their Favourite Author's list, reviewing my work and almost begging me to write more? I'm humbled, truly I am.

OTHER IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTES:

NEW EDITION 29/09/16

Hello again. The long and short is...there is no longer a structure to my updates. Everything is free-flowing at present. I am planning one more update today to complete seven successive days of publishing on the site. After that, I will likely take a break. In the meantime, I would recommend you read the works of Black Friar and Alexandria-likethecityinEgypt if you wish to read works in this fandom that are never less than excellent in quality and characterisation. Anyone looking for Kuroshitsuji should refer themselves to Silvia Grace.

I plan to retire from this site once I have archived 1 million words. Current total is around 850,000. I estimate I roughly have another 18 months before that total is reached. So enjoy my work whilst you can.

At some point I will finish Respite's final chapter. At some point, Ciel and Sebastian, His Butler, New World will receive several updates and probably completion. At some point, a lot of my existing stories will receive updates. I am simply not willing to commit to deadlines. Just wait and see.

Please review my stories if you think they deserve it. Otherwise I've got no idea whether what I'm peddling is any good or not.

NEW EDITION 08-22-18

STORY INDEX (Batman only)

Here are all my stories in timeline order:

Funeral Dirge - Dick meets Bruce for first time (Dick is twelve)

Up High - Dick adapts to life in the manor (still twelve)

Meeting in Darkness - Bruce reveals his identity to Dick, they pursue Zucco and he trains to become Robin (still twelve)

Twelve - The filler months between Dick becoming Robin and the seminal events depicted in Robin: Year One. (Dick is twelve and Bruce is learning to parent)

Details - Follows on from the aftermath of Robin Year One (seminal comic book I base all my characterisations off along with Batman Long Halloween) (Dick is thirteen with two chapters occurring after his fourteenth birthday)

From here, there is a certain amount of convolution where the following stories are concerned, but all of them occur when Dick is fourteen and all can be considered standalone:

Escape - Bruce and Dick have a chat on Gotham Cathedral at night.

Rose - Bruce and Dick lay roses for their parents.

Conditions - Bruce goes missing during an investigation and Dick has to rescue him.

Comfort - Dick is injured in bed. Bruce has to look after him when Alfred refuses.

Alice and Us - Bruce and Dick bonding one-shot.

Luke - A new boy at Bristol Middle School becomes obsessed with Dick (Original character POV)

Robin - Dick as Robin and some of the trials it presents.

Drunk - Dick gets drunk for the first time.

Dreamer - Dick has a nightmare and goes to Bruce for comfort.

Fathers - Dick forces Bruce to celebrate his status as a dad.

Rain - Dick's thoughts on rain in the city and why it makes him so miserable.

Report - Dick at school

(He had a pretty busy year)

Fathers and Drunk both have other chapters with other characters attached from later in the timeline. Dreamer also features a chapter from after Bruce has returned from his trip through time. Report has three chapters from when Dick is fifteen that just precede Heat in the chronology.

Next up...Dick at fifteen

Heat - A heatwave hits Gotham and makes Dick antsy. Bruce benches him and has to have a talk about his behaviour. Father-Son bonding piece set against the rise of adolescent hormones.

and done with the Bruce and Dick for the moment :)

Jason next:

Streets (Bruce meets Jason for the first time - Jason is thirteen - and trains him for the mantle)

Exceptional Circumstances (Deacon Blackfire fallout - Jason is fourteen)

Brick (Jason is fourteen and a serious handful)

Soldier (Jason is between fourteen and sixteen)

Respite (Jason is sixteen and dealing with emotion)

Endgame (Jason is sixteen and dealing with being a ridiculously good ass-kicker - relationship with Bruce fraying)

Descent (Jason is seventeen and their relationship is shot to hell)

End Credits (Jason's funeral) - also features Jason's return as Red Hood in Title Card

Tim:

Tim (Tim is fifteen and ready to be Robin)

Slip (After Identity Crisis when Tim is grieving)

Fear (Tim is seventeen I think and stabbed)

Damian:

Progeny (Dami is ten)

Puberty (Dami is eleven and confused)

Boy's Club Damian and friends

Super Sons: The Stories (Damian and Jon Kent get on each others and their dads' nerves - Damian is thirteen)

Other works:

Forge - Jason returns to Gotham to hash out some issues and kick some ass on Bruce's streets (everyone's involved)

Brother Dearest - Adult Jason, Dick and Tim must work together as Red Hood, Nightwing and Red Robin respectively to restore order in Bludhaven. Multiple POV and plenty of laughs. Successor to Forge storyline, but not necessary that you read Forge to understand or enjoy Brother Dearest.

Moving forward - collected one-shots that run in chronological order. Highlights include Dick and Jason's first meeting, Tim's training for the mantle and Bruce's grief after Jason's death.

Family - Dick is twenty-eight and Gotham's Batman while Bruce runs Batman Incorporated.

Shattered - Bruce is forty-one. Time is fractured. All his Robins appear as their fifteen-year-old selves. Bruce has to figure out how to fix things, soon.

I think that's it. Pretty much anyway. Hopefully this helps.

Cricket - Centring around Bruce and Damian's efforts to rehabilitate one of the world's most deadly killers and assassins, the eponymous Cricket, a ten-year-old boy who has beaten both Cassandra Cain as Black Bat and Tim Drake as Red Robin without breaking sweat.

NEW EDITION - 08-21-18

THE RUNNING TOTALS (Updated every month)

Legacy views (to all stories) - 249,213/250,000

Total words archived -843,521/1,000,000

Time on site - 84 months/120 months (10 years)

Total reviews received (to all stories) - 1137/1200

Total views to profile - 16,109/20,000

I know...156,479 words still left to write...